Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $9.99

Save $5.00 (33%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $27.52

Save: $20.03 (73%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the authors

Robert R. McCammon
Follow
Robert McCammon
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Usher's Passing Kindle Edition

by Robert McCammon (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,206 ratings
See all formats and editions
Poe’s classic tale lives on in this gothic novel of ancestral madness in the mountains of modern-day North Carolina, from a New York Times–bestselling author.
 
Ever since Edgar Allan Poe looted a family’s ignoble secret history for his classic story “The Fall of the House of Usher,” living in the shadow of that sick dynasty has been an inescapable scourge for generations of Usher descendants. But not for horror novelist Rix Usher.
 
Years ago, he fled the isolated family estate of Usherland in the menacing North Carolina hills to pursue his writing career. He promised never to return. But his father’s impending death has brought Rix back home to assume the role of Usher patriarch—and face his worst fears.
 
His arrival forces him to confront a devious and impassive family and his vulnerable sister’s slow descent into insanity. Stirring memories of the grim folktales born out of the surrounding Briartop Mountains and the terrifying legends of missing children, Rix knows that in the dark, twisted corridors of Usherland, that dreadful something he saw as a young boy is still there. It’s waiting for him, as decayed and undying as the Usher heritage, and more depraved than anything Poe could have imagined.
 
This eerie novel by the Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Swan Song and Boy’s Life is “a frightening pleasure” and a worthy tribute to the master who inspired it (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
 
Previous page
  1. Print length
    418 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    October 18, 2011
  6. File size
    5428 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this most gothic of Robert McCammon's novels, setting is key: the continuing saga of the Usher family (descended from the brother of Roderick and Madeline of Edgar Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher") takes place in the weird and picturesque heart of the North Carolina mountains. The haughty, aristocratic Ushers live in a mansion near Asheville; the poor but crafty mountain folk (whose families are just as ancient) live on Briartop Mountain nearby. At harvest time, when the book's action unfolds, the mountains are a blaze of color. Add to the mixture a sinister history of mountain kids disappearing every year, a journalist investigating those disappearances, a monster called "The Pumpkin Man," moldy books and paintings in a huge old library at the Usher estate, and a secret chamber with a strange device involving a brass pendulum and tuning forks--and you've got a splendid recipe for atmospheric horror.

Review

“A superb job.” —Booklist “A frightening pleasure.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch “McCammon delivers terror with skillful ferocity.” —Publishers Weekly

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005T54GF6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (October 18, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 18, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5428 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 418 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,206 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Robert R. McCammon

    Robert R. McCammon

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Robert McCammon is the New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels, including the award-winning BOY'S LIFE and SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD. There are more than four million copies of his books in print. His 2018 novel, THE LISTENER, is set in the 1930s and is available now from Cemetery Dance Publications.

    His newest novel, CARDINAL BLACK, was published by Cemetery Dance in 2019. It is the seventh novel in the Matthew Corbett series, which started with SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD.

    Mr. McCammon is currently writing THE KING OF SHADOWS, the eighth novel in the Matthew Corbett series.

    Visit his websites: www.robertmccammon.com and www.matthewcorbettsworld.com

    See more on the author's page
  2. Robert McCammon

    Robert McCammon

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Robert McCammon is the New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels, including the award-winning BOY'S LIFE and SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD. There are more than four million copies of his books in print. His latest novel, THE KING OF SHADOWS, is the eighth book in the Matthew Corbett series.

    He recently completed the ninth book, SEVEN SHADES OF EVIL, which is expected to be published in 2023.

    Visit his websites: www.robertmccammon.com and www.matthewcorbettsworld.com

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,206 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Brent Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Tone and Atmosphere For Spooky Season
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
I am a big fan of Robert McCammon. Boy's Life. Swan Song, and the Matthew Corbett series are some of my favorite books. I wanted to experience more of his standalone horror, and after a good experience with Mine and an ok experience with They Thirst I hoped this would hit the mark. It absolutely did.

This is an imagining of what the "real life" family who inspired The Fall of The House of Usher might have been like. It's a bit of family drama mixed with southern gothic horror, creature feature, and a bit of magic. McCammon mixes those elements in such a way to really draw the reader in and maked them immersed as they learn the troubled history of the Usher family and it's insanely creepy family compound, Usherland. The tension keeps building along with the mystery until all is revealed in a dramatic, shocking, and satisfying way.

If I had any criticism I'd say the book has both a bit of a slow start and some really unlikable characters including Rix, the main character. But by the half way point I didn't want to stop reading and needed answers as we investigate along with Rix. The climax and conclusion was so good and I was so immersed I had to give it the full 5 stars.
Helpful
 Report
Carl Alves
4.0 out of 5 stars A Well Written and Entertaining Novel
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2020
Verified Purchase
When I first started reading this book, I thought it would be a historical fiction novel featuring Edgar Allen Poe and the Usher family that he wrote about over a century ago. It turned out to be set in modern day. I was hoping for historical fiction given that McCammon is terrific as an author in that genre. Having said that, Usher’s Passing did not disappoint.

It was an interesting and imaginative tale. In this world, the Usher family is one of the wealthiest in the world, with their fortune tied to the sale of arms. Rix Usher is the outcast of the family. He’s a horror writer (I imagine Robert McCammon put some elements of himself into this character). He’s vehemently against the family business but returns to their compound in North Carolina with his father dying. Although Rix doesn’t want anything to do with the family business, he wants to write an expose/history of the family in sordid detail. But what lurks beneath the surface is the supernatural and how the family has been able to achieve the fortune through ties with otherworldly forces.

There are some nice twists and turns in this novel. The main baddie here is the Pumpkin Man, a supernatural character who has been abducting children for decades. When the reveal was finally made about the Pumpkin Man’s identity, I was surprised. It was a well delivered set up that made sense in retrospect but caught me off guard. I thought there was good character development in this novel, with a good many memorable characters. The writing was strong and purposeful. The supernatural elements mixed in well with the parts that were grounded in reality. My only negative was that I felt it dragged in certain parts and could have used some trimming to make it a tighter story.

Carl Alves - author of The Invocation
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Crusader
5.0 out of 5 stars Wild and Spooky!
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
A small backstory:

Rix Usher is informed that his father is not well and that he needs to come home to Usherland so that all the family is gathered before his father passes on. Rix doesn't really want to go home as he doesn't want anything to do with his father or his family as they are crazy loonies and Rix has been writing horror books under a pen name as he didn't want any problems to arise from his family.

Rix does decide to head home though as he feels that he needs to wrap up loose ends, but things go slowly nutso for him as he remembers from his past a being called the Pumpkin Man and a building on the property called the Lodge. Rix hooks up with a local newspaper reporter (Raven) and as he starts learning more than he wants to know what really lies within his family tree, Rix has to make sure that he doesn't descend into madness as what is pulsing throughout Usherland is pure evil in its truest form!

That is about all I can give on a small backstory without giving away spoilers so if you want to know more about this book, then go read it!

Thoughts:

This was a great book that took a little while to get into it because of some world and character building within the story but it finally slowly drew me into the world of the Usher family.

This was my second book by author, Robert McCammon and I can see why so many readers love to read his work. The writing style is easy to read and the words flow along smoothly. There is nothing disjointed within the story to even cause me to deviate away from what is happening - it is like smooth as silk with capturing what is going on with the story as it unfolds with scary suspense.

The book started out a little slow but picks up speed after the 50% mark and then once I hit the 70% mark the speed increased to overdrive which I read the last 30% within a few hours! Suspense, tension, spookiness, and crazy intensity was folded into the story in the last half of the book where I was wanting to munch on something!

This was definitely another great book by this author and I will be putting it on my favorites shelf. Looking forward to reading more works by this author! Giving this book five "Thumping Pumpkin Man" stars!
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
g..g..
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story
Reviewed in Canada on October 27, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is a great book, well written, action packed, interesting from start to finish. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it.
Report
VMJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Always reliable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2021
Verified Purchase
One thing that's virtually guaranteed in a McCammon novel is the inability to put it down. This is no exception.
2 people found this helpful
 Report
Kim P. NZ
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in Australia on October 30, 2019
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this story, It was suspenseful and had some slightly ghoulish aspects which worked well. Some of the final answers were surprising twists that I didn't expect and I am now keen to read the book that inspired this particular story.
Report
ほげほげ
4.0 out of 5 stars 邦題は「アッシャー家の弔鐘」
Reviewed in Japan on June 20, 2010
10年以上、邦訳版を読んでいましたが、今回は原書に挑戦してみました。英語は比較的簡単な部類に入ると思います。
昔は抜群に面白いと思いましたが、再読すると残念ながらあらが目立ちました。
例えば、ポーへのオマージュかと思わせるタイトルですが、ポーに関するくすぐりねたはほとんどありません。また、人物描写も平面的でいまいち緊張感が出てきません。
とはいうものの、一族の因縁が少しずつ明らかにされていくプロセスはそこそこスリリングで、読後感も悪くありません。
絶版なのでわざわざ捜す必要は無いかもしれませんが、古本屋ででも見つけたならば、読んでも損は無いでしょう。
One person found this helpful
 Report
Erinome
4.0 out of 5 stars Gotischer Schauerroman vor stimmungsvoller Kulisse
Reviewed in Germany on June 4, 2013
Verified Purchase
Die Familie Usher hat sich mit ihrer Waffenfirma ein Weltimperium geschaffen und lebt auf einem gewaltigen Anwesen in North Carolina mehr oder weniger nach ihren eigenen Gesetzen. Rix Usher, der jüngste Sohn des Clans, hat sich von der Familie losgesagt und versucht, sich als Schriftsteller durchzuschlagen. Als er erfährt, dass sein Vater im Sterben liegt, kehrt er zögerlich heim nach Usherland. Schnell machen sich erste Verschleißerscheinungen bemerkbar und Rix beobachtet seltsame Vorgänge auf dem Anwesen. Gehen wirklich übernatürliche Ereignisse vor, oder bildet sich Rix diese Dinge nur ein?

In USHER'S PASSING wählt Robert R. McCammon Poes DER FALL DES HAUSES USHER als Ausgangspunkt für seinen Roman und webt eine faszinierende und vielschichtige Familiengeschichte mit einigen düsteren und beunruhigenden Geheimnissen.
Im Zentrum von USHER'S PASSING steht Rix, der mit den Machenschaften seiner Familie nichts mehr zu tun haben will. Er ist davon besessen, sich unabhängig durchs Leben zu schlagen und möchte sich unbedingt einen Namen als ernstzunehmender Schriftsteller machen. Aus diesem Zweck plant er, eine Familienchronik zu verfassen, die eine Menge Staub aufwirbelt. Neben Rix gibt es natürlich noch eine ganze Reihe an Nebenfiguren in USHER'S PASSING. Unter anderem spielt Rix' Familie eine große Rolle und auch die Bewohner rund um Usherland sind wichtig für die Handlung.
Die Handlung von USHER'S PASSING konzentriert sich im Wesentlichen auf zwei große Plotstränge. Einerseits wird die höchst abwechslungsreiche Vergangenheit der Familie Usher näher beleuchtet, andererseits versuchen Rix und einige seiner Verbündeten den seltsamen Vorgängen auf dem Anwesen auf den Grund zu gehen.
Wer in USHER'S PASSING blutrünstigen Horror erwartet, wird vermutlich enttäuscht werden. Robert R. McCammon glänzt hier eher mit sanftem Grusel, der jedoch nicht minder effektiv ist. Jeder, der sich für einen stimmungsvollen Gruselroman begeistern kann, wird bestimmt seine Freude an dem Buch haben. Empfehlenswert!
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report