Advertise on podcast: Podsothoth: A Lovecraft Book Club

A reading of The Dunwich Horror, by HP Lovecraft, first published in the April 1929 issue of Weird Tales, and first read here, by me, in October of 2026. Be warned, this is a horror podcast, and this story contains descriptions of witchcraft, demonology, wizardry, extra-dimensional beings, hybrid abominations, several exceedingly poor attempts at capturing archaic Western Massachusetts accents, and, perhaps most troubling of all, flocks of eastern whip-poor-wills and their terrible, piping calls. If these elements are likely to disturb you, you are strongly encouraged to skip this episode. The ambience for this episode is from the "Haunted Cemetery Ambience" soundscape by Sound Illusion at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu_mMqKt_lU Join us next time when I'll be joined by my esteemed attorney and preferred Congressional candidate, Claire Reynolds of Texas' District 11. We'll be discussing this story, its influences and references, and of course, have a few laughs. If you happen to be listening to this when it's first released, you can also catch Claire live on Basin PBS for her congressional debate, sponsored by Diamondback Energy for some reason! That's on October 5, 2026, and streaming live on the Basin PBS YouTube channel. Check the show notes, or Claire's campaign at claire11.org, for details. The United States mid-term elections are on November 3, 2026, so be sure to get out and vote for Claire if you live in north Austin, Pflugerville, Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, or any of the 20 Texas counties that are in the district! You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

A discussion of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Temple," first published in the September, 1925 issue of Weird Tales (though written in 1920), and first discussed with my attorney, wife, and congressional candidate, Claire Reynolds. Please note, this is a horror podcast, so its content may not be for everyone. This story contains several references to both homicide and suicide, war crimes, a claustrophobic entrapment aboard a disabled submarine, the undead, off-putting dolphins, Atlantean architecture, and excessive ethnocentrism and national chauvinism throughout. If these elements are likely to disturb you unduly, you are advised to skip this episode. You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com. Catch that very sultry Lovecraft ASMR podcast if you're on Apple, and figure out how to find it if you're not. If you're into academic esoterica, check out https://lovecraft-conference.podsothoth.club for Tod's slides about his paper on the Weirdness of War and Pestilence. Finally, Claire Reynolds recently sat down for episode 193 of Wait, WHAT!? to talk West Texas politics, and the results speak for themselves: Claire Reynolds now carries the full-throated support of both Wait, WHAT!? and Podsothoth: A Lovecraft Book Club, two titans of Permian Basin and Central Texas podcasting whose combined might commands the single most sought-after swing demographic in American politics: cosmic horror aficionados who also have strong feelings about the Midland ISD school board. You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

A reading of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Temple, " by H.P. Lovecraft, first published in the September, 1925 issue of Weird Tales, and first read aloud here, by me, in June of 2026. Please note, this is a horror podcast, so its content may not be for everyone. This story contains several references to both homicide and suicide, war crimes, a claustrophobic entrapment aboard a disabled submarine, the undead, off-putting dolphins, Atlantean architecture, and excessive ethnocentrism and national chauvinism throughout. If these elements are likely to disturb you unduly, you are advised to skip this episode. You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambient "UNDERWATER Ambience 10 Hours," by Asleep in Perfection at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dJDFGvkc1Y . Next time, we'll be joined by my attorney, wife, and Texas Democratic candidate for United States Congress, Claire Reynolds, as we delve into the depths of this story of nationalism, hubris, and zombie cannibalistic dolphins. You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Join Tod and Congressional Candidate Claire as they discuss H.P. Lovecraft's "The Silver Key," first published in the January, 1929 issue of Weird Tales. Please note: while this story is largely fanciful, this is ultimately a horror podcast, and so it may not be suitable for all audiences. In particular, this discussiojn involves the horrors of growing old, the siren's song of nostalgia bordering on retromania, grotesque packaging, and the utter meaningless of life in a blind and uncaring cosmos. If this subject matter is likely to disturb or offend you, you may wish to skip this episode. You can catch Claire on CombatVetPaul's channel, live streamed (or recorded if it's after April 29, which is almost certainly is when you read this): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z_si0s8YO8 You can follow along with Tod's adventures with "The Lovecraft Conference" here:  https://lovecraft-conference.podsothoth.club Hey, it's registration and travel planning time for NecronomiCON Providence! Go here: https://necronomicon-providence.com/welcome/. Wanna meet up? Write or at-us at [email protected] or https://defcon.social/@podsothoth! Finally, you should also listen to War in Pieces: https://warinpiec.es. It's a day-by-day, sentence-by-sentence reading of War in Peace, usually read by Tod, occasionally read by Claire and other guests. If you want to read a sentence, just record yourself on a voice memo and email it to [email protected]. It'd be helpful to limit yourself to something nearby where the podcast is, and of course, please use the same text Tod uses: https://github.com/todb/warinpieces/blob/main/warpeace01tols_0.pdf (as of this show note in April of 2026, we've just started on page 4). Update: it has come to our attention that we failed to make, or even consider, a single Silver Surfer joke. I guess we'll have to wait for Through the Gates of the Silver Key to correct this oversight. You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

A reading of the "The Silver Key," by H.P. Lovecraft, first published in the January, 1929 issue of Weird Tales, and first read aloud here, by me, in March of 2026. Please note: while this story is largely fanciful, this is ultimately a horror podcast, and so it may not be suitable for all audiences. In particular, this story involves the horrors of growing old, the siren's song of nostalgia bordering on retromania, suicidal thoughts, grotesque packaging, and the utter meaningless of life in a blind and uncaring cosmos. If this subject matter is likely to disturb or offend you, you may wish to skip this episode. You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambient "Sound of Jupiter | 12 Hours of Space Ambient Sounds" by Voice of the Deep Space, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8myhlA8PZA You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Join Tod and Congressional Candidate Claire as they discuss "The Last Test," by H.P. Lovecraft and Adolphe de Castro. It was first published in the November 1928 issue of Weird Tales, under de Castro's name. Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story touches on sensitive subjects such as suicide, the unethical treatment of animals, the unethical treatment of humans, the lost city of Atlantis, hypodermic needles, California politics, prison administration, unkind characterizations of Tibetans and Mexican-Americans, Nyarlathotep (also known as the Crawling Chaos), wildly unethical journalism, and the vilification of medical science. If this subject matter is likely to disturb or offend you, you may wish to skip this episode. Specifically, in this episode, there's a very short story that's worth an extra warning. If you don't want to hear that, skip from 57m23s to 59m37. You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com. Other Links Deep Cuts in a Lovecraftian Vein coverage of the storyLearn about Roko's Basilisk, sucker!Man of science Lister did not "invent" Listerine, but it's named after him. Neat!We have two new podcasts, War in Pieces and War in Pages. They're both kind of dumb but also kind of not?Finally, you can listen to Claire not talk about Lovecraft nonsense, but actual things that matter, on the Wait WHAT?! podcast. She comes in at right about the half hour mark. Then she leaves and the guys talk about football. Check it out on Spotify and elsewhere.You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

A reading of "The Last Test" by H.P. Lovecraft and Adolphe de Castro. It was first published in the  November 1928 issue of Weird Tales, under de Castro's name, and first read aloud here, by me, in January of 2026. Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story touches on sensitive subjects such as suicide, the unethical treatment of animals, the unethical treatment of humans, the lost city of Atlantis, hypodermic needles, California politics, prison administration, unkind characterizations of Tibetans and Mexican-Americans, Nyarlathotep (also known as the Crawling Chaos), wildly unethical journalism, and the vilification of medical science. If this subject matter is likely to disturb or offend you, you may wish to skip this episode. You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambient "Chambers of Torture" by Michael Ghelfi Studios at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzYZQySL8Ac. You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Tod and Claire discuss "The Tomb," by H.P. Lovecraft. It was first published in the March, 1922 issue of The Vagrant, and first read aloud here, by me, in November of 2025. Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story is concerned with loneliness, the idle rich, monomania, desiccated corpses, some lightly implied necrophilia, some ribald poetry, drunkenness, and an involuntary commitment.  If this subject matter is likely to disturb you, you may wish to skip this episode. If you're a French sort, check out Lovecraft L’intégrale des histoires, it sounds pretty great! Alternatively, if you want to see Tod and friends talk about cybersecurity and horror movies in English, see CVE's emerging threats and horror movies over on ThreatCon1. You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

A reading of  "The Tomb," by H.P. Lovecraft. It was first published in the March, 1922 issue of The Vagrant, and first read aloud here, by me, in November of 2025. Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story is concerned with loneliness, the idle rich, monomania, desiccated corpses, some lightly implied necrophilia, some ribald poetry, drunkenness, and an involuntary commitment.  If this subject matter is likely to disturb you, you may wish to skip this episode. You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambient Haunted Cemetery Ambience soundscape by Sound Illusion. You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Tod and Claire discuss "The Loved Dead" by C.M. Eddy, Jr. and H.P. Lovecraft, which was first published in the May/June 1924 issue of Weird Tales. As this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone.  In particular, this story is about necrophilia, or as we refer to it, "corpse snuggling." There's also brief mention of suicide as a viable out for the main character. Finally, there's a fairly long conversation about the nature of evil and how parricide (the killing of one's parents) figures in the balance of evil. We kinda go back to that over and over in this one. Claire mentioned Jonica's Island, which was published in 1945. Claire says, "check it out!" We never solved the mystery of "what was Tod thinking of" when he suggested a) Wuthering Heights has a plot element of indenturing, and b) that it takes place in Nova Scotia. Tod was thinking of Anne of Green Gables, which is, indeed, set in NS, Canada. But we're still unclear if any of the characters were indentured because we still haven't looked it up. Finally, give @GreatOldBot a follow on Mastodon. Do it! And also Kevin -- find him in my mentions! You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

A reading of “The Loved Dead” by C.M. Eddy, Jr. and H.P. Lovecraft, which was first published in the May/June 1924 issue of Weird Tales, and first read aloud here, by me, in July of 2025. Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story is about necrophilia -- though it is heavily suggested, the dead are not loved in a graphic or overtly sexual way. But, that's pretty much this story's whole thing. If this subject matter is likely to disturb you, you may wish to skip this episode. You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambient "Haunted Cemetery Ambience" soundscape by Sound Illusion at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu_mMqKt_lU. You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Tod and Claire discuss HP Lovecraft's "He," which was first published in the September 1926 issue of Weird Tales. Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story contains some unkind depictions of New York immigrants and Native Americans, a fancyboy-turned-necromancer, rum poisoning, a use of the Wither spell, and an inexplicable, multi-eyed ooze-ghost monster. If any of these elements are likely to disturb you, you may wish to skip this episode. Check out our friend Kai's story in the Spring 2025 issue of 34 Orchard, "Change in the House of Flies," which is very horror-noir. Also: 99 Percent Invisible's deep dive into The Power Broker starts here -- strong recommend! Also check out sketches and history of the wizard's manor at this BlogSpot site! Oh and of course find us in the Best 90 Lovecraftian Podcasts! (I'm pretty sure we're going to clinch this year's America's Top Lovecraft Following Man.) You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

A reading of H.P. Lovecraft’s “He,” which was first published in the September 1926 issue of Weird Tales, and first read aloud here, by me, in May of 2025. Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story contains some unkind depictions of New York immigrants and Native Americans, an unexpected amount of architectural detail, a fancyboy-turned-necromancer, rum drinking, tobacco smoking, poorly inflected Georgian-era English, a particularly damaging bout of madness, and an inexplicable, multi-eyed ooze monster. If any of these elements are likely to disturb you, you may wish to skip this episode. You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambient "Victorian London" soundscape by The Vault of Ambience. You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Claire and Tod discuss HP Lovecraft's "The White Ship," first published in 1919 in The United Amateur. What better way to celebrate ☘️ St. Patrick's Day ☘️ than talking about Lord Dunsany at some length! Also, Claire, a sophisticated and educated lady of Irish decent, learns what a shillelagh is in this episode, so that's a bit of St. Patty's fun! Links for you: Lord Samuel's Lovecraft Metal Spotify PlaylistTod's Dreams and Nightmares Apple Music PlaylistCheck in on Fantasy Flight's Dark Side of the Moon at Board Game Geek, but it's out of print so you'll probably have to go to eBay to find itA short article about Lovecraft and Lord DunsanyA free version of Idle Days on the River Yann by Lord DunsanyDel Rey's Dream Cycle collection, which you can of course read for free at https://hplovecraft.comWeirdly, I don't think we swear at all in this episode, but I'll mark it explicit just to be on the safe side. Oh, and I spent a fair amount of time learning about The White Ship Disaster at Wikipedia, and then went down a rabbit hole learning about Empress Matilda and The Anarchy, but alas, it didn't make it into the show. Also, it has nothing to do with the story, so it's probably for the best. You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

HP Lovecraft's "The White Ship," first published in the November, 1919 issue of The United Amateur, and first read here by Tod in March of 2025. As this is a horror podcast, it may not be for everyone. Specifically, this story contains descriptions of fanciful, far off lands, a celestial bird of impossibly beautiful plumage, the river Narg, a city paved with bones, and the rejection of paradise. If these elements are likely to disturb you, voyage no further with this episode. You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambience by itself as Creaky Wooden Pirate Ship by Captain Sleepy. You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God. Support the show Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @[email protected]. Or email us at [email protected]. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!