Send us a text Sometimes two words can make a jaded horror reader sit up straight. Ghost is one, Dinosaur is another. Ghost. Dinosaur. Have you ever heard a more beautiful combination, a sweeter symphony of syllables. If “Ghost Dinosaur” doesn’t make you go squeeee and shake your fists in excitement, I don’t know how to help you. Anyway, that’s the focus of Luke Dumas delightful new novel, The Paleontologist. It’s a story about a haunted man, a creepy museum, institutional intrigue, murder and GHOST GODDAMN DINOSAURS!! We talk about all of that and lots more, including humour in horror, how far a book can stretch a reader’s empathy, and why privilege is such a complex issue to tackle. But yeah. Also Ghost Dinosaurs. Enjoy! The Paleontologist was published 31st October by Atria Books Books mentioned: A History of Fear (2022), by Luke Dumas Children of the Fang, and Other Genealogies (2020), by John Langan The Lost World (1912), by Arthur Conan Doyle Jurassic Park (1990), by Michael Crichton Tyrannosaur Canyon (2005), by Douglas Preston The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr Spencer Black (2013), by E.B. Hudspeth The Bonus Room (AKA Bedbugs) (2023) by Ben H. Winters Nestlings (2023), by Nat Cassidy Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.