Casting the Runes, and Other Classic Stories of the Supernatural
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Casting the Runes, and Other Classic Stories of the Supernatural
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Narrated by:
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Paul Boehmer
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Gabrielle de Cuir
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Justine Eyre
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Stefan Rudnicki
About this listen
English author Montague Rhodes James (1862 - 1936) is considered by many aficionados the unquestioned master of the modern ghost story, and several of his tales have served as source material for multiple creepy film versions. He broke new ground by abandoning many of the conventions of Gothic mysteries, and substituting contemporary settings, situations, and characters. Nevertheless, as a Cambridge medieval scholar, James was steeped in the esoteric lore of the Middle Ages, and he applied that scholarship brilliantly to his stories.
The four stories in this compilation, not by James, are meant to serve as prime illustrations of the best work of a few of his contemporaries and immediate antecedents.
Contents include:
- "Casting the Runes" - M. R. James
- "Wailing Well" - M. R. James
- "Rats" - M. R. James
- "Mezzotint" - M. R. James
- "Count Magnus" - M. R. James
- "Number 13" - M. R. James
- "Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come" - M. R. James
- "The Monkey’s Paw" - W. W. Jacobs
- "Green Tea" - Sheridan Le Fanu
- "The Screaming Skull" - F. Marion Crawford
- "How Love Came to Professor Guildea" - Robert Hichens
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AND HERE'S A SIX PENCE
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By: M. R. James
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Ghost Stories, Volume One
- By: M. R. James
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
- Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,044
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 917
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Story4 out of 5 stars 913
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-
5 out of 5 stars
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Incredible Narration for M.R. James Classics!
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- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 165
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-
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What listeners say about Casting the Runes, and Other Classic Stories of the Supernatural
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kathleen Kinard
- 06-09-21
Pretty good
But there was only one story I hadnt heard before, so you might want to check that before purchase. Still entertaining, though!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael J Gore
- 05-25-21
Fabulous collection
This is a wonderful collection of supernatural stories that intrigue more than creep out the listener. I recommend this highly.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- BK
- 03-30-21
Excellent Anthology
Masterful stories well read. There was no story that didn't fit nor any of the readers whose voice or reading style broke the spell.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Vulpine from Innsmouth
- 09-01-19
List of Titles
There are 7 tales by M.R. James, and one each by the other authors.
Casting the Runes
Wailing Well
Rats
The Mezzotint
Count Magnus
Number 13
Oh Whistle and I'll Come For You, My Lad.
Other tales
The Monkey's Paw - W.W. Jacobs
Green Tea - Sheridan Le Fanu
The Screaming Skull - F. Marion Crawford
How Love Came to Professor Guildea - Robert Hichens
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alexis☺
- 09-06-20
Exceptional readings of brilliant material
Nuanced readings, not necessarily distracting performances, of brilliantly articulated stories of the uncanny make this collection intriguing, engaging and satisfying.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karl G
- 01-30-21
Good Collection of classics
This was a good and well performed collection of classics horror stories. Some I recognized instantly some I never heard before but recognized influence from them on other stories I have come across.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 06-06-22
Amazing Old School Tales of Terror
I greatly enjoyed these tales of terror. They had a beautiful Victorian Gothic vibe to them. Great stuff.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Callerins
- 10-03-20
Awful Narration
A deep speaking voice is all this narrator has going for him. Poor inflection and no style. It's free, but it still wasn't worth listening for more than 20 minutes. A pity they wasted the excellent stories of M R. James on this.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Silenced Majority
- 07-07-21
Distractingly TERRIBLE Fake British Accents
If you want British accents, hire British narrators! These cartoonishly inept narrators could not pull off a British accent to save their lives. Horrible. Catastrophically awful.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 11-08-20
White noise at best.
I can't even speak for the actual stories because the narration was so dull and monotone, my attention wandered constantly. It was nothing but white noise.
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3 people found this helpful