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The Splendor of Fear
- Narrated by: Melissa Moran
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Horror
Non-member price: $19.49
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College students Eric and Lydia are looking for a novel way to spend Halloween. They decide to put together a documentary about the supernatural and take a camcorder into the long-abandoned house on Kenwood Drive. It's said that a vengeful spirit lives there, and Lydia thinks it the perfect location. Eric, though, has his reservations. Having grown up in the area, he's familiar with the stories of the spirit they call the "Upside-Down Man", and as their trip to the house draws near, his fear begins to mount.
Publisher's Summary
Something stirs in the town of Newsom's Landing....
Penny hates the outdoors, but when her boyfriend, Jared, plans a romantic weekend getaway in the woods, she decides to tag along. The pair drive to a remote Kentucky campground with a strange and sordid history. Within the confines of the Swan Creek State Park are the ruins of a town abandoned under terrifying circumstances in the 19th century.
The town of Newsom's Landing had been the site of the last-known witch trial in US history, and the ghost of its defendant, the infamous Ellie Pomeroy, is said to still linger. Arriving on the anniversary of Pomeory's murder, the pair find they have the entire park to themselves. Or, nearly.
Something else is stalking the woods - watching in the night, wandering through the ruins. It brings a plague of hallucinatory terror wherever it goes, and before long, Penny and Jared can't parse reality from nightmare. Lost in the woods, the pair are faced with a choice: Find a way to end the century-long curse, or be consumed by it - body and soul.
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What listeners say about The Splendor of Fear
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall

- Mac191
- 12-06-2019
Performance A+
Before I forget her name, let me say that Melissa Moran's performance of this book out the story over the line into 5 star territory!! She honestly brought "Penny" to life for me. As always, Mr Ibsen delivers a very entertaining tale of the supernatural-but his characters behaved, in my opinion, more like real people. "Don't think I believe in this stuff, but I see what's chasin' me and I think I'll run, just in case! " Excellent!
4 people found this helpful
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- latasha
- 16-05-2019
Ellie Pomeroy
In this tale by Ambrose Ibsen, we venture to Kentucky for a weekend camping trip. But oh no! There is something in the woods. I loved the back story we get about Newsome's Landing and Ellie Pomeroy. The weekend Penny and Jared are camping there is the anniversary of Ellie's death. The story was good and kept me guessing. i really, really wish the ending would have been different.
3 people found this helpful
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- Arlie111
- 22-03-2019
Great Listen!
I loved it! I got involved with the main character and empathized for the HORROR they went through! The scary parts WERE scary! Enjoyed it completely.
6 people found this helpful
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- Deedra
- 16-05-2019
The Splendor of Fear
This was really good.I hate camping too! Penny goes camping with her boyfriend just to make him happy. No one but them and a ghost town story in the woods.Pretty creepy! Melissa Moran was a fine narrator.
4 people found this helpful
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- SueT.
- 23-03-2019
the best!
Ambrose its in is my favorite horrot story novelist. I have audio read all of his stories and not one disappointed me.
4 people found this helpful
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- Jimmy
- 15-03-2019
Hmmm
Not as scary as his other books. This one was just alil dull for me wanting horror and to be scared to cut off the lights.
3 people found this helpful
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- deb
- 02-06-2019
It was okay
Story was a cliche and the performance was cringe, the narrator made the character sound whiny the entire story which made it hard to like.
2 people found this helpful
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- stlblue1
- 23-10-2020
Ok but not great
I guess I was expecting a bit more from Mr. Ibsen, or maybe some of his works are so great that I'm spoiled, but this one just didn't do it for me. Not really scary, kind of drags on and overall just so so. The story was good but not what I'm used to.
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- M Sim
- 22-10-2020
meh at best
for a short story - it took forever. Penny was whiny and Jared was pushy. The ghost/witch was not as scary as I thought she would be. I wanted something more but it lacked in the scare department for me. I liked the history of Newsome amd Ellie but in the end - it was a meh for me.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-07-2020
It was cute
It was ok. I wasn't terribly shoked by much and it jis2t seemed to lose friction in the middle of the story. Being lost in the wilderness is such a great start, because there's actual obstacles that are scary within themselves and I don't feel like this story was able to harness how scary it really could be, while also being hunted.. C'mon you could have really ramped up this story with the RAWNESS of the wilderness. I would probably let a kid read or listen to this book, its pretty much PG13
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- Kath Baker
- 04-08-2020
Disappointed
I was intrigued by the premise of this book, especially as another review said that the take on one of the main characters was unusual - it was, but was more of a broad brush portrayal than a rewarding study. The romantic relationship turned out to be Mills-and-Boon: delightful if that is what you want, saccharine and irritating if it isn't. The reader will, I think, be very much to other people's taste but to me the narration was rushed.
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- Anonymous User
- 30-06-2019
Excellent story!
I was looking round for a spooky story to listen to when I came across this title. The name interested me and the premise seemed like it would be good fun for a short story. I am happy to say however that it was even better than I suspected. The plot is captivating and the pacing superb with plenty of tense moments cleverly woven into an organically progressing narrative! The narrator did a wonderful job too! All and all a right little gem!
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- Kathy J
- 09-05-2019
Well narrated, good story.
I'd read a book by Ambrose Ibsen before, but this was my first audio book from him. It was a great story. I love how the antagonist was a bad person in life rather than the cliched 'misunderstood' trope it added so much complexity. I really felt lost in the woods. The story kept it simple and focused. The narrator did an excellent job I really felt like the character was talking to me.
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