Blithecraft

An Anthology of Weird Tales

By: C.R. Tyroak

Narrated by: Gareth Richards

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

A blithely return to the eccentric craft of weird short stories. Tales of other dimensions, eldritch beasts, and seditious sirens. Ancient witchcraft, necromancers, and giant arthropods. Worlds of past, present, and future are presented in a classical style with contemporary beguile. From the fishing port of Temple Blithe to the Cumbrian fells. From ancient woodlands to alien observatories.

 This compelling collection will engage the lovers of horror, fantasy, and science fiction and marry their eccentric desires in the church of Blithecraft. Twelve stories suitable for the discerning fantasist.

©2018 C.R. Tyroak (P)2019 C.R. Tyroak

The Department of Snitches and Other Weird Tales

I love horror anthologies, they remind me of buffets, you get to have a little of everything. Usually collections are a mixed bag of good and bad, but that is the nature of collections. Overall I would say that these were all equally rounded and while only one stood out to me, they were in general, fun stories. I thought that this encompassed a wide spectrum of tales and it sounded like they not only spanned style, but they also spanned time. I felt that as the book progressed the stories sounded to move through time as well. I wouldn’t really call any of these stories really horror as I didn’t find any of them scary, although they were bizarre and weird in nature. Fans of older strange tales will most likely really enjoy these stories. Gareth Richards did a good job with the narration. He has a strong accent that paired well with the stories. His cadence and overall narration really made the stories much more interesting. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Great Short Stories!!

I found these tales to be very intriguing and well written. The author is well spoken and very descriptive so I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them. I will certainly be searching for books from this author again!

the craft is alive and well

The first thing to note is that the writing has craft to it, like an artist staying true to their art. These stories are thought-provoking and dynamic. The narrator does a good job of bringing them to life.

Wonderful Weird Short Stories!

The weird short stories in Blithecraft are a winning mix of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. C.R. Tyroak’s writing style is lyrical and poetic, and Gareth Richards’ fantastic narration allows one to really sink in and savor the collection. Upon finishing the book, I knew this would be a title that I would listen to again, due to both the enchanting writing and the alluring narration. The stories range in length, but are all relatively short, with many of the longer ones being broken into chapters. I was amazed at the level of detail the author was able to instill into even the shortest tale. Many of the stories feel familiar, like a fresh, and often darker retelling of an old tale. To my delight, several stories had unexpected twists. The author’s brilliant satirical dry humor can be found throughout the book, which lends an uplifting note to the overall darker theme. I believe anyone who has had a frustrating encounter with a bureaucratic agency will find The Department of Snitches and Bitches to have a particularly satisfying ending. I found the theme of The Vectors to be especially alarming, and I was pleasantly surprised by The Rainbow Bridge, a moving tale that reads like Native American mythology. I could listen to Gareth Richards read a phone book out loud and never tire of his lavish narration style. This may be in part to my longing to listen to strongly accented English in lieu of the comparatively boring American English I'm used to, but I do feel his talent as a narrator really brings Tyroak’s stories to life. He draws out sentences slowly which adds a feeling of suspense, and enunciates words perfectly. He has a wide range of voices and styles, which lends well to a short story collection. I also found his female voices to be pleasant and not overdone. I will definitely be seeking out other stories read by this narrator. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, and highly recommend this anthology to any lover of weird fiction and short stories. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Good book

Some of these stories are really good. Others can best be described as just predictable. The narrator does an awesome job though.

So much fun!

I loved this book, the narrator really draws you into every story, and they move at a great pace. Every story is different, and unique, and paced well enough to make you excited to move on to the next one. I absolutely loved this book, it was fun, and spooky, and one of the most interesting books I've read in a while.

Hauntingly seductive

Tales that set your nerves on edge but an overwhelming desire for more. This well written and narrated anthology leads you on a journey into the bizarre. The lingering feeling of its clutches remain gripped to your soul long after the audio has stopped.

Fun, Weird Tales

Weird tales is something that's hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Sharing a border with horror they're often containing things that could be horrific if the focus wasn't instead on just the slight off-putting nature, or the fact that the characters often cannot understand what they're perceiving. This anthology is another solid addition to weird fiction as it presents a number of tales that as mentioned before aren't really scary, but definitely are closer to that than most else, and the writing and narration is done great in order to let these odd bits of imagination flow to unsuspecting listeners. I received the review code for this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review.

Good story writing and good story reading

I liked most of the stories they were couple of them that I didn’t really understand. My favorite story was bitches and snitches it was really funny it made me laugh.

Weird indeed, and definitely a good time.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Upfront bias disclaimer: I love short story collections. This is one's pretty good, and 'weird' is definitely the right word to describe this one. It's a grab bag of Lovecraft-esque lurking horor, monsters, pulp horror and a bit of humor, all of which are written in completely different styles which makes the collection feel a bit more novel than most. Most of the time when I see this sort of stylistic shifting from a single author the prose tends to suffer as a result, but that doesn't happen here. Not all of the stories are hits but there are several really good pieces in here and the narrator does an excellent job with all of them. I only wish the collection was a bit longer.

Great collection of short stories

Really enjoyable collection, brilliantly written and nicely narrated. Recommended for the something different! Intriguingly enthralling.

Unreal!!

Great writing, enthralling read and brilliant voice over! 10/10. Needs a TV series! The characters are excellent and leaves you wanting to know more about them to the point you cant stop reading/listening. Looking forward to more from this guy!

This craft is in the story

The first thing to note is that the writing has a proper craft to it, like an artist staying true to their art. These stories are thought-provoking and dynamic, at times very poetical. The narrator does a good job of bringing them to life. I appreciate the nod to 'weird tales' as these are definitely stories that would have featured in such a magazine. I hope there is more to come.

Compelling journey

Intriguing deep and a story that needs listening to several times can be read in different ways.

Love this collection

What a marvellous writer and imagination brought fantastically to life by the narrator. If you love the weird, other worldly escapism, try this...you'll love it. This writer deserves such acclaim!!