E.F. Benson's Ghost Stories

read by Mark Gatiss

De: E. F. Benson

Narrado por: Mark Gatiss

Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones) reads chilling tales by the unsung master of the classic ghost story: E. F. Benson.

There's nothing sinister about a London bus. Nothing supernatural could occur on a busy train platform. There's nothing terrifying about a little caterpillar. And a telephone, what could be scary about that?

Don't be frightened of the dark corners of your room. Don't be alarmed by a sudden inexplicable chill. There's no need for a ticking clock, a limping footstep, or a knock at the door to start you trembling. There's nothing to be scared of. Nothing at all.

©2016 E. F. Benson (P)2016 Random House Audiobooks

Wonderful!!

Great collection of the ghostly, ghastly, and arcane by E. F. Benson, and a fantastic performance from Mark Gatiss. Well worth spending a credit on, as I know I’ll return to this book again and again.

I loved the introduction. I’d known that E. F. Benson’s father had been Bishop of Canterbury, and that his siblings were also writers. I’d never read anything about his mother, or really grasped the eccentricity and exceptional quality of the family as a whole. Gatiss’ brief sketch did more to bring them to life than far lengthier biographies. I appreciate restoring what we would now term LGBTQI identities to history, so that we don’t obscure whole aspects of author’s lives.

My Kind Of Ghost Stories

I loved the stories, they was an element of terror, of fear, of ice moving through my veins. I love Mark Gattis as a narrator. he moved through those accents effortlessly and had just the right amount of emotion in his voice to make one's hair stand on their head. I am happy I ran across this little gem.

Creepy and unique ghost collection

These stories are part of the British genre of the classic ghost story from the early 20th century. Like others of their kind their kind, these stories have a have a style and atmosphere that is a curious combination of cosy English manners and gruesome haunting measured terror. And yet, they are not descriptions of the typical English ghost, giving us a fresher approach that is entertaining. These tales remind us of those of H.P. Lovecraft, but without the abject insanity found in his characters. In fact, Benson's characters are more like those found in the stories of Sherlock Holmes. These are perfect tales for Halloween.

Not for me

I listened to about 75% of this collection and just stopped. I honestly do not like some of the narrator's voices as they are irritating beyond belief to me, and the stories do not seem to flow well and end abruptly. I had to playback the last minute or so of more than one story to try and understand the ending.

Stick with M. R. James.

Listen with pleasure

Superb combination of story and narration. These E. F. Benson tales are finely crafted masterpieces which virtually demand that you share them with others once your own adventure is concluded. I cannot recommend them too highly.

Excellent!

Fantastic stories by the author and with a truly wonderful, engaging yet soothing reading by Mark!

Partway Through, but Wonderful!

Disclaimer: I have not heard all the stories yet.

Because these are very restrained, atmospheric stories you need to be in the right mood to listen.

Mark Gatiss is a wonderful narrator, perfect at maintaining a calm tone on the surface to give a sharper edge to the events. I get worried sometimes about a single narrator performing dialogue, but Gatiss is excellent at distinguishing characters without distractingly silly voices.

Most Enjoyable!

I do not consider the majority of the stories in this volume to be ghost stories, but they are all unsettling and their composition is excellent. So too is the narration. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys classical writing and a good chill.

Edwardian prime

Excellent language. Beautiful language. Shades of purple, yes, but evocative. Be careful of the Villa and the tower room.

Gatiss and Benson, a superb combination

I have been a fan of E.F. Benson's ghost stories for many years, and I am also a huge fan of Mark Gatiss, so to run across the combination was a true Christmas treat for me! Benson wrote some wonderful classic ghost stories and this is an excellent selection of some of his best, though of course I wish there were more here. He wrote a huge selection, and it would be lovely to have another volume read by this reader.
Gatiss is a superb reader. I wish we could have a collection of him reading M. R. James (the best ghost story writer to ever live, in my opinion) as I know Gatiss is a fan of James also and I feel sure he would read them splendidly. I also wish that Audible would provide us with Mr. Gatiss reading his own books. I know he has provided audio recordings of at least one of his works, how about getting them for us, Audible? Please?