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The Experiment

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The Experiment

By: Montague Rhodes James
Narrated by: David Collings
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About this listen

This is the unabridged audio recording of M R James' excellent ghost story "The Experiment". Read by David Collings, this is sure to scare and delight in equal measure.

Public Domain (P)2010 Craftsman Unabridged Audio Classics

Critic reviews

"David Collings reads wonderfully well." (The Observer)
All stars
Most relevant  
Another spooky from Mr M.R.James. Has written so many, the man was a genius. Nice to see the full collection on Audible books. 30 at least.

Great Spooks of Mr M.R.James

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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes - it's only 15 minutes long!

Would you be willing to try another book from Montague Rhodes James? Why or why not?

Absolutely - I've read pretty much all of his work, but this isn't one of his better ones.

What about David Collings’s performance did you like?

Collings has almost the perfect voice for James: well modulated, educated, easy on the ear. The only better narrator I've come across for James was Christoper Lee in the BBC Christmas Ghost Story series (although David Suchet is very good in the Audible recordings), but that's setting a very high benchmark!

Do you think The Experiment needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Odd question - James wrote short stories which were meant to stand alone. You could take this concept and turn it into a much longer novel or a series of stories using the same central idea but that wasn't James' intent.

Any additional comments?

If you're new to M.R. James, start with 'O Whistle and I'll Come To You' or 'A Warning to the Curious' or 'The Mezzotint'.

Not one of M. R. James' best

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Where does The Experiment rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

top 20%

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Experiment?

The graveyard scene

Have you listened to any of David Collings’s other performances? How does this one compare?

very well, great building of suspense and horror

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

not that kind of story

Any additional comments?

An excellent combination of superstition and horror.

Good old fashioned sinister ghost story

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