The Well Told Tale

The Well Told Tale

Hi everyone. This is Robert. Welcome to The Well Told Tale. Every week I narrate a classic story; the greatest science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction stories ever written, not just in a small chunk at a time, but enough for you to really relax into. No adverts in the middle, just the story itself. All stories are pubic domain and free from copyright.

Episodes

September 3, 2025 41 mins

Our hero is in Surrey watching the Alien invasion continue. The Martian assault has intensified, more tripods have landed, and a new poisonous gas is being released onto the streets of London. Panic has overtaken London as millions try to evacuate the city...

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The Martians continue to advance, causing destruction everywhere. The British army has disabled one alien tripod, but they are outmatched and outgunned. Where will the Martians strike next? What will our nameless hero do now?

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The Well Told Tale Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local ...

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August 13, 2025 45 mins

Horsall Common is aflame, the Martians have opened fire, and our narrator is fleeing the area. The rest of the world is unaware of the threat, but how long will that last? 

Please support The Well Told Tale on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale 

The Well Told Tale Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): 

Books by our favourite...

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July 30, 2025 26 mins

Last time the cylinder opened and out came the Martians, their heat rays destroying everything in their path.  Our narrator was able to escape, but for how long? And will the British military be able to save the day?

Please support The Well Told Tale on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale 

The Well Told Tale Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops...

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July 16, 2025 22 mins

In our last episode, an alien cylinder crash-landed in Horsell Common and became a tourist attraction.  What will happen when the cylinder opens?...

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The Well Told Tale Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): 

Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bo...

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We begin a new tale, possibly the most important and impactful science fiction novel ever written, The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.  Since it's publication it has never been out of print and has been adapted into movies, television and radio series.  

The story is set in rural England where, "Across the gulf of space, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and sure...

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July 2, 2025 17 mins

We have a Robert E Howard short story this week.  Solomon Kane is on a mission to rid the world of evil wherever he finds it.  What dark magic will our hero encounter in today's tale...

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): 

Books by our favourite aut...

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In our last episode, our heroes found a mysterious tunnel marked by Arne Saknussemm, whose writings sent our heroes on their journey to the centre of the Earth. They now need to blast their way through, but where will this tunnel take them? 

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local booksh...

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What lies ahead for our heroes? In the last episode's finale, they found that the storm had taken them back to their starting point on the raft. Will they make another attempt across the subterranean sea or return to the surface? 

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, a...

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Our heroes have discovered a vast ocean beneath the Earth. They are now on a raft speeding across it. How large is this ocean (or is it a sea?) and will they reach the other side?

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale  

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): 

Books by our favourite authors - ht...

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In our last episode, Axel had fallen and slipped into unconsciousness.  He had been separated from the group and was returning to them through sound.  Will the professor and Hans find him in time?

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale  

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): 

Books by our favou...

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Our heroes have been travelling steadily toward the centre of the Earth.  With their water replenished, they have decided to rest for a day and calculate exactly where they are and where they should head next...

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale  

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): 

Boo...

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Our heroes are running out of water. The professor urges them to continue, but to survive, they must find a way to replenish their dwindling supplies...

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale  

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): 

Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists...

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Our heroes have found the crater and are ready to begin their descent to the centre of the Earth...

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale  

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): 

Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-well-told-tale  

Jules Verne:

Journey to the Centr...

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Axel and Professor Lidenbrock are travelling to Snæfellsjökull with their guide, Hans, where they believe they will discover the gateway to the centre of the Earth.

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale  

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): 

Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.booksh...

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We pick up our tale in Copenhagen, where Axel and Professor Lidenbrock are about to head to Iceland.  They have followed the clues and are hoping to find the entrance to the centre of the Earth...

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale  

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): 

Books by our favou...

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Last week, our main characters Axel and his uncle, Professor Lidenbrock, discovered a coded message from a 16th-century alchemist, Arne Saknussemm. Axel has decoded the message but has decided not to share this information, with his uncle.

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale  

Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local booksh...

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Our next story has seen numerous adaptations, including films, plays, radio dramas, and even a theme park ride.  'Journey to the Centre of the Earth', a classic by Jules Verne first published in French in 1864, gained further popularity with the English translation by Frederick Amadeus Malleson in 1877.  This is the edition we have selected to read.

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewe...

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March 19, 2025 43 mins

Our story this week is by Miles J Breuer, an American-Czech physician who wrote science fiction and short stories in his spare time.  This story is typical of Breuer's writing: fast paced and full of interesting ideas. In this case, what would you do if, driving down the road, you suddenly encountered a Roman legion...?

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale  

Books - (buying books f...

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We rejoin Nathaniel in Australia, where he is excavating ancient ruins. He believes these ruins are the place where he was held captive during his period of amnesia. Despite his apprehensions, he finds himself increasingly drawn into the darkness of the excavation site. What horrors await him?

You can support the channel via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/

thewelltoldtale Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps s...

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