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The 15th Pan Book of Horror Stories
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’.
'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’.
223 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
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About the author
Herbert van Thal
113 books36 followersHerbert Maurice van Thal (1904-1983), known as Bertie van Thal, was a British bookseller, publisher, agent, biographer, and anthologist.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 31, 2020
This series never disappoints. Wicked good fun.
September 26, 2022
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 - ⭐️
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 - ⭐️
September 16, 2019
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.
June 12, 2017
Trashy. Couple of good stories but mostly shit.
July 7, 2017
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.
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.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews