Casting the Runes

By: M. R. James

Narrated by: David Suchet

Length: 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The tale of a man who unwittingly angers a sorcerer, who is assumed by some Monty scholars to be based on the self-styled 'Great Beast,' occultist Aleister Crowley.

Montague Rhodes James was a noted British mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918) and of Eton College (1918–1936). He is best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature.

One of James's most important achievements was to redefine the ghost story for the new century by dispensing with many of the formal Gothic trappings of his predecessors, and replacing them with more realistic contemporary settings.

'Montague Rhodes James has an intelligent and scientific knowledge of human nerves and feelings; and knows just how to apportion statement, imagery, and subtle suggestions in order to secure the best results with his readers.' HP Lovecraft.

Actor David Suchet is best known for his definitive portrayal of Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective created by the legendary mystery author Agatha Christie, in a number of international television productions. He narrates his story in Poirot and Me.

©1904 M. R. James (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Wonderful short spooky story!

Old fashion creepy story! This was my first M R James story and it will not be my last! It was so grand! A quick bite if you will. The narration was great and the couple of sound effects that were used completely added to the story! Highly recommend! I had a nice case of the chills!

Beautifully executed foray into horror

I’m a huge fan of Jacques Tourneur’s “Night of the Demon” (1957) and finally decided to visit the source of his finest film. CASTING THE RUNES is everything I hoped it would be. David Suchet’s performance is beautifully executed, one of the most evocative examples of “theater of the mind” that I’ve experienced. The story is brilliantly concise, and subtly horrifying. A literary masterpiece.

One of my favorites

The reader is excellent. I have listened to this many times. I wish I knew what the brother said in his sleep.

chilling

what you have listened to this and all the Goosebumps are still fresh the chill is it still in your bones, going fine a lovely little grand jury called the conception of Terror volume 1. this wonderful story it's marvelously modernized offered as a full cast radio drama. some of the characters and names are different. what the circumstances events and the villains methods for which the story is named, remain as ever without comfort or relief. I very much enjoy the stories with Mr.M. R. James I look forward to more from disc reader.

Short Classics

Short Classic story with a great narrator. Will be looking for more by MR James and this narrator.

Great story mildly scary

The narrator made the story
MR James, what a great find so far all his stories have been excellent

Stylishly written short story

Occult elements and mysterious actions make this story interesting while being creative. I enjoyed this look back into the past.

Highly recommend!

Good solid little story. Very entertaining!
Narration was very nice! It was a lovely way to spend my time.

An interesting story worth reading

An interesting story. Cat and mouse game mixed with a bit of a mystery . Well written and very entertaining.

Enigmatic but interesting

Once I looked up the word "runes", I was able to get the gist of this enigmatic story. Not the easiest plot to follow, but David Suchet excels in conveying the darkness and suspense of the tale.