Apr 6, 2021
Margaret St. Clair’s story “The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles” is a tale inspired by the Lord Dunsany story “How Nuth Would Have Practised His Art Upon the Gnoles.” St. Clair’s tale is a wonderful update. The gnoles are still horrible creatures of fantasy, but the main character is completely mundane. The hero of the story is Mortensen, a hapless salesman, who only wants to meet his sales quota and maybe get “a special mention at the annual sales-force dinner.” Does it matter that these are dangerous monsters? Not really, because as any good salesman knows, adaptability is key.
Suggested: WandaVision and Stacy Schiff's The Witches
Next Episode: Tananarive Due’s short story “Patient Zero”
Please rate and review us, or better yet, tell a friend. Our social media is @MonsterWrote on Twitter and Instagram. Our email is monsterwrote@gmail.com. This episode was produced and researched by Lisa and Mel. Theme music is “Misconception” by Nicolas Gasparini, used with permission.