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theduchess93's review against another edition
5.0
WOW. This took me quite a while to get through just because I have a hard time reading short story collections straight through, and also it was like 500 pages. However, each story was phenomenal and I found dozens of new female horror authors to dive into!
erinjandacreative's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up this book from my library as a spooky read. There were some stories that I found really fascinating and truly spooky. And there were others that didn’t quite pique my interest. I did enjoy reading from so many different female authors and to see how they each handled the horror genre. I started out reading just the physical book but then part way through discovered the audiobook. I ended up listening to the audiobook while simultaneously reading along in the physical copy. I found this to be the optimal reading experience, and I highly recommend reading the book in this manner.
kelamity_reads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
'More Deadly Than The Male' is an anthology of gothic horror/ghost stories written by female writers, many of whom have been forgotten or overlooked in modern times.
In fact, when looking up several of the stories on Goodreads, I ended up personally inputting many of them onto the database as they weren't listed.
Each story is preceded by a small biography about the author (sometimes more interesting than the proceeding story).
As it is an anthology, some stories are better than others, but overall, the stories are well-written and engaging.
I definitely recommend it to fans of gothic horror.
In fact, when looking up several of the stories on Goodreads, I ended up personally inputting many of them onto the database as they weren't listed.
Each story is preceded by a small biography about the author (sometimes more interesting than the proceeding story).
As it is an anthology, some stories are better than others, but overall, the stories are well-written and engaging.
I definitely recommend it to fans of gothic horror.
pixiespice16's review against another edition
3.0
This was such a disappointment. I thought it would be better and I was looking forward to it. By far, the highlight is The Yellow Wallpaper. A few other stories were also a bit creepy but I wouldn’t really call most of these women “Queens of Horror.”
maddie_reads2's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
mimosaeyes's review against another edition
3.0
Subtitling this collection "Masterpieces from the Queens of Horror" is over-selling it. I say this not by way of disparagement, but caution: manage your expectations. About a third of the stories are worth reading; some of the rest are pretty underwhelming. Still, I'm happy I picked up this book, as otherwise I wouldn't have been exposed to a bunch of unfamiliar writers, and a bunch of unfamiliar tales from well-known names.
There's "The Fate of Madame Cabanel" by Eliza Lynn Linton - xenophobia or vampirism? What's real? How real are the monsters conjured out of fear and prejudice? Everyone knows Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley for Frankenstein, but "The Transformation" has a way of lingering with you, too. "A Dissatisfied Soul" by Annie Trumbull Slosson also stands out - I love me a gentle haunting.
(I'd already read "The Yellow Wall Paper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, so I knew it was good. Still worth saying again.)
And a few other honourable mentions:
- "An Engineer's Story" by Amelia B. Edwards (oh, these bitches gay, surely)
- "Kentucky's Ghost" by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (straightforward plot, but has something to it)
- "The Beckside Boggle" by Alice Rea (conjures atmosphere and place well; sudden violence)
- "Unexplained" by Mary Louisa Molesworth (that village feels ever so slightly off, it's great)
I think Graeme Davis did a decent job pulling these together. Before each story, he includes a short biography of the author and a little background about the story. I noticed a few instances where he went for less often anthologised works, and these often paid off, so that's nice.
There's "The Fate of Madame Cabanel" by Eliza Lynn Linton - xenophobia or vampirism? What's real? How real are the monsters conjured out of fear and prejudice? Everyone knows Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley for Frankenstein, but "The Transformation" has a way of lingering with you, too. "A Dissatisfied Soul" by Annie Trumbull Slosson also stands out - I love me a gentle haunting.
(I'd already read "The Yellow Wall Paper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, so I knew it was good. Still worth saying again.)
And a few other honourable mentions:
- "An Engineer's Story" by Amelia B. Edwards (oh, these bitches gay, surely)
- "Kentucky's Ghost" by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (straightforward plot, but has something to it)
- "The Beckside Boggle" by Alice Rea (conjures atmosphere and place well; sudden violence)
- "Unexplained" by Mary Louisa Molesworth (that village feels ever so slightly off, it's great)
I think Graeme Davis did a decent job pulling these together. Before each story, he includes a short biography of the author and a little background about the story. I noticed a few instances where he went for less often anthologised works, and these often paid off, so that's nice.
anna_fumacova's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
moonlit_shelves's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0