Showing results by narrator "Peter Coates" in All Categories

A sacred volume, a forgotten ritual, and the lingering presence of something not entirely gone— The Uncommon Prayer-book whispers of devotion turned to dread. M. R. James crafts a world where piety and peril overlap, where quiet study leads not to understanding, but to unease. This tale moves with the hush of cloisters and the rustle of ancient pages, all the while drawing the listener ever closer to an encounter best left unwritten. Dark, refined, and utterly disquieting.

The Treasure of Abbot Thomas draws its listener into a labyrinth of ancient secrets, cryptic clues, and a warning that should never have been ignored. In this masterwork of antiquarian dread, M. R. James summons a world where curiosity is a dangerous impulse, and knowledge—particularly the hidden kind—has its price. With echoes of stone chambers and whispered Latin, this is a tale not merely of treasure, but of the peril that guards it. Let your ears adjust to the dark—and beware what answers back.

An Evening's Entertainment is a tale that lives up to its deceptively quaint title, offering not comfort, but a slow, tightening dread. In the hands of master ghost-storyteller M. R. James, a quiet rural setting becomes the stage for something far more sinister—where folklore whispers, tradition conceals, and the past refuses to stay buried. Dripping with unease and the chill of things half-seen, this is a story to be heard in silence, with the lights low and the wind outside. It is not simply entertainment—it is an invocation. Let the evening begin.

Some histories refuse to stay buried. In A Neighbour's Landmark , M. R. James offers a haunting meditation on place, memory, and the quiet persistence of old wrongs. Through gentle suggestion and masterful restraint, James evokes a creeping dread rooted in the land itself—a whisper of something long forgotten, but never forgiven. This is not merely a ghost story, but a tale where the landscape remembers, and where every stone may carry a secret. Subtle, strange, and unsettling, this is classic James at his most disquieting.

Ex-cop Finn O'Grady hasn't been home in years. But the woman he swore to protect is convinced an ancient curse has put her and her son in deadly danger. O'Grady has seen too much evil on earth to believe in the supernatural. And then the killing starts....

The Colour Out of Space is a science fiction/horror short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in March 1927. In the tale, an unnamed narrator pieces together the story of an area known by the locals as the "blasted heath" in the wild hills west of the fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts. The narrator discovers that many years ago a meteorite crashed there, poisoning every living being nearby; vegetation grows large but foul tasting, animals are driven mad and deformed into grotesque shapes, and the people go insane or die one by one.

Thought Vibration: Or the of Attraction in the Thought World by William Walker Atkinson First published in 1908 Edited by Rev. Lux Newman & the Quimby Philosophical Society 2008 The Universe is governed by Law - one great Law. Its manifestations are multiform, but viewed from the Ultimate, there is but one Law. We are familiar with some of its manifestations but are almost totally ignorant of certain others. Still, we are learning a little more every day - the veil is being gradually lifted.

White Nights by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a poignant and introspective short story that delves into the complexities of human emotions and the transient nature of romantic connections. Set against the backdrop of St. Petersburg's nocturnal charm, the narrative follows the lonely protagonist through four consecutive white nights, where he encounters a mysterious young woman. As the two form a deep but ephemeral connection, Dostoyevsky explores themes of love, isolation, and the fleeting nature of human connections.

Emerson's enduring reputation, however, is as a philosopher, an aphoristic writer (like Friedrich Nietzsche) and a quintessentially American thinker whose championing of the American Transcendental movement and influence on Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, William James, and others would alone secure him a prominent place in American cultural history. Emerson is often characterized as an idealist philosopher and indeed used the term himself of his philosophy, explaining it simply as a recognition that plan always precedes action. Contents:. History. Self-Reliance. Compensation.

In The Great God Pan, Arthur Machen invites you to step into a shadowy world where the boundaries between science and the supernatural blur—and where unlocking forbidden knowledge may come at a terrifying cost. Celebrated as one of the most chilling tales ever written, this novella is a symphony of unease, weaving themes of ancient paganism, hidden horrors, and the fragility of human understanding. Prepare to be haunted by whispers of an enigmatic experiment, a shadowy woman, and the presence of an unseen, primal force that lingers just beyond perception.

She lived in the shadow of others—quietly, dutifully, without question. Her world was small: a kitchen hearth, the rhythm of chores, a parrot who would outlive most dreams. But in that stillness, something vast took root. A devotion so complete, it blurred the line between the sacred and the simple. This story doesn't shout. It listens. It watches. It waits. And by the time it's done, you'll understand how the softest hearts carry the heaviest truths.

Together, these three works exemplify Hemingway's distinctive style and thematic preoccupations, making this collection an essential listen for anyone interested in American literature and the complexities of the human experience.

John W. Campbell Jr.’s Who Goes There? is a chilling and masterfully crafted science fiction classic that delves into themes of paranoia, survival, and the unknown. Set in the frozen isolation of Antarctica, the story follows a group of scientists who uncover a mysterious alien organism buried in the ice. What begins as a groundbreaking discovery quickly spirals into terror when the creature reveals its horrifying ability to mimic any living being perfectly.

"The Call of Cthulhu" by Howard Phillips H. P. Lovecraft is one of the classic horror works, so called "Lovecraft horrors". American author of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror; the idea that life is incomprehensible to human minds and that the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity.

The Shield of Heracles is an archaic Greek epic poem that was attributed to Hesiod during antiquity. The subject of the poem is the expedition of Heracles and Iolaus against Cycnus, the son of Ares, who challenged Heracles to combat as Heracles was passing through Thessaly. It has been suggested that this epic may reflect anti-Thessalian feeling after the First Sacred War (595–585 BCE): in the epic, a Thessalian hero interfering with the Phocian sanctuary is killed by a Boeotian hero (Heracles), whose mortal father Amphitryon had for allies Locrians and Phocians.

The Hesiod Collection presents an essential anthology of ancient Greek literature, showcasing the profound impact of Hesiod's works on the literary and philosophical traditions of the Western world. This collection features three of his most significant texts: "The Works and Days," "The Theogony," and "The Shield of Heracles." In "The Works and Days," Hesiod offers a unique blend of practical advice and moral instruction, addressing the challenges of rural life and the importance of hard work, justice, and piety.

A man sits at his hearth as thunder shakes the mountains. Then—a knock. A stranger steps in, soaked and shivering, armed not with warmth or need, but with polished copper and an urgent offer. He doesn't sell comfort. He sells protection—against the very sky. The Lightning-Rod Man is Herman Melville at his most compact and cunning. This sharply drawn tale uses one room, one storm, and two voices to stage a quiet war between reason and fear, independence and submission, belief and the glittering promise of safety. It's a sales pitch wrapped in a sermon, disguised as a fable.

A snowbound coach. Ten strangers. One woman who doesn't fit in—and never tries to. In Boule de Suif, Guy de Maupassant doesn't just tell a story—he dissects society with a scalpel dipped in irony. The setting is wartime France, the passengers are a cross-section of "respectable" society, and the tension isn't just political, it's personal. Class, hypocrisy, and the polite savagery of moral convenience bubble just beneath the surface. She's not like them. And that's the problem. Or maybe the solution. She feeds them when they're hungry.

Benjamin Franklin is the only one of America's founding fathers to have signed all three of their foundational documents: The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the 1783 Treaty of Paris. These documents underpinned the establishment of the United States of America as a sovereign country. In addition to being a prominent politician, Benjamin Franklin was a prolific writer, fervent naturalist, and determined inventor. This collection of writing reflects Franklin's varied activities and manifold talents.

Love, for Emerson, is neither simple nor sweet. It is a force—wild, untamable, and yet profoundly human. In Love, he explores the deep currents that pull us together and push us apart, not with the softness of romance, but with the clarity of a philosopher who sees love as a transformative, even unsettling, experience. It is not just an emotion, but a vital, unpredictable energy that shapes and redefines us. Emerson doesn't idealize love; he insists on its complexity.