The Black Cat

By: Edgar Allan Poe

Narrated by: William Roberts

This is a story from the Fall of the House of Usher collection.

The horrors of the Spanish Inquisition, with its dungeon of death, and the overhanging gloom on the House of Usher demonstrate unforgettably the unique imagination of Edgar Allan Poe. Unerringly, he touches upon some of our greatest nightmares: Premature burial, ghostly transformation, words from beyond the grave. Written in the 1840s, they have retained their power to shock and frighten even now.

Also in this collection of Poe's tales of mystery and imagination: "The Black Cat", "The Facts in the Case of M Valdemar", "The Cask of Amontillado", "Ligeia", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Masque of the Red Death", "The Premature Burial", and "The Raven".

Public Domain (P)2003 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

Critic reviews

"Those who thought only Basil Rathbone could narrate Poe are in for a surprise and a treat. The no-nonsense William Roberts narrates a production mercifully free of frills. No unnecessary music or sound effects interfere with the brilliance of the writing or the purity of the performance." ( AudioFile)

Great

This is my first book on audible. Loved the story telling and the story line!

Great narration!

What does William Roberts bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

William Roberts's narration is really good! He really conveys the emotions and despair of the character.

Classic

How did he do it? How did Edgar come up with these stories? It's a story we've probably heard before, because HE was one of the first to write them. He was so ahead of his time. The narrator does a great job. He really makes you feel as though he himself did it lol

You can never go wrong is some classic Poe

In classic Edgar Allen Poe we have a story of yet another man claiming to be sane when he is anything but giving descriptive detail of the horrific exploits of his life.

A Black Cat

A great classic by Edgar Allen Poe. Up there with the Tell Tale Hart, a classic tale of a perfect murder being thwarted by the fear of the murder.

Poem of Distress

Would you listen to The Black Cat again? Why?

No. While it is a work of art, and Poe is known for his macabre manner, I found the disregard for life of any form even in metrical verse distasteful. It was hard to rally a satisfaction of the author being turned in by the phantom feline in the midst of all the dark pleasures of the deeds.

Has The Black Cat turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, it has not. I will take art in how it is presented and form my own opinion of the body of work. This is how we should review art in all its forms.

Which character – as performed by William Roberts – was your favorite?

In this case I had no favorite character.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

The narrator was very good and his tone if not the context was enjoyable.

Amazing!!

I loved how this was spoken. I love Edgar Allan Poe so much and I wanted to hear it instead of reading and I thought it was beautiful thank you for doing this!!