173 – Michelle Paver & Long Nights of the Body & Soul

We’re going up in the world this week – longitudinally and latitudinally, with the GOAT of endurance, adventure Gothic, Michelle Paver.

Michelle joins me for a big conversation about her novels Dark Matter and Thin Air – two of the most effective ghost stories of the 21st century. One takes us to the Arctic, the other to a Himalayan peak, both places littered with the dead… who may still be around.

We talk about how ghost stories work, their tradition and what perhaps differentiates them from horror. We consider the challenge of writing heroes with imperial perspectives, and Michelle relates her own, eerie, dangerous experiences out in the frozen wilds.

This is perfect winter listening, even if we did record it in July. 

Enjoy!

Books mentioned:

Wolf Brother (2004), by Michelle Paver

The Abominable (2013), by Dan Simmons

30 Days of Night (2002), by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith

The Others of Edenwell (2023), by Verity Holloway

“The Kit Bag” (1908), by Algernon Blackwood 

Cold Earth (2009), by Sarah Moss

Number 90 and Other Ghost Stories (2000 rpt) B.M. Croker

A Beleaguered City (1871), by Margaret Oliphant

The Long Tale (Tail) of Dogs in Fiction (Esquire)

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