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The Magic Cottage
- Narrated by: Kris Dyer
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
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The Magic Cottage
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Editor reviews
A young couple finds a dilapidated but still-idyllic cottage in Hampshire's New Forest and quickly move into their dream home. However, before long, strange occurrences begin to disturb their little paradise: ominous sounds from the attic and shadowy figures lurking among the trees. Narrator Kris Dyer builds an easy rapport with listeners as Midge and Mike settle into their home, then slowly infuses tension and anxiety into his performance as the couple cross paths with a cultish group with sinister intentions. Listeners will continue to feel the chill of this horror story long after they have turned it off.
Summary
The nightmare home. We thought we'd found our haven, a cottage deep in the heart of the forest. Quaint, charming, maybe a little run-down, but so peaceful. The woodland animals and birds couldn't have been more neighbourly. That was the first part of the Magic. Midge's painting and my music soared to new heights of creativity. That was another part of the Magic. Our sensing, our feelings, our love for each other - well, that became the supreme Magic. But the cottage had an alternative side. The Bad Magic.
What happened to us there was horrendous beyond belief. The miracles, the healings, the crazy sect who wanted our home for themselves, the hideous creatures that crawled from the nether regions, and the bats - oh God, the bats! Even now those horrible things seem impossible to me. Yet they happened...
James Herbert was one of Britain's greatest popular novelists and our #1 best-selling writer of chiller fiction. Widely imitated and hugely influential, he wrote 23 novels which have collectively sold over 54 million copies worldwide and been translated into 34 languages.
Born in London in the forties, James Herbert was art director of an advertising agency before turning to writing fiction in 1975. His first novel, The Rats, was an instant bestseller and is now recognised as a classic of popular contemporary fiction. Herbert went on to publish a new top ten best-seller every year until 1988. He wrote six more best-selling novels in the 1990s and three more since: Once, Nobody True and The Secret of Crickley Hall. Herbert died in March 2013 at the age of 69.
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What listeners say about The Magic Cottage
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- lorna Carter
- 17-12-19
The voice!
I’m a fan of James Herbert, and after reading the mixed reviews thought I would make up my own mind. The start of the story is fair enough, but the voice of midge, is dreadful. The voice was ridiculously awful, I tried to get past it by her description, enough said make up your own mind. As expected the story start to evolve, not bad quite acceptable and enjoyable. As we continue the story could have been written by a different author, it becomes totally stupid.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Simm-pa1960
- 12-07-17
Magical book
Were the voices of Mike, Midge and Mycroft etc really spoken by Kris Dyer?. Outstanding!. I really enjoyed The Magic Cottage being read to me by a very talented story teller.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Miss H Greenham
- 07-01-20
A Little Too Wild for Me
This is a very imaginative book and I enjoyed the mystery elements very much. However, it just lost me towards the end. I wasn’t sure whether it was the writing or the performance but at times I felt like I was listening to a bizarre scene between He-Man and Skeletor and something Alan Partridge would be likely to pen. I did see it through, but I think I hit my limit with regards to suspension of disbelief far earlier. This is obviously contrary to many reviews on here and I sort of love that others are far more able than I to roll along and enjoy all the ideas.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. Samatha J. Jackson
- 30-03-21
Not as scary as i imagined but good read
Enjoyed it not as much as some of James other books but ok loved the picture the lovely old cottage sounded awesome in the forest just a shame about the neighbours :)
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anja
- 11-04-17
Very good read, loved the story!
Would you consider the audio edition of The Magic Cottage to be better than the print version?
I have no idea as I haven't read the print version, I currently only listen to books
Who was your favorite character and why?
Mike, far out. He is a down to earth guy who goes through fire for his girlfriend Midge.
Which character – as performed by Kris Dyer – was your favourite?
Mike again. I didn't like how he portrayed Midge, she sounded very annoying and at times irritatingly funny. Couldn't focus on the things she said. Loved how he did the male characters though
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It was mysterious till the end. I had no idea it would turn out the way it did. It was tensive, exciting, it made me laugh at times, romantic in some ways with all the animals showing up on the doorstep
Any additional comments?
I loved how the story moved along and gave us so much information about the surroundings, the other characters. The frightening things, the lovely things. I would've loved to see Midge's artwork and visit the cottage myself. I could totally see it in my head, how lovely it would be there in the middle of the forest. Very well described, the characters are very well described. I can only recommend this book, you won't be disappointed!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 28-06-20
long winded
the book starts well then the middle seems to take and age then the ending is ok not sure what I enjoyed
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Scott B.
- 09-04-22
simple and entertaining
nice easy listen. narrator not great at female voices but he did a good job non the less.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- kl
- 26-01-23
enchanting -
loved the storyline.. struggled with how the narrator delivered the story.. like he was reading a shopping list, sometimes.I found myself holding my breath because of his loooooong sentences.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Stephen McCrystal
- 15-06-23
Love James
Not his best work and struggled with the voice of the narrator if I am honest
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- ABC
- 09-12-19
Good first two-thirds
Unfortunately, let down by a weak finish, overabundance of hyperbole in an attempt to scare.
Narration excellent and helped sustain interest.
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2 people found this helpful