What do you think?
Rate this book
The Works of Rudyard Kipling: Volume III The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Ghost Stories
This section of the ebook The Works of Rudyard Kipling contains the short stories "The Phantom 'Rickshaw", "My Own True Ghost Story", and "The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes". It also has the novella "The Man Who Would Be King" and finally "The Finest Story in the World".
ebook
First published January 1, 1888
88 people are currently reading
543 people want to read
About the author
Rudyard Kipling
7,163 books3,674 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."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
February 13, 2021
There was a Rudyard Kipling who spoke Hindi, studied the religions of India and admired the art. Unfortunately in this book we find the Kipling who caricatured the Indians and their various cultures in order to write frivolous tales of the supernatural for the Victorian mass market. One needs to love the genre far more than I do in order to enjoy this book.
Although Kipling panders to rather vulgar tastes in "The Phantom Rickshaw", the collection is still worth reading. Notably, it contains "The Man Who Would be King" that John Huston made into a movie. My favorite tale is the tremendously macabre ""The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes."
Although "The Phantom Rickshaw" is unquestionably entertaining, it still represents the worst of Kipling not his best.
Although Kipling panders to rather vulgar tastes in "The Phantom Rickshaw", the collection is still worth reading. Notably, it contains "The Man Who Would be King" that John Huston made into a movie. My favorite tale is the tremendously macabre ""The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes."
Although "The Phantom Rickshaw" is unquestionably entertaining, it still represents the worst of Kipling not his best.
January 8, 2018
This was an interesting literary read. I had to read it for my literature class, and have to say the meaning behind it why the main character sees the rickshaw is interesting. I also liked learning about how British people saw the colonization of India during the 19th century. Overall, it was nice, but again I don't like older works.
August 9, 2016
I'll admit to a fondness for Kipling. This collection is a little bit uneven, but saved by one good story (The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes, wonderful but let down slightly by its rushed ending...) and one truly great one (The Man Who Would Be King, the ultimate Boy's Own adventure tale, and by itself deserving of a five star rating.)
June 28, 2023
Tên truyện dễ liên tưởng đến truyện kinh dị, tuy nhiên nguyên bộ sưu tập gồm những câu chuyện mang màu sắc khác nhau. “Vượt rào” và “Chiếc xe kéo ma” là bài học cho những kẻ vi phạm đạo đức - phạm trù dễ bị người ta bỏ qua do không bị áp dụng các biện pháp chế tài. Sự khác biệt về lối sống phóng túng của người phương Tây đối lập với truyền thống của người Phương Đông cũng được thể hiện qua hai mẫu truyện trên. Phụ nữ là những người hết mình vì yêu, vì thế họ dễ bị tổn thương khi yêu phải những gã làng chơi người Anh, chịu khổ sở bởi những lỗi lầm mà những gã đàn ông da trắng gây ra. Nếu như hiện thực, những gã đàn ông đó sẽ nhởn nhơ không một chút cắn rứt thì ở truyện của Kipling, những kẻ đó sẽ nhận được bài học đắt giá (nếu không bởi con người thì cũng do ma quỷ). Tuy nhiên số phận của những cô gái cũng khá hẩm hiu.
“Định mệnh làm vua” và “Cuộc cưỡi ngựa kỳ lạ của Morrowbie Jukes” là hai mẫu truyện phiêu lưu kỳ lạ tại sứ Ấn. Truyện cho thấy đất nước ấy có nhiều hủ tục quái gỡ, một xã hội hết sức loạn lạc, người dân thì mê tín, chính phủ bù nhìn còn thực dân thì vơ vét tài nguyên. Ở xã hội ấy, những kẻ du thủ du thực lợi dụng sự mê tín của người dân cũng có thể trở thành vua. Hay quan chức lớn, người có địa vị chỉ cần một chút sơ sẩy cũng xuống đáy xã hội, sống mà như chê’t.
“Dấu ấn dã thú” khai thác khía cạnh khác của xứ Ấn. Ngoài mê tín, hủ tục, Ấn Độ còn những huyền bí trong tôn giáo bản địa. Một chàng trai vì quá say đã xúc phạm vị thần Khỉ Hanuman, những gì chàng trai nhận lấy sau đó khoa học khó mà giải thích.
“Phép màu của Purun Bhagat” nhẹ nhàng, mang màu sắc của văn chương chữa lành. Câu chuyện khá giống với cuộc đời của Đức Phật Thích Ca. Một người đàn ông buông bỏ mọi thành tựu, lên núi tu hành. Bhagat trở thành bạn bè của muôn thú và được mọi người nể trọng. Nhờ muôn thú, Bhagat biết được tai họa sắp đến, ông cùng muôn thú đi giải cứu dân làng. Câu chuyện này mình khuyên mọi người nên đọc cuối cùng để vực dậy tâm trạng sau câu chuyện “Không được ban phúc”. Câu chuyện cuối cùng giống với cuộc đời vô thường của mỗi người. Chàng trai trở thành người hạnh phúc nhất trên đời, bỗng dưng anh mất hết tất cả.
Tập truyện là những áng văn sắc sảo trước các vấn đề xã hội và kiến thức về đất nước Ấn Độ. Đọc Chiếc Xe Kéo Ma để hiểu rõ hơn về Ấn Đồ thuở ấy, cũng như hiểu được lý do Rudyard Kipling là người trẻ nhất được trao giải Nobel văn học. Truyện không quá nặng nề như hai tập truyện Chiếc Ghế Người và Phăng Teo đang nổi đình đám nhưng cũng để lại nhiều bài học sâu cay.
March 2, 2018
This book by Kipling consists of five stories: the title story, My Own True Ghost Story, The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes, The Man Who Would be King and “The Finest Story in the World”.
Strictly speaking, only one of these stories is in its true sense a ‘ghost’ story, and that’s The Phantom Rickshaw, spooky and haunting and a very good example of Kipling’s ability to evoke a time and a space: he brings Raj-era Simla brilliantly to life (and death?) in this one.
The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes and The Man Who Would be King are, neither of them, really ghost stories, even though there’s a sort of macabre unreality to them that makes them spooky: in the former, an Englishman out on a mundane enough errand—to shoot down an irritating dog that’s been howling its head off—finds himself tumbling into a village of the dead-that-aren’t dead. No, not zombies, but people who were given up for dead, but weren’t actually, and have therefore not been accepted back by society. The Man Who Would be King is—as its name suggests—about an Englishman who takes it into his head to search out some legendary white-skinned, blond-haired tribes that live far away in the mountains beyond Kabul (perhaps?)—and comes to grief. This was the story I liked least: it meandered too much, and got a little bit on my nerves after a while.
“The Finest Story in the World” may not be a ghost story but has an interesting element of the supernatural, and My Own True Ghost Story has a great twist in it. This was, along with The Phantom Rickshaw, my favourite story in the collection.
Strictly speaking, only one of these stories is in its true sense a ‘ghost’ story, and that’s The Phantom Rickshaw, spooky and haunting and a very good example of Kipling’s ability to evoke a time and a space: he brings Raj-era Simla brilliantly to life (and death?) in this one.
The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes and The Man Who Would be King are, neither of them, really ghost stories, even though there’s a sort of macabre unreality to them that makes them spooky: in the former, an Englishman out on a mundane enough errand—to shoot down an irritating dog that’s been howling its head off—finds himself tumbling into a village of the dead-that-aren’t dead. No, not zombies, but people who were given up for dead, but weren’t actually, and have therefore not been accepted back by society. The Man Who Would be King is—as its name suggests—about an Englishman who takes it into his head to search out some legendary white-skinned, blond-haired tribes that live far away in the mountains beyond Kabul (perhaps?)—and comes to grief. This was the story I liked least: it meandered too much, and got a little bit on my nerves after a while.
“The Finest Story in the World” may not be a ghost story but has an interesting element of the supernatural, and My Own True Ghost Story has a great twist in it. This was, along with The Phantom Rickshaw, my favourite story in the collection.
March 4, 2017
These are ghost stories Kipling style. The mystery is quickly substituted by a fine irony and a delicate sense of humor making these stories absolutely delicious to read. My favorite is the one about the "almost dead" people, which mean people that were thought to be dead but awoke just at the moment they were going to be thrown at the Ganges. Well, since they are not dead, but were considered to be dead, it is easier to send them to a village secluded from the world were they can complete their stay on earth without interfering with the living ones anymore. Good punch!
April 24, 2019
An excellent collection of short stories. I've read The Jungle Book in Croatian as a kid and liked it a lot, but it might've been underappreciated. Should be revisited at some point. In any case, Kipling is a great writer, the stories are interesting and well-constructed. The endings are somewhat mysterious, and the stories in general reminiscent of Maupassant whom I really like.
February 18, 2025
Really liked this one. Read it with my wife and we were enthralled..
April 6, 2023
I enjoyed this *way* more than I should have.
Even the stories that weren’t my favorite were hard to put down, and very entertaining. “The Phantom Rickshaw” is a collection of short stories by Rudyard Kipling—more psychological than fantastical.
Yes, there are the usual dismissive remarks of the “natives” of India, but Mr. Kipling—despite being a product of his time—can write a really good yarn!
Favorites included “The Phantom Rickshaw”, “The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes” and “The Man Who Would Be King”.
Even the stories that weren’t my favorite were hard to put down, and very entertaining. “The Phantom Rickshaw” is a collection of short stories by Rudyard Kipling—more psychological than fantastical.
Yes, there are the usual dismissive remarks of the “natives” of India, but Mr. Kipling—despite being a product of his time—can write a really good yarn!
Favorites included “The Phantom Rickshaw”, “The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes” and “The Man Who Would Be King”.
March 18, 2011
Die Die Gespenster-Rikscha oder auch die gespenstische Rikscha, wurde 1885 vom damals erst neunzehn Jahre alten Kipling, der heute vor allem für sein Dschungel Buch und den Waisenjungen Mowgli bekannt ist.
Diese Geschichte ist in vielerlei Hinsicht überraschend. Zwar spielt sie ebenfalls in Indien, jedoch erzählt sie von einer leidenschaftlichen Affäre zwischen dem Offizier Jack Pansay mit der verheirateten Agnes Keith-Wessington, ein schon damals skandalöses Thema. Für Jack ist diese Affäre nie mehr als genau das: eine flüchtige Affäre aber Agnes hat sich in ihn verliebt. Sie besteht darauf ihre heimliche Beziehung auch in Indien weiterzuführen, bis es Jack zu viel wird. Er trennt sich von Agnes und verlobt sich mit einer schönen jungen Frau namens Kitty Mannering.
Agnes ist jedoch das, was man heutzutage als einen Stalker bezeichnen würde. Sie kann nicht von Jack lassen und verfolgt ihn mit ihrer Rikscha, sie ist besessen von Jack und verzehrt sich derartig nach ihm, dass sie an gebrochenem Herzen stirbt. Aber selbst im Tode kann sie nicht von Jack lassen und verfolgt ihn weiter in ihrer Gespenster-Rikschah und versucht so Jack, weiterhin für sich zu gewinnen.
Mit Kiplings gespenstischer Rikscha präsentiert Titania Medien eine ungewöhnliche und dennoch wieder klassische Gruselgeschichte, gewürzt mit einer heimlichen Liebe und einigen Gothik Elementen, denn Agnes ist besessen vom Tod und verehrt die indische Todesgöttin Kali.
Besonders gelungen ist in diesem Teil die musikalische Untermalung. Einige der Stücke sind wahre Ohrwürmer und bringen einen zum mitwippen. Die Sprecher sind wie immer wunderbar. Matti Klemm spricht Theobald Jack Pansay und schafft es ihn sowohl als Liebhaber als auch genervten Ex-Geliebten glaubhaft darzustellen. Man weiß als Zuhörer wirklich nicht, ob man diesen Mann hassen oder bemitleiden soll, der Agnes einerseits so ausnutzte aber Kitty so abgöttisch liebt. Arianne Borbach verkörpert die leidenschaftlich leidende und Jack stalkende Agnes Keith-Wessington sehr intensiv und selbst die Nebenrollen sind wie immer sehr gut besetzt.
Einziges Manko dieses Teils, er ist mit 50 Minuten wohl einer der kürzesten dieser Reihe, leider.
Diese Geschichte ist in vielerlei Hinsicht überraschend. Zwar spielt sie ebenfalls in Indien, jedoch erzählt sie von einer leidenschaftlichen Affäre zwischen dem Offizier Jack Pansay mit der verheirateten Agnes Keith-Wessington, ein schon damals skandalöses Thema. Für Jack ist diese Affäre nie mehr als genau das: eine flüchtige Affäre aber Agnes hat sich in ihn verliebt. Sie besteht darauf ihre heimliche Beziehung auch in Indien weiterzuführen, bis es Jack zu viel wird. Er trennt sich von Agnes und verlobt sich mit einer schönen jungen Frau namens Kitty Mannering.
Agnes ist jedoch das, was man heutzutage als einen Stalker bezeichnen würde. Sie kann nicht von Jack lassen und verfolgt ihn mit ihrer Rikscha, sie ist besessen von Jack und verzehrt sich derartig nach ihm, dass sie an gebrochenem Herzen stirbt. Aber selbst im Tode kann sie nicht von Jack lassen und verfolgt ihn weiter in ihrer Gespenster-Rikschah und versucht so Jack, weiterhin für sich zu gewinnen.
Mit Kiplings gespenstischer Rikscha präsentiert Titania Medien eine ungewöhnliche und dennoch wieder klassische Gruselgeschichte, gewürzt mit einer heimlichen Liebe und einigen Gothik Elementen, denn Agnes ist besessen vom Tod und verehrt die indische Todesgöttin Kali.
Besonders gelungen ist in diesem Teil die musikalische Untermalung. Einige der Stücke sind wahre Ohrwürmer und bringen einen zum mitwippen. Die Sprecher sind wie immer wunderbar. Matti Klemm spricht Theobald Jack Pansay und schafft es ihn sowohl als Liebhaber als auch genervten Ex-Geliebten glaubhaft darzustellen. Man weiß als Zuhörer wirklich nicht, ob man diesen Mann hassen oder bemitleiden soll, der Agnes einerseits so ausnutzte aber Kitty so abgöttisch liebt. Arianne Borbach verkörpert die leidenschaftlich leidende und Jack stalkende Agnes Keith-Wessington sehr intensiv und selbst die Nebenrollen sind wie immer sehr gut besetzt.
Einziges Manko dieses Teils, er ist mit 50 Minuten wohl einer der kürzesten dieser Reihe, leider.
April 7, 2017
I always love a timeless read, so this really should do for 5-stars. Kipling had such an excellent way of bringing us right into colonial India—really outstanding, come to think of it! He brings us right into the centre of heat and dust and heavy humidity, wearing our summer whites, sipping gin & tonic while the labourers diligently go about their tasks...making me truly appreciate growing up with only the vaguest notion of class hierarchy. So many of these stories made me bally uncomfortable, and that had nothing to do with ghosts or the suggestion of apparitions. Does kind of make me want to watch "The Man Who Would Be King" again. It's not an enjoyable movie, anymore than the rest of these enjoyable stories, but I'm curious how close it comes to Kipling's version.
September 10, 2014
Anguish and torment can lead to death. Such spirits are known to haunt those who tormented them in life. In colonial India, one rascally blackguard discovers to his misfortune that he is haunted by not just an agitated spectral mistress, but her entire equipage.
Listened to on The Classic Tales Podcast.
Listened to on The Classic Tales Podcast.
April 29, 2019
It is a fairly well done story about a man who slowly becomes unraveled as he's haunted by the woman that he jilted and later died of from her broken heart.
February 5, 2023
I was listening to the rather good Empire podcast when one of the hosts, the historian William Dalrymple, mentioned in passing the short ghost story The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes as one of the best short stories he'd ever read. This piqued my interest and I googled it, to find it in this collection, which was also available for free on Gutenberg. Now, ghost stories aren't my favourite genre by a long way, and that, combined with Kipling's attitude towards India and the Indians, meant that this book received a lukewarm reception at best.
There's only five stories in the collection, of which, four are set in India, with the last being set in London, which an Indian connection. The first two stories didn't do an awful lot for me at all. The title story has an unpleasant man who has an affair with a married woman and when he breaks it off, she dies of a broken heart, but comes back to haunt him. The second, My Own True Ghost Story sees the narrator starting off by complaining that he's never had a ghostly experience of his own, before promptly having one.
The third story is the one that brought the book to my attention - The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes. I found this one pretty unengaging to be honest. The Indians are carictures and the narrator is unsympathetic. Maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind when I read it, but I'm amazed by Dalrymple's praise.
It's the last two stories that redeemed this collection for me. I'm not sure what The Man Who Would be King is doing in a collection of ghost stories, but it's a great story of hubris and downfall, while "The Finest Story in the World" has a writer being given a glimpse of history, which he has to try to cultivate to let him write the eponymous story. This one, I enjoyed quite a lot, as the narrator's young friend is revealed to be unconsciously in touch with his previous lives, which the narrator tries to use to write his story, all without letting him know what's going on, and being subjected to his bad poetry. It's tongue in cheek and shows some levity that is otherwise absent from this collection.
I've read some Kipling that I've enjoyed, but my agnosticism towards ghost stories in general, and Kipling's attitude towards Indians means that the stories here mostly didn't work for me. The last two really helped pull up the average though.
There's only five stories in the collection, of which, four are set in India, with the last being set in London, which an Indian connection. The first two stories didn't do an awful lot for me at all. The title story has an unpleasant man who has an affair with a married woman and when he breaks it off, she dies of a broken heart, but comes back to haunt him. The second, My Own True Ghost Story sees the narrator starting off by complaining that he's never had a ghostly experience of his own, before promptly having one.
The third story is the one that brought the book to my attention - The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes. I found this one pretty unengaging to be honest. The Indians are carictures and the narrator is unsympathetic. Maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind when I read it, but I'm amazed by Dalrymple's praise.
It's the last two stories that redeemed this collection for me. I'm not sure what The Man Who Would be King is doing in a collection of ghost stories, but it's a great story of hubris and downfall, while "The Finest Story in the World" has a writer being given a glimpse of history, which he has to try to cultivate to let him write the eponymous story. This one, I enjoyed quite a lot, as the narrator's young friend is revealed to be unconsciously in touch with his previous lives, which the narrator tries to use to write his story, all without letting him know what's going on, and being subjected to his bad poetry. It's tongue in cheek and shows some levity that is otherwise absent from this collection.
I've read some Kipling that I've enjoyed, but my agnosticism towards ghost stories in general, and Kipling's attitude towards Indians means that the stories here mostly didn't work for me. The last two really helped pull up the average though.
November 11, 2024
2 STARS
CW: racism, death (of loved ones)
I only read "The Phantom Rickshaw" and "My Own True Ghost Story" from this collection, once again for class because at this point I'm pretty much only reading things for class... I have a negative bias against Rudyard Kipling (mostly because of his poem "The White Man's Burden") so I was expecting these stories to be more or less subtly racist.
I was actually positively surprised with "The Phantom Rickshaw", I thought it was entertaining enough although it was also slightly boring. And while that is set in India, it only features colonists as main characters (at least as far as I understood). Naturally, that's an issue in and of itself but I had expected as much. This one I was pretty impartial to so 2.5 stars.
The second story was worse. I also found it really boring because nothing really happened and in the end, the main character only says that he ruined his chance at living through an enthralling ghost story which he could relay to others but missed that opportunity. This, I digress, is an amusing take on the ghost story but I did not like how side characters were talked about and essentially, not only humans but even Indian ghosts were discredited with being far inferior to English ghosts. Ew. Alas, I rated this story 1 star.
CW: racism, death (of loved ones)
I only read "The Phantom Rickshaw" and "My Own True Ghost Story" from this collection, once again for class because at this point I'm pretty much only reading things for class... I have a negative bias against Rudyard Kipling (mostly because of his poem "The White Man's Burden") so I was expecting these stories to be more or less subtly racist.
I was actually positively surprised with "The Phantom Rickshaw", I thought it was entertaining enough although it was also slightly boring. And while that is set in India, it only features colonists as main characters (at least as far as I understood). Naturally, that's an issue in and of itself but I had expected as much. This one I was pretty impartial to so 2.5 stars.
The second story was worse. I also found it really boring because nothing really happened and in the end, the main character only says that he ruined his chance at living through an enthralling ghost story which he could relay to others but missed that opportunity. This, I digress, is an amusing take on the ghost story but I did not like how side characters were talked about and essentially, not only humans but even Indian ghosts were discredited with being far inferior to English ghosts. Ew. Alas, I rated this story 1 star.
February 3, 2025
Tính chấm 4.5/5.0 mà thôi làm tròn lên 5 sao luôn vậy, cũng khá enjoy reading.
Ban đầu mình tưởng là tập truyện kinh dị, ai dè đọc lại bìa thì chỉ là "Truyện ngắn tuyển chọn" thôi, nên ngoại trừ "Chiếc xe kéo ma" và "Dấu ấn dã thú", các truyện còn lại không có yếu tố linh dị gì cả.
Điều duy nhất khiến mình khó follow là không hình dung được mấy địa điểm được đề cập trong sách là nó ở đâu, xa xôi như nào..., vì mình không biết gì về Ấn Độ =))) Còn lại cách kể chuyện, cốt truyện thì hoàn toàn đi theo được.
Tổng cộng 7 truyện, điểm lại sơ sơ thì như này:
1. VƯỢT RÀO: Dan dan díu díu mập mờ, lại còn ở Ấn nữa thì bị xử cũng dừa...
2. CHIẾC XE KÉO MA: Đùa giỡn với tình yêu và phụ nữ rồi bị quật, cũng dừa...
3. ĐỊNH MỆNH LÀM VUA: Truyện phiêu lưu ly kỳ hấp dẫn. Đọc rồi mới thấy mấy vùng đất xa xôi thiệt loạn lạc, man di.
4. CUỘC CƯỠI NGỰA KỲ LẠ: Thấy được lòng dạ con người ở những tình cảnh ngặt nghèo. Mà số main hên đấy, chưa tận.
5. PHÉP MÀU CỦA PURUN BHAGAT: Truyện chữa lành nhất trong sách. Buông bỏ tất cả không còn vướng bận gì.
6. DẤU ẤN DÃ THÚ: Báng bổ thần linh bị quật, cũng dừa... à húuu
7. KHÔNG ĐƯỢC BAN PHÚC: nếu mình đổi tựa thành "Lên voi xuống chó" chắc cũng được. Số gì khổ ghê.
Tựu trung là một quyển hay, hiểu thêm tí ti về một vùng đất lạ lẫm.
Ban đầu mình tưởng là tập truyện kinh dị, ai dè đọc lại bìa thì chỉ là "Truyện ngắn tuyển chọn" thôi, nên ngoại trừ "Chiếc xe kéo ma" và "Dấu ấn dã thú", các truyện còn lại không có yếu tố linh dị gì cả.
Điều duy nhất khiến mình khó follow là không hình dung được mấy địa điểm được đề cập trong sách là nó ở đâu, xa xôi như nào..., vì mình không biết gì về Ấn Độ =))) Còn lại cách kể chuyện, cốt truyện thì hoàn toàn đi theo được.
Tổng cộng 7 truyện, điểm lại sơ sơ thì như này:
1. VƯỢT RÀO: Dan dan díu díu mập mờ, lại còn ở Ấn nữa thì bị xử cũng dừa...
2. CHIẾC XE KÉO MA: Đùa giỡn với tình yêu và phụ nữ rồi bị quật, cũng dừa...
3. ĐỊNH MỆNH LÀM VUA: Truyện phiêu lưu ly kỳ hấp dẫn. Đọc rồi mới thấy mấy vùng đất xa xôi thiệt loạn lạc, man di.
4. CUỘC CƯỠI NGỰA KỲ LẠ: Thấy được lòng dạ con người ở những tình cảnh ngặt nghèo. Mà số main hên đấy, chưa tận.
5. PHÉP MÀU CỦA PURUN BHAGAT: Truyện chữa lành nhất trong sách. Buông bỏ tất cả không còn vướng bận gì.
6. DẤU ẤN DÃ THÚ: Báng bổ thần linh bị quật, cũng dừa... à húuu
7. KHÔNG ĐƯỢC BAN PHÚC: nếu mình đổi tựa thành "Lên voi xuống chó" chắc cũng được. Số gì khổ ghê.
Tựu trung là một quyển hay, hiểu thêm tí ti về một vùng đất lạ lẫm.
July 17, 2025
Four short stories:
"The Phantom Rickshaw"
* A fine ghost story with a moral (Protagonist has an affair with a married woman. When he moves on to another, she dies of a broken heart and haunts him.) As I was noticing back in Plain Tales From the Hills, it could have just as easily been set in England. The narrator even claims that Britons never see Hindu ghosts.
"The Man Who Would Be King" (most famous: there was a movie with Sean Connery in 1975)
* I've read this before, not realizing it was published as a "weird tale". There's no supernatural element: the "weird" or "eerie" part is that the part of Afghanistan (Kafiristan) where the two Britons claim to have become kings is so isolated that its existence can't be proved.
"My Own True Ghost Story"
* Fluff about a haunted billiard room.
"The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes"
* When Indians seem to die of cholera but survive, they're punished by being sent to a secret village with armed guards. An Englishman ends up there, The numinous state between living and dead is supposed to be scary, but I just found it dully materialist and the Indians nasty stereotypes.
"The Phantom Rickshaw"
* A fine ghost story with a moral (Protagonist has an affair with a married woman. When he moves on to another, she dies of a broken heart and haunts him.) As I was noticing back in Plain Tales From the Hills, it could have just as easily been set in England. The narrator even claims that Britons never see Hindu ghosts.
"The Man Who Would Be King" (most famous: there was a movie with Sean Connery in 1975)
* I've read this before, not realizing it was published as a "weird tale". There's no supernatural element: the "weird" or "eerie" part is that the part of Afghanistan (Kafiristan) where the two Britons claim to have become kings is so isolated that its existence can't be proved.
"My Own True Ghost Story"
* Fluff about a haunted billiard room.
"The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes"
* When Indians seem to die of cholera but survive, they're punished by being sent to a secret village with armed guards. An Englishman ends up there, The numinous state between living and dead is supposed to be scary, but I just found it dully materialist and the Indians nasty stereotypes.
February 21, 2022
В каждой стране свой особенный быт. Таковой и в Индии. Но в Индии быт вообще особенный, имеющий чрезмерное количество граней. Невозможно всего перечислить и познать, к чему получаешь возможность прикоснуться. Да и сами индийцы не знают обо всех обстоятельствах, которые их окружают. Им достаточно владеть информацией о том, что для них является близким, тогда как и того им будет предостаточно. А если говорить о мистической стороне обыденности, то с этим получится найти гораздо больше вариантов, нежели где-либо ещё. Потому Киплинг не мог обойти вниманием этот аспект, приступая к созданию продолжительных историй, значительно превышающих размером многие из его рассказов. Например, в том же 1888 году он публикует сборник «Рикша-призрак и другие рассказы», составленный из следующих произведений: «Рикша-призрак», «Моё собственное персональное привидение», «Необычайная прогулка Морроуби Джукса» и «Человек, который хотел стать королём».
(c) Trounin
(c) Trounin
April 24, 2020
“The Phantom Rikshaw” is a collection of five tales by Rudyard Kipling. Three of them involve, at some level, have a sense of the supernatural about them. One the tales even includes a laundry list of the sort of ghosts you might expect to run into while traveling in India. The other two stories are outright adventure tales. Each of the stories include a sense of the clash between the cultures of India and Britain. The most recognized piece included in the collection is “The Man Who Would be King.”
March 16, 2023
Bought this mainly so I could have some vintage paper of one of my fave short stories "The Man Who Would Be King" which is the 4th of 4 in here and a big 5-Star on its own.
The other 3 stories:
"The Phantom 'Rickshaw",
"My Own True Ghost Story", and
"The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes" (parallels with Abe's "Woman In The Dunes"(!))
are all excellently crafted ghost stories, so collection merits 4 stars overall.
The other 3 stories:
"The Phantom 'Rickshaw",
"My Own True Ghost Story", and
"The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes" (parallels with Abe's "Woman In The Dunes"(!))
are all excellently crafted ghost stories, so collection merits 4 stars overall.
April 28, 2023
I enjoy Kipling. Both his stories and poetry. These stories were from early in his career, while still in India. Over the years, I have tried to complete the reading of all his poems, and I've made good progress, I'm about two-thirds of the way through. Though we have yet to see who will finish first, Kipling or I. In between come his stories, of which there also seem to be many. Kipling is a lovely way to spend one's time.
May 15, 2022
Entertaining listening 🎶🔰
Another will written haunting horror ghost 👻 dreams adventure thriller short story by Rudyard Kipling about India historical hauntings horror ghost 👻 and the dreams that a British subject go through during his time in India. I would recommend this novella to readers who read Kipling in school. Enjoy the adventure of novels 👍🔰 and books 📚. 2022 👒🏰😉
Another will written haunting horror ghost 👻 dreams adventure thriller short story by Rudyard Kipling about India historical hauntings horror ghost 👻 and the dreams that a British subject go through during his time in India. I would recommend this novella to readers who read Kipling in school. Enjoy the adventure of novels 👍🔰 and books 📚. 2022 👒🏰😉
February 2, 2020
I appreciate that older books are available in eBook, otherwise today's readers might now have access to them if no hardcopies are available. Anyway, I found some of the stories in the collection good, others not so much.
November 6, 2022
A collection of supernatural and not so supernatural stories (The Man Who Would Be King). All are quite fun but the modern reader must get past the casual racism of the time, which tends to spoil things in a cringe making way.
March 17, 2023
A couple of passable stories sandwiched between two monumentally dull stories. The Phantom Rickshaw was rather twee and failed to hold my attention. As was the concluding story which was also hard to follow. A capable writer but these stories did not resonate with me particularly.
March 15, 2019
Ok, some of these aren’t really ghost stories, but he’s such a good writer I didn’t mind.
October 21, 2021
I love a good Kipling story!
October 23, 2021
The story of the Phantom Rickshaw was engaging; the others not so much.
Read
October 24, 2022have only read the phantom rickshaw
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews