The Messenger, Robert W. Chambers
The Messenger, Robert W. Chambers
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The Messenger

Author: Robert W. Chambers

Narrator: Michael Lyons

Unabridged: 1 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/30/2025


Synopsis

On the wind-scoured cliffs of coastal Brittany, a forgotten crime lies buried beneath gravel, sea mist, and superstition. When ancient bones are disturbed, an old curse stirs—and something returns to watch, to warn, and to wait.The Messenger is a chilling gothic tale by Robert W. Chambers, where reason and folklore collide in the shadow of history. As a rational American observer investigates a mysterious burial site, he uncovers the story of a long-executed traitor known as the Black Priest—a man branded in death, cursed in blood, and sworn to return if his remains are ever disturbed.What follows is a slow descent into unease: a skull that will not stay buried, a death’s-head moth appearing at windows and hearths, masked figures glimpsed in stormlight, and blood trails that defy explanation. Set against moonlit seas, ruined forts, and candlelit rooms, the story builds its terror through implication rather than spectacle, leaving the listener to question whether the horror is supernatural—or the product of guilt, history, and fear.Narrated by Michael Lyons, The Messenger is a masterwork of fin-de-siècle weird fiction: elegant, ominous, and quietly devastating. It is a tale of omens and inheritance, of old sins reaching forward in time, and of the moment when disbelief can no longer protect the living from the dead.

About Robert W. Chambers

Robert W. Chambers (1865–1933) was an illustrator, novelist, and short-story writer. His best-known book, The King in Yellow, is regarded as one of the most important works of American supernatural fiction. He also wrote historical fiction, several bestselling romance novels, and war and adventure stories.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Federico on September 10, 2025

Hey, quit it! Coastal Brittany, France, 1896. In the village of St. Gildas, a group of archeologists work and dig in the vicinity of a ruined castle, when they unexpectedly stumble upon a large cluster of human skulls on their dig-site. Fears and alarms set off when they realize it may belong to a......more

Goodreads review by Suki on October 07, 2019

31 Classic Horror Stories Every Fan Should Read in October: A Literary Advent Calender for Halloween: Day 3: [URL not allowed]-.........more

Goodreads review by Shuggy L. on October 04, 2020

Set in 1896 Brittany (St. Julien and St. Gildas) about a former aristocratic family’s past history of revenge and betrayal. The supernatural events start in 1760 when a fort was besieged by the English (27th Foot) coming across from the island of Groix, ending up with 38 Englishmen buried in a mass......more

Goodreads review by Jay on May 26, 2022

The Messenger (1897) is a superb strange story. Not an antiquarian, but a spectral archeology tale, told by an American living in Brittany. He is wed to a local woman with famous antecedents:     "....There was one in the last century, here in St. Gildas. He cast a white shadow in the sun. He wrote in......more

Goodreads review by Francesca on September 20, 2025

Un piccolo racconto gotico in cui Chambers costruisce un'atmosfera tetra e angosciante. "Il messaggero" è un breve racconto di tombe ritrovate, morti da non disturbare, scheletri che si muovono con il favore delle tenebre e maledizioni lanciate in punto di morte. Il confine tra realtà e superstizione......more