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'They'
'Of a sudden I realized that he was in the grip of some almost overpowering fear.'Rudyard Kipling is best known for his novels and poetry, but his short stories reveal a far more sinister and macabre side to his imagination. In these three chilling and psychologically penetrating tales, Kipling portrays hauntings, loss, madness, terrible secrets and the darkness that lies within the human heart.This book includes 'They', Mary Postgate and The Gardener.
85 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1904
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About the author
Rudyard Kipling
7,227 books3,694 followersJoseph Rudyard Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist.
Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 14, 2025
I have a love-hate relationship with Rudyard Kipling, as I suspect many others might also do.
There’s no doubt that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Rudyard Kipling was among the United Kingdom’s most popular and talented writers. In 1907, he was even awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature: the first English-language writer to ever receive the prize, and moreover its youngest recipient, at 41. However, he was born in British India, and his outspoken views and actions mean that rightly or wrongly Rudyard Kipling’s subsequent literary reputation has changed with the political and social climate of the age.
Rudyard Kipling was an innovative short story writer, his works including a number of speculative fiction short stories, which read like modern hard science fiction. Among his prolific output, he also wrote quite a few supernatural stories, of which They is one.
The story begins with a motorist who is driving across Sussex in the summer time. He loses his way and is perplexed to find that he is driving through the well-kept lawns of a beautiful old house. It is evidently a private residence, with perfectly laid out gardens, ancient yew trees, and a fountain. As we read on, we realise that not only could the narrator be Rudyard Kipling himself, but both the grand stately house and the garden are remarkably similar to “Bateman’s” his last and most loved home. Rudyard Kipling had travelled the world, and had many homes. But on his return from a visit to the United States, he was smitten with this house in Sussex. It had no bathroom, no running water upstairs and no electricity, but Rudyard Kipling loved it. He immediately bought it as the family home, saying:
“Behold us, lawful owners of a grey stone lichened house – A.D. 1634 over the door – beamed, panelled, with old oak staircase, and all untouched and unfaked. It is a good and peaceable place. We have loved it ever since our first sight of it.”
Bateman’s remained Rudyard Kipling’s family home from 1902, for the rest of his life until his death in 1936.
It is a stunning 17th Century Jacobean country house, with a great wide staircase, a deep stone fireplace, age-polished dusky oak panels, mullioned windows, an old eagle-topped convex mirror, and a black and white tiled floor. The furnishings even now are his, and it is a very comfortable home; his study almost feels as though its owner had just left to return at any moment. The book-lined walls, his messy desk covered in ink spots and the day bed, with its cigarette burns, are evidence that this was very much Rudyard Kipling’s space. On request, you can even sit at his desk, on his much-used and creaky leather chair.
As well as many of his works on display, there is a visitors’ book from the Kiplings’ time. By the side of some of the distinguished names is neatly inked “F.I.P”. Intrigued, I asked what this meant, to be told “Fell In Pond”! Rudyard Kipling clearly had a roguish sense of humour (and I myself then walked round the unguarded pond with great caution) … but I digress.
Rudyard Kipling was a keen motorist, although he had a chauffeur to drive him around the wealds of Sussex. He loved children, as does this narrator, who hears children playing. He would love to see them, but they are too shy and will not come near him. The lady of the house has heard the car, and she comes out to meet him. He notices that she is blind, and wistfully she talks about the children whom she loves, and of her blindness. She says how lucky he is to be able to see them, saying that she can see light and colour in her dreams, but never faces. The narrator agrees that he has never seen the faces in dreams either.
This is a particularly atmospheric and poignant tale about loss and longing. As we read, we realise that everyone in the story realises the truth, and we strongly suspect it too, but the narrator is oblivious until the end. We also realise that not only is the beautiful old house the author’s beloved Bateman’s, but the story itself was triggered by an event in Rudyard Kipling’s life.
Five years earlier, in 1899 It fits well with Rudyard Kipling’s own beliefs as a Freemason. We have a sense of the strange and the uncanny, of achieving relief from sorrow by forbidden means that are at last realised as forbidden, and put away.
They is among the earliest of what critics call the “difficult” stories of Rudyard Kipling’s middle and late periods. Because it has an other-worldly feel, and is allegorical in nature, it loses much by any detailed attempt at explanation.
When reading this story, it is as well to remember that Rudyard Kipling’s beliefs and attitudes reflect the time he was living. Although India inspired much of his work, his views were very much in keeping with the British Colonial ethos of the British Empire. In modern-day India, the country where he drew much of his material, Rudyard Kipling’s reputation remains controversial, especially among modern nationalists and some post-colonial critics. He held strong views on the political situations of several countries, was a Conservative and staunch opponent of Bolshevism.
In They we see one instance of a word which now would be unacceptable, although at the time and in this context, it was merely a descriptive and non-condemnatory word. Here is the passage:
(The spoiler tag is used here solely because of the sensitive material.) It can be seen therefore that the offensive word is used in a positive context. Even more jarring perhaps, are the class attitudes which sometimes implicitly compare servants and villagers with “dumb beasts”.
Notwithstanding, They is an intriguing, atmospheric story, with potent imagery. It has been published in several collections and anthologies, including the “Ghostly” collection of 2105, edited and illustrated by Audrey Niffenegger. W. Somerset Maugham regarded the story as: “a fine and deeply moving effort of the imagination”. It was first published in “Scribner’s Magazine” in August 1904, and rated here at four stars, bearing this in mind.
There’s no doubt that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Rudyard Kipling was among the United Kingdom’s most popular and talented writers. In 1907, he was even awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature: the first English-language writer to ever receive the prize, and moreover its youngest recipient, at 41. However, he was born in British India, and his outspoken views and actions mean that rightly or wrongly Rudyard Kipling’s subsequent literary reputation has changed with the political and social climate of the age.
Rudyard Kipling was an innovative short story writer, his works including a number of speculative fiction short stories, which read like modern hard science fiction. Among his prolific output, he also wrote quite a few supernatural stories, of which They is one.
The story begins with a motorist who is driving across Sussex in the summer time. He loses his way and is perplexed to find that he is driving through the well-kept lawns of a beautiful old house. It is evidently a private residence, with perfectly laid out gardens, ancient yew trees, and a fountain. As we read on, we realise that not only could the narrator be Rudyard Kipling himself, but both the grand stately house and the garden are remarkably similar to “Bateman’s” his last and most loved home. Rudyard Kipling had travelled the world, and had many homes. But on his return from a visit to the United States, he was smitten with this house in Sussex. It had no bathroom, no running water upstairs and no electricity, but Rudyard Kipling loved it. He immediately bought it as the family home, saying:
“Behold us, lawful owners of a grey stone lichened house – A.D. 1634 over the door – beamed, panelled, with old oak staircase, and all untouched and unfaked. It is a good and peaceable place. We have loved it ever since our first sight of it.”
Bateman’s remained Rudyard Kipling’s family home from 1902, for the rest of his life until his death in 1936.
It is a stunning 17th Century Jacobean country house, with a great wide staircase, a deep stone fireplace, age-polished dusky oak panels, mullioned windows, an old eagle-topped convex mirror, and a black and white tiled floor. The furnishings even now are his, and it is a very comfortable home; his study almost feels as though its owner had just left to return at any moment. The book-lined walls, his messy desk covered in ink spots and the day bed, with its cigarette burns, are evidence that this was very much Rudyard Kipling’s space. On request, you can even sit at his desk, on his much-used and creaky leather chair.
As well as many of his works on display, there is a visitors’ book from the Kiplings’ time. By the side of some of the distinguished names is neatly inked “F.I.P”. Intrigued, I asked what this meant, to be told “Fell In Pond”! Rudyard Kipling clearly had a roguish sense of humour (and I myself then walked round the unguarded pond with great caution) … but I digress.
Rudyard Kipling was a keen motorist, although he had a chauffeur to drive him around the wealds of Sussex. He loved children, as does this narrator, who hears children playing. He would love to see them, but they are too shy and will not come near him. The lady of the house has heard the car, and she comes out to meet him. He notices that she is blind, and wistfully she talks about the children whom she loves, and of her blindness. She says how lucky he is to be able to see them, saying that she can see light and colour in her dreams, but never faces. The narrator agrees that he has never seen the faces in dreams either.
This is a particularly atmospheric and poignant tale about loss and longing. As we read, we realise that everyone in the story realises the truth, and we strongly suspect it too, but the narrator is oblivious until the end. We also realise that not only is the beautiful old house the author’s beloved Bateman’s, but the story itself was triggered by an event in Rudyard Kipling’s life.
Five years earlier, in 1899 It fits well with Rudyard Kipling’s own beliefs as a Freemason. We have a sense of the strange and the uncanny, of achieving relief from sorrow by forbidden means that are at last realised as forbidden, and put away.
They is among the earliest of what critics call the “difficult” stories of Rudyard Kipling’s middle and late periods. Because it has an other-worldly feel, and is allegorical in nature, it loses much by any detailed attempt at explanation.
When reading this story, it is as well to remember that Rudyard Kipling’s beliefs and attitudes reflect the time he was living. Although India inspired much of his work, his views were very much in keeping with the British Colonial ethos of the British Empire. In modern-day India, the country where he drew much of his material, Rudyard Kipling’s reputation remains controversial, especially among modern nationalists and some post-colonial critics. He held strong views on the political situations of several countries, was a Conservative and staunch opponent of Bolshevism.
In They we see one instance of a word which now would be unacceptable, although at the time and in this context, it was merely a descriptive and non-condemnatory word. Here is the passage:
(The spoiler tag is used here solely because of the sensitive material.) It can be seen therefore that the offensive word is used in a positive context. Even more jarring perhaps, are the class attitudes which sometimes implicitly compare servants and villagers with “dumb beasts”.
Notwithstanding, They is an intriguing, atmospheric story, with potent imagery. It has been published in several collections and anthologies, including the “Ghostly” collection of 2105, edited and illustrated by Audrey Niffenegger. W. Somerset Maugham regarded the story as: “a fine and deeply moving effort of the imagination”. It was first published in “Scribner’s Magazine” in August 1904, and rated here at four stars, bearing this in mind.
November 11, 2016
As of now I'm still pondering the meaning of this short story, written in 1904.....I need a bit of help....or at least a re-read...... beautiful prose, and great atmospheric quality. I need some time to let the meaning slip in. This is the first time I've been this confused about an ending, I'm embarrassed to say....Yet I'm glad to find others felt this way.... I will give it a three, because I enjoyed it quite a bit, and the 'ghostly' atmosphere (Though it is NOT a ghost story per se...and it is not scary at all!) in the big grand house. It appears to have children living there who have passed on....
By the way, it can be read in a few short hours.... My copy, which I bought from Amazon (by following the link here) for my Kindle had only the story They, which, after reading the other reviews, is fine with me as the consensus seems to be it was the best of the three.
My favorite quote from the story: I was silent in reviewing that inexhaustible matter--the more than inherited (since it is also carefully taught) brutality of the Christian peoples, beside which the mere heathendom of the west coast n***** is clean and restrained. This thought occurred when thinking of the unfair treatment so many at the time received for something they had no control over.
Remember this story was written in 1904, so sorry for the language used at that time. Replace the word with whatever we find "heathen/bad/ugly/uneducated", yet not cruel in nature....compared against those who ought to be loving....
There is a movie loosely based on this story, called They Watch, which also goes by the name of Children of the Mist...in a way, it helps me understand this story a bit better, though there is much added to the story...I suppose someone used their knowledge of Kipling's situation with his dead daughter and perhaps explained it in a very modern setting. Many of the scenes are the same as the short story, though. I suppose I used this movie as one would use "spark notes".....
By the way, it can be read in a few short hours.... My copy, which I bought from Amazon (by following the link here) for my Kindle had only the story They, which, after reading the other reviews, is fine with me as the consensus seems to be it was the best of the three.
My favorite quote from the story: I was silent in reviewing that inexhaustible matter--the more than inherited (since it is also carefully taught) brutality of the Christian peoples, beside which the mere heathendom of the west coast n***** is clean and restrained. This thought occurred when thinking of the unfair treatment so many at the time received for something they had no control over.
Remember this story was written in 1904, so sorry for the language used at that time. Replace the word with whatever we find "heathen/bad/ugly/uneducated", yet not cruel in nature....compared against those who ought to be loving....
There is a movie loosely based on this story, called They Watch, which also goes by the name of Children of the Mist...in a way, it helps me understand this story a bit better, though there is much added to the story...I suppose someone used their knowledge of Kipling's situation with his dead daughter and perhaps explained it in a very modern setting. Many of the scenes are the same as the short story, though. I suppose I used this movie as one would use "spark notes".....
November 9, 2015
Of course I had 'The Jungle Book' and 'Rikki Tikki Tavi' as a child, but I'd never read this Kipling tale before. It unfolds as a man, driving aimlessly in his motorcar, comes across an estate tenanted by a lonely blind woman... and, it seems, several children, who are strangely elusive. The setting is vivid and lush, the language evocative - it's more of a musing of life and loss than the ghost story it might seem to be. However, the ending is peculiar and rather unsatisfying - I'm not sure what to make of it.
(re-read 11/9/15)
(re-read 11/9/15)
January 4, 2020
A marvellous ghost story. Didn’t realise motor cars were quite so advanced in 1904. I was rather slow to get it.
March 18, 2018
Although beautifully written theses three stories left me a bit confused. I liked "They" the best though, mostly the imagery.
December 4, 2022
By child's law, my fruitless chase was as good as an introduction, but since I had taken so much trouble I resolved to force them to come forward later by the simple trick, which children detest, of pretending not to notice them. They lay close, in a little huddle, no more than shadows except when a quick flame betrayed an outline.Beautiful writing marred by some slap-in-the-face terminology. The story "They" was beautiful and moving but Kipling was definitely a product of his time.
December 13, 2012
Sometimes I feel like there is an obligation to like things by certain writers just because of who they are. 'They', Mary Postgate, and The Gardener are all good short stories. The language is beautiful. It's Rudyard Kipling, so of course it is. I love the mystery of the stories. They are dark and have an amazing atmosphere that almost leaps from the page. The downside is that for such short stories, it's a lot of build up for only a few truly brilliant pages at the end.
July 6, 2024
very atmospheric! i am thinking about The Queer Child and the tragedy of parenthood
March 27, 2023
3.7
The first Kipling I’ve read in a long time, this reminded me to pick up more of his books. I love the concept of this story, it’s eerie and atmospheric, and it was well execution for the most part. There was just something about Kipling’s tone that I didn’t always like.
The first Kipling I’ve read in a long time, this reminded me to pick up more of his books. I love the concept of this story, it’s eerie and atmospheric, and it was well execution for the most part. There was just something about Kipling’s tone that I didn’t always like.
February 28, 2013
As a brief anthology of three short stories–"They", "Mary Postgate", and "The Gardener"–this serves as the perfect panacea to the more familiar, up-beat and sometimes humorous voice that generations have grown to know as Kipling.
"They" is a brooding story about the lost ways of the old world, a tale en-witching in its simplicity, and a reminder that technology and the other raiments of progress will never lay claim to all corners of human experience.
"Mary Postgate" is a hard tale of sacrifice and war, out of which shines the unstinting and resolute flame of the female spirit. Shocking as it is satisfying, it offers a direct view of human life rooted firmly in nature and unencumbered by the unnecessary complexities of civilisation.
While "The Gardner" falls flat and doesn't work particularly well as a story, it's careful backdrop of war and loss provides an ideal landscape for considering grief. As the protagonist drifts into fulfilling a detached but dutiful service, the story not only reminds the reader of the ghosts that haunted Kipling, but also that the complexities of the human heart are boundless, and the real nature of the human condition is not one of pain, but of an unescapable and indelible numbness.
"They" is a brooding story about the lost ways of the old world, a tale en-witching in its simplicity, and a reminder that technology and the other raiments of progress will never lay claim to all corners of human experience.
"Mary Postgate" is a hard tale of sacrifice and war, out of which shines the unstinting and resolute flame of the female spirit. Shocking as it is satisfying, it offers a direct view of human life rooted firmly in nature and unencumbered by the unnecessary complexities of civilisation.
While "The Gardner" falls flat and doesn't work particularly well as a story, it's careful backdrop of war and loss provides an ideal landscape for considering grief. As the protagonist drifts into fulfilling a detached but dutiful service, the story not only reminds the reader of the ghosts that haunted Kipling, but also that the complexities of the human heart are boundless, and the real nature of the human condition is not one of pain, but of an unescapable and indelible numbness.
January 19, 2023
I LOVED that Kipling gives no explanation of the ending! Stroke of genius, that. One should ponder why the narrator can never return.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2024
This Kipling short story is not based on his experiences in India but describes a lovely piece of English countryside, likely affected by his last home in Sussex where he would eventually die. Haunting would be an apt description. It starts out innocently enough with the protagonist motoring through the countryside and coming upon a lovely house where he vaguely sees and hears children about and meets the blind lady of the house. The children never come into full view, acting very shy. He hears occasionally their laughter or footfalls, or sees toys spread about. During a visit to the nearby village a local child falls ill and eventally dies. The protagonist - likely a stand in for the author - tells us he too lost a child. When he mentions the house in the woods the villagers seem to know of it. He visits again and it becomes clear to him that the children of the house are the ghosts drawn there by the need of the lady who can't see them for she never lost one. This becomes clear to him in a poignant moment where his hand is touched by an unseen girl in just the way his daughter used to touch it. The tragedy of all actors in the story is brought out with a subtlety, a gentleness and an understated art that makes the almost verselike prose breakable, fragile yet beautifull in an unassuming way. Kipling shows his broad talent in this piece. He was a child of his time without a doubt, yet also a mind that transcended his own time and was capable of grasping the universal human condition and giving it shape, making him a relevant author still today.
March 18, 2025
El final no ha sido poco predecible, pero no ha estado mal.
May 15, 2023
The narrator, on driving through the lush countryside, misses the road and drives his car into a garden of an ancient country house. He sees and hears the voices of children and is unexpectedly welcomed by the blind woman who lives in the house. He proudly shows off and demonstrates his car to them. On future visits he continues to see and hear the children and overhearing local folklore fails to understand it until the recognition comes to him that the children are the ghosts of the local dead children that "walk in the woods" and we as readers gradually realize that the narrator is a recently bereaved father.
December 8, 2022
Loved it. So well-written. But I don't really get it.
August 30, 2020
“They” is a collection of three short stories (They, Mary Postgate and the Gardener) written in 1904 by Rudyard Kipling. This was the first time I ever read anything by Kipling, and I was anxious to start. I soon found out, however, that it was a slow read and I had to plough my way through. I wanted to like it and I tried really hard to stay with the plot, but unfortunately these efforts turned out to be futile. For the most part I found the stories confusing and convoluted. I do acknowledge, however, that there are moments of breathtaking prose, but as much as I would like to say otherwise I regarded the overall reading experience as unpleasant.
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May 10, 2021I think that Canto 28 of Dante's Purgatorio is, as it were, hanging over "They". It is where Dante enters the Earthly Paradise, where the souls of the innocents abide who are not qualified for Heaven. Details of the narrative and description point to this. (In a similar way Canto 5 of the Inferno hangs over his difficult story "Mrs. Bathurst.) Kipling knew Dante, at least in translation. At the end of the story he seems to have adopted the baffling style of dialogue favoured by his friend Henry James.
August 13, 2021
Despite Kipling’s typically rather patronising portrayal of lower-class people - English rural peasants here - this is still a rather lovely tale. The twist is obviously telegraphed almost from the opening, but it doesn’t diminish the story at all. It’s very lovely, dreamlike in a exultantly English way, and I would not be at all surprised if this were a strong influence on Lewis’ Narnia, particularly The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
August 17, 2025
I had only ever read Kipling's "Just so" children's stories (in French) and so didn't know what to expect.
The first short story, "They", I found gripping and chilling. An interesting case where you, as the reader, understand what's going on before the narrator does.
The other two short stories were war stories, or rather set out during war time, and talking mostly about the how war affects us as individuals. Not a cheery read.
The first short story, "They", I found gripping and chilling. An interesting case where you, as the reader, understand what's going on before the narrator does.
The other two short stories were war stories, or rather set out during war time, and talking mostly about the how war affects us as individuals. Not a cheery read.
February 19, 2023
A grieving father becomes lost while driving and finds himself at an estate inhabited by a blind woman and filled with the laughter of children who are rarely seen except in glimpses. After repeated visits to the home over the course of summer and early autumn, the man realizes the chilling truth about the mysterious children and why they're visible only to specific people.
December 17, 2017
Non riesco a farmi piacere la voce che sa e giudica tutto, i dialoghi ripetitivi e confusionari. Alcuni racconti hanno anche una bella trama, ma poi per esempio arriva Gesù Cristo, che non c'entra niente, e rovina tutto.
January 17, 2018
Didn't like this at all. While the prose is wonderful at times, I felt the stories fell flat, particularly 'The Gardener'. 'They' has a very ambiguous ending which I didn't like - more of a personal thing than anything else. Would not recommend.
January 4, 2024
This is a nice short story. It's a slow paced, almost mellow telling with a vibrant description of the landscape, scenery, and theto a degree the main house. It is a ghost story without any creepiness or jump-scares. This can be found on the Classic Ghost Stories podcast narrated by Tony Walker.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2023
I listened to this as part of the Classic Tales of Horror - 500+ Stories. It was very enjoyable 2023
March 30, 2024
Whats the sweet spot in page length for a short story? I don't think this is quite it. That said, this book that is short in stature, is overwhelmingly bitter sweet.
October 6, 2024
Un viaggio incredibile ma lettura a volte difficile
October 24, 2024
Im slightly confused but I know I enjoyed the atmosphere. It is not spooky, nor meant to be. It calls out in me a slight sorrowfulness, pity and comfort.
April 6, 2021
So apparently 'They' as it is described here - is a collection of three short stories (They, Mary Postgate and The Gardener), however, I only "read" They, as it was featured on the Classic Ghost Stories podcast I listen to, and I later skimmed over the text to remind me of the story and why I gave it four stars - note to self I really should write these reviews at the time, and not a month later!
I really liked this story. Despite the fact that it was written in 1904 I didn't find the dialogue clunky or the story overly wordy as can be the style of the time. Kipling sets up the scene of the grand old house, and the mysterious characters who inhabit the house from the off. We're introduced to them by way of the narrator, an outsider who has gotten lost while out in his motor car, and the second time around by way of his motor car breaking down. The third time he happens by the house he learns its secrets, and that he must never return.
I found the conclusion somewhat sad as well as chilling, as it becomes clear that he can only see the children of the house because of his own loss (apparently of a child). Very sad indeed and certainly puts an entirely different slant on the story. Would definitely like to read more Kipling as everything I've read so far has been great. So who knows, I might yet seek out the other two stories in this set and read all three. If I do I'll update the review accordingly, but as it stands, I very much enjoyed They.
I really liked this story. Despite the fact that it was written in 1904 I didn't find the dialogue clunky or the story overly wordy as can be the style of the time. Kipling sets up the scene of the grand old house, and the mysterious characters who inhabit the house from the off. We're introduced to them by way of the narrator, an outsider who has gotten lost while out in his motor car, and the second time around by way of his motor car breaking down. The third time he happens by the house he learns its secrets, and that he must never return.
I found the conclusion somewhat sad as well as chilling, as it becomes clear that he can only see the children of the house because of his own loss (apparently of a child). Very sad indeed and certainly puts an entirely different slant on the story. Would definitely like to read more Kipling as everything I've read so far has been great. So who knows, I might yet seek out the other two stories in this set and read all three. If I do I'll update the review accordingly, but as it stands, I very much enjoyed They.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2025
Five Stars: Kipling's Haunting Masterpiece of Loss
Rudyard Kipling’s "They" is not merely a short story; it is a perfectly wrought jewel of atmosphere, melancholy, and profound emotion. Published in 1904, it remains a haunting, delicate, and deeply moving piece that demonstrates Kipling’s mastery over tone and his ability to evoke the inexpressible ache of the human heart.
The story centers on a wealthy, unnamed narrator who is guided by his passion for motoring to a remote, idyllic corner of the English countryside. There, he stumbles upon a beautiful, secluded house inhabited by a blind woman of great serenity. The house is a sanctuary, filled with an atmosphere of gentle peace—and the inexplicable, delightful sounds of children who are never truly seen.
Kipling handles the central mystery with such restraint and evocative grace that the reader is drawn into a state of quiet wonder. The brilliance of "They" lies in its treatment of loss; the unseen children represent the intense, aching memory of the woman’s own lost sight and, implicitly, the narrator’s unacknowledged grief over his own vanished child. The narrative works not as a ghost story, but as a meditation on how the mind shields itself from unbearable pain, creating pockets of preserved happiness and lingering presence.
The prose is immaculate—rich in sensory detail, particularly the descriptions of the lush, sun-dappled landscape and the soft, musical sounds that populate the house. It culminates in a moment of pure, devastating emotional clarity that grants the narrator a heartbreaking glimpse behind the veil, proving that the most profound realities are often those we cannot logically explain. "They" is a short fiction triumph: ethereal, unforgettable, and a testament to the enduring power of love and memory.
Rudyard Kipling’s "They" is not merely a short story; it is a perfectly wrought jewel of atmosphere, melancholy, and profound emotion. Published in 1904, it remains a haunting, delicate, and deeply moving piece that demonstrates Kipling’s mastery over tone and his ability to evoke the inexpressible ache of the human heart.
The story centers on a wealthy, unnamed narrator who is guided by his passion for motoring to a remote, idyllic corner of the English countryside. There, he stumbles upon a beautiful, secluded house inhabited by a blind woman of great serenity. The house is a sanctuary, filled with an atmosphere of gentle peace—and the inexplicable, delightful sounds of children who are never truly seen.
Kipling handles the central mystery with such restraint and evocative grace that the reader is drawn into a state of quiet wonder. The brilliance of "They" lies in its treatment of loss; the unseen children represent the intense, aching memory of the woman’s own lost sight and, implicitly, the narrator’s unacknowledged grief over his own vanished child. The narrative works not as a ghost story, but as a meditation on how the mind shields itself from unbearable pain, creating pockets of preserved happiness and lingering presence.
The prose is immaculate—rich in sensory detail, particularly the descriptions of the lush, sun-dappled landscape and the soft, musical sounds that populate the house. It culminates in a moment of pure, devastating emotional clarity that grants the narrator a heartbreaking glimpse behind the veil, proving that the most profound realities are often those we cannot logically explain. "They" is a short fiction triumph: ethereal, unforgettable, and a testament to the enduring power of love and memory.
April 29, 2013
I read the title story recently, and found it to be incredibly moving, thought-provoking, and full of beautiful, evocative language that (perhaps because of its sincerity) does not come across as purple. The tale is somewhat elliptical, and I must confess that I am not entirely sure about the enigmatic conclusion of the story.
I know very little about Kipling's life, though I do know that he lost a young daughter (I believe she was six when she died) and that this loss weighed so heavily on him that he was never quite the same man. This fact, along with the poem that precedes the story, certainly adds to the poignancy of the story, and gives some extra weight to the narrative.
I don't think it matters much whether one is aware that "They" is a ghost story beforehand, as it becomes obvious to the reader that the shy children at the beautiful estate the narrator absentmindedly wanders into are spectres, and that he is indeed "lucky" to be able to see them--though the meaning is lost in the ambiguity of his conversations with the blind woman. This mutual misunderstanding, of which the minor characters defer from disillusioning out of respect, is the driving force of the plot. At the end, of course, the narrator understands that he had mistaken the ghosts for real children, and had misunderstood the blind woman. With this comes the sad irony of his "luck," for when he determines that he has no "right" to see the ghosts (and why he feels this way is not entirely clear, though it could be that he, unlike Kipling, is childless) he resolves to never come to the estate again.
I know very little about Kipling's life, though I do know that he lost a young daughter (I believe she was six when she died) and that this loss weighed so heavily on him that he was never quite the same man. This fact, along with the poem that precedes the story, certainly adds to the poignancy of the story, and gives some extra weight to the narrative.
I don't think it matters much whether one is aware that "They" is a ghost story beforehand, as it becomes obvious to the reader that the shy children at the beautiful estate the narrator absentmindedly wanders into are spectres, and that he is indeed "lucky" to be able to see them--though the meaning is lost in the ambiguity of his conversations with the blind woman. This mutual misunderstanding, of which the minor characters defer from disillusioning out of respect, is the driving force of the plot. At the end, of course, the narrator understands that he had mistaken the ghosts for real children, and had misunderstood the blind woman. With this comes the sad irony of his "luck," for when he determines that he has no "right" to see the ghosts (and why he feels this way is not entirely clear, though it could be that he, unlike Kipling, is childless) he resolves to never come to the estate again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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