Something to Listen to: The Magnus Archives

Do you listen to podcasts? I’ve just started my first and, surprisingly, it’s in the horror genre. Horror is my least favorite thing, but my girls love it and so, over Christmas break, we gathered most nights to listen to the Magnus Archives podcast. The series, described as one of the world’s most popular horror podcasts, is set in modern-day London and “details the supernatural cases under investigation by the Magnus Institute and its archivists.”

It turns out that, while the series is filled with all the scary elements horror lovers expect, the great storytelling captivates even chickens like me. Especially chickens who love mysteries. The main character, Jonathan Sims, has taken over as head archivist after the previous one died under mysterious circumstances. The archives are a disorganized mess, so Jon (grumpily and skeptically) begins to put the statements of people’s supernatural encounters in order. At first, the statements seem to be unconnected, but we soon realize something bigger—and scarier—is going on.

Lexie’s gone back to her apartment in Bellingham, but we’re still “meeting” to listen to the podcast at the same time. She drew this image of the Magnus Institute and it perfectly captures the podcast’s spooky mood. What happened—or will happen—to this person who’s about to record his tale?

If you have a favorite podcast, please share!