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Narrated by:
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Jon Padgett
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Linda Jones
About this listen
Two terrifying classics by “the best kept secret in contemporary horror fiction” (The Washington Post)
Thomas Ligotti’s debut collection, Songs of a Dead Dreamer, and his second, Grimscribe, permanently inscribed a new name in the pantheon of horror fiction. Influenced by the strange terrors of Lovecraft and Poe and by the brutal absurdity of Kafka, Ligotti eschews cheap, gory thrills for his own brand of horror, which shocks at the deepest, existential, levels.
Ligotti’s stories take on decaying cities and lurid dreamscapes in a style ranging from rich, ornamental prose to cold, clinical detachment. His raw and experimental work lays bare the unimportance of our world and the sickening madness of the human condition. Like the greatest writers of cosmic horror, Ligotti bends reality until it cracks, opening fissures through which he invites us to gaze on the unsettling darkness of the abyss below.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. People trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
©2023 Thomas Ligotti (P)2023 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Thomas Ligotti is a master of a different order, practically a different species. He probably couldn’t fake it if he tried, and he never tries. He writes like horror incarnate.”—Terrence Rafferty, New York Times Book Review
"Mr. Ligotti, winner of three Bram Stoker Awards, is one of our finest writers of short horror, and this volume, reprinting his first two collections (1985, 1991), is an excellent introduction to the sustained storm of dread that is his universe."—New York Times Book Review
“Songs of a Dead Dreamer is full of inexplicable and alarming delights. . . . Put this volume on the shelf right between H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. Where it belongs.”—The Washington Post
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- By: Thomas Ligotti
- Narrated by: Alberto Caneva
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Autore di culto della letteratura americana contemporanea, restio alle attenzioni dei media ma autenticamente seminale - suoi gli incubi che hanno ispirato la prima stagione di "True Detective" -, Thomas Ligotti è unanimamente considerato l'unico, grande successore di Edgar Allan Poe e H.P. Lovecraft.
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Not in English.....
- By Amazon Customer on 04-23-23
By: Thomas Ligotti
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The Betrothed
- A Novel
- By: Alessandro Manzoni, Michael F. Moore - translator, Jhumpa Lahiri - afterword
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos, Susan Vinciotti Bonito
- Length: 22 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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The Betrothed is a cornerstone of Italian culture, language, and literature. Published in its final form in 1842, The Betrothed has inspired generations of Italian readers and writers. Giuseppe Verdi composed his majestic Requiem Mass in honor of Manzoni. Italo Calvino called the novel “a classic that has never ceased shaping reality in Italy” while Umberto Eco praised its author as a “most subtle critic and analyst of languages.”
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How to ruin a masterpiece
- By McMurrab on 10-31-22
By: Alessandro Manzoni, and others
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The Drawing of the Dark
- A Novel
- By: Tim Powers
- Narrated by: Charles Johnston
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Brian Duffy, aging soldier of fortune, had been hired in Venice by a strange old man who called himself Aurelianus Ambrosius. He was supposed to go to Vienna and act as bouncer at an inn where the fabulous Herzwesten beer was brewed. That was clear enough. But why was he guided and guarded on the trip by creatures from the ancient legends? Why should he be attacked by ifrits and saved by mythical dwarfs? What was so important about the Herzwesten beer to the Fisher King—whoever he was?
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Excellent Debut!
- By David J. West on 08-29-24
By: Tim Powers
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Unbury Carol
- A Novel
- By: Josh Malerman
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Carol Evers is a woman with a dark secret. She has died many times...but her many deaths are not final: They are comas, a waking slumber indistinguishable from death, each lasting days. Only two people know of Carol's eerie condition. One is her husband, Dwight, who married Carol for her fortune and - when she lapses into another coma - plots to seize it by proclaiming her dead and quickly burying her...alive. The other is her lost love, the infamous outlaw James Moxie. When word of Carol's dreadful fate reaches him, Moxie rides the Trail again to save his beloved.
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Interesting Concept, Poor Execution
- By Susanna on 04-25-18
By: Josh Malerman
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Daemon Voices
- On Stories and Storytelling
- By: Philip Pullman
- Narrated by: Philip Pullman, Simon Mason
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most highly acclaimed and best-selling authors of our time now gives us a book that charts the history of his own enchantment with story - from his own books to those of Blake, Milton, Dickens, and the Brothers Grimm, among others - and delves into the role of story in education, religion, and science. At once personal and wide-ranging, Daemon Voices is both a revelation of the writing mind and the methods of a great contemporary master and a fascinating exploration of storytelling itself.
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Mixed views
- By Luna on 08-03-19
By: Philip Pullman
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Bad Man
- A Novel
- By: Dathan Auerbach
- Narrated by: Lincoln Hoppe
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Eric disappeared when he was three years old. Ben looked away for only a second at the grocery store, but that was all it took. His brother was gone. Vanished right into the sticky air of the Florida Panhandle. They say you've got only a couple days to find a missing person. Forty-eight hours to conduct searches, knock on doors, and talk to witnesses. Two days to tear the world apart if there's any chance of putting yours back together. That's your window. That window closed five years ago, leaving Ben's life in ruins.
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Given long enough, time makes you aware of itself.
- By T on 08-08-18
By: Dathan Auerbach
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The Wall
- By: John Hersey
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 29 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Riveting and compelling, The Wall tells the inspiring story of 40 men and women who escape the dehumanizing horror of the Warsaw ghetto. John Hersey's novel documents the Warsaw ghetto both as an emblem of Nazi persecution and as a personal confrontation with torture, starvation, humiliation, and cruelty - a gripping and visceral story, impossible to pause.
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Fascinating
- By Phil on 06-14-21
By: John Hersey
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Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov
- By: Anton Chekhov, Richard Pevear - introduction translator, Larissa Volokhonsky - translator
- Narrated by: Jim Frangione
- Length: 20 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, the highly acclaimed translators of War and Peace, Doctor Zhivago, and Anna Karenina, which was an Oprah Book Club pick and million-copy bestseller, bring their unmatched talents to The Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov, a collection of thirty of Chekhov’s best tales from the major periods of his creative life.
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The stories, of course, are great.
- By Eclectic Reader on 03-10-24
By: Anton Chekhov, and others
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Victory City
- A Novel
- By: Salman Rushdie
- Narrated by: Sid Sagar
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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In the wake of an unimportant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for a goddess, who begins to speak out of the girl’s mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa Kampana’s comprehension, the goddess tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga—“victory city”—the wonder of the world.
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Rushdie never fails to engage.
- By Tom on 02-23-23
By: Salman Rushdie
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Veniss Underground
- A Novel
- By: Jeff VanderMeer
- Narrated by: Ron Butler, Scott Brick, Emily Woo Zeller, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in the mysterious and magical city of Veniss, a surreal metropolis that sits over an underground labyrinth of tunnels and mines. In this tale, epic and mythological in scope, VanderMeer takes the listener below the surface of the earth to the dark and decadent future. It’s a world where Living Artists craft works out of biological material, and humans are either tossed out or recycled into something wholly unrecognizable.
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A great follow up to Ambergris
- By Emmitt on 08-06-23
By: Jeff VanderMeer
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In Persuasion Nation
- By: George Saunders
- Narrated by: George Saunders
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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From the number one New York Times best-selling author of the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Lincoln in the Bardo and the story collection Tenth of December, a 2013 National Book Award Finalist for Fiction. Talking candy bars, baby geniuses, disappointed mothers, castrated dogs, interned teenagers, and moral fables - all in this hilarious and heartbreaking collection from an author hailed as the heir to Kurt Vonnegut and Thomas Pynchon.
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Disappointing
- By Cynthia on 06-14-21
By: George Saunders
What listeners say about Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe
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- Mr Dodoman
- 05-15-23
Unsettling and intellectually stimulating.
"Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe" narrated by Jon Padgett is a fantastic way to experience these stories. Padgett's narration is pitch-perfect, capturing the dark, brooding tone of Ligotti's writing with precision and skill. He brings the characters to life in a way that feels both natural and haunting, and his pacing and intonation perfectly match the mood of each story.
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- Norbert
- 02-28-23
Beyond expectations
I don’t usually listen to audiobooks (or leave reviews), but I make a special exception to my usual habits of consumption for anything Ligotti or Padgett. Having so little experience—I have only really listened to two audiobooks before, and both were non-fiction—I didn’t really know what to expect, but I wasn’t *that* pumped. Still, I decided to try it out.
I’m really glad I did. I can now listen to my favorite story collection *and* enjoy Padgett’s clear, passionate performance. This audiobook manages to elevate a classic that means a lot to many of us, and which, if you are anything like me, you have read cover to cover many times, to a new and unique place.
If you’re a Ligotti/Padgett fan and you’re on the fence about this audiobook, I would say it’s very much worth your attention.
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- Ivy Grimes
- 03-01-23
Stories Take on New Life/Death Through Performance
Ligotti's stories are complex in their intellectual and emotional content, and they benefit from multiple readings. Hearing them aloud uncovers new layers of horror and humor. These lively, rich performances entertain while also adding wonderful nuance to the remarkable stories in this collection.
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- Anew
- 02-28-23
Brilliant Narration
A brilliant narration of a crucial author of weird fiction. One can feel Jon Padgett and Linda Jones' enthusiasm for the stories here. Highly recommended.
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- Movie Lover
- 07-18-23
Brilliant stories well told
Ligotti is a master, and he’s well served here by the narrator, Padgett, who is one of the author’s foremost scholars and a fantastic writer of his own work. If you’ve never read Ligotti, this is a perfect introduction to his work.
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- Sean E.
- 07-17-23
The voice of Ligotti
For me, Jon Padgett is the voice of Ligotti’s fiction. His understanding, connection, and insight into the material is second to none. I no longer hear my own voice in my head when I read Ligotti; I hear Padgett. Listen and see why.
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- Christal
- 10-02-23
A must for any fan of dark fantasy!
Hands down the best dark fiction I've ever read, and delivered beautifully by narrator John Padget!
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- Adam P
- 09-27-23
Seemed interesting
I’m a fan of weird fiction, horror and disturbing stories. Seemed like it was up my alley. So much praise for the narrator. To me he sounds condescending or has way too much enthusiasm. Like what I’d imagine a gourmand with a huge feast in front of him, wiggling his fingers and cooing non stop. Half the time I had no idea what I just heard in terms of the greater story being told since he was going up and down the register so frequently. Very distracting. But I don’t know. Maybe that’s the intended tone?
Took a chance and I’m thankful there is a return feature on audible. Might just pick this one up as a book.
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- ObviousBasis
- 12-26-24
Great Horror
Great stories and a wonderful narrator. Sets a spooky mood. This was recommended by a friend as a go-to Halloween listen and it did not dissapoint
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- sean
- 06-26-23
Early Ligotti stories as Community Theatre
I'd been eagerly awaiting an audiobook edition of Ligotti's fiction and jumped at the chance to pre-order this release upon hearing about it. Unfortunately, however, this production is a huge disappointment.
As for the stories themselves, they're a fine collection of Ligotti's earlier works. Two collections of weird, often nightmarish fiction, by the best to ever do it. I'll admit I prefer his later collections to these two, but there is plenty of great work here. That said...
I can't stand the narrator. Jon Padgett insists on using this goofy, jaunty cadence for every story. Overly theatrical all the time. I'm constantly feeling as though he's winking and nudging at me throughout. I'm sure there's a story or two where this might be appropriate, but to do the whole thing like this is insane. I've actually had to stop listening to this audiobook because I feel like he could ruin the vibe for me permanently.
I do hope Noctuary is released in audio format someday, but if so, I hope they find another person to bring it to life. Or just have Linda Jones do the whole thing next time. She did a fine job here.
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