The Lighthouse Keeper

By: Alan K. Baker

Narrated by: Steven Cree

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

A terrifying mystery of the sea. In December 1900, three lighthouse keepers vanished without trace from the remote Scottish island of Eilean Mòr. An emergency relief crew was sent to man the lighthouse. At the end of their month-long duty, they resigned from their posts, and never spoke of what they had experienced on the island. The mystery of Eilean Mòr has never been solved. Until now. In the present, a group of environmental researchers arrives on the island to observe the wildlife. While exploring the lighthouse, now automated and deserted, one of the team discovers a manuscript written by one of the relief keepers, a man named Alec Dalemore.

As a sudden storm moves in, cutting off their escape, the researchers come to realise that Dalemore wrote the manuscript as a warning to all the lighthouse keepers who would come after him. A warning of something on Eilean Mòr and in the surrounding ocean - something ancient and powerful, and strange beyond imagining....

The Lighthouse Keeper is a supernatural tale based on the Flannan Isles mystery, one of the greatest unsolved enigmas in maritime history. Blending factual first hand reports with speculative fiction, the novel takes the listener on a journey to the edge of reality, where the greatest of human fears – the fear of the unknown – holds dominion.

©2012 Alan K. Baker (P)2012 Audible Ltd

Very good

The story was great and weird. The narration was in a Scottish accent which made the story even better. It is a good horror story.

Disappointed. Promising start but...

Started well looking to be an interesting story. But then it turns weird for the sake of it. With a rapid decline into a 'house on the borderlands' /'mountains of madness' pastiche.

I ADORE this book! Totally creeped out!

This book was my first introduction to Alan K. Baker and I can honestly say this book blew me away and I'll explain why. This book captures all the elements I love in a good scare---a dark, brooding mystery, mounting suspense, realistic characters, superb writing and most importantly, ORIGINALITY.

Baker illustrates the spooky atmosphere of Eilean Mor (a Scottish Isle) using fantastically descriptive Scottish diction and powerful imagery. The story itself features two interwoven narrative threads which depict current events and reveal the supernatural mystery of a missing lighthouse keeper. The story centres on a team of Scientists all working for the Joint Nature Conservation Comittee (JNCC) who set up a camp on the island to research marine life. The crew discover the testament of Alec Dalemore, (the missing lighthouse keeper from 1901) and read of his frightening paranormal encounters as they too, encounter something inexplicable and horrific. The testament lends to the story at the same time a revelation of the past, an anchor in the here and now, and a confession of fear and terror. The pacing between these two threads was done perfectly and I really felt it added to the overall experience.

To offer just a small taste of what to expect in terms of paranormal happenings, I want to make clear that this is NOT a ghost story nor is it anything predictable. Between a ruined chapel, strange weather and a white fox with...."something wrong with its face," you will not be disappointed. This book was really spooky and that fox...what the.....#%@^&?!

Narration was excellent and the Scottish accent really authenticated the story for me.

If you are looking for a spooky mystery with supernatural elements and a Scottish flavour, pick up The Lighthouse Keeper!

I could listen a million times

I can listen to this story a million times Stephen Cree performance is amazing it has a great theme would love to see it turned into a movie

Disappointing

The reader was great, the story I found intriguing, but the ending was such a huh? What happened moment that I thought initially it wasn’t finished. Big disappointment. I really don’t enjoy endings with so many loose ends.

Well Done!

Steven Cree is an excellent narrator.
I purchased the written word as well as the narration initially. It was good that I did. I was not aware at the time that the narrator had a strong Scottish accent. At first it was very difficult for me to understand his speech. So, I read along on text with his narration for about 3 chapters. This got me used to the accent and I was able to proceed afterwards in full comprehension without the text.

The way Steven narrates is like sitting by a hearth with a warm fire in winter listening to an engaging and passionate story teller.

This is a very well written tale of lighthouse keepers faced with the introduction of cosmic dimensions beyond their kin.

I recommend purchasing the Kindle along with the Audible narration, unless, of course, you have grown up in Scotland ❤

More of a Lovecraft type of tale

I feel bad not giving the book higher ratings, because I think it was well-written. I’m just not so into this type of horror. It’s based on some type of extra-dimensional world view, and I’ve only read one author who managed to grab my attention with this premise.

I wish I could have given the narrator 4 1/2 or 4 3/4 stars instead of 4. My main issue was the narrator’s inability to imitate any type of American accent - much less that of someone from Alabama. I don’t think I’m being unrealistic by claiming that I’m able to imitate a generic Scottish accent I really can’t understand why some narrators can’t at least imitate a generic Southern accent. The East Texas-Gulf Coast- Arkansas accent is native to me, which is why it so intensely grates on me. I just think that if someone is going to read a character with a Southern accent, at least try to listen to a couple-few (there you go - East Texas) native born Southerners.

However, the narrator never seemed to misspeak any inflections demanded by the script - I.e., questioning, consoling, sarcastic, etc. And I’ve heard many mistakes of this sort over the years that I’ve listened to audiobooks.

This is just my take. I’m sure many other listeners will disagree with me. That’s what makes the world so interesting!

Lovecraft Redux

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend it for Lovecraft fans, of which I am one. It has many of the same elements.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Lighthouse Keeper?

Near the end of the book when the author describes the Walkers of the Eternal Night and the effects upon the humans that they were just trying to communicate with

What does Steven Cree bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

His Scottish accent! I had not listened to a sample because I couldn't get it to play on my phone, so it was a bit of a surprise, though a pleasant and appropriate one.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The way the lighthouse keepers throughout the book understood their vulnerabilities and looked out for each other. The appreciation Alec had for his friend who had saved his life and the lengths he was willing to sacrifice himself to repay that.

Any additional comments?

The ending was a bit abrupt and I am not certain I understood it. It was meant to let the reader decide what happened, I suppose, but I prefer concrete endings.

Wonderful & Spooky

Very well written novel, harkening back to early horror fiction. I see the comparison to Lovecraft and think it's well founded. I would also compare it to Twilight Zone and Fredrick Brown. The excellent narration only enhances the story. The ending is very abrupt, but I liked that. This is not a blood & guts horror story. For this one, you need a vivid imagination.

Lovecraftian readers will enjoy

Great narration, zero complaints there. I went into this book hoping for a good story that touched on real events, I was not aware of the cosmic horror aspect and was pleasantly surprised as I enjoy that genre very much.