Top audiobook picks from AudioFile. Each title gives an exceptional audio experience--a synergy of author and narrator for great listening. Hear excerpts from each title and listen to a candid AudioFile review. AudioFile is an independent source of audiobook views and news. All audiobooks, all the time!
Friday, October 30, 2009
20TH CENTURY GHOSTS by Joe Hill, read by David Ledoux
Hill is a master at creating a high-tension atmosphere that never ceases to pay off with a scare. Narrator Ledoux's performance is dark, brooding, and realistic.
Listen now. Time 2:58
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 1.7 MB
POE'S CHILDREN edited by Peter Straub, read by Mark Bramhall, Cassandra Campbell, et al.
Straub collects some of the best of today's work in the horror genre. This anthology of 23 stories is written by both popular and little-known writers.
Listen now. Time 2:59
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 1.7 MB
BATS AT THE BEACH by Brian Lies, read by Chris Sorensen
What do bats do at the beach? The same thing you and I do! Join the bats for a wonderful beach day—well, actually, night. Sorensen's clear voice along with his cadence and pacing allow the listener to enjoy the story's rhyme scheme. A great addition to a listening library for listeners ages 4 to 6.
Listen to the excerpt now (no download required). Time 2:30
EDGAR ALLAN POE AUDIO COLLECTION by Edgar Allan Poe, read by Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone
These vintage recording of Poe's stories and poems feature the famous voices of Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone. Both actors know how to make the material chill the listener.
Listen now. Time 4:10
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 4.8 MB
The Voices of Edgar Allan Poe: A Conversation with Yuri Rasovsky
In celebration of Halloween and Edgar Allan Poe's bicentennial, Robin Whitten speaks with contributing editor Yuri Rasovski about his experience producing an audio drama version of "The Cask of Amontillado" (listen to the audio drama here).
Listen now. Time 7:25
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 8.5 MB
SoundReview support comes from Harper Audio, Scholastic Audio, Hachette Audio, and Full Cast Audio.
CHILLING GHOST STORIES with stories by M.R. James, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Ambrose Bierce, Charles Dickens, read by Anthony Donovan
In another collection of classic tales, we hear British reader Anthony Donovan spin out selections from familiar authors. Even on a bright day, the stories can have a chill.
Listen now. Time 3:31
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 2.21 MB
Narrator Lee gives a superb performance of the malevolent Count Dracula, the original vampire. His relaxed, low tone, precise timing, and eerie vocal inflections work perfectly for this horror reading.
Listen now. Time 2:52
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 3.3 MB
The Voices of Edgar Allan Poe: A Conversation with William Roberts
In celebration of Halloween and Edgar Allan Poe's bicentennial, Robin Whitten speaks with William Roberts, narrator of THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, AND OTHER TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION.
Listen now. Time 8:20
Download now as an mp3 file.
SoundReview support comes from Harper Audio, Scholastic Audio, Hachette Audio, and Full Cast Audio.
GREAT CLASSIC HORROR with stories by Ambrose Bierce, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, et al., read by Geraint Wyn Davies
Davies gives these tales of horror and suspense an astute performance, underscoring the timeless power of the 19th-century works. He is attuned the emotional flourishes and flow in each story, but never overdoes it.
Listen now. Time 3:48
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 2.2 MB
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM & OTHER TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION Edgar Allan Poe, read by William Roberts
This collection contains some of Poe's most popular and well-known stories. Roberts's performance is mercifully free of frills--no unnecessary music or sound effects interfere with the brilliance of the writing or the purity of the performance. Join the conversation on Facebook!
Listen now. Time 3:09
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 1.9 MB
FROM SHAKESPEARE—WITH LOVE by William Shakespeare, read by David Tennant, Juliet Stevenson, Anton Lesser, et al.
Naxos AudioBooks and David Timson offer a collection of the best of Shakespeare's love sonnets in celebration of the 400th anniversary of their first appearance in print. They’re perfect for audio. Director Timson lets the poems speak for themselves through the voices and interpretations of a group of diverse and talented actors. We are treated to some of the Bard's lesser-known sonnets as well as some of his most famous.
Listen now. Time 2:21
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 1.4 MB
IN THE PRESIDENT'S SECRET SERVICE by Ronald Kessler, read by Alan Sklar
This taut, true narrative recounts familiar plots and unveils never-released information about assassination attempts throughout our history. Narrator Sklar is the only voice reading today who can perfectly capture the ominous threats and heroic deeds described in this book.
Listen now. Time 3:08
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 3.6 MB
DRAGON TALES by Kenneth Grahame and Edith Nesbit, read by Bertie Carvel and Emma Gregory
Young listeners can roam the worlds of dragons—from the days of Saint George to the time of the first airplane—in this collection of tales. Carvel and Gregory narrate with tones of fondness and gentle animation. We appreciate their soothing voices, rich personalities, crisp British accents, and subtle narrative drive. Ages 8 and up.
Listen now. Time 2:18
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 1.4 MB