The Masque of the Red Death

A cinematic audiobook with a haunting score and enhanced atmosphereEdgar Allan Poe wrote The Masque of the Red Death nearly 180 years ago, yet its narrative and characters continue to mystify and captivate. The short story is driven by Prince Prospero's attempt to evade the Red Death, a fatal plague infecting his kingdom, by hiding in his abbey, where he indulges in pleasures and delights with other nobles. He soon finds out that no one can escape their end.Steven Archer has recast the characters of The Masque and illuminated the narrative in a novel and perhaps more visceral light, while remaining true to the raw darkness and decadence of the tale. His modern take on the classic story brings it into our new infected world. Perhaps it was prescience that drove him to create the illustrations in 2018, only to have them see the plague-filled light of day in 2020. Even now in our enlightened and modern world, Darkness and Decay and the Red Death holds illimitable dominion over all.With a foreword by John Langan (The Wide Carnivorous Sky), this is an immersive audio-visual feast that breathes new life into this classic memento mori tale of disease, decadence, and inevitable mortality.The audiobook features a conversation between Steven Archer and Stefan Rudnicki and includes an accompanying PDF of Steven Archer's original illustrations.

About the Author

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1848) transformed the American literary landscape with his innovations in the short story genre and his haunting lyrical poetry, and he is credited with inventing American gothic horror and detective fiction. He was first published in 1827 and then began a career as a magazine writer and editor and a sharp literary critic. In 1845 the publication of his most famous poem, "The Raven," brought him national fame.Steven Archer is an artist and musician living in Baltimore, MD. When not recording, DJing, or producing art, he and his wife, author Donna Lynch, tour with their dark electronic rock band Ego Likeness. He has a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and has shown his work at galleries and other venues throughout the east coast. John Langan is the author of the novels The Fisherman and House of Windows and two collections of stories. The Fisherman won the Bram Stoker Award and This Is Horror Award for superior achievement in a novel in 2016. He is one of the founders of the Shirley Jackson Awards, for which he served as a juror during its first three years. He he reviews horror and dark fantasy for Locus magazine. Stefan Rudnicki is a Grammy-winning audiobook producer and a multi-award-winning narrator, named one of AudioFile's Golden Voices.

Reviews

News