The Countdown of Monte Cristo
Welcome to The Countdown of Monte Cristo, the daily podcast where we break down one of literature’s greatest adventures, bite by bite. For the next four years—yes, you heard that right—host Landen Celano will be reading a passage from Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo every single day. Each episode offers a short escape into this timeless tale of betrayal, revenge, and redemption, paired with Landen’s reflections, insights, and occasional forays into 19th-century oddities. Never read The Count of Monte Cristo? Perfect—you’re not alone. This show is for first-timers, seasoned fans, or anyone who’s curious about exploring a literary masterpiece one small morsel at a time. Along the way, we’ll dig into historical tidbits, unpack the story’s twists and turns, and maybe even stumble over a French pronunciation or two. (Phonetics are hard, okay?) Whether you’re a lover of classics, a casual listener looking for a daily dose of culture, or just someone who needs a momentary escape from the noise of the modern world, this podcast has something for you. So grab your metaphorical ticket to Marseille, and let’s set sail on this absurdly ambitious journey together. Subscribe now on your favorite podcatcher or find us on YouTube. And don’t forget to support the show at https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod. Join us as we count down The Count!
Episodes
Dantès endures hours of tension before hearing the footsteps of the grave-diggers outside his cell.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20, he lies still as they lift the sack containing him, exchanging casual remarks about the weight and the knot they’ll tie later — a detail that sets Edmond’s mind racing with questions.
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Sealed inside the burial sack, Dantès considers every possible outcome: discovery before leaving the cell, escape during transport, or clawing his way out of a fresh grave.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20, Edmond prepares to act at the first sign of danger — even if it means using his knife — knowing that a single misstep could mean either freedom or death.
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Refusing to die after so many years of suffering, Dantès conceives a desperate plan: since only the dead leave the dungeon, he will take the place of the dead.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20, Edmond moves Faria’s body to his own cell, disguises it as himself, and climbs into the abbé’s burial sack — sewing it shut from the inside.
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Faria lies in his final winding-sheet, a canvas sack on the bed where he once spoke and dreamed with Dantès.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20, Edmond is left utterly alone, the urge for suicide flickering briefly before grief gives way to a renewed hunger for life and liberty.
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The governor orders Faria’s body to be “decently interred” in a sack — and with no chaplain present, there will be no mass.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, Dantès listens to crude jokes and indifference as the abbé’s body is prepared for burial that evening. Once the cell is empty and silent, Edmond cautiously lifts the flagstone and emerges from the tunnel.
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The governor insists on the legal formalities for confirming Faria’s death, and the doctor orders the irons to be heated.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, Dantès listens in horror as the smell of burning flesh fills the air. The doctor declares the abbé dead beyond doubt, calling his obsession with the treasure “monomania,” even as others recall his learning, kindness, and healing skill.
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From the hidden passage, Dantès overhears the turnkey’s crude jokes about Faria’s death — and the governor’s return with the doctor to confirm it.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, the physician examines the abbé’s body twice, declaring him dead, while Dantès listens in indignation at their casual words about the man he revered.
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As dawn breaks, Dantès’ last doubts fade — Faria is dead.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, Edmond closes the secret passage just in time for the jailer’s arrival, then returns to overhear the discovery of the body. He listens to the shouts for help, the tramp of soldiers, the governor’s orders, and the mingled pity and cruel laughter of the onlookers.
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Dantès waits for the moment to give the restorative, counting twelve drops, then the rest of the phial when no change comes.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, a violent tremor shakes Faria’s body, but the spark of life fades. Edmond feels the heartbeat slow, then stop entirely, as the abbé’s eyes remain open in stillness.
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In the final moments of his life, Faria blesses Dantès and reaffirms the treasure’s reality, urging him to claim it if he ever escapes.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, a violent convulsion overtakes the abbé, his strength fades, and with his last breath he repeats the words that have bound their fates together: “Monte Cristo — forget not Monte Cristo.”
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Faria insists there is no hope, but Dantès refuses to give up.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, Edmond retrieves the remaining “magic draught” and begs for instructions. The abbé tells him to act quickly — administering twelve drops instead of ten, and, if needed, the rest — as the chill of death creeps through his body.
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In the night, Dantès hears his name called from Faria’s cell — and finds the abbé gripped by the familiar, terrible symptoms of his illness.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, Faria stops Edmond from calling for help, urging him instead to think of his own survival. Believing his death near, the old man calls it Providence, freeing Dantès from the burden of a half-paralyzed companion and leaving open the chance of a new ally...
Faria, resigned to never enjoying the treasure himself, devotes his energy to preparing Dantès for the day he will be free to claim it.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, Dantès memorizes the cardinal’s letter word for word before Faria destroys part of it, and receives detailed instructions for reaching the Island of Monte Cristo. Between lessons, the two men fill their days with work and study, keeping despair at bay.
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A final hope of escape is destroyed when the gallery to the sea is rebuilt and the hidden tunnel sealed.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, Dantès tells Faria that his true fortune is not the gold of Monte Cristo but the friendship, knowledge, and strength of mind his companion has given him — a wealth no jailer can take away.
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With the treasure now pledged to him, Dantès listens as Faria speaks of the good such wealth could do — but Edmond’s vow of vengeance reminds him how much harm it could also bring.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, the abbé learns the location of the Island of Monte Cristo from Dantès, who has visited it before, and offers advice for retrieving the fortune. Yet Edmond remains doubtful that the treasure still exists.
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Dantès can hardly believe the treasure’s value, but Faria assures him such fortunes were not uncommon for noble families of the fifteenth century.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 18, the old man reveals he kept the secret to test Edmond’s character — and now claims him as his son, offering the treasure as both inheritance and bond. Overcome, Dantès embraces his friend and weeps.
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Faria explains how he reconstructed Cardinal Spada’s will and the treasure’s location — and how his attempt to claim it led to his arrest.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 18, he pledges the fortune to Dantès: half if they escape together, all if Edmond escapes alone. With the Spada family extinct, the two million Roman crowns — nearly thirteen million in modern currency — await without another rightful heir.
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Faria presents a second fragment of parchment, and together with the first, it forms a complete declaration: Cardinal Cæsar Spada’s will.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 18, the document reveals the exact hiding place of a fortune in gold, jewels, and precious stones — buried in the caves of the Island of Monte Cristo and left entirely to his nephew.
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A simple search for a candle-light changes everything.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 18, Faria discovers that an old page in the Spada breviary — long used as a bookmark — holds invisible writing that appears only when exposed to flame. The fragment, dated 1498 and signed “Cæs…,” describes a fortune hidden on the Island of Monte Cristo.
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...Faria recounts years spent scouring the Spada archives for any trace of the missing fortune — and finding nothing.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 18, the inheritance appears lost to history, leaving the Count of Spada in poverty. Upon the count’s death, Faria inherits the family papers, vast library, and the gold-cornered breviary — and on Christmas Day, 1807, an unexpected moment sets the stage for discovery.
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