The Dark Country
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Narrated by:
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Dennis Etchison
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Stefan Rudnicki
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Gabrielle de Cuir
About this listen
Etchison's fiction is justly famous for its creepy ambience, and explores the terrain mapped out by Philip K. Dick, Thomas Harris, and any number of black and white horror movies. This is his legendary first collection, carefully corrected by the author for this new edition. The title story won both the World Fantasy Award and the British Fantasy Award in 1982, the first time a single work received both major awards.
Contents include 16 groundbreaking stories and an introduction by Ramsey Campbell.
- "It Only Comes Out at Night"
- "Sitting in the Corner, Whimpering Quietly"
- "The Walking Man"
- "We Have All Been Here Before"
- "Daughter of the Golden West"
- "The Pitch"
- "You Can Go Now"
- "Today's Special"
- "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice"
- "Calling All Monsters"
- "The Dead Line"
- "The Late Shift"
- "The Nighthawk"
- "It Will Be Here Soon"
- "Deathtracks"
- "The Dark Country"
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After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm’s length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn’t been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before.
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Perfect Audio.
- By Black Women Read Too on 05-19-24
By: Jeneva Rose
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Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry's Definitive Collection
- By: Stephen Fry, Washington Irving, M.R. James, and others
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, Halloween approaches. Come, brave listener, pull up a chair, and spend some time with master storyteller Stephen Fry as he tells us some of his favourite ghost stories of all time, in truly terrifying spatial audio. From the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow to the tortured spirits of M.R. James, from Edgar Allan Poe’s terrifying tale of a doppelganger to Charlotte Riddell’s Open Door that should definitely stay shut, join Stephen as he tells you some truly terrifying tales.
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Wonderful narration. Mediocre stories.
- By Michael Fuchs on 11-07-23
By: Stephen Fry, and others
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Technically Speaking
- By: Michael Elliot
- Narrated by: Coco Jones, Keith Powers, Queen Latifah, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 50 mins
- Original Recording
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Oakland-bred LaVeesha “Vee” Gilliam (Coco Jones) is a determined single mother of an autistic son and a gifted aspiring coder. When Vee loses her job as a food-services worker at the onsite restaurant at Grapengine, a large Silicon Valley tech company, she’s unable to pay for her son’s much-needed specialized education. By a twist of fate, mistaken identity, and her tech skills, Vee meets Troy Wilson (Keith Powers), the company’s wealthy founder and CEO and a wunderkind in the tech industry, who believes that Vee is a college-educated techie who works at his company.
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Overdue Diverse Representation in Tech!
- By Jatai Pollock on 09-26-24
By: Michael Elliot
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Starship Troopers
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids. Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job.
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The definitive version!
- By Kristopher G. Hesson on 10-03-24
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Slayers: A Buffyverse Story
- By: Christopher Golden, Amber Benson
- Narrated by: Amber Benson, Charisma Carpenter, James Charles Leary, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Original Recording
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Original cast members from the beloved TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reunite for an all-new adventure about connections that never die—even if you bury them. A decade has passed since the epic final battle that concluded Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV). The game-changing spell that gave power to all potential Slayers persists. With new Slayers constantly emerging, things are looking grim for the bad guys.
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A dream come true
- By Anonymous User on 10-12-23
By: Christopher Golden, and others
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Brain Damage
- By: Freida McFadden
- Narrated by: Megan Tusing
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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As Charly struggles to recover from her brain injury, she begins to realize that the events of that fateful night are trapped in the damaged right side of her brain. Now, she must put the jigsaw pieces together to discover the identity of the man who tried to kill her...before he finishes the job he started.
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Who Else Laughed, Cried, and Shuddered?
- By Jennifer Chichester on 09-16-22
By: Freida McFadden
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Only a few decent stories in this bunch.
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It’s soooo gross but i totally enjoyed it
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Going to Cabin Green alone after the death of his fiancee was Ben's first mistake. His second mistake was tempting fate by saying, "There's no such thing as an evil building." Now he's caught in a nightmare of his own making deep in the woods of Northern Michigan. Even worse, a family history of mental illness makes it impossible for him to know if the ghosts haunting the cabin are real or all in his head.
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Good gravy what did I just listen too?
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Stacy Gonzales, an 18-year-old psychology major student at Harvard University, is persistent in finding her friend Nicole. Follow her pursuit as she tries to find her missing roommate Nicole, only to find out that she had been abducted by the notorious “campus murderer”.
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The Wise Friend
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Patrick Torrington’s aunt Thelma was a successful artist whose late work turned towards the occult. While staying with her in his teens, he found evidence that she used to visit magical sites. As an adult, he discovers her journal of her explorations, and his teenage son Roy becomes fascinated, too. His experiences at the sites scare Patrick away from them, but Roy carries on the search, together with his new girlfriend. Can Patrick convince his son that his increasingly terrible suspicions are real, or will what they’ve helped to rouse take a new hold on the world?
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Worth a Credit
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The Hungry Moon
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Isolated on the moors of northern England, the town of Moonwell has remained faithful to their Druid traditions and kept their old rituals alive. Right-wing evangelist Godwin Mann isn’t about to let that continue, and his intolerant brand of fundamentalism has struck a chord with the residents.
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Creeping, Deranged, Cosmic
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Only a few decent stories in this bunch.
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After a not-so-entertaining evening at a "haunted house," the Gibsons go about their unconventional routines on Halloween day. Little do they realize, the free passes to another haunted house experience they received upon exiting THE DARK SIDE OF HELL are tickets to the most horrifying times of their lives.
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It’s soooo gross but i totally enjoyed it
- By Deedee on 08-25-24
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The Haunting of Cabin Green
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Going to Cabin Green alone after the death of his fiancee was Ben's first mistake. His second mistake was tempting fate by saying, "There's no such thing as an evil building." Now he's caught in a nightmare of his own making deep in the woods of Northern Michigan. Even worse, a family history of mental illness makes it impossible for him to know if the ghosts haunting the cabin are real or all in his head.
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Good gravy what did I just listen too?
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Patrick Torrington’s aunt Thelma was a successful artist whose late work turned towards the occult. While staying with her in his teens, he found evidence that she used to visit magical sites. As an adult, he discovers her journal of her explorations, and his teenage son Roy becomes fascinated, too. His experiences at the sites scare Patrick away from them, but Roy carries on the search, together with his new girlfriend. Can Patrick convince his son that his increasingly terrible suspicions are real, or will what they’ve helped to rouse take a new hold on the world?
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Worth a Credit
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The Hungry Moon
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Isolated on the moors of northern England, the town of Moonwell has remained faithful to their Druid traditions and kept their old rituals alive. Right-wing evangelist Godwin Mann isn’t about to let that continue, and his intolerant brand of fundamentalism has struck a chord with the residents.
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Creeping, Deranged, Cosmic
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It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives - an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie are looking forward to two days of boys, booze, and fun-filled luxury. But what starts out as fun turns twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine. And things only get worse from there. When a mysterious killer begins picking them off one by one, there's no escape. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on one another, can Meg find the killer before more people die?
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Think "And then there were none" for teens
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it was ok.
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The peaceful life of a village in Wiltshire is suddenly shattered by a disaster which strikes without reason or explanation, leaving behind it a trail of misery and horror. A yawning, bottomless crack spreads through the earth, out of which creeps a fog that resembles no other. Whatever it is, it must be controlled; for wherever it goes it leaves behind a trail of disaster as hideous as the tragedy that marked its entry into the world. The fog, quite simple, drives people insane.
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not bad but a bit dated
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At the end of the world, he's the last person you would want to save you, but here you are, running from them, and reaching out for him. This is not an audiobook about zombies. This is an audiobook about people, terrible people, just like you and just like me. This is a modern zombie tale of love, death and destruction. Set in the black heart of Los Angeles on the eve of the apocalypse.
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This is NOT your average zombie book.
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Tripping Over Twilight
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Horror favorite T.W. Grim invites you to pull up a chair and watch the sun slip past the horizon with this dark and macabre collection of short stories.
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Unique stories!
- By Anonymous User on 07-10-24
By: T.W. Grim, and others
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Terrified
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Megan Keeler died years ago - or so everyone believes. In fact, she disappeared to escape from her sadistic husband, Glenn. When dismembered body parts were found near their home, Glenn was convicted of his wife's murder. And Megan, terrified for her unborn child's safety, never came forward with the truth.... Since then, Megan has built a new life in Seattle for herself and her son, Josh. She's never forgotten that she's a fugitive, and Josh knows nothing about her past. But someone does. There are anonymous emails and threats, just as she learns Glenn has been released from prison.
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Good not Great...
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Twice Cursed
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Take a trip to a terrifying carnival and uncover the secrets within, solve a mysterious puzzle box and await your reward, join a travelling circus and witness the strangest ventriloquist act you've ever seen. In this follow-up to the bestselling Cursed: An Anthology, you'll unearth curses old and new. From a very different take on Snow White, to a new interpretation of The Red Shoes, the best in fantasy spin straw into gold, and invite you into the labyrinth.
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Needs A Trigger Warning!!!
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By: Joe Hill, and others
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All the Fiends of Hell
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The red night of bells heralds global catastrophe. Annihilation on a biblical scale. Seeing the morning is no blessing. The handful of scattered survivors are confronted by blood-red skies and an infestation of predatory horrors that never originated on earth. An occupying force intent on erasing the remnants of animal life from the planet. Across the deserted landscapes of England, bereft of infrastructure and society, the overlooked can either hide or try to outrun the infernal hunting terrors. Until a rumour emerges claiming that the sea may offer an escape.
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Excellent supernatural post-apocalypse
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Danse Macabre
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From the author of dozens of #1 New York Times bestsellers and the creator of many unforgettable movies comes a vivid, intelligent, and nostalgic journey through three decades of horror as experienced through the eyes of the most popular writer in the genre. In 1981, years before he sat down to tackle On Writing, Stephen King decided to address the topic of what makes horror horrifying and what makes terror terrifying.
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loved it
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Dark Harvest
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Halloween, 1963. They call him the October Boy, or Ol' Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack. Whatever the name, everybody in this small Midwestern town knows who he is. How he rises from the cornfields every Halloween, a butcher knife in his hand, and makes his way toward town, where gangs of teenage boys eagerly await their chance to confront the legendary nightmare. Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death. Pete McCormick knows that killing the October Boy is his one chance to escape a dead-end future in this one-horse town.
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Good book
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The Queen
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On a sunny morning in June, Margaret Carpenter wakes up to find a new iPhone on her doorstep. She switches it on to find a text from her best friend, Charity Atwater. The problem is, Charity’s been missing for over a month. Most people in town—even the police—think she’s dead. Margaret and Charity have been lifelong friends. They share everything, know the most intimate details about one another…except for the destructive secret hidden from them both. A secret that will trigger a chain of events ending in tragedy, bloodshed, and death. And now Charity wants Margaret to know her story.
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Loved it
- By Amazon Customer on 10-30-24
By: Nick Cutter
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When the Night Comes Falling
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- By: Howard Blum
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- Unabridged
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Timed for a trial that will capture national attention, When the Night Comes Falling examines the mysterious murders of the four University of Idaho students. Having covered this case from its start, Edgar award winning investigative reporter Howard Blum takes listeners behind the scenes of the police manhunt that eventually led to suspected killer, Bryan Christopher Kohberger, and uncovered larger, lurid questions within this unthinkable tragedy.
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Waste of Money
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By: Howard Blum
What listeners say about The Dark Country
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- desiree
- 10-21-20
Boring
Listen to the whole thing and found it rather bland and uninteresting. I feel like I didn't really understand the point of most of the stories and they left me with questions.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Angel Flukes
- 09-09-20
So boring
I feel bad not giving it it’s full chance by not listening to the entire 7h but one hour in and I had to remove from library. Not gripping, at all, poorly read, and just plain dull, there’s so much better on audible. Just my opinion but I’d keep searching if I were you :/
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16 people found this helpful
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- Joshua Kempton
- 11-27-21
Solid stories
I guess it's the author himself whose narration I find unbearable. His reading cadence is like William Shatner falling down drunk. The other two are fine and, overall, I can recommend it.
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- Justin Goldstein
- 02-15-22
Story good... Book bad
To put it shortly I must have misunderstood the extent at which this title would focus on a dystopian ideal of what medical death could be like..... more than a horror story or rather less than; this collection-cum novel (i say based on its continuity of theme) cannot seem to get beyond the fact and further the ideal of a negative impact to post death donation. Flesh peddling in the age of DNR to this Johnny One Note creation seems to have an interest in brainwashing everybody into believing there is absolute zero value in post-death Exploration which is in fact the evolution of most Medical Science to this date; even some of the horrific trials which were regrettable; by painting an image that no one can die and donate them selves or even their cells without coming under some horrific fate. Said fates, coincidentally in a great many of these stories, seem to rely very heavily on the trope / ideal of Johnny got his gun, the One video by Metallica, and many other Twilight Zone / Creepshow type tropes of the very outdated post death autopsy mythos.....
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- Diane McCormick
- 11-20-20
great stories
found all the stories great. listened to some of them twice. my only complaint is the man with the bass voice was hard for me to understand sometimes. being older, some tones are hard to understand clearly. bass being one of them.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Nikolas P. Robinson
- 02-20-22
A Strange Collection of Strange Tales
The Dark Country collects sixteen short stories from Dennis Etchison's career, some particularly short, and all of them brimming with imagination. Unfortunately, many of the stories in this collection end without any conclusion, needlessly terminating in cliff-hangers that left me less than satisfied. The style of writing and the quality of the storytelling were both great. It was the lack of any real ending to many of the stories that limited my enjoyment at times.
In most cases, I take the time to provide some manner of synopsis for each story included in a collection like this, but I will instead focus on a few of the stories that stood out to me as being the best of those included. In all honesty, some of the more surreal and peculiar tales would be impossible to review without giving everything away.
It Only Comes Out At Night is an excellent way to kick off the collection, as we join a husband and wife on a road trip through the desert. A lonely rest area is transformed into a sinister and horrific place where unknown threats lurk and unwary travelers might never leave. Etchison captures the eeriness and isolation of late-night travel on empty stretches of highway, as well as the almost sinister ambiance of those out-of-the-way oases we find ourselves stopping at against our better judgment. Whether it's because we're exhausted, we require fuel, or we're desperately in need of a restroom, long-distance travel has forced all of us to stop at one of those rest areas or convenience stores arising seemingly from nothing as they appear in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately for the couple at the center of Etchison's tale, this rest area might live up to those nightmare scenarios we imagine.
The cruel and monstrous twist awaiting readers at the end of The Pitch is both darkly comedic and altogether too plausible. A random gentleman offers to perform the sales pitch for a variety of kitchen gadgets in a shopping center, displaying the ease with which any slicing and dicing needs might be completed, with a special focus on the safety mechanisms. Buyer beware. Always check your purchases before use.
The Late Shift builds an atmosphere of mystery and confusion as two young men stop at an all-night convenience store where they swear they recognize the attendant behind the counter. Something isn't right, and their attempts to uncover the truth might just provide an unsettling first-hand understanding of why overnight workers seem a little unusual.
Finally, the collection closes with The Dark Country, a story of a Mexican vacation and horrible mistakes made in response to a series of thefts. This final story showcases both the inherent bigotry of the Americans and the in-group vs. out-group thinking that emerges within the collected tourists as they begin perceiving the locals as predatory outsiders.
The various narrators brought different qualities to light within the stories they performed. It seems as if some thought went into the distribution of stories, to pair each tale with the voice best suited for the narrative in question.
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1 person found this helpful
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- jerry the artist
- 12-06-20
Totally worth the listen.
My only complaint is the overly long intro, another scary story could have been included.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Tiffiany
- 08-19-21
Bait and switch author tag.
The stories were alright, but honestly, why is Ramsey Campbell tagged as the author of this book? It's misleading and need to be refiled under the the true author's name.
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2 people found this helpful
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- martin e.
- 11-11-20
Interesting but odd
Look elsewhere if you are hoping for a good book. Some stories just end or seem unfinished
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2 people found this helpful
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- Christopher
- 07-14-21
Excellent Stories and Wonderfully Read
While a fan of the horror genre, I’d never read the author before. His stories are interesting and unique as well as unpredictable. I’m looking forward to reading his other works.
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