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Study 013 - A Night in the Lonesome October - Part 1 (Patreon)

Published:
2022-10-08 22:45:45
Imported:
2026-06
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We're kicking off October with the haunt that you want: A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny!

Special thanks to our reader, Jason Rainbird!

Next week: Part 2, MORE LONESOMER!

Comments

Lloyd Wagner

Buboe the rat is a reference to the sores caused by the Black Plague.

Lloyd Wagner

The Black Death victims would be buried in mass graves. Mass graves would be the place most likely for Dr. Frankenstein to get the body parts he needs because that type of grave is less likely to be checked up on.

Prince Prawn

FYI Bunnicula is amazing, one of my childhood favs and Horrified now has an American Monsters and Greek Mythology version. Still plenty of time before Halloween to get on the creepers train

Jeff C. Carter

Bubo the Rat…as in Bubonic plague?

Adequately Excellent Entertainment

Yeah. I’m with Jeff. As much as I do love Bubo the mechanical owl from Clash of the Titans, it’s a weird name for anything owl-shaped. Considering that “bubo” is the word for the lumps you get when you have the Bubonic plague, it’s a better (if ominous) name for a rat.

Adequately Excellent Entertainment

Regarding the fictionalization of Jack the Ripper, I’m inclined to agree that it’s been so buried in genre media that there’s a disconnect (for better or worse). That being said… If the story tries to imply that the real historical victims attributed to Jack the Ripper were actually Chuthonic horrors defeated by him it will sit less well with me.

Sweatin' to the Great Oldies

The choice to use Jack the Ripper feels like a young man's error. The sort of immature "Wouldn't it be cool, if..?" bullshitting that you only later realize was terribly offensive to some of the folks in the room. Or folks you love. Or grow to love. But this wasn't a young man's story. He should have known better.

Thunk

Dog studies of Dog Stories & Strange Studies of Strange Stories? The Venn diagram intersects on characters with impressive canines

Ben Gilbert

I loved Terhune’s dog books when I was a lad. “Grey Dawn”, “Wolf”, “Lad, A Dog”, “Lad of Sunnybank”: I read them all more than once.

Ben Gilbert

Thanks guys, I always loved this book.

Fred Kiesche

This will be the first year in many where I do not do my tradition of reading one chapter a day, for each day of October. Instead I will probably consume the audiobook that has been released this year in one or two sittings (if it's the same narrator they've been using for other recent Zelazny audiobooks, it will be a decent production).

Fred Kiesche

I've re-read a lot of Zelazny since last year (this year included the entire run of the Amber books). I'm currently reading the short story anthologies from NESFA (a massive set of hardbacks). My favorite Zelazny might be Doorways in the Sand. It's not a deep book, but it deeply affected me for some reason when I first read it (serialized) and I have read it dozens of times since.

MonsterTalk

Guys, I know you *know* this but I could hear you struggling to find a word for how Snuff (the dog) is referring to all these characters who appear to be somewhat generic models for broad classes of horror characters. They're not the real historical figures nor the specific literary ones - clearly they're bark-etypes.

MonsterTalk

Amber never grabbed me but Lord of Light blew me away. I'm aware some people (betting it's mostly people who haven't ready it) claim it's a form of cultural appropriation to use Hindu mythic characters in a vast space opera - but it sure works. Speaking of mash-ups, I really would love to see an accurate adaptation of this but it's not very likely to happen. Yet one of the weirdest cross-overs ever is that the CIA used the premise of making an adaptation of Lord of Light as their cover for going into Iran to rescue Canadian diplomats. Real genre superstars like John Chambers and Jack Kirby were involved. The concept art survives: http://www.beguilingbooksandart.com/jack-kirbys-concept-art-for-lord-of-lightscience-fiction-land-warehouse-find/

Jennifer DeFord

I listened to this with the feeling you get when you introduce two wonderful friends you hope will get along.

MonsterTalk

If everybody stole owls from Clash of the Titans it would lead to a sort of Bubo-nicked Plague. I'm sure that's why he changed the character into a rat, guys.

Ryan Thomas

Thank you for listing the five women murdered.

Tamara Parkes

I just wanted to thank you, I used to read a lot when I was younger but having 2 autistic children and working full time I got lost in the daily grind of things. Listening to your podcast has reignited my love of reading and now have a lovely stack of stories to get through, thank you again so much.

Chris Vinny

It didn’t come up In The episode so I figured I would ask here. Surely, the title is a reference to the line in the Poe poem “Ulalume” - how could it not be? Like many listeners those poems are tattooed across my brain and was excited to learn if the reference went any deeper than a lifted line.This poem was also referenced on the old show because it comes up in mountains of madness when they talk about mount Yaanek. I figured it was worth a mention. Maybe it hit the floor or maybe I zoned out, either way great episode and beautiful autumnal poem.

The Spider Incident

Chris, I want to thank you for reading out the names of Jack the Ripper's victims. We often have references to or appearances by Jack the Ripper in popular media, but it's rare for his victims to be specifically acknowledged. These women were real people who were murdered and it's important for us to remember that when Jack the Ripper shows up in a story. This sounds like it might be a fun story, though the bit about Jack is somehow "saving the world" by murdering women has some pretty major issues. Fingers crossed that's more of a throwaway bit of background info than a main plot point.

Ben A

I’m, like so many others here, so glad you guys are tapping into some Zelazny. I haven’t read this mashup Halloween advent calendar story in well over a decade, so this is a good excuse to pick it up again. Happy autumn and Halloween season! Glad to see Chad is still in the pocket of Big Mummy! Much as I’m happy that the bit is alive and well, I’m sure you all are aware that consuming remains from mummies isn’t entirely ahistorical. In Victorian and Edwardian times there was a thriving trade in Egyptian mummies, where individuals were burned as fuel and powdered mummy remains were consumed as medicinal aids. (Which was definitely culturally sensitive treatment of the dead…) So Victorian era British, among many other national groups, did take some mummy for their tummy. Mummy tea is for closers, gents. Looking forward to your thoughts as the book unfolds!

Jon Maness

Love this! Glad you are covering this. Now, if you would please cover Bunicula or The Celery Stalks at Midnight!

Chad Anctil

I'm so happy you're doing 'A Night in the Lonesome October'!! I'm one of 'those people' who reads this every October, one chapter a day, and I just love every page of it. It's like comfort food on a chilly October evening - it's just not Halloween season unless I'm reading about Snuff and Graymalk and the gang. Larry Talbot is a favorite character of mine as well... One interesting thing I thought when you were discussing Jack (the ripper) - I always imagined that the characters in this story were actually the literary characters somehow summoned to the real world as part of the 'great game' - something like 'Inkheart' or archetypes pulled from dreams - and not 'real' people who were born, grew up, etc... I don't think that's supported in the text, it's just what I always imagined. I always love these episodes, ever since the early H P Podcraft days, but this month may be the first time in a long time that I actually set a reminder to make sure I listen to them as soon as they drop, I'm so excited that you're covering one of my favorite books!

It's a Ghost.

I'm about a quarter of the way through the book and am really enjoying it. It feels like it's going to be a really fun and quick read. Also, your mention of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein reminded me of the classic 1965 Doctor Who episode “The Journey into Terror", which features Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and Daleks.

Ben Gilbert

Reminiscent of the old Universal monster rallies like Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula. Also the more recent Monster Squad and TV’s Mad Monster Party.

Elisheba

When I was a teenager, I read every Zelazny book the library had, ordered more through interlibrary loan, and asked for his novels and short story collections every birthday and christmas. Hearing y'all talk about Zelazny makes me smile. At some point you should cover Dilvish the Damned.

Robert Curtin

I won't stand for this subliminal advertising for Big Mummy! We defeated that evil once, and I'll be strangled before I let it rise again!

Michael Cunliffe

Maybe it’s not Jack the Ripper but Spring Heeled Jack that is our protagonist?

Gandolph Carter

I played the Amber diceless role-playing game in high school and the game motivated me to read the series. I never thought to check out Zelazny’s other stories, but I am now. Better late than never right? Thanks for the literary recommendation and nostalgia injection guys!

Beccameriel

I'm assuming Bubo is a reference to rats as disease vectors for the Black Death. The most well known sympton being the painful, swollen buboes in the armpits and groins of sufferers.

Jason of the K

A note of warning, a book by the same title was written by Richard Laymon. A VERY different type of horror writer and one that would surely divide the crowd enormously. He is the late night Cinemax to Zelaznys HBO, if you will :)

Joshua Weiss

It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that "Snuff" wasn't just a cute name for a dog.

Eric - Speaker in Digressions

- Yay Horrified! My copy stares at me from across the room as I type. - Glad Chad got to "coffee is for closers" at the end, as I would have been disappointed.

Jim Cannon

Whoah, fifty comments. I am late. Anyway, super excited because I love this book (Zelazny is one of my favorite authors) and also filled with trepidition that you guys won't like it. As for Jack, this may be just my idea - I'm not sure its in the text - but I understood his current role to be penance for all them murders he done.

PD Rothenberger

Whenever given a blank slate of Universal Monsters my brain pleasantly, if not intrusively, slots in characters from The Hilarious House of Frightenstein … (which Lying Vincent Price was definitely not a part of)

Jason of the K

All the gaming talk makes me think this story would make for an AWESOME party game. The way the familiars trade info, offer conditional help, and adhere to their own sort of honor, in addition to the location scouting Sniff does, seems like it could map over a CLUE type game mixed with a bit of Arkham Horror (or Touch of Evil for those who played that) of deduction, bluffing, and transient cooperation.

Shana Carter

Maybe mummy dust is like chocolate -- not good for dogs?

Cat Wilson

Could be Spring Heel Jack? There are so many Jacks in London…

Patrick W

Bubo = Bubonic. Black plague. Rat

Frederic

AD&D 2e monster manual says that mummy dust is quite toxic: “Mummy dust is a component for rotting and disease magical items.”

JonEsprockets

I read Zelazny voraciously in high school and college. Wrote a letter to him letting him know I wrote a term paper about his work and received a nice reply. Only discovered this gem last year and so glad I did. It seems like the perfect capstone to a wondrously diverse career. I remember haunting the bookstores watching for his next novel to appear. Hard not to be so delighted reading and hearing about it again and also so deeply saddened by his premature departure from our world.

ponyfhtagn

omgods, I dropped off the radar and it's finally happening? Excuse me while I go catch up

Matthew Bizzell

For years, I have been trying to remember the book where animal familiars and their masters participated in some kind of killing game. I can now say that mental search is over. I read this when I was like eight or nine, and I still have some random memories from the novel that I'm excited to find out if they're true or not. This book introduced my tiny mind the word "sickle," I have a vivid memory of asking my dad what this wondrous weapon was!

Ben Gilbert

We know from the later Universal films that all these monsters were contemporary with each other. The novel takes place in the Universal Cinematic Universe and I expect the movie to star Tom Cruise.

Z.A. Kahan

A weird note about Berkowitz: He’s a bastard, no doubt. But a close family member of mine works in Victim’s Rights Advocacy (even coined a phrase: murderbillia), and managed to strike up a correspondence with this guy. Real weird stuff, but if you didn’t know who he was you wouldn’t think much of it. I think That just drives home what Chad said about glamorizing these killers: don’t do it. He’s trash, and my relative being in touch with him, even tangentially, only reaffirmed that.

Ambear

Ok, I love this because in The Key of Solomon (13th century grimoire, translated by Mathers) it talks about how you need assistants to do magic, and if you can’t find the proper humans, a dog will do: When the Master of the Art wisheth to put in practice any Operation or Experiment, especially one of importance, he should first consider of what Companions he should avail himself. This is the reason why in every Operation whose Experience should be carried out in the Circle, it is well to have three Companions. And if he cannot have Companions, he should at least have with him a faithful and attached dog. It goes further to talk about how to prepare the dog: But if the Master of the Art wisheth to have a dog for his Companion, he must bathe him thoroughly with the exorcised water in the same manner as the Disciples, and let him perfume him with the odours and incense of Art, and let him repeat the following Conjuration over him “I conjure thee, O thou Creature, being a Dog, by Him Who hath created thee, I bathe and I perfume thee in the Name of the Most High, Most Powerful, and Eternal God, so that thou mayest be my true Companion in this operation, and that thou mayest be also my faithful friend in whatsoever operation I may hereafter perform.” The human companions end up getting special clothes and weapons, but it’s not clear if you should do the same for a dog. It goes further to say you could also use a small boy or girl, which is better than a dog, but BIG YIKES.

Shadavid

I read lots of Zelazny in my teenage years. I never had any contact with him, but when he wrote an introduction to the collection of the first arc of Sandman I deduced he must have been a generous and kindly man. My reasoning is that first arc uses the plot Zelazny liked best. A person, who is part of a pantheon of powerful beings, has been stripped of their power and must go on a quest to regain that power and their place. What a sweetheart!

Darth Oldius

Druids into owlbears? Are you picking on D&D twitter here?

Explosion the Aquarius

Please, please, please do a bonus episode on Bunnicula! My husband, Jack, and I are huge fans.

Michael Chidester

Wow, I totally missed the notion that Jack was the Ripper when I read the story. It makes sense and it's probably correct, but I assumed he was just a wizard named Jack and didn't wonder if he was an allusion to anything.