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Haunts: Reliquaries of the Dead
A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
535 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
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76 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Jones
277 books344 followersStephen Jones is an eighteen-time winner of the British Fantasy Award.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 4, 2019
Three stars...one star for each of the three stories in this anthology I enjoyed. There isn’t much horror or blood-pressure elevating tension here, just an abundance of subtle, atmospheric creepiness. The contributing authors are some of Britain’s absolute best and the stories here are well written. Just don’t expect to be kept up at night, rather, most of these short pieces may just help you snooze...
My three stars go to...
“Grandmother’s Slippers” by Sarah Pinborough
“Poison Pen” by Christopher Fowler
“Is There Anybody There?” by Kim Newman
My three stars go to...
“Grandmother’s Slippers” by Sarah Pinborough
“Poison Pen” by Christopher Fowler
“Is There Anybody There?” by Kim Newman
December 29, 2011
Ghosts, objects with unnatural power, demons taking the place of innocent, vengeful houses, bones, doors, people possessed, all that and more can be found in this collection of supernatural tales. Comprised of twenty-five stories, this is a book I thoroughly enjoyed and while it wasn’t as horrific as I expected (not complaining, just saying) it still gave me a nightmare from which I woke, eyes wide awake, trying to remember if that black shape near the mirror was there before I went to sleep. It was.
I enjoyed reading all the stories, and I thought the introduction before each one was a nice touch. It was interesting to see how an idea based in real life evolved into a good scary story. While I can't say I didn't like any of the stories, a handful of them I consider a step above the others. Here they are:
The Poison Pen, by Christopher Fowler, is a tale of the occult, greed and an object with a lot of power. When a rich relative dies, his fortune is divided among his family but the favorite nephew gets nothing. This is strange, considering that at their last get-together, the wealthy uncle had promised Mark ‘something very special’. And then tragedy strikes and Mark finally realizes why he was omitted from the will. This was my favorite story.
The Door, by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
A writer with a passion for collecting old things buys a door that belonged to an old house. A massive door made of ‘solid walnut’ with ‘an intricate pattern that seemed to grow more complicated the longer it was examined’. Little does he know this is no ordinary door but something far more sinister that needs to be fed in order to maintain its power.
Grandfather’s Teeth, by Lisa Tuttle
When people die, the loved ones left behind are tempted to keep something that belonged to them, something to remember them by. For his nephew, Dougie, that keepsake was his grandfather’s fake teeth. Possessed by a fascination he could not explain, the boy keeps them in his room but they prove to be more than a harmless piece of ‘ivory-colored teeth arrayed in the pink plastic gums’. I actually cringed when I got to the end of the story.
Grandmother’s Slippers, by Sarah Pinborough, starts with the mention of a funeral and continues with the story of a pair of slippers with a purpose. What that purpose is and how they manage to achieve it, makes for an interesting story.
City of Dreams, by Richard Christian Matheson, is a story made of delicate threads; references to movies, writing, famous people, brings a sophisticated air to the narrative. It is also a story about curiosity satisfied but with a price that brings about many more questions.
A House on Fire, by Tanith Lee
Not only people have souls, but houses, too, this seems to be the main idea behind this story in which a house haunts the one who burned it down. This is no ordinary pile of wood and stone and glass, and its revenge is terrible.
The Hidden Chamber, by Neil Gaiman, it’s a beautiful poem that starts like this:
‘Do not fear the ghosts in this house; they are the least of your worries.’
I love the last part of this poem. It brings to the page a feeling of loneliness and longing, and sadness.
I enjoyed reading all the stories, and I thought the introduction before each one was a nice touch. It was interesting to see how an idea based in real life evolved into a good scary story. While I can't say I didn't like any of the stories, a handful of them I consider a step above the others. Here they are:
The Poison Pen, by Christopher Fowler, is a tale of the occult, greed and an object with a lot of power. When a rich relative dies, his fortune is divided among his family but the favorite nephew gets nothing. This is strange, considering that at their last get-together, the wealthy uncle had promised Mark ‘something very special’. And then tragedy strikes and Mark finally realizes why he was omitted from the will. This was my favorite story.
The Door, by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
A writer with a passion for collecting old things buys a door that belonged to an old house. A massive door made of ‘solid walnut’ with ‘an intricate pattern that seemed to grow more complicated the longer it was examined’. Little does he know this is no ordinary door but something far more sinister that needs to be fed in order to maintain its power.
Grandfather’s Teeth, by Lisa Tuttle
When people die, the loved ones left behind are tempted to keep something that belonged to them, something to remember them by. For his nephew, Dougie, that keepsake was his grandfather’s fake teeth. Possessed by a fascination he could not explain, the boy keeps them in his room but they prove to be more than a harmless piece of ‘ivory-colored teeth arrayed in the pink plastic gums’. I actually cringed when I got to the end of the story.
Grandmother’s Slippers, by Sarah Pinborough, starts with the mention of a funeral and continues with the story of a pair of slippers with a purpose. What that purpose is and how they manage to achieve it, makes for an interesting story.
City of Dreams, by Richard Christian Matheson, is a story made of delicate threads; references to movies, writing, famous people, brings a sophisticated air to the narrative. It is also a story about curiosity satisfied but with a price that brings about many more questions.
A House on Fire, by Tanith Lee
Not only people have souls, but houses, too, this seems to be the main idea behind this story in which a house haunts the one who burned it down. This is no ordinary pile of wood and stone and glass, and its revenge is terrible.
The Hidden Chamber, by Neil Gaiman, it’s a beautiful poem that starts like this:
‘Do not fear the ghosts in this house; they are the least of your worries.’
I love the last part of this poem. It brings to the page a feeling of loneliness and longing, and sadness.
April 4, 2013
4.5 STARS! There were only 4 stories of the 28 the I didn't enjoy. Opened my eyes to a couple new authors Id like to try
April 20, 2018
This is more of a 2.5 star rating. It's not that the stories were bad, in fact, they were all well written, and some are by really well known, main-stream writers like Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Tuttle and Tanith Lee, but they just weren't scary . The last anthology I read was one of Ellen Datlow's, many of the stories therein TERRIFIED me, so I guess I was just looking for something with a much higher creepy factor. Having said that, these stories would be a great introduction to the non-horror / doesn't-like-ghost-stories reader.
November 25, 2016
Some were better than others. Copper,Russell, Gaskin and Silverberg ones I felt were outstanding.
November 30, 2019
A very strong selection of ghost stories, a subgenre which seems more and more difficult to achieve success in as time goes on.
Currently reading
October 9, 2011I have only read the introduction but so far it looks like it will be a great book to read in honor of Halloween
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews