Noctuary and the Spectral Link

By: Thomas Ligotti

Narrated by: Jon Padgett

Chiroptera Press presents Noctuary & The Spectral Link by the legendary Thomas Ligotti, a consolidated volume of two horror collections, back in print after over a decade.

Noctuary is divided into three sections, following Ligotti’s introduction, “In the Night, in the Dark: A Note on the Appreciation of Weird Fiction.” The first section, Studies in Shadow, begins with “The Medusa,” blurring lines between fiction, metaphor, and reality. “Conversations in a Dead Language” chronicles a mailman’s Halloween nights leading to doom, while “The Prodigy of Dreams” features Arthur Emerson’s answered prayers to an obscure god. “Mrs. Rinaldi’s Angel” involves a child’s nightmares and dubious supernatural assistance.

Discourse on Blackness, the second section, starts with “The Tsalal,” an apocalyptic novelette set in Moxton, introducing Andrew Maness and an ancient power. “Mad Night of Atonement” presents a scientist’s invention channeling the Creator’s power, and “The Strange Design of Master Rignolo” follows a visual artist’s descent into madness. “The Voice in the Bones” evokes a surreal prison.

The third section, Notebook of the Night, features twenty vignettes exploring insidious exploits, esoteric rituals, and hymns to the void.

The Spectral Link, Ligotti’s most recent collection, emerged after his near-death experience. “Metaphysica Morum” channels the rage and despair of The Conspiracy Against the Human Race. The volume ends with “The Small People,” a poignant masterpiece exploring the uncanny terror of existence.

Narrated by Jon Padgett, a renowned voice in the world of weird fiction. Padgett, an accomplished author, is celebrated for his haunting narrations, particularly his work on Ligotti’s Songs of a Dead Dreamer & Grimscribe (Penguin).

©2023 Jonathan Dennison (P)2024 Jon Padgett

Excellent audio book of a classic!

Jon Padgett is the man for Ligotti audio books, I highly recommend picking this up along with the hard copy printed by Chiroptera if you're a fan of Ligotti, and if you're just starting out with Ligotti I do feel like this book would be a good place to start. Essential for any weird fiction or horror fiction afficionado.

The Deeply Weird Midnight Master

Finally! Very happy to see this audiobook. Ligotti is to horror what J.G. Ballard was to psychological science fiction. Narrator Padgett, also a fine weird fictioneer, does a great job bringing his friend's work to creepy life--but with all due respect, I must say that he sounds a bit like the math teacher on South Park. The erudition behind the work and the presentation is never flaunted. Ligotti is something different--with its own black perfection (like the 1979 Alien movie). Get in a horror-psychology mood and fly off into the night with these voices of the Void.

Must-read for horror fans

A horror masterpiece rendered superbly. All you could do to make this better is listen to it in the dark and the quiet.

Meh

When Ligotti is on, he is ON. Draws the reader into weird worlds that we almost don’t want to escape, despite how awful things might be. When he’s off, though, I JUST. DON’T. CARE. Stories drag on for what feel like hours, and I remember nothing. Unfortunately, this one is more misses than hits. The narrator does a great job with what Ligotti has provided him, but there’s an absolute limit to that compliment.

Ligotti can take scary ideas and make the un-scary

I can't tell if it's Ligotti's word choice or the narrator's voice but for the majority of these stories had me zoning out and falling asleep. I'd give it 1 star, but "Ms. Rinaldi's Angel" and "The Small People" were very enjoyable exceptions to this criticism. The book is not worth the cost IMO.