Again EAPodcasts does it again. My Mom and I don’t exactly have the same tastes in stories but I found some here she would love and I shared them. I love this and I love sharing stories with people I love.

I love this podcast! I recently learned about Pocastle and I am extremely grateful for all the content. I am an avid fantasy reader and a middle aged carpenter. None of my friends or coworkers read fantasy. I am frequently hazed at work for my obsession with Fantastic literature and this podcast feels like I have friends who understand my obsession. Thanks for providing a sense community and wonderful stories.

Volume not regulated. The intro and exit music is so much louder than the editor or reader. Sometimes I can’t hear the reader unless I turn the volume to max then the exit music blasts my ears at a piercing volume. If I go from another podcast to this one same thing the intro volume pierced my ears and I have to immediately drop the volume then turn it back up for the editor and reader.

I used to enjoy the EA podcasts, but have slowly unfollowed them, hoping for a return to more quality stories. If you want to listen to stories that represent the LGBTQIA+/-;( audience, gender identity disorders, self-harm, and other untreated mental illnesses, you may enjoy this podcast. Other stories that may or may not be interesting and appropriate for heterosexuals may be recorded with poor fidelity by readers who have heavy accents and talk too quickly to understand most of the episode. I used to enjoy it and only skipped occasional episodes, but PodCastle has become unlistenable.

Thanks for all the stories! and I have to say that Matt Dovey is one of the best narrators. I’m learning so much from listening to him. Keep up the good work!

Loved this episode! Can’t wait to hear more from Alex Fox. Love all the escapepod shows!

I’m not listening to stories by writers who don’t understand how pronouns work. I don’t listen to stories where “they” replaces “he” or “she”.

The Castle takes you on a journey through all forms of fantasy. I learn so much about the brilliant variety of writers. With the sister podcasts, EscapePod (SciFi) and PseudoPod (horror), there are hours and hours of auditory joy.

One star for racial discrimination. Podcastle is actively accepting submissions from any race BESIDES white people. Marginalizing white authors and black-tarring the publishing industry is as racist as any segregating policy. “Whites need not apply.” And I won’t be listening either, for that reason. I’m over it with the publishing industry’s racism. This is why I no longer purchase new books or listen to literary podcasts. Equal opportunity for all races is justice. Discriminating towards white authors - while patting yourself on the back for how progressive you are - is racism, and anyone who participates in this is racist. The POC authors published during this submission period of racial exclusion are actively choosing to benefit from racism, and I’ll be happy to give their other published works 1 star on any platform available. I’m exhausted by the anti-white racism in the publishing industry. I want an equal playing field for all. Talent, not skin color, should be the main determining factor in whether or not a writer is published. Period. And no, POC don’t need to be catered to because they’re “underrepresented.” POC have been published in demographically white-majority countries for decades and decades. They’re not underserved - POC are over-represented in Western publishing. The white majority is being underserved, because we are actively being discriminated against based on the industry’s proud racial and political bias. “BIPOC only” submission periods is code for “giving the country’s published narrative away to those who despise the majority of its people.” I’m not supporting or normalizing this racist movement. I want justice and equality. Nothing more, nothing less.

Terrible audio, and I can barely follow the host, he speaks so fast and mumbles. If I can’t hear, I’d say that makes a podcast not so good. The narration is on par with LibriVox. That’s a volunteer site. For me, it takes more than just reading. I’ll listen to more stories and redo this review because this must be that I just got a couple of so so days.

Podcast has a nice variety of fantasy stories from around the globe. Audio quality is poor. Even at maximum volume on my phone, home or car speakers, I frequently have to strain to hear the narrator. Recommend addressing this issue.

Great mix of high literary fantasy and some fun low brow stuff. Good audio quality.

Late to this Pod, but am loving it as I binge stories - creative and curious with twists Really enjoyed the story White as Soap!

I love listening to Podcastle. Fantastic diversity of authors and readers. Always find a new voice I’m excited about!

I'm constantly impressed with the diversity of authors and narrators featured by PodCastle. I just wish the theme music wasn't so loud compared to how soft everyone's voices are. I'm not a fan of having to adjust the volume of a podcast multiple times just to get through it without it hurting my ears.

Great exploration of emotions in a wide variety of lesbian relationships. Occasional light magical theming. (CW: the "magic" is too often metaphor for symptoms of a protagonist's mental illness.) My only mild complaint is that they've really been emphasizing non-linear stream-of-consciousness; many stories feature no activity beyond a protagonist's self-described mental states. I'm fine with emotional exploration but I do prefer it when it's supported by a plot. I started supporting this podcast back in the days when it was a fantasy podcast, and have happily continued supporting it since it transitioned to a lesbian fiction podcast. It's a subculture I'm not familiar with but it's often intriguing. Check out their back catalog for some wonderful fantasy stories, too.

This PodCastle original, is a perfect story for our times. It’s a magical yet bleak future where love grows on you and definitely grew on me. Well written in a surprisingly fresh fashion and the narrator is like one with the story. ds

I adore this podcast. It takes me to far distant places, and brings me home with new ideas. I adore it.

For pure storytelling entertainment and wonderful thought provoking writing PodCastle (and it’s sister shows Pseudopod and EscapePod) is the simply awsome.

New yorker

Could use more gay overtones and liberal propaganda

Strong, good women. No dominating gender norms. Kindness winning. Transformation, redemption, resurrection, revelation... and all with gentle humor and clever silliness. I love this podcast. Thanks!

I do not mean to be petty, but I I can’t give the show 5-Stars because the artwork is horrible & totally unbecoming of the hard work put into creating stories. Something more professional and reflective of the honor of women, other cultures, and LGBT. Additionally, I enjoy the accents and find them all easy to understand except the voice-actor telling Black cultural stories...she does very unwell until she tries to add in sub-characters, at which times her voice get whispery & draws out words at the end of her sentences, at which point you can’t understand what she is saying-VERY FRUSTRATING! There is no where to go up! GREAT JOB! Thank you!

PodCastle used to be a very enjoyable podcast, with most stories worth listening to, or at least fun to listen to. You would have an occasional dud, but overall it was worth your time. But about a year ago, the new editors took it in a very different direction. Nowadays almost all of the published stories are written by women, with many stories having only the barest trappings of fantasy while sending a “message”, often involving oppression or violence against marginalized groups or women. In effect, Podcastle has morphed into a feminist/LBTGQ podcast with a social justice theme for most stories. The big problem with this, unfortunately, is that the quality of the stories has suffered tremendously. When you deliberately exclude half of the population from publishing stories, quality will inevitably suffer. Many of the stories seem like rejects from a college creative writing class. With others, I feel like I am being beaten over the head with a very obvious social message. I also get the feeling that many of the published authors may be friends, or insiders, with the editors. I now dread the words “This is a Podcastle original”, because four out of five times I will find myself giving up after the first five or ten minutes. What is particularly ironic is that Podcastle still promotes its “Artemis Rising” month of women authors, when in fact male authors are now quite rare in this podcast. They really need an “Apollo Rising“ month instead. So despite what you may think by listening to this podcast, men did not quit writing fantasy a year or two ago. Quite the contrary, there is still plenty of good fantasy being written by members of both sexes. You simply won’t find it in Podcastle.

I’ve enjoyed every story I’ve listened to on this podcast. Great selection. Some of them are going to stick with me for a long time.

I enjoy their stories tremendously! Keep up the good work!

As they come to the end of their first decade of producing weekly stories, PodCastle continues to deliver a variety of compelling stories. Like their sister podcasts, they feature a mix of classic authors and new voices, and they throw in bonus gems with their "PodCastle Miniatures" from time to time. A true community-made, listener-supported labor of love!

Podcastle is truly my favorite fiction podcast. Under all of the editors who've managed it, Podcastle has brought beautiful, unique, touching, brilliant, and progressive stories from dozens of sub-genres of fantasy, and they've had fun while doing it. Its introduced me to awesome authors whose short fiction was featured on the cast. Thanks to the vision of its editorial staff, these authors bring perspectives lacking in a field long dominated by white cis-gendered dudes. Their writing has made my dreams richer, and my reality more nuanced. I have laughed, gasped alound, and wept to more episodes than I can count. Podcastle is for every nerd, every freak, every dreamer who is curious about where fantasy can take us, and who is brave enough to have expectations turned upside-down. Thanks for the years of great listening, Podcastle.

This is a must listen if you like fantasy fiction short stories. This podcast is pure gold!

Always well done

PodCastle is one of those publications that is VERY hit and miss with real talent. They often choose to publish stories that one has to questions why they were chosen. Many of the stories leave the listener wondering what they just listened to, and not in a good way. I seldomly listen to this podcast anyomore because they don't bring forward enough good stories, but like to stick to the level of mediocre and boring. On top of the hit and miss, they also seem to have their own politcal agenda that they like to push, or rather shove, onto their listeners. I have a two friends who actually compltely stopped listening to them solely for this reason. It is a little disappointing. Until they can address and adjust both of those issues, I will leave this review as it is and will turn as many people away as possible. Hope things change.

Zero stars. The anti-American, anti-family, anti-anything-remotely-resembling-normal agendas of the stories have finally overwhelmed my hope for an entertaining story. I'm nauseated, & unsubscribed.

If you're a fantasy fan, then you need to add this one to your listening queue! The Escape Artists family have a long tradition of producing quality fiction and PodCastle is no exception.

Just sublime: I've been listening quite a while, and there are so many gems! I loved "Telling Stories" by Sandra M Odell, and I must have listened to "La Heron" three or four times at least- AMAZING adventure! Romance! Fantasy!

This is my favorite podcast of fantasy stories.

Each story on this show --from those of high fantasy, to those of magic realism, to fantastical experiments beyond classification-- weaves its own special spell. Who knew there was such variety in the fantasy genre?

Keep it up!

I just recently started listening to the podcastle, and I have to say you're all doing a spectacular job with the production of these shows !

Love the content but when the loud crazy woman is screaming AAANNNDDD WE'RE BACK!!!! into my ears it ruins the entire episode just knowing she'll be back at the end. When there are other hosts it great. Please get rid of the bullhorn crazy loud woman. Once she's gone I'll change my rating to 5 stars.

Some of the stories really have substance, but more often than not, the tales grow more and more liberally feminist; I couldn't care less about the nazi-feminist agenda. The writers they get on here write a story with a vampire motif, name the heroine, Joan of Arc, and call it "fantasy". No thanks! Will happily perk my ears up for Pseudopod or the Drabblecast.

Don't you hate it when you discover the perfect podcast, and 5, 15 or 24 episodes later, gaps between installments increase, heralding impending doom. Or they get repetitive. Not a problem with the ever enduring pod castle. I just love short fiction, the kind that fits into one or two commutes, or a sunny hour in the park. I also love non-stereotypical fantasy. Podcastle so far has brought 385 of these. You can listen to one a day, and still have no repeats for a year. Each story is fresh, and quite a few are original. Go get an episode and check it out.

I've been listening since the podcast first splintered off from Escapepod. That's how great it is. Really enjoy all of the different selections.

I love the variety of stories. It's not all knights and princesses; there's some of that, but there's plenty of stories that mix our world and other worlds together.

Finding good fantasy story podcast can be a little tricky. But fortunately for enthusiasts of the genre PodCastle is an excellent repository of such fiction. From Magical Kingdoms in unknown lands, to modern settings with unknown secrets just over the horizon, Podcastle provides fantasy storys from a variety of authors read by experience and professional narrators. With literally hundreds of full length and miniature podcasts available to stream or download, fantasy seekers have found what they're looking for at PodCastle. My personal recommendations? Episode 305, Heartless, about a young woman who stands firm against a corrupt society, Episode 297, The Tower of The Elephant, a Conan the Barbarian classic from Robert Howard. Episode 286, The Calendar of Saints, about a professional duelist who's confronted with a difficult decision that will require more than skill to solve. Episode 282, The Sunshine Baron, about a man who betrayed his people, and will live to regret it. And Miniature Episode 76, Quiet Death Machines, about a young man who dream of growing up to be a supervillain.

I know what Podcastle is trying to achieve, and I think they succeed, because of how many great reviews there are. I just don't think it's for me. I find many of the stories boring and uninteresting. I will still listen to pseudopod though, that one is awesome! So I want to say keep it up, because you are obviously doing something right - it's just not my cup of tea.

One of the best podcast

I listen every week and love the venue and the people. However if you are looking for classical type fantasy they kinda steer away from that. The stories seem to lean to the feminine.

Podcastle is a fantastic way to encounter top notch fantasy fiction of all sorts. I have found multiple authors that I adore that I would never have heard of or thought to try had I not heard their work on my commute. Even if you have time to sit down and read the hard copy, the narrations are amazing and add an entirely new dimension to the stories. I can't say enough good things about the three sister podcasts from Escape Artists.

For teh love of Tim Pratt you have to download and listen. feed the pod and enjoy the fantsical world of Podcastle, they love Tim, I love Tim, and by the end of just one episode you will love Tim too.

I subscribe to Escape Pod and tried PodCastle out. Terrific. Now I subscribe to both.