
The Outcast and Other Dark Tales
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $28.46
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Ben Onwukwe
-
John Telfer
-
David Thorpe
About this listen
A grisly spirit turns travelling companion for the unwitting passenger of a London bus; a repulsive neighbour returns from the grave, rejected by the very earth; an innocuous back garden becomes the stage for a nightmare encounter with druidic sacrifice.
From deep in the British Library vaults emerges a new selection of E.F. Benson's most innovative, spine-tingling and satisfyingly dark 'spook stories'. Complete with an introduction exploring the fascinating story of Benson's life, and including the never-before-republished story 'Billy Comes Through', this volume hails the chilling return of an experimental master to whom writers of supernatural fiction have long been indebted.
©2020 Mike Ashley (Selection, introduction and notes) (P)2022 Isis AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry's Definitive Collection
- By: Stephen Fry, Washington Irving, M.R. James, and others
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, Halloween approaches. Come, brave listener, pull up a chair, and spend some time with master storyteller Stephen Fry as he tells us some of his favourite ghost stories of all time, in truly terrifying spatial audio. From the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow to the tortured spirits of M.R. James, from Edgar Allan Poe’s terrifying tale of a doppelganger to Charlotte Riddell’s Open Door that should definitely stay shut, join Stephen as he tells you some truly terrifying tales.
-
-
Wonderful narration. Mediocre stories.
- By Michael Fuchs on 11-07-23
By: Stephen Fry, and others
-
The Black Bell Buoy
- By: Rupert Chesterton
- Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
- Length: 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set along the Great Barrier Reef, ‘The Black Bell Buoy’ recalls the story of two members of the Marine Board who were sent to secure a giant buoy near a dangerous piece of coral. Only one man makes it home though as rumours of a hideous octopus abound.
-
E.F. Benson's Ghost Stories
- read by Mark Gatiss
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Mark Gatiss
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mark Gatiss ( Sherlock, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones) reads chilling tales by the unsung master of the classic ghost story: E. F. Benson. There's nothing sinister about a London bus. Nothing supernatural could occur on a busy train platform. There's nothing terrifying about a little caterpillar. And a telephone, what could be scary about that? Don't be frightened of the dark corners of your room. Don't be alarmed by a sudden inexplicable chill.
-
-
E.F. Benson Classics Excellently Read by Gatiss
- By Robert on 10-28-17
By: E. F. Benson
-
M.R. James: The Complete Ghost Stories Collection
- By: M. R. James
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the first time, the complete works of M. R. James are available to download in one collection. This unabridged collection of all M.R. James' ghost stories includes tales from Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, More Ghost Stories, A Thin Ghost and Others, and A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories. It is expertly read by award-winning narrator Jonathan Keeble.
-
-
The Master
- By Mardou Fox on 08-09-22
By: M. R. James
-
Ghosts: Edith Wharton's Gothic Tales
- By: Edith Wharton
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin, Jonathan Epstein, Corinna May, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beneath the brilliance that was behind The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome was a dark side. A dark side which produced magnificent tales of the unseen influences in our lives, such as "Mr. Jones", "The Eyes", "Kerfol", "The Ladie's Maid's Bell", and "The Looking Glass".
-
-
Ghastly Shadows of the Feminine Condition
- By Diane on 10-16-12
By: Edith Wharton
-
The Destructors and Other Stories
- By: Graham Greene
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From a childish fear of the dark in "The End of the Party" to the chilling conclusion of the "Destructors" and the all-consuming selfishness of "May We Borrow Your Husband", this collection opens with three of Greene's most disturbing stories. Things take a surreal turn in "Under the Garden" before finally blossoming for a moment in "Two Gentle People", then there's a detective story and a brush with Greene's sardonic wit to finish.
-
-
Graham Greene
- By yoby on 04-06-15
By: Graham Greene
-
Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry's Definitive Collection
- By: Stephen Fry, Washington Irving, M.R. James, and others
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, Halloween approaches. Come, brave listener, pull up a chair, and spend some time with master storyteller Stephen Fry as he tells us some of his favourite ghost stories of all time, in truly terrifying spatial audio. From the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow to the tortured spirits of M.R. James, from Edgar Allan Poe’s terrifying tale of a doppelganger to Charlotte Riddell’s Open Door that should definitely stay shut, join Stephen as he tells you some truly terrifying tales.
-
-
Wonderful narration. Mediocre stories.
- By Michael Fuchs on 11-07-23
By: Stephen Fry, and others
-
The Black Bell Buoy
- By: Rupert Chesterton
- Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
- Length: 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set along the Great Barrier Reef, ‘The Black Bell Buoy’ recalls the story of two members of the Marine Board who were sent to secure a giant buoy near a dangerous piece of coral. Only one man makes it home though as rumours of a hideous octopus abound.
-
E.F. Benson's Ghost Stories
- read by Mark Gatiss
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Mark Gatiss
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mark Gatiss ( Sherlock, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones) reads chilling tales by the unsung master of the classic ghost story: E. F. Benson. There's nothing sinister about a London bus. Nothing supernatural could occur on a busy train platform. There's nothing terrifying about a little caterpillar. And a telephone, what could be scary about that? Don't be frightened of the dark corners of your room. Don't be alarmed by a sudden inexplicable chill.
-
-
E.F. Benson Classics Excellently Read by Gatiss
- By Robert on 10-28-17
By: E. F. Benson
-
M.R. James: The Complete Ghost Stories Collection
- By: M. R. James
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the first time, the complete works of M. R. James are available to download in one collection. This unabridged collection of all M.R. James' ghost stories includes tales from Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, More Ghost Stories, A Thin Ghost and Others, and A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories. It is expertly read by award-winning narrator Jonathan Keeble.
-
-
The Master
- By Mardou Fox on 08-09-22
By: M. R. James
-
Ghosts: Edith Wharton's Gothic Tales
- By: Edith Wharton
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin, Jonathan Epstein, Corinna May, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beneath the brilliance that was behind The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome was a dark side. A dark side which produced magnificent tales of the unseen influences in our lives, such as "Mr. Jones", "The Eyes", "Kerfol", "The Ladie's Maid's Bell", and "The Looking Glass".
-
-
Ghastly Shadows of the Feminine Condition
- By Diane on 10-16-12
By: Edith Wharton
-
The Destructors and Other Stories
- By: Graham Greene
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From a childish fear of the dark in "The End of the Party" to the chilling conclusion of the "Destructors" and the all-consuming selfishness of "May We Borrow Your Husband", this collection opens with three of Greene's most disturbing stories. Things take a surreal turn in "Under the Garden" before finally blossoming for a moment in "Two Gentle People", then there's a detective story and a brush with Greene's sardonic wit to finish.
-
-
Graham Greene
- By yoby on 04-06-15
By: Graham Greene
-
When Things Get Dark
- Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson
- By: Ellen Datlow - editor
- Narrated by: Nicol Zanzarella, Cassandra Campbell, Erin Moon, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A chilling anthology in tribute to the genius of Shirley Jackson. Shirley Jackson is a seminal writer of horror and mystery fiction, whose legacy resonates globally today. Chilling, human, poignant, and strange, her stories have inspired a generation of writers and listeners. This anthology, edited by legendary horror editor Ellen Datlow, brings together today’s leading horror writers to offer their own personal tribute to the work of Shirley Jackson.
-
-
Come for the Oates, stay for the rest!
- By Rebecca Rowland, author on 12-23-21
-
Dracula [Audible Edition]
- By: Bram Stoker
- Narrated by: Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The modern audience hasn't had a chance to truly appreciate the unknowing dread that readers would have felt when reading Bram Stoker's original 1897 manuscript. Most modern productions employ campiness or sound effects to try to bring back that gothic tension, but we've tried something different. By returning to Stoker's original storytelling structure - a series of letters and journal entries voiced by Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, and other characters - with an all-star cast of narrators, we've sought to recapture its originally intended horror and power.
-
-
IS THAT NOT SO?
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 11-05-15
By: Bram Stoker
-
The Thirteenth Tale
- A Novel
- By: Diane Setterfield
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato, Jill Tanner
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All children mythologize their birth... So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's beloved collection of stories, long famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale. The enigmatic Winter has always kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she summons a biographer to tell the truth about her extraordinary life: Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth remains an ever-present pain.
-
-
Simply Amazing Story--2 missing chapters
- By JE on 01-28-10
-
Rebecca
- By: Daphne du Maurier
- Narrated by: Anna Massey
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.... The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives - presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.
-
-
Easily the best audiobook I have ever heard!
- By Kid at Heart on 11-10-18
-
Out of the Silent Planet
- Ransom Trilogy, Book 1
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
- Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Out of the Silent Planet is the first novel of the Cosmic Trilogy, considered to be C.S. Lewis' chief contribution to the science fiction genre.
-
-
Original, complex, not middle of the road
- By Phantom's Furnature on 05-27-05
By: C. S. Lewis
-
Call of Cthulhu and Other Stories
- By: H. P. Lovecraft
- Narrated by: William Roberts
- Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Required reading
- By Katherine on 09-19-12
By: H. P. Lovecraft
-
Mrs. Dalloway
- By: Virginia Woolf
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is a June day in London in 1923, and the lovely Clarissa Dalloway is having a party. Whom will she see? Her friend Peter, back from India, who has never really stopped loving her? What about Sally, with whom Clarissa had her life’s happiest moment? Meanwhile, the shell-shocked Septimus Smith is struggling with his life on the same London day.
-
-
One Tough Read Perfectly Delivered
- By Chris on 06-11-12
By: Virginia Woolf
-
My Cousin Rachel
- By: Daphne du Maurier
- Narrated by: Jonathan Pryce
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in Philip as his heir, a man who will love his grand home as much as he does himself. But the cosy world the two construct is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries—and there he dies suddenly.
-
-
AN INCREDIBLE NOVEL -- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
- By Janna Wong Healy on 07-08-15
-
To the Lighthouse
- By: Virginia Woolf
- Narrated by: Nicole Kidman
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To the Lighthouse is Virginia Woolf’s arresting analysis of domestic family life, centering on the Ramseys and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland in the early 1900s. Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge, Eyes Wide Shut), who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Woolf in the film adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel
The Hours, brings the impressionistic prose of this classic to vibrant life.
-
-
A book that will challenge you to think.
- By Kelly on 04-23-17
By: Virginia Woolf
-
The Return of the Native
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Alan Rickman
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set on Egdon Heath, a fictional barren moor in Wessex, Eustacia Vye longs for the excitement of city life but is cut off from the world in her grandfather's lonely cottage. Clym Yeobright who has returned to the area to become a schoolmaster seems to offer everything she dreams of: passion, excitement and the opportunity to escape. However, Clym's ambitions are quite different, and marriage only increases Eustacia's destructive restlessness, drawing others into a tangled web of deceit and unhappiness.
-
-
A Perfect Pairing
- By Mel on 11-04-12
By: Thomas Hardy
-
Death in Berlin
- By: M. M. Kaye
- Narrated by: Kate Udall
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miranda Brand is visiting Germany for what is supposed to be a month's vacation. But from the moment that Brigadier Brindley relates the story about a fortune in lost diamonds - a story in which Miranda herself figures in an unusual way - the vacation atmosphere becomes transformed into something more ominous. And when murder strikes on the night train to Berlin, Miranda finds herself unwillingly involved in a complex chain of events that will soon throw her own life into peril.
-
-
Why these narrators
- By Rhian on 09-01-13
By: M. M. Kaye
-
The Asylum
- By: John Harwood
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Confused and disoriented, Georgina Ferrars awakens in a small room in Tregannon House, a private asylum in a remote corner of England. She has no memory of the past few weeks. The doctor Maynard Straker tells her that she admitted herself under the name Lucy Ashton the day before and then suffered a seizure. When she insists he has mistaken her for someone else, Dr. Straker sends a telegram to her uncle, who replies that Georgina Ferrars is at home with him in London: "Your patient must be an imposter." Suddenly her voluntary confinement becomes involuntary....
-
-
Mesmerizing
- By Tracey Rains on 06-03-13
By: John Harwood
What listeners say about The Outcast and Other Dark Tales
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Clovis Sangrail
- 08-29-24
A collection for pre-existing Benson fans.
The author of the stories in this collection was born in 1867 so it seems somewhat unfair of the previous reviewer to give the book one star for 19th century-style writing. E.F. Benson wrote like a late Victorian because... he was a late Victorian.
Benson was a son of an Archbishop of Canterbury and educated at Marlborough and then Cambridge, where his writing was influenced by M.R. James (b. 1862), perhaps the worst offender amongst these stuffy ghost story types. So naturally Benson was never going to develop the literary je ne sais quoi of a Stephen King or an R.L. Stine.
Despite these regrettable deficiencies, I am terribly fond of Benson, and for that reason I am baffled and dismayed by the editor's choice of stories, or at least, the order in which to present them. "Dummy on a Dahabeah" is a good ghost story but Benson's least approachable. He was a bridge and whist superfan, and half of the considerably long story consists of interminable technical descriptions of whist games which mean absolutely nothing to most of us now.
First time Benson readers/listeners should absolutely skip to the third story, "Between the Lights," which is much more typical of him, and is in the same vein as certain stories written by Arthur Machen, John Buchan, and Arthur Conan Doyle. Better yet, first timers should pick a more traditional Benson collection that features all his greatest hits.
-Five stars for the stories because it's E. F. Benson, who is the Kannon to M.R. James' Amida.
-Three to four stars for the narration (one narrator was great, one was good, and one was a little too enthusiastic).
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- mgordo
- 05-02-23
19th Century Affectations
Writing as if you’re a 19th century author doesn’t make you scary —- just stuffy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!