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themissyreads's review
4.0
I didnt go into thos anyhology expecting to be scared stupid, and i wasnt, which is nice. I was surprised to find how many of the stories from the famous authors failed to impress. The Must-Reads, best of the bunch in my humble opinion are:
The Parricide’s Tale (Manturin) ghoulish and terrifying in the grounded way where what humans are capable of doing to one another is the real horror. Thanks, I hate it. 5/5 stars
The Canterville Ghost (Oscar Wilde) was somehow hilarious, heartwarming, and made me sad??? For a ghost??? Emotional rollercoaster. 5/5 stars
The Dead Smile (Crawford) was maybe the most genuinely suspenseful story even tho i called the twist immediately, when the characters were going to realize what trouble they were in was the real nail-biter. Also the sheer descriptions… *shiver* 5/5 stars
The Moon Bog (H P Lovecraft) wow you guys, this lovecraft fellow is really good at writing horror. Wonder why i havent heard of him before?
The Parricide’s Tale (Manturin) ghoulish and terrifying in the grounded way where what humans are capable of doing to one another is the real horror. Thanks, I hate it. 5/5 stars
The Canterville Ghost (Oscar Wilde) was somehow hilarious, heartwarming, and made me sad??? For a ghost??? Emotional rollercoaster. 5/5 stars
The Dead Smile (Crawford) was maybe the most genuinely suspenseful story even tho i called the twist immediately, when the characters were going to realize what trouble they were in was the real nail-biter. Also the sheer descriptions… *shiver* 5/5 stars
The Moon Bog (H P Lovecraft) wow you guys, this lovecraft fellow is really good at writing horror. Wonder why i havent heard of him before?
nwhyte's review
4.0
This anthology should not be confused with a quite different book with exactly the same title, but edited by Jim McGarry, which I read and didn't much care for just over a year ago. I did like this one. Haining has constructed it as an introduction to fantastic literature for readers interested in Ireland, rather than desperately grabbing anything vaguely genre and Hibernian; this does mean that some entries don't strictly fit the remit - "The Canterville Ghost", by Oscar Wilde, has no Irish connection apart from its author, and the final piece by Ray Bradbury (who also supplies an introduction to the volume as a whole) has no fantasy content. But it's an eclectic and interesting anthology, with pieces from Giraldus Cambrensis and James Joyce (the passage about Hell from Portrait) as well as the more obvious Maturin, Hodgson, Lovecraft, Le Fanu, Yeats, Dunsany, Sinead de Valera, etc. Worth getting hold of.
pluviophile's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
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