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

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

Art Imitating Art

A cracking good listen that had me enthralled from the beginning. And anyone familiar with the life and works of Dickens and Collins will be fascinated: The author has ingeniously woven fact into an elaborate story that mimics the genre of both writers. This is a very clever, very enjoyable piece of fiction, made all the better by superb narration. Dickens murdering Nancy was a highlight for me.

The Darkness that Follows Us

Creative, creepy interpretation of Dicken's final days and his Dark Side, Drood. Could not stop listening.

Drood review

Drood is one of my favorite novels. I own the unabridged version of the book which is very long but I find the abridged version from Audible somewhat choppy and “missing time”. The abridged version is also missing some of the colorful language that is in the book. Not once did I hear “dear reader“ or “periwinkles”. What I love most about the book is the character development which focuses not only on the individual characters but also on the complexity and dissonance in the relationship between Wilke Collins and Charles Dickens. I truly hope someone makes a spectacular movie about this book. Some of the parts were downright terrifying. Thank you Dan Simmons for enriching my life. Thank you Audible for making it available to your listeners.

Not What I Expected

This story was not at all what I was expecting.
With so much to draw upon, and with so much potential, it was anticlimactic.

The narrator was great, the source material...not so much.

Not my favorite

I will say the reader was great. From reading other reviews, I realized that this book was abridged. Most reviewers they want to wait too long for were disappointed with this, but I have to say I was glad. It went on way too long for me as it is.