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  • The Shadow over Innsmouth

  • Written by: H. P. Lovecraft
  • Narrated by: Richard Coyle
  • Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (99 ratings)

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The Shadow over Innsmouth

Written by: H. P. Lovecraft
Narrated by: Richard Coyle
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Publisher's Summary

The perfect H. P. Lovecraft title to follow on from 2010's At the Mountains of Madness, and the only HPL title not to appear in a periodical! Perfect also because it is split in to 5 distinct chapters...ripe for abridgement into five half-hour episodes!

The Shadow Over Innsmouth tells the first-person story of a young historian, Robert Olmstead, who, while investigating his family genealogy in New England, is intrigued to learn about a hated and mysterious fishing town called Innsmouth. When he visits he finds the place to be run-down and near-deserted, with a cult-like religion and a strange, degenerate population. His investigation soon turns into a race to escape the town and the the evil creatures he sees emerging from the sea.

The Shadow Over Innsmouth was written by H. P. Lovecraft in 1931 and is the only one of his works of fiction not to have initially been published as part of a periodical. It continues HPL's Cthulhu Mythos, featuring townspeople worshipping the elder sea god Dagon and mentioning the mysterious Shoggoth creature of his other works.

Howard Phillips "H. P." Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 - March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction. As early as the 1940s, Lovecraft had developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fiction featuring a pantheon of humanity-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical.

Although Lovecraft's audience was limited during his life, his reputation has grown and he is now regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century. Stephen King called him "the 20th century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale." This 2011 adaptation comprises five episodes, originally aired on BBC Radio 4 Extra, once again read by the superb Richard Coyle and featuring music by acclaimed composer Jon Nicholls. The series is offered here in exclusive extended edition.

©2011 Ladbroke Productions (Radio) Ltd (P)2011 Spokenworld Audio/Ladbroke Audio Ltd

What listeners say about The Shadow over Innsmouth

Average Customer Ratings
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  • WTL
  • 2020-12-16

Endless repeating music was annoying

Richard Coyle's reading of the store was wonderful, but the background music was unnecessary, distracting, and repetitive to the point of ruining a wonderful Lovecraft tale.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Classic Lovecraft

Completely enthralling, excellent performance and what a story line! If you have enjoyed any of his other works, you will love this.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic audio version!

Lovecraft's stories have always been immersive, and the narration + the soundscape take the listener to an even deeper level than one could have expected. It was amazing. Thank you for the nightmares !

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A very good story

I come late to H.P. Lovecraft. Slowly and surely I am discovering and enjoying his stories. This one is my second, and as per my rating I enjoyed it a lot. Great narration by Richard Coyle.

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  • DM
  • 2020-12-17

nice and creepy. a classic

narrator was excellent and really brought the story to life. accompanying music and sound effects did well to bring me into the creepy atmosphere. whets my appetite for more Lovecraft.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This is exactly what an audiobook should be

I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this title. Having read some Lovecraft before, I definitely enjoyed the story - well put together, beautifully evocative atmosphere, and the language itself is a joy to listen to. But beyond the story, the narrator's voice was ten out of ten and just right for the story. And the background sound effects were just right - well timed, and just the right volume level. I've run across many audiobooks on the auduble site that have such poor narration, or mismatch between the narrator and the tone of the story, or just basic bad editing and volume choices, that it's really a delight to come across such a refreshing piece of work.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, amazing detailed Horror.

This was my first H.P Lovecraft book I've ever read/listened to, and I was very enthralled with the world building and detailed writings of the protagonists peril. Loved the ending, and loved the added sounds for atmosphere. My only critic was the voice actors choice for the villagers of inmsmouth. Instead of a Massachusetts accent he opted for a southern drawl, which bothered me and took me out of the experience sometimes. But still loved it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Ambience

The background 'music' creates the right mood. The narrator fits the story. If you're looking for gory, you won't find it here, but if your imagination is good, you'll shiver. Quick listen if you're pressed for time

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Horror

Actual horror. Not reliant on gore, blood, and shock; but instead chooses the use of the wandering corners of the human pysche. The images painted by this man's linguistic ability are haunting and brought to life by such a fantastic narrator make this short audiobook truly a masterpiece.

At first the ambient sounds felt unnecessary, but by 10 minutes in I felt the addition was fantastic. If ever I hear these sounds while attending to daily activities I'm sure an audible double take won't be enough to shudder the uncomfortable, spine tingling feeling.

Can't recommend this product enough. I'd say enjoy, but that isn't the word; maybe experience.

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  • yugid.mega
  • 2019-10-25

THIS GUY RIGHT HERE

Oh My God I was not expecting this when I decided to delve into my favorite type of horror. One thing about lovecraftian fiction is that it doesn't matter who reads it, it's all about how they read it and this guy is spot on! The moment I saw I could pick who read the story I flicked through the list, tossing them aside one after anothe, until I heard it. Richard Coyle, where ever you may be, you have a gift for this and I am honored to have heard it. But seriously, it's hard to set the proper tone for a story like this and it's kinda what kept me from audible for awhile. But this guy? This guy did it for me, great story told be a great voice actor, cheers from me.

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3 people found this helpful

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  • Dadasaur
  • 2018-09-30

The narration was marvelous. Lovecraft at his best

Richard Coyle brings this undying classic to life with perfect narration. The music is perfect also

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  • Martinez
  • 2015-12-31

Fascinating story told in a audio drama manner.

What made the experience of listening to The Shadow over Innsmouth the most enjoyable?

What made this audio drama enjoyable was is this was yet another very well crafted story by H.P. Lovecraft. A story that is wonderfully produced and narrated by Richard Coyle and company. It is voice acted in many parts, alongside the narration, and every part is a fascinating joy to listen and imagine in your mind IMHO.

There are also well done sound fx's and background music that is tastefully weaved into the narration and acting. Each are brilliantly used to create and set the mood and atmosphere for the story and setting. However, these audio fx sounds, and background music, never overshadow the story itself or the voice acting. In other words, they are well done in a way so that they only lend to the atmosphere created by the story and narrator. Of which, Richard is a great voice actor and his voice is well suited for these types of stories. As you can tell I'm a fan of his work here and with another HP Lovecraft story he narrated called the "At The Mountains of Madness".

What other book might you compare The Shadow over Innsmouth to and why?

"Over the Mountain of Madness" another H.P. Lovecraft masterpiece. The version that was also narrated and voice acted by Richard Coyle.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene on the docks when the old town drunk in the story is "spilling the beans" on what he knows after the main character shares a bottle of alcohol with him. This scene gives a tremendous amount of background lore about the wonderfully chilling Cthulhu mythos that H.P. Lovecraft artfully and originally crafted into what we know call the sci-fi horror genre.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. It's almost impossible to stop listening to this audiobook/drama once you start down that grim-dark Lovecraftian path of Cthulhu dark intrigue, horror and suspense.

Any additional comments?

If you pick this story up then do yourself a favor and also pick up the companion story called "At the Mountains of Madness" which is also read by Richard Coyle.

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  • Matthew Puddicombe
  • 2019-10-27

best narration for this story

Almost perfect,
Best sound effects, narration and pacing of an version of this story I've found.
My only complaint is that for some reason they found it necessary to introduce the book and do the credits at the beginning of EVERY chapter... it's a short story, give me a break. Weird, unfortunate choice.
Very minor in the scheme of things.

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  • Steven J. Hoffman
  • 2019-06-29

incredibly powerful performance

I am a huge fan of HP Lovecraft, and this is one of the finest readings of his work I have ever heard. I plan to find out if this reader has recorded other Lovecraft works and if so I plan to listen to them. This reading is augmented by very effective and spooky background music. I was skeptical at first about the music but it heightened the sense of horror and suspense of the storymn

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  • Bastion Drake
  • 2016-05-04

Great

Any additional comments?

Absolutely excellent execution from Lovecraft and Coyle. I would have preferred a lot more sound effects but it was still engrossing.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • R. Peacock Prat
  • 2016-04-11

Scary and alluring

The story is very strange, a bit confused, but ultimately the narrator does it great justice with a great reading. If you're looking for something to get your heart pumping The Shadow Over Innsmouth will do the trick. This is a fairly short story so it's a good listen for in the car.

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  • Will Reeves
  • 2021-12-26

one of the best Lovecraft stories.

Great story. The only weakness is the long random long sounds between chapters here.

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  • Benjamin H.
  • 2021-10-23

Get it!

Fantastic story and narration. If you like Lovecraft or just mystery/horror this is a must! Yes it's only 2.5 hours long but you'll be thinking about it for hours afterwards

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  • Kindle Customer
  • 2021-05-29

Excellent read

Horror, wonder and suspense at its best. Where has this been hiding all my life?

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