Reviews

The Big Book of Ghost Stories by Otto Penzler

kelamity_reads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

Overall, this is a very well edited collection of ghost stories.

paulreiners's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated

5.0

scorcheded's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

daniel_oneiroi's review against another edition

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4.0

I mostly picked up this anthology for Isaac Asimov + Frederick Pohl, two very well-known early sci-fi writers. "Legal Rites" was originally published in 1950. I love this story particularly because it is by two Jewish writers who may have heard the folktale about the legal system and a rabbi charged with evicting spirits or demons from a house that they insist they inherited from the former human occupant. Of *course* the legal system, not Catholic exorcism magic. "Legal Rites" also deals with a ghost who inhabits a home that is legally inherited by a human after the living owner dies. The story alone is very enjoyable, but the history behind it makes it twice so.

I had the pleasure of reading through other ghost stories in the same compilation. Ghost stories are fascinating. They tell so much about the hidden fears and taboos of each 'group,' like culture, in-group like a small group of socialites or farmers, etc. Compendium books after dozens of authors from various time periods and places. Some of these stories are only spooky or odd if you were a person from that particular place + time, reading it in context. Either skip those stories or delve more into why that would be scary for people when it was published, like an anthropologist on a smaller scale. You might enjoy the investigation, unravelling the mystery, the same way people enjoy true crime shows.

book_garden's review against another edition

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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? No

4.0

ericgaryanderson's review against another edition

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4.0

800 some odd pages: that was a lot of ghost stories.

elmarie_bassage's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

There are way too many stories in this book to review each one separately. For the most part they were good, with very few exceptions. My favorites were:
* The Shadowy Third by Ellen Glasgow 
* Brickett Bottom by Amyas Northcote
* Harry by Rosemary Timperley
* The Lost Boy of the Ozarks by Steve Friedman
* Legal Rites by Isaac Asimov and James MacCreigh
* The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde 
* The Night Wire by H.F. Arnold 
* The School for the Unspeakable by Manly Wade Wellman
* He Walked by Day by Julius Long
* Conventry Carol by Chet Williamson 

ivleafclover's review against another edition

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5.0

I read one ghost story every evening in October. With 80 stories, it should last a few Octobers more. My favorite stories this time around were "The Shadowy Third" by Ellen Glasgow, "A Ghost's Story" by Mark Twain, "Pacific 421" by August Derleth, and "Journey Into the Kingdom" by M. Rickert.

sushai's review against another edition

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5.0

Good Lord this one took forever. I started listening to it to get in the mood for Halloween. I was prepared for some pulp fiction and stereotypical scares. Instead I got a great variety of fiction from classic to modern, some truly scary, some just plain fun in the old ghost story way. I would have given the book 4 stars, but I happened to listen to the audio version and the actors/readers bumped it up with their talent.

adler's review against another edition

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Brickett Bottom - Amyas Northcote
Smoke Ghost - Fritz Lieber
The House of the Nightmare - Edward Lucas White
How Fear Departed from the Long Gallery - E. F. Benson
The Burned House - Vincent O'Sullivan
The Adventure of the German student - Washington Irving
The Corner Shop - Cynthia Asquith
The Murderer's Violin - Erckmann-Chatrian
The Furnished Room - O. Henry
The Night Wire - H. F. Arnold
The Story of Ming-Y - Lafcadio Hearn
In at the Death - Donald E. Westlake
Night-Side - Joyce Carol Oates