Fear and Paranoia, in...

---Tales From The Vault, Episode 17---

SYNOPSIS/SUMMARY:

"The Terror" focuses on narrator Monsieur Raymon and his descent into insanity. At the beginning of the story, he tells the reader that he is going to be married simply because recent events caused him to have an irrational fear of being alone. Raymon tells us the tale of how one night after arriving home, he sees someone sitting in his armchair by his fireplace...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Produced, translated and narrated by David Sweeney-Bear (c)2021 https://buymeacoffee.com/dsbaudio

More full-length audiobooks at https://dsbaudio.com

MUSIC: Fantasia in F minor by Franz Schubert

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FEATURED PODCAST:

The Afterworlds Podcast - available through all audio podcast platforms

Bram Stoker Audiobook: "The Judges House" | Rats inhabit an old house, in...

---Tales From The Vault, Episode 18---

SYNOPSIS/SUMMARY:

A student arrives in a small town looking for a quiet place to stay while preparing for his examination. Making light of the local superstitions, he moves into an old mansion where a judge notorious for sending people to the gallows once lived. He is comfortably settled and engrossed in his work when, in the middle of the night, he is visited by an enormous rat with baleful eyes. He soon learns why the locals fear the Judge's House.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Produced, and narrated by David Sweeney-Bear (c)2021 https://buymeacoffee.com/dsbaudio

More full-length audiobooks at https://dsbaudio.com

MUSIC: Michele Esposito - Sonata for Violin and Piano in E Minor Op 46 - I. Allegro moderato

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check out the featured podcast: Murray Mysteries - A gothic-comedy audio retelling of Bram

Stoker's Dracula - https://knovesstorytellingcollective.wordpress.com/

🔫A Time-Travelling Assassin, in...

---Tales From The Vault, Episode 16---

SYNOPSIS/SUMMARY:

A prison inmate is given a second chance...The man, Conger, must go back in time and kill a mysterious and religious leader (the Founder) who gave just one speech before disappearing. The only clue to his identity is a yellowed 200 hundred year old skull. He travels back in time to a small town near Denver in 1960 and waits for his target.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Philip K. Dick's "The Skull" (first published in 1952), is one of my favourite short stories and it was a great pleasure to narrate.

Enjoy the story... And do let me know what you thought in the comments below :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Produced and narrated by David Sweeney-Bear (c)2021 https://buymeacoffee.com/dsbaudio

More full-length audiobooks at https://dsbaudio.com

MUSIC: "My Good Lord Done Been Here" - Aunt Hampton, recorded: Livingston, Alabama, May 29, 1939 by John Lomax https://www.loc.gov/item/lomaxbib000443/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FEATURED PODCAST:

https://www.letsstartacultpodcast.com/ - by Josh Schell

A Man Is Re-Animated Over and Over, in:

---Tales From The Vault, Episode 15---

Our protagonist is saved from drowning, only to find himself the subject of bizarre experimentation, carried out by none other than his estranged father. Will he escape, or will he perish at the hands of a mad scientist?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was great fun to narrate into audiobook form this classic piece of weird literature told in Jack London's unique style.

Enjoy the story... And do let me know what you thought in the comments below :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Produced and narrated by David Sweeney-Bear (c)2021 https://buymeacoffee.com/dsbaudio

More full-length audiobooks at https://dsbaudio.com

MUSIC: Mozart - Oboe quartet - 2 - Adagio

A Nefarious Plot is Averted, in...

---Tales From The Vault, Episode 14---

[Part 2]

Having heard the bizarre account of Mr Jabez Wilson, Holmes and Watson head to the pawnbroker's premises to investigate. There, Holmes gathers enough information to feel he has solved the mystery and to predict a crime about to be committed. Holmes and Watson, along with Police Inspector Jones and a Mr. Merryweather secrete themselves in an underground vault awaiting the emergence of the perpetrators and hopefully to foil their plans.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Considering the many modernisations and re-interpretations of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, it was extremely rewarding to read the original text as it was intended. I hope you enjoyed it too, let me know what you thought in the comments :)

Produced and narrated by David Sweeney-Bear (c)2021 https://buymeacoffee.com/dsbaudio

More full-length audiobooks at https://dsbaudio.com

MUSIC: Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20

A Sherlock Holmes Detective Mystery...

---Tales From The Vault, Episode 13---

[Part 1]

A pawnbroker, the red-headed Jabez Wilson, approaches Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson with a mystery to be solved. He recounts his tale of having been recruited by an obscure organisation called "The Red-Headed League" and employed by them on account of his fiery red hair. However, he is much dismayed when the league, along with his employment, suddenly disappears. Having listened to the facts, Sherlock Holmes is convinced that a much more sinister plot is at play than might at first sight appear.

Link to Part 2: https://youtu.be/fzx6NWKuDJY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a great pleasure to read this classic Holmes mystery. Of all the many portrayals of Holmes and Watson, my personal favourite is the combination of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Let me know what you thought in the comments, Happy Listening :)

Produced and narrated by David Sweeney-Bear (c)2021 https://buymeacoffee.com/dsbaudio

More full-length audiobooks at https://dsbaudio.com

MUSIC: Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20

**A Young Man Trapped In An Old Man's Body, in...

---Tales From The Vault, Episode 12---**

An impoverished young medical student, Edward Eden, is visited by the wealthy and elderly Mr. Elvesham with an offer to make Eden his heir - but the offer comes with certain conditions that the younger man couldn't have imagined!

This tale featured in the 2016 Sky Arts TV series "The Nightmare Worlds of H G Wells", albeit in somewhat adapted form, starring the great Michael Gambon. In a bizarre case of quirky casting, Ray Winston played the part of the narrator of the series: H G Wells himself! Introducing each story in the series, I never imagined H. G. as "a bit of a bruiser"!

I really enjoyed reading from one of the myriad H G Wells stories, possibly one of his lesser-known works. Please let me know what you thought in the comments :)

Produced and narrated by David Sweeney-Bear (c)2021 https://buymeacoffee.com/dsbaudio

More full-length audiobooks at https://dsbaudio.com

MUSIC: Chopin Piano/Violin/Cello Trio in G Minor

Phantom Echoes In This Nightmare Tale...

---Tales From The Vault Episode 11---

Mr. Izvertzoff, a wealthy Russian landowner, mysteriously disappears while visiting a cavern on his land - the so-called "Cave Of The Echoes". He is presumed to have been murdered and the finger of blame is pointed firmly at his man-servant, Ivan.

Many years after the tragedy, an enigmatic Hungarian traveler and a mysterious Tibetan shaman conduct an eerie ceremony within the cave to determine the true identity of the murderer. Mesmerized by the atmosphere of the place and the ghostly echoes which reverberate through the cave, the onlookers are shocked to learn the truth of what happened to Mr Izvertzoff.

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was a Russian philosopher and author who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. While best known for her occult knowledge and the book "The Secret Doctrine", she also wrote a collection of fictional short stories, collected in a volume called "Nightmare Tales", first published in 1907.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading and producing this story, and look forward to reading a few more of HPB's Nightmare Tales very soon. Please let me know what you thought in the comments :)

Produced and narrated by David Sweeney-Bear (c)2021 https://buymeacoffee.com/dsbaudio

More full-length audiobooks at https://dsbaudio.com

Audio sample for convolution reverb effects is from Inchindown Oil Tanks, Scotland (the longest known reverberation in the world), provided by Matt Gray https://mattg.co.uk

Music: J S Bach: Ciaconna from fifth Partita for Solo Violin, performed by Ben Goldstein

A Ghost In The London Underground... In:

---TALES FROM THE VAULT Episode 10---

In this spooky classic tale, our narrator, is an overnight guest at the house of Anthony Carling. Anthony begins the story with a philosophical monologue on the nature of time, space and eternity.

The story that emerges from this tantalizing beginning contains a paradox: How can one man witness another in a London Underground train station one night, only to meet him elsewhere the following day and discover that he had only just arrived in London that very morning?

After Carling has related his story, in which it becomes clear that he not only met an apparition but also experienced a premonition of tragic events to come, the two men are visited by a ghostly presence. It then transpires that Carling must take action to enable the departed soul to rest in peace.

E F Benson is best known for his “Mapp and Lucia” series of books, but he was also a prolific writer of short stories. “In The Tube” was first published in 1923 in the book Visible and Invisible.

I was inspired to read this story when I first came across it in Roald Dahl’s “Book Of Ghost Stories”, and my portrayal of Anthony Carling is loosely based on the venerable Alan Watts! I hope you enjoy it...

Do let me know what you though in the comments. Happy Listening

Produced and narrated by David Sweeney-Bear (c)2021 https://buymeacoffee.com/dsbaudio

More full-length audiobooks at https://dsbaudio.com

An Egyptian Mummy Is Re-animated.... In:

---Tales From The Vault Episode 8---

In this satire on American scientific culture by Edgar Allan Poe, Dr Ponnoner invites our narrator to the unwrapping of a 5000-year-old Egyptian mummy.

First published in 1845, the story is the earliest known representation of a revived Egyptian mummy.

I hope you enjoy this classic tale, do leave a comment and let me know... Happy Listening

Produced and narrated by David Sweeney-Bear (c)2021 https://buymeacoffee.com/dsbaudio

More full-length audiobooks at https://dsbaudio.com