This is a tale of an old man, Roderick Usher, who is being driven mad after his sister died and was entombed in a vault in the basement. Over the course of the story the unravelling of a terrible atrocity comes to light and threatens to avenge everyone dwelling in the House of Usher.
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[DURING the whole of the dull, dark, and soundless day in Autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country ; and at length, I found myself, as the shades of evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher]***
(AB Books, 27 September 2018, 50 minutes, Audible, Around The Year In 52 Books, a book from the 1001 books to read before you die list, narrated by Michael Scott)
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I've read this tale a few times many years ago and it's one of my favourite Poe tales. It was a pleasure to listen to it. This is dark, disturbing and pretty bleak tale and shows Poe at his best. The atmosphere is fantastic in the book, building up and getting more intense. Poe knows his stuff and puts many modern writers to shame. The narration is really good though there are a few points when parts are spoken randomly in Latin followed by the English translation. The Fall of the House of Usher is a brilliant example of how to surprise readers when the true, horrible fate of Usher's sister is revealed. I loved this.
