The Alchemist

Written by H. P. Lovecraft

Narrated by Adriel Brandt

Revenge, death, and destruction abound in this early short story by H.P. Lovecraft. The story follows Antoine, a count who is last in line to die at the age of 32 due to a curse put on his family hundreds of years prior. His ancestor, being responsible for the death, brought about the curse, and Antoine was left to watch all his family, including his manservant, die an early death. But when his time comes, and he is exploring the castle in wait, he manages to successfully end the curse by deflecting the fatal blow of Charles—the son of the man who was killed so many years ago, and whose discovery of the elixir of life had kept him murderous for so many years.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Audio Sommelier
• Release date: Jul 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781644080085

H. P. Lovecraft

H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American author of science fiction and horror stories. Born in Providence, Rhode Island to a wealthy family, he suffered the loss of his father at a young age. Raised with his mother’s family, he was doted upon throughout his youth and found a paternal figure in his grandfather Whipple, who encouraged his literary interests. He began writing stories and poems inspired by the classics and by Whipple’s spirited retellings of Gothic tales of terror. In 1902, he began publishing a periodical on astronomy, a source of intellectual fascination for the young Lovecraft. Over the next several years, he would suffer from a series of illnesses that made it nearly impossible to attend school. Exacerbated by the decline of his family’s financial stability, this decade would prove formative to Lovecraft’s worldview and writing style, both of which depict humanity as cosmologically insignificant. Supported by his mother Susie in his attempts to study organic chemistry, Lovecraft eventually devoted himself to writing poems and stories for such pulp and weird-fiction magazines as Argosy, where he gained a cult following of readers. Early stories of note include “The Alchemist” (1916), “The Tomb” (1917), and “Beyond the Wall of Sleep” (1919). “The Call of Cthulu,” originally published in pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928, is considered by many scholars and fellow writers to be his finest, most complex work of fiction. Inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, and Lord Dunsany, Lovecraft became one of the century’s leading horror writers whose influence remains essential to the genre.

Reviews for The Alchemist

[Άννα Μαντζαρίδου · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was okay, nice setup but it's too short to be exciting by any means...

[SD · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A lovely narration, and an enjoyably spooky story! A good listen. :)

[t niromin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Expected some scary background music too but the narrator did a marvellous job.

[Shivkumar Pandey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good,clear and precise.I will want to hear such books more and more.