A book on tape with a bit of an adventure. The Sound of Fear is a themed collection of speculative horror stories with sci-fi, fantasy and noir elements by one of the most talented new writers of dark fiction, Victor H. Rodriguez. It plunges the reader into lean, mean page-turners with twist endings that pit the living against the soundscapes of the beyond. Each episode Victor reads a story from his anthology, following up show creator and host Josh Ellis interviews Victor, discussing the inspiration and process behind each story. Often the interviews go beyond the stories told in Victor's book and dive deep into their friendship, the entertainment industry, music, film and tequila.
Intro dialogue by: Daryl Ellis, Music by: Penka Kouneva,
A musical genius discovers that the noise generated by modern civilization—The Hum—conceals other realities. A special guest joins Victor and Josh on this episode. They talk about The Hum, writing a narrative with only dialog, and the literary inspirations for the story.
A team of explorers descend to the ocean floor to investigate an impossibly loud, inscrutable sound known only as The Bloop. Josh and Victor discuss The Bloop, Ragnarök, and the difficulties of being a horror writer when you want to write comedy!
Two Cuban agents use an infrasonic weapon to neutralize their opponents. Josh and Victor discuss the science article that inspired the story: Were US Diplomats in Cuba Victims of a Sonic Attack—or Something Else?, first appearing in Wired magazine, 2017.
A Roman Noble and his Greek slave go to Thebes to search for an ancient artifact. Josh and Victor discuss the Vocal Memnon at Thebes, and the fantasy/adventure stories of Robert E. Howard.
A composer discovers a recent recording from someone he knows to be dead. Josh and Victor discuss H.P. Lovecraft, the challenge of writing a complete story in ten sentences or less, and a personal paranormal experience.
At the turn of the twentieth century, a modern-minded American inherits a European castle that ends up costing him a terrible price. Josh and Victor have a rousing discussion of The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen, and the Germanic festival of Fasching.
Victor and Josh discuss their favorite halloween drinks, music, and their favorite horror film of the 2020 season. If you'd like to check out our top 20 Halloween playlist search Spotifty for "SOF Halloween" or click here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Gmzx0wAbecR3SZIzyydBO?si=0hhnRc1_QEu5LnppthjHiA
An unnamed narrator who suffers from amnesia sees someone who might be a link to his past. Josh and Victor discuss the Seattle Symphony, isolation, and The Man of the Crowd by Edgar Allan Poe.
A man suffering from a noise-sensitive condition must navigate his way across Lower Manhattan on Halloween night. Josh and Victor discuss the neurological disorder of misophonia, and some inspirational sources for the story (including Homer’s Odyssey).
A composer for video games offers up a prayer to the gods of music, and finds them more responsive—and hungrier—than he imagined. Josh and Victor talk about Stradivarius instruments, the story of Faust, and one way to deal with a corporate layoff.
Josh and Victor introduce themselves. Get ready because after this we're going straight into the book 'The Sound of Fear'!
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