Showing results by narrator "Roy McCrerey" in All Categories

Conversationally Speaking has become the most popular book in the world teaching conversation skills. Millions of people have used it to learn the secrets of effective communication. This revised edition provides more ways to improve your conversation skills by giving you strategies that work for starting conversations, asking questions that promote interaction, interesting people in what you have to say, listening so that others will be encouraged to talk, avoiding rejection-producing behavior, handling criticism constructively, and more.

"Beyond the Wall of Sleep" is a short story from 1919 based on the innovative (at that time) idea of using psychology for explaining real-life issues. Incidentally, a near namesake song ("Behind the Wall of Sleep") appeared on the debut album of Black Sabbath. The second story, "From Beyond" (written in 1920, published in 1934), hovers around the theme of a mad scientist willing to peek beyond reality. It inspired a few films, songs by death-metal bands, and it even features in the PC game, "Half-Life". The last story of the trio is "The Transition of Juan Romero", from 1919. The feature "character" is a mysterious evil encountered in an ancient ritual to the Mexican deity, Huitzilopochtli.

Ghost stories by M. R. James are pretty varied, and based on the genre of Gothic novels. The plot of "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" is unveiled when Professor Parkins finds a whistle engraved with a Latin inscription... and blows it. "The School Story", builds a mystic and fearsome atmosphere around a mysterious Byzantine coin. Once again, well-chosen voices, superb music, and original cover-graphics serve to enhance the feel of the stories.

The author of the first short story - "The Haunted Dolls' House" - is Montague Rhodes James, "master of terror and monstrous visions". "Cool Air" and "Azathoth" by Howard Phillips Lovecraft complete the collection. The atmosphere of horror and mystery is underlined by excellent performances by all actors and music.

R. E. Howard created Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja, and Solomon Kane. Together with H. P. Lovecraft and others, R. E. Howard was one of the most prominent purveyors of the Cthulhu Mythos (the best-known contemporary author of this fictional mythology is Stephen King). "The Horror from the Mound" and "The Fearsome Touch of Death" are excellent even by today’s standards - and the stories are further highlighted by incredible vocal performances, stunning music, and superb graphics on the cover.

The first short story - "The Tomb of Sara" - was written by English navy officer, and writer, Frederick George Loring. It was one of the very first stories from the last century featuring a lady vampire. The feminine element represents the connection with "Luella Miller" by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman. The inhabitant of a haunted house sucks life out of everyone who gets interested in her - and the atmosphere gets denser throughout the story.