SHORT STORIES The Timeless Collection

In this riveting collection of truly great classic short stories, authors and readers alike never fail to make a profound impact. From the poignant "The Windmill As I First Knew It" by Alphonse Daudet, read by Stephen Fry, to the hilarious "Idle Thoughts on Babies" by Jerome K. Jerome, read by Hugh Laurie; the Raffles caper mystery "Gentlemen and Players" by E.W. Hornung, read by Nigel Planer; and F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Boil Some Water—Lots of It," read by Kerry Shale, the listener is engaged in a lighthearted past. The diverse collection takes a decidedly macabre turn with the spooky vampire mystery "Mrs. Amworth" by E.F. Benson, read by Richard Pasco, and several wonderful, eerie ghost stories: "No. 1 Branch Line—the Signalman" by Charles Dickens; "The Mezzotint" by M.R. James, both read by Robin Bailey; the gruesome and horrific "Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allen Poe; and "The Squaw," by Bram Stoker, both read by Patrick Malahide. Happily, once the listener is thoroughly terrified and depressed, the collection concludes on a jocular note with Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog from Calaveras County," read by Nigel Hawthorne. All of the narrators are ideally paired with the material they read. However, the collection would be improved by consistently stating title, author, and reader before each tale. A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2008]