The Shadow

Title: The Shadow

Author: Hans Christian Andersen

Narrator: Jonathan Dunne

Original Publication: 1847

Public Domain: Yes

Series Placement: Timeless Terrors No. 75

Description:

The Shadow is one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most unsettling tales — a dark allegory of identity, ambition, and the divided self. A learned man’s shadow detaches itself, slowly gaining independence and power, until it comes to dominate the very person who once cast it.

Told with quiet menace and philosophical precision, the story explores the danger of denying one’s darker nature and the triumph of intellect without conscience. Its horror is subtle and inevitable, unfolding through irony and psychological tension rather than spectacle.

Narrated by Amazon-bestselling horror author Jonathan Dunne, this performance highlights the story’s cold elegance and creeping dread.

Part of Timeless Terrors, The Shadow endures as a chilling reminder that the most frightening monsters are often our own reflections.

© 2026 Jonathan Dunne (Audiobook): 9798260847053

Release date

Audiobook: 8 January 2026