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The Moorstone Sickness

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The Moorstone Sickness

By: Bernard Taylor
Narrated by: Matthew Lyon
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About this listen

After the death of their infant son, Hal and Rowan Graham decide to leave the mad bustle of London and move to a quiet country refuge. And the rustic village of Moorstone seems perfect. Too perfect? Lying beneath a hill capped by an enormous stone, Moorstone hides mysterious secrets. Why does such a small town need such a large insane asylum? Why do the village's elderly residents leave everything they own to young newcomers they barely know? And why is everyone so friendly, so handsome, and so preoccupied with Hal and Rowan's health?

Before the Grahams can piece the insidious puzzle together, they are plunged into a spiraling terror of ancient mysteries reborn, people who are not quite what they seem, and a village that is quaint, charming - and deadly!

When it comes to spine-chilling tales of quiet horror, no one surpasses Bernard Taylor, the best-selling author of the classic novels, The Godsend and Sweetheart, Sweetheart.

"Reaches its horrifying climax with seductive grace." (Library Journal)

"A fine atmosphere of terror." (New York Times)

"Slow-building occult horror." (Kirkus Reviews)

"His fiction grips and holds the reader.... Taylor is a master." (Publishers Weekly)

©1982, 2018 Bernard Taylor (P)2018 Valancourt Books Horror Scary Fiction Village

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Listener received this title free

This book was written in the 80s if I remember correctly. The horror is more suggested than overt. Classic horror scenario.

Good listen

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The Moorstone Sickness is a pretty uneventful '80s horror that signposts the 'twist' ending almost from the off. It's well written and I enjoyed it to a certain extent, but it's definitely not something I'll revisit.
Matthew Lyon does a fine job with the narration. His delivery is quite formal, but it suits this type of story.
This audiobook is decent enough, but nothing really to write home about.
Recommended if you're after something not too taxing.

Lightweight and Forgettable '80s Horror

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Listener received this title free

Subdued English folk horror from admired genre author Bernard Taylor. In all honesty I wanted to enjoy this more than I did; despite the winning combination of picturesque village and sinister pagan stones, this is a book that shows its hand early and offers few surprises. Recent cinematic variations on the theme, such as The Skeleton Key and Get Out, have added much needed subtext or post-modern smarts. Here, the pace is stately, the scene-setting competent but uninspired, the terror slightly tame. Originally published in 1982, this actually feels more dated still, like something from the '50s or '60s (one embarrassing sex scene aside). The way the book telegraphs its twists ahead of time makes the protagonists appear stupid and complacent in the face of the blindingly obvious danger that surrounds them. Ironically, the troubled relationship of the main characters is well-handled and would have been more interesting without the occult window dressing. The book's conclusion picks up the pace considerably, but leads to the sort of gritty ending common in '70s cinema and which is something I hate.
Narrator Matthew Lyon has a mannered, rather starchy delivery, which adds to the slightly old fashioned feel of the book, and, interestingly for a male narrator, his female voices are more engaging than those of his men.

The Thicker Man

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