Ruson, the Vampire Saint & Other Apocryphal Tales

By: Aaron Hollingsworth

Narrated by: Chiquito Joaquim Crasto

Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

A weird assortment of religion-based short stories spanning genres of fantasy, horror, satire, and folklore. Set in an alternate version of our solar system, this collection of tales will entertain believer and skeptic alike. From the author of the Four Winds - One Storm series, herein lay tales of vampires becoming saints, a succubi visiting the Nativity, the anecdotal origin of the Easter Bunny, and many other strange stories.

©2016 Aaron Hollingsworth (P)2017 Aaron Hollingsworth

Some powerful short stories

If you have read anything else by Hollingsworth, then you know he is an amazing storyteller. I think his writing style is perfectly suited to the telling of short stories. If you have ever watched Black Mirror on Netflix I think you might get the idea of how powerful his prose is. His shorts can make you think more than most people's full length novels can.

Here he tackles some paranormal themed tales, with the titular vampire, a succubus, and so forth. My favorite deals with the Easter Bunny.

My only complaint, and it is small, is that Crasto, who does a wonderful job narrating almost sounds like he is in a tin can. He is not as clear as he could be, and that is a technical thing. I cannot fault his performance at all.

Once again, Hollingsworth has laid out some vintage stories fr us to suckle on in the dark, truly this is the marrow of the imagination.

An easy listen

This book is a series of short stories that can be listened to individually, they range from in length although none a very long.

I enjoyed all of the stories, they're well written with interesting characters and good plots.

The stories are definitely not child appropriate but are a great listen for adults.

The narration is well done, the character voices are all clear and distinct, the delivery is smooth and natural.

I received this book free from the narrator/publisher/author in exchange for an honest review.

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Intriguing set of dark paranormal tales

This is an intriguing set of dark folklore-type tales. The stories are odd, frequently gruesome, and occasionally funny. I found the tale of a nicotine-addicted vampire darkly funny, especially when he is faced with the modern world of no-smoking zones that makes it hard to get his fix. There are some original tales, as well as some new takes on old tales, such as the nativity, the story of Job, and the Easter bunny. I thought the explanation of, and attitude toward, the advent of homosexual persons was refreshing. The final "Birthday" story was entertaining and surprisingly light-hearted. Overall, it was an entertaining and interesting listen.

The narration perfectly suited the stories and set just the right tone and ambience.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator

Good audiobook

What made the experience of listening to Ruson, the Vampire Saint & Other Apocryphal Tales the most enjoyable?

The stories are told in an original way.The plots are interesting and the characters also.In summary the overall atmosphere of the audiobook matches the titles.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the main story most.

Any additional comments?

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

Good!

I really enjoyed this collection of really strange but creative stories. This isn't my typical genre but I enjoyed this and I think that anyone who loves sci-fi, horror or fantasy would really appreciate this collection.

**A copy of this audiobook was provided in exchange for an honest review**

Dark and odd twist to familiar folklore

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was definitely a dark and oddly intriguing collection of short stories, many you may be familiar with, with a dark twist. I absolutely think the narrator is what made the experience for me. His rich, Anthony Hopkins-like voice added a creepy, yet cultured, feel to the experience. If you are looking for something...different... you should definitely check this one out. You really should check out Aaron Hollingsworth's other works too!