Averoigne - The Beast of Averoigne | Clark Ashton Smith (full audiobook)

This is my complete audiobook narration of The Beast of Averoigne by Clark Ashton Smith, first published in Weird Tales in 1933. Set in the haunted medieval province of Averoigne, one of Smith’s most enduring fictional landscapes, this tale blends Gothic horror, ecclesiastical intrigue, and cosmic menace into something uniquely decadent and unsettling. When a monstrous being begins stalking the countryside — slaughtering livestock and spreading fear — suspicion falls upon witchcraft, heresy, and forbidden knowledge. But the truth behind the Beast is far stranger than rumor, rooted not merely in superstition but in something ancient, alien, and profoundly indifferent to human faith. Smith’s prose is lush, poetic, and richly atmospheric. Unlike the blunt force of pulp adventure, his horror creeps in through shadowed cloisters, crumbling abbeys, and whispered theological doubt. The Beast itself is more than a monster — it is a symbol of intrusion, corruption, and the fragile illusion of medieval certainty. This is classic weird fiction at its most baroque — steeped in incense, decay, and cosmic irony. With its slow pacing and immersive Gothic tone, The Beast of Averoigne is both a gripping horror story and a great audiobook to fall asleep to — especially if you enjoy medieval settings, ecclesiastical dread, and beautifully oppressive atmosphere. Author: Clark Ashton Smith (1933) First Publication: Weird Tales Cycle: Averoigne Narration/Adaptation: Kristof Fruru (Miniature Mythos) ☕ Support the Channel If you’d like to help me continue producing classic weird fiction and atmospheric horror narrations, you can support the channel here: coff.ee/MiniatureMythos Enjoying this medieval descent into horror? Like, share, and subscribe for more Averoigne tales and classic Weird Tales stories. Comment below: do you prefer Smith’s Hyperborea or Averoigne settings — frozen antiquity or Gothic France? In the shadow of abbey walls, beneath the weight of incense and prayer, something ancient moves. Enter The Beast of Averoigne.