Scan barcode
the_enobee's review against another edition
5.0
The second volume of Valancourt Horror Stories is an impeccable, incredible collection of horror. While I've heard of many of these authors, the work is not widely available and each story has been a treat. Right about the time you would expect a less stellar work to come up, the bar is raised and this keeps on right to the end, with the finale being grand and possibly my favorite.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
rpcroke's review against another edition
3.0
As with all anthologies, there are some great stories and some not as much. The last two, Camera Obscura and The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up are amazing. That being said, there were some older stories that were just painful to finish.
theelazyyonee's review against another edition
5.0
I highly enjoyed this. I got this book from the October 2017 Nocturnal Readers Box with two other books.
I've always loved horror stories & movies so this was right up my alley. An I took my time reading it (also I was busy) so I could enjoy each story & actually picture it in my head. But the main thing I enjoyed was finding out about some authors I never knew about or did know about but never read there work until now.
I do plan to get Volume 1 either sometime this year or next year. 😊
I've always loved horror stories & movies so this was right up my alley. An I took my time reading it (also I was busy) so I could enjoy each story & actually picture it in my head. But the main thing I enjoyed was finding out about some authors I never knew about or did know about but never read there work until now.
I do plan to get Volume 1 either sometime this year or next year. 😊
winter_pine's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
3.0
nikki_in_niagara's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a collection of horror stories across the ages from the late 1800s to one new to this volume. I enjoyed the selection and order of stories but would have preferred a stronger story at the end. Before each story is a brief literary history of the author and the date the selected story is written. The latter is imperative in my opinion for short story collections of older works. A great selection of stories which I mostly loved and only one dud. Many of the stories appear here for the first time. A pleasure to read this collection of unique stories.
1. Aunty Green (1977) - Reprinted here for the first time since original publication. Aunty Green abused little Jimmy terribly as a child but now he's a multimillionaire and is coming to visit her for the first time since then. Predictable but pleasant reading. (3/5)
2. Miss Mack by Michael McDowell (1986) - The headmaster is jealous of the relationship between two teachers. This is a well-written story with fully developed characters and very enjoyable but the ending was disappointing. (3/5)
3. School Crossing by Francis King (1979) - A man has visions of children crossing the road at a school crossing. The ending is predictable but the story is fun and only hints at other of the man's problems. (4/5)
4. A Psychological Experiment by Richard Marsh (1900) - Talk in the smoking room had been about murder and suicide. As the room emptied Mr Howitt turns to a remaining stranger and says what dreadful talk. The stranger then proceeds to tell him a story of a murder that he'd heard of. I didn't like this one. It's rather tedious reading and the twist was not much. (2/5)
5. The Progress of John Arthur Crabbe by Stephen Gregory. (1982) - A woman gives birth late in life. Unfortunately, her husband died one month before. The boy is mentally challenged and has slight physical deformities. However, he has the gift to heal animals. This is short and the twist comes with the last sentence. Well told and interesting until we start wondering and that last sentence grabs us. (5/5)
6. The Frozen Man by John Trevana (1912) - Set in the Frozen Canadian North. Three men, one of them an "Indian", set out going north with a dog sledge. One man is ill and that evening the Northern Lights shine red bringing spirits with them. Well-written having the essence of Jack London. A delightful tale of the Canadian North where the spirits of the Natives meld with those of the Whiteman. (4/5)
7. California Burning by Michael Blumlein (2009) - This story is very long. A man takes his father's body to a crematorium but the bones refuse to burn. A well-written piece of grief horror. The man's father is a developed character owing to the length. The plot goes to unexpected places. (4/5)
8. Let Loose by Mary Cholmondeley (1890) - Written seven years before "Dracula" this is a somewhat vampiric tale set in an antiquated village in Yorkshire. This is my favourite story so far. Well-written and engrossing. (5/5)
9. Out of Sorts by Bernard Taylor (1983) - A woman has been married for twenty-five years and is fed up with her husband's continuous affairs. So she plans to make sure it never happens again. A fun story. I never even expected what the twist turned out to be. Loved it! (4/5)
10. The Head and the Hand by Christopher Priest (1972) - A man who is crippled from his performance art of self-mutilation returns to the stage for one more time. This was gruesome in the thought of what has happened to the man and while I didn't foresee the tiny twist it wasn't shocking. Well-written and unsettling. (4/5)
11. The Ghost of Charlotte Cray by Florence Marriage (1883) - A man is hounded by a woman who is in love with him. Though he must see her as she is a client but he does not feel the same. Then he marries someone else and she continues to stalk him. Then she died. This is excellent and well-told with a bit of literary writing. Not creepy but probably would. have been at the time of writing. It's a lot of fun. (5/5)
12. The Grim White Woman by M.G. Lewis (1808) - I started this with apprehension as it is written in prose. I do not like most poetry, however, story poems I find readable. This is about a knight who dumps his lady friend and so she curses him in the name of the Grim White Woman. It's ok as far as the story goes. It's written in AABB rhyme making it easy to read and the galloping rhythm also helps those not fond of poetry. I'd give this a 2 simply for being a poem, though that is not fair so I'm giving it a 3. (3/5)
13. The Terror on Tobit by Charles Birkin (1933) - Two teenage girls insist on spending the night on a small island that people disappear from. This totally creeped me out. I couldn't stop thinking about it last night. I must read more of the author. My favourite story. (5/5)
14. Furnished Apartments by Forrest Reid (unpublished) - A man in a pub tells the tale of his first night in a furnished room in London. Extremely atmospheric and weird. I don't really get it but it is certainly well-told and strange. (4/5).
15. Something Happened by Hugh Fleetwood (2016) - Four servants look after the Boss' Switzerland home which he never visits and where nothing ever happens. One day Boss' friend comes for a visit and something happens. This is like a fairy tale and sweet. (3/5)
16. The Tarn by Hugh Walpole (1923) - A man who preferred his own company out in the country has a friend, whom he despises, spend a couple of nights. He keeps dreaming of killing him. This was very atmospheric and I found the lead-up to be more creepy than the actual ending. A good story. (3/5)
17. The Gentleman All in Black by Gerald Kersh (1946) - The Devil bargains for a man's time. Very short. Pretty boring but well-written. (3/5)
1. Aunty Green (1977) - Reprinted here for the first time since original publication. Aunty Green abused little Jimmy terribly as a child but now he's a multimillionaire and is coming to visit her for the first time since then. Predictable but pleasant reading. (3/5)
2. Miss Mack by Michael McDowell (1986) - The headmaster is jealous of the relationship between two teachers. This is a well-written story with fully developed characters and very enjoyable but the ending was disappointing. (3/5)
3. School Crossing by Francis King (1979) - A man has visions of children crossing the road at a school crossing. The ending is predictable but the story is fun and only hints at other of the man's problems. (4/5)
4. A Psychological Experiment by Richard Marsh (1900) - Talk in the smoking room had been about murder and suicide. As the room emptied Mr Howitt turns to a remaining stranger and says what dreadful talk. The stranger then proceeds to tell him a story of a murder that he'd heard of. I didn't like this one. It's rather tedious reading and the twist was not much. (2/5)
5. The Progress of John Arthur Crabbe by Stephen Gregory. (1982) - A woman gives birth late in life. Unfortunately, her husband died one month before. The boy is mentally challenged and has slight physical deformities. However, he has the gift to heal animals. This is short and the twist comes with the last sentence. Well told and interesting until we start wondering and that last sentence grabs us. (5/5)
6. The Frozen Man by John Trevana (1912) - Set in the Frozen Canadian North. Three men, one of them an "Indian", set out going north with a dog sledge. One man is ill and that evening the Northern Lights shine red bringing spirits with them. Well-written having the essence of Jack London. A delightful tale of the Canadian North where the spirits of the Natives meld with those of the Whiteman. (4/5)
7. California Burning by Michael Blumlein (2009) - This story is very long. A man takes his father's body to a crematorium but the bones refuse to burn. A well-written piece of grief horror. The man's father is a developed character owing to the length. The plot goes to unexpected places. (4/5)
8. Let Loose by Mary Cholmondeley (1890) - Written seven years before "Dracula" this is a somewhat vampiric tale set in an antiquated village in Yorkshire. This is my favourite story so far. Well-written and engrossing. (5/5)
9. Out of Sorts by Bernard Taylor (1983) - A woman has been married for twenty-five years and is fed up with her husband's continuous affairs. So she plans to make sure it never happens again. A fun story. I never even expected what the twist turned out to be. Loved it! (4/5)
10. The Head and the Hand by Christopher Priest (1972) - A man who is crippled from his performance art of self-mutilation returns to the stage for one more time. This was gruesome in the thought of what has happened to the man and while I didn't foresee the tiny twist it wasn't shocking. Well-written and unsettling. (4/5)
11. The Ghost of Charlotte Cray by Florence Marriage (1883) - A man is hounded by a woman who is in love with him. Though he must see her as she is a client but he does not feel the same. Then he marries someone else and she continues to stalk him. Then she died. This is excellent and well-told with a bit of literary writing. Not creepy but probably would. have been at the time of writing. It's a lot of fun. (5/5)
12. The Grim White Woman by M.G. Lewis (1808) - I started this with apprehension as it is written in prose. I do not like most poetry, however, story poems I find readable. This is about a knight who dumps his lady friend and so she curses him in the name of the Grim White Woman. It's ok as far as the story goes. It's written in AABB rhyme making it easy to read and the galloping rhythm also helps those not fond of poetry. I'd give this a 2 simply for being a poem, though that is not fair so I'm giving it a 3. (3/5)
13. The Terror on Tobit by Charles Birkin (1933) - Two teenage girls insist on spending the night on a small island that people disappear from. This totally creeped me out. I couldn't stop thinking about it last night. I must read more of the author. My favourite story. (5/5)
14. Furnished Apartments by Forrest Reid (unpublished) - A man in a pub tells the tale of his first night in a furnished room in London. Extremely atmospheric and weird. I don't really get it but it is certainly well-told and strange. (4/5).
15. Something Happened by Hugh Fleetwood (2016) - Four servants look after the Boss' Switzerland home which he never visits and where nothing ever happens. One day Boss' friend comes for a visit and something happens. This is like a fairy tale and sweet. (3/5)
16. The Tarn by Hugh Walpole (1923) - A man who preferred his own company out in the country has a friend, whom he despises, spend a couple of nights. He keeps dreaming of killing him. This was very atmospheric and I found the lead-up to be more creepy than the actual ending. A good story. (3/5)
17. The Gentleman All in Black by Gerald Kersh (1946) - The Devil bargains for a man's time. Very short. Pretty boring but well-written. (3/5)
tombomp's review against another edition
3.0
Again this suffers from the anthology problem where the quality isn't really consistent and it was hard to pick stand outs as stuff kind of blurred together. There's only 1 outright bad story here I think but i get the feeling some weaker stories were chosen just because they're more obscure and not printed before or whatever. Which is interesting in its own way! But difficult to rate on a pure enjoyment level.
My favourite was really barely a horror story, California Burning by Michael Blumlein - about the aftermath of death and what we really know about someone. Also stylistically I found myself drawn more to the older stuff from Victorian era and a bit after - even when the horror is bad and cliche the approach really works for me
My favourite was really barely a horror story, California Burning by Michael Blumlein - about the aftermath of death and what we really know about someone. Also stylistically I found myself drawn more to the older stuff from Victorian era and a bit after - even when the horror is bad and cliche the approach really works for me
zeecorster's review
5.0
Finally finished this collection I started last October, and it's rare that I would give a collection that features stories from assorted authors five stars, but this one easily earns the high rating. It's spectacularly edited, and Valancourt Books is rapidly becoming my favorite indie publisher—I have yet to be disappointed by any of their books. Standout stories were definitely John Blackburn's Aunty Green, Michael McDowell's Miss Mack, Stephen Gregory's The Progress of John Arthur Crabbe, Michael Blumlein's California Burning and Hugh Walpole's The Tarn. I eagerly await starting Volume 2 later this month...