Classic Literature Dark

Whether serving as cautionary tales or stories that appease the listener’s thirst of the unknown, the macabre, and even the grotesque, horror fiction has been around for a long time. From stories concocted around mythical figures and legends, to those about imagined monsters under the bed and in the dark, here is a must-have edition to make your nights a little scarier.

Benedict Cumberbatch reads Franz Kafka's famous story of man-turned-insect, Metamorphosis Winner of AudioFile Earphones...

It's been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses. Together with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn't lead her in treacherous directions....

The lifestyles, careers, romances, and peccadillos of various British intellectuals, scientists, and artists are dealt with - often with hilarity and sometimes with dark comedy and sophisticated banter. All of this is set off by the ingenious idea of self-inflating pants!

January 1937. Clouds of war are gathering over a fogbound London. Twenty-eight year old Jack is poor, lonely and desperate to change his life. So when he's offered the chance to join an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Spirits are high as the ship leaves Norway: five men and eight huskies...

The Resistance is fractured. The remaining survivors are buckling under the might of the malicious Tyrant King. Enter Roark von Graf, hedge mage, lesser noble of Traisbin, and one of the last freedom fighters. Desperate and unhinged, Roark crafts one final attempt to overthrow the king. The plan goes awry, and Roark finds himself tumbling headfirst into an interdimensional portal. On the other side, he finds himself stranded in an unexpected place - an ultra-immersive fantasy video game called Hearthworld.

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Colin Salmon known for his starring roles in Resident Evil and Alien Vs Predator. He is also known for his role as Charles Robinson alongside Pierce Brosnan's James Bond. This definitive recording includes an Introduction by Maurice...

H.H. Munro (Saki) is one of the undisputed masters of the short story. In this complete compendium, the full gamut of his subjects and themes is experienced. His stories are imbued with humorous satire, biting irony, and often the macabre, all of which have one target: the stupidities and hypocrisies of Edwardian upper-class society.

At the heart of these stories, as with all the best of Lovecraft’s work, is the belief that the Earth was once inhabited by powerful and evil gods, just waiting for the chance to recolonise their planet. Cthulhu is one such god, lurking deep beneath the sea until called into being by cult followers who – like all humans – know not what they do.

The Woman in the Dunes, by celebrated writer and thinker Kobo Abe, combines the essence of myth, suspense and the existential novel. After missing the last bus home following a day trip to the seashore, an amateur entomologist is offered lodging for the night at the bottom of a vast sand pit...

Step into the shadows with three of the most influential works ever written in the horror genre. Essential Horror Classics: Volume One brings together tales of creeping dread, supernatural decay, and psychological terror that continue to haunt readers more than a century after their publication. Together, these enduring classics showcase horror in its many forms—from the cosmic and uncanny to the psychological and gothic—offering an unforgettable journey into the darker corners of the human imagination.

Brought to you by Penguin. Mass-murdering authors. Writers at the head of a football-hooligan ring. A pilot who crafts his poetry in the sky. A tour de force of black humour and imaginary erudition, Nazi Literature in the Americas presents itself as a biographical dictionary of pan-American...

"Nachalo" roman Vasilija Mahanenko, pervaja kniga cikla "Paladin", zhanr fjentezi, LitRPG. Legko li vyzhit' v igrovom mire? Mozhno dat' utverditel'nyj otvet, esli ne znat' dopolnitel'nye uslovija. Oni neobychny: real'nyj mir, v kotorom ty zhil vsju svoju zhizn'. Vrag, zhazhdushhij tebja unichtozhit'. Sobstvennyj klass, kotoromu na tebja plevat'. Vse eshhe uvereny, chto vyzhit' legko? Togda dobro pozhalovat' v IGRU! Ona dokazhet vam obratnoe.

A terrorist on the run hides in a brothel. Desperate for respite after evading authorities for days, he hires a prostitute even though he has lived his life as a chaste man. The well-off idealistic young man and the poor woman doing what she can to survive clash but also inspire each other in this dark tale of failed dreams.

Dubbed the greatest horror story in English by Stephen King, The Great God Pan is an eerie and otherworldly mystery about a diabolical operation and its terrifying repercussions. After rescuing a young woman from the streets of London, Dr. Raymond uses her as a test subject for brain surgery aimed at "lifting the veil" of reality, to see the supernatural and the "great god Pan". The operation is a disaster and leaves the subject lobotomized. Years later, London becomes afflicted with a strange series of male suicides connected to a beautiful but sinister woman.

Another story of Roma Eterna. A Roman nobleman is sent in punishment to a remote corner of the Empire–the Arabian city we know as Mecca...

David Collins and Amy Jennings, two charming, innocent children are suddenly turned into demons. At first their pranks only annoy Maggie Evans, their governess. But soon she realizes they have become malicious, bent on destroying all of Collinwood. Convinced the children are possessed by a mysterious, supernatural power, and frightened for her life, Maggie turns for help to Barnabas Collins.

After falling in love with beautiful heiress Diana Hastings, Barnabas Collins makes a desperate attempt to find a cure for his vampire curse. He summons to Collinwood Dr. Rudolf Padrel, a strange scientist who claims he can develop a serum that will make Barnabas a normal man again. But as time passes, Barnabas wonders if the mysterious scientist isn’t merely using him for his own evil ends. Graves in the family cemetery are desecrated and a young girl is found murdered. Barnabas is denounced by the villagers, who try to storm Collinwood.

When the jury of which Roger Collins is chairman finds Harriet Barnes guilty of murder, she swears vengeance on the entire Collins family, then kills herself. Soon, Celia Dalton, a guest at Collinwood, starts suffering strange spells. Each time she does, someone at Collinwood is violently attacked. Has Harriet Barnes taken over her spirit, making the innocent girl a bloodthirsty killer? Can Barnabas and Quentin save Celia - and the Collins family - from this menace out of the crypt?

Carolyn Stoddard is knocked unconscious when the sports car she and Barnabas are riding in skids on a patch of ice. She regains consciousness in Collinwood with Barnabas and Quentin Collins at her side - but the year is 1870! And Collinwood is being terrorized by a savage killer. Carolyn likes Quentin and refuses to believe that even in werewolf form, he could be the murderer.