11 Fiction Podcasts From 2020 That Will Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat

BBC Radio's Tumanbay is an epic fantasy telling the story of a fictional empire, which is inspired by the Mamluk slave dynasty of Egypt. In the series, the empire is threatened by forces that are both political and supernatural, and while you wait for season four of the series to drop on Oct. 5 on iHeartRadio, you can read the first Tumanbay novel by Walker Dryden, The City of a Thousand Faces.

Listen to Tumanbay here.

This QCode erotic podcast series stars Demi Moore and her trademark raspy voice as the titular Diana, a corporate executive in a sexless marriage who — by night — secretly hosts a website where real women describe their most intimate sexual fantasies. If you're into audio erotica, then Dirty Diana is a must listen.

Listen to Dirty Diana here.

Starring Riverdale's Cole Sprouse, this scripted series from Qcode follows the story of Sam Walker, who teams up with his two friends to solve a series of disappearances in the fictitious town of Drisking, MO. It's not clear whether we'll get a second season of this one, but you can listen to the first season of Borrasca now.

Listen to Borrasca here.

Starring Gillian Jacobs, Josh Gad, Amy Landecker, Dominic Monaghan, and Wayne Knight, Wondery's Blood Ties follows the story of two siblings who — after they unexpectedly lose their parents in a tragic plane crash — must decide between preserving their father's legacy or telling the truth. A third season is still up in the air, but you can listen to the first two seasons of the series now.

Listen to Blood Ties here.

This podcast series is presented as a radio show for the fictional desert town of Night Vale, offering twice-monthly community updates on the bizarre happenings of the town. Actor Cecil Baldwin hosts the series, and though Welcome to Night Vale has well over 200 episodes, you can either start listening with the most current episode or binge the series from the very beginning.

Listen to Welcome to Night Vale here.

If you love sci-fi, then you'll love Gunpowder and Sky's Dust, which provides an anthology of audio stories from some of the biggest writers in science fiction, with new episodes premiering every Monday and Wednesday. If you're new to Dust, you can start with season three, "Chrysalis," which debuted on Sept. 16 and tells the story of what happens when an AI awakens after the genocide of the human race.

Listen to Dust here.

This weekly horror-fiction podcast series from Rusty Quill offers a peek into the archives of the fictional Magnus Institute, an organization based in London and dedicated to researching the paranormal. Writer and performer Jonathan Sims hosts The Magnus Archives, and you can expect new episodes of this one to debut every Thursday.

Listen toThe Magnus Archives here.

This DeepNerd Media horror-anthology podcast series is set in the mountains of central Appalachia, telling the story of the dark spirits that linger beneath the mountains. The stories are compelling, the music is haunting, and season two of the series debuted on Sept. 10, so you'll want to catch up on season one ASAP.

Listen to Old Gods of Appalachia here.

Created and hosted by author Rachael King and podcaster Becca Freeman, this rom-com podcast series offers a new romantic storyline with each season. Season one of the series tells the story of Claire, a 28-year-old Chicagoan who — after she catches her fiancé cheating the week of their wedding – decides to take a solo trip to Italy, where she meets a new beau. Once you binge the first season, you can look forward to the debut of season two on Oct. 12.

Listen to RomComPods here.

In this thrilling limited series from iHeartRadio and Bamfer Productions, a woman moves into her ancestral home, Light House, with her family, where — for the next five generations — she's haunted by the ghosts that lurk in the shadows of the home. The best part: you can stream all of season one now.

Listen to Light House here.

This limited-series drama (which stars actor Joel Kim Booster) revolves around a second-generation Korean-American 20-something as he struggles to come out to his mother. The problem: he only speaks English, and his mother only speaks Korean.

Listen to Moon Face now.