What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Assignment: A Ghost Story
A short ghost story from the bestselling author of Abbot's Keep.
A photographer reluctantly agrees to take images of an abandoned manor house on the Dorset cliff tops only to find the building is not completely empty. . .
A photographer reluctantly agrees to take images of an abandoned manor house on the Dorset cliff tops only to find the building is not completely empty. . .
22 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2015
4 people are currently reading
42 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 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 17, 2021
4.25 Stars (Rnd ⬇️) — An intelligent and professional Horror shorts-fiction, this one packs-a-punch in all the right places, without ever being too formulaic or predictable — A fun read & one thats got me keen to keep a close eye on more from the Ashforth.
Far better than just another haunted-mansion story, this one stands out for its constant crashing & bashing of the psyche through what’s not being said rather than what is.
Far better than just another haunted-mansion story, this one stands out for its constant crashing & bashing of the psyche through what’s not being said rather than what is.
November 22, 2021
Very Short but Creepy
October 31, 2016
Extremely short, but seriously spooky tale from the author of Abbot's Keep.
A photographer is hired to take pictures of a house by the sea for an estate agent. The house was previously occupied by an old lady who had taken her own life after years of rumours that she had murdered her adult son in a fit of jealousy.
Short, sharp and a little shocking - the perfect short story for Halloween.
A photographer is hired to take pictures of a house by the sea for an estate agent. The house was previously occupied by an old lady who had taken her own life after years of rumours that she had murdered her adult son in a fit of jealousy.
Short, sharp and a little shocking - the perfect short story for Halloween.
May 11, 2022
I listened to the audiobook. The story is good but let down by the narration. But, I did enjoy the eerie feel of this ghost story.
October 2, 2024
This is a pretty standard short horror story. I wasn't particularly shocked or horrified by it. It did kill 30 minutes and it only cost a dollar on Amazon so I can't complain too much. Its competently written and is very much a mashup of Poe and supernatural horror.
September 2, 2023
Some Great Ideas, But Not Quite There
I really enjoyed Abott's Keep, but this felt like a rough draft of that story so I was surprised to see this was originally published in 2015, a year after Abott's Keep. The themes of isolation, hidden secrets (literal and figurative), and the supernatural elements blending with or being created by extreme mundane events, with these horror aspects relentlessly pursuing the unfortunate who happened upon their secret, are all present in both. They both share a modern gothic sensibility with a more contemporary setting and technology than typical with the classic gothic stories. But there's seems to me something less polished, almost amateurish, about The Last Assignment, especially when compared to Abott's Keep. It stands out to me particularly as it appears to be across the entire production, writing, in general prose, horror elements, inclusion of modern elements, and the actual plotting and pacing of the story, and the narration that many have already raised an issue with. I won't harp on about the performance, but some bizarre stresses and pronunciation were really jarring. This is as much the director and producer's fault as the narrator for not picking them up.
There are some really interesting ideas here, particularly in the turning up of the eerie photos and the things seen in the photos, but for me it somewhat fell into the uncanny valley of great concept that could have been implemented better and so it stuck out. I think that really is my takeaway from the whole production -- it's so close to being rather good that its faults are more glaring and more jarring for me personally. There is a sense of top tier amateur work all round when I was expecting something more after Abott's Keep. I am only so critical because I did enjoy aspects and other works by the author.
If you want a super quick bit of horror and you have Audible, I would still recommend it. It's more than worth the free download and half an hour listen. I would just say that of you were only going to listen to one, Abott's Keep is a much better option. I'm certainly still interested in reading more from this author.
I really enjoyed Abott's Keep, but this felt like a rough draft of that story so I was surprised to see this was originally published in 2015, a year after Abott's Keep. The themes of isolation, hidden secrets (literal and figurative), and the supernatural elements blending with or being created by extreme mundane events, with these horror aspects relentlessly pursuing the unfortunate who happened upon their secret, are all present in both. They both share a modern gothic sensibility with a more contemporary setting and technology than typical with the classic gothic stories. But there's seems to me something less polished, almost amateurish, about The Last Assignment, especially when compared to Abott's Keep. It stands out to me particularly as it appears to be across the entire production, writing, in general prose, horror elements, inclusion of modern elements, and the actual plotting and pacing of the story, and the narration that many have already raised an issue with. I won't harp on about the performance, but some bizarre stresses and pronunciation were really jarring. This is as much the director and producer's fault as the narrator for not picking them up.
There are some really interesting ideas here, particularly in the turning up of the eerie photos and the things seen in the photos, but for me it somewhat fell into the uncanny valley of great concept that could have been implemented better and so it stuck out. I think that really is my takeaway from the whole production -- it's so close to being rather good that its faults are more glaring and more jarring for me personally. There is a sense of top tier amateur work all round when I was expecting something more after Abott's Keep. I am only so critical because I did enjoy aspects and other works by the author.
If you want a super quick bit of horror and you have Audible, I would still recommend it. It's more than worth the free download and half an hour listen. I would just say that of you were only going to listen to one, Abott's Keep is a much better option. I'm certainly still interested in reading more from this author.
June 30, 2024
I have read a number of Benedict Ashforth’s books and they are really good. This one is no exception. Firstly, this book is more of a novella as I think it was 22 pages? It took me about 25 mins to read it. Secondly, I was reading this at roughly 3am this morning when I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to go to sleep but I had to finish the story. Always a good sign…
A young man (I don’t think we ever find out his name?) is sent by an estate agent to take photos of a house called Sea Crest Manor in an area of Lulcove in Dorset. The house was owned by a lady called Muriel Cook and she lived there with her son Jeffery, who was due to be married to his sweetheart, when he went missing.
The photographer encounters a very strange, disturbing feeling about the property while he is there and then…..
Well, I’m not going to say anymore as I don’t want to give anything away but this story is very good and creepy particularly when you are reading it at 3 am because you can’t sleep! If you like a good ghost story then this is for you. Thanks for reading my review.
A young man (I don’t think we ever find out his name?) is sent by an estate agent to take photos of a house called Sea Crest Manor in an area of Lulcove in Dorset. The house was owned by a lady called Muriel Cook and she lived there with her son Jeffery, who was due to be married to his sweetheart, when he went missing.
The photographer encounters a very strange, disturbing feeling about the property while he is there and then…..
Well, I’m not going to say anymore as I don’t want to give anything away but this story is very good and creepy particularly when you are reading it at 3 am because you can’t sleep! If you like a good ghost story then this is for you. Thanks for reading my review.
August 9, 2023
( Format : Audiobook )
The silence settled on me. "
A short (30+ minutes) and predictable story recounted by a photographer assignments to take promotional photos of a large Dorsetshire Georgian house about to be placed on the market after it's very elderly female owner had been pronounced dead. Well written and a little creepy, it was a quick read to fill an odd half an hour but nothing special. The narrator, James Warrior, was competent but was unable to add anything to the tale.
The Last Assignment is currently a free download with the Audible Plus programme
The silence settled on me. "
A short (30+ minutes) and predictable story recounted by a photographer assignments to take promotional photos of a large Dorsetshire Georgian house about to be placed on the market after it's very elderly female owner had been pronounced dead. Well written and a little creepy, it was a quick read to fill an odd half an hour but nothing special. The narrator, James Warrior, was competent but was unable to add anything to the tale.
The Last Assignment is currently a free download with the Audible Plus programme
March 23, 2024
Once again the author's ability to reproduce MR James's style is quite remarkable, but this time the story itself is too bland and stereotyped. The atrocious reader of the audible audiobook certainly didn't help as he got the rhythm of the narration completely wrong. Instead, his collection Darkest Past is worth reading and listening.
April 25, 2021
This is a short, fun ghost story about a photographer who is contracted to take real estate photos of a purportedly haunted house. The unfortunate photographer ends up with a fear of the dark. Free from Audible.
May 9, 2025
successfully creeped me out, my cat just knocked something over and I jumped. not sure why I keep reading scary things, knowing I don’t like scary things.
2 stars because I’m salty about being creeped out, even though I did it to myself
2 stars because I’m salty about being creeped out, even though I did it to myself
November 17, 2016
A very short and fast novella - extremely horrifying, deliciously scary! Loved every haunting moment.
April 21, 2018
I enjoyed this book, once again Benedict captures ones imagination that grips you in all its horror. Great short story and worth a read 😊
June 23, 2020
Short creepy and disturbing.
November 18, 2020
This was a great short story about a haunted mansion and how a photographer finds it isn’t empty. Great atmospheric story. Needed a better narrator.
April 20, 2021
Audiobook. Great narration but the short story itself was just okay. Didn’t do too much for me
September 15, 2022
While an enjoyable tale of ghostly happenings, I felt it was a bit too predictable to really give me the chills!
February 7, 2023
A Kindle Single that is approximately 30 minutes sooooo. . .it is short, a bit on the weird side, and a little more than creepy.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews