The Haunted Looking Glass

by Edward Gorey (Editor)

The Haunted Looking Glass is the late Edward Gorey's selection of his favorite tales of ghosts, ghouls, and grisly goings-on. It includes stories by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, M. R. James, W. W. Jacobs, and L. P. Hartley, among other masters of the fine art of making the flesh creep, all accompanied by Gorey's inimitable illustrations.

ALGERNON BLACKWOOD, "The Empty House"
W.F. HARVEY, "August Heat"
CHARLES DICKENS, "The Signalman"
L.P. HARTLEY, "A Visitor from Down Under"
R.H. MALDEN, "The Thirteenth Tree"
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, "The Body-Snatcher"
E. NESBIT, "Man-Size in Marble"
BRAM STOKER, "The Judge's House"
TOM HOOD, "The Shadow of a Shade"
W.W. JACOBS, "The Monkey's Paw,"
WILKIE COLLINS, "The Dream Woman"
M.R. JAMES, "Casting the Runes"

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Classics, Gothic, Fantasy

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Born in Chicago, Gorey came from a colourful family; his parents, Helen Dunham Garvey and Edward Lee Gorey, divorced in 1936 when he was 11, then remarried in 1952 when he was 27. One of his step-mothers was Corinna Mura, a cabaret singer who had a brief role in the classic film Casablanca. His father was briefly a journalist. Gorey's maternal great-grandmother, Helen St. John Garvey, was a popular 19th century greeting card writer/artist, from whom he claimed to have inherited his talents. He attended a variety of local grade schools and then the Francis W. Parker School. He spent 1944–1946 in the Army at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, and then attended Harvard University from 1946 to 1950, where he studied French and roomed with future poet Frank O'Hara.

Although he would frequently state that his formal art training was "negligible", Gorey studied art for one semester at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1943, eventually becoming a professional illustrator. From 1953 to 1960, he lived in New York City and worked for the Art Department of Doubleday Anchor, illustrating book covers and in some cases adding illustrations to the text. He has illustrated works as diverse as Dracula by Bram Stoker, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. In later years he illustrated many children's books by John Bellairs, as well as books in several series begun by Bellairs and continued by other authors after his death.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

So the great Gorey and I have some of the same tastes in fiction. And we both like cats.

Some of these stories are well known - such as "The Monkey's Paw", which is one of those stories that never grows stale at all. Others are not, such as "August Heat", a rather chilling tale. What is interesting is that Blakwood's story "The Empty House" and Wilkie Collins' "The Dream Woman" make use of rather strong women, where as the others don't. In fact, Nesbit's story seems to be also poking fun at the classes and the differences between rural and city folk.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite stories were M.R. James' "Casting the Runes" and E. Nesbit's "Man-Size in Marble," although the latter was a bit sad -- I liked her newlyweds so much that I really wanted them to have a happy ending. I could've read a ghost-free novel about them writing and painting and studying folklore and being sweet in their odd little cottage. Kind of a funny coincidence: I felt the same way about Patricia McKillip's short story The Kelpie, which also featured turn-of-the-century artistic types.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of ghost stories.
If you have Dickens "The Signalman" and M. R. James "The Casting of the Runes" included, then you know you are on to a winner.

Highly recommended... HAPPY CHILLS!

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just received a replacement copy for the missing-who-knows-how-long hardcover from my collection. Guess what I'm looking forward to for All Hallow's Read? Perfect!

personal copy

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mildly successful, 12-entry collection of tales of the supernatural - curated by Edward Gorey, who supplies each story with an evocative, introductory drawing. (Oh, if only there had been additional drawings midway for each, to give needed lifts or jolts.)

No doubt most of these stories had more punch in their day but time has not been kind to the bulk of them - not so much for content as much as writing styles that can now seem a bit labored. Strangely, the least effective of the bunch come with pedigree: stories by Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker and Wilkie Collins. Their stories aren't bad; they just seem needlessly s-l-o-w.

The most memorable stories can thank their authors for still-accessible language and attention to pacing: as evidenced in 'The Empty House', 'August Heat', 'A Visitor from Down Under' (by L.P. Hartley) and 'The Thirteenth Tree'.

'Man-Size in Marble', 'The Shadow of a Shade' and (the well-known) 'The Monkey's Paw' each have a bit of spark (the latter esp. in its final moment).

I soon came to recognize the final story - 'Casting the Runes' - as the (better) film it eventually became in 1957: Jacques Tourneur's splendid horror classic 'Curse of the Demon'.

I couldn't fight the feeling that much of the writing here was making the volume a bit of a slog. Alas, some writing styles just haven't properly stood the test of time.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most interesting books I've read of late, I must say. It's a collection of short fiction from the turn of the last century, writer Edward Gorey's favorites, and they range from odd to downright spooky. It begins with explorers in a haunted house, and over 250 pages manages to cover much of the breadth of late Victorian English ghost stories.

Each tale is definitely unique. A couple involve haunted houses, some demons from hell, mysterious magic, ancient curses, strange events, and normal humans on the underbelly of society, afflicted with a dose of the supernatural. There are both long ones, nearly novellas, and more succinct pieces. None are truly gruesome or horrifying, with the exception of "The Body-Snatcher", but rare are the pages that will not send chills down your spine. These writers were the masters of their times, thrilling audiences from newspapers and bookstands. These are tales to be told in the cover of darkness, where the shadow takes firm grip upon the soul of the unwary, tales to be told aloud, for the chuckle and boom of a voice will bring their ghosts to life.

To those who would enjoy such tales, and I believe that includes a very wide range, this book is probably one of the best samplers of the genre, a solid footstep from which more can be found. Certainly several of the authors I've already sought out more from. At least some of the stories are bound to appeal to almost anyone, especially on a foggy night around a fireplace. Some are better than anything I've ever read from Stephen King and other modern dealers of this type. Not to mention that I simply enjoyed the archaic dialect of these, being a fan of the old styles. You will not regret picking this book up, as it so forcefully captures the imagination. Not all so captured me, but as I said, variety is the key here, and something is bound to appeal to everyone.

My personal favorites were probably Harvey's "August Heat" and James' "Casting the Runes", on opposite ends of the book, nicely pulling me in and leading me out. "Heat" is short, sweltering, and eerie, ending in such a way that is simply too powerful; "Runes" about a the thrilling unraveling of a mystery surrounding a warlock who hexed a man. "The Thirteenth Tree" is perhaps not the most exciting, but definitely is mysterious. The title of "A Visitor From Down Under" has a double meaning, and the story embodies the psychadelia and madness of the period. Rats both haunt and protect a university student in "The Judges House", but little can stop the real horror that lives there. In "The Monkey's Paw" one wish brings ruin on a family, and a second used in desperation seems to bode more... "The Empty House" casts its siren call over an old woman, who brings her nephew in only to witness an invisible murder. The namesake of "The Signalman" has some ability to see future accidents. And in the bloody "Body-Snatcher", medical college students must take criminal steps to ensure a supply of cadavers, until one turns on them.

[Paul Hasbrouck · Rating 3 out of 5]

A excellent ghost story collection, picked by the artist of the macabre, Edward Gorey. The volume contains many a famous tale-The Signalman by Charles Dickens, the Body Snatcher by Robert Lewis Stevenson and The Judge's House by Bram Stoke , but their are others that can chill the reader.
1.The Dream Wife by Wilkie Collins(the Moonstone)-were a man is haunted by a murderous ghost.
2. A Visitor from Down Under by L.P. Hartley-in a cold and raining London, a businessman must face his doom, from unworldly figure.
3 Man-Size in Marble by E. Nesbit-there is old church, a honeymooning couple and proofs that you should listen to your housekeeper about evil lore./
4.The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood-a haunted house story, that has one of greatest opening lines is supernatural fiction-"Certain houses, like certain persons, manage somehow to proclaim at once their character for evil."
There are two stories that are more supernatural dread, than ghost-The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs and Casting the Runes by M.R. James-still both are nerve racking .
Well for darkness of the holiday season, step into darkness, but be careful, for what walks in darkness is near you.

[Mindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of ghostly tales, gathered together by the immensely popular artist and master of the macabre, Edward Gorey. Gorey sketched an illustration for each story, thus making this superb collection a must for every lover of a good scary story, and certainly any collector of Gorey's art.

[Perri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read and was mesmerized by Edward Gorey's book, The Willowdale Handcar, and had to find another. This book has is a collection of stories he chose and illustrated. I had only read one before (The Monkey's Paw) and there were several works by other famous authors -Charles Dickens, E. Nesbit, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson. I would describe the stories as classic gothic- lots of haunted houses and ghosts. The Illustrations were typical creeper Gorey. Would make a terrific Halloween reading

".. every word of this story is true as despair.."

[Jim Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology collects twelve Victorian ghost stories selected by artist Edward Gorey. Each story is accompanied by one of his illustrations.

Lots of great stories with “Man-Size in Marble” by E. Nesbit being my favorite. After a couple move into a country cottage, the husband hears tales about marble statues in an old cathedral that supposedly come to life on All Hallow’s Eve. Loved the prose and the atmosphere.

“August Heat” by W.F. Harvey was the only story I didn’t really care for, as it doesn’t include any ghosts and the ending was too ambiguous for me.

My ratings:
The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood (4/5)
August Heat by W. F. Harvey (2/5)
The Signalman by Charles Dickens (5/5)
A Visitor from Down Under by L. P. Hartley (3/5)
The Thirteenth Tree by R. H. Malden (4/5)
The Body-Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson (4/5)
Man-Size in Marble by E. Nesbit (5/5)
The Judge’s House by Bram Stoker (4/5)
The Shadow of a Shade by Tom Hood (3/5)
The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs (5/5)
The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins (4/5)
Casting the Runes by M. R. James (5/5)

[Tra-Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very impressed with Gorey's taste. It's not easy to put together a collection of ghost stories from all different authors that will appeal to people who aren't you, but he managed it and I'm grateful he took the time to do so, and even to illustrate his selections.

The stories are mostly spooky, rather than scary, but sometimes chilling. Being literature proper, they still have more teeth than collections I've read by other authors such as Roald Dahl, which I appreciate. Spoilers here on.

The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood felt the most modern and brainless to me (by comparison). It was an alright start. Too direct and obvious, but sort of fun.

August Heat by W.F. Harvey is the one that stuck in my mind second-most. You understand more or less what is going to happen from the moment the protagonist sees the sculptor, and Harvey could have spoiled the entire story by playing that out to its conclusion, but he walks right into the fact that you know what's going to happen by only hinting at it, which turns the story excellent.

The Signalman by Charles Dickens is far and away my favorite. It is brilliant. He paints an unusual and solitary scene of dark, wet rock and cold winds with the occasional train rushing through: an atmosphere that sticks in your mind. He then works in not one but two eerie elements. The first is that the signalman continually sees an apparition warning him of deaths to come, eventually of course falling victim himself.
The second, and what gives me shivers, is that the apparition is the protagonist, in some twisted manner we cannot understand. There are three hints to this. The words yelled in attempt to warn the signalman are the words the protagonist privately thought. Further, the words the protagonist initially yells, the very first words of the book, "Halloa! Below there!" are the ones the signalman continually hears. But best of all, because you could very easily forget it by the time you reach the end of the story, the signalman *recognizes* the protagonist at the beginning of the story *as the apparition*: "I was doubtful whether I had seen you before."
In this way the story, unlike most ghost stories, rewards you with new detail upon rereading. You understand the signalman's reaction in the first paragraph, you recognize the initial words, and more is given as you continue on a second read. Fantastic.

A Visitor From Down Under by L.P. Hartley was an odd mix of things. I more or less liked it as a ghost story, but I don't know if the near-disconnected opening scene was necessary, and I'm afraid that I found the scene with someone talking to children so funny that I have to struggle to remember the main narrative. I loved the story purely for this hilarious single page. If you have the book in hand, this is on page 61:
"...A Children's Party," the voice announced in an even, neutral tone, nicely balanced between approval and distaste, between enthusiasm and boredom; "six little girls and six little" (a faint life in the voice, expressive of tolerant surprise) "boys. The Broadcasting Company has invited them to tea, and they are anxious that you should share some of their fun." (At the last word the voice became completely colorless.)"
The scene goes on for another paragraph and I have reread it several times because of its hard-to-define and understated humor, smiling every time.

The Thirteenth Tree by R.H. Malden was my least favorite of the stories, filled with convoluted and underwhelming history, and very tame in its execution.

The Body-Snatcher is the most grotesque story. It does end up being a ghost story, but only thanks to the very, very end; its main horror is the horror of man. It's so dark in that aspect that it may have felt a little too bleak for me. But it kept my interest and I plan to look up more of Stevenson's ghost stories.

Man-Size in Marble by E. Nesbit was a very good one with dynamic characters and a memorable ending, which made me tremendously happy because I love Edith Nesbit's children's stories and hate to see authors like her, George MacDonald, Michael Ende, etc., slowly falling out of favor in the US. If she can get a toehold via ghost stories that'll be something.

The Judge's House by Bram Stoker was unsurprisingly colorful and memorable. I don't know if one can forget that fat rat glowering on the armchair or the triumphant painting of the judge.

The Shadow of a Shade by Tom Hood was pretty forgettable to me, probably because of its placement directly following The Judge's House. It similarly features a painting of the deceased that changes in response to circumstances, but it's far less ominous, and the person who is haunted is a character we hate, so the threat to their life is more satisfying than scary.

The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs is a famous one, I know, but precisely as it alludes, it's too like The Arabian Nights and all those fairytales where someone gets a wish and it turns bad for them, such as the classic tale where a man wishes for sausages. Because of that it felt too formulaic to me.

The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins kept my attention, but made me more sad for Isaac and his mother than frightened. It's not exactly a ghost story, but more a story of an eerie premonition, since the threat is a living person. I think it would have been more effective without being told by others in past tense, but told directly as things happened to Isaac, and with indication that the woman is an evil spirit. There is a little speech in the story about how sensible and lucky Isaac is to have avoided marriage, and then how doomed and unfortunate he is to fall in love. Combined with the non-spooky drunkard quality of his wife, the whole thing is almost more like a cautionary tale against marrying a woman than a ghost story.

Casting The Runes by M.R. James is also not a straight ghost story, but a story of the supernatural curse of a sort of modern-day warlock. I enjoyed this foray into the occult, even though I was more afraid for Dunning than personally spooked.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. The stories weren't terribly long and I passed the autumn day away reading. The stories are older or they have an old quality about them. They're thrilling in a different sense, I suppose, than horror books that are produced nowadays. My favorites are "The Empty House" and "The Dream Woman". I also enjoyed reading "The Signalman" which I had previously heard as an audio-recording. The recording was called "Classic Ghost Stories" and all of the works had been written either by Charles Dickens or M.R. James, my favorite of which is "The Mezzotint".

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A selection of ghost stories by the likes of Algernon Blackwood, Charles Dickens, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, Wilkie Collins, etc., all selected by Edward Gorey. What's NOT to love?

Excellent collection of gothic Victorian ghost stories - it's the perfect read for late fall / early winter nights.

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of Ghost Stories, which includes works by Charles Dickens, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, M. R. James, and others.
There were several that I have read many, many times over the years, which were well worth a repeat read, and, best of all, I did discover a few new to me gems that I loved, such as "August Heat".

Highly recommended to anyone in search of a quick & creepy Halloween read.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Haunted Looking Glass is the late Edward Gorey's selection of his favourite tales of ghosts, ghouls and grizzly goings-on. There are stories here by Charles Dickens, MR James, and WP Hartley, among many other Masters of the fine art of ghostly mayhem. Naturally, all the stories are prefaced by Gorey's inimitable illustrations.

And there is not one single story in the entire collection called The Haunted Looking Glass. That alone is spooky.

[Kristy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*
Great little collection of ghost stories for those who like the classics. Almost 5 stars, except there are a couple stories in here that I don’t personally care for and thought there were better alternatives out there. I’m pretty familiar with classic ghost stories and I enjoyed re-reading some of those here. Loved the illustrations as well.

[Matthew Frederickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific. I've been mainlining these short stories before bed on late nights and it's been a lot of fun. Dont expect to be terrified when you read these stories, they align more with the atmospheric type of horror from movies like Silence of the Lambs or Cure. Would recommend to pretty much anybody.

[Sue Dix · Rating 5 out of 5]

What could be better than a book of haunting short stories picked by Edward Gorey? Same book with Edward Gorey illustrations. These short stories will make you shiver and one or two might make you sleep with the lights on. I loved this book, so much.

[The Literary Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite ghost stories from the masters. Fun pinning out which modern horror writers read (and borrowed from) which master or mistress. And there is no beating Gorey's illustrations.

[Georgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of classic chillers from a variety of authors. The collection includes three of my favourite tales - 'Casting the Runes' by M.R. James, 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens, and 'The Monkey's Paw' by W.W. Jacobs. Other favourites and new discoveries (for me) were 'The Empty House' by Algernon Blackwood, 'August Heat' by W.F. Harvey, 'The Shadow of a Shade' by Tom Hood, and 'The Body Snatcher' by R.L. Stevenson. All the stories were good though. What makes this collection extra special is that the tales are chosen by Edward Gorey, a fantastic illustrator who captures humour alongside a creeping sense of horror in his work. Each story has a title page which includes an illustration connected with the tales which capture their creepiness perfectly.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully chilling book. These are all horror classics, stories that I've seen referenced or parodied by modern writers, but never read in the original. Except for the Dickens story (I've never enjoyed Dickens), each one was thoroughly absorbing. The number of Gorey illustrations is the only disappointing part - there's only one per story and some of them really don't do justice to the spine-tingling qualities of the story they depict. Fabulous collection!

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boo! Scary good collection of ghost stories, with unsettling illustrations by Edward Gorey. Very few I hadn't read before, but features two of my all-time favorites ("The Signalman" and "The Monkey's Paw"), two of the best by Bram Stoker and M. R. James ("The Judge's House" and "Casting the Runes"), plus good ones by E. Nesbit and Robert Louis Stevenson, and two creepy ones I'd never heard of ("August Heat" by W.F. Harvey, and "The Thirteenth Tree" by R.H. Malden). Eek!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't think of a book that has brought me more pleasure. These stories are very English and very direct. The ghosts featured in this story aren't shy about making their presence known. But what I loved about these stories was the sharp contrast between the warm cozy indoors of the parlor, library or club compared to the wet and gloomy atmosphere outdoors. I will definitely be seeking out more stories by some of these lesser-known (to me anyway) authors, particularly Algernon Blackwell.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A set of fun gothic horror stories with a picture by Edward Gorey for each one. I might have to track down one or two of the authors to see what else they've done.

[NK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good old-fashioned ghost stories with fabulous illustrations by Gorey. Read them during the day.

[Almeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing masters and a master artist from an earlier age, when horror came from innermost fears not visual splatter. Wonderful combination.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and well-rounded collection of stories. Slight disappointment in that each story only got one illustration by Gorey. His name was the only reason I picked up the book.

[Marie Cordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

“All was still as death.”

Actual rating: 3.5/5

The Haunted Looking Glass is what I would describe as solid. I think Gorey did a fantastic job in curating these short stories. Some are excellent, many of them are quite strong, but there are a few which simply fell very short.

In a moment, I will briefly break down what I thought of each but let me begin by noting that none of these stories are terrifying. They will not keep you up at night or have you break out in a scream. But what they do, as a collection, is create an unsettling atmosphere. They’ll make you look back or think twice about whether something is crawling up your arm.

I have always thought that the Victorians were masters at creating atmosphere. In a time when there was no film or television or even radio, words were everything and this collection really proves the power of prose.

Obviously, all of the stories here were written by a very select portion of society and I would have loved to have seen a more diverse spread of stories, but for what it was, it was quite solid.

The Empty House was solid and I thought it had a lot of potential. I thought the atmosphere and the setting were both incredible but the latter part of the story lost steam and the climax was rather underwhelming. 3/5.

August Heat is the perfect short horror story in my opinion. It’s well paced, has compelling characters, and the ending was left ambiguous yet not at the same time. I had nothing negative to say about this strange little story. 5/5.

The Signalman was a bit slow at the beginning but it picked up very well towards the end. I thought that I had successfully figured out the twist, but I was wrong. I really loved the suspense and buildup of this frightful little tale. Very well done. 4/5.

A Visitor from Down Under , in my opinion, had one of the creepiest scenes written with the children. I’m sure many a horror movies were inspired by it. However, it really was terribly clunky. I thought the idea was good but the execution fell a bit flat at times. But when it was good, it was very good. 3/5.

The Thirteenth Tree was off to an excellent start but then it went downhill very quickly. I was actually surprised at how much it went off the rails and not in a good way. I really did not enjoy it. 2/5.

The Body Snatcher was good. It really was a classic tale of morality more than anything else but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some bits were confusing but it really was a stronger story out of the bunch. 4/5.

Man-Size in Marble was my favorite out of all of them. It was excellent and, for such a short story, the characters were so well developed. I really loved it and the ending was so tragic but so satisfying that it really made an impact. 5/5.

The Judge’s House was great when Stoker wasn’t rambling on and on and on. It really did have a good plot but the entire story felt long winded, even though it wasn’t long at all. 3/5.

The Shadow of a Shade was really quite good. It had a few moments of confusion, but overall it was a very good story and the climax was excellent. 4/5.

The Monkey’s Paw is a classic for a reason. Not the most memorable of the bunch, but it was super solid and I really have no notes on it. 5/5.

The Dream Woman was excellent. I had no idea where Collin’s was taking this story at first, but the development of it was so good and I absolutely adored the entire thing. 5/5.

Casting the Runes was, unfortunately, the weakest of the bunch and I wish it hadn’t been the last one because it dragged all the rest done. Very uninteresting and confusing. 1/5.

Overall, a solid collection that I strongly recommend.

[Ronald Johnson Jr MBA · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the late Edward Gorey’s book, The Haunted Looking Glass, consists of selections of his own personal favorite short stories on the paranormal and occult. All twelve paranormal and ghostly short story masterpiece selections are all written by famous well-known authors which include Algernon Blackwood, William Fryer Harvey, Charles Dickens, Leslie Poles Hartley, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edith Nesbit, Bram Stoker, Montague Rhodes James; among a number of others. Gorey, an accomplished author and illustrator, provides the reader with his own haunting illustration for each short story he selected for this compilation. The short stories that were chosen by Gorey comes from the original authors’ own anthologies; providing the reader with a further exploration of their other writings not normally read outside of the reader’s familiarity or norm. For example, within these selections, the reader is introduced to Bram Stoker’s The Judge’s House; an eerie ghostly story with a combination of a dilapidated mansion with an infestation of rats; and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Body-Snatcher; a tale about a horrifying paranormal experience of two medical students under the study of the criminal real life surgeon Robert Knox. This is a pleasantly horrifying anthology for both the avid and casual reader who enjoys twisted tales of the occult and paranormal.

[Sandra Frey · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Sigh*

Classic ghost stories are often problematic. What makes a good scary story, for me, is managing to create a sense of immediacy and urgency even through static words on a static page. I want to feel the fear in tandem with with the characters and try to think through escape options as hastily and desperately as they do. I have found very few olde-tyme ghost stories that offer this feeling, as they are too caught up in the writing conventions of whatever time they came out of. "Fussy" is the word I would use. Too descriptive of elements beyond the immediate threat, too caught up in explaining the narrator's frame of mind (almost defensively, in many cases), too worried about explaining why the account of events even exists. Maybe there are more experimental spooky stories out there from the days of yore that just never got any traction at the time because readers weren't game, and if so, I hope we dig more of them up.

Anyway, I knew this before picking up this book, but I love Gorey himself and wanted to see what he'd go for. Nothing very unique, it turns out. There are two or three in here I liked somewhat, but far more that left me unmoved.