The Monster Collection
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Narrated by:
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Richard Armitage
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Dan Stevens
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Greg Wise
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Rachel Atkins
About this listen
Audible presents a special edition of three Gothic tales for the price of one: a brand-new Audible Exclusive recording of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (ch2), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (ch12) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (ch39).
Bursting with intrigue and suspense, they resurrect the deepest and darkest of all our fears: that a monster lurks, and it lurks within us.
Introductions by Dr Maria Mellins and Dr Peter Howell, Senior Lecturers in Gothic literature at St Mary's University, London, this collection offers additional insight into these audiobooks, their authors and their legacies.
Starting with Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Richard Armitage tells the story of a conflicted man who seeks to free the monster inside him from the clutches of his conscience.
Following his celebrated performances of David Copperfield and David Hewson's Romeo and Juliet for Audible, Armitage delivers another powerhouse performance as the narrator of this Gothic tale.
Shilling shocker enthusiast Stevenson was celebrated throughout his life. In contrast to Mary Shelley, who was often overshadowed by her husband's work, Stevenson lived comfortably by his pen.
It was only with the release of Frankenstein that Shelley finally distinguished herself. Frankenstein was groundbreaking in its ability to fuse passion and romance with gore and horror.
Narrated by Dan Stevens, who rose to fame through Downton Abbey, and Beauty and the Beast, the story of science student Victor Frankenstein has been artfully retold.
Testing the limits of science, Frankenstein fashions a living being from the conjoined body parts of rotting cadavers. Horrified at the end result, he abandons his monster, leaving him to endure a life of isolation and loneliness.
A poignant example of human weakness and our inability to take responsibility for our actions, Frankenstein is both moving and terrifying.
That leads us to the gruesome tale of Count Dracula, the bloodthirsty father of the undead.
Narrated by Greg Wise, star of The Crown and Sense and Sensibility; Greg depicts a young lawyer whose services are hired by a sinister Transylvanian count.
Releasing Dracula 80 years after Frankenstein, Bram Stoker was greatly influenced by Shelley's writing style and similarly propels the story along through diary entries, letters and newspaper cuttings. Possessed of grisly imagery and unexpected twists, it's no wonder that Dracula still manages to shake us to our very core.
All that remains is to offer a note of caution: this collection is not for the fainthearted. Old as these tales may be, do not mistake the unsettling nature of their content.
Grab some popcorn, turn the speakers up and enjoy. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
Public Domain (P)2017 The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Audible, Ltd. 2013 - Frankenstein, Audible, Inc. 2014 - Dracula, Audible, Inc.Wow.
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Personally I found one story great, one very hard work and one OK.
Jekyl and Hyde was reasonably engaging and probably the story I knew least. The performance was quite good and I stayed relatively engaged. However the story was short enough that I didn't notice the drag so much.
Frankenstein I found by far the most difficult story I have listened to on audible full stop. This partly is not its fault as I felt this was very dated story and text, very miserable and honestly quite boring. I was very close to giving up throughout however thankfully found the speed up button which got me through. I don't think this was a fault of the performance, however I found the story drawn out and depressing and not what I expected.
Then there was Dracula. This was the story I was worried about as I felt I knew the story well. However, I found myself totally engaged. Thrilling and Engaging story with good characters which kept me interested throughout.
In hindsight I wish I had just listened to Dracula. Would thoroughly recommend Dracula (which thankfully was the longer story) probably would not recommend the other two.
Saved by Dracula
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I've never read Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde before, although I was familiar with the broad story from film versions and I was interested to discover the 'real' story. Having studied 19th century literature, I recognised many of the devices and themes, and really enjoyed that part of the reading. The story as written is much thinner than I expected and when compared to The Picture of Dorian Gray, which shares the same central idea, it pales into insignificance. Still very glad to have read it though.
I have previously read and studied Frankenstein and thoroughly enjoyed it, but listening to it purely for pleasure definitely didn't work so well for me! I didn't finish it. It is a truly excellent novel of it's time and genre and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it though!
I've also read Dracula (several times) and studied it formally too. The opposite of my Frankenstein experience happened here though - I didn't enjoy studying it (probably because it was already a beloved 'story') and absolutely loved listening to it this time! It has been years since I read it and it was a delight to rediscover.
Forgot how much I love Dracula!
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Nice Set of Stories
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All three of these books are classics, of course. And Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hide I enjoyed in terms of story and writing, but especially thanks to Richard Armitage's reading. Man, that guy is a great actor, but he also has an absolutely stunning voice. And Dracula was still every bit as good as I remembered it. It takes up about 18 hours of the total run time of 30 hours of this collection, but I felt like it flew past.
Frankenstein's Monster, however... Look, I get the book is a classic, and has to be seen in its original context. I also think the performance by Stevens is good technically. But man did I feel like this book dragged. The main reason for this is the voice that the monster has. I know it makes perfect sense in the context of the story, but the monster sounds like it is going to burst out crying, every second of every sentence. Add to that the long, winding writing style, and you end up with hour-long sections of this book which sound like whining in your ears. There is one scene in particular, which is probably stretched out over 60 to 90 minutes of audiobook time, but which genuinely felt three times as long to me, because it was just the monster monologuing in its dreary, verbose way.
I listen to audiobooks while on my daily walks, and I love them for that reason. Usually, they make my walk go by in a flash. However, Frankenstein's Monster made my walks feel longer than they actually were. I'm glad I experienced the book, but I don't think I will be going back to it any time soon. Any time that poor, poor wretch started talking, I just wanted to tune out. Maybe that says something about me. Clearly, I was the true monster all along.
Regardless, despite my dislike of the middle chapter of the collection, this audiobook is still well worth owning. The other two books were smash hits for me, and the Frankenstein section is also still pretty good. Easily recommended!
Two great audio books and one sort of ehh one
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