The Wondersmith cover art

The Wondersmith

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Wondersmith

By: Fitz-James O'Brien
Narrated by: Walter Covell
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £6.99

Buy Now for £6.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

 Fitz-James O'Brien was an Irish-born poet, journalist, and short-story writer who migrated to America in 1852. He died from an injury acquired during the Civil War. O'Brien was called "the preeminent writer of supernatural stories of his time", and he is best remembered for two or three widely anthologized stories that border on science fiction. Among them is this masterpiece.©1981 Jimcin Recordings (P)1981 Jimcin Recordings Classics

Listeners also enjoyed...

 His Hideous Heart cover art
The Horror on the Links cover art
Dracula's Daughters: Classic Tales of Vampire Women & Their Thirsts cover art
The Brass Man cover art
Of One Blood; or The Hidden Self (AmazonClassics Edition) cover art
The Queen of Spades: Moonlit Tales of the Macabre cover art
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Bram Stoker's Dracula, H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man cover art
Vintage Vampire Stories cover art
Dracula's Guest cover art
In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe cover art
Weird Women cover art
The Fascination cover art
The Black Bell Buoy cover art
HorrorBabble's Vampires cover art
The Very Best of Ingersoll Lockwood cover art
The Purple Cloud cover art

Critic reviews

"A superb short story, this marvelously crafted tale of horror and fantasy....The story entices one instantly with its intrigue and incredible plot, and the recording captures the atmosphere of the story brilliantly, conveying the horror so well that the listener is nearly breathless by the time the ironic conclusion is reached. This gem from one of nineteenth-century America's finest short story writers will find a ready audience." ( Booklist)
All stars
Most relevant
This is a decent short story with a sinister plot about murderous dolls. However, for me, it was spoiled by hurtful racist stereotypes. Some allowances may be made since social attitudes have changes from the time when the book was written but for me it was uncomfortable listening at times.

Uncomfortable listening at times

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.