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leeglenwright's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I read this book years ago, so my memory of it is a little sketchy in places. The fact remains however, that some of the stories and vignettes in it made such an impression on me that they've stayed with me all this time. For that reason, I think it warrants an attempt at a review. Still with me? Good, here goes...
The Little Book of Horrors (Tiny Tales of Terror) does exactly what it says on the tin. Mainly comprised of what is nowadays referred to as 'flash fiction' (herein called 'short-short' stories, many of which are shorter than this review), with an accompaniment of vignettes, traditional folk tales and even ghoulish facts, a lot is crammed into what is a pretty slim volume. The book succeeds in showcasing the ability of its featured writers to flesh out an entire story in only a few pages, a single page or sometimes less.
Some of the stand-out contributions that I remember are a rare piece of single-page fiction by Roald Dahl, several excerpts from 'In His Own Write' by John Lennon, a story about a very large and hungry god ('Thang,' by Martin Gardner) and others, from a selection too broad and numerous to mention. As would probably be expected from the number of contributors, there is some variation in consistency, but there is more than enough contained between the covers to keep most readers happy, especially suited to whiling away a few minutes here and there. Special mention should be given to Joe R Lansdale, who I first read in this book. His two contributions, 'Dog, Cat and Baby,' and 'Chompers,' are still two of the best examples of flash fiction I have ever read, 'Dog, Cat and Baby' in particular being the sort of story that literally begs to be read aloud to a friend. Try it for yourself; I have.
With black and white illustrations from the likes of Edward Gorey and Aubrey Beardsley, 'The Little Book of Horrors' is a great addition to the bookshelf of any lover of macabre fiction with a dash of pitch black humour.
The Little Book of Horrors (Tiny Tales of Terror) does exactly what it says on the tin. Mainly comprised of what is nowadays referred to as 'flash fiction' (herein called 'short-short' stories, many of which are shorter than this review), with an accompaniment of vignettes, traditional folk tales and even ghoulish facts, a lot is crammed into what is a pretty slim volume. The book succeeds in showcasing the ability of its featured writers to flesh out an entire story in only a few pages, a single page or sometimes less.
Some of the stand-out contributions that I remember are a rare piece of single-page fiction by Roald Dahl, several excerpts from 'In His Own Write' by John Lennon, a story about a very large and hungry god ('Thang,' by Martin Gardner) and others, from a selection too broad and numerous to mention. As would probably be expected from the number of contributors, there is some variation in consistency, but there is more than enough contained between the covers to keep most readers happy, especially suited to whiling away a few minutes here and there. Special mention should be given to Joe R Lansdale, who I first read in this book. His two contributions, 'Dog, Cat and Baby,' and 'Chompers,' are still two of the best examples of flash fiction I have ever read, 'Dog, Cat and Baby' in particular being the sort of story that literally begs to be read aloud to a friend. Try it for yourself; I have.
With black and white illustrations from the likes of Edward Gorey and Aubrey Beardsley, 'The Little Book of Horrors' is a great addition to the bookshelf of any lover of macabre fiction with a dash of pitch black humour.
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