• Unexplained

  • Real-Life Supernatural Stories for Uncertain Times
  • By: Richard MacLean Smith
  • Narrated by: Bruce Mann
  • Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins
  • 2.7 out of 5 stars (69 ratings)

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Unexplained

By: Richard MacLean Smith
Narrated by: Bruce Mann
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Publisher's summary

In every corner of this earth there are secrets. They are hidden in the dark edge of the woods, nestled in the cold stars, and staring out from a stranger's eyes. And whether they be demonic possession or an unsolved murder, the unknown has always haunted our dreams.

From the hit podcast Unexplained comes a volume perfectly crafted for the curious, the cynical, and the not-easily frightened. Richard MacLean Smith is the expert in the unknown and humbly offers up 10 tales of real-life events that continue to evade explanation. With these chilling stories comes the missing key: a connection to our own beliefs in science, superstition, and perception.

What can a case of demonic possession teach us about free will? What can a cursed box show us about the act of storytelling? What can a supposed instance of reincarnation tell us about developing a concept of the self?

Perhaps some things are just better left unexplained....

©2019 Richard MacLean Smith (P)2020 Tantor

What listeners say about Unexplained

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Decent

This book opens well and fulfills what you might hope it to be. The author can’t help but attempt to explain the paranormal phenomenon at length. They feature elaborations filled with pop science and post modern philosophy. Rendering the title comically ironic.
In short this author is a legitimate paranormal researcher but they watch too much BBC.
Cheers!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, horrible narrator

Narrator has one set cadence for each and every sentence spoken. If you can endure that, read on. Absolutely terrible to listen to.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

good stories, horrible narrator

great stories, unfortunately told by the most irritating narrator I've ever had the displeasure of listening to

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Horrible Narration

Those who buy the audiobook because they are fans of the podcast will be severely disappointed. Bruce Mann’s narration is horrible, made more so in comparison to the natural voice talent of Richard MacLean Smith.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Is it the voice or the tone?

It was good, but the reader was to artificial sounding , no emotion, that’s just my opinion ….

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Terrible narrator!!

I couldn’t do it. Horrible narration. Had to buy the book and read it myself, picturing the authors voice since the podcast is so good.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not Read By Author

this was tough to listen to... I'm a big fan of the podcast so the book seemed like a slam dunk, but for some unfathomable reason the author (who has made a career with his voice already) does not read this book.

normally this would not be a big deal, but the reader they did get sounds awful. nothing against them personally because they are clearly a competent reader, but oh boy. the whole book sounds like he's doing a poor impression of Richard Maclaean Smith done in bad taste. it sounds like a joke... it was so bad I bought the hardcover to read it myself, before giving in an listening.

if you try a sample you'll know immediately if this book is listenable for you. This just seems like the worst choice possible to alienate fans of the Unexplained podcast. it's really sad.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

bad voice actor

love the podcast but the voice actor is just horrible. I couldn't finish the book.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Bizarre narrator- go listen to the podcast!

I've loved Richard Maclean Smith's Unexplained podcast from the very beginning, and have listened to all the podcast episodes multiple times through the years. While his writing is great on its own, his voice and cadence are among the most soothing and centering on air these days, and often times when I've had a very stressful week I'll find myself reaching for old seasons to ride through my weekend chores.

This audiobook, however, is not narrated by Smith, and instead features one of the most bizarre and terrible narrators I've yet heard on Audible. He sounds like an early AI voice trying to imitate Vincent Price. I’m not sure if he's trying to make the stories e x t r a s p o o o k y y y or what, but I actually played some of it out loud to some friends because it was just so unbelievable. I had to put the audio at 1.25x speed just to get through half the book. Perhaps thankfully, Smith has since read ALL of these chapters himself in various episodes of the regular podcast. There's absolutely no reason to listen to this audiobook. At least it didn't have commercials, and was free. Hope nobody else spends their credit before realizing what they've walked into.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Something is wrong with the narration.

Tl/dr: I mean, just listen to the sample and tell me that something doesn't sound right?

First off, I absolutely LOVE this podcast. I was waiting, literally counting down the days for its release. When I finally got it, I was so disappointed with the disjointed narration. I couldn't even finish the 1st chapter. And I eventually returned the purchase...

Its almost as if the producers tried to cut the silence in the pauses between every word,, and every sentence.

Its very "jarring".
There is zero flow to the narration. It almost sounds like a replay of a bad "text to speech" computer program. He emphasizes words that should be emphasized and reads as if he has no idea where anything is going...

Which is crazy - because the author and podcast creator RMS has an amazing voice and would have done a much better job narrating. Hell..., I could do a better job, and I'm not exaggerating.

Hopefully they can "re-do" the audio... but until then, support the podcast...but don't buy this book until it's fixed.

And I dont even blame the audiobooks narrator, I've heard him on other audiobooks, and he sounds completely different - and most importantly.... listenable.

Don't know what happened. Please fix it Audible.

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12 people found this helpful