Denkirch | Horror Fiction | Podcast

Denkirch | Horror Fiction | Podcast

From Nightshade Diary by M.P. Pellicer

April 9, 2026 · 33 min

About this episode

This episode discusses 'Denkirch', the first published short story by David Drake, exploring its themes and significance in horror fiction.

Denkirch is the first published short story by David Drake, originally appearing in the 1967 horror anthology Travellers by Night edited by August Derleth. It is described as a Lovecraft pastiche and established Drake's early career in horror and weird fiction before he became famous for military science fiction. Excerpt: "Now I sleep only by day or when the sky is cloudy, and when the stars gleam bright in the heavens I walk little back streets, avoiding other people, for I do not care to be reminded of my humanity and my inevitable fate. My acquaintances think me odd, but they would not understand if I told them that on dear nights the stars speak to me, and that if I did not walk I would go mad. So I walk the lonely streets, and the echoing cadence of my stride helps to muffle the rhythmic whispers, but still my mind is forced back to Denkirch, who proved Man’s unique place in the universe." Host - M.P. Pellicer www.MPPellicer.com SUPPORT VIA DONATION Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Marlene11 LISTEN TO ALL MY PODCASTS AT www.EeriePodcast.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/nightshade-diary--2765110/support .

People in this episode

Host: M.P. Pellicer

Topics covered

  • horror fiction
  • Lovecraft pastiche
  • weird fiction
  • military science fiction
  • short story

Keywords

  • Denkirch
  • David Drake
  • horror anthology
  • Lovecraft
  • weird fiction
  • 1967
  • Travellers by Night

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Travellers by Night, August Derleth

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