Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions

By: John Langan

Narrated by: Ray Greenley, Jenn Lee

A garishly painted figurine contains a terrible curse; the ten-year anniversary of a sensational horror film shot in an abandoned mine reveals stunning secrets; endnotes for a book review uncover a strange high-tech pathogen; a man witnesses something uncanny and unexplained as his friend succumbs to a watery death; a seasick woman aboard a ferry is pursued by a barnacle-covered specter; a professor reveals the mysterious connection between Joseph Conrad and Peter Pan; a man encounters the ghost of his lost sister in a liminal space between the land and sea; an academic meets a mythical creature on a mysterious island.

John Langan, author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman, returns with thirteen new tales of cosmic horror in Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions. In these stories, he continues to chart the course of twenty-first century weird fiction, from the unfamiliar to the familial, the unfathomably distant to the intimate.

"This is an author at the height of his powers." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

©2025 John Langan and Word Horde (P)2025 Tantor Media

Not great

I may have a different understanding of horror, but I was let down by all but one of these stories. The Fisherman is one of the greatest horror novels of all time; it’s difficult to believe this is the same author. Also, much of the dialogue was so bad it was hard to suspend disbelief for the story.

Unique settings and monsters

One of the best short story collections I've ever read. Incredible start to finish.

Langan's Best Mix

I've loved langan's fiction since I found the Fisherman a few years ago. I have read or listened too all of his published stories. Lost in the Dark is a great mix of everything that makes his writing great.

My only complaint is this audio doesn't include his story notes. They are always great to listen to.

Boring

The second chapter, 'Lost in the Dark', which is near two hours long, is abysmally boring. I sat through the entire near two hours hoping it would get better, and it didn't. I'm tempted to DNF this because tit was so bad.