The Damned & Other Stories of the Macabre
About this audiobook
“And the word that rose in my mind was not the gross description of ‘impure,’ but the more fundamental qualification—‘un-pure.’”
The Damned & Other Stories of the Macabre is Skyboat Media’s second original compilation of stories by Algernon Blackwood, featuring six of his most unique and macabre stories that contemplate the true meaning of reality and nature of the making of the world.
In “The Damned,” a brother and sister visit a recently widowed friend at her massive estate in the countryside, only to discover that there is something corrupted at the heart of this former estate of a dead preacher—something eerily similar to the fire and brimstone in his sermons. “A Desert Episode” sees an unlikely couple finding solace in each other against the ominous presence waiting for them in the Egyptian desert. Then in “First Hate,” a man shares a disturbing story about the early years of his engagement with his hunting party. A tenacious little boy ventures into the forbidden parts of his house looking for the mysterious figures of Sleep and the Ruler in “The Other Wing.” In “The Sacrifice,” after receiving terrible news, a man leads a last-minute mountain trekking expedition with two men he has never met before. And finally in “The Man Whom the Trees Loved,” a married couple living on the edge of a forest find themselves on different paths—called to, and warned away from, the trees—and they must decide whether to listen to those calls or to put each other above all else, above their own natures.
Full Contents:
Introduction by Alison Belle Bews“The Damned”“A Desert Episode”“First Hate”“The Other Wing”“The Sacrifice”“The Man Whom the Trees Loved”
About the author
Algernon Blackwood (1869–1951) led a rich and varied life. Storyteller, mystic, adventurer, and radio and television personality, he is best remembered for his two superlative horror stories, “The Willows” and “The Wendigo.” But in his lifetime he wrote over 150 stories, at least a dozen novels, two plays, and quite a few children’s books as well. By the time of his death, he had become one of the greatest writers of supernatural fiction in the twentieth century.
Paul Boehmer attended his first Shakespearean play while in high school; he knew then that he was destined to become the classically trained actor he is today. Graduating with a master's degree, Paul was cast as Hamlet by the very stage actor who inspired his career path. A nod from the Universe he'd chosen aright! Paul has worked on Broadway and extensively in regional theater. Coinciding with another of his passions, sci-fi, Paul has been cast in various roles in many episodes of Star Trek. Paul's love of literature and learning led him by nature to his work as a narrator for audiobooks, his latest endeavour. Paul is married to the love of his life, Offir, and they live in Los Angeles with their two midnight-rambling tomcats, Dread and David.
Arthur Morey has recorded over two hundred audiobooks in history, fiction, science, business, and religion, earning a number of AudioFile Earphones Awards and two Audie Award nominations. He was an editor at two publishers and has taught writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed. Arthur attended Harvard and the University of Chicago.
Stefan Rudnicki is an award winning audiobook narrator, director and producer. He was born in Poland and now resides in Studio City, California. He has narrated more than three hundred audiobooks and has participated in over a thousand as a writer, producer, or director. He is a recipient of multiple Audie Awards and AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as a Grammy Award, a Bram Stoker Award, and a Ray Bradbury Award. He received AudioFile’s award for 2008 Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Along with a cast of other narrators, Rudnicki has read a number of Orson Scott Card's best-selling science fiction novels. He worked extensively with many other science fiction authors, including David Weber and Ben Bova. In reviewing the twentieth anniversary edition audiobook of Card’s Ender's Game, Publishers Weekly stated, "Rudnicki, with his lulling, sonorous voice, does a fine job articulating Ender's inner struggle between the kind, peaceful boy he wants to be and the savage, violent actions he is frequently forced to take." Rudnicki is also a stage actor and director.
