Showing results by narrator "Peter Coates" in All Categories

On a winter's night, as the old year slips silently into the new, shadows stir in forgotten corners, and the past refuses to rest. In The Experiment, M. R. James once again proves himself a master of quiet horror—where the chill creeps not from the cold, but from something far older, and far less forgiving. Subtle, strange, and unsettling, this is a tale that whispers its secrets, if you dare to listen. Perfect for a solitary listen by candlelight, just as midnight strikes.

John W. Campbell Jr.'s "The Classic Collection" is a remarkable anthology that showcases the genius of one of science fiction's most influential writers.

A mournful cry, a well that echoes the past, and an invitation to remember the forgotten. In Wailing Well , M. R. James crafts a haunting tale of mystery and spectral terror, where the quiet of a rural landscape is disturbed by a cry from the past—an eerie wail that resonates through time. As James unearths the secrets buried in the forgotten well, he masterfully builds a sense of creeping dread and inevitable doom, reminding us that some things—once heard—can never be forgotten.

A child's toy, a cursed relic, a mystery that refuses to stay hidden. In The Haunted Dolls' House , M. R. James weaves a tale of exquisite unease, where the innocent facade of a dollhouse reveals a terrifying world of spirits long forgotten. Here, the past and present collide, and the boundaries between the living and the dead blur in unsettling silence. With his signature restraint and an eye for the uncanny, James transports the listener to a place where even the most innocent of objects can conceal a dark history—and a terrible secret that demands to be uncovered.

There are rooms best left unopened. In Rats, M. R. James guides us into one such space—silent, neglected, and waiting. Known for his restrained, academic horrors, James delivers here a tale that creeps up slowly and lingers uncomfortably. With a master's touch, he suggests far more than he shows, letting unease breed in the shadows and silence. This story is a quiet descent into something primal and cold, where the mundane turns menacing, and a moment's curiosity opens a door to ancient fear. Listen carefully—some noises can't be explained.

To listen to The Sayings of Marcus is to walk beside an emperor who governed not through cruelty or conquest, but by reason, restraint, and virtue. This collection presents rare, firsthand glimpses of Marcus Aurelius not as a distant symbol of power, but as a human being navigating the immense burden of imperial responsibility with unwavering Stoic discipline. Here is Marcus confronting betrayal with mercy, rejecting revenge in the arena, and speaking candidly of philosophy, war, death, and duty. His words, at once spare and profound, offer a timeless testament to character under pressure.

Something ancient lingers beneath the surface of Castringham Hall. In the stillness of the Suffolk countryside, a presence takes root—silent, watchful, and patient. The Ash-tree is M.R. James at his most unsettling: a precise exercise in creeping dread, where history never rests easy and vengeance grows in shadow.

A picture that changes. A scholar who watches. A nightmare unfolding one shadow at a time. Forget jump scares—this is horror in its most refined form. The Mezzotint is a slow-burn classic where dread creeps in like fog and nothing is ever quite as it seems. M. R. James delivers a ghost story that gets under your skin—and stays there. Mysterious, unsettling, and quietly terrifying.

A curious traveler. A forbidden tomb. A name best left unspoken. When Mr. Wraxall digs into the past of a long-dead Swedish nobleman, he unearths more than just history. Something stirs beneath the surface—something ancient, waiting, watching. Count Magnus is a masterpiece of restrained horror by M. R. James, where dread builds slowly and silence says more than screams. Atmospheric, eerie, and unforgettable.

The Sayings of Mencius has been revered for well over 2,000 years, and is arguably the most influential of the Si Shu (Four Books) which form the foundation of traditional Chinese education. 'Master Meng' was born during the turbulent Warring States period, and was a tireless advocate of Confucian thought, defending and expanding its tenets as a means of achieving peaceful relations between individuals and competing kingdoms. The sage spent most of his life journeying from court to court, always seeking a Ruler sufficiently principled to apply his teachings. Few were found worthy.

Musings of a Chinese Mystic is a classic selection from the philosophical writings of Chuang Tzu, a disciple of the great Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu. An important figure in Chinese philosophy, Chuang Tzu helped to bring prominence to the philosophy of Taoism in ancient China. Drawn from the translations of Professor H. A. Giles with an introduction by Lionel Giles, "Musings of a Chinese Mystic" is an excellent introduction to the important Taoist philosophical writings of Chuang Tzu.

There is no Number 13 at the hotel. At least, there isn't supposed to be. But when shadows stretch in the wrong direction and the architecture begins to forget its own shape, what starts as a quiet academic stay becomes something else entirely. Elegant, unsettling, and steeped in the unseen, Number 13 is M. R. James at his most refined—where the floorplan of reality folds, and one door too many stands ajar.

A gentleman stumbles upon a curious old diary—an innocent discovery, or the key to something far more disturbing? In The Diary of Mr. Poynter, M. R. James once again conjures an atmosphere thick with dread, beauty, and the uncanny. This is a tale where the most ordinary object can become a gateway to forces beyond reason, and where curiosity may lead to quiet terror. With James's trademark subtlety and scholarly unease, the story whispers rather than screams—unsettling the soul long after the final word. Haunting, intricate, and elegantly unnerving.

The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance is M. R. James at his most disquieting: where festive streets darken quickly, dreams twist into warnings, and something grotesque walks just beyond the edge of understanding. Blending holiday cheer with a creeping sense of dread, this tale invites the listener to question what hides behind tradition, and what slips through the cracks of propriety. Laced with unease and subtle horror, it is not merely a ghost story—it is a disturbance in the fabric of the ordinary.

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.

A new Latin master. A strange sentence. A figure at the window. When boys at a quiet English school begin seeing things that shouldn't be there—and writing things they don't understand—a mystery begins to unfold, darker than any textbook could explain. In A School Story, M. R. James blends scholarly detail with creeping dread to deliver a haunting tale of the past refusing to stay buried. Quiet horror with a bite.

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 Episode of Cathedral History is one of M. R. James's most quietly chilling tales—a masterwork of subtle horror, antiquarian mystery, and creeping dread. Behind the stone walls of a venerable English cathedral, the past stirs with a presence that should have remained undisturbed. In this haunting narrative, the mundane slips imperceptibly into the macabre. A scholar's inquiry unlocks a forgotten secret; shadows lengthen; and something long sealed away begins to wake.

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.