Ghost Stories

Selected and Introduced by Mark Gatiss

By: E F Benson, Mark Gatiss - introduction

Narrated by: Mark Gatiss

Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones) reads chilling tales by the unsung master of the classic ghost story - E.F. Benson.

There's nothing sinister about a London bus. Nothing supernatural could occur on a busy train platform. There's nothing terrifying about a little caterpillar. And a telephone, what could be scary about that? Don't be frightened of the dark corners of your room. Don't be alarmed by a sudden, inexplicable chill. There's no need for a ticking clock, a limping footstep, or a knock at the door to start you trembling. There's nothing to be scared of. Nothing at all.

Critic reviews

This collection, selected by that connoisseur of the eldritch, Mark Gatiss, contains enough nastiness to give you just the right kind of frisson for the time of year. (Nicholas Lezard)

Ghost Stories collects nine of his most gruesome stories… Impressively shocking. (Tim Martin)

Spooks galore in E.F. Benson’s nightmare-inducing stories. (Val Hennessy)

[A] master ghost story teller.

Wonderful!!

Great collection of the ghostly, ghastly, and arcane by E. F. Benson, and a fantastic performance from Mark Gatiss. Well worth spending a credit on, as I know I’ll return to this book again and again.

I loved the introduction. I’d known that E. F. Benson’s father had been Bishop of Canterbury, and that his siblings were also writers. I’d never read anything about his mother, or really grasped the eccentricity and exceptional quality of the family as a whole. Gatiss’ brief sketch did more to bring them to life than far lengthier biographies. I appreciate restoring what we would now term LGBTQI identities to history, so that we don’t obscure whole aspects of author’s lives.

Old but still very good ghost stories

A ghost story of old tales that are still very effective and enjoyable. If you like these kind of tales, this book is for you.

Not for me

I listened to about 75% of this collection and just stopped. I honestly do not like some of the narrator's voices as they are irritating beyond belief to me, and the stories do not seem to flow well and end abruptly. I had to playback the last minute or so of more than one story to try and understand the ending.

Stick with M. R. James.

Listen with pleasure

Superb combination of story and narration. These E. F. Benson tales are finely crafted masterpieces which virtually demand that you share them with others once your own adventure is concluded. I cannot recommend them too highly.

Excellent!

Fantastic stories by the author and with a truly wonderful, engaging yet soothing reading by Mark!