Podsothoth: A Lovecraft Book Club

Ever wondered what happens when a self-described recovering goth and internet personality decides to read every single H.P. Lovecraft story out loud? That’s the central, slightly mad premise of Podsothoth: A Lovecraft Book Club. Host Tod Beardsley brings a unique blend of genuine appreciation and wry commentary to the often-impenetrable world of cosmic horror. Each story gets a deep dive across two distinct episodes, creating a rhythm that respects the source material while acknowledging its frequent absurdities. The first installment is purely for the atmosphere: a straightforward reading of the tale with minimal fuss, letting Lovecraft’s own dense, adjective-heavy prose build its own peculiar sense of dread. It’s the perfect way to actually experience the stories you might have only heard about. Then, the tone shifts for the follow-up. Here, the comedy promised in this podcast’s description comes to the fore as Tod unpacks what you just heard-dissecting the archaic language, the questionable science, the famously racist undertones, and the sheer, unadulterated weirdness of it all. It’s less a formal literary critique and more like hanging out with a deeply informed friend who can’t believe what he just read, either. Whether you’re a lifelong fan of the Mythos or just curious about the writer who gave Cthulhu his name, this show offers a structured yet conversational path through one of fiction’s most influential and problematic legacies. You’ll get the chills, you’ll get the laughs, and you’ll probably walk away with a few new favorite adjectives for “indescribable.”