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A review by kbkittyb
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James
3.0
*3.5*
I enjoyed this little collection of stories. They were not what I expected, but were enjoyable nonetheless.
What I will say is, to a generation so exposed to all manner of horror films and real life horrors of every kind, I do not think these stories will 'scare' as they were originally intended. But they are very atmospheric and contemporary of its time.
The stories themselves are slow burns, a subtle hint at horror. I would recommend reading them aloud as the poetry and intricacies of the language is better suited to speech, as the original ghost stories were intended to be orally told.
My personal favourites of the bunch are 'Lost Hearts' and 'The Mezzotint.'
My only criticism is that on occasion I felt unbelievably stupid. Almost all the characters are academics, often relating very intricate details of things that we, as ordinary readers, would not know. There was also a fair amount of Latin. Although, this fits in perfectly with the dark academia genre of the modern day, it seemed to lesson the tension and suspence somewhat.
Overall, a good read. Excellent gothic vibes!
I enjoyed this little collection of stories. They were not what I expected, but were enjoyable nonetheless.
What I will say is, to a generation so exposed to all manner of horror films and real life horrors of every kind, I do not think these stories will 'scare' as they were originally intended. But they are very atmospheric and contemporary of its time.
The stories themselves are slow burns, a subtle hint at horror. I would recommend reading them aloud as the poetry and intricacies of the language is better suited to speech, as the original ghost stories were intended to be orally told.
My personal favourites of the bunch are 'Lost Hearts' and 'The Mezzotint.'
My only criticism is that on occasion I felt unbelievably stupid. Almost all the characters are academics, often relating very intricate details of things that we, as ordinary readers, would not know. There was also a fair amount of Latin. Although, this fits in perfectly with the dark academia genre of the modern day, it seemed to lesson the tension and suspence somewhat.
Overall, a good read. Excellent gothic vibes!