A Night of Blacker Darkness

Being the Memoir of Frederick Whithers As Edited by Cecil G. Bagsworth III

By: Dan Wells

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE IN AUDIO

No one else has Dan Wells’ hilarious new novella - it’s not available in print, in ebook, by mobile phone text or Victorian phonograph. Audible is bringing it to you exclusively, for a limited time.

The basic premise is this: it's 1817, and a man named Frederick Whithers is wallowing in jail for a crime he didn't commit, desperate to get out so he can go and commit it for real. He fakes his own death and escapes in a coffin, but when he gets to the graveyard and crawls out of the coffin, somebody sees him and assumes he's a vampire. It's pretty much all downhill from there. Frederick spends the rest of the book doing everything he can to steal a massive inheritance from a dead man, all the while running from constables, vampire hunters, ghouls, poets, proper young ladies, highly improper young ladies, morticians, mysterious figures, and the most pathetic collection of vampires to ever disgrace a work of fiction.

The book is Extremely Silly: imagine a horror story, as written by Monty Python, in the style of the old screwball comedies like The Producers, What's Up Doc?, and Some Like it Hot, and then imagine that for some reason it's also in the style of a Victorian frame story starring John Keats and presented by a fake historian. A delightfully funny novel full of witty dialogue brought to life by the narrative voice talents of Sean Barrett.

©2011 Dan Wells (P)2011 Audible Ltd

A tale of vampires, money, mishap and great minds

Where does A Night of Blacker Darkness rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best read and most enjoyable books I have listened to in a long, long time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Night of Blacker Darkness?

One of the best moments is the vampire discussion when they first meet our hero in the cemetary.

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

The multiple voices are well done and fit the various characters so well. The slow speech of the undertaker is marvelous and Keats is great.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I would not call the book moving in a deep metaphyscal sense but I will admit I had to keep picking myself up off the floor when I had fallen laughing. If you call tears of myrth moving I would definately say I was moved.

Any additional comments?

What a wonderful book, what a wonderful reader. Truly an enjoyable listen. Sean Barrett takes an enjoyable, well written and wonderful tale and makes it so much more. Hats off to Sean and Dan. I must admit it was refreshing to see the true power of vampires not that stuff that others would have you believe.

The exploites of our hero, the twists and turns of the plot are great. I will not give anything away because it is so much fun. Just know that when you think you have it figured out you will only be partly right and there is much more good stuff to come.

May vampires always have the same problems, trials and success as experienced here.

Made me start giggling on the bus to work!

If you could sum up A Night of Blacker Darkness in three words, what would they be?

Funny, silly, enjoyable

What did you like best about this story?

Light-hearted, clever, fast-paced adventure that with the kind of disasters and pickles I can see myself getting in to but hope I never do! The hero is loveable for his hopelessness.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Sean Barrett?

I don't think the narrater 'got' the book. He didn't read it with quite the pace and dramatic emphasis it needed. It was quite well read but needed a bit more oomph!

Any additional comments?

Definitely worth a listen if you need a few hours with something silly and funny. Very much in the style of Ealing comedies such as The Ladykillers.

Crazy, funny Story

This is a crazy, funny story!!! It kept me hooked and I couldn’t wait to hear how it ended. I was so disappointed that Frederick didn’t get what he so desperately sought after. Or did he? :-)

Gothic Farce

Pretty much says it all. “A Night of Blacker Darkness,” is a ?fresh? take on the classic genre of the British farce. Set in a world of vampires, vampire hunters, criminals and constables, this book follows the unlucky protagonist as he tries to convince everyone that a he is not a vampire. Overall, it made me laugh and if you are looking for a light read with silly circumstance and a touch of gothic, this may be the book for you.

Silly & Amusing, a screwball comedy

Where does A Night of Blacker Darkness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Good. I needed to giggle like a little boy and this book was just the ticket.

Who was your favorite character and why?

John Keats, a compulsive rhymer and nitwit romantic, was a great sidekick and added some surreal dialogue.

What about Sean Barrett’s performance did you like?

He made the book for me. I'm not sure if I'd have found it so funny without his deadpan and hilarious performance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The beginning was confusing but once I got passed the first chapter.

Any additional comments?

I really liked this book. It is an enjoyable screwball comedy.

always fantastic

I love this insane story. it's always a joy to listen to and read. Dan does such great work.

This is a must buy!

Dan really has out-done himself with this short story. I honestly cannot recall when a book has made me laugh out loud--and this has several moments that got that reaction. It is simply an amazing read/listen and everyone should buy it. Do it now, you won't be disappointed!

Great

This was a funny and well written story. thank you for doind such a great job!

Alltime favorite audiobook

Where does A Night of Blacker Darkness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I normally listen to each audiobook once or twice. I've listened to this eight times through and plan to again. It is by far my favorite.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There's a lot of great ones, but Mary Shelley takes the cake as a grave-robber doing research for her novel.

What about Sean Barrett’s performance did you like?

He does a great job with the various character voices and delivering the humor and emotion.

Soooo funny and entertaining !

This was such a well done audio book ! The narrators were superb and the book was ideal for listening to on Halloween! Or for any other time.
I know that Dan Wells does not usually write this type of book, but I think he needs to write more of them! The banter and dialogue between the characters was suburb. You had me laughing and wanting to listen straight through until the end. Great Fun!