Casting the Runes cover art

Casting the Runes

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Casting the Runes

By: M. R. James
Narrated by: David Suchet
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About this listen

The tale of a man who unwittingly angers a sorcerer, who is assumed by some Monty scholars to be based on the self-styled 'Great Beast,' occultist Aleister Crowley.

Montague Rhodes James was a noted British mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918) and of Eton College (1918–1936). He is best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature.

One of James's most important achievements was to redefine the ghost story for the new century by dispensing with many of the formal Gothic trappings of his predecessors, and replacing them with more realistic contemporary settings.

'Montague Rhodes James has an intelligent and scientific knowledge of human nerves and feelings; and knows just how to apportion statement, imagery, and subtle suggestions in order to secure the best results with his readers.' HP Lovecraft.

Actor David Suchet is best known for his definitive portrayal of Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective created by the legendary mystery author Agatha Christie, in a number of international television productions. He narrates his story in Poirot and Me.

©1904 M. R. James (P)2013 Audible Ltd Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Horror Scary Fantasy Paranormal Haunted Ghost

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All stars
Most relevant
David Suchet's a perfect voice for M.R. James.

James's stories were written to be read aloud - by himself. It's lovely to have Suchet read them to us.

Great fun

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I love David Suchet, but for this one I am really wanting a bit more of the sinister undertones. This is after all story of the supernatural, and I was expecting to feel a little but of bit of a thrill. Suchet delivers with class and poise but it's far too relaxed for the spooky matter at hand.
Coded allusion to The Great Beast drew me to this tale, but alas I found the narrative cinstructiion a bit '3rd person' and bitty . Compared to MRJ's other classic works (which I love) I just wasn't feeling this. Perhaps I'll go and seek out a BBC version (must be one out there) for better results.

too silky

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Great story, great narration, but personally I prefer Derek Jacobi. Also the music needs to be more eerie.

Derek Jacobi is more scary!

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A decent ghost story, enhanced by the reader. Definitely worth a try at the price.

Brilliantly read

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I really enjoyed this. An intelligently written story. The narration was excellent and brought the story to life.

Entertaining!

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