E.F. Benson's Ghost Stories

read by Mark Gatiss

By: E. F. Benson

Narrated by: Mark Gatiss

Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones) reads chilling tales by the unsung master of the classic ghost story: E. F. Benson.

There's nothing sinister about a London bus. Nothing supernatural could occur on a busy train platform. There's nothing terrifying about a little caterpillar. And a telephone, what could be scary about that?

Don't be frightened of the dark corners of your room. Don't be alarmed by a sudden inexplicable chill. There's no need for a ticking clock, a limping footstep, or a knock at the door to start you trembling. There's nothing to be scared of. Nothing at all.

©2016 E. F. Benson (P)2016 Random House Audiobooks

Wonderful!!

Great collection of the ghostly, ghastly, and arcane by E. F. Benson, and a fantastic performance from Mark Gatiss. Well worth spending a credit on, as I know I’ll return to this book again and again.

I loved the introduction. I’d known that E. F. Benson’s father had been Bishop of Canterbury, and that his siblings were also writers. I’d never read anything about his mother, or really grasped the eccentricity and exceptional quality of the family as a whole. Gatiss’ brief sketch did more to bring them to life than far lengthier biographies. I appreciate restoring what we would now term LGBTQI identities to history, so that we don’t obscure whole aspects of author’s lives.

My Kind Of Ghost Stories

I loved the stories, they was an element of terror, of fear, of ice moving through my veins. I love Mark Gattis as a narrator. he moved through those accents effortlessly and had just the right amount of emotion in his voice to make one's hair stand on their head. I am happy I ran across this little gem.

Not for me

I listened to about 75% of this collection and just stopped. I honestly do not like some of the narrator's voices as they are irritating beyond belief to me, and the stories do not seem to flow well and end abruptly. I had to playback the last minute or so of more than one story to try and understand the ending.

Stick with M. R. James.

Listen with pleasure

Superb combination of story and narration. These E. F. Benson tales are finely crafted masterpieces which virtually demand that you share them with others once your own adventure is concluded. I cannot recommend them too highly.

Excellent!

Fantastic stories by the author and with a truly wonderful, engaging yet soothing reading by Mark!

Partway Through, but Wonderful!

Disclaimer: I have not heard all the stories yet.

Because these are very restrained, atmospheric stories you need to be in the right mood to listen.

Mark Gatiss is a wonderful narrator, perfect at maintaining a calm tone on the surface to give a sharper edge to the events. I get worried sometimes about a single narrator performing dialogue, but Gatiss is excellent at distinguishing characters without distractingly silly voices.

Most Enjoyable!

I do not consider the majority of the stories in this volume to be ghost stories, but they are all unsettling and their composition is excellent. So too is the narration. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys classical writing and a good chill.

Mark Gatiss at his Best

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Mark Gatiss reading those well written ghost stories. It was quite clear from his performance that he not only loves these kind of stories but is a skilled and experienced actor who has a well trained voice.

SATURATED with SUPERB SHUDDERS

This little tome is saturated with superb shudders... the old fashioned way of giving you little fingers of dread
running up your spine and over your shoulder... Deliciously subtle...

Excellent Ghost Stories!

Have you listened to any of Mark Gatiss’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Mark Gatiss is an excellent narrator and does an tremendous job with these tales.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Listened to the entire series of stories on one sitting while working on a knitting project. Kept me thoroughly entertained and engaged.

Any additional comments?

Good creepy fun, especially for those who enjoy old-fashioned ghost stories.