Audiobook Review: 'Cursed Objects' by J.W. Ocker, narr. by Tim Cambell

I was utterly thrilled when NetGalley announced they had started to also make audio books available. I had only recently gotten into audio books after mostly listening to podcasts beforehand. One of the first I requested was Cursed Objects by J.W. Ocker because... well, come on! This is my first audio book review, but I will be covering many of the same points. Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Tantor Audio
Pub. Date: 9/15/2020

Beware . . . this book is cursed! These strange but true stories of the world's most infamous items will appeal to true believers as well as history buffs, horror fans, and anyone who loves a good spine-tingling tale. They're lurking in museums, graveyards, and private homes. Their often tragic and always bizarre stories have inspired countless horror movies, reality TV shows, novels, and campfire tales. They're cursed objects, and all they need to unleash a wave of misfortune is . . . you. Many of these unfortunate items have intersected with some of the most notable events and people in history, leaving death and destruction in their wake. But never before have the true stories of these eerie oddities been compiled into a fascinating and chilling volume.

Cursed Objects starts out with its very own curse, warning the reader against stealing the book. This is a very wise warning as it is, as Ocker himself admits, the most comprehensive compendium of cursed objects in the world. You don't want to mess around with those. And yet Cursed Objects is full of people messing around with these objects. Why do we believe in curses and especially in cursed objects? Some objects make sense. Of course some of the rich people who owned the Hope Diamond got themselves into weird situations. Others make less sense. But how can an object make you see werewolves? Ocker makes it clear you don't have to believe in cursed objects to enjoy reading about them, nicely side-stepping the question some may go into the book with.

Cursed Objects starts if with an explanation of cursed objects and how they differ from the other paranormal objects we may be used to. It was a nice little technical section before getting into the different sections of the book which cover different types of objects. One of my favourite stories is 'The Ring of Silvianus' which is in the first section 'Cursed Under Glass', which is closely linked (at least in pop culture awareness) to Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. I was also fascinated by the last few sections that looked at the business of cursed objects and why certain objects that we might expect to be cursed aren't. It really broadened the book and added something of more interest. 

Cursed Objects isn't a scary book. Those wanting to gasp out loud and be horrified may be slightly disappointed, but those wanting to hear fun stories about weird objects will feel right at home. There is a real levity to the book that I enjoyed. It's a joy to read about/listen to stories about objects from all across the world and it is very clear that Ocker has a respect for these objects and the cultures they stem from. He does his best to tread lightly and with respect wherever cultural misunderstandings are a possibility. The research that has gone into this book shows Ocker's personal commitment to the topic. 

Tim Campbell is a great narrator who really brings out all of Ocker's hard work, which is everything you could ask for from a narrator. His tone is serious when discussing the more seirous aspects of these objects, but also very humorous when the book calls for it. The audio book I listened to was about 5 hours long, which is the perfect length. It is something that can be listened to in one go or dipped into occasionally for the different stories. I will definitely be going back to this and re-listening.

I give this audio book...

4 Universes!

I absolutely adored Cursed Objects. It was a joy to listen to and I will definitely be looking for a hard copy as well. Ocker is an author I will be keeping an eye on and Campbell did a great job as a narrator.