My horror audiobook listening from 2024 - part 2
Cursed television, academic serial killers, and... a Scotsman?
Hi everyone!
This is the final reading/listening wrap up for 2024’s intake, featuring one of my favourites from the year, which might tickle your fancy if you enjoy a bit of feminist mayhem. Let’s dive in!
If you want to see part 1, it’s here.
(Like my previous lists - there are Audible affiliate links below, if you use them I get a tiny bit of money, but please feel free to seek out and support independent audiobook stores, e.g. PoC and/or queer owned businesses.)
Mister Magic
Written by Kiersten White
Performed by Rebecca Lowman
The child stars of a lost television programme gather for a documentary and relaunch. There are no recordings, no archives, only memories.
Our protagonist is an amnesiac who was hidden her whole life, but carries guilt for some forgotten sin. The other now-grown-up stars all have their own memories and axes to grind.
I love a bit of cursed footage, and I like the setup here, but this one didn’t quite tickle my fancy. I couldn’t place why, but the pacing was a bit slow. There’s a nice aftermath chapter at the end, and it’s there that the writing truly comes to life—it’s also the point where White writes most directly what they want to say with the book. I found that interesting—a bit like the story was built around a didactic message, and the writing really woke up when that message was out in the open.
It’s got some nice twists and turns, so if the setup is appealing then give it a shot.
Rambling Man: my life on the road
Written by Billy Connolly
Performed by Billy Connolly
Okay, so we bought this one by mistake, and it’s not horror (except the very real horror of aging).
Billy Connolly reflects back on a life of travelling to extraordinary places and meeting a vast array of interesting people. Part of the secret is that everyone is interesting, when you spend a little time with them.
There’s a little sadness here, in hearing the cracks in his aging voice and the reminiscences of places he will never go again, but there’s a lot of joy in a life well-lived.
I think it’s also an incredible example of what undiagnosed ADHD can look like (not that he ever says this). Connolly sets out to define the ‘rambling man’ (which he clearly states can also include many amazing women, and yet…) but mostly seems to describe many features that today we’d see alongside a diagnostic list: struggled to focus in school, always feeling like they’ve got to move, a constant urge to discover something new, etc.
The book literally rambles, but it’s a nice dip into travel as it was in decades gone by, and a good reminder that humans can be wonderful.
Night Side of the River
Written by Jeanette Winterson
Performed by Jeanette Winterson & Vicky Licorish
Winterson is a marvellous writer, and here we get a collection of ghost stories set in the modern era. As with most collections of short stories, the quality varies a bit from piece to piece, but there are enough highlights to make this a highly recommended piece of modern spookery.
Winterson and Licorish’s readings bring the stories to life wonderfully, and it’s always nice to hear a non-US, non-southern-UK accent in an audiobook.
Cosy and scary at the same time. If you like ghost stories for the digital age, this is superb.
Ghost Stories
Written by various
Performed by Stephen Fry
Speaking of accents, here we have Stephen Fry, one of the modern age’s most recognisable voices reading a collection of truly classic tales. We’ve got the usual suspects, M.R. James and Edgar Allan Poe, and slightly less known options like Charlotte Riddell.
Fry would sound riveting reading a tax return so, combined with some brilliant tales of the ghastly, you know it’s going to be a good time. If you’re familiar with many of the stories, you might not get as much as a kick from this, but Fry’s narration always brings life into well-known passages.
Survivor Song
Written by Paul Tremblay
Performed by Erin Bennett
As I’ve said before, I love Tremblay’s style and his manner of taking a horror trope and spinning a compelling tale around it. In Survivor Song, Tremblay turns his hand to modern zombie horror. Like in 28 Days Later, a rabies-like virus is turning people into raging monsters craving human flesh, and the bitten can turn very quickly.
When an eight-months-pregnant woman is bitten by an infected person, she calls her paediatrician friend for help. They must try to find a way to survive in a county being overrun by violent mobs.
Survivor Song has moments of love, sadness, desperation, and victory. Like other Tremblay books, there are interesting narratorial voices too. If you’ve read Disappearance At Devil’s Rock, there are a couple of familiar characters too.
I’m not a big fan of zombie fiction—it is often about how grimly terrible people can be and that’s not my idea of a good time—but this is a superb tale.
The Creeper
Written by A. M. Shine
Performed by Aiden Kelly
An isolated Irish village contains a terrible curse: there is a figure that you see only three times. He only comes at night. Each time he comes closer, and the last time you will die.
A researcher hires investigators to discover more about this curse. What is the truth, and, if it’s real, can the Creeper be stopped?
Like The Lucifer Chord (see part 1 of this set of audiobook reviews), this is a supernatural thriller, with much heavier horror. There are some superbly atmospheric moments, and the tension cranks up brilliantly as the rules of the curse are explored. Also like The Lucifer Chord, there’s a very male-gazey tone to the description of the attractive woman who is hired for her research expertise (and her tight jeans). Your irritation with that may vary. It’s not excessive, but certainly present.
With that noted, I enjoyed the rest of this a lot. The characters are vivid, the scenery is clearly described, and many of the descriptions ooze atmosphere. As we near the end, we learn much more about the Creeper, and the revelations are a lot of spooky fun. The conclusion is very satisfying, and that’s always a tricky landing in a horror novel.
They Never Learn
Written by Layne Fargo
Performed by Lameece Issaq, Eileen Stevens
This is my top listen for the year.
A feminist bisexual professor kills one misogynist at her university every year, each time making it look like an accident, but the body count is getting too high and a smart investigator is putting together the pieces. Meanwhile, a new student is just trying to survive her first year, but after a sexual assault (not described in detail) she can only think about revenge.
I mean… How could I not love this?
The character voices are written brilliantly, the plot twists and turns, and everything is deliciously fun. If Dexter were (even more of) a feminist serial killer and a woman, perhaps this is what you’d get. Comparisons to Dexter are inevitable with this kind of joyous serial killer’s perspective storytelling, but They Never Learn absolutely has its own voice.
Yes, there are a couple of big twists you’ll probably see coming a mile away, but who cares when you’re having such a brilliant ride?
Hugely fun, and highly recommended.
Alright, that’s my 2024 reading and listening reviews wrapped up. I hope you found something that tickles your fancy (give They Never Learn a try)!
Next week we’ll return to the regular micro-fiction horror stories, writing tips, and exercises.
Thanks for reading. Go be kind and spooky,
Mata
xxx
I read very little in the way of horror (except the daily news... hahahahacrycrycry) but there's a few from your 2024 reading lists that I am interested in checking out!