Showing results by narrator "Courtney Claar" in All Categories

The first short story - "The Tomb of Sara" - was written by English navy officer, and writer, Frederick George Loring. It was one of the very first stories from the last century featuring a lady vampire. The feminine element represents the connection with "Luella Miller" by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman. The inhabitant of a haunted house sucks life out of everyone who gets interested in her - and the atmosphere gets denser throughout the story.

This audiobook features "The Tenant of the Cedars" by Mary Elizabeth Penn - a story about the vengeance of the dead. Little is known of the author other than the fact that she was published in magazines in the late Victorian era. On the other hand, Bram Stoker (author of the famed novel "Dracula") is a legend in the horror world. This collection features Stoker's short story, "A Dream of Red Hands". The theme is crime and punishment, seasoned with a hint of redemption.

Ghost stories by M. R. James are pretty varied, and based on the genre of Gothic novels. The plot of "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" is unveiled when Professor Parkins finds a whistle engraved with a Latin inscription... and blows it. "The School Story", builds a mystic and fearsome atmosphere around a mysterious Byzantine coin. Once again, well-chosen voices, superb music, and original cover-graphics serve to enhance the feel of the stories.

"Dracula's Guest" is one of the stories published only after Stoker's death, and even though Dracula is in the title, he will not make it into the story. Interestingly enough, Jonathan Harker, the actual guest - also does not appear. This short story is actually an original introduction to Dracula. It is a slightly altered version of a chapter of the novel that was discarded during preparations for print. The final story is "The Room in the Tower", by Edward Frederic Benson. Strange, unsettling atmosphere is present right from the beginning, and it intensifies via recurrent nightmares - right up to the shocking climax of the final scene.

The author of the first short story - "The Haunted Dolls' House" - is Montague Rhodes James, "master of terror and monstrous visions". "Cool Air" and "Azathoth" by Howard Phillips Lovecraft complete the collection. The atmosphere of horror and mystery is underlined by excellent performances by all actors and music.