The Good Friends of Jackson Elias

We’re back and we’re rearranging the furniture in the library. All perfectly normal stuff. Nothing to worry about. Everyone gives a strangled cry or two when lifting heavy objects. And that nasty smell? Furniture polish.... The post The Case of Charles Dexter Ward part 3 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re researching our family histories. Nothing but wholesome stuff here. Surely everyone’s ancestors faced an angry mob or two. It was just the done thing in those times. Main Topic: The Case... The post The Case of Charles Dexter Ward part 2 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re digging through our family tree. Or should that be digging up our family tree? Either way, we dig it. While The Case of Charles Dexter Ward doesn’t precisely advocate for raising... The post The Case of Charles Dexter Ward part 1 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re summoning horrors from beyond space and time. If we’re honest, we’re not quite sure why we’re doing this, but here we are. It’s too late to worry about such details at... The post Call of Cthulhu Deities: Iod, Zu-che-quon, and Nyogtha appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re being suggestive. Or is that suggestible? Why don’t you tell us! Main Topic: Listener Suggestions Meets the Wolf Man Back in late 2022, we used Discord and Twitter to ask our listeners what kinds of... The post Listener Suggestions Meets the Wolf Man appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back with the conclusion of our interview with Jason Cordova, the mastermind behind The Gauntlet and creator of such RPGs as Brindlewood Bay, The Between and Public Access. Our winding discussion takes in game... The post Special: Interview With Jason Cordova part 2 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re catching up with our sleep. You think we’d be trying harder to escape, given that we’ve been tied up and lowered into the abysmal depths under the pyramids. But, no, we’re... The post Under the Pyramids appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back with another special interview episode. This time, we’re talking to Jason Cordova, the mastermind behind The Gauntlet and creator of such RPGs as Brindlewood Bay, The Between and Public Access. Jason’s games take... The post Special: Investigative Games With Jason Cordova appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re squirming. Sure, the best way to get out of this straitjacket would be to have someone unbuckle it, but where’s the fun in that? Then again, now that we’re getting lowered... The post Strange NPCs: Harry Houdini appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re doubting our humanity. It’s easily enough done. Whether it’s these gill slits on our necks, that pervasive smell of death surrounding us, or just the weird way our shadow shifts and... The post Non-Human Characters in Call of Cthulhu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re catching up with our reading again. Specifically, in this episode, we seem to be reading in bed. You’d think that such a common pastime wouldn’t merit much discussion, yet somehow we... The post Media Catch-Up – Books appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re under the influence. Sure, the alien entity taking up residence in our heads may not technically be a demon, but that feels like an academic distinction right now. It’s little comfort... The post Possession in Call of Cthulhu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re dabbling with dark forces. If Late Night With the Devil has taught us anything, it’s that achieving fame and fortune is just a matter of striking the right bargains. Sure, that’s... The post Late Night With the Devil appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

In our recent episode on injury and disease in Call of Cthulhu, we mentioned the strength drain ability of Dark Young. Good friend of the Good Friends Frank Delventhal, AKA Strongman Frank, got it touch... The post Special: Strength Drain and Recovery With Frank Delventhal appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re damaged. Send help. Main Topic: Injury and Disease in Call of Cthulhu This episode, we’re looking at how injury, disease, poisons, and other physical hazards work in Call of Cthulhu. Being... The post Injury and Disease in Call of Cthulhu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re spinning the wheel of misfortune. R’lyeh Roulette is not a game to be entered into casually. While you might not place bets in the normal manner, there is still much at... The post R’lyeh Roulette IV appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re suckling. This is more difficult than you might think, at least when Yibb-Tstll is involved. Even once we get past all those pesky nightgaunts, there’s the whole, um, moving target aspect... The post Call of Cthulhu Deities — Shudde M’ell, Yibb-Tstll and Bugg-Shash appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re consuming. Mostly, we’re consuming media. At least that’s the consumption we feel happiest talking about in public. Also, the digestion of media tends to lead to less dyspepsia, bloating and flatulence... The post Media Catch-Up appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re enjoying a nice seaside holiday. Of course, when most people talk about the seaside, they mean the bit that’s on land. Somehow, we’ve ended up in the wetter part. Maybe that’s... The post The Ocean in Call of Cthulhu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re wondering what’s in this jar on our desk. The contents are murky, but it looks like it might contain the heart of a small boy. Robert Bloch swears by it, but... The post Robert Bloch and the Cthulhu Mythos appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re abluting with trepidation. It used to be that taking a shower was relaxing. We could just pull that curtain closed and enjoy the jets of warm, cleansing water. Since watching Psycho,... The post Psycho (1960) appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re rolling to disbelieve. Honestly, the world around us just becomes weirder and weirder with every passing year. A lot of this is probably down to age, but we can’t discount some... The post Delusions in Call of Cthulhu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re doubting ourselves. Well, that’s assuming we have any selves to doubt. Once you start plumbing the dark recesses of psychological horror, you soon realise that you can’t take anything for granted.... The post Psychological Horror in Call of Cthulhu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re going through our mailbag again. It becomes a lot more manageable once we sift out the missives written in Aklo and other inhuman tongues. We’re not saying that what’s left is... The post The Ghost of Listener Suggestions appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re heading beyond Innsmouth. The literal and metaphorical tentacles of the Deep Ones now extend far beyond the town’s limits. We’re finding our fishy friends moistening the pages of books, slithering across... The post The Shadow Over Innsmouth – Sequels and Adaptations appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

Our 2023 Christmas ghost story reading of Jerome K Jerome’s “Told After Supper” draws to its conclusion. After learning all about ghosts in the first reading and hearing some strange anecdotes in the second, we... The post Told After Supper, by Jerome K Jerome – part 3 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

Our 2023 Christmas ghost story reading continues. This year, we are presenting Jerome K Jerome’s comic tale “Told After Supper”. After the introduction to the nature of ghosts we received in the first reading, we... The post Told After Supper, by Jerome K Jerome – part 2 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We are delighted to offer you another ghost story for Christmas. Good friend of the Good Friends, Mike Perceval-Maxwell (host of Mr Spike’s Bedtime Stories), has once again organised a suitably festive performance on our... The post Told After Supper, by Jerome K Jerome – part 1 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re picking through the ruins. The US Federal Government may have bombed Innsmouth to smithereens, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still useful gaming inspiration to be found in the wreckage. From... The post The Shadow Over Innsmouth part 6 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re taking part in some self-reflection. It would just be a bit easier if our reflections didn’t keep changing. Maybe it’s inevitable once you get to a certain age. Your hairline starts... The post The Shadow Over Innsmouth part 5 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re playing hide-and-seek. No, hang on. That’s when everyone hides and one person goes looking for them. This is the other way around. There’s a name for that game, isn’t there? Oh,... The post The Shadow Over Innsmouth part 4 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

Mason and Fricker’s Eldritch Stories Sampler In a change to regular programming, here is a sample of another podcast we thought you might enjoy. Mason and Fricker’s Eldritch Stories is a collaboration between Paul Fricker... The post Mason and Fricker’s Eldritch Stories Sampler appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re enjoying a nice whiskey. OK, maybe we shouldn’t drink a whole quart of the stuff, but you’d do the same if you lived in Innsmouth. The alcohol fumes go some way... The post The Shadow Over Innsmouth part 3 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re on a bus journey. Sure, this is a bone-rattler, but that’s like combining a gym visit and a massage, right? It certainly seems to have done the other passengers good. Have... The post The Shadow Over Innsmouth part 2 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re sightseeing. Like most penurious writers, we’re doing so on a tight budget. Wasting money on expensive train tickets means that we won’t be able to afford the good cheese crackers for... The post The Shadow Over Innsmouth part 1 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re poking around in holes. Sometimes it’s hard not to let curiosity get the better of you. There could be anyone on the other side of that barrier, even a god. You... The post Glorious appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re petrified. It’s bad enough that you can become mummified by standing near Ghatanothoa, but being imperilled just by looking at his image is simply too much. And then we learn that... The post Mythos Deities: Yig & Ghatanothoa appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and and we’re listening to our listeners. No, not in a creepy way. Well, not beyond our natural creepiness, anyway. We’re not even using our ears this time. Hmmm. That probably makes it... The post Bride of Listener Suggestions appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and and we’re playing Jenga with that teetering pile of unread books, plucking out a few tomes for discussion and hoping we don’t get crushed in the attempt. Main Topic: Media Catch-Up –... The post Media Catch-Up – Books appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back with another special episode. This time, we’ve teamed up with Mike Perceval-Maxwell, host of Mr Spike’s Bedtime Stories, for a reading of Frank Belknap Long’s “The Hounds of Tindalos”. If you would like... The post Special: The Hounds of Tindalos, read by Mike Perceval-Maxwell and Scott Dorward appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and and we’re geeking out. Main Topic: Nightmare Alley With all the talk about mediums in recent episodes, we thought it might be helpful to examine one from media. Guillermo del Toro’s 2021... The post Nightmare Alley appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and and we’re in the dark. While we’re told that darkness is essential for séances, it does make it tricky to watch when the medium starts dancing. Also, if the spirits are going... The post Séances appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we have an angle. Well, it started out as a curve, but then some bits fell off. It’s outrageous! We’re not sure if that was some kind of fall from grace, an... The post The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap Long appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re going round in circles. Driving around Milton Keynes has prepared us for such eventualities, although these are temporal loops rather than roundabouts. Then again, what is a time loop but a... The post Time Travel in Call of Cthulhu part 2 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back with our first special episode for a while. After our recent look into Victorian Spiritualism, Sean F Smith contacted us, offering to discuss the topic from the perspective of stage magic. Sean is... The post Special: Stage Magic and Spiritualism With Sean F Smith appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back, or should that be forward? Time does have a tendency to jump around, and you’re never quite when you thought you were. Days pass in years and years pass in days. And the... The post Time Travel in Call of Cthulhu part 1 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re glowing. While we’re only too happy to ascribe this to good diet and healthy living, all this phosphorous oil we keep splashing on ourselves may also play a part. It really... The post Victorian Spiritualism part 2 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re rapping. While we’re sure we could come up with some killer rhymes, we’re letting our toes do the talking today. There’s no reason why messages from beyond can’t come with a... The post Victorian Spiritualism part 1 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re listening again. Usually, we don’t hold with listening. Most things people try to tell us are things we’d rather not hear. Whether this is advertising, gossip, or sinister secrets about the... The post Son of Listener Suggestions appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.

We’re back and we’re trying to figure out why the hell this film is called “Barbarian“. Learning that the screenwriter doesn’t know either makes us feel better, but not by much. Maybe a nice bottle... The post Barbarian (2022) appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.