Occultation and Other Stories

By: Laird Barron

Narrated by: David Drummond

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Laird Barron has emerged as one of the strongest voices in modern horror and dark fantasy fiction, building on the eldritch tradition pioneered by writers such as H. P. Lovecraft, Peter Straub, and Thomas Ligotti. His stories have garnered critical acclaim and been reprinted in numerous year's best anthologies and nominated for multiple awards, including the Crawford, International Horror Guild, Shirley Jackson, Theodore Sturgeon, and World Fantasy Awards. His debut collection, The Imago Sequence and Other Stories, was the inaugural winner of the Shirley Jackson Award. He returns with his second collection, Occultation. Pitting ordinary men and women against a carnivorous, chaotic cosmos, Occultation's eight tales of terror (two never before published) include the Theodore Sturgeon and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated story "The Forest" and Shirley Jackson Award nominee "The Lagerstatte."

©2010 Laird Barron (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Laird Barron is the future of horror

What did you love best about Occultation and Other Stories?

Each of Barron's stories is a wonderful microcosm populated by believable, complex characters with rich back-stories. The horror and suspense work so well because we actually care about the people, we feel that they have lives, and we watch with them in fascination and horror as their world slowly and inexorably unravels; revealing the dark secret at the heart of things..

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's hard to pick just one, but I really liked the protagonist of "The Lagerstatte". In a story that's essentially about grief, it's all too easy to write a character that comes off as self-pitying or whiny, so I was pleasantly surprised that despite the story's overall bleak tone, the main character (who is a grieving widow) comes off as both strong and quite funny in places. It is even more surprising when you consider Barron's penchant for writing stories populated by "Manley Men" that he writes sympathetic and believable female characters, and it really illustrates his versatility as a writer.

What does David Drummond bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Drummond does an excellent job bringing the stories to life, he conveys the terror, confusion, anger, helplessness, and exasperation of the characters without becoming cartoonish or melodramatic. I did feel that some of the voices he does in "The Broadswords" were a little over the top, but overall I loved his narration and I hope he continues to narrate Barron's works.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely. In fact, I wanted to listen to the whole book again the moment it ended, something that I've not experienced in years.

Any additional comments?

If you've not heard of Barron, this collection is an excellent introduction to his brand of terror. That is, stories that manage to be both literary and visceral, stories that celebrates many of the horror genre's tropes and conventions while at the some time subverting them. There's really no one out there writing works like Barron and if you love horror (especially horror of the cosmic, psychological, and somewhat pessimistic variety) then you owe it to yourself to buy this collection ASAP!

Arthur Machen reloaded!

Loved every second. Highly descriptive narratives, thought provoking endings and an outstanding performance by David Drummond. Never heard of Laird Barron before; now I need more.

Sent here by Pseudopod! Great collection!

After hearing some Laird Barron on the horror podcast Pseudopod, I decided to find something on Audible - and I am not disappointed in the least. This collection has great variety and makes me all the more eager to download a novel by Barron. Short stories are some of my favorite because you can see (hear?) trace elements and the tested waters that become motifs or singular elements in later works.

Very satisfied overall. Barron captures the latent horror of many terrains and environments.

David Drummond does a great reading of each story - switching between characters seamlessly while maintaining unique voices despite the multiple stories - no small challenge, I assume. Excellent timing and narration in general!

One hell of an author

what can I say Laird Barron definitely knows what he's doing. his books are awesome and this one is probably my favorite.

Listen slowly and go back often

Laird’s writing is much more suited to actually reading it rather than listening. It requires a lot of imagination and if you’re listening to this book while doing other things, the smallest lapse in attention can make you feel like you’ve missed some important detail.

But that may just be me. Laird’s writing is amazingly creepy and seeps deep into your brain like a dark tentacle or sentient ooze. I can’t wait to read more!

Tries too hard to be spooky

This set of short stories tries too hard to creep the reader out. The effect is more gross and unpleasant than spooky.

top notch cosmic horror and more

inventive concepts, well-managed dread, professional delivery from both author and narrator. his short stories are just s good as his novels. one of the best there is

This man frightens me

The outright best horror author alive today in my humble opinion he genuinely scares me

From beginning to end!

I listened to this on a day where I drove 8 hours in 1 jaunt.
I listened to the book the entire time.
Not once did I need to change it up.
I think that's a testament to the story writing and narration.
The Forest
-30-
Stuck out, but I felt the entire book was well worth the listen.

Enjoy!

Creepy excellence

This collection is a delightful series of unease and straight up horror. How did I miss this author until now?