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In this special holiday episode of the Avram Davidson Universe, Virgil & Bob turn the season of giving into a season of reading by hand-picking the perfect Avram Davidson books for friends, creators, family, and fellow weird-fiction travelers. From occult detectives and haunted walls to eccentric wizards and classic science fiction, we match stories to readers with joyful enthusiasm and a little mischief. It’s all in service of one simple holiday wish: MORE PEOPLE SHOULD BE READING AVRAM DAVIDSON.

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#WeirdFiction
#HolidayReads
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#SpeculativeFiction
#FantasyAndSF
#OccultFiction
#LiteraryWeird
#PodcastRecommendations
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Virgil & Bob revisit the hilarious “Milord Sir Smiht, the English Wizard,” as collected in The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy (1975). In this episode of The Avram Davidson Universe Podcast, they return to Bella’s Court of the Golden Hart, where an English “wizard,” a roomful of snuff, and some very dubious odyllic forces somehow add up to one of Davidson’s strangest comic investigations.

We previously featured this story with the great Tim Anderson — you can watch or listen to that reading here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1310005/episodes/15173599

https://youtu.be/MibdctVmI2k

This time around, Virgil & Bob try to decide what’s more dangerous: the odyllic machinery, the bureaucracy, or the sheer quantity of Rappee being inhaled. Side effects of this episode may include spontaneous phrenology, sympathy sneezing, and an irrational desire to visit Brothers Swartbloi for “just a pinch” of Imperial.

#fantasybooks , #fantasyhistory , #scifi , #weirdfiction , #booktube , #shortstory , #storytime , #audiobook , #literature , #fiction , #podcast , #podcastclips , #storyanalysis , #readingcommunity , #narration , #classicbooks , #bookdiscussion , #speculativefiction #Snuff @PBSBooks @Tor @PenguinRandomHouse @Nerdwriter1 @crashcourse @WisecrackEDU @britishlibrary @LofiGirl @nytimes ​

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In this episode of The Avram Davidson Universe Podcast, Virgil & Bob try to figure out what the HELL is going on in “The Church of Saint Satan and Pandaemons,” originally published in Fantastic (December 1975) and later collected in The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy and The Adventures of Doctor Eszterhazy.

This one left them baffled, amused, and occasionally questioning their own sanity.
Please comment — they need help!

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In this episode of The Avram Davidson Universe Podcast, we present “The Church of Saint Satan and Pandaemons,” originally published in Fantastic (December 1975) and later collected in The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy and The Adventures of Doctor Eszterhazy.

In the next episode, Virgil and Bob will try to unravel what this story is really about — and they may need a little help from the fans on this tricky one.

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Join Bob and Virgil for an in-depth conversation about Avram Davidson’s unique storytelling. They discuss “The Old Woman Who Lived with a Bear” (from The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy, 1975).

They explore: The strange blend of folklore, satire, and legal reasoning in the Triune Monarchy, Eszterhazy’s role as a rational observer in a world full of myth and superstition, The story’s humor, humanity, and mysterious ambiguity.

Perfect for readers who enjoy literary discussions, speculative fiction, and uncovering hidden gems in classic fantasy.

#avramdavidson #DoctorEszterhazy #weirdfiction #FantasyDiscussion #bookpodcast #literarypodcast

@sffaudio @SpecFicWriters

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Step into the Triune Monarchy with Avram Davidson’s unforgettable story “The Old Woman Who Lived with a Bear” (from The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy, 1975).

This professional narration brings to life the wit, mystery, and folkloric strangeness of Dr. Engelbert Eszterhazy’s world — where Gothic traditions, superstition, and rational inquiry intertwine.

Whether you’re a longtime Davidson devotee or new to his genius, this is a chance to immerse yourself in one of his finest Eszterhazy adventures.

👉 Stay tuned for our follow-up discussion episode where Bob and Virgil dive into the story’s themes, humor, and deeper meanings.

#avramdavidson #DoctorEszterhazy #weirdfiction #classicfantasy #audiobook #storytelling

@avramdavidson @sffaudio @speculativeFiction @torbooks @Fantasyfaction

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Avram Davidson (himself) warms up for a lecture and pulls you aboard a lateen-rigged dhow to ask the irresistible question: where, exactly, did Sinbad sail—Borneo, Sumatra, Serendib, even Madagascar—or only through our imaginations?

Show notes:

• Paul Bunyan vs. Sinbad: why tall tales can still point to real shores

• Baghdad’s golden age, Harun al-Rashid, and merchants’ cargo lists like poetry

• Dhows, monsoons, “islands” that breathe (whale? turtle?), and apes near Sumatra

• The rukh/roc, Aepyornis eggs, and dagobas that look like giant eggs from afar

• Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and the joys of pure serendipity

Hashtags:

#AvramDavidson #AdventuresInUnhistory #sinbad #arabiannights #mythology #indianocean #baghdad #dhow #rock #borneo #sumatra #srilanka #madagascar #historynerd

@FolkloreThursday

@ARABliterature

@britishlibrary

@SmithsonianMagazine

@SFWA

@CaptainSinbad

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Bob and Virgil unpack Avram’s clues—dhows, monsoons, Borneo and Sumatra, Sri Lanka’s dagobas, Madagascar’s giant eggs—and debate how far a fable can take you toward the truth.

• Reading the text like a chart: Kabil/Kasil → Borneo?

• Sumatra’s “island of apes,” ears to the shoulders, and traveler’s overlap with the Odyssey

• The roc vs. Aepyornis: why giant birds matter even when they can’t fly

• Serendip/Anuradhapura: when a white dagoba becomes a “roc egg” on the horizon

• Takeaways for modern readers: how to spot facts hiding in folklore

Hashtags:

#podcastdiscussion #AvramDavidson #sinbad #mythology #historypodcast #IndianOceanWorld #borneo #sumatra #srilanka #madagascar #marcopolo #ibnbattutamall

@asiasociety

@HISTORY

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@OUPAcademic

@ArabianFairyTales