logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
29m 5s

H. G. Wells - "The Cone" - 1895

Peter Kovacs
About this episode
🌋⚙️ H.G. Wells - "The Cone" (1895) 🔥✨

A searing tale of industrial might, human passion, and the devastating consequences of betrayal, set against the infernal backdrop of a Victorian steelworks. 🌌🔗 In this dark and atmospheric narrative, H.G. Wells plunges us into a world of roaring furnaces and molten metal, where simmering jealousy and vengeance ignite into a catastrophic confrontation.

🔥⚙️ Amid the towering chimneys and glowing crucibles, two men’s fates collide in a dramatic spiral of rage and regret. Horrocks, the ironmaster, leads his rival Raut into the fiery heart of his factory, where the oppressive heat mirrors the boiling emotions that drive him. What begins as a tense tour of industrial marvels descends into a deadly game of power and fury, as the boundaries between man and machine blur in the crucible of revenge.✨💔

"The Cone" masterfully evokes the grim beauty and deadly hazards of the industrial age, crafting a visceral meditation on the destructive power of unchecked passion. The story’s crescendo—set against a landscape of fire, smoke, and steel—transforms human frailty into a haunting, almost mythic tragedy. Wells’s narrative captures the clash of progress and peril, the fragile balance of morality, and the unrelenting consequences of betrayal, leaving readers suspended between awe and horror. 🌋✊⚙️
Up next
Jan 2025
H. G. Wells - "Under the Knife" - 1896
🌌✨ H.G. Wells - "Under the Knife" (1896) 🔮⚙️ A haunting meditation on mortality, consciousness, and the fragile line between life and death, set in the stark and sterile theater of a Victorian operating room. 🌌💉 In this profoundly introspective tale, H.G. Wells takes readers ... Show More
33m 46s
Dec 2024
Frederick Douglass - "My Escape From Slavery" - 1881
🌅🚂 Frederick Douglass - "My Escape from Slavery" (1881) ✊✨ A gripping and profound journey of courage, identity, and the relentless pursuit of freedom, set against the tense backdrop of antebellum America. 🌌🔗 In this compelling narrative, Frederick Douglass recounts his darin ... Show More
29m 45s
Dec 2024
James Joyce - "The dead" - 1914
❄️🍷 James Joyce – "The Dead" (1914) 🕯️✨ A tender exploration of love, memory, and impermanence, set amidst the cozy yet wistful atmosphere of an Irish Christmas gathering. 🎄🕊️ Gabriel Conroy, a quiet and introspective man, finds himself confronted with the unspoken depths of ... Show More
1h 31m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2022
Othello by William Shakespeare ~ Full Audiobook
Othello by William Shakespeare audiobook. Step into the tumultuous world of Shakespeare's 'Othello,' a gripping tale of love, betrayal, and the destructive power of jealousy that promises to captivate your senses and stir your emotions. As you embark on this auditory journey, you ... Show More
3h 14m
Jun 2022
Macbeth by William Shakespeare ~ Full Audiobook
Macbeth by William Shakespeare audiobook. Prepare to be swept away by the haunting and intoxicating world of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth,' a timeless tragedy that delves into the dark recesses of ambition, power, and moral decay. Imagine the chilling sound of thunder rumbling as three ... Show More
2h 16m
May 5
The Winters Tale by William Shakespeare ~ Full Audiobook
The Winters Tale by William Shakespeare audiobook. Immerse yourself in the spellbinding world of William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale as brought vividly to life in a sumptuous audiobook performance that glimmers with the magic of bygone eras and the thrilling pulse of human em ... Show More
3h 2m
May 2
The Rape of Lucrece by William Shakespeare ~ Full Audiobook
The Rape of Lucrece by William Shakespeare audiobook. Immerse yourself in Shakespeare’s fiercely lyrical and haunting narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece, now brought to life in a spellbinding audiobook performance that transforms every iambic beat into living drama: feel the slow ... Show More
2h 20m
Feb 2023
Curtis Runstedler, "Alchemy and Exemplary Poetry in Middle English Literature" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023)
Curtis Runstedler's book Alchemy and Exemplary Poetry in Middle English Literature (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) explores the different functions and metaphorical concepts of alchemy in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Middle English poetry and bridges them together with the exempl ... Show More
59m 21s
Jun 17
Madness and Piety: A Discussion on The Bacchae Part I
Madness, piety, gore, and reason! Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, host Dcn. Harrison Garlick and the always insightful Dr. Frank Grabowski delve into the first part of Euripides’ The Bacchae—a chilling yet captivating Greek tragedy that explores piety, eros, the nature ... Show More
2h 26m
Apr 1
269 | Advanced - Short Story: The Guardians of the Flame [English Listening Practice]
Title: The Guardians of the FlameLevel: Advanced (C1) #Story : The story follows four Guardians—Lysandra, Caelan, Vespera, and Eirik—who protect the Eternal Flame, a sacred source of light that wards off darkness. When Miraak, a former Guardian corrupted by shadows, returns to ex ... Show More
17m 7s
Apr 22
Slaves of the Metal Horde by Stephen Marlowe ~ Full Audiobook
Slaves of the Metal Horde by Stephen Marlowe audiobook. Imagine stepping into a thunderous future where towering steel behemoths rule the landscape and humanity clings to survival in the smoldering shadows of their own creation—this is the electrifying world of Stephen Marlowe’s ... Show More
3h 3m
Oct 2024
Dark Fantasy And Between Two Fires
It's chaos configuration as Eden, Gareth and Langdon sit down to discuss the...sort of good and very hyped Between Two Fires! And also argue about dark fantasy, Dark Souls, and listen to some sick doom metal. Music played: The Flight of Sleipnir - North https://theflightofsleipni ... Show More
1h 11m
Oct 2024
Evil Objects: Tales of Terror and Tragedy
GET‌ ‌EVERY‌ ‌EPISODE‌ ‌AND‌ ‌BONUS‌ ‌CONTENT‌ ‌AT:‌ ‌‌www.patreon.com/crackpotpodcast‌ Ever wondered if inanimate objects could hold the weight of dark histories or even harbor malevolent spirits? In this episode, we delve into the world of cursed and haunted artifacts, explorin ... Show More
48m 50s