About this book
Tongues of Conscience by Robert Smythe Hichens invites listeners into five haunting short stories where conscience, desire, and the uncanny collide. Set at the turn of the century, these late-Victorian tales blend psychological drama with ghostly unease, showcasing Hichens’s gift for atmospheric scene-setting—from storm-lashed seas and blizzarded railways to fragrant, unsettling countrysides.
Each story probes moral complexity: an anguished artist confides a dark secret to a priest, a novelist’s work stirs perilous faith in unexpected quarters, a gifted doctor faces a spectral summons, a scientist confronts the terror of unwanted love, and a wealthy woman learns the cost of charity. Across the collection Hichens alternates subtle dread and sharp social observation, using evocative natural imagery to amplify guilt, sacrifice, and the frailty of human conscience.
Perfect for fans of literary fiction, classic horror, and ghost stories, Tongues of Conscience is ideal for listeners who savor psychological tension, period atmosphere, and moral ambiguity. Listen for richly descriptive prose and creeping dread that lingers long after the final page, a compelling example of turn-of-the-century supernatural literature.
