American Gothic Short Stories

by Monika Elbert (Foreword), Gertrude Atherton, Ambrose Bierce

With handsome young men who never grow old, and the strangest of relatives appearing from dark corridors and long shadows, the frenzied imagination of the American Gothic is a fertile theme for this next anthology in the Gothic & Fantasy short story series. As with other titles in the series, new short fiction complements the work of classic authors from the genre such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and many more.

Contents:
• Foreword by Monika Elbert
• Gertrude Atherton - The Bell in the Fog
• Ambrose Bierce - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
• Ambrose Bierce - A Vine on a House
• Charles Brockden Brown - Somnambulism: A Fragment
• Terri Bruce - Stone Baby
• George Washington Cable - Jean-ah Poquelin
• Ramsey Campbell - The Tomb-Herd
• Charles W. Chesnutt - Po' Sandy
• Kate Chopin - Désirée's Baby
• E.E.W. Christman - The Dark Presser
• Ralph Adams Cram - The Dead Valley
• Stephen Crane - The Monster
• Emma Dawson - Singed Moths
• Maxx Fidalgo - Graveyards Full
• Mary E. Wilkins Freeman - Luella Miller
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman - The Yellow Wallpaper
• Ellen Glasgow - The Past
• Nathaniel Hawthorne - The Birthmark
• Nathaniel Hawthorne - The Minister's Black Veil: A Parable
• Joshua Hiles - Old Homeplace
• Washington Irving - The Devil and Tom Walker
• Shirley Jackson - My Uncle in the Garden
• Russell James - In the Domain of Doctor Baldwin
• Sarah Orne Jewett - The Landscape Chamber
• Grace King - The Story of a Day
• Clayton Kroh - Baby Girl
• Sean Logan - Viola's Second Husband
• H.P. Lovecraft - The Outsider
• H.P. Lovecraft - The Tomb
• Madison McSweeney - The Outsiders in the Hawthorne Tomb
• Lynette Mejía - Big, Bad
• Herman Melville - Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street
• W.C. Morrow - The Monster-Maker
• Joe Nazare - Gothic American
• Wendy Nikel - In the Bleak
• Christi Nogle - In the Country
• Flannery O'Connor - A Good Man Is Hard to Find
• Edgar Allan Poe - Berenice
• Edgar Allan Poe - The Tell-Tale Heart
• Lina Rather - Baby Teeth
• M. Regan - Bibliosmia
• Rebecca Ring - Water Witch
• Mike Robinson - Ring of Teeth
• Annie Trumbull Slosson - Botany Bay
• Clark Ashton Smith - The Devotee of Evil
• Lucy A. Snyder - Approaching Lavender
• Harriet Prescott Spofford - Circumstance
• Harriet Beecher Stowe - The Ghost in the Cap'n Brown House
• Edith Wharton - Kerfol
• Edith Wharton - The Eyes
• Valerie B. Williams - Amazing Patsy
• Nemma Wollenfang - The Hollow Tree
• Madeline Yale Wynne - The Little Room
• Biographies & Sources

Flame Tree Gothic & Fantasy, as well as Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections, bring together the entire range of myth, folklore, epic literature and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories, the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Gothic, Fantasy, Anthologies, Classics

480 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2019

Reviews

[Tucker Almengor]

Many thanks to Flame Tree Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

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[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, Flame Tree. Just when I think I'm out, you pull me back in. But as of this review, I think I've finally read all I want to from them. I've been waiting for someone to post at least a list of the stories (got so many horror/Gothic anthologies, it's getting harder to avoid duplicates, and your girl doesn't have money/time for that). Believe it or not, although I'm an American and have affinity for Gothic literature, I have to say I'm not sure I've read much American Gothic lit. I do love Gothic novels, but American Gothic can veer into Southern Gothic, of which I've never been a huge fan (I love my brooding heroes, strong willed heroines, and gloomy castles). I suppose I'm a bit put off by the idea that all southerners talk with an exaggerated twang, and reading that twang creates a stumbling effect in me. These stories prove that horror can be find anywhere and in the most innocuous of people. Nothing is sacred: creatures stalk apartment complexes in the form of kindly neighbors, energy vampires masquerade as unsuspecting grandmas and widows from city streets to sleepy suburbia, and perhaps that's why American Gothic has a leg up on its plain Jane cousin. My stars stem from the stories I enjoyed and as always, here they are:

*"A Vine on a House"-Ambrose Bierce
*"Somnambulism: A Fragment"-Charles Brockden Brown
*"Stone Baby"-Terri Bruce
*"The Tomb Herd"-Ramsey Campbell
*"The Dark Presser"-E.E.W. Christman
*"The Dead Valley"-Ralph Adams Cram
*"Graveyard's Full"-Maxx Fidalgo
*"Luella Miller"-Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
*"The Yellow Wallpaper'-Charlotte Perkins Gilman
*"The Past"-Ellen Glasgow
*"Old Homeplace"-Joshua Hiles
*"The Story of a Day"-Grace King
*"Viola's Second Husband"-Sean Logan
*"The Outsiders in Hawthorne Tomb"-Madison McSweeney
*"Big, Bad,"-Lynette Mejia
*"Gothic American"-Joe Nazare
*"In the Bleak"-Wendy Nikel
*"Baby Teeth"-Lina Rather
*"Approaching Lavender"-Lucy A. Snyder
*"The Hollow Tree"-Nemma Wollenfang

[Emilia Doran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it's fine. Some of the stories are masterpieces and then some are just old men from the 1800s shooting the shit and wasting my time.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I confess, I bought this book because it was so pretty. But unfortunately, I had very mixed feelings about the story selection. Of course there are some great authors contained (HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, etc.), but I would say at least half the stories were either boring or I really didn't enjoy them. So definitely don't judge a book by its cover.

[John (Hey Y'all Listen Up) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of 53 stories from American authors both old and new (14 are first published in this book). Warning: Some of these stories contain words that are racial insults (the newest of these was written in 1955).
My favorite story was "Stone Baby" by Terri Bruce. A great writer can put you in the shoes of someone you will never be, and Bruce does that in this story.
Other 5 star stories:
A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Conner
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe (Berenice by Poe is also included)
Approaching Lavender by Lucy A. Snyder
Amazing Patsy by Valerie B. Williams
The Hollow Tree by Nemma Wollenfang
There were (22) 4 star stories, (22) 3 star stories, (3) 2 star stories and no 1 star stories

[Marcel Plessis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great hidden gems in here, including many must-read stories for lovers of Gothic Horror (i.e. me). The Yellow Wallpaper is a particular favourite. There are writers of yesteryear that I discovered for the first time in this collection - something to be praised. Overall good quality and layout. Also, there are Lovecraft stories in here, if he is your thing (i.e. not me).

[Theresa Oliveri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The font was just too small for me.