AudioFile
Narrator Tony Jay’s deep, resonant voice is perfectly suited to the gothic trappings of this romance. His subtle characterizations, including a deft handling of the three women at the heart of the story, make the dialogue easy to follow. For best results, listen to this recording in a cold, damp dungeon.”
author of The Gothic Quest Montague Summers
To The Castle Otranto we owe nothing less than a revolution in public taste, and its influence is strong even at present day.”
Kliatt
In reviving this largely forgotten tale in audio format, Blackstone deserves credit for recognizing that it—like any classic ghost story—is at its best when read well out loud. Jay’s sonorous, menacing voice and expressive, fast paced performance so heighten the aura of evil that listeners can easily focus on the action.”
Oxford University Press
The merging of romance and realist conventions into a form which would later be designated ‘Gothic’ inspired several subsequent generations of writers.”
From the Publisher
"Containing a Harry Potter-like array of animated portraits, supernatural adventures in vaults and cellars and astonishing, inexplicable events." —Telegraph
DEC 06/JAN 07 - AudioFile
If you’ve never read or listened to THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO, you’ve almost certainly encountered dozens of works that were influenced by it. First published in 1764 and considered the granddaddy of gothic fiction, it’s the story of the impetuous Manfred, Prince of Otranto, and the curse on his ancestral line. Narrator Tony Jay’s deep, resonant voice is perfectly suited to the gothic trappings of this romance. His subtle characterizations, including a deft handling of the three women at the heart of the story, make the dialogue easy to follow. For best results, listen to this recording in a cold, damp dungeon. D.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
