Download the New Releases Audiobooks in Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

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Title: The Man Who Went Too Far: An E. F. Benson Ghost Story

Author: E. F. Benson

Narrator: Greg Wagland

Format: Unabridged

Length: 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-20-11

Publisher: Magpie Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

The Man Who Went Too Far: A Ghost Story by E. F. Benson opens one summers day in a beautiful, sequestered garden on the edge of the New Forest. A forty-something artist visits a friend to recuperate from a debilitating illness but is staggered to discover him looking remarkably young and oddly vibrant. He listens as this boy explains his new found philosophy, expands on the delight he takes in the natural world all around him and describes the strangely haunting music he has begun to hear in the woods and among the reeds. Surely this bucolic idyll cannot last...

E. F. Benson is well known for his Mapp and Lucia novels but his ghost and supernatural stories are marvellous jewels, combining elegant writing and moments of blood-curdling horror. Here Greg Wagland narrates one of the best of them, for Magpie Audio.

Members Reviews:

The Man Who Went Too Far

Would you consider the audio edition of The Man Who Went Too Far: An E. F. Benson Ghost Story to be better than the print version?

Yes, much better. Wagland's calm narration leads you into what seems to be an uneventful reunion of old friends...but soon you begin to wonder what is really going on. Thoughts of Wilde's

What did you like best about this story?

It is unusual, has a compelling story question, and elements of terror, horror, and fear contrast with the extraordinary beauty, peace, and serenity of the natural surroundings.

Which character as performed by Greg Wagland was your favorite?

I liked them all equally.

Who was the most memorable character of The Man Who Went Too Far: An E. F. Benson Ghost Story and why?

Pan.

Any additional comments?

E.F. Benson never fails to surprise me. He can write the most fascinating horror stories as well as brilliant social satire.

fascinating

If you could sum up The Man Who Went Too Far: An E. F. Benson Ghost Story in three words, what would they be?

intriguing little tale

Any additional comments?

it was most interesting to read this little tale with a différence. As a lover of EF Benson's Mapp & Lucia stories, I was keen to read a piece by him from a different genre - indeed I'd no idée that he wrote

A seductive yet sinister midsummer dream

A conversation between two men. One is 35 years old but still has the beauty and vigour of a much younger man. What is his secret? As the story unfolds we learn that beauty has a terrible price, but who can blame him for pursuing its ideals?

I chanced across this story while looking for some short stories and was immediately attracted to the bewitching picture of Pan and the mystery promised by the title. This is a beautifully written story that paints a lyrical and enchanting picture of the English countryside, still haunted by its pagan past. There is a collection of stories by E.F. Benson and read by Greg Wagland and judging by this performance I will be buying them immediately.

POETIC JUSTICE ?

The man who went too far is a poetic piece like a long poem in the same ego as Dorian Grey. In life you can not get away from the pains of existence. Everything has a black & a white a left & a right a back & a forward. A colourful piece of work. Joy & pain are life.

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Title: Richmond Noir

Author: Andrew Blossom (editor), Brian Castleberry (editor), Tom De Haven (editor), Clay McLeod Chapman

Narrator: Charles Bice

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-15-11

Publisher: Iambik Audio Inc

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Selection edited by Andrew Blossom, Brian Castleberry and Tom De Haven.

"In The Air-Conditioned Nightmare, Henry Miller tosses off a hard-bitten assessment of the City on the James: 'I would rather die in Richmond somehow,' he writes, 'though God knows Richmond has little enough to offer.' As editors, we like the dying part, and might point out that in its long history, Richmond, Virginia has offered up many of the disparate elements crucial to meaty noir. The city was born amid deception, conspiracy, and violence...."

"These days, Richmond is a city of winter balls and garden parties on soft summer evenings, a city of private clubs where white-haired old gentlemen, with their martinis or mint juleps in hand, still genuflect in front of portraits of Robert E. Lee. It's also a city of brutal crime scenes and drug corners and okay-everybody-go-on-home-there's-nothing-more-to-see. It's a city of world-class ad agencies and law firms, a city of the FFV (First Families of Virginia) and a city of immigrants - from India, Vietnam, and Africa to Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. It's a city of finicky manners (you mustn't ever sneeze publicly in Richmond) and old-time neighborliness, and it's a city where you think twice about giving somebody the finger if they cut you off on the Powhite Parkway (thats pronounced Pow-hite, not Po-white, thank you very much) because you might get your head blown off by the shotgun on the rack...."

Members Reviews:

Realistic Portrayal of Sections of the City

These slices of lives of Richmonders are intriguing. If you know Richmond, reading this book is like walking alongside the characters, or in some cases, running alongside of them. Stories are fast-paced and all are great entertainment.

Helps You Know the City Better

When reading the stories, I would look up the geographic areas mentioned. Each story does a good job of portraying the demographics and culture of that area. The only complaint I have is I wish the nicer areas of Richmond were mentioned more often.

Not only the "Capital of the South"

Surprisingly raw and refreshing. I first read from my favorite authors and people I have actually met (De Haven, Pinson) and then began the book from its "beginning." However you pick and choose through the stories, you will be grabbed and pulled into the worlds of the characters, people you know, people everyone knows, people you don't "wanna" know...and the secrets that pull at them. Gifted writers in this collection and engagingly varied. We readers get to play "voyeur" and what fun!

Excellent collection

When my step-son Cody gave me this book in way of apologizing for what he did to my lawn (don't get me started), i was hesitant to believe that I would enjoy it. As a life-long Richmonder, I didnt believe that this town had anything in it worth writing about. I WAS WRONG. The stories contained within this volume are great, grimy gems that illuminate the under-side of this town with what my Uncle Otis used to call 'real panache.'

Actually, Uncle Otis would have loved some of the stories in this collection. He was a big reader.

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Title: M. R. James: 'A Warning to the Curious' and 'Casting the Runes'

Author: M. R. James

Narrator: Geoff McGivern

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-12-11

Publisher: The Copyright Group

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Montague Rhodes James, the greatest English writer of ghost stories, was born in 1862 at Goodnestone Parsonage in Kent, where his father was Curate, and spent most of his boyhood at Livermere, near Bury St Edmunds in East Anglia, where his father had become Rector. From childhood he was passionately interested in mediaeval books and antiques. At the age of six, attending his first childrens party, he burst into tears, but was soon comforted by being taken into the library of the house and left there alone. He won a scholarship to Eton and took a double first at Cambridge, becoming a distinguished linguist and mediaevalist. In the years up to 1914 he enjoyed spending his vacations cycling round Europe, the first of his many visits being made with a friend sharing a double tricycle. In 1913 he became Vice-Chancellor of the University, and in 1918 he became Provost of Eton.

A man of formidable learning and enormous quickness of mind, he translated the Apocryphal Books of the New Testament into English, having them published in 1924, and was said to time his breakfast egg by the time it took him to complete the Times crossword. Many of his elegant and terrifying tales were suggested to him by scenes he had visited in Europe or England. Seaburgh, for instance, in A Warning to the Curious, is Aldeburgh in Suffolk. Story-telling was a hobby, and his great reputation is based on only thirty or so stories, written over about the same number of years, from 1894 to 1927. His first collection, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, was published in 1904. He died in 1936.

This volume contains 'A Warning to the Curious' and 'Casting the Runes'.

Geoff McGivern has been heard in many BBC Radio programmes, including Mid-Week, Week Ending and the role of Ford Prefect in the original radio and cassette version of The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. He has appeared extensively on stage including the West End run of The Dresser. On television he has appeared in Mr Pye, Blackadder III, and Chelmsford 123.

Members Reviews:

Excellent story & reading; sound quality poor

Geoff McGivern gives excellent readings of two of M R James' best ghost stories (originally released by Landfall on tape and long out of print). However, even at "Enhanced" format, the audio quality is terrible and the actor's studied tones are clipped and uncomfartably sharpened.

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Title: The Matisse Stories

Author: A. S. Byatt

Narrator: Virginia Leishman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-21-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

A.S. Byatts books shimmer with all the hues of her critically acclaimed talent and imagination. In The Matisse Stories, this Booker Prize-winning author offers three elegant tales that explore the subtle interplays between mind and eye, heart and hand. In the first, Medusas Ankles, a fashionable woman watches her life take on darker, more ominous shades in the mirror of a beauty salon. In the next, Art Work, an eccentric housekeepers alarming eye for color leaves its mark on her employers lives. Each of these stories, including the last, "The Chinese Lobster", is like a finely crafted jewel.

Rich imagery and effortless narratives make The Matisse Stories an unforgettable listening experience. The characters are sketched with a sureness that confirms A.S. Byatts artistry. And through the nuances of Virginia Leishmans eloquent narration, the listener is brought into a rare world of heightened sensibilities and perceptions.

Members Reviews:

Art lover or not, you'll like these 3 short stories.

I really did love this little book. I expected more about some of his famous paintings, but I am familiar enough with his work, (not a student of his work), but I really like it. So, I knew I would not be disappointed by the 3 short stories included in this book.

but the book does not actually revolve around them like the title might have you think

I had to read this book for a class. For a required reading it was decent, but I would never read this otherwise. If you are looking for a book about Matisse, look somewhere else. All the stories in this book mention Matisse's works, but the book does not actually revolve around them like the title might have you think.

As sensuous as paint?

Let's get the worst out of the way first. These three stories range from pretty good to excellent -- with Byatt, how could they not? -- but they make slim reading for a stand-alone book. All the same, two of them at least are polished works of art, all the more fascinating for exploring that no-mans-land between the visual and the literary.

The Matisse connection is both peripheral and central. Peripheral, in that the stories all spring from somebody looking at, or thinking about, a Matisse. Central, in that Byatt attempts to map out the distinction between what can be expressed only in words, what only in paint, and what can be translated between the two. Her choice of Matisse as a touchstone is appropriate; one of the most genial and sensuous of artists, his works appeal directly to the retina and bypass the mind. Or seem to; there is more to him than meets the eye. Two of the three stories make the eye/mind distinction explicit. In one, an artist is tongue-tied discussing his paintings with a gallery owner: "He cannot tell her that they are not about littleness but about the infinite terror of the brilliance of colour, of which he could almost die, he doesn't think those things in words anyway." In another, a critic is said to find "language as sensuous as paint." Both characters into trouble with their views, but Byatt herself tackles the issue head-on.

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Title: The Adventures of Raffles

Author: E. W. Hornung

Narrator: Peter Joyce

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-10-11

Publisher: Assembled Stories

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

'Why should I work when I could steal?' Thus speaks A. J.Raffles, gentleman, the finest slow bowler of his generation and a shameless thief. When Bunny, an old school acquaintance, confesses that he will be dishonourably disgraced for writing cheques that his bank will not meet, Raffles persuades him to assist in a burglary. From that moment, Bunny is locked into a life of crime and, fortunately for his audience, recounts their adventures in a most thrilling way. The stories in this volume are 'The Ides of March', 'A Costume Piece', 'Gentleman and Players', 'Le Premier Pas', 'Wilful Murder', and 'Nine Points of the Law'.

E. W. Hornung was Sir Arthur Conan Doyles brother in law, but Raffles is the very antithesis of Sherlock Homes - yet still a hero and one that the Victorians and succeeding generations, perhaps surprisingly, took to their hearts.

About Assembled Stories: Over the years the national press have reviewed Assembled Stories titles as "excellent", "remarkable", "entrancing", "superb", "magic for sure", "masterly", "wonderful", "a class act", and "a splendid example of audio at its best".

Critic Reviews:

"Peter Joyce is the most remarkable one-man band in audiobook publishing. Joyce, an experienced actor, reads them all himself." (The Independent)

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Title: The Black Monk and Other Stories

Author: Anton Chekhov

Narrator: George Guidall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-07-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Chekhov, noted author, playwright and physician, is one of the most accessible and enjoyable of the Russian writers. He writes about lifes routines in a way that encompasses the heights and depths of human emotion all in the span of a day, or even a meal. This recording includes four of his most acclaimed short stories, including: "The Black Monk", "The House with the Mezzanine", "The Peasants", and "Gooseberries".

Editorial Reviews:

Anton Chekhov's mastery of the short story is well represented in this collection. Chekhov illustrates the human condition in late imperial Russia. His portraits of a walk in the country, a family meal or a visit with a friend capture life's sublime moments as well as its disillusionment, its happiness and grief. George Guidall's skillful narration brings Chekhov's characters to life, making his stories more accessible and his prose even more memorable.

Members Reviews:

1.5 Great Chekhov Stories

Chekhovs short story The Black Monk is one of my favorite stories and Chekhov is my favorite author of short stories and I love short stories in general. This reading of The Black Monk was excellent and the narration is good throughout, but the other stories were not among my favorites. Each was nice, and The Peasants was good, but none were close to The Black Monk. It was only worth a whole credit because I like The Black Monk so much and will listen to it in the future.

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Title: Exciting Exploration Collection

Author: L. Ron Hubbard

Narrator: Daley Daley, Owen Sun, Jason Faunt, Keli Daniels, Brooke Bloom, Thomas Silcott, Tait Ruppert, Crispian Belfrage

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-03-11

Publisher: Galaxy Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Experience the exciting explorations in this audio collection by L. Ron Hubbard. Featured here are Golden Hell , Yukon Madness, The Headhunters, The Trail of the Red Diamonds and All Frontiers are Jealous.

Golden Hell

An American mining engineer, Captain Humbert Reynolds, has gold fever - an elusive ailment that cloaks rational thought and drives men across endless plains and daunting mountain peaks to seek their quarry. Ignoring all warnings and signs of treachery, Reynolds travels to the barren expanses of the Gobi Desert in search of the glittery gold.

Yukon Madness

Itauk the Madman has spread death to the Yukon, throwing the bodies of his victims to his sled team of 12 wolves. Tracking him down are Canadian Mountie Tommy McKenna and his partner, Simmons but when the pair separate to hunt for food, Itauk attacks Simmons and lets his wolves make an unmentionable feast that Tommy later discovers on his return to camp.

The Headhunters

Tom Christian embarks on a perilous jungle journey for gold that's already cost the life of his partner. And waiting for him deep in the Solomon Islands is the man responsible for his partner's murder, who wants to trap Christian and grab the treasure for himself.

The Trail of the Red Diamonds

Lieutenant Jonathan Daly sets out on a fateful expedition into the depths of China to unearth a fabulous fortune in red diamonds, leading him down a dark maze of betrayal, espionage and death - with more on the line than he ever expected.

All Frontiers are Jealous

American engineer Dan Courtney attempts to survey a railway route through the jungles of central Africa, only to be sidetracked when he discovers that an alluring American woman has been kidnapped by the fearsome Dinka warrior tribe.

The complete list of narrators includes Christina Huntington and Jim Meskimen.

Critic Reviews:

"Hubbard was a popular pulp writer, and it's easy to see why: his enthusiasm for his material and his lively writing style drive the reader through the story at breakneck speed." (Booklist)

"A master of adventure." (Anne McCaffrey)

"...unabashedly entertaining books." (Kevin J. Anderson)

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Title: Wild Western Collection

Author: L. Ron Hubbard

Narrator: R. F. Daley, David O' Donnell, Luke Baybak, Corey Burton, Bob Caso, Edoardo Ballerini, Phil Proctor, Rob Paulsen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-02-11

Publisher: Galaxy Audio

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Saddle up and enjoy this L. Ron Hubbard western audio collection. Included are: Devil's Manhunt, Under the Diehard Brand, Branded Outlaw, Six-Gun Caballero and Cattle King for a Day.

Devil's Manhunt

Striking gold, Tim Beckdolt is a man on the brink of a new life - until a killer forces him at gunpoint to mine it - jumping his claim. Tim manages to escape, but soon finds himself being pursued like an animal in a bloodthirsty manhunt through vicious terrain.

Under the Diehard Brand

When Lee Thompson is making the long journey from Texas to Montana to see his aging father, he gets wind of the fact that the old man, one Sheriff Diehard Thompson, is losing control over Wolf River's town troublemakers. So, Lee decides to step in.

Branded Outlaw

When Lee Weston's father writes him that an old enemy, Harvey Dodge, is back in town, Lee rides out in a hurry from Wyoming to Pecos, New Mexico, only to find his father murdered and the family ranch burned to the ground. Certain that Dodge is to blame, Lee sets off to settle the score but gets into a fiery Colt showdown in the town of Pecos.

Six-Gun Caballero

Michael Patrick Obanon, proud owner of a 100,000-acre spread willed to him by his father, suddenly loses his entire inheritance when a band of criminals makes false claims on the ranch. Faced with having to save his property and his people, Obanon takes a courageous stand against the renegades.

Cattle King for a Day

Chinook Shannon seeks the real identity of the man who killed his grandfather and is now after his ranch - with forgery, sabotage and murder riding by his side.

The complete list of narrators includes Jim Meskimen and Josh R. Thompson.

Critic Reviews:

"Shoot-'em-up action, bad bad guys, heroes cut from the cloth of classic Western heroes, true love, and the final resolution as law and order and justice triumph." (KLIATT)

"A master of adventure." (Anne McCaffrey)

"...unabashedly entertaining books." (Kevin J. Anderson)

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Title: Air Adventure Audio Collection, Volume 1

Author: L. Ron Hubbard

Narrator: R. F. Daley, Shannon Evans, Shane Johnson, Jim Meskimen, Bob Caso, Jason Faunt, James King, Tamra Meskimen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-29-11

Publisher: Galaxy Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Fly high with L. Ron Hubbard's aerial adventure audio collection. Included are: Sabotage in the Sky, On Blazing Wings, Wind-Gone-Mad, Sky Crasher and Hurtling Wings.

Sabotage in the Sky

Pilot Terry Lee has taught Bill Trevillian everything he knows about flying, enough that Bill's now considered the ace of American test pilots just as war breaks out in World War II Europe. Unknown to Bill, Terry's also taught his own kid sister, Kip, who's now almost as good a pilot as Bill and quite the looker to boot.

On Blazing Wings

David Duane, artist, adventurer and air ace, discovers his destiny awaiting him inside a mystery-shrouded Finnish city of golden minarets. As Duane bravely confronts and challenges his fate, the action swirls to an explosive climax amidst a fierce aerial dogfight with an unexpected toll.

Wind-Gone-Mad

In a tale played out during the last days of pre-World War II China and the rise of Communism, Jim Dahlgren, representative of the Amalgamated Aeronautical Company, has had enough of the fatalistic brand of diplomacy from other nations that claim to want a united China.

Sky Crasher

Caution is a second-generation ace pilot desperately trying to bury his past and the memories of his father - a daredevil barnstormer who perished trying to wow crowds and killed Caution's mother from the shock. When the US Post Office puts its international delivery service up for grabs to the first airline that can successfully circumnavigate the globe and outperform every other airline, Caution's boss presses him into competing for the contract.

Hurtling Wings

Racer and test pilot Cal Bradley flies in the National Air Meet to capture valuable air mail contracts. But Cal faces an unscrupulous competitor and a gorgeous dame who may spell his ruin as the planes take flight.

The complete list of narrators includes Tait Ruppert and Paul Wertheimer.

Critic Reviews:

"...unabashedly entertaining books." (Kevin J. Anderson)

"A master of adventure." (Anne McCaffrey)

"A master of the fast-action short story." (Robert A. Heinlein)

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Title: The Monster

Subtitle: A Stephen Crane Story

Author: Stephen Crane

Narrator: Deaver Brown

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-05-11

Publisher: Simply Media

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

"The Monster" is considered one of Crane's top four stories, but is left out of many collections. Don't miss it. It's a wonderful telling about the town of Whilomville, in which Henry Johnson lives and other Crane stories are set as well, including "The Knife". Henry is a buddy of the Doctor's son, Jimmie. They mutually discuss the Doctor, his doings, and their shortcomings. Henry takes care of the Doctor's place, drives him on his country rounds, and serves as a mentor to Jimmie.

Henry is a handsome black man respected and watched in the community. He has style and panache. He struts like a lord in his finery while having a good word for everyone.

One night there is a terrible fire, which turns out to be at the Doctor's. Henry bravely saves Jimmie, but is permanently scarred in the process. The town is scarred of Henry because of his disfigurement. The Doctor stands up to him because he can. But the tragic last scene, as memorable as any disappointment in literature, is when his wife has invited 16 women over for her Wednesday tea and only one shows up. This one is the wife of the grocer who warns the Doctor that he better get Henry out of town or he will be ostracized. To console his wife he says, "Don't cry Grace. Don't cry." The story goes on with "As he sat holding her head on his shoulder, Trescott (The Doctor) found himself occasionally trying to count the cups. There were fifteen of them." Those 15 cups represent them being cast out of the town's center forevermore. Another Crane beauty.

As with all Simply audiobooks, we provide a commentary in an afterword for those interested.

Members Reviews:

:)

This book was exactly what I needed for my class! Thank you so much!! Great purchase, speedy service, great condition!!