I am an unashamed podcast junkie. I inhale them. I listen to them while driving, house cleaning, cooking, walking, crafting, drawing, knitting, playing games or just relaxing. It seems to me fiction has been having a renaissance in podcasts the past few years. Here are some of my faves.
The Mantawauk Caves is my all time favorite fiction podcast. A tortured man returns to his small Appalachian town to find the evidence to get his childhood friend off death row for a double murder committed when both were in high school. So many layers, so much character, grief and beauty. When I finished it, I immediately went back and listened to it a second time. That hardly ever happens with me. (genre: mystery-thriller)
The crew of a state-of-the-art submersible finds more than they bargained for when they descend the deepest trench ever found in the ocean. It was fun trying to figure out what was really happening to the crew, and what their corporate overlords really had planned for them — and whether they were even human. (genre: sci fi)
An airplane goes down in the Pacific Ocean, and a team sponsored by a mysterious gazillionaire is hired to retrieve it. This is another “small crew of a boat/plane/sub/spaceship gets more than it bargained for” trope, and I love it every time. (genre: speculative thriller)
For every Holmes fan that craves a fun, modern spin on the classic detective stories. I download the latest every Tuesday and listen to it with my daughter on her school run. Nothing much wakes us up at 7 a.m., but these fun stories do. (genre: humorous mystery)
Follow a journalist as she tries to uncover the mysteries behind a paranormal expert’s collection of creepy cases, tape by tape. This one got me hooked on fiction podcasts to begin with years ago. (genre: creepy)
In 1937, a poetry professor finds himself caught up in a storm that hurtles him to an adventure in. . .1977! Only six episodes, unfortunately. I would’ve loved more. Do not skip the vintage advertisements; they’re hilarious and part of the show.
(genre: comic old time radio timeslip)
Here’s the official blurb: “In 1768, the Fortitude, helmed by Lord Joseph Banks, sets sail to find a plant known to be the very source of pleasure in the world: Heaven’s Clover.” This is an older podcast, and I only listened to season 1 (the next parts were paywalled), but I remember laughing while mopping the floor, so it must’ve been good. (genre: British comedy)
Another one starring a professor, this time a folklore professor who penetrates the mysteries surrounding a creepy region where people disappear, and strange creatures and symbols keep popping up. This one was great for a long drive on vacation.
(genre: supernatural/fantasy)
