The Countdown of Monte Cristo

The Leap to Freedom (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 21 – Part 1)

Cast into the sea with a thirty-six-pound shot tied to his feet, Dantès slashes open the sack, cuts himself free, and rises to the surface.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 21, he dives again to evade detection, the torchlight of the Château d’If receding behind him as he fixes his course toward the uninhabited islands of Tiboulen or Lemaire — his first desperate bid for freedom.
 
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New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://countdownofmontecristo.com
 
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Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3vyewhvQugX5M3oREl57A
 
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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.

The Cemetery of the Château d’If (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20 – Part 6)

Carried through the night to the sound of crashing waves, Dantès begins to grasp the terrible truth.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20, the grave-diggers swing the sack three times and hurl him into the icy sea — a thirty-six-pound shot tied to his feet — for the Château d’If’s final burial place is the ocean itself.
 
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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.

The Weight of the Dead (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20 – Part 5)

Carried out into the cold mistral night, Dantès resists the urge to act too soon.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20, the grave-diggers pause, search for an object, and return with a heavy metallic weight — tying it tightly to his feet before lifting the bier again and moving on.
 
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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.

The Grave-Diggers Arrive (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20 – Part 4)

Dantès endures hours of tension before hearing the footsteps of the grave-diggers outside his cell.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20, he lies still as they lift the sack containing him, exchanging casual remarks about the weight and the knot they’ll tie later — a detail that sets Edmond’s mind racing with questions.
 
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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.

The Risks of the Plan (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20 – Part 3)

Sealed inside the burial sack, Dantès considers every possible outcome: discovery before leaving the cell, escape during transport, or clawing his way out of a fresh grave.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20, Edmond prepares to act at the first sign of danger — even if it means using his knife — knowing that a single misstep could mean either freedom or death.
 
⸻
 
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.

The Place of the Dead (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20 – Part 2)

Refusing to die after so many years of suffering, Dantès conceives a desperate plan: since only the dead leave the dungeon, he will take the place of the dead.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20, Edmond moves Faria’s body to his own cell, disguises it as himself, and climbs into the abbé’s burial sack — sewing it shut from the inside.
 
⸻
 
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.

Alone Again (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20 – Part 1)

Faria lies in his final winding-sheet, a canvas sack on the bed where he once spoke and dreamed with Dantès.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 20, Edmond is left utterly alone, the urge for suicide flickering briefly before grief gives way to a renewed hunger for life and liberty.
 
⸻
 
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.

The Sack (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19 – Part 11)

The governor orders Faria’s body to be “decently interred” in a sack — and with no chaplain present, there will be no mass.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, Dantès listens to crude jokes and indifference as the abbé’s body is prepared for burial that evening. Once the cell is empty and silent, Edmond cautiously lifts the flagstone and emerges from the tunnel.
 
⸻
 
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.

The Final Proof (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19 – Part 10)

The governor insists on the legal formalities for confirming Faria’s death, and the doctor orders the irons to be heated.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, Dantès listens in horror as the smell of burning flesh fills the air. The doctor declares the abbé dead beyond doubt, calling his obsession with the treasure “monomania,” even as others recall his learning, kindness, and healing skill.
 
⸻
 
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.

“Happy in His Folly” (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19 – Part 9)

From the hidden passage, Dantès overhears the turnkey’s crude jokes about Faria’s death — and the governor’s return with the doctor to confirm it.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 19, the physician examines the abbé’s body twice, declaring him dead, while Dantès listens in indignation at their casual words about the man he revered.
 
⸻
 
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.