292 – Chuck Wendig & Little Vulgar Hell-Babies

Wendig is here!! The man my wife refers to as “Chuck Apples” (as opposed to “Chuck Fight Club) is back to talk about his most fun, yet nastiest book to date. The Calamities is what would happen if The Godfather had cenobites, if Logan Roy had made a pact with monsters, it prompts me to ask the questions “who’s your favourite demon Chuck?”

 

That kinda book.

 

Chuck tells us how the study of demonology has underpinned almost his entire writing career. We discuss the increasingly tight links between his novels, the influence of D&D structure, and the challenge of making the reader care about some of the worst-behaved characters in the world.

 

And I drop the C-bomb for the first time on air. That damn baby deserves it.  

 

Enjoy!

 

Other books mentioned:

• Staircase in the Woods (2024), by Chuck Wendig
• Daytide (2026), by Chris Panatier
• The Three Body Problem (2008), by Cixin Liu
• Books of Blood (1984-88), by Clive Barker
• Cabal (1988), by Clive Barker
• Pandemonium: A Visual History of Demonology (2021), by Ed Simon
• Blacktail (2026), by Scott Hawkins

 

Support Talking Scared on Patreon

 

Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch

 

Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices