The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume Two

The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories #2

by James D. Jenkins (Editor), Ryan Cagle (Editor), Michael McDowell

Valancourt Books has earned a reputation as one of the foremost publishers of lost and rediscovered classics, reissuing more than 400 unjustly neglected works from the late 18th century all the way to the early 21st. In this second volume of rare horror stories, the editors of Valancourt Books have selected fourteen tales – all by Valancourt authors – for this new collection spanning two centuries of horror. This volume features a previously unpublished ghost story by Nevil Shute, a brand-new tale by award-winning author Stephen Gregory, and twelve other tales that have never or seldom been reprinted.

In this volume, you will encounter tales of ghosts, haunted houses, witchcraft, possession, demonic pacts, and ancient, nameless horrors. Stories of the weird and macabre, of a man tormented by an age-old evil, a corpse returned from the dead, a brutal killer with a shocking secret, a contraption with the power to trap its victims eternally inside a nightmare. With stories ranging from frightening to horrific to weird to darkly humorous, by a lineup of authors that includes both masters of horror fiction and award-winning literary greats, this is a horror anthology like no other.

Features stories by: Mary Elizabeth Braddon • John Buchan • R. Chetwynd-Hayes • Isabel Colegate • Basil Copper • Thomas De Quincey • Stephen Gregory • Michael McDowell • John Metcalfe • Beverley Nichols • Nevil Shute • Bernard Taylor • Russell Thorndike • Robert Westall

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Halloween, Supernatural, Collections

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2017

Reviews

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, the gentlemen over at Valancourt Books knocked their anthology out of the park-maybe even out of the state! Last year's Volume 1 was outstanding and Volume 2 is as well. My favorites of this volume are as follows:

Stephen Gregory's never before published: "The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up" was poignant and, in a way, beautiful. It was also very much unlike any other Gregory story I've read. I'm a huge fan of this author and this tale did NOT disappoint.

"The Nice Boys" by Isabel Colegate was a spectacularly eerie story, set in a relentlessly foggy Venice, Italy. A young woman heads there to vacation away a recent bad break up and meets two young men. As the tension grows the reader is drawn in, but the vivid and disturbing scene towards the end ensures this story will not soon be forgotten.

"Herself" by M.E. Braddon involved two of my favorite tropes-haunted houses and haunted mirrors. I'm not sure which it was, exactly, but I'm going with a combination of the two. I love these types of stories-where people are called in to help but are rendered helpless by circumstance and can only witness as bystanders the evil that occurs.

"Halley's Passing" by Michael McDowell. It's no secret that I adore Michael McDowell. (You do too, if you love Beetlejuice or The Nightmare Before Christmas.) This tale, however, is shocking and extra bloody which is unusual for him, but at the same time: so much FUN.

"The Elemental" by R. Chetwynd-Hayes. Another FUN tale featuring a psychic that no one takes seriously. At first.

"Samhain" by Bernard Taylor. Taylor is an author that I was unfamiliar with until Valancourt Books republished some of his work. I am now an unabashed fan and stories like this are exactly why. Everything is going along, you think you have a handle on things, and then BAM! He punches you right in the face. It's often a bloody punch too, and this is no exception. I laughed out loud at the ending because I was surprised, it was bloody and I loved it!

"The Bell" by Beverly Nichols. A beautifully told tale about a man who was completely dependent upon his valet/butler and what happens when that butler dies. Who will then come to the insistent ringing of the bell?

Just like with Volume 1, I could list each and every story as a standout, because they were ALL just that good. Also like with Volume 1, is the fact that most of these stories have not been published over and over again. I'm not sure if it happens with all genres, but the same horror stories often appear ad nauseam in anthologies and it's irritating. With the cost of books these days, it's disappointing to buy an anthology only to discover you've read half the stories already in other anthologies. Rest easy, because that is not the case here.

Each story in this volume is prefaced by a bit of background on the story and on the author, many of whom were not known for writing in the horror genre. I think that fact brings a certain freshness to this collection that is often lacking in others. The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume Two is simply EXCEPTIONAL and belongs in the collection of any serious fan of the genre.

My highest recommendation!

You can pre-order your copy here: The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume Two

*This book was provided by Valancourt in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE VALANCOURT BOOK OF HORROR STORIES: Volume Two, edited by James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle, is their second themed horror anthology--just in time for the Halloween season! The fourteen tales collected here include stories spanning nearly 200 years.

One of the many things that make this Valancourt collection stand out is the fact that the tales chosen for inclusion are NOT the most "popular" stories we've likely seen reprinted in various anthologies. The editors go out of their way to select some of the most obscure and rare short fiction--many of these were penned by authors not commonly known for writing horror tales. There is no "common theme" linking everything together.

In this anthology you'll find Gothic-style horror (John Buchan's "The Watchers By the Threshold"), dark, satirical humor (R. Chetwynd-Hayes' "The Elemental"), modern horror (Bernard Taylor's "Samhain"), and even a quiet ghost story or two (Stephen Gregory's "The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake up"). I honestly feel that no matter what "style" of horror you typically enjoy, there will be something among these well-written, rarely seen stories that appeals to you.

Some of the ones that stood out strongly to myself were:

--Michael McDowell's "Halley's Passing": This one caught me completely by surprise!

--Mary Elizabeth Bradden's "Herself": A Gothic horror story written in 1894, this one's focus on the brooding atmosphere of what should have been an idyllic island retreat is inescapable. "People are not happy there. No, they are not happy and sometimes they fade and die."

--Beverly Nichols' "The Bell": The passing of a servant leaves his master in such a state that we wonder which role really belonged to each . . .

--Basil Copper's "Camera Obscura": A nasty little story that was full of unstated terrors. ". . . that he was the object of universal hatred in the outside world, bothered him not in the slightest . . . "

--Nevil Shute's "Tudor Windows": This was an eerie tale that kept me thinking about it long afterwards. "Everybody thinks well of it, . . . But it isn't everybody's house to live in."

--Stephen Gregory's "The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up": A haunting tale that takes place in a boys' boarding school at Christmastime.

Overall, I was delighted to see new stories from some favorite authors of mine, as well as discovering some all new authors, who I would like to read more from in the near future. I was extremely impressed with Valancourt's first collection of horror stories, and I am equally impressed by the selection in their second Volume. This is a book that I'll be re-reading for certain.

Highly recommended!

[Karl]

This is the paperback version of this book, a hardcover was also produced.

Contents:

007 - Foreword by James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle
009 - Samhain by Bernard Taylor
029 - The Bell by Beverley Nichols
036 - The Elemental by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
057 - Herself by M. E. Braddon
090 - The Creatures in the House by Robert Westall
112 - November the Thirteenth by Russell Thorndike
127 - Halley's Passing by Michael McDowell
146 -The Nice Boys by Isabel Colegate
166 - The Watcher by the Threshold by John Buchan
187 - Tudor Windows by Nevil Shute
200 - No Sin by John Metcalfe
222- The Dice by Thomas De Quincey
250 - Camera Obscura by Basil Copper
271 - The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up by Stephen Gregory

Cover by M. S. Corley

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading a Horror anthology after a long time - as part of a bit of research into the genre. Besides, it's October! And let me tell you, this has been worth it.

This book contains fourteen tales, ranging from one published in 1823 to one published for the first time in this volume (2017). For the aficionado of horror, it's a golden chance to see how the style of storytelling has changed over the years - from the extreme verbosity and atmosphere creation of the nineteenth century to the understated subtlety of today. Also, not a single story in the collection is below average.

My top favourite is The Nice Boys by Isabel Colgate. Through the diary entries of a woman recovering from heartbreak in Venice, an unspeakable horror is hinted at. The tale walks the fine tightrope between two possibilities without once faltering, and leaves us with the same sense of dread which accompanied us throughout the story.

My next choice would be The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up by Stephen Gregory. A dismal Christmas shared between an aged headmaster and an unwanted child in a run-down school becomes a trip down the memory lane for the academician - and not a pleasant one at that. Instead of horror, this story is filled with unremitting pathos and makes for absorbing reading.

The Elemental by R. Chetwynd-Haynes, The Creatures in the House by Robert Westall, and The Watcher by the Threshold by John Buchan all handle the same theme - haunting by an unseen demon - in different ways. The first story is straightforward horror; the second one is laced with humour; and the last one is all atmosphere. All three are enjoyable.

Camera Obscura by Basil Copper is a traditional horror story of a heartless moneylender getting his just desserts, but through a very novel method. Highly readable, though not shiver-inducing.

Tudor Windows by Nevil Shute is a quirky tale of reincarnation (?) and a sort of curse, but enough ambiguity is kept in the story to make it interesting.

Halley's Passing Michael McDowell is a surrealist vignette which defies commonplace analysis. However, it is strangely compelling. Warning: graphic violence; plenty of it.

The other tales (Samhain by Bernard Taylor; The Bell by Beverly Nichols; Herself by Mary Elizabeth Braddon; November the Thirteenth by Russel Thorndike; and No Sin by John Metcalfe) are all competently written and enjoyable. The only story here which I felt lukewarm towards was The Dice by Thomas De Quincy, maybe because it was horribly dated.

All in all - a collection worth reading.

[Mindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Valancourt collection of horror stories. It was included in a horror book subscription box, and wasn't on my radar until it arrived in the mail. Of course, now that I've read it I have to have the first volume! Sincerely, Valancourt rarely disappoints.

Basically, most if not all of the stories in this volume are reprinted in this collection for the first time. Also, quite of few of the stories are not by authors who typically wrote horror stories, so it was really fun and interesting to read these creepy stories by authors who were essentially stepping out of their comfort zone. The folks at Valancourt have impeccable taste, and must spend quite a bit of time scouring for obscure titles and long forgotten works. Seriously, there isn't a bad story in the bunch.

Some of the standouts for me are:

Samhain by Bernard Taylor - A wife loathes her husband and decides to use witchcraft to dispose of him on Halloween night. Things do not go quite as planned.

The Bell by Beverley Nichols - Published in 1946, this one is short and seriously creepy.

Halley's Passing by Michael McDowell - While I didn't love McDowell's novel The Elementals, I am looking forward to reading his novel Cold Moon Over Babylon, especially after reading this story. Probably the most disturbing and violent story of the bunch, this one packs a punch.

The Nice Boys by Isabel Colegate - This one will have you giving side eye to people on vacation. A woman goes to Venice on holiday and meets two well-to-do boys that are staying in the room next door at her hotel. On the surface they seem like respectable young men, but the protagonist soon learns that there's something sinister about them.

And probably my favorite of the entire anthology:

The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up by Stephen Gregory - A young boy is the only student left at his boarding school over Christmas Break. The headmaster tries hard to give the boy companionship over the holiday, but the old man has a secret that has haunted him since his days as a student at the school.

This is a very solid collection with a short introduction before each story that offers a little information about the author and their other works. I enjoyed it immensely, and I can't wait to get my hands on Volume 1.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

My hat is off to Jay and Ryan for this one -- sirs, you have completely outdone yourselves this time.

The fourteen stories in this book are some of the most unsettling, disturbing, and chilling tales from yesteryear that I've ever read, and I don't know whether it was done purposefully or not, but it seemed to me that with each story there came an increase in the level of intensity. The first story, Bernard Taylor's "Samhain," for example, has quite a bit of the dark-humor vibe, and actually made me laugh, but by the time I reached the end of the last story "The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up, " by Stephen Gregory, I was on the edge of tears. I can't really explain it very well, but it feels like the Valancourt guys upped the horror ante with each tale as it appeared in this collection.

The stories are as follows:

"Samhain," by Bernard Taylor
"The Bell," by Beverley Nichols
"The Elemental," by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
"Herself," by M.E. Braddon
"The Creatures in the House," by Robert Westall
"November the Thirteenth," by Russell Thorndike
"Halley's Passing," by Michael McDowell
"The Nice Boys," by Isabel Colegate
"The Watcher by the Threshold," by John Buchan
"Tudor Windows," by Nevil Shute
"No Sin," by John Metcalfe
"The Dice," by Thomas De Quincey
"Camera Obscura," by Basil Copper
"The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up," by Stephen Gregory

Normally in a collection such as this one, I would expect even one story that is not so great, but that just isn't the case here. Each and every tale is perfect, so when you put them all together, you end up with a symphony of absolute reading perfection.

for a tiny peek at my favorite stories (no spoilers, I promise), you can click here.

It's not all that often that I truly fall in love with a book, but I certainly did with this one. Valancourt just keeps getting better year after year. Bravo, Jay and Ryan -- this is the most stunning collection you have ever published.

Beyond-highly recommended to anyone who loves quality horror fiction. These stories are among the best I've ever read.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second volume of Valancourt Horror Stories is an impeccable, incredible collection of horror. While I've heard of many of these authors, the work is not widely available and each story has been a treat. Right about the time you would expect a less stellar work to come up, the bar is raised and this keeps on right to the end, with the finale being grand and possibly my favorite.

Highly recommended.

[Chelsea (chelsea.wilde) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this collection 3.5 stars if I could. There were a couple of stories (Samhain, the creatures in the house, Halley’s passing*, the boys who wouldn’t wake up) that were EASILY 5/5 with *Halley’s passing being one of the best shorts I’ve ever read!

The collection ranges with authors from the 1700s-early 2000s. I found the language in some of the older shorts difficult to follow with a dictionary being a constant in all my readings. It took away from the stories (not their fault, just my own illiteracy). I enjoyed that the scare element ranged from creeping terror and soul feeding demons to terrific ghost stories. I found myself enjoying the collection, having only skipped over one story!

I received this collection in my Nocturnal Readers Box subscription and I think I will purchase the rest of the Valancourt collection. The few 5ers were good enough to make reading the whole collection worth it. ALSO the little blurbs at the beginning really gave insight to the authors and that now has me on the lookout for other stories by these authors as well as others mentioned!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot rate this short stories collection highly enough.

This collection contains 14 short horror stories of a variety of horror sub genres, ranging from ghost stories, to gothic horror to weird fiction. In terms of time frame, the stories span more than a century with the Victorian horror being of the highest quality.

Whilst it is unlikely that any of these will keep you awake at night (at least in my case), Valancourt Books have put considerable effort into to picking truly brilliant stories, many of which have been reprinted here for the first time. And with page lengths ranging from 10-30 pages, it is a good selection simply to pick up and read in 20 minutes intervals.

For good horror that it easily consumed in small chunks, I highly recommend this collection.

[Marie-Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another exceptional anthology from Valancourt.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

2019 review: Rounded up from 3.5 stars. Not quite as enjoyable the second time around, and definitely not as consistently good as Volume 1. Still pretty good, though.

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume Two

My review:
http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2017...

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of horror stories spanning the centuries with the earliest story written in 1823 and the latest, 2017. This was an all-around winner for me averaging out to a solid four. There were only 2 duds for me. All of the stories were first time reads for me and there were authors I'd never heard of before. A unique collection and not your run of the mill horror anthology.

1. Samhain by Bernard Taylor (1991) - A middle-aged couple of witches is preparing for the coven's annual Halloween ceremony. The wife is the central figure and she has been plotting her husband's death for several months to occur this very evening. She's a sharp-tongued, nagging wife who feels her husband deserves nothing less. There is a twist ending but I had guessed it early in. The different forces on which the husband and wife rely on is telling, though. (4/5)

2. The Bell by Beverley Nichols (1946) -) A man's servant he's had forever dies. The servant did everything for this man, so much s that he feels he missed out on life itself. On his first night alone he cannot stop his hand from ringing the bell. Then begins an agonizing wait as he feels his servant trying to reach him even unto death. (3/5)

3. The Elemental by R. Chetwynd-Hayes (1974) - My favourite so far! A young couple goes to the country for a week after the busy life of the city. On the train down, the man meets a psychic who tells him he has a murderous elemental attached to his left shoulder. He scoffs, meets up with his girl and then they are in for a night of terror which ends up in them calling the psychic to the rescue. Twist creepy ending. Fun read! (4/5)

4. Herself by M.E. Braddon (1894) - Splendid. This is a short novella by one of my favourite Gothic writers It's influence by Wilde's "Darian Gray" is obvious but the mirror's effect is very different. Too simple of a plot to recount without spoilers so I'll just say wonderfully written and paced with delightful melodrama. (5/5)

5. The Creatures in the House by Robert Westall (1980) - Excellent! An elderly lady dies and gives specific instructions for her nearest female heir to follow in order to keep the estate. She must live alone in the house and never marry. By this point we know all too well there is a family "guest" who feeds off these women, generation after generation, but Sally is the first to fight back and it takes her interest in cats to foster that strength. Well-paced (5/5)

6. November the Thirteenth by Russell Thorndike (1934) - The origin story of a local myth/curse. Boring and dull, not to mention stilted writing. (0/5)

7. Halley's Passing by Michael McDowell (1987) - We follow a serial killer around as he continuously offs people and writes everything down as quick notes in a notebook. The twist at the end gives us a new view of who he is. Very good. (5/5)

8. The Nice Boys by Isabel Colgate (1965) - This is a pretty creepy story which has an unreliable narrator leaving us unsure whether to believe what happened or not. A woman with moods who admittedly goes into passionate fits of anger believes that two young men staying in the same small hotel in Venice are murderers wanted back in London. (5/5)

9. The Watcher by the Threshold by John Buchan (1900) - I'm not a fan of Buchan and this did nothing to change my mind. I find his writing tedious as it is stilted in an old-fashioned way, with archaic words and no flow to the sentences. There is way too much description of scenery here before the plot even gets started. The tale of a man who is presumably being haunted by the devil and ends with no resolution. I forced myself to read it (0/5)

10. Tudor Windows by Nevil Shute (early 1930s, 2017) - A short tale that is published here for the first time. I'm fond of Shute so was looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint. Certainly not a "horror" story but a supernatural one. It has a very fine twist on the haunted house theme. (4/5)

11. No Sin by John Metcalfe (1931) - Classic Gothic story about a recent widower who must follow the instructions of his late wife's letter. Removal of his ward from the turret room and displaying a custom made a naked statue of his wife in the room. Everything a standard Gothic needs: love, a haunting, and death. Not exactly exciting but good. (3/5)

12. The Dice by Thomas De Quincey (1823) - A great Gothic story of the classic theme of a man selling his soul to the devil. Generations of fathers have passed on a prophecy to the eldest son and Scholl hears from his father on his deathbed that he is the prophesied one from the old family curse. Good story with ghosts, the devil and a couple of murders. (4/5)

13. Camera Obscura by Basil Copper (1965) - The introduction to this tale claims it is the "most outright chilling story in this series". I don't agree finding it quite tame but yes it does have a haunting atmosphere. A moneylender walks to the remote home of a wealthy recluse who now owes him 300 pounds and has come to demand speedy payment. But when he arrives the man is hardly interested in his debt focusing more on the behaviour of the moneylender who eventually meets his doom. (3/5)

14. The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up by Stephen Gregory (2017) - Published here for the first time. Great ending for this collection as I finished it just after Christmas as well. Here we have the traditional Christmas ghost story with all the needed tropes: boarding school, grumpy old headmaster, restless nights, somnambulism and of course, ghosts! This Christmas one boy has been left all alone with the headmaster in an otherwise empty school. This night he gets to hear the HM's deep, dark secret. Very atmospheric and a joy to read (5/5)

[Studonym · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not quite as good as Volume One - tonally, it had a little less variety (and there were fewer outright bangers) - but still a decent collection all in all.

Samhain - 4/5 - A witch schemes to kill her husband. You know exactly where this one's going, but hell if the getting there isn't fun.

The Bell - 3/5 - Imagine Batman, on his deathbed, haunted by Alfred. It's short and sweet, but just didn't really stand out.

The Elemental - 3.5/5 - Dude meets a fortune-teller who claims he has a demon leeching off him. Somewhat original, but I liked it more in theory than in practice. I feel more could have been done with the idea.

Herself - 3.5/5 - Woman stays with haunted friend in the country. Your enjoyment of this one will depend entirely on how you like the old gothic shit. To my mind, it was fine.

The Creatures in the House - 3.5/5 - Woman inherits a haunted house. Lots of cats. Again, a cool concept that left me wanting a little bit more by the end.

November the Thirteenth - 3/5 - Sleepy Hollow-ish tale. 'Twas fine.

Halley's Passing - 5/5 - McDowell does it again! Brilliant story, perfectly executed, on par with Miss Mack. I don't know what it is, but McDowell is one of the few horror authors that actually gets under my skin and leaves me with a real sense of dread (if I had to guess, it's a mix of the matter-of-factness of his prose and the fact that the guy simply does not know how to pull punches). Read it.

The Nice Boys - 3/5 - A woman in Italy(?) suspects some of her fellow renters are duplicitous murdering-types (0r something like that)? I don't really remember this one all too well. Reminded me a a bit of Don't Look Now...?

The Watcher By the Threshold - 2.5/5 - Another old 'person goes to stay with their crazed friend in the country' tale. The ghost was cool, but other than that... engh.

Tudor Windows - 2.5/5 - Had to really strain my brain to remember what this one was about.

No Sin - 2/5 -Dude's wife died and is now haunting him and/or the maid he's in love with or some such. This one felt long and yet weirdly undeveloped despite that. Characters didn't click, threat was kind of generic. Maybe I'm judging it too harshly, maybe it was my mindset when I read it, or maybe it's just modern standards.

The Dice - 3.5/5 - Faustian tale, guy gets winning dice from the devil, proceeds to become a royal prick, punishment comes limping, all that jazz. I enjoyed it.

Camera Obscura - 4/5 - This one's straight out of The Twilight Zone. Worth reading (I thought) just for the concept. Also, it taught me what a camera obscura is.

The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up - 3.5/5 - A boy is forced to spend the holidays with his headmaster at an empty boarding school. Average plot, but great setting/use of location.

[Aleria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly enjoyed this. I got this book from the October 2017 Nocturnal Readers Box with two other books.

I've always loved horror stories & movies so this was right up my alley. An I took my time reading it (also I was busy) so I could enjoy each story & actually picture it in my head. But the main thing I enjoyed was finding out about some authors I never knew about or did know about but never read there work until now.

I do plan to get Volume 1 either sometime this year or next year. 😊

[Mcf1nder_sk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been a Constant Reader since the start of Stephen King's career (Carrie in 1973), I've loved horror almost my entire life. I've grown up, and old, with names like King, Koontz, Saul and Straub. I have read the classics (Lovecraft and Blackwood), and have lately discovered some new authors (Dan Simmons, Joe Hill and Ania Ahlborn).
.
.
.
Thanks to @the.nocturnal.readers.box, I received this book, with a different style of horror. The majority of these stories are gothic tales, written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The writing is different than younger readers may be used to, but the themes are familiar. There are 14 stories in this collection, by authors I hadn't heard of, except for Michael McDowell, whose novel Cold Moon Over Babylon I gushed over recently. Valancourt posted a brief note before each story, with a short biography of the author and some of their other works, many of which are now on my TBR.
.
.
.
Some of these tales aren't exactly horrifying, but for any horror fans who want to expand their horizons, Valancourt has given you a great selection to choose from. My personal favorites were Halley's Passing by Michael McDowell, The Elemental by R. Chetwynd-Hayes and Camera Obscura by Basil Copper.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great entry in The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories volumes. Delightfully grim and spooky an a little gory.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great horror anthology. Almost every story in the collection is a winner. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed them. I would recommend this to people looking to expand their horizons and read some authors you may not have read before.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great ones here! And if you like cats, then it is imperative you read ‘The Creatures in the House’. Only dull story was ‘The Dice’.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fantastic collection of short stories.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t grab me as much as the first volume, and a couple stories were outright awful, but still very accomplished and a necessary part of any horror collection.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars: Short plot outline and my thoughts on each story -

Samhain / Bernard Taylor -- *** - A disgruntled wife plans to use the Oct 31 holiday of Samhain to rid herself of her husband. Light tale involving witchcraft is ok but nothing special.

The bell / Beverley Nichols -- *** A man both sad and relieved over a death fears the death may not have been permanent. Builds to a suspenseful, but not unexpected, end.

The elemental / R. Chetwynd-Hayes -- **** A man is told by a psychic that he has an entity attached to him. Scoffing he soon comes to believe her and asks her to de-attach the thing. A breezy story that's fun yet terrifying.

Herself / M.E. Braddon --**** When her grandfather dies under strange circumstances a vibrant young woman inherits his Italian villa and moves there for the winter months. She soon starts to seemingly wither away as her friends and fiance try to get her to leave the accursed home. Evocative tale of decadence well told.

Creatures in the house / Robert Westall -- ***** An entity dispatches its old host and starts in on a new one after she inherits the house. But unexpected denizens thwart the thing's plans. Cat lovers will get a special joy from this interesting story.

November the thirteenth / Russell Thorndike -- ***** Following a lynching by townspeople deaths foretold by the victim occur on the day he died. Well told but needed a bit more fleshing out (no pun.)

Halley's passing / Michael McDowell -- *** An extremely violent man picks random murder victims for years without worrying too much about getting caught. McDowell's one of my favorite writers but he sort of went too far in describing the violent deaths; nice twist, though.

Nice boys / Isabel Colegate -- **** Staying at a small hotel in Venice a woman begins to have doubts that two young men staying there are as pleasant and kind as she first thought. Heroine acts a bit unsensibly in her dealings, but story is interesting.

Watcher by the threshold / John Buchan -- *** A man visiting his cousin and her husband in remote Scotland first scoffs at, then wonders about the husband claiming an ancient entity has attached itself to him. Brings you into the desolate manor, but the narrator gets no sympathy from the reader.

Tudor windows / Nevil Shute -- **** A man who owns an old house believes the current resident is a reincarnation of a former owner. A nice read, but I wanted more exposition at the end.

No sin / John Metcalfe -- **** After the death of his wife a man obsesses over a sculpture of her in a turret room and re-evaluates their relationship and that of his own feelings to his teenage ward. Well written tale, but somewhat confusing.

The Dice / Thomas DeQuincey -- * An heir to an estate that includes an ancient curse spends his life dealing with the fortunes and misfortunes a set of dice brings him. Written in 1923, this author must have been the Stephen King of his time: too wordy for a pleasant read. At 26 or so pages, at least half of it could have been edited out. Otherwise, it could have been interesting except for having to wade through the extraneous verbiage. (Oh, and a scrutoire is a writing desk, which maybe readers in 1923 knew.)

Camera obscura / Basil Copper -- ***** A miserly moneylender visits a client to collect a debt but is affected by the house's atmosphere and the inhabitant and experiences a surreal night after leaving. The best of the bunch was saved for near the end. Highly creepy and well told tale of comeuppance.

Boys who wouldn't wake up / Stephen Gregory -- ***** Seven year old Ian is the only boy left over Christmas holidays at his school. The headmaster shares a tale of when he himself was a boy at the school and a tragic event he relives each December. Wonderfully bittersweet take of regret and redemption.

[Greg Gbur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just in time to enjoy for Halloween, Valancourt Books has recently released their second volume of horror stories, in The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories, Volume 2!

The volume contains 14 stories of terror and the supernatural in VBHSv2, encompassing nearly 200 years of horror history. It includes a number of stunningly rare and never reprinted tales, including two that have never been published anywhere else.

Once again, as I said for VBHSv1, I am impressed with the cleverness of the book’s concept: it only includes stories by authors that Valancourt publishes, which makes the collection an advertisement for those authors’ novel-length works! Because there is no other unifying theme, it also resulted in a very diverse set of tales, all of which are of extremely high quality.

Read the whole review.

[brewabook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume Two
Short stories that are based on the supernatural. I liked about half of them and there were a few that I thought could be turned into an actual novel. I really enjoyed the first story which was a witch story that had me smiling with all the karma being dished out. The 3rd story was about the supernatural and was very spooky, it had be thinking about it for a while afterwards. The 7th story is the one that I think should be made into a book it’s a serial killer vampire tale. The stories I didn’t like were the 2nd, which I didn’t find scary or spooky at all, the 6th which was similar to the headless horseman wasn’t that scary and reminded me a lot of the old victorain horror stories. The 10th story was about a haunted house that kills the woman that live there once they reach a certain age and the 11th story made zero sense to me.

[Lisa Lantrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was hit or miss for me. There were some great stories, some mediocre stores, and some that totally bored me. Some of them I can't even remember. The ones that stand out to me are:

Herself - This one I really just loved the creepy gothic atmosphere. I love the old haunted house out away from everything story.

The Creatures in the House - This one was just creepy!

Halley's Passing - This my have been my favorite in the book. I definitely think the less you know going in, the better. So good!

The Nice Boys - This one is set in Venice, which is a great setting for a scary book. It's about a woman on vacation who meets these two nice young boys, who she suspects may not be quite so nice.

The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up - I love the setting of a boarding school for this one.

[Jeffrey Powanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second anthology of horror stories from indie publisher Valancourt. This one has 14 stories, and the volume is bookended by the two best stories, “Samhain” (a Halloween story) by Bernard Taylor and “The Boys Who Wouldn’t Wake Up” (a Christmas story) by Stephen Gregory, two writers I need to explore further. In between those two stories, here were my favorites of the other stories:

- “The Elemental” by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
- “Halley’s Passing” by Michael McDowell
- “The Nice Boys” by Isabel Colgate
- “Camera Obscura” by Basil Copper

I rated this volume slightly less than the superb first volume because I found a few of the older stories archaic in style but otherwise entertaining. But overall this is still a wonderful horror anthology.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining collection of short horror fiction, many of which come from authors I had never heard of.

My favorites included:
-Samhain (a toxic marriage reaches a vital turning point on Halloween night)
-The Elemental (great spin on demonic possession)
-Halley's Passing (McDowell is just awesome all around)
-The Nice Boys (a woman on holiday in Italy begins to suspect that something is very wrong with two boys at her hotel)
-The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up (more about grief and regret than actual horror)

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little collection. There were some stories that really took a lot of work to pay attention to, but there were a lot that I liked quite a bit. And it had the decency to end on a story that was kind of... sweet, almost? A little heartwarming? Which is not what I was expecting, but was not entirely a terrible idea. I would say I enjoyed most of these. Favorites were probably Samhain, The Bell, The Nice Boys, The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up, and Camera Obscura.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Volume Two has been hiding around on my kindle for years. So much to read from Valancourt, so little time. This collection, like the previous one, does not disappoint. You get a Stephen Gregory Christmas tale, a splatterpunk precursor from McDowell, and a orgastic Samhain story, presented by Bernard Taylor.

Other Highlights:

“Herself”-M.E. Braddon
“The Dice”-Thomas De Quincey
“Camera Obscura”-Basil Copper

[Chrim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow…what an experience. This book reminds me of when I was but a young aspiring author. Running hot, flaunting my stuff all over town, thinking I was the next L. Ron Hubbard. But this book….this book surpassed everything I worked so hard for for 40 years. This anthology proved that books CAN and ARE art. This book right here will change your perspective, your outlook, your world view all together. Wasn’t a big fan of the British tones.