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kbkittyb's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5*
I enjoyed this little collection of stories. They were not what I expected, but were enjoyable nonetheless.
What I will say is, to a generation so exposed to all manner of horror films and real life horrors of every kind, I do not think these stories will 'scare' as they were originally intended. But they are very atmospheric and contemporary of its time.
The stories themselves are slow burns, a subtle hint at horror. I would recommend reading them aloud as the poetry and intricacies of the language is better suited to speech, as the original ghost stories were intended to be orally told.
My personal favourites of the bunch are 'Lost Hearts' and 'The Mezzotint.'
My only criticism is that on occasion I felt unbelievably stupid. Almost all the characters are academics, often relating very intricate details of things that we, as ordinary readers, would not know. There was also a fair amount of Latin. Although, this fits in perfectly with the dark academia genre of the modern day, it seemed to lesson the tension and suspence somewhat.
Overall, a good read. Excellent gothic vibes!
I enjoyed this little collection of stories. They were not what I expected, but were enjoyable nonetheless.
What I will say is, to a generation so exposed to all manner of horror films and real life horrors of every kind, I do not think these stories will 'scare' as they were originally intended. But they are very atmospheric and contemporary of its time.
The stories themselves are slow burns, a subtle hint at horror. I would recommend reading them aloud as the poetry and intricacies of the language is better suited to speech, as the original ghost stories were intended to be orally told.
My personal favourites of the bunch are 'Lost Hearts' and 'The Mezzotint.'
My only criticism is that on occasion I felt unbelievably stupid. Almost all the characters are academics, often relating very intricate details of things that we, as ordinary readers, would not know. There was also a fair amount of Latin. Although, this fits in perfectly with the dark academia genre of the modern day, it seemed to lesson the tension and suspence somewhat.
Overall, a good read. Excellent gothic vibes!
harrietj's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely chilling but I think I'd enjoy these more as single stories than as a collection. They were very repetitive in tone and content.
unnervinggothautumn's review against another edition
5.0
I love a classic ghost story, I love folk horror, and I have an interest in anthropology. So it honestly felt like this book was written for me. The highlights of this collection for me were The Ash Tree, Count Magnus, and The Mezzotint. These three stories were the ones that stuck with me the most after putting down the book. The Mezzotint is about a painting that seems to mysteriously change whenever the owner looks away. The build up is amazing, creating such an ominous feeling even when the narrator isn’t in any direct danger.
The Ash Tree kicks off with a bang, as it introduces us to a house with an ash tree outside, and reveals that the owner of the house testified at a witch trial, which led to a woman being hanged. Then it gets into how the owners of the house mysteriously seem to die when they sleep in the room by the ash tree. The reveal of what is ultimately in the ash tree is a fantastic payoff. With Count Magnus, I don’t even want to give a synopsis to it, it’s good to just go in blind.
samuel_kane_horrigan's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kathrinpassig's review against another edition
3.0
Wahrscheinlich Zweitlektüre, aber irgendwie war ich mit zehn leichter zu beeindrucken von dieser Sorte Horror, jedenfalls hatte ich die Geschichten besser in Erinnerung. Vielleicht waren es aber auch nur die besonders scheußlichen Illustrationen in der deutschen Büchereiausgabe, vor denen ich mich bei jedem Umblättern gefürchtet habe.
jan_coco_day's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This book is suprisingly funny at times.
It's interesting to see the mysterious-figure-approaches-the-observer-in-a-static-picture trope is older than the 1990s!
It's interesting to see the mysterious-figure-approaches-the-observer-in-a-static-picture trope is older than the 1990s!
ipanzica's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a collection of short horror stories. In my opinion, the top three stories in the book were Count Magnus, Room 13, and The Treasure of Abbot Thomas. They all had great suspense, mystery, and whispers of the supernatural without revealing too much.
rodneywilhite's review against another edition
5.0
Pitch perfect collection. The plots are simple, and almost identical: an academic discovers some ancient text in a wayside rural town and learns to regret it. The stories are largely atmospheric, with a building dread that's quite successful. Recommended.