Something sinister wanders the halls of the asylum, and there's a method to its madness.
Plagued by visions, nightmares, and voices, Felix checks himself into a psychiatric institution, hoping to find a cure.
When fellow patients begin to disappear, Felix suspects the staff is up to something unsavory. Yet no one remembers the missing patients. Not the doctors and nurses, not their families, not even the other patients.
As Felix digs deeper, he discovers a terrifying link between his past and the asylum, one that will challenge everything he thinks he knows about his mentor and himself . . .
To have a chance of exposing an even greater evil, Felix must survive being trapped on a locked ward at the mercy of a murderous psychopath and hungry ghosts. If he fails, the truth will die with him and an even more powerful evil will be free to do as it pleases, one that will reshape the very future of humanity.
Deck the halls with eldritch monsters . . .
The holidays have been anything but relaxing for Lazarus Kerrigan. Between planning a wedding and selling his house, he's barely had a moment to think about the supernatural.
When strange, Christmas-themed monsters begin attacking him in the open, it's time for the gloves to come off. Mask is making his move. Lazarus and company are determined to take the fight to him.
A battle with Mask means traveling back to the Nightlands, reading from a cursed book, and using a spell that could destroy reality as we know it. To pull it all off, he'll need help from an unlikely source, a detective with questionable origins himself.
One thing's for sure. They're in for anything but a silent night.
Shakespeare’s most sophisticated comedy is a riotous tale of hopelessly unrequited passions and mistaken identity. Duke Orsino is in love with the noblewoman Olivia. She, however, has fallen for his servant Cesario, who is actually Viola, a woman disguised as a man, who loves Orsino: confusion is rife. Meanwhile, Olivia’s arrogant steward Malvolio is cruelly tricked by her uncle Sir Toby Belch, his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and the maidservant Maria into believing his mistress loves him.
Niamh Cusack is Viola, Jonathan Firth is Orsino, Amanda Root plays Olivia, Dinsdale Landen plays Sir Toby Belch, and Julian Glover is Malvolio.
“The attentive listener can follow the permutations of the plot and its humor quite well in this production.”—AudioFile
Lust poses as love and ambition as patriotism in this dark and brilliant play depicting the heroic action of the Trojan War.
Troy is besieged by the invading Greeks, but the young Trojan prince Troilus can think only of his love for Cressida. Her uncle Pandarus brings the two together, but after only one night news comes that Cressida must be sent to the enemy camp. There, as Troilus looks on, she yields to the wooing of the Greek Diomedes. The tragic story is undercut by the commentary of Thersites, who provides a cynical chorus.
“David Troughton as the witty Thersites and Ben Martin as the brutish Ajax both help carry off the more memorable scenes in this play…some remarkable poetry.”—AudioFile
The noble Titus returns victorious to Rome bringing Tamora, Queen of the Goths as his captive. When one of Tamora’s sons is condemned to die, she vows revenge, and, aided by the villainous Aaron, she exacts a terrible retribution, inaugurating a grim cycle of rape, murder, and cannibalism. This macabre, often brilliant tragedy comes from the earliest stage of Shakespeare’s dramatic career.
Titus is played by David Troughton and Tamora by Harriet Walter. Paterson Joseph is Aaron, and David Burke is Marcus.
“This wonderful performance ranks with the best recorded Shakespeare. Thrilling organ chords underscore moments of tension and nicely supplement the atmospheric music…The entire cast performs their larger-than-life roles with a grandness that never becomes hammy. Their sharp diction is also a continual pleasure.”—AudioFile
This controversial play follows the declining fortunes of a man of extravagant contradictions.
The fabulously rich Timon believes all his friends to be as open-hearted and generous as himself. When his wealth suddenly evaporates, however, he discovers the truth and his altruism turns to a bitter hatred of mankind. Stirred up by the cynical Apemantus, Timon retreats to the woods where he plots the destruction of Athens, the city that had formerly seemed to embody everything pleasurable and civilized. The cosmic scope of his hatred is communicated in a series of powerful and disturbing dramatic tableaux.
Alan Howard is Timon and Norman Rodway is Apemantus. Damian Lewis play Alcibiades.
“This is a lean, vigorous production beautifully recorded—living theater in the finest sense. One hears not only the poetry and drama of the Bard, but the showmanship. The emphasis is on clarity, ensemble, and character.”—AudioFile
King Leontes of Sicilia is seized by sudden and terrible jealousy of his wife Hermione, whom he accuses of adultery. He believes the child Hermione is bearing was fathered by his friend Polixenes, and when the baby girl is born he orders her to be taken to some wild place and left to die. Though Hermione’s child escapes death, Leontes’ cruelty has terrible consequences. Loss paves the way for reunion, and life and hope are born out of desolation and despair.
One of the late romances in Shakespeare’s canon, this complex work is at times tragic, at times humorous, but always entertaining and enlightening.
Sinead Cusack plays Hermione, and Ciaran Hinda plays Leontes. Eileen Atkins is Paulina and Paul Jesson is Polixenes. Time the Chorus is played by Sir John Gielgud.
“The voices in this recording are richly infused with personality, especially those of John Gielgud and Alex Jennings, who is a comic triumph as the rogue Autolycus.”—AudioFile
Palamon and Arcite, cousins and bosom friends, are taken prisoner by Duke Theseus of Athens. While in captivity, they spy the beautiful Emilia. Both fall instantly in love with her, and their attachment to each other turns to hate.
This dark-edged tragicomedy is now widely regarded as having been written by Shakespeare in collaboration with John Fletcher. Composed sometime in 1613–14, The Two Noble Kinsmen is the final play in Shakespeare’s dramatic career.
Jonathan Firth plays Palamon, Nigel Cooke is Arcite, and Emilia is played by Helen Schlesinger.
“A late tragicomedy by Shakespeare…concerns the rivalry between two chivalrous knights, Palamon and Arcite, for the love of a woman. The play is a rarely staged, somewhat ceremonial work, so this balanced and effective performance, which may be the first unabridged recording of it, is particularly appreciated…The subplot of the jailer's daughter (Sarah-Jane Holm) and her hopeless love for Palamon (Jonathan Firth) is handled well and gives personality to [the] play.”—AudioFile
Proteus loves Julia in Verona, Valentine loves Silvia in Milan. But when Proteus meets Silvia, he falls for her too, and the heartbroken Julia sets out in pursuit.
This delightful and sometimes disquieting early comedy of love lost and found offers lyrical poetry, disguise, clowning, outlaws, and a most unreliable dog.
Proteus is played by Michael Maloney and Valentine by Damian Lewis. Silvia is Saskia Wickham, Julia is Lucy Robinson, and John Woodvine plays Launce.
“Shakespeare’s first comic romance is interesting more for what it shows about the Bard's developing skills and the coining of the phrase ‘love is blind’ than for its quality. Nonetheless, it manages to hold the stage even today, as illustrated by this well-acted and tastefully produced audio version.…the production excels in spirit, poetry and clarity.”—AudioFile
This haunting drama of vengeance and forgiveness crowns the group of tragicomic romances that Shakespeare composed at the end of his career. Sometimes read as his farewell to the stage, the play contains some of Shakespeare’s most lyrical verse.
Prospero, wise Duke of Milan, has been deposed by Antonio, his wicked brother, and exiled with his daughter Miranda to a mysterious island. But Prospero possesses supernatural powers. Aided by the spirit Ariel, Prospero uses his magical art to bring his enemies under his control.
Prospero is played by Bob Peck, Ariel by Adrian Lester, Jennifer Ehle is Miranda, Simon Russell Beale is Antonio, Jamie Glover is Ferdinand, and Richard McCabe plays Caliban.
“Fine British talent.”—AudioFile
Love and wit conquer all in Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy of self-delusion and disguise.
Padua holds many suitors for the hand of fair Bianca, but Bianca may not be married until her spinster sister, Kate, is wed. Could any man be rash enough to take on Kate?
The witty adventurer Petruchio undertakes the task. While he sets about transforming Kate from foul-tempered termagant to loving wife, young Lucentio and his clever servant, Tranio, plot to win Bianca.
Frances Barber and Roger Allam are Kate and Petruchio. Lucentio is played by Alan Cox.
“[Shakespeare is] challenging an audience’s expectations of how a woman is supposed to behave. What if, as a human being, she doesn’t want to roll over, as was expected in Shakespeare’s day? I actually think he’s championing the woman's rights.”—Edward Hall, English theater director
It is said that Queen Elizabeth gave Shakespeare two weeks to write this play that showcases her favorite comedic character, Sir John Falstaff.
The dissolute Falstaff plans to seduce Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, two “Merry Wives of Windsor,” thereby gaining access to their husbands’ wealth. The two women have the old rogue’s measure, however, and Falstaff’s plots lead only to his own humiliation. But the merry wives themselves fall prey to plotting as their plans to prevent Mistress Page’s daughter Anne from marrying the young man she loves are frustrated in their turn.
Dinsdale Landen is Falstaff. Sylvestra Le Touzel plays Mistress Ford and Penny Downie is Mistress Page. Nicholas Woodeson is Ford, Phillip Jackson is Page, and Clive Swift plays Justice Shallow.
“At the request of the Queen, Shakespeare wrought this farce starring Sir John Falstaff…Director Clive Brill has orchestrated a rousing production that concentrates on clarity…this is a delightful addition to Arkangel’s series of the complete, uncut Shakespeare plays.”—AudioFile
