msand3 's review for:

In a Glass Darkly by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

5.0

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A wonderful collection of eerie Gothic tales consisting of psychological terrors, doppelgangers, hallucinations, and mysterious deaths. My favorite story, "The Room in the Dragon Volant," actually doesn't contain any hints of the supernatural. Instead, it relates an amazing con-artist scam that seems reminiscent of later 20th century noir tales, complete with a femme fatale and drugged sequences. The secret passages and midnight meetings in the woods add a nice Gothic element. Although I knew what was happening long before the ending, I think Le Fanu wanted the reader to be one step ahead. Part of the fun of noir is watching the protagonist's world unravel as he goes deeper into the quagmire. It's not so much about "solving the crime" as it is experiencing, along with the protagonist, the consequences of foolish choices. This story, like the others in this collection, was ahead of its time.