The 15th Pan Book of Horror Stories

by Herbert van Thal (Editor), David Case, Morag Greer

Beware lest night's dark agents make defenceless dreams the dupe of madness or the slave of terror...

'I stared at the trap. Blood bubbled and coiled from the shapeless, lifeless lump in the clamped jaws.' - Among the Wolves, David Case.

'The guest sat and watched, nauseated, terrified, helpless, as the family drank her blood.' - Under the Flagstone, Morag Greer.

'The rats must have taken away most of the hair; there were only a few strands of it left at the side of the skull.' - Quiet Non Movere, Sally Franklin.

'"It's a machine for sawing a woman in half" he said.' - On the Box, Alex White.

Twelve sanity-shattering tales each worth their weight in blood...

David Case, ‘Among the Wolves’.
Morag Greer, ‘Under the Flagstone’.
Conrad Hill, ‘Amanda Excrescens’.
Sally Franklin, ‘Quieta Non Movere’.
Maggie Webb, ‘Dark Reflections’.
John Keefauver, ‘Scream!’.
Roger Dunkley, ‘A Problem Called Albert’.
Harry Turner, ‘Fingers’.
Alex White, ‘On the Box’.
Charles Thornton, ‘Sanctuary – For the Piped’.
Morag Greer, ‘The Gates Were Locked’.
Conrad Hill, ‘Wally’.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies

223 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Herbert Maurice van Thal (1904-1983), known as Bertie van Thal, was a British bookseller, publisher, agent, biographer, and anthologist.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series never disappoints. Wicked good fun.

[damien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Among the Wolves - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Under the flagstone - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Amanda Excrescens - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Quieta non Movere - ⭐️
Dark Reflections - ⭐️
Scream! - ⭐️1/2
A Problem Called Albert - ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Fingers - ⭐️
On the Box - ⭐️
Sanctuary - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Gates Were Locked - ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Wally - ⭐️

[Steve Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual with these collections it's a mixed bag with most falling in the fine/ok category. There are twelve short stories; I can't say any are classics (maybe a couple of them are near misses), and there are two I couldn't get into at all.

For me, the four best were:-

'Among The Wolves' (by David Case) - What is behind a series of murders? This is another of Case's long short stories (which Herbert Van Thal, the editor of these books, clearly cared for) and it's one of the two in the collection I would regard as a near miss. Aah! Such a shame. At 50 something pages this was building to be one of the standouts of the Pan series so far. Strange scenes, interesting characters and a moody atmosphere as we delve ever deeper into the detecting process; it grinds however to a deeply unsatisfying cliched end which feels tacked on for horror purposes.

'On The Box' (Alex White) - A divorcee meets a barrister. Is he all that he seems? Entertaining and funny, even though it's familiar and ends unoriginally.

'Sanctuary - For The Pipe' (Charles Thornton) - A woman refuses to leave her house on a street which is being demolished. Her concern is over who will care for her rats! All very simple and straightforward, but it contains enough characterisation and oddness to pull you along for the ride.

'The Gates Were Locked' (Morag Greer) - After her invitation to stay at a big house, a woman starts to see and hear things. Soon, the person who made the invite, and her husband, also start witnessing the events. This is the other near miss, for me. I'm not one for traditional ghost stories (finding most silly as they rigidly stick to norms and expectations), but this manages to keep the atmospheric feel of the traditional, yet bring in a 'time mystery' element. It's long, but it kept my interest throughout. Although I kind of guessed the end, I'm still going over it in my mind as to whether it makes sense. I'm sure there are many holes to be uncovered if I over-analysed.

I didn't much care for the second and third stories in the book, but the rest had at least something to grab the attention. A steady collection...

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of short stories, but these selections were fine. Most of them I'd give a solid 3 out of 5 stars. The writing for almost all of them was very well done, I just didn't care for them as a whole. With short stories, I don't get to enjoy too much of the characters. Everything is just too short for my liking. But for what it was, it was good.

[Rory Tregaskis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trashy. Couple of good stories but mostly shit.

[Michael Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good selection of Authors. Well worth a read.

[Cameron Trost · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.
This is by no means an exceptional horror anthology, but four of the tales deserve a special mention. David Case's ‘Among the Wolves’ investigated evolution, humanity, and ethics. Although the latter part of the tale didn't live up to the engaging scenario presented at the beginning, it left me curious about this writer, whose work I hadn't previously encountered. Harry Turner's ‘Fingers’ is a short tale of psychological terror, like 'Among the Wolves', it asks us to consider the fine line between man and beast. Morag Greer's ‘The Gates Were Locked’ could have been an amazing ghost story. The Scottish castle setting, and the detail she provides, is absolutely perfect. However, the conclusion is both predictable and unconvincing. Conrad Hill's ‘Wally’ is a bizarre body horror story. I'm not quite sure what to think of it, but it's yucky and memorable. All in all, this anthology just claws its way into the three-star range for me.