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feigndark's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
3.25
So, I checked this book out at the library after listening to the first episode of a podcast called "SHADOWS AT THE DOOR". A voice actor I greatly admire is part of that podcast; reads spooky stories aloud, basically, then discusses them. His partner in that endeavour, and he himself, talked about how chilling M.R. James' writing had been, and how much it had shaped them throughout their lives.
I had to check his writing out, obviously. And while I wasn't... disappointed, per se, it definitely didn't live up to the reputation they had given it.
Part of that might simply be my tastes, of course; the writing, as one would expect from a book published in 1904, was extremely dry and verbose, and I found myself constantly having to search words' definitions up (and I have a fairly large vocabulary!), or unable to parse out what a character was saying due to the accent being written phonetically.
That said, the writing was good! And he definitely had a knack for leaving the stories shrouded in mystery; we rarely got a detailed description of the creatures/spirits, only enough to give us an idea that would let our minds run wild. Oftentimes the story finished up with a sort of cliffhanger, which can be good in horror stories. "We never found out what happened" and all that.
So yes: clearly skilled writer, and many of the stories were engaging enough, while slow-paced, to capture my attention. That said, a lot of them began to feel similar after a while - M.R. James obviously had a specific type of character he liked to write, that being the Studious, Well-Educated and Proper Fellow With An Interest In History And Literature; much like himself, actually. While not every story had that type of protagonist, I found myself getting quite burnt out by the last fifty or so pages. Hence why I said 'no' to the diversity question - while no details of skin colour were ever mentioned, the characters were almost entirely well-educated and decently well-off men with similar interests and hobbies. (Golf was mentioned many times, though thank the lord not described in detail.)
Anyhow. Good book, just not really something to my taste, and that's fine! I can definitely see how many think he was the Father of Ghost Stories and how people took inspiration from him going forward.
I had to check his writing out, obviously. And while I wasn't... disappointed, per se, it definitely didn't live up to the reputation they had given it.
Part of that might simply be my tastes, of course; the writing, as one would expect from a book published in 1904, was extremely dry and verbose, and I found myself constantly having to search words' definitions up (and I have a fairly large vocabulary!), or unable to parse out what a character was saying due to the accent being written phonetically.
That said, the writing was good! And he definitely had a knack for leaving the stories shrouded in mystery; we rarely got a detailed description of the creatures/spirits, only enough to give us an idea that would let our minds run wild. Oftentimes the story finished up with a sort of cliffhanger, which can be good in horror stories. "We never found out what happened" and all that.
So yes: clearly skilled writer, and many of the stories were engaging enough, while slow-paced, to capture my attention. That said, a lot of them began to feel similar after a while - M.R. James obviously had a specific type of character he liked to write, that being the Studious, Well-Educated and Proper Fellow With An Interest In History And Literature; much like himself, actually. While not every story had that type of protagonist, I found myself getting quite burnt out by the last fifty or so pages. Hence why I said 'no' to the diversity question - while no details of skin colour were ever mentioned, the characters were almost entirely well-educated and decently well-off men with similar interests and hobbies. (Golf was mentioned many times, though thank the lord not described in detail.)
Anyhow. Good book, just not really something to my taste, and that's fine! I can definitely see how many think he was the Father of Ghost Stories and how people took inspiration from him going forward.
velocitygirl14's review
4.0
I liked this collection,since I hadn't read a few of them before. It's a perfect collection for the autumn and winter chill.
pers's review
2.0
I thought MR James' stories were supposed to be spooky??
I've been far more 'spooked' by the likes of 'Macbeth', 'The Owl Service' (Alan Garner), and 'Z for Zachariah', than anything in this collection.
I've been far more 'spooked' by the likes of 'Macbeth', 'The Owl Service' (Alan Garner), and 'Z for Zachariah', than anything in this collection.
sharonleavy's review
3.0
A collection of ghost stories from classic writer M. R. James, this is perfect for people who want some old-school suspense. Not exactly what I expected - a lot less creepy/scary - but still a nice collection to get into the Halloween spirit if you're not into contemporary horror. They're quite formulaic - scholar discovers something abnormal and then gets a scare - so I wouldn't recommend reading it in one sitting. I read a few in a row one day and it just felt like different versions of the same story, so for that reason I think they'd be enjoyed more as the odd short story here and there in between other reads.
2.5/5 rounded up to 3
2.5/5 rounded up to 3
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