A Grownup's Halloween: Fantasies and Fables for the Philosophically Fiendish

by Yuri Rasovsky (Editor), Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, A.A. Milne

A Grown-up's Halloween: Fantasies and Fables for the Philosophically Fiendish is an eclectic mix of stories, plays, and sketches dedicated to the thinking paranoiac. Selections include "In a Grove," upon which Akira Kurosawa based his classic film, Rashomon; an adult fairy tale by the author of Winnie-the-Pooh; the real story (honest!) behind Edgar Rice Burroughs's novel The Moon Maid; and cautionary and scary tales from, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Mark Twain, and others. Gore, sex, horror, literature, and edifying morals ? what more could you want from an audiobook?

Genres: Short Stories, Audiobook, Halloween, Fiction, Anthologies

Audible Audio

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Sabrina]

WTF is this crap? This has nothing to do with Halloween at all! It's not scary, spooky, or has any hint of horror. There are no stories of fantasy to be found. If they are fables (a short story that teaches a lesson or conveys a moral) only an alien would understand them, because there aren't any for us humans to find. They aren't philosophical either, there is nothing to think about, no moral to find, in fact, most of these stories will drive you crazy or put you to sleep with how ridiculous they are. This is a collection of short stories from the bottom of the writer's barrel, the scraps from the cutting room floor, stuff you should probably pay people to read it's so bad. I wish I could give it negative stars.

In a Grove is first. Set in feudal Japan this is a bunch of interviews from people about an incident of murder. Besides the 4 witnesses that start the story off in a good direction we get to the 3 main characters, a samurai, his wife?, and a murdering bandit. However, each one tells a very different story about how the samurai ends up dead, the wife? (if they were married, it's not totally clear from the conflicting testimony) who disappears, and the bandit who is tortured and hanged for the samurai's murder. Once the testimonies are over so is the story. No real conclusion and a mixed-up narrative with an odd plot I suspect is unique to the region or local area audience.

Second is

[Britt]

Not Halloween themed as the title would suggest and just a weird compilation of stories. The Yellow Wallpaper is the only decent one, but I’ve read it before and not really what I was looking for for a Halloween story.

[David]

This might be a better audiobook if it were marketed more honestly. There is NOTHING to do with Halloween here. There isn't anything that qualifies as horror. It's an odd collection of fables, short stories and audio plays that resemble radio programs. I only found two of the selections worthwhile: The first was "In a Grove" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the short story that inspired the cinematic masterpiece Rashomon. The other was a strange but interesting existential play called "The Adding Machine" by Elmer Rice.

[Joe Morrison]

An interesting collection of stories but with no convective theme. It certainly doesn't have any relevance to Halloween, even on an abstract or philosophical level. A very misleading title.

[Alethea Rocks]

"A Grown-Up's Halloween" invites readers on a captivating journey back to the atmospheric and eerie charm of classic spooky tales, resonating with a nostalgic allure. If you have a fondness for older stories or were enchanted by the mysteries of the Twilight Zone during your youth, this book is sure to strike a chord. Personally, I found 'The Grand Inquisitor' story particularly compelling and memorable.

What sets this collection apart is its departure from modern horror conventions of excessive bloodshed and relentless violence. Instead, it embraces the art of nuanced storytelling, weaving together atmospheric chills and psychological depth that harken back to the subtler, more suspenseful horror of earlier eras.

This book may not satisfy those seeking a contemporary, adrenaline-fueled Halloween experience filled with shock and gore. Rather, it's a literary homage to the chilling voices of the past, offering a more refined and thoughtful exploration of the Halloween spirit. If you appreciate a classic approach to spooky tales and enjoy the subtle buildup of suspense over gratuitous scares, "A Grown-Up's Halloween" is a delightful read worth exploring.

However, for readers anticipating a modern-day horror fest, this collection may fall short of expectations. The book's strength lies in its ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for the art of storytelling rather than catering to current trends in horror entertainment. If you're looking to revisit the essence of Halloween storytelling through a different lens, this book is a fitting choice.

[Donna]

This is a truly interesting audiobook with very bizarre stories. Some of the stories are actually plays being performed, and the narrator is great at telling you who the performers are. Others were short snippets, or poems.
I'm not sure this is actually a Halloween collection, but definitely stories that make you think, even make you ask what just happened? One of the later stories, possibly the Short Story by Ambrose Bierce, would be considered fairly racist, so if that bothers you, you may want to avoid that one.
Some of the authors included are Dostoevsky, Kafka, A. A. Milne, and George Bernard Shaw.

[Chris]

This was a really weird audiobook. It is an anthology of tales some ancient like 1001 Nights the ancient fable, some read like a twilight zone episode, and the rest are just...there. Very hit or miss and wish it was more focused on horror for Halloween. Honestly just reading the original Grimm's Tales would have been better suited for the season.

[Maggie]

The stories weren't horrible, but they weren't Halloween either. It was more like a collection of short plays or dramatizations that had nothing to do with each other. Some were even a little funny, but I was disappointed because I wanted Halloween.

[Dalene]

WTH did I just read? LOL. This is not "Halloween" as it says.

[Shannon Scudella]

Reviews are correct this book has nothing what so ever to do with Halloween. There's some creepy & disturbing stories that are pretty awesome in here but no Halloween. But I did enjoy it.

[Sandy Schmidt]

It was like lilstening to "Suspense" on the radio in the 50's. A series of short stories acted out with enthusiasm by multiple readers portraying short works by wellknown authors.

[Katrisa]

Such an interesting collection! From Dostoyevsky to A.A. Milne! I approve.

[Eric Evans]

A couple of good stories wrapped up with a lot of rubbish.

[Kara Jackson]

I found this audiobook by accident and it’s not what I thought it was going to be and that might be my fault so for that I’ll give it 2 stars but I did like the yellow wallpaper short story

[Mike]

A very uneven collection of stories. I don’t understand how some of the stories are related to horror or Halloween.

[Hillary Tyson]

Some real gems in here including what was probably one of the best pieces of writing I’ve ever encountered (The Grand Inquisitor by Dostoevsky) mixed with some downright stinkers. Not very Halloweeny in general, but I enjoyed the radio-program style narration.

[Amy]

A Grown-up's Halloween was kind of an interesting compilation of short stories and quirky little odds-and-ends. I listened to this on audiobook, and more than once I found myself reflecting that this reminded me of listening to old radio plays. It was fun and faintly nostalgic in that respect.

I admit that I was a little mislead by the title. I was really expecting more overt creepiness, but that isn't quite what was here. The real key to this compilation is in the subtitle; philosophically fiendish. Many of the stories didn't send chills up my spine, but chills through my mind as they made me look philosophically at uncomfortable situations. But even here the compilation was unexpected. Some of the stories were decidedly dark, but some were really quite funny. There was a good mixture of light and shade, and it all came together with good, and unusual, effect.

[Wendi (Alex) Werner]

I'm not sure what this had to do with Halloween since the stories weren't spooky. I could only read parts of some of the stories but I liked the following stories:

The Garbage Man & the Lady of Baghdad and
The Sultan & the Wazir's Wife
from The Arabian Nights
read by Lorna Raver

The Yellow Wallpaper
by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
read by Jane Jacobs

An Interview in a V.A. Hospital
by Yuri Rasovsky
read by Joe Greco

The Ugly Duckling
by A.A. Milne
featuring Tom Alderman, Viola Berwick, Ira Burton, James Deuter, Pat Terry

Fables
by Mark Twain & Ambrose Bierce
read by Stefan Rudnicki

[Anne Wi]

I just finished the audio book of this. I must say it is one of the best audio books I have listened to. The performers did a really great job and there were awesome sound effects too. The stories were scary and suspenseful but not gory. I would recommend this to anyone feeling in the Halloween spirit.

[Mad]

I listened to the Audio version (by Hollywood Theatre of the Ear). Some of these short stories were very enjoyable, others not as much.

However, the Cast made up for even my least favorite stories. Well done!

[Ruth]

lots of fun

[Betsy]

Boring.