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The Ceremonies
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
- Length: 21 hrs and 45 mins
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The Ceremonies
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Summary
He stopped, looked back, and saw it: the monstrous black thing staring at him from the tree....
This summer sees the long-anticipated reissue of The Ceremonies, a celebrated masterpiece from a generation ago, now fully corrected by its author. Chalking up the British Fantasy Award for Best First Novel on its original publication back in 1984, The Ceremonies was hailed by Stephen King as the best horror novel since Peter Straub's Ghost Story. It is now included in Horror: 100 Best Books.
From the terrifying vision of its opening scene to the breathtaking horror of its climax, The Ceremonies turns our familiar world into a place of malevolent intrigue and ominous design. In the grip of an extraordinary writer, it plumbs the darkest underpinnings of ancient myth and folklore to reveal an undying evil.
For graduate student Jeremy Freirs, citified, cynical, yet prone to daydreams, summer is the time to shed a few pounds and finally get some reading done for a course on Gothic literature. He's picked just the right place: the small, secluded village of Gilead, New Jersey, only 90 minutes from Manhattan but, with its antique customs and clannish traditions, seemingly centuries away.
For farmers Sarr and Deborah Poroth, young members of Gilead's fundamentalist community, the summer threatens a conflict between their passionate natures and the stern dictates of their faith. For Sarr's widowed mother, gifted with second sight, it promises the frightful awakening she's dreaded all her life. And for aspiring dancer Carol Conklin, a naive country girl struggling to survive in the city, it brings not only the first blush of romance but a lucky job with a kindly looking old man known as Mr. Rosebottom.
But 'Rosie', as he calls himself, bears a more sinister name - the Old One - and a far more terrifying secret. Though the signs are all about them, he alone knows the invisible design that rules these people's lives as they dance unwittingly toward doom: for in the heat of summer an ancient corruption is stirring, an evil rooted not far from the Poroth farm, yet reaching to the city and beyond. The time has come for the Ceremonies, the monstrous rites that will unleash on a despised creation an age-old promise of apocalypse. And to see the scheme unfold, like some deadly flower, is to watch a nightmare come to life.
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What listeners say about The Ceremonies
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- David
- 26-02-23
Great performance but sloooooow story and okay (just) ending
Great performance by the narrator. I was recommended this by someone who had read ‘ The Events at Porath Farm’ which was expanded into the Ceremonies. Wish it had been left at that. Clearly references lots of horror authors along the way. Can’t really see the comparison to Machen (other than it’s set in the middle of nowhere) or Lovecraft (other than it’s set in the middle of nowhere). Kept waiting for more to happen and left underwhelmed by the finale which happens at breakneck speed when it finally does arrive. Big fan of the writers referenced and literally name checked so not adverse to a slow build of dread which I’d take over gore any night of the week but for me this just did not land. Had it been a worse narrator I’d have struggled to make it past the 1st couple of hours. Be wary.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew Lucas
- 08-10-20
Arthur Machen recast and remade in rural America
It was a delightful surprise to find this novel available on Audible. Fingers crossed for 'Dark Gods' as well in future!
This novel is Klein's love letter to Arthur Machen's 'The White People', which quite believably becomes a genuine esoteric text in 'The Ceremonies'. Machen's dark hints at horrible ancient mysteries are expanded upon and gain greater depth and dread, rather than being rendered mundane (as may have been the case in the hands of a less skilled and subtle author). Klein takes Machen's themes of the horrible hidden roots of folklore and legend, the mystical countryside and the sinful city and remakes them in his native New York and rural New Jersey. There is no pastiche or imitation of Machen's style, instead fresh takes on Machen's motifs appear quite effortlessly and organically in Klein's own imaginative landscape.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susan
- 06-12-22
Brilliant
One of my favourite books a great reading bringing a cast of not particularly loveable characters to life: Jeremy in particular is the nebbish of the neb and Rosie just drips mincing malice.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kath Baker
- 12-09-20
Read it before, a pleasure to listen to!
This is a well deserved classic, albeit it less well known than Tryon's Harvest Home.
The story dances along, finely paced, with subtle changes and drips of information.
Recommended.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- GG5667
- 21-06-19
The Roar of the Dragon
An excellent book with great characterisations from Adam Sims. Hopefully, Klein's Dark Gods will be released by Audible.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 24-06-19
Excellent audible version.
Very good story and narration. As the other review stated, I hope audible bring us Dark Gods soon!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Elacsap
- 16-04-22
Too Long!
It serves me right as I knew the length of this book when I downloaded it, but this is a huge text, and for me it dragged in the middle. The characters were not all likeable, particularly Freers, the so-called flawed hero. I think sections were confusing and there were some serious plot chasms and not just holes. so would I recommend this book, probably not.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 13-08-19
Dreadful book, great narration
Portentous, overlong, depressingly sexist, humourless sexual fantasy gussied up in pagan dress for negligible thrills. Great narration.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- David Potter
- 18-12-22
So slow I gave up
Slow, boring and the main character is annoying. I gave up - don’t bother. I wish I hadn’t.
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