As a teenager, I used to list Edgar Allan Poe as one of my favorites, which looking back was kind of disingenuous, since I only ever read "The Raven," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Tell-Tale Heart," and those because they were assigned in school. Though I loved with these stories, I never really reached for his work for pleasure. It was always too difficult to get into.

This audio book pulls together some of Poe's greatest hits, both stories and poems, as well as a facinating biography. I found listening to Poe a great way to approach his stories. It really helped me get into the stories, though it didn't work as well for poems (which may have in part been due to the reader).

"The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Tell-Tale Heart" were by far the most readable. Each are dark, thrilling stories.

"The Facts in the Case of Monsieur Valdemar" was also facinating, involving a case in which a man hypnotized a corpse. It was strange and horrifying.

"Enjoying The Murders of Rue Morgue," feature a representation of the brilliant detective, who recognizes details and makes deductions no one else notices, similar to Sherlock. The murders are brutal and the reveal is strange. This is quite a good one.

"The Premature Burial" felt very much like a memoir with an introduction about the nature of fear and a historic look at premature burials in specific. There is nothing fantastical about the story and it was a little slow, but it was interesting.

"The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Mask of the Red Death" were the headrest to follow. I wasn't that into them.

After finally getting around to reading a good chunk of Poe's work, he's not my favorite, but his work is certainly worth a read. ( )