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The Hanged Man: Tales of Dread Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,909 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From bestselling storyteller Orson Scott Card comes a collection of eleven chilling tales that provoke the dreaded dark side of the listener's imagination.
Eumenides in the Fourth Floor Lavatory
A sinful man finally faces his conscience in the form of a baby-like creature that haunts his waking hours.
Quietus
Dying can be a difficult thing to come to terms with.
Deep Breathing Exercises
A man realizes that people who breathe together die together.
Fat Farm
A wealthy, overweight man tries to escape his overeating problem by getting himself cloned and transferring his memories into the clone.
Closing the Timelid
Using a time travel machine, available only to the wealthy, a thrill-seeking playboy discovers a way to experience the excitement of death without actually dying.
Freeway Games
To pass the time, Stanley plays freeway "following" games, and each person he follows dies trying to escape him. But one day, he meets his match and the chase is on!
A Sepulchre of Songs
Having lost both her arms and legs in an accident, a girl begins talking with an alien from outer space.
Prior Restraint
If the Censorship Board takes an interest in your writing, take it as a compliment and do what they say … or face the consequences.
The Changed Man and the King of Words
Joe develops a computer system based on literary references that can make frighteningly accurate character interpretations, then he submits his parents to the test.
Memories of My Head
A man writes a letter in his own blood shortly after blowing his head off with a shotgun.
Lost Boys
In the story that became the acclaimed horror novel, a child having trouble adjusting to a new town withdraws into a mysterious computer game where he meets imaginary friends.
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"I "read" (as an audio book) the first volume of this five volume collection of Card's short fiction. The five volumes are divided by theme, the theme of this first volume being "The Hanged Man: Tales of Dread," kind of Stephen King-ish creepy stories. All I can say is, "Wow, what a story teller!" While I didn't like every story, I was continually impressed at the inventiveness of the author. What I enjoyed the very most was that at the end of the audio book, Card himself gave the history of where he came up with each of the stories. I found that fascinating. I think I'm done with fiction for a while; I mostly like to learn while I read. But I will most likely come back to Card again."
— Mark (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Definitive…A series of introductions and afterwords offering Card’s thoughts on his life and his writing are as absorbing as the stories.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The award-winning author of Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead, and the Alvin Maker series demonstrates his talent for shorter fiction in this collection of 46 stories that range from fantasy and SF to horror and theological speculation…Detailed introductions and afterwords reveal insights into the thought processes of one of the genre’s most convincing storytellers. An important volume; for most libraries.”
— Library Journal
The Hanged Man Listener Reviews
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" I would read anything Orson Scott Card wrote, and this is a great introduction into why. It is a collection of his short stories, and it showcases the fascinating worlds and characters he creates. "
— Andy, 2/14/2014 -
" To me, this is one of the greatest collections of short sci-fi stories I've ever read, where Orson Scott Card redefines the genre (honestly, sci-fi is too simplified a genre to apply to most of these amazing stories). To me, his stories not only touches the imagination, but also the heart and the mind, exploring issues of morality, love and the tragedy of human nature. My favourites in this collection include The Unaccompanied Sonata, The Porcelain Salamander, Kingsmeat and The Best Day though honestly, I loved them all. "
— Farah, 2/7/2014 -
" There are some very odd stories in this collection. Some of them, like Fat Farm, make you think. Others, like Freeway Games, are just gross. "
— Josh, 2/4/2014 -
" I didn't like this book. Card does an excellent job of writing, as usual, and some stories were quite fascinating. Unfortunately on the whole it just seemed a little too dark and disturbing for me to really get into it. I'm all for Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and stories that make you think, and as far as I'm concerned, Card will always be one of my favorite authors. No author will ever be able to rally fans though every single time with every single piece of literature they publish, and this one didn't do it for me. "
— Christopher, 1/31/2014 -
" truly amazing collection of stories- he is an amazing literary paiter "
— Michelle, 1/25/2014 -
" orson scott card is pretty great at writing short stories. i didn't love all of them but i liked most of them. the short story that was the basis for the book "Songmaster" was especially good - anyone know if that book is awesome? "
— carmen!, 1/15/2014 -
" I love well-written short stories and he has some great ones in here. "
— Deborah, 1/9/2014 -
" Some stories within it are great; some aren't. His explanatory sections are pure gold, though. "
— Scotty, 12/11/2013 -
" I loved this collection. If you're into short stories with fantastic premises and twists, this is for you. Card is a master story teller, no matter the genre. "
— David, 12/10/2013 -
" I've been using stories from this collection for years in a variety of different classes and subjects ranging from hard-ass gangtas at Mt High to Humanities 1100 students at SLCC. "
— Ron, 12/7/2013 -
" These are some of the best short stories I have ever read! It truly takes a master storyteller to do what he does, that is enter a plot and character development in a short story's duration. "
— Cory, 11/25/2013 -
" Strong at points, weak at some points, but an interesting collection. Perhaps most interesting is Card's introduction to each story, where he is openly critical of his writing as well as providing context to how and why some of his stories came to be. "
— Lindsey, 11/18/2013 -
" Some of the stories don't hold up well when compared with Card's other works but it was nice to see him branch out. "
— Brock, 11/16/2013 -
" fat farm is my favorite short story by card. these stories are fun to read. "
— Sam, 11/16/2013 -
" Dark. Somewhat twisted. A must read for Orson Scott Card fans, but kind of disturbing. It is a collection of his short stories and interesting to see his evolution as a writer. Take note that the stories are NOT in chronological order. "
— Laura, 9/24/2013 -
" Orson Scott Card weaves a spell that puts you a bit off balance.This collection of short stories shows him at his best.He knows how to put you right inside the brain of his characters. "
— Mary, 4/29/2013 -
" This is a collection of all of Card's short fiction published to date. I didn't enjoy every story, but the vast majority of them. He does such a good job of looking at the motivations (real and imagined) of the characters. "
— Nathan, 4/3/2013 -
" I think Orson Scott Card's best writing is his short stories. "
— Steph, 2/2/2013 -
" It's pretty fantastic so far. The short stories are divided into the different "books", each with their own theme. "
— Pearline, 12/21/2012 -
" awesome short stories, totally fresh and inventive and they don't age much! "
— Krishna, 10/24/2012 -
" If the world had different views and I had different ways, I would marry this mans brain. "
— Angela, 10/14/2012 -
" Nearly all of Card's short fiction, but as with the rest of his work, the quality varies. "A Thousand Deaths" and "Unaccompanied Sonata" are some of the stand-out entries. "
— Angie, 7/8/2012 -
" This anthology of short stories is quite delightful. There are a few dull stories. "
— Ben, 10/26/2011 -
" Card is at his best when writing short fiction. "
— Bj, 7/21/2011 -
" Great compilation. The portion about fear is my favorite. "
— Brent, 12/6/2010
About Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card, the author of the New York Times bestseller Ender’s Game, has won several Hugo and Nebula awards for his works of speculative fiction. His Ender novels are widely read by adults and younger readers and are increasingly used in schools. Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy, American-frontier fantasy, biblical novels, poetry, plays, and scripts.
About the Narrators
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.
Don Leslie has appeared on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theaters throughout the country. He has been heard in thousands of commercials, promos for all the broadcast networks and most cable stations, political campaigns, movie trailers, and over fifty audiobooks.
David Birney is an American actor and director whose career performances include both contemporary and classical roles in theater, film and television. He has recorded numerous audiobook bestsellers, including works by Dean Koontz, Paul Theroux, Annie Dillard, Thomas Kenneally, and Orson Scott Card. His reading of Julie Salomon’s The Christmas Tree was honored with the prestigious Audie Award and has also been the recipient of several AudioFile Earphone Awards.
Edoardo Ballerini, an American actor, director, film producer, and multiaward–winning narrator. He has won several Audie Awards for best narration, including for 2019’s Best Male Narrator of the Year. He was named by Booklist as winner of their 2023 Voice of Choice Award, and was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, from classics to modern masters, from bestsellers to the inspirational, from Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners to spine-tingling series, and much more. In television and film, he is best known for his roles in A Murder at the End of the World, The Sopranos, 24, I Shot Andy Warhol, Dinner Rush, and Romeo Must Die. He is also trained in theater and continues to do much work on stage.