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barbtrek's review
5.0
Babysitting in a creepy old house, a rat problem, creepy taxidermy, a fly problem, a haunted tea house, a haunted lighthouse: this book has it all and more!
Some of the stories were a little too harsh for me (I hate rats!), but they were all well written.
This is the perfect creepy haunted house book to get you in the mood for Halloween. Just don’t read it while babysitting or working alone in a lighthouse.
Some of the stories were a little too harsh for me (I hate rats!), but they were all well written.
This is the perfect creepy haunted house book to get you in the mood for Halloween. Just don’t read it while babysitting or working alone in a lighthouse.
ziwxbhld's review
4.0
This anthology, as it happens, takes me right back to an old, battered copy of — it's name sadly forgotten — an anthology collected by Barbara Ireson: itself a collection of tales on the theme of haunted houses. The archetype is redolent with mystery and possibility, and my childhood home was but a few doors down from a spooky old mansion, in which I imagined all manner of grotesque and nameless entities lurked. As an adult, it's pleasing to return to an old favourite, and this book provides up-to-date and more mature terrors in spades.
I make no secret of a love for the works of Ramsey Campbell, and the tale included here is a pleasing combination of his recent themes: the ambiguity of language, the helplessness of age, and the marginalisation of the elderly. Despite its ambiguity and subtle wordplay, the story is clearly supernatural, and the understated denouement in an excruciating pleasure.
There isn't just Campbell to enjoy, however: the contents page reads like a who's who of some of my favourite authors, many of whom I've perhaps been neglecting recently. I used to enjoy the works of Simon Clark, and this story reminds me why. Philip Fracassi, as well, one captivated me with a tale of a laminated ex-lover: this story is easily equal to that tale's queasy depths.
A strong collection here, whether you're into the headline acts or the up and coming authors.
I make no secret of a love for the works of Ramsey Campbell, and the tale included here is a pleasing combination of his recent themes: the ambiguity of language, the helplessness of age, and the marginalisation of the elderly. Despite its ambiguity and subtle wordplay, the story is clearly supernatural, and the understated denouement in an excruciating pleasure.
There isn't just Campbell to enjoy, however: the contents page reads like a who's who of some of my favourite authors, many of whom I've perhaps been neglecting recently. I used to enjoy the works of Simon Clark, and this story reminds me why. Philip Fracassi, as well, one captivated me with a tale of a laminated ex-lover: this story is easily equal to that tale's queasy depths.
A strong collection here, whether you're into the headline acts or the up and coming authors.
bluebearywitchy's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Bought this book on impulse and I'm so glad I did. This is a great collection of haunted house stories and I would absolutely recommend.
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