The Ceremonies

De: T. E. D. Klein

Narrado por: Adam Sims

He stopped, looked back, and saw it: the monstrous black thing staring at him from the tree....

This summer sees the long-anticipated reissue of The Ceremonies, a celebrated masterpiece from a generation ago, now fully corrected by its author. Chalking up the British Fantasy Award for Best First Novel on its original publication back in 1984, The Ceremonies was hailed by Stephen King as the best horror novel since Peter Straub's Ghost Story. It is now included in Horror: 100 Best Books.

From the terrifying vision of its opening scene to the breathtaking horror of its climax, The Ceremonies turns our familiar world into a place of malevolent intrigue and ominous design. In the grip of an extraordinary writer, it plumbs the darkest underpinnings of ancient myth and folklore to reveal an undying evil.

For graduate student Jeremy Freirs, citified, cynical, yet prone to daydreams, summer is the time to shed a few pounds and finally get some reading done for a course on Gothic literature. He's picked just the right place: the small, secluded village of Gilead, New Jersey, only 90 minutes from Manhattan but, with its antique customs and clannish traditions, seemingly centuries away.

For farmers Sarr and Deborah Poroth, young members of Gilead's fundamentalist community, the summer threatens a conflict between their passionate natures and the stern dictates of their faith. For Sarr's widowed mother, gifted with second sight, it promises the frightful awakening she's dreaded all her life. And for aspiring dancer Carol Conklin, a naive country girl struggling to survive in the city, it brings not only the first blush of romance but a lucky job with a kindly looking old man known as Mr. Rosebottom.

But 'Rosie', as he calls himself, bears a more sinister name - the Old One - and a far more terrifying secret. Though the signs are all about them, he alone knows the invisible design that rules these people's lives as they dance unwittingly toward doom: for in the heat of summer an ancient corruption is stirring, an evil rooted not far from the Poroth farm, yet reaching to the city and beyond. The time has come for the Ceremonies, the monstrous rites that will unleash on a despised creation an age-old promise of apocalypse. And to see the scheme unfold, like some deadly flower, is to watch a nightmare come to life.

©2016 T.E.D. Klein (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

Literate Lovecraftian Horror

Literate Lovecraftian Horror, the title says it all. A great listen, well read. Well developed characters, mounting tension, satisfying conclusion.

WOW!

This book was unique and weird too. It had a good plot. Narrator did a good job.

Muffled

I liked the narrator, but the voice came out sounding muffled from the speakers I used. I tried two different speakers, and I ended up turning the volume high to hear the reading clearly. Apart from that, I enjoyed this audiobook very much.

Nest ever!

Yes! This was wonderful, too much to got in to, but I highly recommend. Well written, lots of twists, turns, characters ar dwell developed, it is fast moving and the narrator is wonderful! Can’t get much better!

Exceeded my expectations!

Great story. 1980’s New York Lovecraft with three dimensional characters. Written to make you feel like you are there.

a top 5 horror novel

simply one of the best tales ever told. perhaps you too, should spend a summer at the Poroth Farm.

An incredible Listen

I have obsessively listened to this book on repeat for 2 weeks straight! Great narrator!!

Yawn...

just kept waiting for something... anything. .. to happen but it never seems too.

Over the years…

I keep coming back to this book, I want to say I’ve listened to it about 4-5 times since it came out. It has a hold on me that I just can’t put my finger on.

An all but forgotten classic - finally available!

It's hard to believe that the novel The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein, which began as a novella, The Events at Poroth Farm, was published almost 50 years ago in 1972. Do yourself a favor and look up Dark Gods by Klein, which contains this novella, as well as the incredible Children of the Kingdom (first published in the collection Dark Forces by Kirby McCauley). There are copies of Dark Gods available on Amazon, but be warned; good ones are expensive (glad I still have mine).

I confess I haven't listened to the narration yet, but my excitement on finding a novel that I love available as an audiobook made me take the plunge without hesitation.

T.E.D. Klein has crafted an atmospheric novel of Gothic horror that builds an air of menace with a slow, measured pace that will no doubt prove frustrating to those who are more accustomed to works that try to bludgeon the reader with graphic and often over the top plotlines that stretch credulity to the breaking point. This is a novel of cosmic horror to be read (in this case listened to) alone, by candlelight if possible. For me, The Ceremonies harkens back to a time when one could settle in with a good book, removed from all distractions, and READ with attention and dedication. Yes, dedication is needed if you're to get into and appreciate this world created by Klein: a world where dark and hostile forces gather like an impending storm. A world where reason breaks down under the weight of sinister things sensed, rather than seen. Many great novels build a sense of dread as effectively. Several of these are mentioned in a previous review by oftenevil. I would add Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon to his list as one to seek out.

So now I'm going to close the blinds, turn off all the lights but for one dim table lamp that throws ominous shadows, and let Klein work his magic through the power of narration. I hope you will choose to do the same.