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The Gold-Bug and Other Tales
Nine gripping tales of psychological terror and the supernatural, by the undisputed master of the American Gothic horror story: *Ligeia
*The Fall of the House of Usher
*The Murders in the Rue Morgue
*The Masque of the Red Death
*The Pit and the Pendulum
*The Tell-Tale Heart
*The Gold-Bug
*The Black Cat
*The Cask of Amontillado
*The Fall of the House of Usher
*The Murders in the Rue Morgue
*The Masque of the Red Death
*The Pit and the Pendulum
*The Tell-Tale Heart
*The Gold-Bug
*The Black Cat
*The Cask of Amontillado
121 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1843
231 people are currently reading
1452 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,868 books28.6k followersThe name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
May 18, 2022
De cate ori citesc Edgar Allan Poe am brusc senzatia ca o mana rece (dar nu dusmanoasa) m-ar apuca de umar si m-ar conduce pe niste trepte care coboara la nesfarsit. M-as gasi apoi intr-o pivnita intunecoasa si sinistra unde chiar daca vad cateva licariri de lumina, nu stiu cine e in spatele meu si desi mi-e frica trebuie sa continui sa o explorez pentru ca misterul ei este irezistibil. :)
Prezenta carte contine 9 povestiri, toate scrise in stilul consacrat al autorului, dintre care voi aborda cateva care mi-au placut mai mult in cele ce urmeaza:
Prima este "Misterul lui Marie Roget" si este o continuare la "Crimele din Rue Morgue". Il intalnim aici pe celebrul detectiv Auguste Dupin care are de rezolvat un caz destul de incalcit. Cand trupul frumoasei Marie Roget este gasit plutind pe Sena, detectivul este rugat de catre primar sa dea o mana de ajutor. In mod inedit acesta rezolva ancheta folosindu-se doar de niste articole din ziar. Pentru cei interesati de arta argumentatiei, expunerea lui Dupin despre crima si faptas va constitui un veritabil deliciu.
In "Carabusul de aur" William Lepand gaseste pe o insula un carabus auriu foarte frumos care insa il va face sa-si piarda mintile. Acesta incepe sa sape dupa o comoara a unor pirati care poate fi gasita numai cu ajutorul acestui carabus.
"Ingropat de viu" mi s-a parut cea mai infricosatoare povestire si este despre cumplita experienta de a te trezi in interiorul unui cosciug fara sa fi murit. In urma acestei experiente s-a nascut si expresia "salvat de clopotel" cand rudele indoliate atasau la sicriu un clopotel de care defunctul putea sa traga in caz ca se trezea din morti. Insusi naratorul povestii sufera de catalepsie fiindu-i teribil de teama ca nu cumva sa fie inmormantat fara sa fie temeinic verificat daca mai respira. Un demon i se va arata in vis si ii va dezveli mormintele intregii omeniri, aceasta imagine fiind extrem de sinistra si infricosatoare. Autorul foloseste aici multe figuri de stil precum "palida lucire fosforescenta a putreziciunii."
"A o mie doua poveste a Seherezadei" este o continuare la povestea lui "Sinbad Marinarul" care o sa placa mult celor care adora aventurile, fiintele ciudate si fermecate, intamplarile fantastice, toate scrise in acelasi stil occidental.
"Scrisoarea furata" este tot cu detectivul Auguste Dupin ce trebuie sa rezolve o enigma a unei scrisori furate de o maxima importanta din apartamentul regal. Dupin va folosi un siretlic foarte inteligent si original pentru a o recupera.
Si nu in cele din urma, "Pisica neagra" este piesa de rezistenta a acestei colectii, pe care eu personal o consider o capodopera a genului horror. Naratiunea se face la persoana intai si este vorba despre psihoza pe care o dezvolta un alcoolic impotriva pisicii sale negre "Pluto" pe care o suspecteaza ca ar fi o vrajitoare deghizata. El ii scoate un ochi si mai apoi o spanzura de un copac. Dupa aceasta fapta reprobabila nevrozele incep sa i se tina lant si pisica ii apare peste tot ca si cum l-ar bantui. Aceasta reprezinta un laitmotiv al groazei si vinovatiei care ii vor aduce pana la urma pierzania.
Si ca sa nu incheiem intr-o nota atat de intunecata as vrea sa va impartasesc ceva ce m-a amuzat teribil si anume o confruntare imaginara intre doi maestrii ai genului horror: E.A. Poe versus Stephen King in imaginatia celor de la ERB, cu care va puteti delecta pe youtube.
In final atasez cateva citate pe care le-am selectat din toate cele noua povestiri si care mi-au placut:
"Cand vreau sa descopar cat de destept, sau de prost, sau de bun, sau de rau e cineva, sau care sunt gandurile sale in acel moment, imi compun expresia fetei lui, iar pe urma astept sa vad ce ganduri sau sentimente se nasc in mintea sau in inima mea."
"... intrebarea cea mai nimerita in cazuri ca acesta nu-i atat "ce s-a intamplat?" cat "ce anume s-a intamplat care nu s-a intamplat niciodata inainte?"
"... experienta a aratat si o adevarata filozofie va arata intotdeauna, ca o mare parte, poate cea mai mare parte a adevarului se naste din ceea ce pare irelevant."
Prezenta carte contine 9 povestiri, toate scrise in stilul consacrat al autorului, dintre care voi aborda cateva care mi-au placut mai mult in cele ce urmeaza:
Prima este "Misterul lui Marie Roget" si este o continuare la "Crimele din Rue Morgue". Il intalnim aici pe celebrul detectiv Auguste Dupin care are de rezolvat un caz destul de incalcit. Cand trupul frumoasei Marie Roget este gasit plutind pe Sena, detectivul este rugat de catre primar sa dea o mana de ajutor. In mod inedit acesta rezolva ancheta folosindu-se doar de niste articole din ziar. Pentru cei interesati de arta argumentatiei, expunerea lui Dupin despre crima si faptas va constitui un veritabil deliciu.
In "Carabusul de aur" William Lepand gaseste pe o insula un carabus auriu foarte frumos care insa il va face sa-si piarda mintile. Acesta incepe sa sape dupa o comoara a unor pirati care poate fi gasita numai cu ajutorul acestui carabus.
"Ingropat de viu" mi s-a parut cea mai infricosatoare povestire si este despre cumplita experienta de a te trezi in interiorul unui cosciug fara sa fi murit. In urma acestei experiente s-a nascut si expresia "salvat de clopotel" cand rudele indoliate atasau la sicriu un clopotel de care defunctul putea sa traga in caz ca se trezea din morti. Insusi naratorul povestii sufera de catalepsie fiindu-i teribil de teama ca nu cumva sa fie inmormantat fara sa fie temeinic verificat daca mai respira. Un demon i se va arata in vis si ii va dezveli mormintele intregii omeniri, aceasta imagine fiind extrem de sinistra si infricosatoare. Autorul foloseste aici multe figuri de stil precum "palida lucire fosforescenta a putreziciunii."
"A o mie doua poveste a Seherezadei" este o continuare la povestea lui "Sinbad Marinarul" care o sa placa mult celor care adora aventurile, fiintele ciudate si fermecate, intamplarile fantastice, toate scrise in acelasi stil occidental.
"Scrisoarea furata" este tot cu detectivul Auguste Dupin ce trebuie sa rezolve o enigma a unei scrisori furate de o maxima importanta din apartamentul regal. Dupin va folosi un siretlic foarte inteligent si original pentru a o recupera.
Si nu in cele din urma, "Pisica neagra" este piesa de rezistenta a acestei colectii, pe care eu personal o consider o capodopera a genului horror. Naratiunea se face la persoana intai si este vorba despre psihoza pe care o dezvolta un alcoolic impotriva pisicii sale negre "Pluto" pe care o suspecteaza ca ar fi o vrajitoare deghizata. El ii scoate un ochi si mai apoi o spanzura de un copac. Dupa aceasta fapta reprobabila nevrozele incep sa i se tina lant si pisica ii apare peste tot ca si cum l-ar bantui. Aceasta reprezinta un laitmotiv al groazei si vinovatiei care ii vor aduce pana la urma pierzania.
Si ca sa nu incheiem intr-o nota atat de intunecata as vrea sa va impartasesc ceva ce m-a amuzat teribil si anume o confruntare imaginara intre doi maestrii ai genului horror: E.A. Poe versus Stephen King in imaginatia celor de la ERB, cu care va puteti delecta pe youtube.
In final atasez cateva citate pe care le-am selectat din toate cele noua povestiri si care mi-au placut:
"Cand vreau sa descopar cat de destept, sau de prost, sau de bun, sau de rau e cineva, sau care sunt gandurile sale in acel moment, imi compun expresia fetei lui, iar pe urma astept sa vad ce ganduri sau sentimente se nasc in mintea sau in inima mea."
"... intrebarea cea mai nimerita in cazuri ca acesta nu-i atat "ce s-a intamplat?" cat "ce anume s-a intamplat care nu s-a intamplat niciodata inainte?"
"... experienta a aratat si o adevarata filozofie va arata intotdeauna, ca o mare parte, poate cea mai mare parte a adevarului se naste din ceea ce pare irelevant."
February 6, 2025
Misterul Mariei Rogêt 2⭐️
Cărăbușul de aur 5⭐️
Îngropat de viu 4⭐️
Farsa cu balonul 2⭐️
A o mie și doua poveste a Șeherezadei 2⭐️
Mellonta Tauta 3,5⭐️
Scrisoarea furată 2⭐️
Poveste din Munții Colțuroși 3,5⭐️
Pisica neagră 4,5⭐️
Cărăbușul de aur 5⭐️
Îngropat de viu 4⭐️
Farsa cu balonul 2⭐️
A o mie și doua poveste a Șeherezadei 2⭐️
Mellonta Tauta 3,5⭐️
Scrisoarea furată 2⭐️
Poveste din Munții Colțuroși 3,5⭐️
Pisica neagră 4,5⭐️
October 28, 2017
Two stars for the great writing that Poe is capable of and another one for the Sherlock-like, wonderful "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Can't recommend this book, and I'm glad it's over.
February 17, 2017
En esta edición que compré vienen 4 relatos:s
El escarabajo de oro: / 3 de 5 estrellas.
La máscara de la Muerte Roja / 2 de 5 estrellas.
El barril de amontillado / Mi favorita y la más perturbadora - 4 de 5 estrellas.
El retrato oval / 3 de 5 estrellas.
El escarabajo de oro: / 3 de 5 estrellas.
La máscara de la Muerte Roja / 2 de 5 estrellas.
El barril de amontillado / Mi favorita y la más perturbadora - 4 de 5 estrellas.
El retrato oval / 3 de 5 estrellas.
August 23, 2023
The Gold-Bug: fine, but I think Poe excells in the shorter tales (3 Stars)
The Pit and the Pendulum: great story with dreary atmosphere. I was just as lost as the narrator and enjoyed discovering his prison with him (4.5 Stars)
The Fall of the House of Usher: very atmospheric and intruiging. Especially fun since I'm currently reading a retelling of it. (4.5 Stars)
The Tell-Tale Heart: Truely amazing. Really taking the reader into the head of a mad man in a very fun but no less disturbing way. (5 Stars)
MS Found in a Bottle: I expected something else, somehow, but I enjoyed it (3.5 Stars)
The Sphinx: Fun read but the twist underwhelmed me. (3 Stars)
The Pit and the Pendulum: great story with dreary atmosphere. I was just as lost as the narrator and enjoyed discovering his prison with him (4.5 Stars)
The Fall of the House of Usher: very atmospheric and intruiging. Especially fun since I'm currently reading a retelling of it. (4.5 Stars)
The Tell-Tale Heart: Truely amazing. Really taking the reader into the head of a mad man in a very fun but no less disturbing way. (5 Stars)
MS Found in a Bottle: I expected something else, somehow, but I enjoyed it (3.5 Stars)
The Sphinx: Fun read but the twist underwhelmed me. (3 Stars)
November 13, 2016
... La fel ca în Inima care-și spune taina (care, din păcate, lipsește din acest volum), și în cazul povestirii Pisica neagră (The Black Cat) avem de-a face cu un narator probabil nebun, lipsit de credibilitate, care își dezvăluie singur crima. Aici, naratorul-personaj dă vina pe alcool pentru decăderea morală și acțiunile lui. Toată povestea e o confesiune, nu știm în fața cui, în care nu putem afla cu siguranță cât e adevăr și cât e fantezie. Imaginea pisicii negre este simbolul central, existând superstiția că acestea sunt de fapt vrăjitoare. Primul motan e numit Pluto (zeul roman al infernului); deși era animalul preferat al naratorului, naratorul îi scoate un ochi într-un acces de furie. Tot ce era mai bun în stăpân moare. Mai apoi, motanul e spânzurat, dar rămâne ca mărturie a cruzimii naratorului imaginea animalului imprimată pe peretele ars. Nici chiar focul, care are rol purificator, nu poate șterge greșelile personajului, care nu face nimic pentru a scăpa de perversitate și ură. ...
Recenzie pe eLitere: http://elitere.ro/povestirile-lui-poe/
Recenzie pe eLitere: http://elitere.ro/povestirile-lui-poe/
April 23, 2009
There's suspense but it's not too scary, perfect for a scaredy cat like me, old school psychological terror and the supernatural.
July 31, 2018
Q puedo decir, me encanta Poe
Read
March 19, 2023some stories were so good!!! especially ‘the murders in the Rue Morgue’ :) Some were…. special?
October 24, 2020
I only read "The Goldbug" from this collection, about a man who sees a goldbug and it somehow leads him to finding hidden treasure? I didn't really understand what the point of the goldbug was, but the last 1/3 with the cryptography was interesting and is the reason why I read it. Available for free here.
January 16, 2010
I fell in love with Poe as a teen, and still find him utterly perfect in his genre.
October 14, 2016
Poe is great at suspense and horror. Some of these were extremly short, but all are well written.
May 19, 2025
“Ligeia” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Fall of the House of Usher” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Masque of the Red Death” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Pit and the Pendulum” - ⭐️⭐️
“The Tell-Tale Heart” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Gold Bug” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Black Cat” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Cask of Amontillado” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Fall of the House of Usher” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Masque of the Red Death” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Pit and the Pendulum” - ⭐️⭐️
“The Tell-Tale Heart” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Gold Bug” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Black Cat” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Cask of Amontillado” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read
June 25, 2017 100%: "The Cask of Amontillado"
October 17, 2020
Most of the stories were just okay. I did find The Pit and the Pendulum both terrifying and inspiring, so that was my favorite. Honorable mention to The Black Cat.
July 10, 2022
Shhh, I actually read these stories in this collection, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..., but we're not telling anyone, are we, Reader? ARE WE, READER!?
The stories contained herein, ranked, according to my personal, and, I think we can all agree, irreproachable opinion.
1. The Cask of Amontillado - The takeaway here: Cross Montresor, and he will get medieval on your wine-loving behind. Gives me chills every time.
2. The Gold-Bug - Could a scarab beetle, itself seeming to be made of gold, be the key to a hoard of buried pirate treasure?
3. The Murders in the Rue Morgue - Monkey SHINES! But skip the "sequel," The Mystery of Marie Roget.
4. The Pit and the Pendulum - Inquisitors: "Hey Torquemada, whaddaya say?" Torquemada: "I just got back from the auto da fé!"
5. The Fall of the House of Usher - Haunted house horror is my favorite horror.
6. The Masque of the Red Death - If you've ever wondered what it would be like to throw a fancy party during the plague years, well, here you go.
7. Ligeia - A good story, but I spent most of it wondering how to pronounce "Ligeia." I settled on "Lidge-e-á."
8. The Tell-Tale Heart - I don't think Poe cared much for the elderly...
9. The Black Cat - ...or animals.
The stories contained herein, ranked, according to my personal, and, I think we can all agree, irreproachable opinion.
1. The Cask of Amontillado - The takeaway here: Cross Montresor, and he will get medieval on your wine-loving behind. Gives me chills every time.
2. The Gold-Bug - Could a scarab beetle, itself seeming to be made of gold, be the key to a hoard of buried pirate treasure?
3. The Murders in the Rue Morgue - Monkey SHINES! But skip the "sequel," The Mystery of Marie Roget.
4. The Pit and the Pendulum - Inquisitors: "Hey Torquemada, whaddaya say?" Torquemada: "I just got back from the auto da fé!"
5. The Fall of the House of Usher - Haunted house horror is my favorite horror.
6. The Masque of the Red Death - If you've ever wondered what it would be like to throw a fancy party during the plague years, well, here you go.
7. Ligeia - A good story, but I spent most of it wondering how to pronounce "Ligeia." I settled on "Lidge-e-á."
8. The Tell-Tale Heart - I don't think Poe cared much for the elderly...
9. The Black Cat - ...or animals.
December 23, 2018
Originally posted on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
Like most horror fans, I had a Poe phase when I was younger. In high school I read a lot of his short stories and his poetry. Masque of the Red Death has always been my favorite item from him. That story is AMAZING. It has, however, been a loooonnngg time since reading Poe in high school, or any Poe for that matter.
The book I checked out from the library is a collection of Poe’s 9 best short stories, listed in the order that they were originally published.
Ligeia
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Masque of the Red Death
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Tell-Tale Heart
The Gold-Bug
The Black Cat
The Cask of Amontillado
Most of these stories I had already read. The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, and The Gold-Bug I had not read before. Ligeia, not only had I never read before, but I had also never even heard of that one (as far as I recall). Because I was short on time this month and still have other books to read before the year is over, I decided to skip re-reading the stories I already knew, and just read the one I needed for the challenge plus the 4 I had never read before. So in this review, I’m only going to talk about those 4 stories I had not read before, while briefly mentioning the others at the end of the post.
I had a lot of problems reading Ligeia. I really struggled with Poe’s word choices and prose. He goes all out in showing you how fancy he can write and how vast his vocab is. It was a little bit too much for my brain to wrap around. I got the gist of the story though. I think…? It was a very odd story… There is this woman, who is amazing. There is a guy who loves her. Then the woman dies. So the man marries another woman. Man hates his wife and longs for the amazing woman. Man does lots of opium. Wife dies. Then she comes back to life but it is no longer the wife that is there, but the amazing woman back from the dead. Ok… so…. huh? Is the amazing woman taking over the dead wife’s body? Is this ghost possession? Is it all made up because the man is on so much opium he has no clue what is really going on? So many questions at the end of this one! I didn’t care for this one. The style was difficult for me to follow and with too many questions at the end left me feeling frustrated.
The Fall of the House of Usher was a lot easier for me to read and was much more like the Poe I remembered. Like so much of Poe’s work, this story displayed how familiar Poe was to mental health issues, especially depression and extreme anxiety. While this story is not a favorite of mine, I do love how Poe describes the anxiety and the tension that rises from it. You can feel the anxiety slowly start to squeeze around your heart, gripping it tighter and tighter until the very end. There was a lot to digest in this story, particularly the connection between the twins sickness and the decay of the house of User.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue is a story I had always wanted to read. It has been long hailed as a grandfather to the modern mystery. Sadly, even though I had never read the story before, I knew about who the killer was. I WISH I could have read this without having already known about that! Going in to the story already knowing that, I think it took some of the fun out of it for me. :/ I can just imagine what a twist it was back in the day this story came out…. to read a story that talked about figuring out the clues and following the trail of logic to the surprise killer ending. Wish it hadn’t been spoiled for me long ago. I did enjoy watching the main characters follow a long the investigation. Even with the spoiler, it was still an interesting story.
The Gold-Bug was another story I hadn’t read. Unlike Rue Morgue, Gold-Bug had not been spoiled for me. In fact, I went in knowing nothing about this story other then it was another one of Poe’s mysteries. I was surprised that it was more of a treasure seeking action adventure story. I had not been expecting that at all. I love treasure seeking action adventure stuff. Yay! 😀 I was really surprised at how well thought out every detail was in this story. It was seriously well crafted story and puzzle. A very enjoyable read and I’m happy I finally got around to reading this one.
The rest of the stories in this short story collection are stories I already knew and loved. They are amazing works of horror that seriously know how to raise the tension bar to an extreme my-heart-is-about-to-explode!! level. I have always thought that Mr. Poe is seriously one of the best all time writers at capturing what it feels like to have extreme anxiety disorders and depression. Even today, with more knowledge in how the brain works and mental health, you still don’t find that many authors who can write it as convincingly as Poe. This was an excellent collection of his best short stories and a very entertaining quick read. Highly recommended for new and old fans alike.
Like most horror fans, I had a Poe phase when I was younger. In high school I read a lot of his short stories and his poetry. Masque of the Red Death has always been my favorite item from him. That story is AMAZING. It has, however, been a loooonnngg time since reading Poe in high school, or any Poe for that matter.
The book I checked out from the library is a collection of Poe’s 9 best short stories, listed in the order that they were originally published.
Ligeia
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Masque of the Red Death
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Tell-Tale Heart
The Gold-Bug
The Black Cat
The Cask of Amontillado
Most of these stories I had already read. The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, and The Gold-Bug I had not read before. Ligeia, not only had I never read before, but I had also never even heard of that one (as far as I recall). Because I was short on time this month and still have other books to read before the year is over, I decided to skip re-reading the stories I already knew, and just read the one I needed for the challenge plus the 4 I had never read before. So in this review, I’m only going to talk about those 4 stories I had not read before, while briefly mentioning the others at the end of the post.
I had a lot of problems reading Ligeia. I really struggled with Poe’s word choices and prose. He goes all out in showing you how fancy he can write and how vast his vocab is. It was a little bit too much for my brain to wrap around. I got the gist of the story though. I think…? It was a very odd story… There is this woman, who is amazing. There is a guy who loves her. Then the woman dies. So the man marries another woman. Man hates his wife and longs for the amazing woman. Man does lots of opium. Wife dies. Then she comes back to life but it is no longer the wife that is there, but the amazing woman back from the dead. Ok… so…. huh? Is the amazing woman taking over the dead wife’s body? Is this ghost possession? Is it all made up because the man is on so much opium he has no clue what is really going on? So many questions at the end of this one! I didn’t care for this one. The style was difficult for me to follow and with too many questions at the end left me feeling frustrated.
The Fall of the House of Usher was a lot easier for me to read and was much more like the Poe I remembered. Like so much of Poe’s work, this story displayed how familiar Poe was to mental health issues, especially depression and extreme anxiety. While this story is not a favorite of mine, I do love how Poe describes the anxiety and the tension that rises from it. You can feel the anxiety slowly start to squeeze around your heart, gripping it tighter and tighter until the very end. There was a lot to digest in this story, particularly the connection between the twins sickness and the decay of the house of User.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue is a story I had always wanted to read. It has been long hailed as a grandfather to the modern mystery. Sadly, even though I had never read the story before, I knew about who the killer was. I WISH I could have read this without having already known about that! Going in to the story already knowing that, I think it took some of the fun out of it for me. :/ I can just imagine what a twist it was back in the day this story came out…. to read a story that talked about figuring out the clues and following the trail of logic to the surprise killer ending. Wish it hadn’t been spoiled for me long ago. I did enjoy watching the main characters follow a long the investigation. Even with the spoiler, it was still an interesting story.
The Gold-Bug was another story I hadn’t read. Unlike Rue Morgue, Gold-Bug had not been spoiled for me. In fact, I went in knowing nothing about this story other then it was another one of Poe’s mysteries. I was surprised that it was more of a treasure seeking action adventure story. I had not been expecting that at all. I love treasure seeking action adventure stuff. Yay! 😀 I was really surprised at how well thought out every detail was in this story. It was seriously well crafted story and puzzle. A very enjoyable read and I’m happy I finally got around to reading this one.
The rest of the stories in this short story collection are stories I already knew and loved. They are amazing works of horror that seriously know how to raise the tension bar to an extreme my-heart-is-about-to-explode!! level. I have always thought that Mr. Poe is seriously one of the best all time writers at capturing what it feels like to have extreme anxiety disorders and depression. Even today, with more knowledge in how the brain works and mental health, you still don’t find that many authors who can write it as convincingly as Poe. This was an excellent collection of his best short stories and a very entertaining quick read. Highly recommended for new and old fans alike.
February 10, 2024
While I generally greatly enjoy Edgar Allen Poe's work, and this collection of stories did contain two well known classics in particular (The Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado), I was not overly enamoured with the other stories in the collection.
I greatly enjoyed Fall of the House of Usher and the opening story (the stories are arranged in this collection in the chronological order in which they were written), Ligeia was intriguing and fun to read with numerous references to classic works throughout.
I also enjoyed Murders in the Rue Morgue, which contains an extremely amusing and humorous twist alongside the slight (but significantly reduced) horror elements.
The Masque of Red Death is an objectively well written short piece, however living in 2024, the tale has lost much of its appeal to me.
The collection also contains The Black Cat, one of my least favourite Poe stories.
I picked it up because The Gold Bug is a lesser known work of Poe's and having read it, I can see why. Although the story sets itself up as though it perhaps intends to make a statement of some sort about 18th century racism, it ultimately abandons whatever miniscule point it was aiming for in favour of 4-5 pages explaining how to solve a simple cipher and vaguely recalling a well known myth about infamous pirate and (if I remember correctly) privateer, Captain Kidd. While most of the stories feel as though they're at least saying something, even if I don't enjoy them personally, this one felt oddly written as though Poe himself could not decide between a horror piece built around a strange idol or an amusing short fiction about a treasure hunt. Ultimately he appears to have tried both and tragically succeeded at neither.
The Gold Bug also contains outdated and offensive language in reference to Black people, but for 1834 it wasn't too terrible in that regard.
Definitely use caution if you are particularly sensitive to racial slurs in text (there are a handful, most of which are within The Gold Bug) or animal death (most prominently featured in The Black Cat).
Ultimately not a terrible collection, but doesn't contain anything one couldn't find in a slightly more pricey and larger collection of Poe's works.
I greatly enjoyed Fall of the House of Usher and the opening story (the stories are arranged in this collection in the chronological order in which they were written), Ligeia was intriguing and fun to read with numerous references to classic works throughout.
I also enjoyed Murders in the Rue Morgue, which contains an extremely amusing and humorous twist alongside the slight (but significantly reduced) horror elements.
The Masque of Red Death is an objectively well written short piece, however living in 2024, the tale has lost much of its appeal to me.
The collection also contains The Black Cat, one of my least favourite Poe stories.
I picked it up because The Gold Bug is a lesser known work of Poe's and having read it, I can see why. Although the story sets itself up as though it perhaps intends to make a statement of some sort about 18th century racism, it ultimately abandons whatever miniscule point it was aiming for in favour of 4-5 pages explaining how to solve a simple cipher and vaguely recalling a well known myth about infamous pirate and (if I remember correctly) privateer, Captain Kidd. While most of the stories feel as though they're at least saying something, even if I don't enjoy them personally, this one felt oddly written as though Poe himself could not decide between a horror piece built around a strange idol or an amusing short fiction about a treasure hunt. Ultimately he appears to have tried both and tragically succeeded at neither.
The Gold Bug also contains outdated and offensive language in reference to Black people, but for 1834 it wasn't too terrible in that regard.
Definitely use caution if you are particularly sensitive to racial slurs in text (there are a handful, most of which are within The Gold Bug) or animal death (most prominently featured in The Black Cat).
Ultimately not a terrible collection, but doesn't contain anything one couldn't find in a slightly more pricey and larger collection of Poe's works.
November 4, 2024
Mi-a plăcut stilul lui autorului, mi-a adus aminte de cărțile Agathei Christie pe care le citeam în generală; dar ale lui Poe mi s-au părut mai atent scrise.
Au fost 9 povestiri, dintre care cel mai mult mi-au plăcut “Misterul lui Mărie Roget”, “Cărăbușul de aur”, “Îngropat de viu” și “Scrisoarea furată”. La “Pisica neagră”, ultima povestire, am scăpat un “hiiii”, deci vă recomand s-o citiți🐈⬛
Au fost 9 povestiri, dintre care cel mai mult mi-au plăcut “Misterul lui Mărie Roget”, “Cărăbușul de aur”, “Îngropat de viu” și “Scrisoarea furată”. La “Pisica neagră”, ultima povestire, am scăpat un “hiiii”, deci vă recomand s-o citiți🐈⬛
November 14, 2017
Poe is brilliant. Disturbing, but brilliant. In these stories, he can create a chilling scene like nobody's business!
I've had this book on my shelves for years, and it feels good to finally have read through it!
I've had this book on my shelves for years, and it feels good to finally have read through it!
August 20, 2021
I’ve never been a big fan of Poe.
Maybe partially because it was assigned reading in school (I’m a rebel) but also I can only take so much doom and gloom.
I am, however, a big fan of deductive reasoning/logic.
Some of the stories contained in this volume were mysteries and were solved using that method.
Very Sherlock, which I love.
I will admit that Poe was an amazing writer and I do admire him for that, but next I need to read something more up-beat.
Maybe partially because it was assigned reading in school (I’m a rebel) but also I can only take so much doom and gloom.
I am, however, a big fan of deductive reasoning/logic.
Some of the stories contained in this volume were mysteries and were solved using that method.
Very Sherlock, which I love.
I will admit that Poe was an amazing writer and I do admire him for that, but next I need to read something more up-beat.
October 1, 2020
I read with one of the classes I work in. It was nice to revisit some old favorite stories and read a couple that were new to me. Poe has always been one of my favorites
February 19, 2022
Jak na lekturę , był to ciekawe . Nie nudziłam się , szybko się czyta i język nie jest bardzo przestarzały przez co większość rozumiem 3,5 *
January 6, 2023
Me pareció increíble la manera en la que se resuelven los enigmas en cada una de las historias.
March 4, 2025
My man Edgar is super into people being buried inside walls.
Nice, quick book with some of his most essential stories.
Nice, quick book with some of his most essential stories.
Read
October 25, 2023Da, nu.
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