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The Witch Of Prague & Other Stories
As I fell the thing sprang across me and seemed to throw itself upon the captain. When I last saw him on his feet his face was white and his lips set. It seemed to me that he struck a violent blow at the dead being, and then he, too, fell forward upon his face, with an inarticulate cry of horror'. This unique collection contains all the supernatural works of the prolific F. Marion Crawford (1854 - 1909), including his classic chillers 'For Blood is the Life', 'The Upper Berth' and 'The Screaming Skull' which was based on a true horror legend. Also included in this volume is the title story, his amazing novel The Witch of Prague which Dennis Wheatley described as a 'classic of occult fiction'. For a potent blend of horror, fantasy and fear Crawford's tales have rarely been surpassed. Most of these stories have long been out of print, so this collection is a special treat for all lovers of supernatural mysteries.
464 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2008
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801 people want to read
About the author
F. Marion Crawford
1,370 books87 followersFrancis Marion Crawford (1854-1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels. He was born at Bagni di Lucca, Italy. In 1879 he went to India, where he studied Sanskrit and edited the Allahabad Indian Herald. Returning to America he continued to study Sanskrit at Harvard University for a year, contributed to various periodicals, and in 1882 produced his first novel, Mr Isaacs. This book had an immediate success, and its author's promise was confirmed by the publication of Doctor Claudius: A True Story (1883). After a brief residence in New York and Boston, in 1883 he returned to Italy, where he made his permanent home. He also published the historical works, Ave Roma Immortalis (1898), Rulers of the South (1900) renamed Sicily, Calabria and Malta in 1904, and Gleanings from Venetian History (1905). The Saracinesca series is perhaps known to be his best work, with the third in the series, Don Orsino, set against the background of a real estate bubble, told with effective concision. A fourth book in the series, Corleone, was the first major treatment of the Mafia in literature.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 21, 2010
Do you want some really good horror stories?
Well, presuming for just a moment that you want horror stories, then obviously you’re going to prefer really good ones to rubbish ones, aren’t you? And that being the case, then I have the man for you.
F. Marion Crawford was apparently a successful writer in his lifetime, but has slipped into neglect since his death. That is a real shame, as based on this volume his short supernatural fiction is a match for anybody else’s.
We have here ‘The Screaming Skull’, one of the most terrifying tales of a haunting ever written; ‘The Upper Berth’, which takes the reader aboard a ghostly ship; ‘Man Overboard’ continues the nautical theme, with the added element of thwarted love; while ‘For the Blood of Life’ throws an interesting spin on vampires. There are a handful of other stories in this volume, all of them brilliant and all offering proof that Crawford, at his best, could match James or Lovecraft or whoever you care to mention.
Unfortunately it’s topped off by a truly tedious novel named ‘The Witch of Prague’. The novel has some interesting ideas, but frequently deviates into wordy rants which are painfully dull to read. It offers proof that some writers are sprinters rather than marathon runners.
Still it’s a volume worth getting hold of: the stories are definitely five star, even if the novel is two.
Well, presuming for just a moment that you want horror stories, then obviously you’re going to prefer really good ones to rubbish ones, aren’t you? And that being the case, then I have the man for you.
F. Marion Crawford was apparently a successful writer in his lifetime, but has slipped into neglect since his death. That is a real shame, as based on this volume his short supernatural fiction is a match for anybody else’s.
We have here ‘The Screaming Skull’, one of the most terrifying tales of a haunting ever written; ‘The Upper Berth’, which takes the reader aboard a ghostly ship; ‘Man Overboard’ continues the nautical theme, with the added element of thwarted love; while ‘For the Blood of Life’ throws an interesting spin on vampires. There are a handful of other stories in this volume, all of them brilliant and all offering proof that Crawford, at his best, could match James or Lovecraft or whoever you care to mention.
Unfortunately it’s topped off by a truly tedious novel named ‘The Witch of Prague’. The novel has some interesting ideas, but frequently deviates into wordy rants which are painfully dull to read. It offers proof that some writers are sprinters rather than marathon runners.
Still it’s a volume worth getting hold of: the stories are definitely five star, even if the novel is two.
January 2, 2013
This was a fantastic book, possibly the best I've read so far in this series, though there is a lot of stiff competition. The Witch of Prague is a supernatural story unlike any I've ever read before. It starts in a crowded church but then the streets become deserted and there are only 8 people within the book. The characters are amazing, wonderfully described almost archetypes in their grandness. A story of love and obsession, the search for eternal life, the nature of magic and hypnotism. It'd make an amazingly beautiful graphic novel. It was very intense. The short stories were all written in a very different voice, or voices. The Screaming Skull was an interesting tale of murder and revenge, very atmospheric and supernatural. For the Blood is the Life is one of the best Vampire short stories I've ever read. It was almost Lovecraftian in it's creepiness. The Upper Berth, a nice supernatural tale of a haunted room in a ship. Man overboard, was my least favorite, I think I was just bored of the ship themes by this point and it took awhile to become spooky. The Doll's Ghost was very sweet and lovely. Almost comical to start with but very sad and touching. The Dead Smile, a doomed love affair that was a little predictable but ok. By the Waters of Paradise was fantastic. A lovely romance worthy of William Morris told in the first person by a hero stricken with melancholy. The King's Messenger, also fairly short and sweet, though also a little predictable. There was a great range, even though most of the stories were in some way supernatural, but there was great characterisation and a lovely, though varied, writing style. According to the introduction the author was very popular in late Victorian times though is not well known today. I think I shall have to track down more of his work.
April 14, 2015
F. Marion crawford fue un escritor muy popular en su época, sobre todo por sus novelas históricas. A día de hoy hay algunas de ellas publicadas, pero gran parte del interés que despierta es por sus relatos sobrenaturales.
-The screaming skull - ***** -> Es un relato muy curioso. Está narrado en 2ª persona, como si el narrador estuviese sentado frente a nosotros y fuésemos amigos desde hace mucho tiempo. Los hechos que nos narra tiene que ver con los antiguos inquilinos de la casa donde ocurre la narración, y se centran en un calavera que emite extraños sonidos (parecidos al viento). El relato va in crecendo y goza de una ambientación espectacular. Su gran fama está plenamente justificada.
-For the blood is the life - ***** -> Maravilloso relato vampírico en todos los aspectos. Empieza de forma inmejorable con un torreón viejo, y dos nobles ociosos en su tejado, narrando una historia de terror que tiene que ver con una piedra con forma de tumba que se ve en una colina. A pesar de haber sido escrito en el siglo XX, usa el tema vampírico de una forma propia de la época pre-drácula. La ambientación es absolutamente fabulosa.
-The upper Berth - ***** -> Es una historia de fantasmas ambientada en un barco. Narrada por un pasajero al que le toca un camarote que parece tener una fama terrible: varios de sus ocupantes han muerto. Una vez más, me ha parecido sensacional. No se si es el mejor relato de fantasmas de todos los tiempos (parece que ha sido citado como tal en varios sitios) pero desde luego podría estar cerca de esa posición sin dudarlo.
-Man, overboard! - ***** -> AL igual que The Upper Berth, está principalmente ambientada en un barco, concretamente en el día a día de unos marinos. La acción se centra en un par de gemelos, y el terrible destino que sufre uno de ellos en una noche de gran oleaje. Tras su desaparición empiezan a ocurrir cosas extrañas en el barco. Una vez más la ambientación es de primera magnitud.
-The doll's ghost - **** -> Es muy diferente al resto de relatos. Es más un cuento con toques sombrios, que una historia de terror propiamente dicha. Es corta y original. Gira en torno a un juguetero al que le encargan arreglar una preciosa muñeca. Tanto le gusta que empieza a encariñarse de ella, más que de su propia hija.
-The dead Smile - **** -> Sin llegar a los niveles de los primeros relatos, es una más que estimable historia sobre una pareja dispuesta a casarse, y un padre moribundo decidido a llevarse un terrible secreto con él a la tumba. El título hace referencia a la grotesca y contagiosa sonrisa del padre, retorcida y horrible. Abusa un poco de la sonrisa en cuestión y tiene alguna parte un poco redundante, pero es un buen relato.
-By the waters of paradise - ** -> Es sin duda el relato más flojo de la recopilación. Un comienzo prometedor (un niño huérfano en un castillo, tras la muerte de sus padres, y una profecía por parte de la niñera), que se desarrolla de forma algo folletinesca, y termina con un moralismo bastante repelente. En realidad es más una historia de amor que un relato sobrenatural o de terror, no acaba de cuadrar muy bien en la selección.
-The king's messenger - **** -> Es un relato tremendamente ocurrente. En muy pocas páginas se las apaña para tener una serie de revelaciones ingeniosas, y un final memorable. No pertenece al genero de terror, pero es entendible porqué lo han metido aquí. Me abstengo de decir gran cosa sobre él porque casi todo lo que se diga puede estropearlo. Una pequeña diversión muy inteligente.
No he leido, eso si, "The witch of prague", novela de considerable duración y tintes góticos que no goza precisamente de buena fama. Estaba fundamentalmente interesado en los relatos sobrenaturales de Crawford, así que solo por ellos merecía la pena el libro. Seguramente en un futuro me anime con ella, pero el hecho de que todo el mundo esté de acuerdo en su escasa calidad hace que de momento no quiera empeorar la grata impresión que me ha dejado su autor.
Es una lástima que alguien que escribió tan maravillosos relatos apenas sea conocido hoy en día (sobre todo por los 4 primero relatos, absolutas obras maestras), y que además en vida, no se prodigase más en el género. Desgraciadamente aquí está todo lo que hizo con temática sobrenatural.
-The screaming skull - ***** -> Es un relato muy curioso. Está narrado en 2ª persona, como si el narrador estuviese sentado frente a nosotros y fuésemos amigos desde hace mucho tiempo. Los hechos que nos narra tiene que ver con los antiguos inquilinos de la casa donde ocurre la narración, y se centran en un calavera que emite extraños sonidos (parecidos al viento). El relato va in crecendo y goza de una ambientación espectacular. Su gran fama está plenamente justificada.
-For the blood is the life - ***** -> Maravilloso relato vampírico en todos los aspectos. Empieza de forma inmejorable con un torreón viejo, y dos nobles ociosos en su tejado, narrando una historia de terror que tiene que ver con una piedra con forma de tumba que se ve en una colina. A pesar de haber sido escrito en el siglo XX, usa el tema vampírico de una forma propia de la época pre-drácula. La ambientación es absolutamente fabulosa.
-The upper Berth - ***** -> Es una historia de fantasmas ambientada en un barco. Narrada por un pasajero al que le toca un camarote que parece tener una fama terrible: varios de sus ocupantes han muerto. Una vez más, me ha parecido sensacional. No se si es el mejor relato de fantasmas de todos los tiempos (parece que ha sido citado como tal en varios sitios) pero desde luego podría estar cerca de esa posición sin dudarlo.
-Man, overboard! - ***** -> AL igual que The Upper Berth, está principalmente ambientada en un barco, concretamente en el día a día de unos marinos. La acción se centra en un par de gemelos, y el terrible destino que sufre uno de ellos en una noche de gran oleaje. Tras su desaparición empiezan a ocurrir cosas extrañas en el barco. Una vez más la ambientación es de primera magnitud.
-The doll's ghost - **** -> Es muy diferente al resto de relatos. Es más un cuento con toques sombrios, que una historia de terror propiamente dicha. Es corta y original. Gira en torno a un juguetero al que le encargan arreglar una preciosa muñeca. Tanto le gusta que empieza a encariñarse de ella, más que de su propia hija.
-The dead Smile - **** -> Sin llegar a los niveles de los primeros relatos, es una más que estimable historia sobre una pareja dispuesta a casarse, y un padre moribundo decidido a llevarse un terrible secreto con él a la tumba. El título hace referencia a la grotesca y contagiosa sonrisa del padre, retorcida y horrible. Abusa un poco de la sonrisa en cuestión y tiene alguna parte un poco redundante, pero es un buen relato.
-By the waters of paradise - ** -> Es sin duda el relato más flojo de la recopilación. Un comienzo prometedor (un niño huérfano en un castillo, tras la muerte de sus padres, y una profecía por parte de la niñera), que se desarrolla de forma algo folletinesca, y termina con un moralismo bastante repelente. En realidad es más una historia de amor que un relato sobrenatural o de terror, no acaba de cuadrar muy bien en la selección.
-The king's messenger - **** -> Es un relato tremendamente ocurrente. En muy pocas páginas se las apaña para tener una serie de revelaciones ingeniosas, y un final memorable. No pertenece al genero de terror, pero es entendible porqué lo han metido aquí. Me abstengo de decir gran cosa sobre él porque casi todo lo que se diga puede estropearlo. Una pequeña diversión muy inteligente.
No he leido, eso si, "The witch of prague", novela de considerable duración y tintes góticos que no goza precisamente de buena fama. Estaba fundamentalmente interesado en los relatos sobrenaturales de Crawford, así que solo por ellos merecía la pena el libro. Seguramente en un futuro me anime con ella, pero el hecho de que todo el mundo esté de acuerdo en su escasa calidad hace que de momento no quiera empeorar la grata impresión que me ha dejado su autor.
Es una lástima que alguien que escribió tan maravillosos relatos apenas sea conocido hoy en día (sobre todo por los 4 primero relatos, absolutas obras maestras), y que además en vida, no se prodigase más en el género. Desgraciadamente aquí está todo lo que hizo con temática sobrenatural.
April 9, 2021
It seems ridiculous that I m going to rate this book without having read The Witch of Prague. Maybe I will get to it one day, but the whole reason why I bought it was for the short stories. It sat on my shelf for a decade because I didn’t feel like reading the poorly reviewed novel that came with it, which ended up getting silly. Anyway, this review and rating is for the “Other Stories” which was originally released as a collection under the title “Wandering Ghosts.”
If you want rousing Victorian ghost stories frequently dipping into the nautical theme look no further. He has a great matter-of-fact patter to his style that frequently comes across as dry humor despite his persistent seriousness. His stories share a space with you as a reader, and he brings you into the present of the retelling, which I found highly entertaining.
The first three stories are my favorites as they were the punchiest (Screaming Skull, For the Blood is the Life, and Upper Berth), but I frankly I enjoyed them all.
If you want rousing Victorian ghost stories frequently dipping into the nautical theme look no further. He has a great matter-of-fact patter to his style that frequently comes across as dry humor despite his persistent seriousness. His stories share a space with you as a reader, and he brings you into the present of the retelling, which I found highly entertaining.
The first three stories are my favorites as they were the punchiest (Screaming Skull, For the Blood is the Life, and Upper Berth), but I frankly I enjoyed them all.
October 15, 2016
Lots of ghost stories, some scarier than others. My favorites were "For the Blood is the Life", a very creepy vampire story and "The Upper Berth", a suspenseful ghost story that takes place on a ship.
"The Witch of Prague" was a little long and very "Romantic" in its style. Lots of description of a man's obsessive love for a mysterious woman with unearthly beauty.
"The Witch of Prague" was a little long and very "Romantic" in its style. Lots of description of a man's obsessive love for a mysterious woman with unearthly beauty.
April 5, 2015
The short story "Man Overboard" is great and a few others such as "The Doll's Ghost" are worth reading. The novel The Witch of Prague has a fascinating story but is marred by overripe prose, cartoonish characters, pretentious philosophizing, and wild anti-Semitism.
September 7, 2016
Man searches world for the woman he loves, gets to Prague and falls under the spell of a hypnotist/witch. Truth and good finally prevail.
December 27, 2019
This is essentially two books: a collection of his short stories, and the novel-length Witch of Prague. You probably might not want to read the whole thing straight through, although doing so does set it all in a sort of context. Francis Marion Crawford's horror is often redemptive (characters saved by love and/or faith): this can serve to undermine the terror of the stories even as it makes them warmer and kinder, and it clearly informs the novel's story arc.
His authorial tone, however, is really engaging, especially in the short stories: there's a reasonableness and rationalism that finds itself bumping up against the inexplicable and unpleasant. If you've ever seen the footage of Algernon Blackwood reading his stories, the voice is rather like that only more coherent than Blackwood's odd vocalisation. It can be highly effective.
Stretched to novel length the technique tends towards the wordy and discursive, not always to its own advantage. Witch of Prague works almost in spite of its lengthy digressions, but their sometimes inarticulate philosophical musings still keep a certain disorientation at work. (I was delighted when one of the characters refers back to Fourier, without mentioning him by name, and even more delighted when the author provides a footnoted reference to a work by Krafft-Ebing).
The focus on hypnotism, flitting between its mechanical and more supernatural aspects, is really nice, and if you're after something genuinely disturbing and nasty in tone a couple of chapters do spring that rather unexpectedly.
A Word Of Caution:
The book is marked by some classic late 19th century liberal anti-Semitism: there's a sympathetic Jewish character, but he's seen in the context of an unpleasant anti-Semitic portrayal of Jewry more generally. It's unpleasant (and unnecessary), but the collection as a whole should allow the reader to contextualise the racism in the writing without forgiving it. This is a particularly thorny question in sensation and potboiler fiction, of course: I mention it here because my stimulus finally to get round to this book was realising that the actor Howard Marion-Crawford was our boy's grandson. Howard was the perfect Dr Petrie in the 1960s Christopher Lee Fu Manchu films ...
His authorial tone, however, is really engaging, especially in the short stories: there's a reasonableness and rationalism that finds itself bumping up against the inexplicable and unpleasant. If you've ever seen the footage of Algernon Blackwood reading his stories, the voice is rather like that only more coherent than Blackwood's odd vocalisation. It can be highly effective.
Stretched to novel length the technique tends towards the wordy and discursive, not always to its own advantage. Witch of Prague works almost in spite of its lengthy digressions, but their sometimes inarticulate philosophical musings still keep a certain disorientation at work. (I was delighted when one of the characters refers back to Fourier, without mentioning him by name, and even more delighted when the author provides a footnoted reference to a work by Krafft-Ebing).
The focus on hypnotism, flitting between its mechanical and more supernatural aspects, is really nice, and if you're after something genuinely disturbing and nasty in tone a couple of chapters do spring that rather unexpectedly.
A Word Of Caution:
The book is marked by some classic late 19th century liberal anti-Semitism: there's a sympathetic Jewish character, but he's seen in the context of an unpleasant anti-Semitic portrayal of Jewry more generally. It's unpleasant (and unnecessary), but the collection as a whole should allow the reader to contextualise the racism in the writing without forgiving it. This is a particularly thorny question in sensation and potboiler fiction, of course: I mention it here because my stimulus finally to get round to this book was realising that the actor Howard Marion-Crawford was our boy's grandson. Howard was the perfect Dr Petrie in the 1960s Christopher Lee Fu Manchu films ...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2010
A collection of supernatural short stories plus the full length novel 'The Witch of Prague'. Very gothic and atmospheric.
January 28, 2010
The rating is for Crawford's horror short stories, included in this volume, and not for the rather melodramatic late-gothic title novel.
August 30, 2024
I really tried hard to finish this. Most of the short stories in this volume were decent and I enjoyed the eerie storytelling. The novel The Witch of Prague at the end, however, was completely convoluted and full of antisemitic gibberish.
January 9, 2016
"..her love had saved her."
This book was the first of its kind for me, not only was it a tale, but somehow a poem as well. A poem about passion, whether it is a passion for love or life or immortality or even for the past, it masturfully displayed how such a fierce passion is utterly unstoppable even in the face of the most difficult of obstacles.
This tale was dreamy and rich with description, which sometimes I skipped several paragraphs of it to be honest, but this descriptive nature gave it an undeniable sense of depth and an unfathomable attraction to keep me going through this magical tale.
It wasn't an easy read, and at times I had to re-read several pages because I got lost in the details, but an enjoyable one nonetheless.
*** this review is only for "The Witch Of Prague" as my e-copy of the book only contained the main tale.***
This book was the first of its kind for me, not only was it a tale, but somehow a poem as well. A poem about passion, whether it is a passion for love or life or immortality or even for the past, it masturfully displayed how such a fierce passion is utterly unstoppable even in the face of the most difficult of obstacles.
This tale was dreamy and rich with description, which sometimes I skipped several paragraphs of it to be honest, but this descriptive nature gave it an undeniable sense of depth and an unfathomable attraction to keep me going through this magical tale.
It wasn't an easy read, and at times I had to re-read several pages because I got lost in the details, but an enjoyable one nonetheless.
*** this review is only for "The Witch Of Prague" as my e-copy of the book only contained the main tale.***
August 1, 2021
I first encountered Crawford in the collection Vampires (edited by David J. Skal), and I had to seek out more. I wasn't disappointed. There's something special about horror written before the narrative style of films overtook the genre.
Want to read
July 4, 2013kindle cloud
October 14, 2013
Did not even finish. :(
August 18, 2014
This is a pretty good collection of horror stories, many of them nautically-based. They are "old-school" horror stories which of course is natural since the book is old.
December 30, 2016
the short stories are good, but "the witch of Prague," which takes up over 3/4 of the book, is not good.
June 21, 2018
An excellent collection of stories of frightfully under rated author
March 10, 2021
The short stories in this book are absolutely delightful, probably the best thing I've read this year, on their own they would have been a 5/5. Crawford is great at creating an atmosphere of suspense, and while personally I didn't find any of the stories frightening, I was captivated by each from beginning to end.
I had a bit of a harder time judging The Witch of Prague, perhaps because I started the novel expecting more of what I had loved in the short stories. But while Crawford's skill with atmosphere lingers, mostly the novel feels very different from the rest of the book. I do read a lot of older books, but even so found the pacing a bit off in places, and just felt all around that there wasn't enough plot to justify the length.
Still, I would highly recommend Crawford's short stories to anyone, and I wouldn't try to dissuade anyone from reading the witch of Prague either, if they felt like it.
I had a bit of a harder time judging The Witch of Prague, perhaps because I started the novel expecting more of what I had loved in the short stories. But while Crawford's skill with atmosphere lingers, mostly the novel feels very different from the rest of the book. I do read a lot of older books, but even so found the pacing a bit off in places, and just felt all around that there wasn't enough plot to justify the length.
Still, I would highly recommend Crawford's short stories to anyone, and I wouldn't try to dissuade anyone from reading the witch of Prague either, if they felt like it.
February 10, 2024
This has been the longest time it has taken for me to read anything. I bought the book for the short stories, which were easier to dip in and out of and in the main, they were good of a type. The witch of Prague was a lot tougher going and had more focus on a love story rather than the supernatural elements which I enjoy when reading older titles. It is full of rich but meandering description that I found difficult to wade through. By rights, a lot of the story should have been condensed as many chapters are full of repeated anguish which makes it dull. It was a relief to get to the end.
October 31, 2019
Excellent short stories. The novella 'The Witch of Prague' sets a different pace at the end, a somewhat shakespearian style. Not as chilling a tale however. Could easily be adapted to a stage play, surprised it hasn't been already.
January 26, 2025
"Love stands at the gateway of each human soul, holding in his hands a rose and a drawn sword—the sword is for the many, the rose for the one."
-Gothic winter mood in Prague
-Fantastical-esoteric themes of science, hypnotism, and spirituality
-Love triangle/quadrangle
All these make 'The Witch of Prague' a uniquely atmospheric novel by the prolific F. Marion Crawford, published in 1891. The illustrations in earlier editions by Irish-American artist William John Hennessy also deserve a mention.
Yet, my admiration for his talent and originality was at times challenged by his lengthy philosophizing and repetition. As such, I preferred his short supernatural fiction like the gems 'Man Overboard!,' The Doll's Ghost', and 'By The Waters of Paradise.'
Surely his birth in Italy, eventual relocation there, and conversion to Catholicism influenced him, along with his education that included studying Sanskrit in India for potential professorship. Though he seems rather forgotten today, he was very popular in his time and even had one of his plays produced in Paris by his friend, the famed actress Sarah Bernhardt. (Later, his grandson Howard Marion-Crawford also became an actor.)
Some of his works were adapted to film, like the sweet romance 'The White Sister' with Clark Gable in 1933. But in an era of redundant remakes, I echo that his imaginative paranormal tales would be great contenders for the screen.
Overall, his storytelling has earned him a welcomed place among my favorites on the genre, while reminding that challenging reads can be—and often are—rewarding.
*4 stars for the short stories, 3 stars for the uniquely moody novel.
-Gothic winter mood in Prague
-Fantastical-esoteric themes of science, hypnotism, and spirituality
-Love triangle/quadrangle
All these make 'The Witch of Prague' a uniquely atmospheric novel by the prolific F. Marion Crawford, published in 1891. The illustrations in earlier editions by Irish-American artist William John Hennessy also deserve a mention.
Yet, my admiration for his talent and originality was at times challenged by his lengthy philosophizing and repetition. As such, I preferred his short supernatural fiction like the gems 'Man Overboard!,' The Doll's Ghost', and 'By The Waters of Paradise.'
Surely his birth in Italy, eventual relocation there, and conversion to Catholicism influenced him, along with his education that included studying Sanskrit in India for potential professorship. Though he seems rather forgotten today, he was very popular in his time and even had one of his plays produced in Paris by his friend, the famed actress Sarah Bernhardt. (Later, his grandson Howard Marion-Crawford also became an actor.)
Some of his works were adapted to film, like the sweet romance 'The White Sister' with Clark Gable in 1933. But in an era of redundant remakes, I echo that his imaginative paranormal tales would be great contenders for the screen.
Overall, his storytelling has earned him a welcomed place among my favorites on the genre, while reminding that challenging reads can be—and often are—rewarding.
*4 stars for the short stories, 3 stars for the uniquely moody novel.
October 30, 2012
This is an awesome book which held my interest more than most.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews