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The Conception of Terror: Tales Inspired by M.R. James, Volume 1
Listening Length: 4 hours and 13 minutes
An award-winning collection of four ghostly tales inspired by M. R. James.
Casting the Runes, adapted by Stephen Gallagher
When academic Jo Harrington (Anna Maxwell Martin) is sent a paper—The Truth of Alchemy, by Anton Karswell—for peer review, she pulls no punches. Jo writes that the paper has no place in a serious academic publication and that Karswell is a half-bright fool. When the editor writes a rejection note to Karswell, he inadvertently includes Jo’s entire email. Occultist Karswell (Reece Shearsmith) doesn’t take kindly to criticism.
On the tube home with her partner Edward Dunning (Tom Burke), Jo spots a poster with her name on it. It reads: "In memory of Joanne Harrington, MLitt, PhD, died September eighteenth, three days were allowed." Is there anything that Edward can do to save Jo from this curse?
Lost Hearts, adapted by A. K. Benedict
Teenager Stephanie Elliot (Rosa Coduri) is taken to Aswarby House to be fostered by Mrs. Bunch (Susan Jameson). Stephanie strikes up a friendship with Ben (Bill Milner), the adopted son of charismatic community leader Mr. Abney (Jeff Rawle). He tells her that Mr. Abney is a good man—he even took in a child refugee last year, but she stole from him and ran away. Stephanie is troubled by voices and visions of a dead girl clutching at her chest, and when Ben disappears she begins to suspect that all is not right in Aswarby House.
The Treasure of Abbot-Thomas, adapted by Jonathan Barnes
When former Somerton school pupil Greg Parsbury (Robert Bathurst) meets history teacher Mika Chantry (Pearl Mackie) at a memorial service for schoolmaster Sam Abbot-Thomas, he begs for her help. Greg has been sent a postcard by the estate of the mysterious and charismatic Abbot-Thomas. On it is a strange inscription in Latin, which he believes to be an inaugural clue in a treasure hunt much like the elaborate treasure hunts Abbot-Thomas used to set back in the 1970s. There were rumors that Abbot-Thomas possessed a hidden fortune, and Parsbury and Chantry set out to find it.
A View from a Hill, adapted by Mark Morris
Comedian and podcaster Paul Fanshawe (Andy Nyman) and his wife, Sarah (Alice Lowe), visit the Cotswolds on holiday, trying to rebuild their lives after the death of their young son, Archie. While out walking, they spot a beautiful abbey across the valley on Gallows Hill, but when they reach it, they find the building is little more than rubble. While Sarah explores, Paul records commentary for his podcast. Sarah thinks she hears children’s laughter, but there’s no one there. Later that night, she listens to the recording and hears a child’s voice whisper, "Mummy." Sarah is convinced that Archie is trying to reach them and wants to return to the ruins. But something far worse is waiting for them on Gallows Hill.
An award-winning collection of four ghostly tales inspired by M. R. James.
Casting the Runes, adapted by Stephen Gallagher
When academic Jo Harrington (Anna Maxwell Martin) is sent a paper—The Truth of Alchemy, by Anton Karswell—for peer review, she pulls no punches. Jo writes that the paper has no place in a serious academic publication and that Karswell is a half-bright fool. When the editor writes a rejection note to Karswell, he inadvertently includes Jo’s entire email. Occultist Karswell (Reece Shearsmith) doesn’t take kindly to criticism.
On the tube home with her partner Edward Dunning (Tom Burke), Jo spots a poster with her name on it. It reads: "In memory of Joanne Harrington, MLitt, PhD, died September eighteenth, three days were allowed." Is there anything that Edward can do to save Jo from this curse?
Lost Hearts, adapted by A. K. Benedict
Teenager Stephanie Elliot (Rosa Coduri) is taken to Aswarby House to be fostered by Mrs. Bunch (Susan Jameson). Stephanie strikes up a friendship with Ben (Bill Milner), the adopted son of charismatic community leader Mr. Abney (Jeff Rawle). He tells her that Mr. Abney is a good man—he even took in a child refugee last year, but she stole from him and ran away. Stephanie is troubled by voices and visions of a dead girl clutching at her chest, and when Ben disappears she begins to suspect that all is not right in Aswarby House.
The Treasure of Abbot-Thomas, adapted by Jonathan Barnes
When former Somerton school pupil Greg Parsbury (Robert Bathurst) meets history teacher Mika Chantry (Pearl Mackie) at a memorial service for schoolmaster Sam Abbot-Thomas, he begs for her help. Greg has been sent a postcard by the estate of the mysterious and charismatic Abbot-Thomas. On it is a strange inscription in Latin, which he believes to be an inaugural clue in a treasure hunt much like the elaborate treasure hunts Abbot-Thomas used to set back in the 1970s. There were rumors that Abbot-Thomas possessed a hidden fortune, and Parsbury and Chantry set out to find it.
A View from a Hill, adapted by Mark Morris
Comedian and podcaster Paul Fanshawe (Andy Nyman) and his wife, Sarah (Alice Lowe), visit the Cotswolds on holiday, trying to rebuild their lives after the death of their young son, Archie. While out walking, they spot a beautiful abbey across the valley on Gallows Hill, but when they reach it, they find the building is little more than rubble. While Sarah explores, Paul records commentary for his podcast. Sarah thinks she hears children’s laughter, but there’s no one there. Later that night, she listens to the recording and hears a child’s voice whisper, "Mummy." Sarah is convinced that Archie is trying to reach them and wants to return to the ruins. But something far worse is waiting for them on Gallows Hill.
5 pages, Audible Audio
First published February 7, 2019
45 people are currently reading
654 people want to read
About the author
M.R. James
1,519 books909 followersMontague Rhodes James, who used the publication name M.R. James, was a noted English mediaeval scholar & provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–18) & of Eton College (1918–36). He's best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature. One of James' most important achievements was to redefine the ghost story for the new century by dispensing with many of the formal Gothic trappings of his predecessors, replacing them with more realistic contemporary settings.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
M.R.^James
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
M.R.^James
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 402 reviews
August 8, 2019
One of August's Audible member's free picks, 4 short-stories, 4-hours 13-minutes. The first 3 stories were interesting and a pleasant listen, but highly predictable. Story number 4 was torture to get through, it's too bad they included it at all. Number 4 is placed last so the irritation of it lasts with you, taking away the enjoyment of the first 3. If it had been placed 1st I would have assumed they were all like that and not gone any farther.
Stories are narrated by 2 to 4 narrators and are done in a radio program style. Narrators do an excellent job but the long periods of heavy breathing to build suspense or convey hiking, running, climbing are drawn out and unnecessary. I wouldn't really recommend this unless you need something short to listen to while say, cleaning the house. It was perfect for cleaning the floors and bathrooms. :-)
Stories are narrated by 2 to 4 narrators and are done in a radio program style. Narrators do an excellent job but the long periods of heavy breathing to build suspense or convey hiking, running, climbing are drawn out and unnecessary. I wouldn't really recommend this unless you need something short to listen to while say, cleaning the house. It was perfect for cleaning the floors and bathrooms. :-)
November 30, 2019
The Conception of Terror takes inspired by M.R. James volume 1 with a great cast of and narrating the four stories. I thought the first story was the best and creepiest. The narration was very good.
October 31, 2024
I finished listening to The Complete Ghost Stories Collection of M.R. James on Devil’s Night. Today, Halloween, I read this tribute, The Conception of Terror: Tales Inspired by M.R. James, Volume 1, while James’ original tales are still fresh in my imagination. This Audible Original recording contains four of James’ ghost stories, altered, modernized, and adapted as full cast audio plays.
Casting the Runes: The original story is one of James’ best — a top shelf offering. This adaptation by Stephen Gallagher actually kicks the terror and emotion up a notch. In the original, the loathsome Anton Karswell proved his power with an offstage death brought about by his black magic. The reader had no connection to that death, which therefore had limited emotional impact. In this adaptation, Karswell’s magic inflicts a death that the reader feels, which leaves the remaining story not simply a suspenseful race to survive, but a seeking out of righteous revenge.
4 1/2 ⭐️
Lost Hearts: Adapted by A.K. Benedict. The original tale was one of James’ weaker efforts, in my opinion — strained credulity a bit that no one guessed what was going on with the disappearing kids. The adaptation improves on the original by adding a Rosemary’s Baby style twist that partially addresses the problem of suspension of disbelief. It also fills out the character of the child protagonist, and adds on a far darker ending. The changes made it a marginally better story.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas: Adapted by Jonathan Barnes. Once again, the James original of this story was not among my favorites. The adaptation has put the chapel and the well where the treasure is hid into an active boy’s academy. Rather than being a centuries old clergyman, Abbot-Thomas was a strangely charismatic past instructor at the school who dies of old age as the tale commences. The story is brought right up to date by complicating the plot with a massive pederasty scandal. Problem is, I simply don’t buy in to the thin motivations for the principle characters to do what they do, which ruined my suspension of disbelief. As with the rest of these tales, the ending is a harsher shade of dark.
2 1/2 ⭐️
A View from a Hill: Adapted by Mark Morris Comedian. The original protagonist is replaced by a couple on holiday recovering from the shock of losing a child. Their relationship is not holding up well under the strain of their grief, and neither of them are sympathetic. (Let me expand on that — both of them are bloody awful annoying and are the reason this is the least successful of these adaptations.)
A central idea of the original tale — the old binoculars built by a long deceased evil alchemist — is eliminated, although the couple does view things no longer there from an ordinary pair. Like the rest, this adaptation adds a far more horrific ending than the original.
2 ⭐️
Casting the Runes: The original story is one of James’ best — a top shelf offering. This adaptation by Stephen Gallagher actually kicks the terror and emotion up a notch. In the original, the loathsome Anton Karswell proved his power with an offstage death brought about by his black magic. The reader had no connection to that death, which therefore had limited emotional impact. In this adaptation, Karswell’s magic inflicts a death that the reader feels, which leaves the remaining story not simply a suspenseful race to survive, but a seeking out of righteous revenge.
4 1/2 ⭐️
Lost Hearts: Adapted by A.K. Benedict. The original tale was one of James’ weaker efforts, in my opinion — strained credulity a bit that no one guessed what was going on with the disappearing kids. The adaptation improves on the original by adding a Rosemary’s Baby style twist that partially addresses the problem of suspension of disbelief. It also fills out the character of the child protagonist, and adds on a far darker ending. The changes made it a marginally better story.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas: Adapted by Jonathan Barnes. Once again, the James original of this story was not among my favorites. The adaptation has put the chapel and the well where the treasure is hid into an active boy’s academy. Rather than being a centuries old clergyman, Abbot-Thomas was a strangely charismatic past instructor at the school who dies of old age as the tale commences. The story is brought right up to date by complicating the plot with a massive pederasty scandal. Problem is, I simply don’t buy in to the thin motivations for the principle characters to do what they do, which ruined my suspension of disbelief. As with the rest of these tales, the ending is a harsher shade of dark.
2 1/2 ⭐️
A View from a Hill: Adapted by Mark Morris Comedian. The original protagonist is replaced by a couple on holiday recovering from the shock of losing a child. Their relationship is not holding up well under the strain of their grief, and neither of them are sympathetic. (Let me expand on that — both of them are bloody awful annoying and are the reason this is the least successful of these adaptations.)
A central idea of the original tale — the old binoculars built by a long deceased evil alchemist — is eliminated, although the couple does view things no longer there from an ordinary pair. Like the rest, this adaptation adds a far more horrific ending than the original.
2 ⭐️
May 28, 2019
Ohh I hated this. It's a modern retelling of classic ghost stories originally written by M.R. James and done as a radio play. I tend to avoid radio plays because although sometimes the acting is great, sometimes it's awful, as is the case with this recording. Plus making the stories more modern took away from the creepy atmosphere. Hard pass.
August 10, 2021
Individual grades I'd assign to each story, in order: A, B, C, D.
First one was fairly solid in terms of plot and acting; they should have all been more like this. Second one required a bit of suspension of disbelief for a conspiracy theory, but otherwise okay. Performance by the actors for the third story wasn't too bad, but I don't feel I understood the ending, or point of the story, as well as resenting relying on the cliche of scandal at a boys' school. Final offering was just downright tedious, leaving me consulting the time counter every so often to see just how much more was left; not sure if it was the underlying material, or the over-the-top acting by the cast, perhaps some of both?
First one was fairly solid in terms of plot and acting; they should have all been more like this. Second one required a bit of suspension of disbelief for a conspiracy theory, but otherwise okay. Performance by the actors for the third story wasn't too bad, but I don't feel I understood the ending, or point of the story, as well as resenting relying on the cliche of scandal at a boys' school. Final offering was just downright tedious, leaving me consulting the time counter every so often to see just how much more was left; not sure if it was the underlying material, or the over-the-top acting by the cast, perhaps some of both?
September 10, 2019
A bit like listening to the Twilight Zone; the first of the four short stories included in these dramatizations of the ghost stories of M. R. James (1862-1936) was by far the scariest in my estimation. The other three were a bit weaker but still quite entertaining. Perfect stories for a good scare around the campfire -- if you are into that type of thing. As an Audible freebie, this one worked for me.
March 13, 2021
My review is probably not at all indicative of what these stories are actually worth. But I didn’t like it overall and so, here we are.
It’s me. I never learn.
Here. I’m going to type it here and then say it out loud.
I. Am. Not. A. Fan. Of. Short. Stories.
Phew. Do I know this? Yeah.
Will I keep on trying short story compilations every now and then with hopes that I will find one that will make me change my entire mind on the genre (or whatever you call short stories?) Also yeah.
I suppose I can just keep on trying stuff I know I don’t like in hopes that maybe there’s an exception and I can tell myself “I told you so”.
Anyhow, with that out of the way. Not a terrible compilation. Descriptions looks really good but as always I am left with more questions then answers and it’s frustrating. As a novel reader I want to know MORE about EVERYTHING in each of the stories. It bothers me that all I get is a tiny peak which is entirely story driven and doesn’t really focus on the setting or characters all that much.
It makes sense. It’s a short story. It’s not going to be 500 pages long. But still.
Stories in themselves were solid. Good premises for all of them, really. Some did give me the creeps, yes! I just got bored half way through it and mostly just chugged along waiting for it to be over.
Back to novels it is. (Or at least novellas)
For a long while.
Roman “Ragnar”
It’s me. I never learn.
Here. I’m going to type it here and then say it out loud.
I. Am. Not. A. Fan. Of. Short. Stories.
Phew. Do I know this? Yeah.
Will I keep on trying short story compilations every now and then with hopes that I will find one that will make me change my entire mind on the genre (or whatever you call short stories?) Also yeah.
I suppose I can just keep on trying stuff I know I don’t like in hopes that maybe there’s an exception and I can tell myself “I told you so”.
Anyhow, with that out of the way. Not a terrible compilation. Descriptions looks really good but as always I am left with more questions then answers and it’s frustrating. As a novel reader I want to know MORE about EVERYTHING in each of the stories. It bothers me that all I get is a tiny peak which is entirely story driven and doesn’t really focus on the setting or characters all that much.
It makes sense. It’s a short story. It’s not going to be 500 pages long. But still.
Stories in themselves were solid. Good premises for all of them, really. Some did give me the creeps, yes! I just got bored half way through it and mostly just chugged along waiting for it to be over.
Back to novels it is. (Or at least novellas)
For a long while.
Roman “Ragnar”
October 29, 2020
2,8 stars. I actually enjoyed this short story collection. One of the advantages to listening to horror stories with a full cast and sound effects is that you get an immersive experience and actually feel as if you're there with the characters. For me though, the most important aspect of a horror story, besides a well crafted atmosphere, is a good backstory. And these had some decent ones:
1. Casting the Runes: Jo and Edward, an academic and her husband are literally cursed by occultist Karswell. I listened to this one in the middle of the night, which just added to the creepiness. The backstory was interesting enough, but we didn't get a lot of info on how Karswell actually got his powers/earned the favours with those demons. What I did really enjoy was Edward's character, especially towards the end - talk about revenge.
2. Lost Hearts: Teenager Stephanie is taken to her new foster home, Aswarby house, a community filled with old people. You think they're harmless at first, but oh my, do things get weird. We get ghostly apparitions from another foster child who has been brought into the house, and the 'addition' of a few current ones. I honestly wasn't expecting the villains to win in the end. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the different and hair raising ending.
3. The treasure of Abbot Thomas: This was fun, and also had an 'unexpected ending', but I wish there was more background on the school, Abbot Thomas and the games he used to play with the students, horrid as they may have been. This one could have been better.
4. A view from a Hill: The last one was the most promising , but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The abbey from Gallows Hill was in itself a creepy setting, with its history of the village's children being...well, no spoilers. The main couple also dealt with the loss of their child, so I guess you can see the theme here. The ending was quite good, but all in all it is a theme common used in TV shows and movies, and nothing I haven't seen before. But it was still good.
Overall, I'm pleased that I chose this audiobook, and I'm looking forward to Volume 2.
1. Casting the Runes: Jo and Edward, an academic and her husband are literally cursed by occultist Karswell. I listened to this one in the middle of the night, which just added to the creepiness. The backstory was interesting enough, but we didn't get a lot of info on how Karswell actually got his powers/earned the favours with those demons. What I did really enjoy was Edward's character, especially towards the end - talk about revenge.
2. Lost Hearts: Teenager Stephanie is taken to her new foster home, Aswarby house, a community filled with old people. You think they're harmless at first, but oh my, do things get weird. We get ghostly apparitions from another foster child who has been brought into the house, and the 'addition' of a few current ones. I honestly wasn't expecting the villains to win in the end. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the different and hair raising ending.
3. The treasure of Abbot Thomas: This was fun, and also had an 'unexpected ending', but I wish there was more background on the school, Abbot Thomas and the games he used to play with the students, horrid as they may have been. This one could have been better.
4. A view from a Hill: The last one was the most promising , but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The abbey from Gallows Hill was in itself a creepy setting, with its history of the village's children being...well, no spoilers. The main couple also dealt with the loss of their child, so I guess you can see the theme here. The ending was quite good, but all in all it is a theme common used in TV shows and movies, and nothing I haven't seen before. But it was still good.
Overall, I'm pleased that I chose this audiobook, and I'm looking forward to Volume 2.
August 16, 2019
There are four tales here that are performed by a cast of people with sound effects and music. For the most part, I enjoyed that though some of the sound effects were a bit overbearing. The acting was wonderful, and I really enjoyed that aspect.
While half of them were predictable, the predictability wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I thoroughly enjoyed both the first and the last tales. Both got my heart pumping a little bit, but the first one was my absolute favorite. I will say these tales aren't necessarily that scary, and they don't always effectively build up tension, but I also listened to them while I was working, so that could have had a hand in it. Maybe if I'd listened alone at night in my room, it would have been scarier.
While half of them were predictable, the predictability wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I thoroughly enjoyed both the first and the last tales. Both got my heart pumping a little bit, but the first one was my absolute favorite. I will say these tales aren't necessarily that scary, and they don't always effectively build up tension, but I also listened to them while I was working, so that could have had a hand in it. Maybe if I'd listened alone at night in my room, it would have been scarier.
October 11, 2019
I haven't read any of M.R. James' original stories. I should probably rectify that. This Audible production is apparently a modernized version of several of his short stories. They work pretty well, but now I am curious what the original stories were like.
Each one basically involves an innocent stumbling into a sinister secret involving ghosts, occult practices, or devilish secret societies. The endings are grim and chilling. The radio drama format of this collection works well for conveying chills and terror, though not so well for subtlety of characterization, though the voice actors were very good.
Recommended if you're into properly spooky ghost stories.
Each one basically involves an innocent stumbling into a sinister secret involving ghosts, occult practices, or devilish secret societies. The endings are grim and chilling. The radio drama format of this collection works well for conveying chills and terror, though not so well for subtlety of characterization, though the voice actors were very good.
Recommended if you're into properly spooky ghost stories.
September 6, 2019
One of these days, Audible is going to absolutely nail an old, radio storytelling production. Today isn’t that day, but these are getting better.
What could they do to improve this?
Well, for starters, I don’t need 90 seconds of music to introduce each story, nor do I need 90 seconds of music at the conclusion of the tale. That’s right, if you’re a patient person, you’ll listen to 3 minutes of creepy, mood-setting music between stories.
Additionally, while sound effects can be admittedly fun, I don’t want to guess at what’s happening. Because certain scenes were all sound effects (heavy breathing, gravel crunching, growls, etc.), I had the odd sensation of listening not to an audiobook, but to a horror movie in another room. (I know this because I always run out during the gory parts of a movie.) There was just no real way to discern the action happening in the story. Additionally, these scenes lasted too long.
The performers of the first three stories were solid.
As for the ghost stories, my understanding is that these tales are modernizations of M. R. James, an early 1900s horror writer. That’s an unenviable feat to modernize early ghost stories, and unfortunately, a couple of the iterations just didn’t work out.
The final story was terrible though. It amplified my first two points, the husband character dripped with condescension, the wife character was the worst of the heavy breathing, and the ghost story felt tacked on at the end, as though forgotten. Absolutely excruciating to finish.
What could they do to improve this?
Well, for starters, I don’t need 90 seconds of music to introduce each story, nor do I need 90 seconds of music at the conclusion of the tale. That’s right, if you’re a patient person, you’ll listen to 3 minutes of creepy, mood-setting music between stories.
Additionally, while sound effects can be admittedly fun, I don’t want to guess at what’s happening. Because certain scenes were all sound effects (heavy breathing, gravel crunching, growls, etc.), I had the odd sensation of listening not to an audiobook, but to a horror movie in another room. (I know this because I always run out during the gory parts of a movie.) There was just no real way to discern the action happening in the story. Additionally, these scenes lasted too long.
The performers of the first three stories were solid.
As for the ghost stories, my understanding is that these tales are modernizations of M. R. James, an early 1900s horror writer. That’s an unenviable feat to modernize early ghost stories, and unfortunately, a couple of the iterations just didn’t work out.
The final story was terrible though. It amplified my first two points, the husband character dripped with condescension, the wife character was the worst of the heavy breathing, and the ghost story felt tacked on at the end, as though forgotten. Absolutely excruciating to finish.
August 18, 2019
Ugh, the stories themselves aren’t terrible and have decent premises but except for the first story the endings need some work. My biggest complaint is the Audio, normally this would be separate from my general review but seeing how this is an Audible Original it’s relevant, whoever mixed this needs to check their files and maybe take some more classes the volume is all over the place randomly super high or super low, the interludes are way too long. Had I not been driving down the road I would have turned it off and downloaded something else but I didn’t want to mess with my phone while driving.
October 7, 2019
This collection of stories is very creepy. It made me curious to read the originals and, honestly, these reinterpretations were scarier and more entertaining. The Audible performances are outstanding. They were a little too politically correct (giving women the leading roles where James had males) and took way too many liberties with the stories but the outcome is very good.
August 7, 2019
I am a huge M. R. James fan, and I didn't know what to expect with this dramatic adaptation, but it is excellent! The actors did a terrific job, the writing is excellent, and the sound effects added to the story rather than distracting from it. Very well done!
September 9, 2019
Great horror stories, amazingly dramatized.
September 17, 2019
I love a good horror story. If this is Vol 1, I can't wait until Vol 2.
September 18, 2019
I really enjoyed listening to this book. It was very well done.
August 20, 2019
I've not read a lot of M.R. James. This collection reminded me that I need to read more of him. However, I think I would rather have an audio collection of his actual works rather than an audio dramatization adapting his works to the modern day, which is what this is. It's good in that it inspired me to look into M. R. James and will get me to read his ghost stories, but it really wasn't that great on its own. The stories start out strong and go downhill, meaning that the first story was quite good and creepy, the second a little less so, the third less so still, and the fourth was downright tedious.
Casting the Runes - Quite good. Very effective tale and rather chilling.
Lost Hearts - Neat concept but something in the dramatization made it less effective and chilling than it could have been.
The Treasure of Abbot-Thomas - I really liked the concept behind this one, but, again, the actual dramatization of it loses something important in atmosphere.
A View from a Hill - This one was the one I found tedious and predictable. The whining and arguing... I know you need conflict to drive a story, but marital arguments and internal grief/guilt are just not fun to listen to, nor is it creepy. This story was TOO grounded, to the point where the supernatural events were unbelievable. It tried to build up atmosphere through standard clichés of horror, but they were too standard and too clichéd to be effective.
The production was a little amateur in the sense that the musical breaks beginning and ending each story were too long. I don't need several minutes of creepy music between each story. The story itself should drive the thrills.
Casting the Runes - Quite good. Very effective tale and rather chilling.
Lost Hearts - Neat concept but something in the dramatization made it less effective and chilling than it could have been.
The Treasure of Abbot-Thomas - I really liked the concept behind this one, but, again, the actual dramatization of it loses something important in atmosphere.
A View from a Hill - This one was the one I found tedious and predictable. The whining and arguing... I know you need conflict to drive a story, but marital arguments and internal grief/guilt are just not fun to listen to, nor is it creepy. This story was TOO grounded, to the point where the supernatural events were unbelievable. It tried to build up atmosphere through standard clichés of horror, but they were too standard and too clichéd to be effective.
The production was a little amateur in the sense that the musical breaks beginning and ending each story were too long. I don't need several minutes of creepy music between each story. The story itself should drive the thrills.
April 10, 2023
3/5 — Audible Membership included selection. There were 4 stories in a dramatized format. The first story was my favorite. I felt it succeeded in being creepy and no one doing really stupid things. I think it’s possible and enjoyable to make a good horror story that doesn’t involve main characters who freeze and just scream. Second stories had mid aged teenagers as main characters, which I usually don’t enjoy as much. Third story had an implied lesbian partner living with the main character, this was my second favorite story. Fourth story had potential and was alright.
September 10, 2019
An audible original, not a fan of dramatization. I think it was a lot of noise and did little to create atmosphere. At least it was free. Four short stories.
4 ghostly tales inspired by M. R. James; Casting the Runes, Lost Hearts, The Treasure of Abbot-Thomas, A View from a Hill.
I would have rather read these without the dramatization.
4 ghostly tales inspired by M. R. James; Casting the Runes, Lost Hearts, The Treasure of Abbot-Thomas, A View from a Hill.
I would have rather read these without the dramatization.
August 9, 2019
This was free on audible and I love spooky reads or listens, so definitely jumped on this.
I found I liked some of the stories and others I was a bit bored.
I found I liked some of the stories and others I was a bit bored.
October 20, 2019
Felt like all of the suspense and surprise came from the background music/effects as opposed to the story. Jump scares in audiobooks don't do much for me.
October 16, 2019
{Rated PG-13: Suicide, brief talk of sexual assault, and murder} I love listening to dramatic audio books where there are several narrators, background sounds, and loads of sound effects. I found the narrators great and the atmosphere around each short story fascinating, but the actual stories themselves were just... okay. I didn’t find them spooky and a couple of them leave you hanging just a bit to leave things up to your imagination. Which is great for some people, but for me... I have to know how it all ends! Haha! And perhaps that’s why these short stories are based around just simple “ghost stories.” Most ghost stories that you tell around the campfire are suppose to leave you freaked out and not knowing how it truly ends. This Audible Original is a solid 3.5 ✨ for me.
August 25, 2019
I started this book this afternoon & at first I was not interested. The book read like a live tv show. The characters sounded stuffy & uptight. Once the story picked up, I had to finish this story.
If you believe necromancy, occultism, or witchcraft, you will enjoy this short horror story. The plot is what captured my attention. The characters were very believable, the story was strange but full of energy & action, & the ending is just perfect.
If you believe necromancy, occultism, or witchcraft, you will enjoy this short horror story. The plot is what captured my attention. The characters were very believable, the story was strange but full of energy & action, & the ending is just perfect.
October 11, 2022
I've had this in my audible library forever and finally got around to it. It entertained me enough- I have a weird affection for mediocre radio-style drama- but it wasn't good enough that I would recommend it. Also, there was a story where one of the major deaths left me feeling like our protag was better off anyway, which was not the effect they were going for. 🤷🏻♀️
September 11, 2019
This Audible original is more of a radio play than it is an audiobook. It has a great cast for each of the four stories, that are "inspired by" M.R. James, but clearly re-written in play format. This is not a bad thing, as the stories are very-well produced.
As with any anthology, the first and last stories are the best. The first story is truly scary, with sound effects and acting that genuinely gave me thrills. The other three stories are okay, but they have very similar themes and the middle two stories have unsatisfying endings.
As an Audible member, you get one free "original" every month. I would recommend that you take this as a free book and listen to at least the first story. If you like "The Monkey's Paw", you'll sure to like it. In fact, the first story's narration and effects reminded me quite a bit of a recording of "The Monkey's Paw" I used to listen to as a kid.
As with any anthology, the first and last stories are the best. The first story is truly scary, with sound effects and acting that genuinely gave me thrills. The other three stories are okay, but they have very similar themes and the middle two stories have unsatisfying endings.
As an Audible member, you get one free "original" every month. I would recommend that you take this as a free book and listen to at least the first story. If you like "The Monkey's Paw", you'll sure to like it. In fact, the first story's narration and effects reminded me quite a bit of a recording of "The Monkey's Paw" I used to listen to as a kid.
October 27, 2019
Overall, the voice acting was great, and sound effects were decently done. I'm not crazy about sound effects in an audiobook, but can take it for a short story/drama although it was a little overbearing in parts making it hard to hear the vocals sometimes.
The first story, Casting the Runes, was pretty good, I'd give it 4 stars. Predictable, but well done.
The second story, Lost Hearts, had potential, but fell flat. 3 stars.
The third story, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, was slow to start, got more interesting a little later into it and then fell flat. 3 stars.
The fourth story, A View from a Hill, was boring and predictable. 2 stars.
The first story, Casting the Runes, was pretty good, I'd give it 4 stars. Predictable, but well done.
The second story, Lost Hearts, had potential, but fell flat. 3 stars.
The third story, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, was slow to start, got more interesting a little later into it and then fell flat. 3 stars.
The fourth story, A View from a Hill, was boring and predictable. 2 stars.
September 5, 2019
I was listening to it as an audio book while on a long flight. The books consists of 4 stories which have nothing to do with each other. While the first one was a little chilling (though still very predictable), the others just were... Very meh.
Well written. The sounds were great, too, although this is more about the production rather the book itself. But the stories were very lacking.
I do not recommend you read this book unless you are trapped thousands feet in the air and there are no more book choices or it is the best one.
Well written. The sounds were great, too, although this is more about the production rather the book itself. But the stories were very lacking.
I do not recommend you read this book unless you are trapped thousands feet in the air and there are no more book choices or it is the best one.
January 14, 2020
There are four stories in this audiobook and I enjoyed 3 out of 4. First I loved the acting out of each story it was as if I was listening to a radio play. I know some folks are not crazy about that, but it made me more excited to listen.
Casting the Runes, Lost Hearts and A View from a Hill were fantastic especially Lost Hearts. As for The Treasure of Abbot-Thomas it did not keep my attention. Half the time I started drifting off and couldn't keep my eyes open. I have to say for a free book it was worth the listen.
Casting the Runes, Lost Hearts and A View from a Hill were fantastic especially Lost Hearts. As for The Treasure of Abbot-Thomas it did not keep my attention. Half the time I started drifting off and couldn't keep my eyes open. I have to say for a free book it was worth the listen.
August 12, 2019
Solid collection of audioplays that are updates of of horror stories by MR James written around a century ago. Each one of the four is about an hour in length, which gives enough time to feel like the characters get a chance to develop and for the tension throughout to build. Nice work by the voice actors. This was an Audible Original and free during this month (Aug 2019).
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