An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

By: Ambrose Bierce

Narrated by: John Michaels

"Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with formal manifestations of respect, even by those most familiar with him." This line was written by Ambrose Bierce in his short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Death by execution has historically been ritualized, perhaps to absolve those accomplishing the execution from guilt or blame.

The sensations and emotions of the condemned are well documented up to the moment of death. The only way to truly know death is to die, however; and though there are many theories, this being one, no living person truly knows the final instant dying person. Is death instantaneous when the hangman's noose snaps the condemned persons neck and spinal cord severing the connection from the brain to life and the physical body? Bierce speculates that Peyton Fahrquhar, the condemned man spends his final instant returning to his home and loved ones one last time prior to traveling to his final reward or forever nothingness. Peyton Fahrquhar’s fictional journey has become the subject of several movies and TV shows.

Public Domain (P)2012 Audio Books by Mike Vendetti

I learned of this tale on the History Channel

The story of the author is equally as good.
Very interesting for it's time. Forward thinking

Interesting and Clever

A good and simple story with a very clever and surprising twist. Made for a great episode in the original Twilight Zone series.

This has stuck with me since highschool.

First off, the narrator did a great job. It kinda sounded like Death, himself, was narrating. His voice is deep, but not real deep, smooth but also has just a hint of rasp(?). Very good job.
Secondly, this story has stuck with me since I originally read it in highschool (that's about 15 years now).(A bit of a SPOILER! warning) I'm sure (although, not really) that Boardwalk Empire took this story as inspiration when it came to the end of Richard Harrow's story. That ending got me again, man. I only wish it were longer.

Great story, poor narration!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Narrator sounded like a robot! I had to stop, I would like a refund...there must be another reader available to tell this emotional story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge?

Turning off the narrator which sounded like a computer generated voice! Horrible.

What didn’t you like about John Michaels’s performance?

Everything.