Weekly(ish) Podcast Recommendations

Tumblr! We love you. Our first episode came out yesterday. It has audio fiction reviews of two shows, an interview with Lauren Shippen, a screed against 'creative' use of AI, 10 song recommendations for 2026, and more!

"The Very Prudent Decisions of Hortlakçı Süleyman Hoca", an eight part tale of supernatural suspense and Ottoman horror.  From the valleys of Rumelia in the west to the mountains of Van in the east, Süleyman resolves the conundrums of demons and djinns, vila and vrykolakas - with the aid of his scrupulous manners, detailed attention to sharia law, and the various protective amulets given to him by his clever wife Nilüfer.

The premise of this new show is really simple: a guy inadvertently becomes a renowned monster hunter, and we hear him relay his adventures in the letters he writes to his wife. But it's everything that surrounds this premise that makes this Audio Drama incredibly charming.

For starters, the setting is refreshing and shared with so much obvious love for the history and culture of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Our protagonist, Süleyman, with his deep and genuine love and respect for his wife; his less than brave and heroic nature; and his smart, modest, and prudent mind, is the most endearing character I have encountered in a while. Oh, and have I mentioned this show is queer? Because it is. And I can't wait to see where that plotline is taking us.

London 1935. After a shocking and mysterious murder, investigative journalist Beatrice Hart embarks on a quest that pulls her into a swirling tornado of danger.  This adventure will take Beatrice from the snowy streets of London to the winding tunnels underneath Istanbul to a forgotten island in the heart of the Black Sea. Along with her trusted Cairn Terrier Frank, Beatrice will race against a villainous woman and a shadowy organisation to find a treasure. One shrouded in myth and legend. The Golden Fleece.

While talking about this podcast, the creators wrote that it was inspired by Tintin and Indiana Jones, and there's really no better way to describe it. It's adventurous, full of mysteries and puzzles, yet still silly and fun. Listening to it made me remember how I used to feel when reading adventure books in my early teens. It's charming and heartwarming, and it has a kind of cozy feeling to it.

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And their patreon!

Twenty years ago, the Kindly Ancestors rose from their graves to reconquer the lands of Old Cyshane. Today, an endless multitude of ancient kings and queens squabble and bicker for cultural supremacy. Labouring corpse-technology has swallowed up agriculture and industry. Dead-divers descend into the netherworld, searching for answers. Even as progress rolls relentlessly onwards, all of us remain helplessly bound to the past. What will it take to stop looking back? An epic, rotten-hearted weird-fantasy series from the creators of The Silt Verses and I Am In Eskew.

The creators of this show have already proved to all of us that they can create a damn good podcast, and Our Wars Have Ended is clearly no exception to this rule. If you are a fan of dark, weird fantasies with incredible worldbuilding, this show is going to suck you right in.

History has come back, won the war, and is now forcibly reshaping the present in its own image. Death is no finale anymore but just another transformative (and potentially horrifying) stage of life. Contradictions, injustices, brutal violence, and "imperial nostalgia" colour this weird world where the dead and the living have to somehow find a way to coexist.

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And a way to support them!

Adam Blackwell and Amy Stirling met as graduate students in anthropology, both obsessed with studying the same dead language and long-lost culture. Their relationship was always... complicated. They were bitter rivals, ideological opposites, and even went out on a date once - though they’d really prefer if everyone forgot about that last thing, thank you very much. Then, they became the first two people in thousands of years capable of doing magic. Over the next five years, they became global superstars, both revered and feared. Their powers led to a tragedy unlike any the world had seen before. Now, the world's first two magicians of the modern age must figure out the truth of their power, its consequences, and their relationship with one another before they do more damage to the world.

Made by the creator of Wolf 359, this new podcast is, simply put, a delight. Every character is immensely charming and just the right amount of shitty to keep you entertained.

The podcast starts off in a lawyer's office, making it immediately clear that someone here has made a major mistake. We follow the story through Adam Blackwell and Amy Stirling's recollections to Claudia Skinner, a well-established and expensive lawyer, who's not afraid to tell them off for their arrogance, but has enough heart to empathize with them when they are being genuine. Through their unreliable narration, we will discover how we got here and who they are.

If you are a fan of the trope "he is a piece of shit, but she is just as bad" and realistic magic systems you will love this one. I deeply recommend it. I know I will definitely follow it closely.

After a massive earthquake and dam collapse and flood Eugene, Oregon, 15-year-old Cielo, an undocumented teen living with her mom, is left behind in the chaos. She chooses not to evacuate with the National Guard, determined to find her missing mother on her own. But survival isn’t simple in the drowned city. Cielo must steer clear of the Repo Men, a dangerous right-wing militia exploiting the disaster and stay under the radar after barely surviving an attack by one of them. Now, she’s in military custody, accused of committing a bloody massacre. The problem? She has no idea who she can trust.

When they describe audio dramas as "movies for your ears", this show is exactly what they mean. The audio production and acting are both excellent, and they will immerse you in the narrative immediately. On top of that, the story of young Cielo as she tries to survive in this post-disaster city is deeply captivating. I loved her as a character. She is brave, capable, and stubborn, but also vulnerable, as is to be expected of a teen who just went through many horrible experiences.

This pod is quite different from what I usually recommend here, as it is an adaptation of a book. But I think the way this story was written lends itself perfectly to the audio drama format and makes for a really interesting end product.

In a land without day and night, where Light and Night are the dividing lines between civilisation and all else, a caravan of misfits and outcasts must find their way through the dark to whatever lies on the other side.

Arlo Harker has just been appointed as Chronicler of the Road. As such, his job is to keep an account of his Caravan as it braves the darkness to travel from city to city, and report on the Road and its changes.

But this new role comes with expectations of leadership that Arlo doesn't feel fully comfortable with. Especially as he already has his hands full with his young daughter, who is still grieving her mother and is new to this life. On top of all of this a voice seems to be following Arlo, waiting for him in the dark, twisting what used to be familiar into something to fear.

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And the creator's patreon!

In 1845, Charlotte Cushman is the most famous American actress in the world, well-known for playing men's roles in the plays of Shakespeare. Despite her international fame, she harbors a secret, hidden in plain sight: she loves women. Celebrated in her own country, she has brought her sister Susan to London to play Juliet to her Romeo. Old resentments between the sisters surface as Charlotte struggles to balance her exploding career, her tumultuous relationship with writer Matilda Hays, and her affair with another young woman, all while keeping her personal life hidden from her fans, her sister, and her bitter rival, Edwin Forrest.

Romeo & Her Sister is a historical drama inspired by the real life story of Charlotte Cushman (who you should definitely look up if you were not aware of her before this moment). It beautifully explores what it means to love as a woman (both platonically and romantically) and to live your femininity when you don't fit into what society usually ascribes to the concept.

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And a way to support Gather by the Ghost Light (the producers of the show).