Tales from the Haunted Mansion: Volumes I & II: The Fearsome Foursome and Midnight at Madame Leota's

Tales from the Haunted Mansion #1-2

by Amicus Arcane, John Esposito

[Children's Juvenile Fiction Ghost Stories (Ages 8-12)]
[Read by Malcolm Hillgartner]

Welcome, foolish mortals, to Disney Press' spookiest chapter book series Tales from the Haunted Mansion! Based on the attractions from the Disney Parks, each new book tells the story of one of the Haunted Mansion's 999 ghosts.

Tales from the Haunted Volume The Fearsome Foursome

In this bone-chilling book, you will hear the terrifying tales of the Fearsome Foursome -- four kids who look to out-scare each other. But just wait until they hear my spooky stories. Who am I? I am Amicus Arcane, your librarian and host. Your Ghost Host. So read on . . . if you dare!

Tales from the Haunted Volume Midnight at Madame Leota's

The Haunted Mansion's resident librarian, Amicus Arcane, has returned with another set of spooky stories to share. Follow along with him as he tells new terrifying tales while leading the Mansion's newest visitor to a secret seance with the mysterious Madame Leota.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction

Audio CD

Published July 18, 2017

About the author

Who am I? I am Amicus Arcane, your librarian and host. Your Ghost Host. Welcome, foolish mortals, to Disney Press’ spookiest chapter book series yet: Tales from the Haunted Mansion!

Reviews

[Brian Dembkoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of the Haunted Mansion, but was weary of this. But was pleasantly surprised. Each volume is a collection of 5 tales, 4 story-within-stories, and 1 over-arching one that connects them. And some neat connections between the 2 volumes.

The author takes selected individual elements of the Haunted Mansion ride, and expands them into their own stories, and though they're written for a younger audience than myself, it still manages to keep them very horror-centric. I've read other reviews that put it on par with the Goosebumps series, which was a little after my time, but I might try to check out some of them after this.

This was the audio book version, and the narrator did quite well. Not exactly the "Ghost Host" voice from the ride (but that's Paul Frees, and no one could really beat him), but fits well in all the same.

Looking forward to Volumes 3&4!

[Kaylene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

These were fun! I lost interest a few times but overall they were entertaining. I don't think I would have liked it as much if it wasn't the audio book, the guy who read this was perfect! His voice definitley added to the atmosphere of this story.

[Gidg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the first volume very entertaining and I loved the incorporation of the characters from Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Each story was unique and tied in with each other nicely. As for the second volume, not so much. I liked the tie in of William in volume two with the first volume but the stories told to William by the librarian just weren't all that appealing to me and one was just sad. But I will say this about volume two, it gave me an ending that I was satisfied with very much. If I could I would give this a 3.5 stars but since that isn't an option I gave it a 3.

(Note: the narrator Malcolm Hillgartner did a great job. He had the perfect voice for telling these stories. And he really sold the character as the librarian.)

[annagrace42 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, oh my… foolish mortals indeed. The mansion only takes those whom are ready to enter. You may enter and come out alive, or you may enter and well, live inside.

The way volume one flowed into volume two was an amazing, you expect nothing, yet experience everything.

This was the perfect light-hearted horror novel. A great way to get your younger readers to see if they would even like horror/darker stories (I.e. goosebumps, and Steven King stuff)

The narrator sucks you into the world of these tales, makes you feel like one of the 999 souls who live in the mansion, watching and waiting for your tale to be told…

The mansion has rules, and you must follow them all…

Highly recommend (especially the audiobook version), happy haunts… :)

[Bill Philibin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2.5 Stars)

This book was good, the first half of the book (The Fearsome Foursome) was slightly better IMHO, but both volumes were enjoyable. It is obviously "YA Fiction", but don't let that scare you away. It is campy and clever, well written, and has all the tropes of many horror stories you might read. Readers of the Goosebumps series will enjoy this book, but so will adults looking for the nostalgia of Disney's Haunted Mansion ride. I am looking forward to finishing up with volumes III and IV because, you know... there's always room for one more.

[Peter Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times in volume 1, I found the stories a little boring, but the end was a pleasant surprise I should have seen coming from a mile away! I'm embarrassed that I didn't. The stories in Volume 2 were interesting, but I struggled to find the connection between them, and thereby the point of them. I loved the little nods to lines and situations from the attraction, and the way popular characters from the attraction were highlighted, though some were a little to throwaway for me.

[Sasha P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much! The Haunted Mansion is one of my fav rides at Disneyland so of course I had to read this!!!! This version did have vol. 1 &2 together, so double the trouble! If I read this as a kid, I’d probably get scared but I’ve always enjoyed the creepy and bizarre! Give me part 3&4!!!

[Jasmyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories were great "light-hearted" scarey stories - perfect for Halloween time without getting too creepy/spooky. I enjoyed how volume one and two flowed together with some overlap of places and characters. This would be perfect for kiddos testing the spooky story waters to see if they enjoy them.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give these both dark and lighthearted moods, because there are some dark and creepy themes but with the Disney touch. I love that these books were based off of the Disney Parks ride The Haunted Mansion. I can't wait to read more!

[Cindy]

Pretty fun hearing the tie in to the Haunted Mansion ride. Unfortunately the ghost host isn’t the same voice as from the ride.

Not sure if this is for middle grades, but I think it would be a great horror read for that age.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for sleeping. Would reread. Narrator had a great voice.

[Chevy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very goosebumps-ish. I don’t know what I was expecting but these were just ok. The first was much better than the second. I guess I was hoping for more.

[Heather Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double the terror, double the fun! This combination of tales from the Haunted Mansion really brought out the best bone-chilling horror and satisfying ending for this audiobook series. Each tale had its own special touch without being too predictable, and it was interesting to see where these stories would go. For me, I think the scariest stories out of the series were Camille with the roaches and the buried alive dare. Never liked bugs, and the thought of being buried alive always scared me. I also really loved how the first book segwayed into the second book with a continuation into the fates of Fearsome Foursome group.

I wish I had read the whole series in order as it came out, but I still thoroughly enjoyed reading/listening to the words of Amicus Arcane. Disney seriously needs to put him on the Haunted Mansion ride officially with his own section of the library. I swear I would never leave that place if it was real. Overall, I love this series and their stories tremendously!!

[Lara Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audiobook versions are good creepy fun. I know some young readers to recommend this to, especially around Halloween time when people like to read something a bit spooky.