Alfred Hitchcock presenta: Storie che mia madre non mi raccontò mai

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

by Alfred Hitchcock (Editor), Lia Tomasich (translator), Chiara Mancini (translator)

I racconti preferiti del maestro della suspense.

«Il titolo di questo libro è una perfetta descrizione del suo contenuto. Mia madre non mi avrebbe mai raccontato le storie che ho qui raccolto, e anch'io vi sconsiglio di tramandarle ai vostri figli. Sono racconti per palati raffinati, che abbiano già dimestichezza con corpi contundenti, grida nella notte e calici di vino avvelenati. L'unica cosa che posso promettervi è che vi attende una vasta gamma di emozioni - ma nulla di tenero o sentimentale, che non è proprio nelle mie corde.»
Alfred Hitchcock

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Anthologies, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (1899-1980) was an iconic and highly influential film director and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres.

Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.

Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.

Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.

Reviews

[Jack Tripper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's the 1965 Dell mass-market I have (223 pages), with cover art by Fred Banbery. Features stories of horror and suspense by such luminaries in the field as Richard Matheson, Gerald Kersh, Shirley Jackson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Collier, and -- the main reason I wanted to read this antho -- Jane Rice, whose "The Idol of the Flies" is a tale I've been intrigued by for years due to its reputation among weird fiction fans as an overlooked classic. And yet I've owned this book for a decade while totally ignorant of its inclusion here.

[Cecily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a couple of the stories from this collection, though I read them in Alberto Manguel's Black Water anthologies.

The Child who Believed, Grace Amundson, 4*

Do you believe in magic? Manguel’s second anthology of fantastic fiction gets off to a good start, with an almost unknown author. It is a poignant and deftly-written piece contrasting the faded dreams of adults with the faith of a child on the cusp of becoming a cynical teen, alongside some jabs at class and gender roles.

It’s the summer carnival at an aspirational (junior high?) school, with entertainment organised by the fathers. Ellerman is dressed as a clown, to the huge embarrassment of his daughter, Constance. Camden has booked Armitage, a haughty but faded magician, with “shrunken and yellowed gloves”. Armitage is warned that his audience will not be easily impressed, but counters that:
“Children accept the wondrous quite sensibly.”

Before the show, an easy trick, a chicken sandwich, and “the mellifluous chain of his expression” charm the stroppy Constance. It’s a touching and believable connection. And then he does something beautiful and truly amazing - a trick that is transformative for them both.


Image: Bubbles, by Nattapol_Sritongcom (Source)

Ellerman is left pondering:
“What if his parents hadn’t borne down hard on the wild illusions of youth?... There were times when he was more terrified of having a too remarkable child than a stupid one. Somewhere between the two poles was a nice, healthy average… Better they grew up to believe less than something too lurid.”
What a dreadful way to constrain one’s child’s spirit and future.

For an alternative view, Ellerman should read Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron, which I happened to read today. See my review HERE.

I’m sure it’s relevant that Grace Amundson was a woman, writing this in the early 1960s, or possibly late 1950s.

Analogies, and other quotes

• “There was an eager angelic waxiness about his nostrils.”
• “The greenish balls of his eyes like skinless white grapes.”
• “The lanterns bobbed on, broiling the dusk in hot festoons.”
• “Ellerman roamed the languid assemblage, haranguing them with a vivacity more suitable for auctioning off a marble quarry.”
• “The lavender pastures of her eyes.”
• “Constance looked at the pliant half corpse of fowl laid out on the plate and recoiled from the contours of such recent life.”

Short story club

I read this in Black Water 2: More Tales of the Fantastic, by Alberto Manguel, from which I’m reading one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 24 March 2025.

You can read this story HERE.

You can join the group here.


An Invitation to the Hunt, George Hitchcock (no relation), 2*

See my review HERE.

[Antonio Heras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una estupenda y variada colección de relatos de suspense y terror que se cocina lento, reposado. Del bueno, vaya.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part I:

Starting on a new book (what a surprise!): This time I'm going for Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories My Mother Never Told Me [1st Edition, Dell Pocket size, 1965--another library book sale coup]. I love these little pocket size books that came out from the late 1930s to 1960s.

I went through a major Hitchcock collection phase when I was in late elementary school. I read anthologies with titles such as Stories Not for the Nervous and Stories to Be Read with the Door Locked. My mom got a little worried about me and my spine-tinglers--especially when it came time for the Young Authors conference (for which all 5th & 6th graders had to make books) and I submitted a collection of short stories featuring ghosts and swamp monsters and things that go bump in the night. She didn't think that quite the thing....

So, full of nostalgia for those days of freaking my mom out more than the stories ever freaked me out...I'll be settling in with my Hitchcock tonight. With the lights on full and hoping that the scratching noise at the window is just the neighbor's cat and not whatever creepy-crawlie is featured in the latest story.

*******
Part II

You know...these stories are really pretty creepy. Maybe my mom was right to be worried about her 11-year old after all. I haven't quite finished the collection (4 more short stories), but almost to finish line. I think my favorite is "The Secret of the Bottle" by Gerald Kersh. It's a pretty interesting take on what could have happened in Ambrose Bierce's last days. There's also "Just a Dreamer" by Robert Arthur. What would happen if all your dreams quite literally came true? It certainly would make for some interesting times....

I also have the feeling that I've read some of these stories before in other collections: "Summer People" by Shirley Jackson and "An Invitation to the Hunt" by George Hitchcock being two of the most familiar. Didn't stop me from getting a brief case of the chills down the spine, though.

This was posted on my blog: My Reader's Block (click above). Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Martín Altamirano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Con este libro confirmo mi fanatismo por las antologías: Es un formato que mantiene enganchado y hace que cada sesión de lectura sea refrescante. La selección de cuentos de suspenso y terror permite al lector entender el origen de las ideas e inspiraciones del famoso y por siempre influyente director, Alfred Hitchcock. Esta antología es de alta calidad y ofrece variedad dentro del rango genérico establecido. Lógicamente, algunos cuentos son mejores que otros, sin embargo, se mantiene un estándar de calidad a lo largo de la compilación que hace que la lectura fluya naturalmente y me dejó siempre con ganas de leer un cuento más, y otro, y otro, y otro. Ha sido mi lectura más rápida desde hace un buen tiempo.

Cuentos favoritos:

- "El viento" por Ray Bradbury
- "Los años amargos" por Dana Lyon
- "Los veraneantes" por Shirley Jackson
- "La tumba circular" por Andrew Benedict
- "El ídolo de las moscas" por Jane Rice
- "El ascenso del señor Mappin" por Zena Collier: Este cuento es el que más me chocó personalmente, realmente te rompe el corazón y por ello es mi cuento favorito de la antología. Este cuento podría haber entrado perfectamente a la antología cinematográfica de situaciones tragicómicas "Relatos Salvajes".
- "Los hijos de Noé" por Richard Matheson
- "El hombre que estaba en todas partes" por Edward D. Hoch: El cuento con el final más "satisfactorio" de todos, es un encaje perfecto.
- "Apuestas" por Roald Dahl
- "Una casa muy convincente" por Henry Slesar: Entra en el top 3 de mis cuentos favoritos.
- "Onagra" por John Collier
- "Selección natural" por Gilbert Thomas
- "Segunda noche en el mar" por Frank Belknap Long
- "El muchacho que predecía terremotos" por Margaret St. Clair: Mi segundo cuento favorito de la selección.

15 cuentos me gustaron de un total de 20. Me parece excelente.

[Temucano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una de las buenas antologías de Bruguera, si es que no la mejor. A falta de más sangre o terribles monstruos, compensa con creces gracias a las malas sensaciones de ansiedad, impotencia, opresión, locura y vileza.

Dentro de los buenos relatos destaco: "La tumba circular" de Andrew Benedict, "La subasta" de Roald Dahl, "El secreto de la botella" de Gerald Kersh, "Invitación a una cacería" de George Hitchcock (precursor), "El hombre que estaba en todas partes" de Edward D. Hoch, "Avenencias" de George Mandel y "Los hijos de Noé" de Richard Matheson.

Ahora bien hay tres narraciones sobresalientes, que me volaron la cabeza:

"Los veraneantes" de Shirley Jackson, desasosegante, opresivo. muy bien escrito. Merecida su fama.

"El ídolo de las moscas" de Jane Rice, sobre Pruitt, un niño malvado obsesionado con estos insectos, que trasunta una maldad infantil ruin y ominosa, como poca veces encontrada.

"Un poco de tu sangre" de Theodore Sturgeon, novela corta de excepción sobre el caso de un soldado encerrado en un manicomio. A partir de su genial autobiografía se va desvelando un misterio horrible, que sigue su curso en regresiones, test de Roscharch, entrevistas, etc.., todo contado en varios formatos unidos por la profunda pluma de Sturgeon, tan claro a la hora de restregarnos emociones de tipos raros. No entiendo como no ha sido publicada otra vez en español. Lo mejor de la antología y de lo mejor del autor, lo que es decir mucho.

[Rocío Alarcón Ramírez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conocer a algun@s autores antes desconocid@s ha sido otro de los alicientes de leer este libro. Me han gustado especialmente:
-Nuestros amigos los pájaros de Philip MacDonald
-Los veraneantes de Shirley Jackson.
-Lá tumba circular de Andrés Benedict.
-El ascenso del señor Mappin de Zena Collier.
-El montículo de arena de John Keefauvrer.
¿Quién tiene la dama? Jack Ritchie.
-Selección natural de Gilbert Thomas.
-El muchacho que predecía terremotos de Margaret St. Clair.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was particularly creeped out by the story of the man who gets revenge on another man by locking him in a soundproof room. He provides a constant drip of water which collects in a pitcher and a loaf of bread a day. Will he ever escape?

I'm sure there were other stories, but it's been long enough since I read this that I don't remember.

[Cameron Trost · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love everything Hitchcock, suspense, strange, and spine-tingling, you'll love this anthology.

[Saretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Williwaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains 25 short stories and a short novel. With a few exceptions, I found the stories satisfying. Many of them are by acknowledged masters of the form: Gerald Kersh, Ray Bradbury, John Collier, Roald Dahl, Avram Davidson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Richard Matheson, to name a few.

I sought out the hardcover edition because it contains "Some of Your Blood," which is a short novel by Theodore Sturgeon. Some readers have billed it as a vampire novel, but I don't think it fits that description. Instead, it's about a psychotic fellow who just happens to drink blood. He has no supernatural powers; there's no indication that he fears sunlight or garlic; or that he is immortal.

George -- the psychotic man's name -- does, however, have an unusual talent: he is an expert at trapping small game. In a long, diary-style passage that makes up the heart of the novel, he explains his hunting techniques down to the smallest details.

While reading this passage, one gets the sense that Sturgeon must have been intimately familiar with the woods and its denizens. It is truly evocative and absorbing. The diary-style passage could practically stand on its own, but it is sandwiched by some letters between an army psychoanalyst (George's doctor) and his superior. In the letters, one learns how the analyst "unlocked" George's secret. For me, this was all somewhat gimmicky and nearly spoiled the whole thing. So I don't rank this piece with Sturgeon's best work.

A few of the more memorable short stories for me were:

"The Secret of the Bottle" -- in which Kersh gives a fantastic explanation of how Ambrose Bierce disappeared.

"The Child Who Believed" -- about a dying magician who bequeaths his power to a young girl (Grace Amundson (??) wrote this one).

"I Do Not Hear You, Sir," in which Avram Davidson depicts the last moments of a swindler who has unexpectedly discovered a way to communicate with America's Founding Fathers.

"A Dip in the Pool," Roald Dahl's hilarious tale of a dull-witted gambler who risks everything to win, and loses.

"Adjustments" -- by George Mandel (??), who takes morning crabbiness to a whole new level.

"The Summer People," by Shirley Jackson -- a truly eerie tale about the year when a couple from the city overstay their welcome in a small, rural community where they own a summer home.

So if you like short stories in what might be called a "dark fantasy" vein, you might enjoy this book. But it's definitely much easier to find the abridged, Sturgeon-less paperback version, which has been printed several times (but probably not recently) by Dell.

[Enea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siempre que hay que reseñar una antología es difícil por la cantidad de autores, estilos, etc. Supongo que el valor de la antología cabe en decidir si esta funciona o no como un todo. Yo creo que funciona bien, aunque no todos los textos me parecieron increíbles.

Hay muchos cuentos que se anclan en el golpe de efecto, en el final alla Poe. Entiendo que a Hitchcock le gustaba esto. Algunos quedan un poco evidentes o demasiado clásicos. "El viento" de Bradbury, por ejemplo o "Los años amargos".

Pero también hay un montón de textos extraños, entre el policial, el thriller, el fantástico, el terror... Si hay un aglutinante es "lo ominoso". (Buena, leí un artículo de Freud). Pero es la verdad.

"Los veraneantes" de Shirley Jackson tiene una atmósfera de extrañamiento buenísima, "La diosa blanca" dobla los espacios de la realidad, "La tumba circular" es mejor que OldBoy, "Apuestas" tiene un giro digno de Seinfeld, "Una casa muy convincente" tiene todo lo clásico del golpe de efecto al final pero sale perfecto, "Onagra" es espectacular, un delirio de submundo en los shoppings (mi favorito), "Segunda noche en el mar" es un cuento de terror alla maupassant y "El muchacho que predecía los terremotos" es una mezcla entre Magnolia y la peli nueva de DiCaprio en Netflix.

[Annie thebooksengine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Y te aseguro que este título es una descripción absolutamente exacta de su contenido. [...] La razón es muy sencilla: ninguno de ellos estaba escrito en la época en que mi madre me contaba cuentos."

Creía que tardaría más en leerlos porque al ser formato relatos no incita al binge reading pero simplemente no he podido parar. Cada uno me parecía más raro y perturbador que el anterior y solo quería descubrir qué personajes macabros me traería el siguiente. Algunos me han hecho reír, otros me han dado miedo, y otros me han dejado pensando ¿qué es lo que acabo de leer? Recopila a autores de la talla de Ray Bradbury ("Fahrenheit 451"), Shirley Jackson ("The Haunting of Hill House") y Roald Dahl ("Matilda"), entre otros.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love theses books, have since I was a kid and got them out from the library. I got this one out from the library too, as it was a volume I hadn't read. Quite a few treasures inside. If you appreciate quality writing with an edge, pick up this volume if you see it. I'm always surprised what they could get away with by putting Alfred Hitchcock's name on the book. Like it was more permissible to go over certain lines or something. Whatever, I loved it when I was younger, and I still do!

[Cudipeich Grijander · Rating 4 out of 5]

2o historias de misterio y suspense, de distinta calidad. Me gustó reencontrarme con Road Dahl's Dip in the Pool, que había leído ya en Tales of the Unexpected hace muchos años. El mejor relato, Los veraneantes, el más caníbal, Hijos de Noé.

[Sofia Vienny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bueno.

[Glenn Hopp · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real vintage paperback (meaning hard to find) from March 1965 and probably a collection best enjoyed with its age in mind. The worst thing about this collection of thirteen stories—spoiler!—is the surprising number that resort to cannibalism for a twist ending. Couldn’t editor Robert Arthur vary that a bit? Still, only a few (those by Andrew Benedict, George Hitchcock, Richard Wormser) telegraph their endings too soon; others (by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Shirley Jackson, Gerald Kersh, John Collier) add an effective atmosphere and verbal style to the suspense of the plots. The other six, if you like crime fiction, are certainly worth reading.

[Tommaso Beneforti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le raccolte di racconti presentati da Hitchcock sono diventati praticamente un sottogenere del giallo/thriller da decenni. Dopo una lunghissima carriera in tv e in editoria, non si può dire che manchino storie nella scuderia del famoso maestro della suspense.

Il pretesto per la selezione dei racconti è molto frivolo e ironico, come solo Hitch poteva proporlo. Non aspettatevi, quindi, chissà quale legame affettivo verso questi racconti (praticamente è assente), ma aspettatevi scritti di illustri narratori come Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Ray Bradbury e Richard Matheson.

Come ogni libro antologico, ci sono alti e bassi, storie più avvincenti e meno interessanti, ma è proprio questo il bello del gioco: ogni capitolo è un'avventura diversa con varie sfaccettature. Una raccolta di racconti è sempre sinonimo di svago e divertimento... anche nel thriller!

Di seguito la lista di storie più belle:

- A tre miglia da Marleybone, di H. Slesar
- Tutta la città dorme, di R. Bradbury
- La morte è un sogno, di R. Arthur
- La cravatta del presidente Wilson, di P. Highsmith
- Bevi il mio rosso sangue, di R. Matheson
- Una ricetta per le uova, di F. Sisk

[Alberto Gómez · Rating 4 out of 5]

20 relatos cortos, algunos muy interesantes, otros que te mantienen en vilo hasta el final, y un par de ellos bastante infumables.

[Laura Fernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buena curaduría del rey del suspense

[Choski · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

Relatos favoritos:

"Los años amargos"
"Los veraneantes"
"La tumba circular"
"El ídolo de las moscas"
"Los hijos de Noé"
"El hombre que estaba en todas partes"
"Apuestas"
"Una casa muy convincente"
"Onagra"
"Segunda noche en el mar"
"El muchacho que predecía terremotos"

[Phil Giunta · Rating 3 out of 5]

If my mother ever told me the stories included in this collection, half of them would have put me to sleep. After reading two excellent Twilight Zone anthologies in December, I came to this Alfred Hitchcock collection expecting stories of similar quality. Regrettably, I was underwhelmed.

Oh, there were a few gems among the 13 tales, but some, such as "Smart Sucker" by Richard Wormser and "Hostage" by Don Stanford, built up to anti-climactic endings. "Witch's Money" by John Collier began with an interesting plot, but seemed to lose momentum and wander off.

My favorites from the collection include:

When a young woman commits suicide from a broken heart, her father decides to exact a long, slow revenge against the man responsible in "The Wall-to-Wall Grave" by Andrew Benedict.

American author Ambrose Bierce vanished in Chihuahua, Mexico in 1914. However, his final tale was found inside an unusual bottle found in the obscure village of Oxoxoco. Will "The Secret of the Bottle" by Gerald Kersch reveal the mystery of Ambrose Bierce's final days?

Ellen Baker returned from a train ride a very different person— distant, cold, aloof. Worse, she found an unsavory new boyfriend who is prone to violence and seems to have Ellen mesmerized. Determined to protect his best friend, Eddie follows Ellen aboard another train, only discover the eerie truth about her boyfriend during "A Short Trip Home" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

When Fred Perkins receives an invitation from wealthy socialites to join them on their next hunting expedition, his first impulse is to decline. However, his wife and friends convince him that it would be a step forward for him socially. When the big day arrives, however, Fred wishes he followed his instincts and ignored "An Invitation to the Hunt" by George Hitchcock.

Every morning before breakfast Caroline's husband Pete is more than a bit surly, he's literally murderous! As such, Caroline often finds herself making "Adjustments" by George Mandel.

When Robert and Janet Allison decide to remain at their country cottage during the first month of autumn instead of leaving at the end of summer as they typically do, the locals seem strangely taken aback. Worse, bizarre calamities begin to occur that make the Allisons wish they had continued to be "The Summer People" by Shirley Jackson.

Traveling through Maine on what was supposed to be a sightseeing tour, Mr. Ketchum is pulled over for speeding in the seaside hamlet of Zachary, Maine. After being detained overnight, the police take Ketchum to the judge's house where he expects to pay his fine and finally be released, until he learns a horrible truth at the hands of "The Children of Noah" by Richard Matheson.

[Pianobikes · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Hay que adentrarse en estas historias sin advertencias ni prejuicios” ~ Alfred Hitchcock presenta: cuentos que mi madre nunca me contó.

Estas palabras de Alfred Hitchcock lo dicen todo. En este libro se recopilan 20 relatos que destilan la esencia del suspense que impregna la obra de Hitchcock. Encontramos pájaros, encontramos parejas enamoradas con doble perfil, encontramos misterios naturales. Bueno, como dice Hitchcock mejor adentrarse sin saber.

Son relatos escritos por varios autores: Ray Bradbury, Dana Lyon, Shirley Jackson, Jane Rice, Richard Matheson, Roald Dahl... y así hasta veinte. Todos fantásticos. No es un libro para leer de una tacada pero sí para coger a ratos, leer un relato y dejarlo reposar. Algunos te pondrán la piel de gallina y otros terminan en un punto álgido que te dejarán pensando.

La edición de Blackie Books, preciosa.

[José Antonio Gutiérrez Guevara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta antología está llena de relatos que me dejaron con incertidumbre e incomodidad. Hasta ahora me pregunto si esos relatos realmente encajan en el género del terror o suspenso. Lo que importa es que los disfruté a pesar de ser raros.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read EVERY story in this collection. Those that I did were quite enjoyable. I recommend.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars out of 5 Stars

What a great collection! Everything story in this book was at least enjoyable.

Full Review to Come.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Halloween inspiration.

[Noniu2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente recopilación de relatos inquietantes, perfectos para leer en las frías noches de Diciembre. Y una vez más, una exquisita edición por parte de Blackie Books.

[Petergiaquinta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun assortment of thirteen strange, spooky tales mostly pulled from the pages of those pulp mags in the '40s and '50s, this collection came to my attention thanks to our GoodReads short story group that has been working its way through Black Water, the excellent fantastic tales anthology edited by Alberto Manguel. Next week we begin Manguel's second volume of Black Water, so if strange tales are your thing, come and join us!

Although Alfred Hitchcock's collection makes no pretense at being high art or great literature, and his tongue-in-cheek introduction suggests his mother would not be a fan of the material contained within, there are some big names in this volume--Richard Matheson, John Collier, Shirley Jackson--and, most surprisingly, F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose "A Short Trip Home" might call to mind a lovestruck Nick Carraway figure back in St. Paul from Yale for the holidays who has an unsettling encounter with the supernatural. When I was a boy, these Hitchcock collections were fairly ubiquitous on the spinning racks at the public library and at bookstores. I read a couple of them as a boy, my first encounter with names I later grew much more familiar with: Roald Dahl, Daphne duMaurier, Agatha Christie and others.

"Invitation to the Hunt" by George Hitchcock (no relation to Alfred), a knock-off of Richard Connell's more famous "Most Dangerous Game," was the story we read in our GR group a few weeks ago and my introduction to this collection. Here Hitchcock twists the familiar storyline into a bit of social satire about the cost of climbing the corporate ladder in America. Hitchcock's story is transplanted from a remote Caribbean island to California suburbia and Fred Perkins, our man in the grey flannel suit trying to ingratiate himself into the hierarchy at his Agency, is no big game hunter like Sanger Rainsford, just a deluded, dumb schmuck with a wife who is quite pleased at his apparent coming up in the world when he receives the engraved, silver-edged invitation to participate in this year's hunt, the social occasion of the year. Filled with eager excitement, his wife buys Fred a fancy fox hunting outfit which, alas, he is never able to show off to the upper crust of his community as he is rudely awakened before sunrise the morning of the hunt, hustled out of bed and off into the forest by a couple of thugs, and forced to run in terror through the woods in his tighty-whities. Tally ho!

"Invitation to the Hunt" is all right, but not my favorite in this collection, that pick going probably to "The Secret of the Bottle" by Gerald Kersh, which imagines the last days of Ambrose Bierce in the wilds of Mexico where he encounters an ancient advanced civilization headed by a ingratiating host (reminding me of the Dos Equis man), strangely familiar with Bierce's work and quite eager to get to know him much better at a feast they will be holding in his honor. Oddly, cannibalism features in a number of these tales. Or maybe my favorite was "Idol of the Flies," a creepy bad-seed story by Jane Rice featuring a shitty little kid who makes Kevin from We Should Talk about Kevin, look like a charming, well-adjusted youngster.

Here's a link to the entire collection:

https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/lu...

And here's a link to our short story group if you'd like to join:

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...?

[Yany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buenas!!! En esta reseña solamente voy a hablar de los relatos escritos por mujeres. Cabe destacar que en la edición original (con este título) de 1963 tenía 13 relatos, de los cuales 3 eran de mujeres que se incluyeron en esta edición; el resto hombres perooo hay variaciones. En esta edición incluye 20 relatos, de los cuales 7 son de mujeres, de los relatos escritos por hombres hay algunos que están en edición original que en esta no están y varios agregados.

Razones por las cuales me compre este libro: porque tiene "El ídolo de las moscas" de Jane Rice y otras autoras olvidadas, de las cuales no hay traducciones de sus libros y se vuelve una verdadera joya encontrar sus relatos traducidos en estas antologías.

Estos relatos son bastantes variados, entre lo raro, lo fantástico, el suspenso y la ciencia ficción. Sinceramente creí que me iba a encontrar solo con relatos de suspenso pero no (hablando en general) igualmente no es algo que me desagrade.

En el carrusel les dejo el índice e info de los relatos de estas 6 autoras, sí 6, porque hay una autora: Margaret St Clair que tiene dos relatos, uno con su pseudonimo. Las otras autoras son Jane Rice, Shirley Jackson, Dana Lyon, Zena Collier y Grace Amundson. Recomiendo cada relato, varían desde un terror psicológico, suspenso, fantástico, ciencia ficción y terror cotidiano; una pareja que se va de vacaciones y se queda más de la cuenta, asesinatos, un encuentro con una diosa, magia, niños malditos y un par de predicciones, son los temas que tratan para entrenarse bastante.

Les dejo el enlace https://www.instagram.com/p/DOAXo7jDM... del post.