What do you think?
Rate this book
Thirteen
Winner of the 2014 AUDIE award for Best Original Work
In early 20th Century England Hamilton James Macaulay relates the tale of how he found himself in a Scarborough Bric-a-brac shop. The owner of the shop has 13 long playing records that each contain a hidden track at the end, that tell strange tales of future times. These 13 tales of terror will change Hamilton James Macaulay's life forever and he will leave the shop a murderer.
Thirteen is a portmantaeu audio anthology, harking back to the classic horror albums of the 1970s.
Written by Scott Harrison, George Mann, Mark Morris, Kaaron Warren, Martin Day, Gary McMahon, Cavan Scott, Dan Abnett, Alasdair Stuart, Kim Newman, Mark Wright, Simon Clark and Johnny Mains.
Stories read by Barnaby Edwards, Greg Wise, Jilly Bond, Trevor White, Arthur Darvill, Stephen Rashbrook, Michael Maloney, John Banks, Frances Barber, Lalla Ward, Samuel West, Gemma Arterton, Jeff Harding and Steven Cree.
In early 20th Century England Hamilton James Macaulay relates the tale of how he found himself in a Scarborough Bric-a-brac shop. The owner of the shop has 13 long playing records that each contain a hidden track at the end, that tell strange tales of future times. These 13 tales of terror will change Hamilton James Macaulay's life forever and he will leave the shop a murderer.
Thirteen is a portmantaeu audio anthology, harking back to the classic horror albums of the 1970s.
Written by Scott Harrison, George Mann, Mark Morris, Kaaron Warren, Martin Day, Gary McMahon, Cavan Scott, Dan Abnett, Alasdair Stuart, Kim Newman, Mark Wright, Simon Clark and Johnny Mains.
Stories read by Barnaby Edwards, Greg Wise, Jilly Bond, Trevor White, Arthur Darvill, Stephen Rashbrook, Michael Maloney, John Banks, Frances Barber, Lalla Ward, Samuel West, Gemma Arterton, Jeff Harding and Steven Cree.
Audible Audio
First published October 22, 2013
17 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 15, 2019
2.5 stars.
There are a couple of little gems in this collection (Tabula Rosa and Glass of Water stick out particularly for me) but as a whole it falls flat. I appreciate the editor attempting to tie all 13 vignettes together but it didn’t work as effectively as it could and felt forced. It’s all very good asking the reader to use their imagination (ambiguity is often far more impactful than an explanation) but some of these stories seemed to end, not enigmatically, but with a sense that the author couldn’t be bothered to think of an interesting conclusion.
There are a couple of little gems in this collection (Tabula Rosa and Glass of Water stick out particularly for me) but as a whole it falls flat. I appreciate the editor attempting to tie all 13 vignettes together but it didn’t work as effectively as it could and felt forced. It’s all very good asking the reader to use their imagination (ambiguity is often far more impactful than an explanation) but some of these stories seemed to end, not enigmatically, but with a sense that the author couldn’t be bothered to think of an interesting conclusion.
February 10, 2017
An entertaining little selection with some genuinely creepy moments. This may have been less beguiling in print but the format on Audible of old fashioned horror LPs with associated sound effects and excellent narration made this a real treat for misty winter days and nights.
August 31, 2023
Tried this because of Dan Abnett writing one and Gemma Arterton narrating another. Some other excellent narrators in there. The stories are mixed quality but some very good and it was worth the few hours.
October 27, 2015
A collection of 13 flash stories with an intriguing frame narrative. Flash fiction is an interesting medium, and this collection shows the broad range, from the O Henry to the Conte Cruel to the Shaggy Dog. It really started landing its punches with me about the halfway mark.
The three I liked best:
HALF LIFE by Dan Abnett is the first one that really hit me. It’s an interesting take on haunting and how we continue to inhabit homes long after we've left them. It also includes a fascinating device of the Victorian mourning ring.
TABULA RASA by Alasdair Stuart felt like the B Reel story of an episode of Doctor Who in all the right ways.
ONE HIT WONDER by Kim Newman does a great job of exploring the haunting of both ghosts and failures. Is the damage caused by almost succeeding worse than that of always being a failure? Nice and impactful.
The three I liked best:
HALF LIFE by Dan Abnett is the first one that really hit me. It’s an interesting take on haunting and how we continue to inhabit homes long after we've left them. It also includes a fascinating device of the Victorian mourning ring.
TABULA RASA by Alasdair Stuart felt like the B Reel story of an episode of Doctor Who in all the right ways.
ONE HIT WONDER by Kim Newman does a great job of exploring the haunting of both ghosts and failures. Is the damage caused by almost succeeding worse than that of always being a failure? Nice and impactful.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews