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Usher's Passing

By: Robert R. McCammon
Narrated by: Scott Aiello
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Summary

Poe's classic tale lives on in this Gothic novel of ancestral madness in the mountains of modern-day North Carolina, from a New York Times best-selling author.

Ever since Edgar Allan Poe looted a family's ignoble secret history for his classic story "The Fall of the House of Usher", living in the shadow of that sick dynasty has been an inescapable scourge for generations of Usher descendants. But not for horror novelist Rix Usher. Years ago he fled the isolated family estate of Usherland in the menacing North Carolina hills to pursue his writing career. He promised never to return. But his father's impending death has brought Rix back home to assume the role of Usher patriarch - and face his worst fears.

His arrival forces him to confront a devious and impassive family and his vulnerable sister's slow descent into insanity. Stirring memories of the grim folktales born out of the surrounding Briartop Mountains and the terrifying legends of missing children, Rix knows that in the dark, twisted corridors of Usherland, that dreadful something he saw as a young boy is still there. It's waiting for him, as decayed and undying as the Usher heritage and more depraved than anything Poe could have imagined.

This eerie novel by the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Swan Song and Boy's Life is "a frightening pleasure" and a worthy tribute to the master who inspired it (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

©1984 Robert R. McCammon (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about Usher's Passing

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

Atrocious accents

Literally couldn't get past the first chapter in this because of the horrible, horrible "British" accent, Literally the worst and most jarringly awful comedy Scottish accent, I had to turn it off, Un-listenable. (I'm Scottish)

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Excellent story

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and although it was long I didn’t feel that it dragged. I thought the narration was very good with one exception. I think that maybe some US listeners may not what a Welsh accent sounds like but this was nothing like it. It was a bad Scottish accent and nothing like Welsh. That aside I’d recommend this book.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Shouting!

The story isn't too bad, but the narration is awful. He shouts half the time. Occasionally it's because a character is shouting, but more often it's not due to that and there seems to be no reason. After a few chapters this becomes very irritating.

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

wonderful story

this guy gets better and better,. the pure story telling is wonderful and the reading excellent.

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

Disappointing

I bought this book because I really like the series with Matthew Corbett as the protagonist. This was very disappointing by comparison. The story was slightly disjointed, and the horror element was just that, horror for horror sake, with everything and the kitchen sink thrown at it.

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

not bad but over long

liked the overall concept of the story but it felt overlong and I really hated the characterisation of some of the characters by the reader...like he loved doing the accents but didn't think about the personality...but a listenable book all the same and I did finish it at least!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Stay with it.

Okay just roll with the first couple of chapters, the accent was disturbing…….then I had to pull the car over while i laughed tears….being Welsh I had no idea that I sounded like that. I had to play those parts again for my OH who also had a good old laugh. When we were back to the modern day the accents dropped into something more comfortable and known by the narrator so all was good.
Not spoiling the story but it had all the traditional traits of suspense and horror but it did not have me hiding behind the couch but a good enough listen

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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The Scottish accent.

The English, Scottish, Irish acents are just AMAZING. Please come to the UK and actually listen to the accent, the Ushers are from Wales not Scotland. 😂😂😂😂

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Typical McCammon

Ignoring the Scottish voiced Welsh man in the opening chapter and the poorly voiced Jamaican in the next....this is a great book. Well narrated and typical McCammon

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

A Story Greater than its Performance

Usher's Passing is an unusual fusing of different ideas that shouldn't work, but through the skill of the writer: do. It imagines the infamous Usher family from Poe's tale as a continuing dynasty of arms manufacturers who possess a history shrouded in mystery and riddled with tragedy and violence. The patriarch of the family, Weylan Usher, is dying and the black sheep of the family, Rix Usher, returns to the family estate at the behest of his mother, only to reopen old wounds and become dragged into old conflicts.
The story moves between the modern era and the past of the family and intertwines aspects of urban legend, horror, family drama and even a slight touch of science fiction to produce a captivating concoction that concludes with an ending that leaves you satisfied. I highly recommend Robert McCammon's writing in general. His talent is enviable.
The narration, however, is a different story. To describe the performance as "uneven" would probably be most kind. Some sections are okay, and serviceable, but other parts will make you cringe. I really think they should have researched how the Welsh accent actually sounds, for starters. Also, moments of fear or anger are overdone, the volume of the narrator also becomes so loud that the recording is just plain distorted. A voice director should have reigned this in. It's jarring and really pulls you out of the story, much to my consternation.
The story is great, but approach the narration with some trepidation.

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5 people found this helpful