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A review by theknepper
Gothic!: Ten Original Dark Tales by Garth Nix, Vivian Vande Velde, Janni Lee Simner, Celia Rees, M.T. Anderson, Gregory Maguire, Barry Yourgrau, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Neil Gaiman, Deborah Noyes, Joan Aiken
3.0
I tend to read Edgar Allan Poe every year around Halloween. This year I decided to pull this book off the shelf and give it a go. It was something a little different but still in the same vein of my annual custom. I didn't realize until I read the introduction that this collection is geared towards teen readers. That was fine by me, because I definitely belong to that group of the faint of heart.
Ten authors pay obeisance to the Gothic style in this set of original short stories. The book is a quick, easy read and a nice curation of eerie tales. Some are traditionally dark, some are humourous, and some are just plain bizarre. I mostly enjoyed all of them, but a few in particular were standouts for me:
"Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire" by Neil Gaiman
"The Dead and the Moonstruck" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
"The Prank" by Gregory Maguire
"Writing On the Wall" by Celia Rees
"Endings" by Garth Nix
Ten authors pay obeisance to the Gothic style in this set of original short stories. The book is a quick, easy read and a nice curation of eerie tales. Some are traditionally dark, some are humourous, and some are just plain bizarre. I mostly enjoyed all of them, but a few in particular were standouts for me:
"Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire" by Neil Gaiman
"The Dead and the Moonstruck" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
"The Prank" by Gregory Maguire
"Writing On the Wall" by Celia Rees
"Endings" by Garth Nix