Talking Scared

291 – Natasha Pulley & No Priests Were Harmed in the Making of this Podcast

Talking Scared

Show Notes

No one let the Pope listen to this week’s episode.

Our guest is Natasha Pulley, genre-defying author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, The Bedlam Stacks, The Kingdoms, and now, in the The Salt King she pits the Vatican and Catholic Doctrine against something much, much older, lurking in the salt mines of the world.

It leads us to a conversation about faith of many kinds, about reality-adjacent fiction, the horrid truth of Sodom and Gomorrah, dark representations of the Catholic Church, and the challenge of fusing folk horror and global apocalypse.

There are also some holy dick pics.

Enjoy!

Other books mentioned:

Gentle Things (2026), by Danielle Giles

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2024), by Susanna Clarke

The Hill in the Dark Grove (2026), by Liam Higginson

The Name of the Rose (1980), by Umberto Eco

Foundation (1951), by Isaac Asimov

A Canticle for Liebowitz (1959), by Walter M. Miller Jr

Father Alberto and the Flying Girl (2026), by Timothy X Atack

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

More from Talking Scared

Oct 20, 2026

The 300th author interview is here. And I’m delighted it’s with a debut author, about a truly wonderful book.

Oct 13, 2026

In Solace House, Will Maclean takes us back to the 90s for a drug-fuelled trip through some mindbending architecture. It’s a chance to get nostalgic for a more innocent time, when the clothes were baggy, the music was better, and you could spend a summer spent renovating an old asylum without needing to put in on TikTok.

Oct 6, 2026

This episode needs no attempt at a witty introduction. Stephen King is back to talk about Other Worlds Than These – the concluding volume of The Talisman saga, begun with Peter Straub 45 years ago.

Sep 29, 2026

Leaning into absolute high geekery this week – with Kyle Winkler’s novel of how family game night can go badly wrong!

See all episodes →