Verlag: Publishdrive
Embrace Halloween vibes with a hand-picked selection of spooky stories from some of our favourite authors. Some are spine-tingling, some are sweet, all of them are perfect for snuggling up with on a dark and stormy night...
More classic horror narrations on Jonathan's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JonathanDunneHorrorAudiobooks Title: The Man and the Snake Author: Ambrose Bierce Narrator: Jonathan Dunne Original Publication: 1890 Public Domain: Yes Series Placement: Timeless Terrors No. 81 Description: The Man and the Snake is one of Ambrose Bierce’s most incisive and psychologically ruthless tales — a concentrated examination of fear, perception, and the destructive power of the imagination. The story follows a man who encounters what he believes to be a venomous rattlesnake blocking his path, a moment that quickly becomes an ordeal of paralyzing terror. Though nothing outwardly changes, the man’s fear escalates, trapping him in a prison of his own making. Central to the story is the motionless snake itself, an object onto which the man projects overwhelming dread. Bierce uses this simple confrontation to expose how fear can distort reality, overpower reason, and inflict genuine harm even in the absence of true danger. The horror emerges not from action, but from mental collapse and cruel irony. Bierce’s sharp, unsentimental prose delivers its impact with precision, favoring psychological exposure over spectacle. Narrated by Amazon-bestselling horror author Jonathan Dunne, this performance captures the story’s mounting tension, bleak humor, and devastating final revelation. The Man and the Snake endures as a timeless reminder that the imagination, once seized by fear, can become the most dangerous force of all.Zum Buch
Who says quick sex can't be thrilling? There's something exhilarating about the rush of raw emotions, wild, naked escapades, and the excitement of giving in to temptation without a moment's notice. The same can be said for an erotic tale that can leave you breathless in just a few minutes of unabashed ardor. The Big Book of Quickies was designed for erotica lovers who don't have hours to spare getting swept away, much like the characters you will meet. But don't let the title fool you: although hasty when it comes to getting down and dirty, this collection offers plenty of variety in these 69 tales of rapture and hot sex of all kinds. From raunchy to romantic, these stories include a wide range of sexualities, turn-ons, fetishes, and kinks, taking place in the real world and paranormal realms. Whether bedding a stranger just for the moment, taking a few minutes to indulge their desires with a long-time partner, or pursuing their biggest sexual fantasy, putting pleasure front and center is what these horny characters have in common. If erotic tension, burning desire, and instant gratification are what you seek, look no further than the Big Book of Quickies. Contains mature themes.Zum Buch
Slice of Lonely is a collection of delicate 60 second short stories. Each story is narrated by a different actor creating a thoughtful and immersive tapestry of storytelling.Zum Buch
INDIES INTRODUCE SELECTION ● DEBUT AUTHOR, MOLLY OLGUÍN brings us THE SEA GIVES UP THE DEAD, a collection of stories sprinkled into the soil of fairy tales, left to take root and grow wild there. "A wunderkammer of beauty and sorrow." —Carmen Maria Machado, author of In the Dream House ● "Witty, witchy, darkly brilliant" —Andrea Barrett, author of Natural History and Ship Fever ● "Mix the wildness of fairy tales with horror." —Kim Brock, Joseph-Beth Booksellers ● "Fantastical, queer, wildly inventive stories." —Austin Carter, Pocket Books Shop ● "A mouthwatering ride." —Desirae Wilkerson, Paper Boat Booksellers ● "Absolutely fantastic!" —Randy Schiller, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, Missouri A lovesick nanny slays a dragon. The devil tries to save her mother. A girl drowns and becomes a saint. Three kids plot to blow up their dad, a grieving mother sails the sea to find her son's grave, a scientist brings a voice to life, and a mermaid falls into the power of a witch. Here, historical fiction, horror, and fantasy tangle together in a queer garden of love, grief, and longing.Zum Buch
Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin was born on 14th February 1855 in what is now Dnipro in the Ukraine, but then part of the Russian Empire. After attending secondary school he studied at the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute. Wars between and on behalf of Empires were a regular feature of the decades then. Garshin volunteered to serve in the Russian army at the beginning of the Russo-Turkish War in 1877. He began as a private in the Balkans campaign and was wounded in action. By the end of the war, in 1878, he had been promoted to officer rank. By now Garshin, having previously published some articles and reviews in newspapers, wished to devote himself to a literary career. The decision made he resigned his army commission. His time as a soldier provided rich experiences for his early stories. His first ‘Four Days’ was related as the interior monologue of a wounded soldier left for dead on the battlefield for four days, face to face with the corpse of a Turkish soldier he had killed, gained him early admiration as an author of note. He wrote perhaps only 20 stories, but their influence was immense, although in these more modern times he is barely remembered and lives in the more prolific shadows of others. His characters are superbly worked into stories that come alive in the intensity and reality of his prose. Garshin’s most well-known story is ‘The Red Flower’, also known as ‘Scarlet Blossom’ and is easily amongst the first rank of stories dealing with mental health issues. Despite early literary success, he himself experienced periodical bouts of mental illness. In one such bout Garshin attempted to commit suicide by throwing himself down the stone stairs leading into his apartment building. Although not immediately fatal, Vsevolod Garshin died as a result of his injuries in a St Petersburg hospital on 5th April 1888. He was 33. 1 - Vesvelod Garshin - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 2 - A Red Flower by Vsevolod Garshin 3 - A Very Short Romance by Vsevolod Garshin 4 - Officer and Soldier-Servant by Vsevolod Garshin 5 - The Signal by Vsevolod Garshin 6 - Coward by Vsevolod GarshinZum Buch
Alexander Kuprin was born in Narovchat, Penza in Russia on 7th September 1870. At 3 his Father died and he and mother moved to Moscow. By 10 he was enrolled at the Second Moscow Military High School and there his interest in literature began. The Alexander Military Academy followed and two years later he was a sub-lieutenant and posted to an Infantry Regiment for a further four years. Despite his duties he was a now a keen writer and published his first short story at this time. His military duties also garnered him experiences for his breakthrough work ‘The Duel’. Leaving the military he left for Kiev to work for local newspapers. He continued to publish both stories and novels and by 1901 he was in St Petersburg becoming part of a group that included Chekhov, Ivan Bunin, Maxim Gorky and Leonid Andreyev. In the years that followed further controversial works and acclaim followed. His comments on the regime meant he was also put under secret police surveillance. As World War I erupted, Kuprin opened a military hospital but was then given command of an infantry company in Finland. He was soon discharged on grounds of ill health. The October Revolution saw him praise Lenin, but he warned that the Bolsheviks threatened Russian culture and might cause further widespread suffering to the peasants. As Civil War raged he took his family to Helsinki and then on to Paris. Exile saw his talents decline further and his succumbing to alcoholism. He became lonely and withdrawn. The family's poverty increased his malaise. In May 1937, the Kuprin’s returned to Moscow. He now saw his work published but wrote almost nothing new. In 1938 his health rapidly deteriorated. Already suffering from a kidney problems and sclerosis, he had now developed cancer of the oesophagus. Alexander Kuprin died on 25th August 1938.Zum Buch
