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cassandrat's review against another edition
4.0
The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood - This story is excellent. A man and his mother brave a haunted house for a night. It is mysterious and open ended, which I like.
August Heat by W.F. Harvey - A strange tale that kept making me think of that dancing frog from Looney tunes.
The Signalman by Charles Dickens - Kind of makes you wonder about fate. It's ironic.
A Visitor from Down Under by L.P. Hartley - Has an interesting opening scene, but then becomes pretty standard ghost from the grave.
The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs - Be careful what you wish for. A classic style tale that doesn't really have any ghosts, but has magical spirits and some suspense.
The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson - Very classic. I was disappointed though. The two halves of story didn't seem to make sense together.
Man-Size in Marble by E. Nesbit - Standard enjoyable ghost story. Also, a man doing dishes!
The Judge's House by Bram Stoker - Standard haunted house.
The Shadow of a Shade by Tom Hood - Third person narration of the haunting of a man.
The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins - A different kind of haunting. I like it.
Casting the Runes by MR James - Witchcraft! Stealth operations!
I very much enjoyed this collection of classics.
August Heat by W.F. Harvey - A strange tale that kept making me think of that dancing frog from Looney tunes.
The Signalman by Charles Dickens - Kind of makes you wonder about fate. It's ironic.
A Visitor from Down Under by L.P. Hartley - Has an interesting opening scene, but then becomes pretty standard ghost from the grave.
The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs - Be careful what you wish for. A classic style tale that doesn't really have any ghosts, but has magical spirits and some suspense.
The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson - Very classic. I was disappointed though. The two halves of story didn't seem to make sense together.
Man-Size in Marble by E. Nesbit - Standard enjoyable ghost story. Also, a man doing dishes!
The Judge's House by Bram Stoker - Standard haunted house.
The Shadow of a Shade by Tom Hood - Third person narration of the haunting of a man.
The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins - A different kind of haunting. I like it.
Casting the Runes by MR James - Witchcraft! Stealth operations!
I very much enjoyed this collection of classics.
extemporalli's review against another edition
3.0
edward gorey will get into any damn ghost story so long as you call it victorian, and i guess i respect his sticking with that shtick
silene's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A fantastic collection, this anthology samples a variety of chilling horror short stories, each well-written and distinct from one another.
beccacabra's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
manwithanagenda's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A collection of Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories, each with an illustration by the ever-pleasing Edward Gorey. All of the stories fit into Gorey's peculiar aesthetic, and several such as Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Body-Snatcher" and W.W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw" have become ubiquitous without losing their power. There were one or two stories that failed to do anything for me.
I'm looking at you "The Thirteenth Tree".
R.H. Malden's story of a man's vision at a friend's country estate has an eerie quality, but it doesn't have the flair of horror and unease that the other stories possessed. But I will give him credit for the unusual subject.
E. Nesbit's "Man-Size in Marble" bothered me far too much, but I enjoyed it immensely. And "August Heat" by W.F. Harvey...whaaat?
This was the perfect book to keep next to the bed through October, on those nights I couldn't spare a long evening to reading, but needed a quick chill to take under the covers with me.
I'm looking at you "The Thirteenth Tree".
R.H. Malden's story of a man's vision at a friend's country estate has an eerie quality, but it doesn't have the flair of horror and unease that the other stories possessed. But I will give him credit for the unusual subject.
E. Nesbit's "Man-Size in Marble" bothered me far too much, but I enjoyed it immensely. And "August Heat" by W.F. Harvey...whaaat?
This was the perfect book to keep next to the bed through October, on those nights I couldn't spare a long evening to reading, but needed a quick chill to take under the covers with me.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
So the great Gorey and I have some of the same tastes in fiction. And we both like cats.
Some of these stories are well known - such as "The Monkey's Paw", which is one of those stories that never grows stale at all. Others are not, such as "August Heat", a rather chilling tale. What is interesting is that Blakwood's story "The Empty House" and Wilkie Collins' "The Dream Woman" make use of rather strong women, where as the others don't. In fact, Nesbit's story seems to be also poking fun at the classes and the differences between rural and city folk.
Some of these stories are well known - such as "The Monkey's Paw", which is one of those stories that never grows stale at all. Others are not, such as "August Heat", a rather chilling tale. What is interesting is that Blakwood's story "The Empty House" and Wilkie Collins' "The Dream Woman" make use of rather strong women, where as the others don't. In fact, Nesbit's story seems to be also poking fun at the classes and the differences between rural and city folk.
houlcroft's review against another edition
3.0
Gorey has collected an interesting array of ghost stories in this book, mixing in some very famous names with others that don't ring quite so loudly now as they once may have.
The stories themselves are rather sedate at times, but all offer an insight into the development of the ghost story, what was considered scary in years gone by. The opening tale, 'The Empty House' comes out swinging, and is clearly the strongest of the twelve, with 'August Heat', The Judge's House' and the classic 'The Monkey's Paw' following up well.
However, others seem to fall a little flatter, making it an interesting, although not always engaging, read.
The stories themselves are rather sedate at times, but all offer an insight into the development of the ghost story, what was considered scary in years gone by. The opening tale, 'The Empty House' comes out swinging, and is clearly the strongest of the twelve, with 'August Heat', The Judge's House' and the classic 'The Monkey's Paw' following up well.
However, others seem to fall a little flatter, making it an interesting, although not always engaging, read.