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Tales of Terror #2
Tales of Terror from the Black Ship
At the Old Inn, which clings precariously to a cliff top above a storm-lashed ocean, two sick children are left alone while their father fetches the doctor. Then a visitor comes begging for shelter, and so begins a long night of storytelling, in which young Ethan and Cathy, who have an unnatural appetite for stories of a macabre persuasion, sit out the last throes of the storm in the company of a sailor with more than enough grisly tales to satisfy them. But something about this sailor puts Ethan on edge, and he becomes increasingly agitated for his father's return. Only when the storm blows itself out can Ethan relax - but not for long, for the new dawn opens the children's eyes to a truth more shocking, more distressing than anything they heard the night before.
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2008
54 people are currently reading
1933 people want to read
About the author
Chris Priestley
58 books397 followersHis father was in the army and so he moved around a lot as a child and lived in Wales. He was an avid reader of American comics as a child, and when he was eight or nine, and living in Gibraltar, he won a prize in a newspaper story-writing competition. He decided then “that my ambition was to write and illustrate my own book”.
He spent his teens in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before moving to Manchester, London and then Norfolk. He now lives in Cambridge with his wife and son where he writes, draws, paints, dreams and doodles (not necessarily in that order). Chris worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for twenty years, working mainly for magazines & newspapers (these include The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Economist and the Wall Street Journal) before becoming a writer. He currently has a weekly strip cartoon called 'Payne's Grey' in the New Statesman.
Chris has been a published author since 2000. He has written several books for children & young-adults, both fiction and non-fiction, and
has been nominated for many awards including the Edgar Awards, the UKLA Children's Book Award and the Carnegie Medal. In recent years he has predominantly been writing horror.
Ever since he was a teenager Chris has loved unsettling and creepy stories, with fond memories of buying comics like 'Strange Tales' and 'House of Mystery', watching classic BBC TV adaptations of M R James ghost stories every Christmas and reading assorted weirdness by everyone from Edgar Allen Poe to Ray Bradbury. He hopes Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror will haunt his readers in the way those writers have haunted him.
He spent his teens in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before moving to Manchester, London and then Norfolk. He now lives in Cambridge with his wife and son where he writes, draws, paints, dreams and doodles (not necessarily in that order). Chris worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for twenty years, working mainly for magazines & newspapers (these include The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Economist and the Wall Street Journal) before becoming a writer. He currently has a weekly strip cartoon called 'Payne's Grey' in the New Statesman.
Chris has been a published author since 2000. He has written several books for children & young-adults, both fiction and non-fiction, and
has been nominated for many awards including the Edgar Awards, the UKLA Children's Book Award and the Carnegie Medal. In recent years he has predominantly been writing horror.
Ever since he was a teenager Chris has loved unsettling and creepy stories, with fond memories of buying comics like 'Strange Tales' and 'House of Mystery', watching classic BBC TV adaptations of M R James ghost stories every Christmas and reading assorted weirdness by everyone from Edgar Allen Poe to Ray Bradbury. He hopes Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror will haunt his readers in the way those writers have haunted him.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews
December 19, 2023
4,5 Sterne
Das Buch hat mir richtig gut gefallen! Schön schaurige Gruselgeschichten :)
Die Kinder Ethan und Cathy warten auf ihren Vater, als es an der Tür klopft. Ein junger Seemann bittet um Unterschlupf, während draußen ein Sturm tobt. Sie lassen ihn ein und er erzählt ihnen einige Schauergeschichten...
Ich mochte die Gruselgeschichten, von denen einige wirklich schaurig waren. Und das Ende hat mich dann auch noch mal überraschen können; damit hatte ich nicht gerechnet.
Das Buch hat mir richtig gut gefallen! Schön schaurige Gruselgeschichten :)
Die Kinder Ethan und Cathy warten auf ihren Vater, als es an der Tür klopft. Ein junger Seemann bittet um Unterschlupf, während draußen ein Sturm tobt. Sie lassen ihn ein und er erzählt ihnen einige Schauergeschichten...
Ich mochte die Gruselgeschichten, von denen einige wirklich schaurig waren. Und das Ende hat mich dann auch noch mal überraschen können; damit hatte ich nicht gerechnet.
October 11, 2020
This book consists of 10 short stories. Tales that are stories that a strange sailor tells to two children who are alone in an inn on the top of a promontory on a night of terrible storm. This setting already creates the right atmosphere for tales of terror and in fact the stories are very pleasant and have interesting ideas; but what makes this book beautiful to read and remember is the final story, which to define a "twist" is little. The final story in fact sweeps away all that sense of expectation that the author has created throughout the course of the book, when here and there he has placed some unclear details, which make the reader very curious to know what lies behind all this night of mysterious tales. It is an ending worthy of the Mystery tales, worthy of the best ghost stories. It is a children's book (so they say) but I, who are no longer a boy, have read it with great pleasure anyway. Maybe I'm still a boy .....
April 21, 2009
I was drawn to this book by the wonderful Gorey-esque drawings on the cover and once I picked it up, I could not put it down. As the title clearly says, these are tales of terror from the black ship. The stories are told within the framework of a severe storm, an inn perched on the top of a sea cliff, and two ill children left alone who open the door to a stranger. That these children have a penchant for frightening stories is somehow not surprising, nor is the stranger's apparently endless supply of such tales.
I particularly like that each individual tale can stand on its own, but at the same time, they work together within the overarching framework to slowly reveal the larger story. I had no trouble finding the connection between the stories after the first few, nor was it difficult to figure out where the stranger had come from or who the children were. I suspect that for younger readers, however, these revelations might be more of a surprise.
The tales of terror are reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe, W.W. Jacobs' 'The Monkey's Paw,' Robert Louis Stevenson, and even some aspects of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Chris Priestley does a good job of maintaining suspense throughout the entire book as well as creating tension within the individual stories. For younger readers, it might be well to note that some tales are rather bloody.
I enjoyed this book very much, both for the spine-tingling chills it gave me, and for the sense of fun I felt in returning to the type of story that fascinated me when I was a kid. I highly recommend it for both adults and children (around the age of 9 or 10) who love to be scared.
I particularly like that each individual tale can stand on its own, but at the same time, they work together within the overarching framework to slowly reveal the larger story. I had no trouble finding the connection between the stories after the first few, nor was it difficult to figure out where the stranger had come from or who the children were. I suspect that for younger readers, however, these revelations might be more of a surprise.
The tales of terror are reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe, W.W. Jacobs' 'The Monkey's Paw,' Robert Louis Stevenson, and even some aspects of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Chris Priestley does a good job of maintaining suspense throughout the entire book as well as creating tension within the individual stories. For younger readers, it might be well to note that some tales are rather bloody.
I enjoyed this book very much, both for the spine-tingling chills it gave me, and for the sense of fun I felt in returning to the type of story that fascinated me when I was a kid. I highly recommend it for both adults and children (around the age of 9 or 10) who love to be scared.
April 18, 2017
This book of macabre tales connected with the sea reminds me of the short stories of William Hope Hodgson. Priestley writes in a Victorian, gothic style, and the eerie black and white drawings by David Roberts, reminiscent of those of Edward Gorey, add to that atmosphere. Cathy and Ethan are sick at the seaside inn where they live, waiting during a fearsome storm for their father to return with the doctor. A knock on the door brings a young sailor seeking shelter from the wind and rain--Thackeray, who entertains them with gruesome and horrible tales. In between stories Thackeray tells the children about himself, and the reader begins to suspect that he has some sinister purpose in being there. The ending was totally unexpected--and I loved it! Stories within a story--a great way to draw the reader in and keep him reading. I didn't want this book to end, and can't wait to get my hands on another book by this author. Highly recommended--great Halloween reading!
August 26, 2025
Not nearly as atmospheric or gripping as Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror, but brilliantly macabre nonetheless. Although the short stories do improve throughout, they're a far cry from the more compelling tales that I know Chris Priestley can write. Worth the read, but the other two books in the trilogy are much better.
June 13, 2015
Continuo a chiedermi se un libro del genere possa essere letto dai bambini, certe cose le ho trovate esageratamente macabre e splatter.. *Disagio*
Poi penso a quanto "L'autobus del brivido" mi abbia causato incubi da bambina e capisco che sono sempre stata rincoglionita, da questo punto di vista.. :D
Il finale è GENIALE. Adorato!
Poi penso a quanto "L'autobus del brivido" mi abbia causato incubi da bambina e capisco che sono sempre stata rincoglionita, da questo punto di vista.. :D
Il finale è GENIALE. Adorato!
November 1, 2016
Another great collection of scary stories, this one has a nautical theme. Fantastic read for a Halloween read-aloud or listen to the audio version read by Bill Wallis. This series keeps getting better and better, I’m looking forward to reading the third book . 4.5 stars
September 3, 2022
Son hikayeye gelene kadar "tamam fena değil ama ilk kitap kadar da iyi değil" diyordum ancak son hikaye ağzımın payını verdi, iyi ki de verdi. Sonraki kitabı okumak için sabırsızlanıyorum.
June 27, 2024
Продолжение Tales of Terror - но к сожалению намного менее spooky&cozy. Может быть просто морская тема это не мое, конечно)
Read
November 3, 2011Last week the Cornish coast was lashed by storms.
I was tucked up at home with a book, with waves outside crashing against the sea wall and being forced up over the promenade and the road. Our garden was soaked by the spray and the downstairs windows got a salt water rinse.
It’s a marvellous sight when you’re inside, secure in the knowledge that your home has withstood a multitude of storms over a hundred years and more.
And in the pages of my book two children looked out on a similar storm.
Ethan and Cathy were home alone, in an inn on the edge of a Cornish cliff. They had been sick and their widowed father had set out through the storm to fetch the doctor. After he left they felt better and got up to watch out for his return. But the man who appeared outside was not their father, but a young sailor.
Where had he come from? What was he doing out on such a night?
While Ethan hesitated Cathy granted the man admission to the inn. And they stuck a bargain. The man, Thackery, would be given refreshment and shelter from the storm, and in exchange he would tell the children stories of the sea.
Wonderful stories! Filled with all of the traditional elements of sea stories yet fresh and new. Each one simple,clear and engaging – and holding a striking twist.
Favorites? A compelling tale where the ship’s cat plays a central role. The story of two sailors who visit a tattoo parlour in a foreign port with extraordinary consequences. And, for me, the most haunting tale told of a child picked up from a small boat adrift.
And as the stories unfold Ethan begins to wonder where his father is and why Thackery has come. Ethan asks questions. Thackery tells no more than he wants to, and deflects attention by offering up more stories.
Until the final tale, which explains everything, twisting, not just once, but twice.
Everything is executed just perfectly – the words of Chris Priestley and the illustrations of David Roberts.
Yes, the format is the same as their previous work, Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror, but it works. This volume is distinctive enough to stand up in its own right and just that little bit more sophisticated than its predecessor.
Perfect reading for the season – and I look forward to the next volume!
I was tucked up at home with a book, with waves outside crashing against the sea wall and being forced up over the promenade and the road. Our garden was soaked by the spray and the downstairs windows got a salt water rinse.
It’s a marvellous sight when you’re inside, secure in the knowledge that your home has withstood a multitude of storms over a hundred years and more.
And in the pages of my book two children looked out on a similar storm.
Ethan and Cathy were home alone, in an inn on the edge of a Cornish cliff. They had been sick and their widowed father had set out through the storm to fetch the doctor. After he left they felt better and got up to watch out for his return. But the man who appeared outside was not their father, but a young sailor.
Where had he come from? What was he doing out on such a night?
While Ethan hesitated Cathy granted the man admission to the inn. And they stuck a bargain. The man, Thackery, would be given refreshment and shelter from the storm, and in exchange he would tell the children stories of the sea.
Wonderful stories! Filled with all of the traditional elements of sea stories yet fresh and new. Each one simple,clear and engaging – and holding a striking twist.
Favorites? A compelling tale where the ship’s cat plays a central role. The story of two sailors who visit a tattoo parlour in a foreign port with extraordinary consequences. And, for me, the most haunting tale told of a child picked up from a small boat adrift.
And as the stories unfold Ethan begins to wonder where his father is and why Thackery has come. Ethan asks questions. Thackery tells no more than he wants to, and deflects attention by offering up more stories.
Until the final tale, which explains everything, twisting, not just once, but twice.
Everything is executed just perfectly – the words of Chris Priestley and the illustrations of David Roberts.
Yes, the format is the same as their previous work, Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror, but it works. This volume is distinctive enough to stand up in its own right and just that little bit more sophisticated than its predecessor.
Perfect reading for the season – and I look forward to the next volume!
October 22, 2016
3.5 stars.
This book has the same structure as Priestley's earlier Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror. After an introductory chapter setting the stage and introducing the main characters, each chapter consists of a gruesome tale and a preamble to the next tale. In this case the setting is an inn standing on a promontory precariously connected to the rest of Cornwall. The characters are the children of the innkeeper, who has left them to fetch a doctor while a terrible storm is raging, and a mysterious stranger who came knocking on the door asking for shelter. The stranger, a sailor, tells the children many tales of terror to do with the sea and seafaring, to while away the time until the storm abates and the innkeeper returns.
My favourites in this collection are "Nature", "The Scrimshaw Imp", "The Black Ship", and the concluding story "Wolfsbane", even though its plot was borrowed from . Since the last three of these are also the last three in the collection, I'm giving the book a half-star extra, for ending on a high. Overall, I enjoyed this collection more than I did the first one.
The illustrations by David Roberts are, again, very atmospheric and fit the tales perfectly.
This book has the same structure as Priestley's earlier Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror. After an introductory chapter setting the stage and introducing the main characters, each chapter consists of a gruesome tale and a preamble to the next tale. In this case the setting is an inn standing on a promontory precariously connected to the rest of Cornwall. The characters are the children of the innkeeper, who has left them to fetch a doctor while a terrible storm is raging, and a mysterious stranger who came knocking on the door asking for shelter. The stranger, a sailor, tells the children many tales of terror to do with the sea and seafaring, to while away the time until the storm abates and the innkeeper returns.
My favourites in this collection are "Nature", "The Scrimshaw Imp", "The Black Ship", and the concluding story "Wolfsbane", even though its plot was borrowed from . Since the last three of these are also the last three in the collection, I'm giving the book a half-star extra, for ending on a high. Overall, I enjoyed this collection more than I did the first one.
The illustrations by David Roberts are, again, very atmospheric and fit the tales perfectly.
April 4, 2010
This is the sequel to the wonderful 'Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror' which I read last year. Being a bit of a scaredy cat, this book, which is really a childrens book (age range 9-12 approx), is about as scary as I go without needing to leave the light on at night.
It's a collection of short stories told to two children on a dark stormy night by a stranger who needs shelter from the raging storm outside.
As in the previous book, some tales are scarier than others .... 'The Scrimshaw Imp', 'Irezumi' and 'Nature' I found particularly chilling .. and the brilliant 'Wolfsbane' which concluded the tales with an unexpected twist. Some of the stories are more predictable and you can work out what's going to happen pretty easily (but then, it is meant for children) but the whole together make a really chilling and spine tingling collection.
I really love David Robert's illustrations that pepper both books.
It's a collection of short stories told to two children on a dark stormy night by a stranger who needs shelter from the raging storm outside.
As in the previous book, some tales are scarier than others .... 'The Scrimshaw Imp', 'Irezumi' and 'Nature' I found particularly chilling .. and the brilliant 'Wolfsbane' which concluded the tales with an unexpected twist. Some of the stories are more predictable and you can work out what's going to happen pretty easily (but then, it is meant for children) but the whole together make a really chilling and spine tingling collection.
I really love David Robert's illustrations that pepper both books.
May 20, 2011
I loved this book, loved everything about this book, the writing was superb and perfectly balanced and the illustrations are fantastically and darkly Gothic. Consisting of eleven stories told through the hears of Ethan and Cathy and the voice of Thackeray as they wait out a vicious storm in The Old Inn that clings to the cliff top above the storm battered seas. This book is chillingly atmospheric as Thackeray weaves and winds his words into tales of terror, anticipation and dread on the high seas. Each tale builds on the last creating an eerie, blood-curdling atmosphere around you until the final dawn and the truest tale of all, told not by Thackeray but by two mysterious visitors to the Inn just as the sun rises above the clouds. Utterly amazing, what more can I say.
October 29, 2015
Adorei este livro e não sei bem explicar porquê. Apenas adorei. Recomendo muito!
October 15, 2024
Не особо про моряков люблю, но некоторые классные
March 31, 2017
Schaurig schön mit einem absolut unerwarteten Ende. Das Buch strotzt nur so vor Phantasie und hat mich völlig in den Bann gezogen. Leicht und schnell zu lesen.
June 25, 2023
Not as good as the first one
June 27, 2020
* Piroska ~ ★★★
* Pece ~ ★★★★
* Irezumi ★★★
* Il ragazzino sulla barca ~ ★★★½
* La forza della natura ~ ★★★★
* Fango ~ ★★★
* La scimmia ~ ★★★★½
* Il demone intagliatore ~ ★★★½
* Il Vascello Nero ~ ★★★★½
* Strozzalupo ~ ★★★★★
* Pece ~ ★★★★
* Irezumi ★★★
* Il ragazzino sulla barca ~ ★★★½
* La forza della natura ~ ★★★★
* Fango ~ ★★★
* La scimmia ~ ★★★★½
* Il demone intagliatore ~ ★★★½
* Il Vascello Nero ~ ★★★★½
* Strozzalupo ~ ★★★★★
September 30, 2011
Ok how to describe this book - well i would say its gothic suspense (would not say horror that is too harsh and in the case of this book too blunt a label) for beginners, Yes the book is a YA title and is one of a number of such titles aimed at the younger reader to instil fear and suspense in them - i guess it does not take a genius to realise what has happened and where the underlying story is going (it is told a series of tales related by a weary traveller - yes we have come across these sorts of books before but still this is really entertaining and does not feel laboured at all). One of the little twists in this books is that the cover is made up of aspects of the various tales - i will not give anything away but as you read them you start to recognise them. Sadly this has been lost of the newer editions of this book. I really enjoyed it and it has encouraged me to go and read more of his work - lets see what else he has to offer us,
August 26, 2016
İlk kitabı gerçekten beğenmiştim, karakterin adının Edgar olması ( :D ), genel olarak hikayeleri ve çocukların da doğuştan kötü olması gibi hoş ayrıntıları vardı. Bu da iyi bir kitaptı, denizcilik-korsan hikayeleri severim, ama tekrara çok sık düştü maalesef... Birkaç tane sivrilen hikaye de vardı ama. Özellikle son kısım ve Oyma Şeytanı güzeldi. Hatta birkaç iyi detay eklense Oyma Şeytanı'ndan iyi bir roman bile çıkabilirdi...
Gotik-korku sever olarak her şekilde okurdum ben gerçi, nitekim okudum da. :D Türünde okunulacak güzel bir kitap, hatta seri. Son kitabı biraz aradan sonra okuyacağım gibi.
Gotik-korku sever olarak her şekilde okurdum ben gerçi, nitekim okudum da. :D Türünde okunulacak güzel bir kitap, hatta seri. Son kitabı biraz aradan sonra okuyacağım gibi.
July 26, 2015
3,5 stelline in realtà.
Non mi aspettavo molto da questo libro (che ammetto, ho comprato per la copertina e le pagine nere XD), mentre in realtà è ben scritto scorrevole. Le varie storie che compongono il romanzo sono TUTTE interessanti, alcune veramente macabre. Il finale è assolutamente geniale e un po' malinconico.
Spero di riuscire a rintracciare il volume precedente, ma per il momento sembra sparito dalla circolazione :(
Non mi aspettavo molto da questo libro (che ammetto, ho comprato per la copertina e le pagine nere XD), mentre in realtà è ben scritto scorrevole. Le varie storie che compongono il romanzo sono TUTTE interessanti, alcune veramente macabre. Il finale è assolutamente geniale e un po' malinconico.
Spero di riuscire a rintracciare il volume precedente, ma per il momento sembra sparito dalla circolazione :(
July 14, 2015
Korsanlar , boğularak can verme , deniz yaratıkları beni her zaman korkutmuştur. Priestley'nin bu kitabı da korkularıma tuz biber oldu. Kara Gemi hikayesi beni gerçekten korkuttu , diğer hikayeler de fena değildi.
Serinin ilk kitabında yer alan Urfa'daki Cinler hikayesi hala listemde bir numara ama :D
Serinin ilk kitabında yer alan Urfa'daki Cinler hikayesi hala listemde bir numara ama :D
April 9, 2018
Though the individual stories are not as frightening as its prequel nor the ending as satisfying, it still gives you chill and makes you second guess your decision to read it alone late at night. Recommended for both young and mature horror fans!
October 25, 2018
Amazing.
August 12, 2018
I am not normally a fan of creepy or scary stories but these are great- well written with a few twists.
September 28, 2023
3.5 Estrelas
Já se pode oficialmente ler histórias para o Halloween?
Este livro juvenil, repleto de histórias de terror e ilustrações, é o verdadeiro exemplo de que é possível escrever terror de uma forma original cativando tanto graúdos como os mais jovens.
O meu Eu adolescente, sempre à procura de histórias assustadoras, teria colocado esta obra na lista das favoritas da vida.
Lendo-a agora não posso deixar de recomendar aos fãs de contos pois esta obra conquista-nos pelo seu tom sombrio e originalidade das histórias.
Já se pode oficialmente ler histórias para o Halloween?
Este livro juvenil, repleto de histórias de terror e ilustrações, é o verdadeiro exemplo de que é possível escrever terror de uma forma original cativando tanto graúdos como os mais jovens.
O meu Eu adolescente, sempre à procura de histórias assustadoras, teria colocado esta obra na lista das favoritas da vida.
Lendo-a agora não posso deixar de recomendar aos fãs de contos pois esta obra conquista-nos pelo seu tom sombrio e originalidade das histórias.
May 2, 2020
Uma leitura diferente mas que vale a pena arriscar. Mini contos de terror com ilustrações a preto e branco para despertar os sentidos mais curiosos. Uma escrita fluida, que se lê bem e que prende desde o primeiro conto. Para quem nunca leu Chris Priestley, fica a sugestão de arriscar este ou outros títulos dele. Não se vão arrepender para uma leitura fora das vossas leituras mais habituais. Foi o meu caso e gostei do twist destes mini contos. Recomendo!
May 4, 2023
3.75, rounding up to 4. I love how Chris Priestley writes, and he approaches death, gore, violence, and even some deeper topics with such grace while keeping me, a man in his early 30s, on my toes and pleasantly scared at times. Love this series, can't wait to read the next and final installment.
July 18, 2023
I read about half of this book as a kid and can still remember every story. I was glad to finish it and the stories I'd never read were still a little scary.
Loved the call back at the end to the first book! Will probably read the third and final book.
Loved the call back at the end to the first book! Will probably read the third and final book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews