The Countdown of Monte Cristo
A daily podcast reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, one page at a time, every single day, over the course of four years.
Each short episode offers a focused, intimate passage from Dumas’ sweeping tale of betrayal, imprisonment, revenge, and redemption, accompanied by brief reflections, historical context, and the occasional detour into 19th-century oddities (and yes, the occasional mangled French pronunciation).
Never read The Count of Monte Cristo? Perfect. This podcast is designed for first-time readers, longtime admirers, and anyone curious about experiencing a literary classic as a daily ritual rather than a daunting tome. You can start from the beginning or jump in wherever you are, the story unfolds steadily, patiently, one page at a time.
Whether you’re a lover of classic literature, a podcast listener looking for a calm daily escape, or someone who just wants a few quiet minutes away from the noise of the modern world, The Countdown of Monte Cristo invites you to live with one of the greatest novels ever written.
New episodes every day. No skipping. No rushing.
Subscribe on your favorite podcatcher or watch along on YouTube.
Support the project at https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod and help keep the countdown alive.
Listen on:
Episodes
Episodes
Saturday Feb 14, 2026
Saturday Feb 14, 2026
Titles are inflated, places are elevated, and expectations expand accordingly as Franz and Albert finally set out into Rome. The city announces itself not subtly, but grandly.
In this passage of The Count of Monte Cristo, Franz and Albert take possession of their hard-won “carriage” and begin their sightseeing in earnest, starting with Saint Peter’s. What was meant to be a stop becomes the whole day, the vastness of the basilica consuming every hour. As daylight fades, Franz plans the evening with care, determined to reveal Rome in deliberate stages—Saint Peter’s by day, the Colosseum by moonlight.
This moment matters because it reveals Franz’s practiced intimacy with the city. Rome is not just to be seen, but curated—experienced in the proper order, at the proper hour, to preserve its full power.
New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://countdownofmontecristo.com
Want to talk theories, themes, or betrayals? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm
Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each chapter: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3vyewhvQugX5M3oREl57A
The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.
Friday Feb 13, 2026
Friday Feb 13, 2026
Rome refuses to yield easily—but determination and negotiation begin to turn the tide. If the Carnival cannot be escaped, it must be met head-on.
In this passage of The Count of Monte Cristo, Albert insists on staying in Rome to witness the Carnival, even if it means seeing it from the street rather than a grand window. Franz takes charge of bargaining with Signor Pastrini, sparring over prices until a compromise is reached. Within the hour, a modest hack carriage—suddenly elevated to private status—arrives at the door, a small but vital victory in a city ruled by scarcity.
This moment matters because it marks their first hard-won foothold in Rome’s chaos: not comfort, but access—secured through wit, persistence, and resolve.
New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://countdownofmontecristo.com
Want to talk theories, themes, or betrayals? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm
Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each chapter: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3vyewhvQugX5M3oREl57A
The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.
If you enjoy this show, be sure to check out Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey through Homer's The Odyssey — wherever you listen to podcasts!
Thursday Feb 12, 2026
Thursday Feb 12, 2026
Rome greets the morning with triumph—and disappointment. Plans collide with reality as the city strains under the weight of celebration.
In this opening passage of The Count of Monte Cristo, Franz and Albert learn that carriages are unavailable for the very days they need them most, casualties of Carnival crowds and relentless demand. Even a simple window overlooking the Corso proves impossible, already claimed at a princely price. Faced with scarcity at every turn, Franz proposes a practical escape: abandon Rome’s chaos for Venice.
This moment matters because it sets the tone for their Roman stay—where anticipation outpaces access, and the promise of spectacle threatens to eclipse comfort.
New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://countdownofmontecristo.com
Want to talk theories, themes, or betrayals? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm
Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each chapter: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3vyewhvQugX5M3oREl57A
The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.
If you enjoy this show, be sure to check out Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey through Homer's The Odyssey — wherever you listen to podcasts!
Wednesday Feb 11, 2026
Wednesday Feb 11, 2026
Rome’s excitement proves more obstructive than festive, turning even simple plans into negotiations without solutions. Wealth, it seems, has limits—at least for the moment.
In this passage of The Count of Monte Cristo, Franz and Albert learn that no carriages or horses can be procured, no matter the price. Feast days, festivals, and long advance bookings have emptied the stables, leaving Albert baffled and Franz doubtful. Still, Albert shrugs off the inconvenience with good humor, confident that money will solve the problem in time, and turns his attention instead to supper and rest.
This moment matters because it captures the restless absurdity of Rome on the brink of celebration—where abundance collides with scarcity, and anticipation hums beneath every practical exchange.
⸻
New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://countdownofmontecristo.com
Want to talk theories, themes, or betrayals? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm
Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each chapter: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3vyewhvQugX5M3oREl57A
The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.
If you enjoy this show, be sure to check out Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey through Homer's The Odyssey — wherever you listen to podcasts!
Tuesday Feb 10, 2026
Tuesday Feb 10, 2026
Franz arrives in Rome just as the city swells with anticipation, its streets alive with noise, impatience, and disorder. Even rest must be negotiated amid the press of bodies and urgency.
In this passage of The Count of Monte Cristo, Franz forces his way through the turbulent crowd to reach the Hôtel de Londres, only to be brusquely told there is no room. By sending his card to Signor Pastrini and asking for Albert de Morcerf, he secures admittance at last, reunited with his companion and installed in modest rooms overlooking the street. Practical concerns quickly follow—supper, transportation, and the logistics of staying in a city already straining under the weight of an approaching festival.
This moment matters because it grounds Franz once more in the social world: impatience replaces wonder, arrangements replace mystery, and Rome asserts itself as a living, demanding presence.
⸻
New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://countdownofmontecristo.com
Want to talk theories, themes, or betrayals? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm
Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each chapter: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3vyewhvQugX5M3oREl57A
The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.
If you enjoy this show, be sure to check out Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey through Homer's The Odyssey — wherever you listen to podcasts!
Monday Feb 09, 2026
Monday Feb 09, 2026
With the mystery sealed and the island yielding nothing more, Franz prepares to depart—uncertain whether the wonders he witnessed belonged to the waking world or to a dream already fading.
In this passage of The Count of Monte Cristo, Franz leaves Monte Cristo behind, abandoning all hope of uncovering the grotto’s secret. As Sinbad’s yacht vanishes from sight, the previous night dissolves into unreality, and the island itself disappears by the next sunrise. Franz resumes his travels, turning his attention back to society and pleasure as he makes his way toward Rome.
This moment matters because it closes the chapter on Monte Cristo as a physical place, even as its impressions linger. Franz arrives in Rome just as the city stirs with anticipation, poised between stillness and spectacle, ready to become the stage for what comes next.
⸻
New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://countdownofmontecristo.com
Want to talk theories, themes, or betrayals? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm
Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each chapter: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3vyewhvQugX5M3oREl57A
The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.
If you enjoy this show, be sure to check out Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey through Homer's The Odyssey — wherever you listen to podcasts!
Sunday Feb 08, 2026
Sunday Feb 08, 2026
Franz refuses to let the mystery rest, even after daylight and reason have failed him once before. The island continues to test his certainty about what he has truly experienced.
In this passage of The Count of Monte Cristo, Franz undertakes a second, longer search of the grotto, again finding nothing to explain the vanished splendor of the previous night. When he returns, food is prepared, and he watches Sinbad’s yacht diminish toward Corsica, prompting a conversation that reframes his host not as a dream-figure, but as a man who lives beyond law, borders, and consequence.
This moment matters because it deepens the contradiction at the heart of Franz’s experience: the wonders he witnessed are unreachable, yet the man behind them is vividly real—feared, admired, and utterly unconcerned with authority.
⸻
New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://countdownofmontecristo.com
Want to talk theories, themes, or betrayals? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm
Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each chapter: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3vyewhvQugX5M3oREl57A
The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.
If you enjoy this show, be sure to check out Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey through Homer's The Odyssey — wherever you listen to podcasts!
Saturday Feb 07, 2026
Saturday Feb 07, 2026
Franz returns to the grotto determined to test whether the marvels of the night can withstand daylight and reason. What he finds instead is resistance—silent, unyielding, and absolute.
In this passage of The Count of Monte Cristo, Franz explores the subterranean grotto with torch in hand, retracing the place of his awakening and probing every inch of the granite walls for a hidden entrance. Despite hours of careful searching—and evidence that others have tried before him—no fissure yields, no secret passage reveals itself. Even as the yacht carrying Sinbad fades to a distant speck on the horizon, the mystery remains sealed.
This moment matters because it confirms the island’s defiance of logic: the splendor Franz experienced is real, yet unreachable. Though he resumes his hunting, his thoughts are no longer with the goats he kills, but with the irresistible pull of the grotto—and the sense that he has briefly lived inside a waking legend.
⸻
New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://countdownofmontecristo.com
Want to talk theories, themes, or betrayals? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm
Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each chapter: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3vyewhvQugX5M3oREl57A
The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.
If you enjoy this show, be sure to check out Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey through Homer's The Odyssey — wherever you listen to podcasts!