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thebookboy's review
4.0
A nicely curated selection of horror stories ranging from 1839 to 2015.
As ever with short story collections, some of these worked a lot better for me than others. There are the expected classics (The Fall of the House of Usher, The Yellow Wallpaper, Count Magnus) - all of which are deservedly in their place.
There's also some great stuff I'd never heard of before - Smoke Ghost by Fritz Leiber, Again by Ramsey Campbell, Flowers of the Sea by Reggie Oliver.
Unfrortunately, for every great story there was one that didn't quite hit the mark for me. The White People by Arthir Machen was a real slog (great idea, but god I found reading it a chore) and Vastarien by Thomas Ligotti were my two least favourite. I also thought some of the other offerings such as The Bus by Shirley Jackson were a bit middle of the road (Jackson has much better stories in my opinion).
So, a mixed bag. Some great, some dull, but certainly an amusing enough way to spend the dark October evenings.
As ever with short story collections, some of these worked a lot better for me than others. There are the expected classics (The Fall of the House of Usher, The Yellow Wallpaper, Count Magnus) - all of which are deservedly in their place.
There's also some great stuff I'd never heard of before - Smoke Ghost by Fritz Leiber, Again by Ramsey Campbell, Flowers of the Sea by Reggie Oliver.
Unfrortunately, for every great story there was one that didn't quite hit the mark for me. The White People by Arthir Machen was a real slog (great idea, but god I found reading it a chore) and Vastarien by Thomas Ligotti were my two least favourite. I also thought some of the other offerings such as The Bus by Shirley Jackson were a bit middle of the road (Jackson has much better stories in my opinion).
So, a mixed bag. Some great, some dull, but certainly an amusing enough way to spend the dark October evenings.
hughl's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
hopedecays's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
catarnott's review
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
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