Weird Tales Reborn — Classic Horror & Weird Fiction

Desperate to uncover horrors no writer has ever imagined, a young man searches for forbidden knowledge buried in the pages of an ancient book. But when its secrets are spoken aloud, something that has lurked among the stars for untold ages answers the call. The Shambler From the Stars by Robert Bloch. That’s next on The Weird Tales Reborn Podcast.

As a teenager, Robert Bloch became fascinated with the terrifying fiction of H. P. Lovecraft. He began corresponding with the legendary horror writer, and their friendship eventually led to one of the most unusual exchanges in the history of horror fiction.

In The Shambler From the Stars, Bloch introduced a mysterious, reclusive writer from Providence, Rhode Island, who possessed a book containing forbidden knowledge. The character was deliberately based on Lovecraft himself, and Bloch had something particularly gruesome in mind for him.

But before killing off his literary hero, Bloch did something extraordinary. He actually asked Lovecraft for permission!

Lovecraft responded with a mock legal document, granting the young author permission to murder him in fiction in whatever horrible manner he wished. Bloch accepted the invitation, and Lovecraft’s fictional counterpart met a truly dreadful end.

And the exchange didn’t end there.

The following year, Lovecraft wrote The Haunter of the Dark, introducing a horror writer named Robert Blake, a character inspired by Robert Bloch. This time, it was Lovecraft’s turn to send his young friend to a horrifying death.

Two horror writers, each turning the other into a fictional victim. It’s difficult to imagine a more appropriate friendship for the pages of Weird Tales.

Bloch would eventually become internationally famous as the author of Psycho, the novel that inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film. But when today’s tale appeared in 1935, he was still a young writer whose imagination was already producing nightmares that would outlive both men.

From the September 1935 issue of Weird Tales, turn to page 368, The Shambler From the Stars by Robert Bloch…

Next on The Weird Tales Reborn Podcast, Born with wings no human was ever meant to possess, a boy grows up caught between the world of men and the skies that beckon him. But his extraordinary gift carries a terrible price, and the choice between love and freedom may cost him everything. He That Hath Wings by Edmond Hamilton.

Lost Sci-Fi Premium - https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

Buy Me a Coffee - https://lostscifi.com/coffee

Newsletter - https://lostscifi.com/free/

Facebook - https://lostscifi.com/facebook

YouTube - https://lostscifi.com/youtube

X - http://Lostscifi.com/x

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguy

Merchandise - https://lostscifi.creator-spring.com/

Thanks to Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee

$200 Someone

$100 Josh Jennings, Tony from the Future

$75 James Van Maanenberg

$50 Tony Ciak, Ryan and Kait, James Van Maanenberg, MizzBassie, Anonymous Listener

$25 Fintan Quigley, Curious Jon, David Bell, Steve, Miriam, Someone, Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener

$15 Every Month Someone

$15 Tina Godby, Steve, Someone, SueTheLibrarian, Joannie West, Amy Özkan, Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener

$10 David, Anonymous Listener

$5 Every Month Eaten by a Grue

$5 Tammy, Owen, Bruce, Someone, TLD, David, Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

Listen without commercials and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes every month with Lost Sci-Fi Premium—start your free 7-day trial today. https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A man ventures beyond the boundaries of time and encounters something ancient, ravenous, and unspeakably evil. Now it has caught his scent, and the only thing standing between him and a terrible fate may be the corners of his own room. The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap Long. That’s next on The Weird Tales Reborn Podcast.

Frank Belknap Long unleashed one of the most terrifying creatures ever to emerge from the Cthulhu Mythos, and its first appearance was in the story you’re about to hear.

Published in 1929, The Hounds of Tindalos introduced nightmarish creatures lurking beyond the boundaries of time itself. While other beings move through the curves of time, these ancient horrors dwell within its angles, waiting for the slightest opening to enter our world.

The idea was so memorable that H. P. Lovecraft later incorporated the creatures into his own fictional universe, mentioning them in The Whisperer in Darkness.

Long’s terrifying creation has endured for nearly a century, haunting the pages of horror fiction and finding new life in games and other works inspired by the dark universe of H. P. Lovecraft.

From the March 1929 issue of Weird Tales, turn to page 373, The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap Long……

Next on The Weird Tales Reborn Podcast, Desperate to uncover horrors no writer has ever imagined, a young man searches for forbidden knowledge buried in the pages of an ancient book. But when its secrets are spoken aloud, something that has lurked among the stars for untold ages answers the call. The Shambler From the Stars by Robert Bloch.

Lost Sci-Fi Premium - https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

Buy Me a Coffee - https://lostscifi.com/coffee

Newsletter - https://lostscifi.com/free/

Facebook - https://lostscifi.com/facebook

YouTube - https://lostscifi.com/youtube

X - http://Lostscifi.com/x

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguy

Merchandise - https://lostscifi.creator-spring.com/

Thanks to Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee

$200 Someone

$100 Josh Jennings, Tony from the Future

$75 James Van Maanenberg

$50 Tony Ciak, Ryan and Kait, James Van Maanenberg, MizzBassie, Anonymous Listener

$25 Fintan Quigley, Curious Jon, David Bell, Steve, Miriam, Someone, Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener

$15 Every Month Someone

$15 Tina Godby, Steve, Someone, SueTheLibrarian, Joannie West, Amy Özkan, Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener

$10 David, Anonymous Listener

$5 Every Month Eaten by a Grue

$5 Tammy, Owen, Bruce, Someone, TLD, David, Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

Listen without commercials and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes every month with Lost Sci-Fi Premium—start your free 7-day trial today. https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A forgotten civilization struggles to understand why the stars no longer match its ancient maps, while a stranded sailor discovers that its inhabitants cannot even see him. But the island’s most terrifying secret waits inside a temple, where a desperate people have turned to something far more dangerous than their calculations. The Uncharted Isle by Clark Ashton Smith. That’s next on The Weird Tales Reborn Podcast.

Clark Ashton Smith was born in Long Valley, California, in 1893. He received little formal education, but taught himself French and Spanish and developed an extraordinary vocabulary through years of reading. By the age of 19, he had published his first collection of poetry.

Smith became close friends with H. P. Lovecraft through an extensive correspondence that lasted until Lovecraft’s death in 1937. Along with Robert E. Howard, the three became closely associated with the strange fiction published in Weird Tales.

But Smith’s imagination wasn’t limited to the written word. He was also a painter and sculptor who carved bizarre creatures, demons, and other grotesque figures from stone.

He spent much of his life in a small cabin near Auburn, California, where he created imaginary worlds filled with sorcerers, ancient civilizations, and unspeakable horrors, all while living in relative isolation.

From the November 1930 issue of Weird Tales, turn to page 605, The Uncharted Isle by Clark Ashton Smith…

Next on The Weird Tales Reborn Podcast, A man ventures beyond the boundaries of time and encounters something ancient, ravenous, and unspeakably evil. Now it has caught his scent, and the only thing standing between him and a terrible fate may be the corners of his own room. The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap Long.

Lost Sci-Fi Premium - https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

Buy Me a Coffee - https://lostscifi.com/coffee

Newsletter - https://lostscifi.com/free/

Facebook - https://lostscifi.com/facebook

YouTube - https://lostscifi.com/youtube

X - http://Lostscifi.com/x

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguy

Merchandise - https://lostscifi.creator-spring.com/

Thanks to Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee

$200 Someone

$100 Josh Jennings, Tony from the Future

$75 James Van Maanenberg

$50 Tony Ciak, Ryan and Kait, James Van Maanenberg, MizzBassie, Anonymous Listener

$25 Fintan Quigley, Curious Jon, David Bell, Steve, Miriam, Someone, Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener

$15 Every Month Someone

$15 Tina Godby, Steve, Someone, SueTheLibrarian, Joannie West, Amy Özkan, Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener

$10 David, Anonymous Listener

$5 Every Month Eaten by a Grue

$5 Tammy, Owen, Bruce, Someone, TLD, David, Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

Listen without commercials and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes every month with Lost Sci-Fi Premium—start your free 7-day trial today. https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A prosperous merchant is forced into a secret brotherhood whose members hunt as beasts and obey an ancient master who can reach into their minds. When that obedience threatens the people Wladislaw loves most, escaping the pack may require him to turn its own savage nature against it. The Werewolf of Ponkert by H. Warner Munn. That’s next on The Weird Tales Reborn Podcast.

Harold Warner Munn was born in Athol Massachusetts in 1903. He began writing in the 1920s and wrote fantasy, horror and poetry.

The Werewolf of Ponkert appeared in Weird Tales in 1925, and there is a fascinating connection between this story and H. P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft had suggested the idea of telling a werewolf story from the werewolf’s point of view, and Munn took up the challenge.

And he didn’t stop with one story. The world Munn created eventually grew into his Tales of the Werewolf Clan, with additional stories appearing in Weird Tales over the next several years. Munn would also write King of the World’s Edge, The Ship from Atlantis, and Merlin’s Ring.

This one is unusual because we’re not watching villagers hunt a mysterious monster. We’re inside the mind of the man who becomes the monster and remembers what happened afterward.

From the July 1925 issue of Weird Tales, here’s H. Warner Munn’s The Werewolf of Ponkert.

Next on The Weird Tales Reborn Podcast, A forgotten civilization struggles to understand why the stars no longer match its ancient maps, while a stranded sailor discovers that its inhabitants cannot even see him. But the island’s most terrifying secret waits inside a temple, where a desperate people have turned to something far more dangerous than their calculations. The Uncharted Isle by Clark Ashton Smith.

Lost Sci-Fi Premium - https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

Buy Me a Coffee - https://lostscifi.com/coffee

Newsletter - https://lostscifi.com/free/

Facebook - https://lostscifi.com/facebook

YouTube - https://lostscifi.com/youtube

X - http://Lostscifi.com/x

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguy

Merchandise - https://lostscifi.creator-spring.com/

Thanks to Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee

$200 Someone

$100 Josh Jennings, Tony from the Future

$75 James Van Maanenberg

$50 Tony Ciak, Ryan and Kait, James Van Maanenberg, MizzBassie, Anonymous Listener

$25 Fintan Quigley, Curious Jon, David Bell, Steve, Miriam, Someone, Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener

$15 Every Month Someone

$15 Tina Godby, Steve, Someone, SueTheLibrarian, Joannie West, Amy Özkan, Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener

$10 David, Anonymous Listener

$5 Every Month Eaten by a Grue

$5 Tammy, Owen, Bruce, Someone, TLD, David, Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

Listen without commercials and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes every month with Lost Sci-Fi Premium—start your free 7-day trial today. https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Old Dominie Vanderhoof was dead, but he did not rest in his grave, for evil was afoot in the old Dutch church. Two Black Bottles by H. P. Lovecraft. That’s next on the Weird Tales Reborn Podcast.

Subscribe to The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-sci-fi-podcast-vintage-sci-fi-short-stories/id1611620789

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/62fcDsClYQnnC8hImQYPgB

To be fair today’s story was actually written by H.P. Lovecraft and Wilfred Blanch Talman. When our story was published in Weird Tales it was credited solely to Talman.

As the story goes, in the summer of 1926, Talman submitted the draft of Two Black Bottles to Lovecraft, who revised it—especially the dialogue. Talman reportedly wasn’t entirely satisfied with the revisions but accepted them.

So, a year later, the story was published in the August 1927 issue of Weird Tales magazine on page 251, Two Black Bottles by H. P. Lovecraft…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Along the quiet Devon coast, something stirs beneath the waves—something with tentacles, teeth, and a hunger for flesh. When it rises, the seaside will never be the same… The Sea Raiders by H. G. Wells.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.