THE DREAMING IN NORTOWN by Thomas Ligotti

Here, at last, is a non-robot reading of the last early collected Ligotti story that seems to have escaped having one. (Even those who don’t care for my voice or style, I’m sure, would still find them far from synthesized.)

From everything I’ve read here and there, “Nortown” is one of those stories that some readers adore or others find middling or disappointing. I have to say that I’m undecided myself… and somehow, maybe that’s partly why I had such a hard time getting a vocal handle on it and finding the stamina to make it through.

You may notice that the quality of my voice changes at least three times. The main sections, 1 and 2, the bulk of the story, were a marathon that I could never finish in one take without some wear on the voice that oddly seems to parallel the narrator’s journey stalking Quinn-- especially if you don’t care much for the story to begin with. But then in 3, the final section (at 51:45), voice is refreshed, perhaps a tad louder. This section with its two short passages, were reworked apart from the bulk of the story, because I was never near satisfied with them, especially the closing passage. When you get to that revelatory close (at 52:27) though, it gets real close and personal. Listen on your tablet or phone speaker, you’ll hardly notice much difference. But listen with headphones—as I did, the day after the night I rerecorded the close—and your ears might suddenly blow off. Mine almost did: I want THAT guy’s voice more often! The night I recorded this final passage, we’d just had a thunderstorm and perhaps the air outside and in was a bit different. (I was once an audiophile, and yes I swear that music listened to through quality gear at night does sound different that during a day filled with more electrical noise in the grid as well as noise in the air. And so I record at night.) But the other factor, more relevant I think, is that my mouth inadvertently positioned itself closer to the microphone while reading, and every inch or two-- plus your angle re a sensitive mic--counts to make a difference. I might want to experiment more with these two details. --In any event, I decided to leave the irregularities as they are. Even find them somehow apt for the story and how I feel about it….

A note on the pictures: Yes, there was once a Nortown Theatre--and it was located in Chicago. Coincidence?

Higher quality mp3 file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15maF...