Audiobooks are something of an acquired taste for the likes of me. I love the feel of a book in my hands. The texture and the smell are incomparable. Then again, life gets busy with a kid to raise, a house to maintain, and a wife to spend my time with. My opportunities for reading have been reduced. Almost paradoxically, I've read more than ever this year somewhat because I am able to listen to audiobooks at work. When it comes to horror, some of the best quality comes from a little organization called Horrorbabble.

Based out of the UK, Horrorbabble specializes in horror-themed audio recordings. Most of the readings are done by Ian Gordon, a man with a cultured, clear, and intelligent voice. His readings of H.P. Lovecraft's works are especially good. The recordings are presented with eye-catching backgrounds for the video screen and accompanied with ambient music and occasional sounds (not obtrusive in the least). Combine these elements with the reading itself and you have an atmosphere of brooding terror that is fitting with Lovecraft's work.

What I see in Horrorbabble is consistent quality by people who really seem to know the history of horror. Besides Lovecraft, they read works by Robert Bloch, Clark Ashton Smith, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, H.G. Wells, Ambose Bierce, Mary Elizabeth Counselman, Phillip K. Dick, William Hope Hodgson, Mary Shelley, and even some original pieces.

If you need something to listen to, try out Horrorbabble. They can be found on YouTube, but a recent decrease in funding may mean that Horrorbabble's days on YouTube are numbered. If you have the means and the desire, you can become a patron through Patreon. As a passionate horror fan, I fell for Horrorbabble almost instantly. Give it shot. It'll be fun.


Written by Nick Montelongo


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