Drood

A Novel

By: Dan Simmons

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

On June 9, 1865, while traveling by train to London with his secret mistress, 53-year-old Charles Dickens - at the height of his powers and popularity, the most famous and successful novelist in the world and perhaps in the history of the world - hurtled into a disaster that changed his life forever.

Did Dickens begin living a dark double life after the accident? Were his nightly forays into the worst slums of London and his deepening obsession with corpses, crypts, murder, opium dens, the use of lime pits to dissolve bodies, and a hidden subterranean London mere research or something more terrifying?

Just as he did in The Terror, Dan Simmons draws impeccably from history to create a gloriously engaging and terrifying narrative. Based on the historical details of Charles Dickens' life and narrated by Wilkie Collins (Dickens' friend, frequent collaborator, and Salieri-style secret rival), Drood explores the still-unsolved mysteries of the famous author's last years and may provide the key to Dickens's final, unfinished work: The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Chilling, haunting, and utterly original, Drood is Dan Simmons at his powerful best.

©2009 Dan Simmons (P)2009 Dan Simmons

Haven't Bought It. Here's Why

I have read this nearly 800 page book not once but twice and would LOVE to buy it. It's a confusing story told by an unreliable narrator and is a marvelous blend of reality and hallucination as well as wonderful historical fiction. But abridged ?? Taking an axe to this of literally any book has to be a total trainwreck. If the unabridged copy appears I'm on it !!

Beware: Abridged is not Better

While it was an enjoyable performance, the fact that the story was HEAVILY cut down was severely disappointing. I thought perhaps it would still be alright as I had not read the book in better than 10 years. I was wrong. Do yourself a favor and buy the full book.

Simmons and Prebble are a dynamic duo!

Grand narrative and sweeping invention make this another superb listening experience. Simmons never disappoints and Prebble is masterful in his interpretation of the text.

As good as it gets on laudanum

If you could sum up Drood in three words, what would they be?

Dickens on Drugs

What did you like best about this story?

Great depiction of Dickensian England, and Charles Dickens the man as seen through the eyes of his colleague and fellow writer, Wilkie Collins. Suspenseful, although it carries the device of the "unreliable narrator" to new extremes. Collins has a bit of a "laudanum" habit and tends to hallucinate at times confounding the reader (or listener) as to what is real and what is not in the plot. This can sometimes be a bit confusing.

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No - but he is a really good narrator and actor. Really the best I've heard from Audible.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It kept me 100% engaged.

WILKIE COLLINS!!

This book is fantastic. It’s Dan Simmons at his best. I’ve listened to six of his novels, and this is by far his finest writing. He made Wilkie Collins interesting! WTF?! Amazing.

Narration is fantastic, wish it was the unabridged version

The book is fascinating although i think I still prefer Dan Simmon’s other work. This narrator is perfect for the book. I just wish they also had the unabridged version with the same narrator

Good story and great narrator.

I enjoyed this over The Terror by Simmons, but what really stood out was Simon Prebble's narration. Wow, he captured the emotions and various stages of each of the character's lives. I felt I was taken away to 19th C. England. It was awesome!

Wonderful

a treat for those who know Dickens, Wilkie Collins and Victorian lit, and equally for those who love a good mystery

Interesting take on Dickens

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes. It provides some interesting historical information on Dickens and provides a fascinating (if totally fabricated) take on his unfinished last novel. Since it is told from the perspective of a totally unreliable narrator, there are several passages in the novel that are quite amusing. Since the narrator is clearly envious of Charles Dickens and is also an opium addict practically everything in the book is should be questioned by the reader as to whether or not it is in the mind of the narrator or actually happens.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Drood?
At one point, the narrator believes he has murdered the child of his house servants while they are out. He lures her into an attic space and then walls her in with what he believes are some sort of hellish creatures that are out to get him. Later in the book, the child is mentioned again and is clearly fine. Clearly an opium induced delusion from which the narrator suffers. There are other several other examples in the novel of the narrators delusions.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Laugh on occusion.

enthralling and unique

great mix of history and fiction. dan simmons does it again! with a mysterious and unpredictable storyline!