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house_of_hannah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
The story behind why this novel came to be is more interesting than some of the ghost stories in here. Roald Dahl read over 700 ghost stories in trying to find the top 24 for a new TV show he was to be involved in. Unfortunately, they chose poorly for the pilot episode, so the series was cancelled before it even began. Thus he put 14 of those stories into this collection.
These are seemingly not in any order, and are not chronological. I highly recommend reading the introduction to this one; it's quite funny actually. There are no spoilers in the intro either. I had only heard/read of one of these authors before, Sheridan Le Fanu, which I am actually glad of, as I get to be exposed to new authors I wouldn't have otherwise.
The following is a little description of each story, the year it was written or published, and my rating.
W.S. by L. P. Hartley (written 1954, 1973 published posthumously) - An author receives increasingly alarming postcards from an individual with the same initials as him. 3.5 Stars
Harry by Rosemary Timperley (1955) - A couple adopts a baby whose past is unknown to them. When the little girl is 5 years old she starts talking to a person that only she can see named Harry. 4 Stars
The Corner Shop by Cynthia Asquith (1926) - A man’s luck changes when he purchases a cheap trinket from a corner shop that ends up being worth money. Questions arise though when he tries to share the money with the man who sold him the trinket. 5 Stars
In the Tube by E. F. Benson (1923 UK, 1924 US) - A man sees a figure while taking the last train home that disappears from one moment to the next. When he meets the man in the flesh the next day his confusion grows as he wonders the cause. 3 Stars
Christmas Meeting by Rosemary Timperley (1952) - A woman reminisces about past Christmases, as she is spending this one alone, when a strange man walks into the room. 5 Stars
Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie (1902) - A man injures a creature that lies in wait to enact its revenge. This is more of a creature story than anything. 2 Stars
Playmates by A.M. Burrage (1927) - An old man adopts a girl after her father passes away. He wishes to conduct an experiment where the girl does not go to school, or interacts with other children, and instead receives her education from what she picks out in the home library. After they move to a new house the girl starts talking and playing with what everyone thinks are 7 imaginary friends. 3.5 Stars
Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman (1964) - A newlywed couple with a 24 year age gap honeymoon in a town neither of them has been to before. The entire night they are there the church bells will not stop ringing. 2 Stars
The Telephone by Mary Treadgold (1955) - A man’s wife leaves him whe she discovers his infidelity. Shortly after he marries his mistress, his first wife dies. Then they begin to receive mysterious phone calls from the house that man used to live in with his first wife. 2 Stars
The Ghost of a Hand by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (1861) - Essentially what would happen if Thing from the Addam’s Family decided to terrorize a family. 2.5 Stars
The Sweeper by A. M. Burrage (1931) - A young woman is employed to be the companion of an old woman. One evening in autumn she hears the sounds of sweeping on the path outside. When she investigates she comes face to face with a man who she realizes is transparent. 4 Stars
Afterward by Edith Wharton (1902) - A couple moves into a home that is supposedly haunted, but everyone says you won’t realize you saw a ghost until long afterward. 3 Stars
On the Brighton Road by Richard Middleton (1912) - A man wakes up buried in snow on the side of a road. As he walks down the road he meets a boy who poses the question, “How do you know you aren’t dead?” 4 Stars
The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford (1885) - A man boards a ship to cross the Atlantic. Thinking that he is rooming alone, he is surprised to see another man’s things when he goes to bed for the night. By morning though, the second man has disappeared, and the porthole is open. That is when he finds out that for the past 3 trips (now 4th), someone who has slept in that room has jumped overboard. 3 Stars
Averaging all the scores comes out to a 3.3, which is quite normal for a short story collection. I think it provides the ghostly vibes quite well, and is perfect for this time of year.
These are seemingly not in any order, and are not chronological. I highly recommend reading the introduction to this one; it's quite funny actually. There are no spoilers in the intro either. I had only heard/read of one of these authors before, Sheridan Le Fanu, which I am actually glad of, as I get to be exposed to new authors I wouldn't have otherwise.
The following is a little description of each story, the year it was written or published, and my rating.
W.S. by L. P. Hartley (written 1954, 1973 published posthumously) - An author receives increasingly alarming postcards from an individual with the same initials as him. 3.5 Stars
Harry by Rosemary Timperley (1955) - A couple adopts a baby whose past is unknown to them. When the little girl is 5 years old she starts talking to a person that only she can see named Harry. 4 Stars
The Corner Shop by Cynthia Asquith (1926) - A man’s luck changes when he purchases a cheap trinket from a corner shop that ends up being worth money. Questions arise though when he tries to share the money with the man who sold him the trinket. 5 Stars
In the Tube by E. F. Benson (1923 UK, 1924 US) - A man sees a figure while taking the last train home that disappears from one moment to the next. When he meets the man in the flesh the next day his confusion grows as he wonders the cause. 3 Stars
Christmas Meeting by Rosemary Timperley (1952) - A woman reminisces about past Christmases, as she is spending this one alone, when a strange man walks into the room. 5 Stars
Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie (1902) - A man injures a creature that lies in wait to enact its revenge. This is more of a creature story than anything. 2 Stars
Playmates by A.M. Burrage (1927) - An old man adopts a girl after her father passes away. He wishes to conduct an experiment where the girl does not go to school, or interacts with other children, and instead receives her education from what she picks out in the home library. After they move to a new house the girl starts talking and playing with what everyone thinks are 7 imaginary friends. 3.5 Stars
Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman (1964) - A newlywed couple with a 24 year age gap honeymoon in a town neither of them has been to before. The entire night they are there the church bells will not stop ringing. 2 Stars
The Telephone by Mary Treadgold (1955) - A man’s wife leaves him whe she discovers his infidelity. Shortly after he marries his mistress, his first wife dies. Then they begin to receive mysterious phone calls from the house that man used to live in with his first wife. 2 Stars
The Ghost of a Hand by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (1861) - Essentially what would happen if Thing from the Addam’s Family decided to terrorize a family. 2.5 Stars
The Sweeper by A. M. Burrage (1931) - A young woman is employed to be the companion of an old woman. One evening in autumn she hears the sounds of sweeping on the path outside. When she investigates she comes face to face with a man who she realizes is transparent. 4 Stars
Afterward by Edith Wharton (1902) - A couple moves into a home that is supposedly haunted, but everyone says you won’t realize you saw a ghost until long afterward. 3 Stars
On the Brighton Road by Richard Middleton (1912) - A man wakes up buried in snow on the side of a road. As he walks down the road he meets a boy who poses the question, “How do you know you aren’t dead?” 4 Stars
The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford (1885) - A man boards a ship to cross the Atlantic. Thinking that he is rooming alone, he is surprised to see another man’s things when he goes to bed for the night. By morning though, the second man has disappeared, and the porthole is open. That is when he finds out that for the past 3 trips (now 4th), someone who has slept in that room has jumped overboard. 3 Stars
Averaging all the scores comes out to a 3.3, which is quite normal for a short story collection. I think it provides the ghostly vibes quite well, and is perfect for this time of year.
jamiedarlin's review against another edition
4.0
When I first purchased this book, I was under the impression that it contained ghost stories written by Roald Dahl--a favorite childhood author of mine.
However, much to my (not unpleasant) surprise, I found, instead, that the book was a collection of Roald Dahl's favorite ghost stories written by various authors.
Odd and unexpectedly gender-biased introduction not-withstanding, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of haunting stories. They are, indeed, ones to remember.
However, much to my (not unpleasant) surprise, I found, instead, that the book was a collection of Roald Dahl's favorite ghost stories written by various authors.
Odd and unexpectedly gender-biased introduction not-withstanding, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of haunting stories. They are, indeed, ones to remember.
maureenky's review against another edition
1.0
DNF: I got through about 125 pages because Roald Dahl is one of my favorite authors. But then again, he didn’t write any of these stories, he just collected them. Listen, I scare easily and it being October I was hoping for a little bit of a fright, but these stories are actually quite dull.
boureemusique's review against another edition
I liked some stories but not others. More than this, I liked what the stories told me of their curator, the beloved Roald Dahl.
meghanstinar's review against another edition
3.0
This was a great collection of ghost stories. It is not my usual genre, but it does feel incredibly fitting to read around Halloween time.
mariatsosaa's review against another edition
Anthologies: te enamoras de algunas y detestas las otras
puzumaki's review against another edition
2.0
Only read the first 3 stories... maybe I wasn't in a "ghost story" mood, but these didn't grab me at all. Which is an incredible bummer because these are Dahl's hand picked selections of unique ghost stories over 30 years of reading them. Perhaps I should have given it more of a chance, read at least a couple more; my reading time is so limited these days I couldn't convince myself.
art_cart_ron's review against another edition
3.0
The premise sounds like one that could not possibly disappoint, but it is also not quite presented truthfully. The idea is that Dahl read 450 ghost stories in preparation for creating screenplays for a season's worth of them for an anthology TV show. The forward, and publishers, tell you that this book prints the best 14 stories out of those 450 - as chosen by Dahl. I think the dishonesty in that idea is that they were the best stories - - I think, rather, they were chosen by him as the best stories to create screenplays for and reformat for a visual medium.
Few of these stories could be thought of as the best out of 450 classic ghost stories. They aren't bad - *none* are "bad" - but a lot are mediocre. I started reading the book by doing a story-by-story review, then rating them by overall story and then how scary they are. The quality of the story almost universally outstripped the quality of the horror. The premise of the book relies on their having been scary. Few of them are scary enough that you will linger on frightening ideas. Most are formatted neatly to fit into a comparable presentation as The Twilight Zone. "Weird Tales", in other words - not horror.
Some of the stories don't even feature ghosts. The very first one, for instance (W.S. by Hartley). Some are more like folktales or legends, as is Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie. A lot of them will feel antiquated to a modern reader - and a lot of them are classic and influential enough to have inspired works that are more well known (Stephen King is a famous "miner of ideas" from classic roots - - and a couple here certainly influenced him, or the stories that later influenced him, like The Corner Shop, and W.S.).
Personal favorites in the bunch are: Harry (feels inspired by the anxiety of a child becoming school-age), Playmates (was truly moved by the ending), The Sweeper (has Tales From The Crypt written all over it), and The Upper Berth (no stranger to "best of" ghost anthologies - and just a wonderfully written short story).
I was somewhat disappointed. I thought I was being served a super-charged, concentrated, carefully selected bunch of ghost stories determined to have been the best of the best. It really isn't. A lot of the best of the best may have been overlooked for having been well enough known that Dahl couldn't present them and get a fresh reaction. A lot of the best of the best may have been unattainable properties for the project (too expensive).
I'm slightly on the fence over whether to keep the book. I like the idea of having a decent ghost story shelf in my library... and while I'm still arguing against this book fitting in as neatly as others (like a Henry James ghost story collection, or the two books created out of an essay by HP Lovecraft on what books inspired him most), or a complete Poe... it doesn't deserve a fate out in the cold.
Few of these stories could be thought of as the best out of 450 classic ghost stories. They aren't bad - *none* are "bad" - but a lot are mediocre. I started reading the book by doing a story-by-story review, then rating them by overall story and then how scary they are. The quality of the story almost universally outstripped the quality of the horror. The premise of the book relies on their having been scary. Few of them are scary enough that you will linger on frightening ideas. Most are formatted neatly to fit into a comparable presentation as The Twilight Zone. "Weird Tales", in other words - not horror.
Some of the stories don't even feature ghosts. The very first one, for instance (W.S. by Hartley). Some are more like folktales or legends, as is Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie. A lot of them will feel antiquated to a modern reader - and a lot of them are classic and influential enough to have inspired works that are more well known (Stephen King is a famous "miner of ideas" from classic roots - - and a couple here certainly influenced him, or the stories that later influenced him, like The Corner Shop, and W.S.).
Personal favorites in the bunch are: Harry (feels inspired by the anxiety of a child becoming school-age), Playmates (was truly moved by the ending), The Sweeper (has Tales From The Crypt written all over it), and The Upper Berth (no stranger to "best of" ghost anthologies - and just a wonderfully written short story).
I was somewhat disappointed. I thought I was being served a super-charged, concentrated, carefully selected bunch of ghost stories determined to have been the best of the best. It really isn't. A lot of the best of the best may have been overlooked for having been well enough known that Dahl couldn't present them and get a fresh reaction. A lot of the best of the best may have been unattainable properties for the project (too expensive).
I'm slightly on the fence over whether to keep the book. I like the idea of having a decent ghost story shelf in my library... and while I'm still arguing against this book fitting in as neatly as others (like a Henry James ghost story collection, or the two books created out of an essay by HP Lovecraft on what books inspired him most), or a complete Poe... it doesn't deserve a fate out in the cold.
jejemaatita's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
obscene_jack's review against another edition
2.0
This is a really depressing book. In his weirdly sexist preface, an author I greatly respect says that he has read through 749 ghost stories to select these 14 as the very pinnacle of the genre. And, let's ruin all the intrigue from the start, they kinda suck. So either these 14 really are the best stories the genre has to offer, which is at least as depressing as your girlfriend breaking up with you on your anniversary to date Roald Dahl's son, or one really good writer, who succeeded in creating so many unexpected peculiar endings, had no taste, which, let's face it, is a far more realistic option.
There're 14 stories in this book (oh come on, couldn't you do 13? And print it in 36 bold, so they would take up 666 pages? MWAHAHAHAHA), but they only have in common a certain accessibility - they're quite easy and fairly pleasant to read. Also, in most of these the ghosts are benevolent, which is cool - in a perfect ghost story ghosts are just sad remnants of the sad times, not good people turned into homicidal maniacs after death.
But of these fourteen only two are worth mentioning.
Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie sucks, and the coolness of the author's surname doesn't help much. It's a very silly tale with characters that evoke zero sympathy, and an absolutely demented plot. I get it, it's supposed to be read as a dark fairy tale made peculiar by its Norse theme, but it doesn't even try to be a good story. And that is downright offensive.
Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman is everything a ghost story should be... until about the middle of it. The first half succeeds at being the noble kind of horror - it dips you into the eerie atmosphere and continuously throws unsettling events and phrases in your direction, but doesn't go overboard with it, like everybody in David Lynch's movies, so it stays believable, yet very strange and creepy, and makes you anticipate the ending thrice more zealously. But then it loses it's appeal by smacking you in the face with very literal things, and ends in a very vague cryptic remark, that makes you regret a lot of the life choices you've made, including buying this book and that incident with a cactus and a pack of diapers neither of you will ever mention or ever forget.
The rest of the stories are pretty universally ok. They're not really spooky, and the big reveal in the end is usually 'and it was actually a ghost!'. Come on, I'm reading a book of ghost stories, I've kinda figured already. But on the other hand, they're at least pleasant, not boring, and, most importantly, fairly short.
So you know, whatever. Just don't believe anybody who says you should absolutely read this. The chances are, they're a ghost, and will disappear in a few minutes, and you'll be stuck with this book for hours. Which is not really the worst fate as things go, but hey, you could've been reading Chris Priestley the whole time instead.
P.S. I liked how Penguin deemed necessary to include the ad of this book into this very book, so you could think about buying this book all the while you're reading this book. But the cover is pretty stylish, so you didn't hear me complain.
There're 14 stories in this book (oh come on, couldn't you do 13? And print it in 36 bold, so they would take up 666 pages? MWAHAHAHAHA), but they only have in common a certain accessibility - they're quite easy and fairly pleasant to read. Also, in most of these the ghosts are benevolent, which is cool - in a perfect ghost story ghosts are just sad remnants of the sad times, not good people turned into homicidal maniacs after death.
But of these fourteen only two are worth mentioning.
Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie sucks, and the coolness of the author's surname doesn't help much. It's a very silly tale with characters that evoke zero sympathy, and an absolutely demented plot. I get it, it's supposed to be read as a dark fairy tale made peculiar by its Norse theme, but it doesn't even try to be a good story. And that is downright offensive.
Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman is everything a ghost story should be... until about the middle of it. The first half succeeds at being the noble kind of horror - it dips you into the eerie atmosphere and continuously throws unsettling events and phrases in your direction, but doesn't go overboard with it, like everybody in David Lynch's movies, so it stays believable, yet very strange and creepy, and makes you anticipate the ending thrice more zealously. But then it loses it's appeal by smacking you in the face with very literal things, and ends in a very vague cryptic remark, that makes you regret a lot of the life choices you've made, including buying this book and that incident with a cactus and a pack of diapers neither of you will ever mention or ever forget.
The rest of the stories are pretty universally ok. They're not really spooky, and the big reveal in the end is usually 'and it was actually a ghost!'. Come on, I'm reading a book of ghost stories, I've kinda figured already. But on the other hand, they're at least pleasant, not boring, and, most importantly, fairly short.
So you know, whatever. Just don't believe anybody who says you should absolutely read this. The chances are, they're a ghost, and will disappear in a few minutes, and you'll be stuck with this book for hours. Which is not really the worst fate as things go, but hey, you could've been reading Chris Priestley the whole time instead.
P.S. I liked how Penguin deemed necessary to include the ad of this book into this very book, so you could think about buying this book all the while you're reading this book. But the cover is pretty stylish, so you didn't hear me complain.