The Magnus Archives: Season 4

The Magnus Archives #4

by Jonathan Sims

The Magnus Archives is a horror story written by Jonathan Sims, directed by Alexander J. Newall and distributed by Rusty Quill. Sims narrates the stories in-character as the main character, Jonathan Sims, the newly-appointed head archivist of the fictional Magnus Institute; an institution based in London centred on research into the paranormal.

With each chapter released as a podcast episode, The Magnus Archive is structured as a series of statements recorded or written and then recorded for internal research use within The Magnus Institute. At the beginning of each statement, the statement-taker (mainly Jon, the head archivist) provides a brief description of the statement and the name of the statement-maker. Those who give or record statements in the Magnus Institute tend to lapse into a trance-like state not unlike reliving the event.

The fourth season of this award winning horror audio-drama series.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Queer, Audiobook, Mystery, Fiction, LGBT

409 pages, ebook

Published January 10, 2019

About the author

Jonathan Sims is a writer, performer and games designer whose work primarily focuses on the macabre, the grotesque, and the gentle touch of creeping dread. He is the mind and the voice behind acclaimed horror podcast The Magnus Archives, as well as story-game design duo MacGuffin & Co., and some of your favourite nightmares. He lives in Walthamstow with the two best cats and an overwhelming backlog of books that he really should get round to.

Reviews

[chai ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you're a sad touch-starved gay with a macabre fascination with sexy eldritch horrors... this podcast is for you.

✧ spotify link
✧ transcripts

[Cătălina · Rating 5 out of 5]

but did he see any good cows

[Will]

10/10 very scary and you could audibly hear the gay longing

[rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS SEASON SO MUCH BECAUSE THE YEARNING IS ALMOST TANGIBLE. I'M HERE FOR THE HORROR BUT ALSO I'M HERE TO STAY FOR THE GAY YEARNING.

And that series conclusion??? Absolutely mind-blowing. 11/10 emotional experience.

[Geraldine Robles Chipana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Episodios notables:
*Episodio 124: en el que encuentro la lectura perfecta para mi padre. Mi padre, a quien le gusta viajar en teleférico *risa malvada*.
*Episodio 134: en el que se revela la existencia de un nuevo poder.
*Episodio 141: en el que llego a la muerte que un fanfic me spoileó justo antes de empezar con esta temporada.
Un fanfic, gente. no una búsqueda equivocada o un comentario casual, no. Un fanfic. ¡Y ni siquiera trataba enteramente sobre eso!
*Episodio 154: en el que se descubre un método para renunciar al Instituto.
Un método ciertamente muy radical, sí.
Yo no lo usaría, no.
Je. No es como si tuviera que hacerlo (o pudiera hacerlo) alguna vez, de cualquier modo.
*Episodio 158: en el que Martin consolida su posición como mi personaje favorito.
En una nota relacionada, es gracioso ver a Jon pasar de "este tipo es un inútil y seguro que no será de ninguna ayuda" (temporada 1) a "¡Martin! ¿dónde está? ¿que Peter lo envió a dónde? bueno, ¿cómo lo recupero? ¿que quizás yo no pueda volver? pft, como si eso fuera a detenerme" (temporada actual)

Tras interrumpir un ritual con la ayuda de otras personas, Jonathan Sims quedó en coma durante seis meces.
Lamentablemente, cuando despierta no encuentra un panorama muy alentador: tim murió y Daisy ha desaparecido, los miembros del Instituto han llamado demasiado la atención y es probable que el lugar esté bajo vigilancia, Melanie está siendo más agresiva de lo normal, Peter Lukas ha ocupado el puesto de Elias luego de que este último fue arrestado gracias a un plan de Martin y el propio Martin se encuentra trabajando muy estrechamente junto al director interino mientras evita activamente a, bueno, todos.
Oh, y el repentino despertar de Jon podría ser menos una segunda oportunidad y más el anuncio de que se está convirtiendo en algo que ya no es humano…o de que ya lo ha hecho…

[jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

do you ever look at the sky and it looks back?
---
"I found a way for us to leave the institute... but it's pretty drastic..."
"What? Do we have to gouge our eyes out or something?"
"..."
"Oh fuck off."

Still my favourite interaction in the whole series.
---
my children, i love them so much
---

3rd listen:

this is like my fifth time hearing it but everytime Jon/Elias says "Hello, Jon. Apologies for the deception." I scREAM

also, did Martin ever tell him whether he saw any good cows

[B]

Thank god somebody put these on here. Now I finally have something to show for the months at the beginning of 2020 where I forgot what a book was because I was too busy obsessively listening to these every chance I got.

[Eliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entire season of gay yearning with THIS ENDING??? Jonny Sims is out there to kill me.

[atria · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have listened to this 5 times and yet 'Hello Jon, apologies for the deception.' ALWAYS gets me. i simply lose my mind at that.

---------------------------------

i'm simply gonna start throwing shit. THIS IS LITERALLY THE HEIGHT OF STORY TELLING!! everyone needs to learn from tma how to fucking write shows/podcasts/movies or whatever. like there's multibillion franchises putting out whatever fuck without continuity/rhyme/reason and then there's jonny writerman sims writing the ENTIRE podcast from episode 1. like i'm screaming. i'm dying. like i'm sorry but i've NEVER seen anything like this. it makes my brain explode actually bye-

it makes me run LAPS around the house. i physically cannot THINK about how well & CAREFULLY this is written. like ohmygod just shoot me like elias shot gertrude istg.

---------------------------------

tfw your boss goes hello jon, aPoLoGiEs fOr tHe DeCePtiOn.'

also i'm this 🤏🏼 much away from tattooing every single jonmartin interaction at this point istg.

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it's the way my heart stops every fucking time at that moment of mag 160 like girl help- i can't stop thinking about this podcast.

[Hamed Manoochehri · Rating 3 out of 5]

علاقه‌م به این مجموعه و فصل اولش از اونجا شکل گرفت که تقریباً تمام فصل حالت آنتولوژی بود و بعد در فصل دوم و سوم یه تعادل بی نقص و سینرژیک بین آنتولوژی و آرک داستانی ایجاد شده بود که حتی دلپذیرتر و جذاب‌ترش میکرد.
در فصل چهارم اما داستان اصلی فضای کلی ماجرا رُ اشغال کرد و از اونجایی که نیاز به دانش و یادآوری اطلاعات جسته و گریخته فصل‌های قبل برای درک کامل اتفاقات هست، سردرگمی زیادی رُ باید تحمل میکردم. نیاز بود به گذشته نگری یا پرس‌وجو از دوستان و این از لذت تجربه شنیداری می‌کاست.
به علاوه اجرای صحنه‌های اکشن که گه‌گاه با ورود صدای شخصیت‌هایی که چندیدن اپیزود حضور نداشتن، باعث سردرگمی بیشتر هم میشد. به نظرم کارگردانی و نویسندگی در این فصل باید به تاترهای رادیویی بیشتر دقت میکردن و از تجربه اونا بهره می بردن.
البته آنتولوژی‌ها که وارد میشدن، مثل همیشه عالی و وهم آور بودن و در نهایت اپیزودهای تمام کننده داستان اصلی هم پرهیجان و خوش-پیچش از آب درآومده بودن.
امیدوارم فصل پنجم و نهایی مشکل حل بشه، هرچند که قبل از شروعش باید برم چندتا ویدئو یوتوب از خلاصه داستان تا قبل از فصل پنجم رُ ببینم. حیفه.

[roosmarijn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is singlehandedly dragging me through my seasonal depression.

[Phantomº · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honorable guests, welcome to the Magnus Archives season 4, during which...*drum roll* Martin Blackwood drops he f... bomb. Yes it happened, we've got it recorded and therefore archived.
Oh, what else happened during this season? Not much, not much don't worry... everyone is happy and alive and together and everything. Don't worry dear listener...you will not scream out of frustration, shock and pain, you won't cry because you will realize that this won't end well...no no, nothing "end of the word is here" nonsense. We've got highland cows, lovely fluffy creatures, you're definitely going to like them.

ᶠᵘᶜᵏ
~~~
P.S. I am so sad that I did not listen to the podcast as the episodes came out, it would be priceless to see the reactions, theories...and be a part of it. Wish I had discovered it earlier. Well, can't change that, but I'm trying to binge listen so I will have a taste of that at least for the last half of the final season. However, I don't think I will start season 5 immediately...

Yes the longing was tangible and episode 159 hit the feels in a variety of ways...and generally the season...the feels...and we should say it again and again, Jonny Sims is a mastermind, and the chaotic duo with Alex is too powerful.

[Adri · Rating 5 out of 5]

ELIAS STUPID FUCKING BASTARD I LOVE U

[daria · Rating 5 out of 5]

tags: hurt/no comfort; he sees him!!; honorable mentions of cows; british idiots in love; thank god british arent real; tea for you; tea for me; tea for everyone; end of the world, or something, but who cares CAUSE HE SEES HIM

[n · Rating 5 out of 5]

apparently being a little freakity-freak means the more you learn about how fucked up everything is the better all of it gets so yeah, best season so far, 7/5, happy apocalypse-honeymoon to jon and martin and elias: im free whenever for you, just call anytime

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

بازشنوی در بهار ۱۴۰۴

[fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

is it gay to ask your coworker to gouge their eyes out with you and run away together?

ngl i was not expecting a horror podcast to have this level of gay yearning and doomed yaoi AND yuri


- ”I really loved you, you know?”


- “Martin. Martin, look at me. Look at me and tell me what you see.
I see…I see you, John. I see you.”

[⋆.˚ Ariana ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I had forgotten most of the things and couldn’t understand what was going on due to my short memory, I immensely enjoyed this season. So good!


”I feel like I’m on a deadline, like I’m running out of time, somehow. And I don’t even know where to go, what to look for, or… I’m just casting around blindly for more clues to just drop into my lap. Everyone else is running towards something or running away, and I… I don’t know what I’m doing.
I’m just tired. Think I might go lie down for a while. Get a cup of tea.” Same, John, same. MAG 137 - Nemesis

✎ᝰ. Pre-read:

Ramadan is here so it means I can listen to my favourite podcast

[Dorothy Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

only the magnus archives is allowed to do a scooby-doo style explanation of the whole show in the end of the season.

my heart is broken.

[captain raccoon. · Rating 5 out of 5]

But the cows. Did [redacted] see any good cows 😖

[ALI · Rating 5 out of 5]

there is an empty hole where my heart should be

[Hannah Schumacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if we both hated our jobs and the only way to quit was to [REDACTED] but I couldn’t do it alone so I asked you to do it with me and then we could take care of each other afterward and live our lives out together liKE WHO NEEDS A BETTER LOVE CONFESSION AAAAHHhhhhh the gays really won in like the ninth inning

The series itself felt kinda slow after the like main plot and mechanism was revealed but they won me back at this series finale. This season also had a focus on free will and embracing/resisting the monsters within us which I always enjoy. Jonathan becomes worse, which is a priority for me, though S2-paranoid Jon was still the best

[aimée · Rating 5 out of 5]

PLEASEEEEEEEEEEE OH MY GOD episode 159 ruined me. elias is so silly. a mischievous little man. plotting and scheming. i would die for martin. peter is so fucking funny i love him. lesbians <3

[Parnian · Rating 5 out of 5]

وای خدایا!!!!
I AM EXTREMELY TERRIFIED, AND I LOVE THIISS.
چی بگم؟ استوری لاین غیر خطی که خیلی خوب با توئیست تهش کنار هم قرار گرفت؟
بارهایی که برای واقعی گریه کردم؟ حتی رایتینگ یه سری از اپیزود ها این فصل خیلی بیشتر HIT HOME میکرد و خیلی جاهاش رو هایلایت کردم!!!
و اجازه بدید THE FUCKING ACTING
جانی همون طور که نویسنده خوبی هست بسیار بازیگر خوبیه و همه حس ها رو خیلی خوب deliver کرد. واقعا این مجموعه یکی از بهترین چیز هایی هست که شنیدم و خوندم و همراه باهاش جیغ زدم و گریه کردم.
AND GAYS AND THE GAY YEARNING? TOP NOTCH

[juls · Rating 5 out of 5]

the ending????? such a rollercoaster of emotions I don't even know how I feel right now
also I can't stress enough how much I LOVE martin I literally cried

[29.07.2023] finished first relisten (I was so excited to start season 5 with daria that I forgot to add it)

[sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I was all on my own”
“Not anymore. Come on. Let’s go home”

[julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck

2nd listen: i need to tattoo this season on my forehead i love it so much

[Cornelia Johansson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthologies rarely work for me for the same reasons short story collections don't; I have a short attention span, and shorter stories usually don't have enough meat on their bones to keep my interest. I need characters I can grab onto and examine, a plot that makes me think. Anything less than that makes me zone out in the first five minutes.

The Magnus Archives managed the impossible, mostly by having a very good framing device for the various stories. There is an entire meta plot that you slowly get to figure out, both from how the many stories interconnect and from what is going on in the framing device and with its recurring characters. The further you get, the more things connect, and the more the meta plot turns into the actual plot. It's great.

It's also very good, well written horror in general. It's scary and unsettling in that good old fashioned horror way while also taking a closer look at what fear actually is, what it can create, and creating a greater world from the conclusions.

The recurring characters, especially the main narrator, are absolutely stupendous as well, with arcs that get me truly invested in them. I'm also very impressed by how well they use the medium in general. It's not just that the voice actors are great (though they are) but how sound effects and eerie descriptions are used to make you visualize things until the lack of actual visual cues becomes an advantage. It really makes your imagination run wild in the best (and scariest) way possible.

[Etain · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that I stayed up all night until 8 in the morning to finish this should give you an idea of how good it is.
How the hell do you even write a reveal not only that good but that I didn't expect it for a second.
I didn't like Simon until he made his statement. The forsaken and fallen titan are my favorite powers.

[Sara XuHerondale · Rating 5 out of 5]

the world ended but hey, at least we still have yaoi