Sylvester McCoy: Audio Adventures: The Eddie Dickens Trilogy

Updated August 20, 2003

SERIES SYNOPSIS The Eddie Dickens Trilogy by Philip Ardagh is a relatively new children's book series. It tells of Eddie Dickens, a young Edwardian gentleman, and his rather unusual family. His father can't remember his own butler's name and his mother sticks things in her mouth when she's nervous. But Mad Uncle Jack and Even Madder Aunt Maud eclipse even their oddities. Unfortunately, the reader for the soon-to-be-released US audiobooks is someone other than Sylv. So the only way to get his readings is through a UK store.

SERIES PRODUCTION INFO Produced by Faber-Penguin Audiobooks in 2002.

SERIES AVAILABILITY Currently Available from UK shops.

Awful End

Cover of Awful End SYNOPSIS Eddie's parents have contracted a disease which makes them turn yellow, go a bit crinkly round the edges, and smell of hot water bottles. So he's bundled off to stay with Mad Uncle Jack and his loving wife, Even Madder Aunt Maud (and her stuffed stoat, Malcolm). But will he ever get to the house at Awful End? Or will he spend the rest of his life at St. Horrid's Home for Grateful Orphans?

REVIEW I'll admit that I probably wouldn't have known about the Eddie Dickens trilogy or Philip Ardagh if not for Sylvester McCoy. I discovered he'd read the first and second books and immediately purchased them from Amazon.co.uk. But once I listened to Awful End (called The House at Awful End in the US) I became an immediate fan of Eddie and Philip. :-) I've now been buying Awful End for family members as their birthdays arrive (my father being the last to receive the book) and I've suggested to the sixth grade teacher at my alma mater that she should get the series for her kids. The books are silly and surprisingly informational. I'm sure many kids have felt, as Eddie does, that their family must be the strangest around. But in Eddie's case, it's actually true.

So, how about Sylv's reading of the book? He does a wonderful job in the story telling. And as the narrator of the book is almost as much of a character as any of Eddie's family, it works very well being read out loud. He does different voices for each of the characters, some of which I have included below. And should they ever make a film of the Eddie Dickens books, they need to hire Sylv to play the part of Even Madder Aunt Maud. To have anyone else in the part would be a crime.

AVAILABILITY Currently Available.

WH Smith: £6.39 for Cassette
Amazon.co.uk: £6.39 for Cassette
Audio Book Collection: £7.99 for Cassette

Dreadful Acts

Cover of Dreadful Acts SYNOPSIS Eddie and his parents are now living at Awful End with Mad Uncle Jack and Even Madder Aunt Maud (still with Malcolm - or is it Sally?) In this adventure, Eddie meets the members of Dreadful Acts, a traveling road show, but not in the conventional way. He also ends up out on the moors where a bunch of escaped criminals have been seen. Will Eddie avoid meeting up with the criminals? (Um, well, I think the cover of the book and the audiobook sort of give that away...) Well, in that case, will Eddie be able to escape from the criminals? Can he rescue the members of Dreadful Acts who are in jail themselves? These questions and others may be answered by listening to the story (or reading the book).

REVIEW As with the first book, Sylv gets into the characters and puts on some pretty impressive voices. Though his throat had to hurt after doing the Chief Inspector. The book itself carries on with the silliness of the first, introducing some new strange people and even including a "love interest" for young Eddie. (Ah, foolish youth!)

AVAILABILITY Currently Available.

WH Smith: £6.39 for Cassette
Amazon.co.uk: £7.99 for Cassette
Audio Book Collection: £7.99 for Cassette

Back to the Top Awful End Dreadful Acts Terrible Times Sounds

Terrible Times

Cover of Terrible Times SYNOPSIS Mad Uncle Jack needs someone to go to America and check out what's going on at the family owned newspaper, The Terrible Times. Since Eddie's father is flat on his back with a back injury and Mad Uncle Jack is mad, it's up to Eddie to be the man of the family and take the next ship to the USA. He's given a traveling companion, Lady Constance Bustle, and more than halfway through the story, finally gets on board the ship. Will Eddie make it to America? Why does the other paying guest on board look so familiar? Is it a coincidence that all of Lady Constance's former employers have wound up dead? And why are all of Eddie's clothes missing from his luggage?

REVIEW As entertaining as the first two, Terrible Times manages to continue with the mad goings on of the Dickens family. In this story, we learn even more about Eddie's interesting childhood and discover that he's quite home "messing about in boats." And Even Madder Aunt Maud's stuffed stoat, Malcolm, manages to save the day (again). A very entertaining story to listen to (or if you have to, to simply read yourself).

AVAILABILITY Currently Available.

WH Smith: £6.39 for Cassette
Amazon.co.uk: £6.39 for Cassette
Audio Book Collection: £7.99 for Cassette

SOUNDS As with all my wavs, I have compressed and uncompressed versions. (More will come later...)

For the regular 11,025 Hz, 16 bit, Mono sounds, click on the button. For the compressed MPEG Layer-3 sounds, click on the button.

Awful End wavs.

Mrs Pumblesnook: "Oooh, such a charming lady, Husband Deawest. Such wefinement, such bweeding."

Mad Uncle Jack & Even Madder Aunt Maud: "'Maud dearest?' he inquired. 'Yes, peach blossom?' she replied. 'Did you throw your watch at this gentleman?' 'Gentleman? Gentleman?' she fumed, 'He's nothing more than a beard on legs!'"

Daphne, er Dawkins, the Butler: "Are you talking to me?"