Chilling!!!! I actually had trouble breathing during this story!!!!! Vivid, horrifying word images,masterful narration. I wish Silverberg had continued on about Messey`s revenge--as long as he was writing.... . Thank you, Tony.
It seems like we're only getting the first act of the story here. Imagine what could follow the ending, him returning home to find his wife and her lover well settled into his former life using his wealth to enjoy their lives while Massey himself is a powerless shade who can do nothing but witness bitterly their happiness and love. Over time Massey could begin to influence the world around him and so haunt them in small ways, beginning his escalating quest for vengeance!
An editor named Frederick Pphl had an amazing degree of confidence in Robert silverberg. He told silverberg that silverberg could write any kind of Science Fiction he wanted no matter how literary or intellectually ferocious, and Pohl promise to publish it provided that it it was written with a confidence that he certain silverberg was capable of. This brought Robert silver back to the science fiction magazines and community
I cannot wait to come to a 'live' reading Tony..I am moving back to the UK in 2025 so hopefully you'll have lots of dates by then...I could listen to you all night long..I think everyone should know you!
A chain of undertakers and funeral parlours in Ireland is called Massey Bros. Wonder if it's a coincidence? Hallowe'en has lost it's charm for me. Too much chocolate and not enough bonfires.
I'm Really Trying to get through this whole story! Alas This is my greatest fear! My heart is pounding & I'm having flash sweats & I'm kinda dizzy! I'm only 7 minutes in!😢 I did it!
Great narration! Those two..... "Halfwit".....I love that term. My family uses it all the time. Many are deserving of the title. I love the rambles at the end of your recordings! "Gentleman of the Road". Tony just admitted to being a highwayman! Just kidding.
While the story is predictable, there was an overall feeling of claustrophobia, as another commentator mentioned. I found myself trying to breath shallow to understand what Massey might have been feeling. This was an enjoyable listen and your voice is very pleasant. Thank you!
@@ClassicGhost badly 😳 , I listened to the end hoping it had a good ending so as not to have nightmares, you read it very well , but I’d rather not have heard it 😜
I’m not sure why? But EVERYTHING you have said? I’m so interested! It’s like sitting here chatting with a friend. I listen so often! Thanks for the great visit this evening🥳
Will buy your book - promise 😊 Brilliant story. Thought he would wake up or be saved but nope 🎉😅. Loved the ending. 5 star approval on ramble. Anyone who doesn't like it, hates learning something new
If someone had described to me your comments you make at the end of a story and how Loosely they seem organized and that you seem sometimes to ramble actually by free association, I might not have thought they sounded like my thing to hear. But in practice I love them and can't get enough of them. I was disappointed to find there was no commentary after you're reading of turn of the screw. I have always found that a difficult story between fascinated by it.
Tony, wow, that story had me at the edge of my seat. Literally. Thanks so much for sharing this story. Where could I order your wife’s mushroom concoction? I suffer from chronic back and hip pain and am running out of options. Thanks
Well I enjoyed it..even if it was a bit brash! Maybe my experience was enhanced by listening to it whilst the wind is whistling and rain spattering the window of my studio during Storm Babette! I'll look forward to your Halloween offerings whatever they are. Welcome to the joys of selling on etsy! I've just ordered your book. Look forward to receiving it, but no rush over shipping...😊
Incidentally Robert silverberg wrote 256 novels as Don Elliott in 256 weeks of working time. He wrote six days a week on the seventh day he rested. The books were short maybe 45,000 words. He wrote them in a format ready to be ready to be printed with a camera taking an image directly from the manuscript page . No bad typewriter ribbons. Silverberg told me he seemed to call he got about $500 a book. In 1965 hundred dollars was a huge amount of money compared to what it is today. He also told me he regrets having done this because he thinks it hurt him as a writer . I read a couple of the Dan Elliott books out of curiosity and although they are quite competently written, ignoring the sex scene it had to be in every chapter, but rather routine and d u l l in an undistinguished way . Silver told me he thought these hurt him for doing these hurt him as a writer so he regrets having done them.
Much appreciated Tony, I agree that the story missed the olive in the martini 🍸. I'm sure that if you have the time, you could come up with a cocktail 🍹 much more delicious, ( maybe with a dash of aconite ). I always enjoy your rambles, and often learn something new. Halloween would be completely hollow down here in the south, if not for some spookiness from over the interweb. Aminita Muscaria cures sound just the ticket at this time of year... Maybe I'll email Erin Patterson for a recipe. 😱🍄 Oh and I just disovered Truman Capote's Miriam. That was a surprise. Cheers Tony.
Hey Tony. If UK Etsy is like US Etsy, then you can do all your posting on one day of the week. Just put it in your "shipping" policies. Once you get the order in, you can make a list of all the orders and batch your work on a specific day of the week like Wednesday. It makes things go faster and it doesn't eat up all your time.
I read the story in the 1960s and I thought it was a very well done example of a story with a not original basic plot. I was a little surprised to speak badly of it. I was astounded to hear you speak slightly of the graveyard rats which I considered one of the great masterpieces,
You mentioned that silverberg wrote some adult (sleezy) novels under a pseudonym. He wrote 256 of these and 256 weeks. And 6 days and each novel and on the 7th day he rested. The manuscript had to be ready for the camera to print the exact manuscript as the form of the book. So there could be no typos. Books were quite competent of their type. Silverbrook told me once he deeply regretted having done this although it made him an incredible amount of money which others tell me he invested brilliantly. Silverbrrg told me once that he regretted having written these because they hurt him as a writer.
Spoiler warning when speaking of stories with the same basic plot, The Outsider by HP Lovecraft comes to mind maybe the all-time greatest in this thing and nearly the best story Lovecraft ever wrote . The best story he ever wrote I think is an extremely short lesser known Nyarlathotep that is science fiction horror prose poem apocalyptic fantasy and a bunch of other things. In spite of it being only about a 1000 words I think you should consider recording and posting it
Just FYI -- Amazon is still selling your books. Which one did they pull? I'd like to check and see if it's still listed too. Can't imagine anyone sleeping through these podcasts, although it probably helps when you start with the story and do the commentary later. I'd listen to you read anything, no matter how 'mediocre', but my favorite bits are the commentary. Yeah I know I've said that before. hee
I enjoyed this story. Reminds me of a spooky story we would have told at a slumber party years ago. But I would have put my own spin on it and it would be better. Lol😂 35:53 When my son was 8 or 9, he was terrified of being buried alive. He either read something or saw a show where this happened. I kept trying to reassure him that this would never happen in today's world. I finally ended up telling him that if by some freak accident he was still alive when he went to the mortician. He would be checked again, and at that point, they would drain all his blood, or if cremation was chosen, he would be burned. Hence, there was no chance he would still be living. Of course this does not count any evil doings or criminal happenings.
I think the title was a bit of a lie. The story was good up to but not including the end. I feel Silverberg messed up, if people were around the grave and he saw his coffin, then it wasn't buried yet and someone should have heard him yelling. I cared less about what happened to him to be honest, but I wanted some kind of retribution to the cheating wife. There's so many ways he could have ended it better; the reading of the Will leaves her nothing if he died before their x anniversary which was a day later...or they have to dig him up and he wrote a note, that she's killed him, with his own blood. Or it's a bad dream in the hospital. And of course, we all (I think) expected a nice haunting, driving his wife insane and murdering her boyfriend, something.... The author just stopped.
It's a little odd. While I listened to this one yesterday, I thought Massey is a name I haven't heard before. Well, I work at a cemetery. I'm lettering the front of a crypt and just glanced over to notice the name on the crypt next to it is Massey. (I don't know if it's spelled the same, but still a bit creepy.)
This story is almost identical to Richard Matheson's short story, "Where There's A Will". I prefer Matheson's as it has a stronger ending but this came first.
Have you ever thought of selling (whatever it is these days cds?) With your readings of the haunting Dracula turn of the screw etc. You narrate so well and I see many people comment on that. Lighter to mail maybe? I thought I’d die laughing when you said my beloved dogs and Sheila.
I actually enjoy your ramblings. It's getting to know the voice behind the story a bit. The story itself was disappointing as wife and boyfriend shouldn't have gotten away with it.
Like many i did not realise Silverberg wrote anything but SF. I had been kind of out of reading for a while until.last year though. I agree with many here though not a great story..
Am I the only one who thought that was quite funny? I just discovered Silverberg on a sci fi channel! Typical timing. Thanks, Tony⚡️⚡️🪼🪼🪼 fish made of jelly…. How absurd.
I enjoyed the rant more than the story although I did like it. The author mentions strangulation then asphyxiation. There's a difference isn't there? That's me being pedantic.
For me, it is more who is the author than the title. I do not even consider the thumbnail. It is hard to even imagine that the thumbnail even matters to anyone in this context. EDIT The voice is also very important to me. If I do not like the voice, I will never finish the story.
There aren't even words to describe the terror this conjures...
Maybe it's because I live alone and don't get out much (!), but I enjoy your ramblings after the stories as much as I enjoy the stories!
I found myself claustrophobic and finding it hard to breathe listening to this tale. Wnderfully read.
Me too!
Me as well! 😮
Chilling!!!! I actually had trouble breathing during this story!!!!! Vivid, horrifying word images,masterful narration. I wish Silverberg had continued on about Messey`s revenge--as long as he was writing.... . Thank you, Tony.
It seems like we're only getting the first act of the story here. Imagine what could follow the ending, him returning home to find his wife and her lover well settled into his former life using his wealth to enjoy their lives while Massey himself is a powerless shade who can do nothing but witness bitterly their happiness and love. Over time Massey could begin to influence the world around him and so haunt them in small ways, beginning his escalating quest for vengeance!
No vengeance, he got cucked
An editor named Frederick Pphl had an amazing degree of confidence in Robert silverberg. He told silverberg that silverberg could write any kind of Science Fiction he wanted no matter how literary or intellectually ferocious, and Pohl promise to publish it provided that it it was written with a confidence that he certain silverberg was capable of. This brought Robert silver back to the science fiction magazines and community
This brought to mind the influential Massey family of Toronto and their beautiful mausoleum in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
Maybe that’s the inspiration?
I wanted him to go haunt the couple!! It ended too soon lol. But great job as usual, thank you!
I am never bored by your conversation. Most information is good to have thank you.
I appreciate that!
I cannot wait to come to a 'live' reading Tony..I am moving back to the UK in 2025 so hopefully you'll have lots of dates by then...I could listen to you all night long..I think everyone should know you!
A chain of undertakers and funeral parlours in Ireland is called Massey Bros. Wonder if it's a coincidence? Hallowe'en has lost it's charm for me. Too much chocolate and not enough bonfires.
😅😅
😅😅
Tony, you never bore me! I could listen to you talk about almost anything all day long.
This gave me shivers ❤ great read!
I was hoping to follow the story of going back to his house to haunt his widow.
I'm Really Trying to get through this whole story! Alas This is my greatest fear! My heart is pounding & I'm having flash sweats & I'm kinda dizzy! I'm only 7 minutes in!😢
I did it!
Great narration!
Those two.....
"Halfwit".....I love that term. My family uses it all the time. Many are deserving of the title.
I love the rambles at the end of your recordings!
"Gentleman of the Road". Tony just admitted to being a highwayman! Just kidding.
While the story is predictable, there was an overall feeling of claustrophobia, as another commentator mentioned. I found myself trying to breath shallow to understand what Massey might have been feeling. This was an enjoyable listen and your voice is very pleasant. Thank you!
glad you enjoyed it
Dreams in the Witch House yes please! I love Morgan Scorpion’s rendition and that would in no way detract from hearing yours.
I strongly second this
Settled down with this to help me sleep 😮😨
How did that go?
@@ClassicGhost badly 😳 , I listened to the end hoping it had a good ending so as not to have nightmares, you read it very well , but I’d rather not have heard it 😜
Fantastic story, fantastic narration.👍
I’m not sure why? But EVERYTHING you have said? I’m so interested! It’s like sitting here chatting with a friend.
I listen so often! Thanks for the great visit this evening🥳
I'm glad you feel like that. That's what I wanted.
Such a great story and a great read 👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Well, that was disturbing and amusing. Great narration, Tony. Love your rambles at the end.
Silverberg was a master storyteller. I'll always read his stories. This isn't one of his best, but your narration made it very good!
Will buy your book - promise 😊
Brilliant story. Thought he would wake up or be saved but nope 🎉😅. Loved the ending.
5 star approval on ramble. Anyone who doesn't like it, hates learning something new
So was I
If someone had described to me your comments you make at the end of a story and how Loosely they seem organized and that you seem sometimes to ramble actually by free association, I might not have thought they sounded like my thing to hear. But in practice I love them and can't get enough of them. I was disappointed to find there was no commentary after you're reading of turn of the screw. I have always found that a difficult story between fascinated by it.
I think it was because it was too long
Always a pleasure.
Thank you 🙏
GREAT CHANNEL
I really loved this story, found it riveting! Also found the end kind of beautiful.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good God I'm freaking out listening. Suffocating in claustrophobic visions
Thank you sir😊❤
Tony, wow, that story had me at the edge of my seat. Literally. Thanks so much for sharing this story.
Where could I order your wife’s mushroom concoction? I suffer from chronic back and hip pain and am running out of options. Thanks
are you in the USA?
@@ClassicGhost Yes, Sir
I think the shipping might be a problem. see if you can source it within the US. Amanita Muscarina
@@ClassicGhost Thanks, I’ll look for it
@@ClassicGhost I looked up the name and it seems the mushroom is illegal to buy, sell or possess here in the USA. Bummer. Thanks nonetheless.
Well I enjoyed it..even if it was a bit brash! Maybe my experience was enhanced by listening to it whilst the wind is whistling and rain spattering the window of my studio during Storm Babette!
I'll look forward to your Halloween offerings whatever they are.
Welcome to the joys of selling on etsy! I've just ordered your book. Look forward to receiving it, but no rush over shipping...😊
I think all of us who suffer with anxiety, panic attacks and the like will find this story deliciously triggering!
Nah we are fine,it’s distraction lol
Incidentally Robert silverberg wrote 256 novels as Don Elliott in 256 weeks of working time. He wrote six days a week on the seventh day he rested. The books were short maybe 45,000 words. He wrote them in a format ready to be ready to be printed with a camera taking an image directly from the manuscript page . No bad typewriter ribbons. Silverberg told me he seemed to call he got about $500 a book. In 1965 hundred dollars was a huge amount of money compared to what it is today. He also told me he regrets having done this because he thinks it hurt him as a writer . I read a couple of the Dan Elliott books out of curiosity and although they are quite competently written, ignoring the sex scene it had to be in every chapter, but rather routine and d u l l in an undistinguished way . Silver told me he thought these hurt him for doing these hurt him as a writer so he regrets having done them.
Hi, Tony. I'm not sure about the ending. I was hoping that he would pay a little visit to his wife...😈
Excellent!!!
Much appreciated Tony,
I agree that the story missed the olive in the martini 🍸.
I'm sure that if you have the time, you could come up with a cocktail 🍹 much more delicious, ( maybe with a dash of aconite ).
I always enjoy your rambles, and often learn something new.
Halloween would be completely hollow down here in the south, if not for some spookiness from over the interweb.
Aminita Muscaria cures sound just the ticket at this time of year...
Maybe I'll email Erin Patterson for a recipe. 😱🍄
Oh and I just disovered Truman Capote's Miriam.
That was a surprise.
Cheers Tony.
Okay, sorry about the Patterson joke, and I actually can't tolerate alcohol, I just have symesthesia.
Hey Tony. If UK Etsy is like US Etsy, then you can do all your posting on one day of the week. Just put it in your "shipping" policies. Once you get the order in, you can make a list of all the orders and batch your work on a specific day of the week like Wednesday. It makes things go faster and it doesn't eat up all your time.
That is very good advice otherwise i do tend to dash around
I read the story in the 1960s and I thought it was a very well done example of a story with a not original basic plot. I was a little surprised to speak badly of it. I was astounded to hear you speak slightly of the graveyard rats which I considered one of the great masterpieces,
You mentioned that silverberg wrote some adult (sleezy) novels under a pseudonym. He wrote 256 of these and 256 weeks. And 6 days and each novel and on the 7th day he rested. The manuscript had to be ready for the camera to print the exact manuscript as the form of the book. So there could be no typos. Books were quite competent of their type. Silverbrook told me once he deeply regretted having done this although it made him an incredible amount of money which others tell me he invested brilliantly. Silverbrrg told me once that he regretted having written these because they hurt him as a writer.
very very interesting. great that you had that from the man himself
You like Hawkwind, that's cool!
+@richjnev70 I love ‘em
Very enjoyable rendition, ever heard of Mr. King? X
+@heathermoulds73 Which Mr King ?🤴
Spoiler warning when speaking of stories with the same basic plot, The Outsider by HP Lovecraft comes to mind maybe the all-time greatest in this thing and nearly the best story Lovecraft ever wrote . The best story he ever wrote I think is an extremely short lesser known Nyarlathotep that is science fiction horror prose poem apocalyptic fantasy and a bunch of other things. In spite of it being only about a 1000 words I think you should consider recording and posting it
Predictable but you made it enjoyable as usual.
Just FYI -- Amazon is still selling your books. Which one did they pull? I'd like to check and see if it's still listed too.
Can't imagine anyone sleeping through these podcasts, although it probably helps when you start with the story and do the commentary later. I'd listen to you read anything, no matter how 'mediocre', but my favorite bits are the commentary. Yeah I know I've said that before. hee
PS: REALLY looking forward to Sheila (sp?) joining your podcast for a foraging talk. Woo hoo!
It's going to be on Late Night Sleep Radio next time
Yes, amusingly, they are selling them because Ingram Spark send them their lists. So by the back door
@@ClassicGhost
Ah! Well I'm subscribed to both, so I won't miss it!
@@ClassicGhost
Which of your books did they pull? Are they at least paying you for the others?
Very similar to the old movie from the early 90’s called “Buried Alive” with Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Love that movie and the second one too.
I enjoyed this story. Reminds me of a spooky story we would have told at a slumber party years ago. But I would have put my own spin on it and it would be better. Lol😂 35:53 When my son was 8 or 9, he was terrified of being buried alive. He either read something or saw a show where this happened. I kept trying to reassure him that this would never happen in today's world. I finally ended up telling him that if by some freak accident he was still alive when he went to the mortician. He would be checked again, and at that point, they would drain all his blood, or if cremation was chosen, he would be burned. Hence, there was no chance he would still be living. Of course this does not count any evil doings or criminal happenings.
Oh good lord.he can't breathe. I cant breathe am so tense. 😢
lol the post story commentary is hilarious.
"I tried to be homeless but it was cold and not much fun so I called up my mom to pick me up."
Well, that escalated quickly.
Tony, I can’t seem to find you on Etsy. I entered your name and I got everything but you. Are you under a different name ?
Thx
classicghoststories.etsy.com that should get you there . Thanks for checking the store out Gerard
I think I saw your books on Amazon, are you back on there?
Not via Amazon but via a back door (ssshhh! :)
Very entertaining little tale. Like an episode of The Twilight Zone.
No going to sleep with this one! Panic attacks from the start. Lol.
Anyone who actually 'likes' this story is a masochist, but it was very, very good.
:)
I thought it might end something like, "Did you find the cufflink darling? We really must get that wardrobe door fixed."
I think the title was a bit of a lie. The story was good up to but not including the end. I feel Silverberg messed up, if people were around the grave and he saw his coffin, then it wasn't buried yet and someone should have heard him yelling. I cared less about what happened to him to be honest, but I wanted some kind of retribution to the cheating wife. There's so many ways he could have ended it better; the reading of the Will leaves her nothing if he died before their x anniversary which was a day later...or they have to dig him up and he wrote a note, that she's killed him, with his own blood. Or it's a bad dream in the hospital. And of course, we all (I think) expected a nice haunting, driving his wife insane and murdering her boyfriend, something.... The author just stopped.
It's a little odd. While I listened to this one yesterday, I thought Massey is a name I haven't heard before.
Well, I work at a cemetery. I'm lettering the front of a crypt and just glanced over to notice the name on the crypt next to it is Massey. (I don't know if it's spelled the same, but still a bit creepy.)
Good story. have you heard August Heat ?
@ClassicGhost No, I've never heard of it.. guessing it relates somehow?
Yep. except it was a hot day. he comes across a man engraving a funeral monument and the name is familiar . it’s on here
This story is almost identical to Richard Matheson's short story, "Where There's A Will". I prefer Matheson's as it has a stronger ending but this came first.
Have you ever thought of selling (whatever it is these days cds?) With your readings of the haunting Dracula turn of the screw etc. You narrate so well and I see many people comment on that. Lighter to mail maybe? I thought I’d die laughing when you said my beloved dogs and Sheila.
Louise... what a nasty young lady! Ah well... she will get hers. 😨
Thank you again Tomy!❤
Thanks for the spoilers all...
I actually enjoy your ramblings. It's getting to know the voice behind the story a bit. The story itself was disappointing as wife and boyfriend shouldn't have gotten away with it.
Actually, I think, your views about amazon is to your credit.
Sheila is a lucky women.
I thought there would be a haunting. I HOPED there would be a haunting. It feels kinda empty that those jerk wads just got away with it
Like many i did not realise Silverberg wrote anything but SF. I had been kind of out of reading for a while until.last year though. I agree with many here though not a great story..
Am I the only one who thought that was quite funny? I just discovered Silverberg on a sci fi channel! Typical timing. Thanks, Tony⚡️⚡️🪼🪼🪼 fish made of jelly…. How absurd.
I was rooting for Massey.
I enjoyed the rant more than the story although I did like it. The author mentions strangulation then asphyxiation. There's a difference isn't there? That's me being pedantic.
Christmas is vulgar!!!, please explain yourself ,Sir
For me, it is more who is the author than the title. I do not even consider the thumbnail. It is hard to even imagine that the thumbnail even matters to anyone in this context. EDIT The voice is also very important to me. If I do not like the voice, I will never finish the story.
Calling a servant or his wife to open the curtains?😂
Don't you?
😂😂😂😂😂😂 x
Oh well, not all stories can be enjoyed by everyone. Mediocre at best. More a narration than a compelling read.
Well read, but the following commentary was just stupid
I am the same tony......cross me and no more nice me. 😈
lol the post story commentary is hilarious.
"I tried to be homeless but it was cold and not much fun so I called up my mom to pick me up."