Radio at the End of the World: Audio Fiction and Drama Podcast Roundup December 2021
Radio at the End of the World has been here every month for the last year and a half, bringing listeners new audio drama or audio fiction podcasts from all genres. Since this is the final installment of Radio at the End of the World, I wanted to recap some of my favorite audio dramas from the past picks.
If you happen to find an audio drama or audio fiction podcast you like below (which I’m sure you will), go beyond listening to it. Support the podcast and its creators by sharing, donating, and/or subscribing. These acts help show the creators that people are interested in what they are creating and encourages new episodes and new stories.
The Drabblecast
The Drabblecast has appeared in a couple of my review articles because they put out weird dark fiction in a way that borders on audio drama and is absolutely engrossing. Simplistic storytelling with music accompaniment at times drives these episodes into listeners’ minds. Like a few audio fiction podcasts on this list, The Drabblecast has been a long-time favorite. Sometimes the show becomes a bit focused on the host’s music but skipping past those earlier episodes to get to the actual stories is well worth it. For listeners who enjoy a blend of older speculative fiction from writers like H.P. Lovecraft and James Tiptree Jr, The Drabblecast mixes in some of those older stories with original ones, sometimes, bought for the podcast. All the stories are dark, strange, and mind-bending, making The Drabblecast a great listen for fans of The Dark Tomb or No Sleep Podcast.
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts
Witchever Path
One of my favorite discoveries in the world of audio drama is Witchever Path. A horror and mystery choose your own adventure audio drama series, Witchever Path takes listener engagement to a whole new level. The creators put the characters’ fates and choices in the audience’s control. As a fan and writer of interactive fiction, Witchever Path grabbed me instantly with its interactive component, and I’ve gone back to it many times since. They just started their newer season back in October 2021 focused on family and told in the second person—so they’ve taken the interactivity just a bit further. Even though listeners can’t contribute to the trajectory of the old seasons’ stories, they are all still worth a listen. Each gives listeners a different story and experience—some with heavy metal music.
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts
(Transcripts available on each episode’s page)
Nightmare Magazine
Nightmare Magazine Podcast is the podcast arm of the monthly horror fiction, poetry, and nonfiction online magazine, Nightmare Magazine. The stories found in Nightmare Magazine are some of the best literary horror stories on the net, meaning listeners can experience those groundbreaking stories in the audioverse. Similar to The Drabblecast, minus the musical elements, listeners can find a comprehensive sampling of horror stories about monsters, cannibals, and more, all wrapped in beautiful prose and thematic writing that makes sure the stories stay with you past the page. I’ve listened to Nightmare Magazine Podcast for years, often going on sprees of listening to hours of the horror stories dating back to 2012 and the magazine’s first issue. It’s never disappointed!
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts
(Transcripts available on each episode’s page)
The Lesbian Romantic
The Lesbian Romantic is a lesbian romance audio drama featuring long romantic story arcs that build the romantic and sexual tension between the characters to sometimes unbearable heights. Radio at the End of the World taught me that I’m kind of into romance audio dramas, especially queer ones. The Lesbian Romantic was one of the first romance audio dramas I listened to during the run of the ‘A Blogger Story Sequel: More Than Fun and Games.’ I’ve heard a couple of the other stories in the +200 back catalog of episodes and have found each to be just as engaging and butterfly-inducing. It’s also great to see how the host and writer has grown in their style over the years.
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS
Levar Burton Reads
LeVar Burton Reads is a great way to experience a wide selection of stories from different genres, styles, and experiences. Carrying his tradition of making reading fun and approachable, LeVar Burton brings readings of recent and old stories in an anthology format. There are even excerpts from longer works! Some of the recent picks have included stories from Sarah Gailey, Tananarive Due, and Stephen Graham Jones. Not all the stories are speculative fiction, but a fair amount are—and that touches my dark mechanical heart. As with other anthology podcasts on this list, I tried to find one episode to recommend and just couldn’t. Every single one has something for someone. The top-selling point for this podcast is really the host, though. It’s hard to beat the storytelling talents of LeVar Burton.
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS
Ian’s Gone Postal
When I originally wrote about Ian’s Gone Postal for Radio at the End of the World, I related it to Welcome to Nightvale but British, and that description still stands! Post-grad, Ian, works as a postal worker in a small town where a man can control pigeons, a woman who has a litter of children that connect to random encounters throughout the town, and other odd happenings. Ian’s Gone Postal perfectly captures that feeling of unrest and absurdity after leaving school. Well, except in Ian’s case, he must deal with the strange characters from the ex-mining town where he works, and most people just have to deal with retail. But still! The show pokes fun at the mundane while still bringing in the extraordinary.
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS
Radio National Fictions’ “Corona Tales”
Radio National Fictions’ Corona Tales’ appeared in January 2021’s Radio at the End of the World installment. At that point, I was coming up on a year in lockdown and isolation. There were a lot of emotions going through me that were spoken so clearly on the five-part series. A year later and two years into lockdown and isolation and listening back through the stories and dramatization of real experiences told through emotional narratives feels just as healing and connecting as it did back then. Radio National Fictions is an Australian audio fiction podcast highlighting and showcasing the best stories and writers from the continent. The five-part ‘Corona Tales’ focuses on the small intimacies many people found during the pandemic’s first few months and year.
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Player FM | Website | RSS
That’s it for Radio at the End of the World. I hope you’ve found at least one new podcast to add to your to-be-listened-to list. For a complete list of all the previous year’s reviews and roundups, check here and read reviews for over 100 audio drama and fiction podcasts.
Below you can find some bonus picks of audio dramas I’ve loved that didn’t make the top seven cut.
Extra Picks
- Maeltopia
- Moonbase Theta Out
- Tales of the Text
- Tumanbay
- In Strange Woods
- Moonface
- The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
- Meet Cute
- Silva Lining’s Care Plan
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