Classic Vampire Stories

by Richard Pasco (Narrator), Rudyard Kipling, E.T.A. Hoffmann

3 hrs 2 mins

Here are some truly spooky stories, given a spine-tingling read by Richard Pasco.

"The Mark of the Beast" by Rudyard Kipling
"Aurelia" by E.T.A. Hoffmann
"Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe
"Mrs. Amworth" by E.F. Benson
"Dracula's Guest" by Bram Stoker

All things supernatural and vampiric appear in these 5 stories on the theme of blood and horror. Richard Pasco reads with spine-chilling brilliance. This chilling selection of 'vampyre' short stories makes no apology for its broad interpretation of the genre.The stories range from the traditional bloodksuckers - the undead who sustain a deadly existence by preying on the life-blood of the living - like Bram Stoker's seminal Dracula's Guest and E.F. Benson's Mrs. Amworth - to others rich in vampire imagery, as in Poe's gothic tale, Ligeia, in which a dead woman takes possession of a living soul, the story of the dreadful appetites of Hoffman's Aurelia and Rudyard Kipling's The Mark of the Beast in which a deadly bite revenges a desecrated Indian God with fearful consequences. A ghoulish pot-pourri of vampirism and horror from classic story-tellers of the genre.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Fiction, Short Stories, Classics, Audiobook, Fantasy

4 pages, Audible Audio

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[disco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skip this one.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear, these just aren’t that good. While there is something of interest because they are old and odd the stories left me saying, “Huh?” I may be expecting too much for horror stories to make sense though. I did a get nice creepy feeling a couple of times, which I believe is the point. I don’t know that I would call any of these “Vampire” stories, mostly they are more mysterious than that. “Mrs. Amworth” was the only one that was more or less about a vampire (yet this vampire has different traits than I am use to thinking distinguish a vampire.) In “Dracula’s Guest” and “The Mark of the Beast” I wholeheartedly wished for the “victims” to not escape, they were so unlikeable. “Ligeia” seemed like the most complete and spooky tale here, but I was ready to hit the fast-forward button on the drawn out praise of “Ligeia.”

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably more like 2 1/2 stars

[Jane Vellichor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent creepy tales! Some false advertising though, at least two of the stories are Classic WEREWOLF Short Stories. But I won't complain as I love gothic horror werewolf tales and have an inordinately difficult time finding good ones that aren't romance novels. Oddly enough the only story included that I found disappointing was the inclusion of Edgar Allen Poe's Ligeia. This is undoubtedly an unpopular opinion as the work is heralded as one of the greatest of all time. However, I hold fast that Poe spent the first half of the story describing the perfect Ligeia, a large portion of the second half describing the bed chambers of his second wife, leaving only the scant bare-bones ending for any creepiness. Simply put, it was boring. I much preferred the Rudyard Kipling selection, The Mark of the Beast. Overall a classic gothic collection for the Halloween season. I highly recommend reading these stories on a rainy fall day.

[Pam Winkler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good.
I don't have the faintest idea why they included The Mark of the Beast or Aurelia by ETA Hoffman, because they're completely werewolf stories. Aurelia has a wonderful scene at the end, but the actual ending itself is pretty bad.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just like a lot of the other reviews before me, skip this one. Especially if you didn’t exactly love Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. If you did love those then give this a try. You’ll probably have a better perspective than I did

[Rhiannon]

The reader has a deep resonant voice, yet can convey uncertainty or fear well which seems appropriate for the subject matter. The stories themselves are as stated - classic, not unexpected, although refreshing coming from modern takes on vampires.

[Zora · Rating 3 out of 5]

One good story -- EF Benson's Mrs. Arnworth.

[Sara Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and creepy!

[Lu Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical classic halloween short stories to get you into the Halloween spirit!!!
Great Read!

[Bunny Cakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun book to listen to and a quick read!

[Ashley Case · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as thrilling as I had hoped.

[David Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well performed and short audio book collection. Definitely some creepy stuff.

[Jaysen Huculak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Pasco’s narration is great. I enjoyed all of the stories and the different writing styles.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Someone put the boring short stories together. Yikes.

[Kaitlyn]

DNF @ 50%

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Most of these stories were vampyresque, instead of full on Brad Pitt. I was glad to get a taste of these classical writers and their journeys into the dark abyss of this genre.

[Russ Kaminski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dracula’s Guest - Spooky vibes. Haunted cemetery. Falls flat without the context of the rest of Dracula. According to Internet, it was a re-written unpublished first chapter, so consider it a prequel. 3/5

The Mark of the Beast - Lesson: if you’re going to colonize a foreign country, don’t disrespect their gods. Points off because the colonizers still win. Not a “traditional” vampire, but a curse delivered through a bite nonetheless. 3/5

Aurelia - Another non-traditional vampire where the flesh-eaters are cursed but not in the same way your Draculas or Lord Ruthvens. The horror in this one mainly comes from the unpredictable cruelty of regular people, with supernatural bits at the end. 2/5

Mrs Amworth - The classic vampire tale you’re looking for. A mysterious woman moves to town and things get weird. 4/5

Ligeia- A vehicle for Poe’s lofty descriptions and poetry. I want my monsters to be monsters, I don’t like Poe’s common reliance on “he was crazy” or “he was on drugs the whole time.” 2/5

[Yvensong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dracula's Guest - Bram Stoker -- 4 Stars
The Mark of the Beast - Rudyard Kipling -- 3 1/2 stars
Aurelia - E.T.A. Hoffman -- 4 stars
Ligeia - Edgar Allen Poe -- 3 1/2 stars
Mrs. Anworth - E.F. Benson -- 4 stars

I did this as an audio e-book from the library, not as an audio-cassette -- but it was the same reader.

[Coyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this, which was very well read.
Overall, the stories are average (which I've found to be generally the case with short stories, most authors need some to really get into something), but nonetheless interesting. And of course, anything by Kipling is going to be a blast...

[AJ Conroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different than the usual story.

[Any Length · Rating 2 out of 5]

mildly amusing, but nothing to rave about

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminded me why I loved vampires, again.