The American's Tale

by Arthur Conan Doyle

The American's Tale is a short story written by Arthur Conan Doyle first published anonymously in the Christmas special of the London Society in December 1880.

The American's Tale revolves around around Joe “Alabama” Hawkins and Tom Scott having a quarrel at Simpson's bar in Montana.

Enjoy reading The American's Tale.

Genres: Short Stories, Westerns, Fiction

7 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2016

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Eda Aydın · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arthur Conan Doyle’s The American's Tale is a brief but vivid excursion into the realm of tall tales and frontier horror, showcasing a distinct departure from the author’s more familiar London-based mysteries. Set in a rugged, reimagined American West, the story explores themes of vengeance and the grotesque through a campfire narrative that describes a lethal encounter with a monstrous, oversized Venus flytrap. Doyle’s prose captures the colloquial spirit of the setting while maintaining his signature ability to build suspense, though the characters remain somewhat archetypal to serve the story's singular, shocking climax. While the plot leans heavily on the sensationalism characteristic of early pulp fiction, the author’s imaginative take on natural horror and his atmospheric descriptions make it an intriguing curiosity for fans of classic weird fiction.

[Thomas Houghton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite having a relatively mundane/simple premise, this was still an entertaining short story dealing with an American visitor who recounts a story about a giant Venus fly-trap attacking (and consuming) a man. It is a visceral and neatly written story - but perhaps lacks the resounding plot to make it a classic short story.

[Teemu Öhman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The American's Tale is a very early ACD short story, first published anonymously in the Christmas special of the London Society magazine in 1880. It’s an interesting combination – essentially a western but with a touch of horror, told in an English club.

I like both westerns and early horror stories and although I was entertained, this just didn’t entirely work for me.

3.5/5

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doyle short story in which English gentlemen club members are regaled by old west American Jefferson Adams' tale from his Arizona days about the encounter between violent Joe Hawkins and Englishman Tom Scott which has all the hallmarks of an American tall tale.

[Željko Filipin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vampire Stories #1: A man dies in a strange way.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Cayton Cameron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't know what I expected but thought it would at least be creepy or something, the actual plant was barely mentioned and when it was it had next to no impact. Not bad, just meh.

[Kasper · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit quick and bizarre and hard to understand, but the story itself was fun! It's clear it wasn't meant to be anything longer. I've read better, but it is not very bad either.