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The Parasite and Other Tales of Terror
THE PARASITE AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR by Arthur Conan Doyle (Haunted Library of Horror Classics, Volume #6)
• with introduction to the book by Daniel Stashower
• with biography, reading list, and discussion questions by series editor and author Eric J. Guignard
• with annotations by series editor and author Leslie S. Klinger
Even before he created Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle terrified and delighted readers with tales of mysterious forces that defy rational explanation. These stories capture the unique draw of the uncanny and the curiosity that compels us all to ask, “Could it be true?” Included within are nine spine-tingling tales, such as: mournful cries in an ice-bound sea; a potion that allows the user to commune with ghosts; an Egyptian priest who cannot die; and a mesmerist of unrivaled power. Brace yourself for these and other chilling encounters!
Classic stories of horror and terror include:
• The Parasite
• The Mystery of Sasassa Valley
• J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement
• The Captain of the "Pole-Star"
• The Great Keinplatz Experiment
• The Ring of Thoth
• The Bully of Brocas Court
• Selecting a Ghost
• How it Happened
• with introduction to the book by Daniel Stashower
• with biography, reading list, and discussion questions by series editor and author Eric J. Guignard
• with annotations by series editor and author Leslie S. Klinger
Even before he created Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle terrified and delighted readers with tales of mysterious forces that defy rational explanation. These stories capture the unique draw of the uncanny and the curiosity that compels us all to ask, “Could it be true?” Included within are nine spine-tingling tales, such as: mournful cries in an ice-bound sea; a potion that allows the user to commune with ghosts; an Egyptian priest who cannot die; and a mesmerist of unrivaled power. Brace yourself for these and other chilling encounters!
Classic stories of horror and terror include:
• The Parasite
• The Mystery of Sasassa Valley
• J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement
• The Captain of the "Pole-Star"
• The Great Keinplatz Experiment
• The Ring of Thoth
• The Bully of Brocas Court
• Selecting a Ghost
• How it Happened
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2001
34 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Conan Doyle
15.8k books24.3k followersSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 12, 2023
Качествена подборка разкази, болшинството гравитиращи около свръхестественото, от опознаването на което авторът е бил действително изкушен и в живота. Имаше и две-три "по-реалистични" творби ("Пасторален ужас", "Историята с бразилската котка и "Случаят с лейди Санок"), но пък съспенсът в тях също си го биваше. Изобщо, за разлика от други "бащици" на остросюжетните жанрове, отличаващи се с по-муден и тегав стил, сър Артън Конан Дойл е откровен сладкодумник.
Съдържание:
Ужасът от висините
Капитанът на "Полярна звезда"
Ужасът в дупката "Блу Джон"
Кожената фуния
Ивичестият сандък
Историята с кафявата ръка
Пасторален ужас
Джон Барингтън Каулс
Историята с бразилската котка
Сребърната брадвичка
Печелившият изстрел
De Profundus
Случаят с лейди Санок
Игра с огъня
Паразитът
Съдържание:
Ужасът от висините
Капитанът на "Полярна звезда"
Ужасът в дупката "Блу Джон"
Кожената фуния
Ивичестият сандък
Историята с кафявата ръка
Пасторален ужас
Джон Барингтън Каулс
Историята с бразилската котка
Сребърната брадвичка
Печелившият изстрел
De Profundus
Случаят с лейди Санок
Игра с огъня
Паразитът
October 20, 2022
Ma 10/10 prijatelji
July 3, 2021
Very pleased with this series of horror-influenced classics, Horror Writers’ HAUNTED LIBRARY OF HORROR CLASSICS series.
This volume is a collection of short horror tales written by Arthur Conan Doyle! I’d never read any of Doyle’s work before besides SHERLOCK HOLMES, which I’ve been a fan of my whole life.
The volume starts off with an introduction written by notable DOYLE expert, Daniel Stashower.
Then the stories: There are nine in all, and these were all first reads for me. The first story, headlining “THE PARASITE” was the longest, and of least interest about a stalker woman with the power of hypnotism. “J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement” was my favorite, a very gruesome, scary “pseudo-memoir” account! “The Captain of the “Pole-Star”” was very good too, fairies in the Arctic. The Bully of Brocas Court, was a boxing match versus a ghost. Stellar! All the other stories were good too. The book ended with author biography, interesting discussion questions, and a further reading list, all put together by the editors, Eric J. Guignard and Leslie S. Klinger. Definite recommendation!
This volume is a collection of short horror tales written by Arthur Conan Doyle! I’d never read any of Doyle’s work before besides SHERLOCK HOLMES, which I’ve been a fan of my whole life.
The volume starts off with an introduction written by notable DOYLE expert, Daniel Stashower.
Then the stories: There are nine in all, and these were all first reads for me. The first story, headlining “THE PARASITE” was the longest, and of least interest about a stalker woman with the power of hypnotism. “J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement” was my favorite, a very gruesome, scary “pseudo-memoir” account! “The Captain of the “Pole-Star”” was very good too, fairies in the Arctic. The Bully of Brocas Court, was a boxing match versus a ghost. Stellar! All the other stories were good too. The book ended with author biography, interesting discussion questions, and a further reading list, all put together by the editors, Eric J. Guignard and Leslie S. Klinger. Definite recommendation!
June 5, 2025
Nine stories. Quite varied. Two involve ships. Two are into hypnotism. Three involve ghosts. One has diamonds and the other involves an immortal trying to kill himself.
November 9, 2025
Some of these are really great! The Parasite, J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement, Selecting a Ghost, and How it Happened are my favorites. All good fun.
July 19, 2021
I’m a diehard fan of Doyle, and think he’s a master author regardless of genre or style he’s on. This book is a release from the series of understanding general horror and influence throughout history, the HAUNTED LIBRARY OF HORROR CLASSICS, and selects ten short horror stories by ACD. Some of the stories I was familiar with, and some were new. “The Ring of Thoth” was excellent and also “J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement” and “The Captain of the Pole-Star” and, well, and all the others!
March 27, 2022
This is the first I’ve read of Arthur Conan Doyle. I was underwhelmed.
Part of the problem is that whilst some of the ideas may have been original at the time of writing, they are now overdone tropes. This is obviously not the author’s fault, however the problem is exacerbated by his generally boring style; it’s not flowery enough for the charm of older classics, and it’s not sharp enough to keep up with more modern writing.
A few times I was surprised at how far from smart the stories were. A prime example was the body-switching Great Keinplatz Experiment, with behaviour and reactions beyond farcical.
That being said, I did particularly like ‘Selecting a Ghost…’, which was amusing, and ‘How it Happened’.
Part of the problem is that whilst some of the ideas may have been original at the time of writing, they are now overdone tropes. This is obviously not the author’s fault, however the problem is exacerbated by his generally boring style; it’s not flowery enough for the charm of older classics, and it’s not sharp enough to keep up with more modern writing.
A few times I was surprised at how far from smart the stories were. A prime example was the body-switching Great Keinplatz Experiment, with behaviour and reactions beyond farcical.
That being said, I did particularly like ‘Selecting a Ghost…’, which was amusing, and ‘How it Happened’.
May 20, 2022
An excellent collection of scary stories! Some of these were genuine spine-tinglers, while others, I was surprised, were actually pretty funny! After having read so many Sherlock Holmes stories, I was genuinely surprised to realize just how good of a non-Sherlock story Conan Doyle can write. He's a very talented writer and this collection clearly shows that.
While all the stories were good in their own way, my favorites were probably "The Great Keinplatz Experiment", "The Bully of Brocas", and "Selecting a Ghost", although each kept me on the edge of my seat. I can see why the author was so mad that everyone only cared about Sherlock Holmes--he's written a lot of other amazing titles, too!
While all the stories were good in their own way, my favorites were probably "The Great Keinplatz Experiment", "The Bully of Brocas", and "Selecting a Ghost", although each kept me on the edge of my seat. I can see why the author was so mad that everyone only cared about Sherlock Holmes--he's written a lot of other amazing titles, too!
April 25, 2023
Yo me aburri un poco jaja peeeero igual fue interesante leer el estilo de terror de Arthur Conan Doyle. Aunque las historias de terror las habría apreciado más siendo más joven. Son buenas "historias de terror" para niños/adolescentes chicos. La mejor de hecho es la del título, Parasite. Esa te deja tenso. Las demás son historias interesantes con finales a veces abiertos o cortados que dejan que intérpretes cosas del final. Me gustó el estilo pero me costó trabajo acabarlo.
September 26, 2025
Bu sene Arthur Conan'ın Sherlock dışında yazmış olduğu kısa öyküleri de okudum. Gerçekten o döneme göre farklı tarzlarda yazmış. Spiritüel anlamda çok fazla öyküsü var. Hepsi de akıcıydı. Burada da hipnoz konusunu işlemişti. Beğendim.
November 15, 2025
The Parasite - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Mystery of Sasassa Valley - ⭐⭐⭐
J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement - ⭐ - an interesting premise, but a lot of problematic elements and it was obvious who the villain was.
Couldn't work up the motivation to finish this collection, as each of the three stories I read were progressively less compelling. The Parasite itself was a great read!
The Mystery of Sasassa Valley - ⭐⭐⭐
J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement - ⭐ - an interesting premise, but a lot of problematic elements and it was obvious who the villain was.
Couldn't work up the motivation to finish this collection, as each of the three stories I read were progressively less compelling. The Parasite itself was a great read!
April 16, 2023
Setting aside the racism, misogyny, ableism, and antisemitism which was widely accepted at the time these stories were written, I found some stories (“the Parasite” and “the Captain of the Pole-Star” included) to be well-written, engrossing, and entertaining (5 stars). A few others were plodding, predictable, and/or weighed down by extreme racist stereotypes (“J. Habakuk Jephson…”, “Ring of Thoth”, “Bully of Broca’s Court” included), deserving a 1 star rating. Overall, 3 stars.
Also, I give the author credit for creating many of these ideas and story lines, which were novel at the time, although some have since become overused tropes.
Also, I give the author credit for creating many of these ideas and story lines, which were novel at the time, although some have since become overused tropes.
July 12, 2025
A collection of stories with a poor title and a lack of any real depth or punch. 2/5 stars.
Quick hits first, full review after!
Quick hits:
+ Conan is still a great writer today.
+ The stories, while full of tropes, are varied.
- A misleading title.
- None of the stories really have enough depth to draw you in.
- None of the stories have any oomph.
Full review:
I'm a big fan of Conan Doyle's Sherlock works. All the stories felt interesting and I of course loved the main duo. I was interested in checking out some of his other work to see if I'd enjoy it. While his writing is up to par with his other works I'm familiar with, the varied stories unfortunately didn't outweigh a lot of problems that brought down the overall experience. This isn't necessarily a bad collection, but one I'd be hard pressed to recommend unless you're a diehard fan.
First, this book is HORRIBLY named. I'm not usually one for major criticism but this deserves it. None of the stories have any real horror elements or terror. There are a couple of moments throughout all the stories which feel more haunting but that's it. I'm usually a fan of these classic collections, but this is one of the biggest misnomers I've ever come across.
The stories themselves aren't too bad. I was a bigger fan of the ones involving ships as I think it's the easiest way to build tension and suspense. Similar to most short stories, they never feel long enough to really draw you in. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and I never felt invested enough in the stories to feel any real tension or horror. This made it difficult to fully immerse myself in something completely new. On top of that, I none of the stories really packed a major punch. They mostly ended on sad notes, but nothing that had me really walking away with a feeling of emotion (specifically any sort of raised heart rate). Considering I was reading a collection of "horror" classics, I felt let down in that regard.
A disappointment sadly. I wanted to love this, especially since it was something entirely new to me. That never materialized though. It was chalk full of too many problems and let downs for me to truly enjoy it. I don't think this is truly Doyle's fault, more of brought in with the wrong expectations. I'd highly recommend the Sherlock works, but this I really cannot.
Quick hits first, full review after!
Quick hits:
+ Conan is still a great writer today.
+ The stories, while full of tropes, are varied.
- A misleading title.
- None of the stories really have enough depth to draw you in.
- None of the stories have any oomph.
Full review:
I'm a big fan of Conan Doyle's Sherlock works. All the stories felt interesting and I of course loved the main duo. I was interested in checking out some of his other work to see if I'd enjoy it. While his writing is up to par with his other works I'm familiar with, the varied stories unfortunately didn't outweigh a lot of problems that brought down the overall experience. This isn't necessarily a bad collection, but one I'd be hard pressed to recommend unless you're a diehard fan.
First, this book is HORRIBLY named. I'm not usually one for major criticism but this deserves it. None of the stories have any real horror elements or terror. There are a couple of moments throughout all the stories which feel more haunting but that's it. I'm usually a fan of these classic collections, but this is one of the biggest misnomers I've ever come across.
The stories themselves aren't too bad. I was a bigger fan of the ones involving ships as I think it's the easiest way to build tension and suspense. Similar to most short stories, they never feel long enough to really draw you in. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and I never felt invested enough in the stories to feel any real tension or horror. This made it difficult to fully immerse myself in something completely new. On top of that, I none of the stories really packed a major punch. They mostly ended on sad notes, but nothing that had me really walking away with a feeling of emotion (specifically any sort of raised heart rate). Considering I was reading a collection of "horror" classics, I felt let down in that regard.
A disappointment sadly. I wanted to love this, especially since it was something entirely new to me. That never materialized though. It was chalk full of too many problems and let downs for me to truly enjoy it. I don't think this is truly Doyle's fault, more of brought in with the wrong expectations. I'd highly recommend the Sherlock works, but this I really cannot.
October 7, 2022
Издателство „Изток-Запад“ предлагат на читателите сборника „Паразитът. И други призрачни истории“, където са побрани 15 свръхестествени разказа, много от коит�� са публикувани за първи път на български език. Класически призраци, астрални същества, серийни убийци, неописуеми чудовища в небесната шир, демонични хора, паранормални способности, кръвожадни зверове и брутални изобретения – това са малка част от сюжетите на разказите. Някои от тях са свръхестествени, други психологически, а третите просто ужасяващи, но всичките са разказани така, както само един автор от викторианската епоха умее.
Любопитното е, че всички разкази са написани в 1 л. ед. ч., а само в един от тях разказвачът е жена. Дойл доказва, че може да пише прекрасно, влизайки в ролята на човек от нежния пол. Няма как да не кажа и няколко думи за корицата на сборника, защото е просто невероятна и перфектно кореспондира на съдържането. Само с един поглед разбираш, че зад тази прелестна корица се крие нещо страховито, мистериозно, свръхестествено и плашещо. С две ръце препоръчвам „Паразитът“ на любителите на жанра, както и на феновете на Артър Конан Дойл.
Цялото ревю е тук: https://booksguidebg.wordpress.com/20...
Любопитното е, че всички разкази са написани в 1 л. ед. ч., а само в един от тях разказвачът е жена. Дойл доказва, че може да пише прекрасно, влизайки в ролята на човек от нежния пол. Няма как да не кажа и няколко думи за корицата на сборника, защото е просто невероятна и перфектно кореспондира на съдържането. Само с един поглед разбираш, че зад тази прелестна корица се крие нещо страховито, мистериозно, свръхестествено и плашещо. С две ръце препоръчвам „Паразитът“ на любителите на жанра, както и на феновете на Артър Конан Дойл.
Цялото ревю е тук: https://booksguidebg.wordpress.com/20...
January 17, 2023
Always instructive to read great authors from previous centuries, mainly for the contrast in style and reading habits. I'm a huge Conan Doyle fan but had never read anything but Sherlock Holmes stories. So reading his horror stories was interesting to say the least.
First, in this day and age, Doyle's horror seems tame by comparison. Ghosts and mesmerists and an immortal man (by way of a certainn potion) who wants to die so he can be with his mummified wife in heaven aren't exactly as horrific as "Halloween" or "NIghtmare on Elm Street."
The pacing is hit or miss as well. Some stories move along briskly. Others slog through excess descriptions, interesting (but inconsequential) tangents, and sometimes melodramatic interactions between characters.
I'm glad I read this short story collection, but it won't stick with me like Sherlock Holmes has stuck with me for more than 50 years.
First, in this day and age, Doyle's horror seems tame by comparison. Ghosts and mesmerists and an immortal man (by way of a certainn potion) who wants to die so he can be with his mummified wife in heaven aren't exactly as horrific as "Halloween" or "NIghtmare on Elm Street."
The pacing is hit or miss as well. Some stories move along briskly. Others slog through excess descriptions, interesting (but inconsequential) tangents, and sometimes melodramatic interactions between characters.
I'm glad I read this short story collection, but it won't stick with me like Sherlock Holmes has stuck with me for more than 50 years.
February 17, 2025
Simple stories that sit more on the mystery side than horror by today's standard, the titular Parasite and The Captain of the "Pole-Star" being the best of the bunch. Unfortunately, 'today's standard' is the issue - these tales have not aged well. To get to the central, enjoyable plots, one must wade through a deluge of sexism, ableism, and racism (including direct racial slurs).
In my opinion, there are much better mysteries out there that don't require so much sifting to enjoy. You could read it through a lense of the times, or you could better simply read elsewhere.
Do not recommend.
In my opinion, there are much better mysteries out there that don't require so much sifting to enjoy. You could read it through a lense of the times, or you could better simply read elsewhere.
Do not recommend.
June 14, 2022
I've been reading a lot of Sherlock Holmes recently, so when I found this one whilst shelving at work I decided to pick it up and see if I liked it. Well besties, I did!!! Conan Doyle is a master of suspense and some of the stories in this collection genuinely freaked me out. I also got super into close reading "The Parasite", which has led me down a research/analytical writing hole that I haven't escaped yet. I still have quite a bit of the Holmes canon to finish, but I will definitely be looking for other non-Holmes writings of Conan Doyle's!!!
March 31, 2024
I knew Doyle wrote in many genres, didn't know horror was one of them. Oddly, I thought The Parasite was the weakest among them.
Modern readers should appreciate the history "reading" context of these stories. No TV, no streaming services, no internet, no social networks. You read, you played or listened to music, you talked, all of which comes down to a slower paced story, more internal than external, more philosophical discussion than action.
That noted, a bunch of good, entertaining, readable stories.
Modern readers should appreciate the history "reading" context of these stories. No TV, no streaming services, no internet, no social networks. You read, you played or listened to music, you talked, all of which comes down to a slower paced story, more internal than external, more philosophical discussion than action.
That noted, a bunch of good, entertaining, readable stories.
December 19, 2024
Stories were fine. The first and last were the best for me, although I don't think they were really good horror stories themselves.
Some stories felt like fantasy stories with a supernatural element, not quite horror stories.
Three of the first four stories were in part written in the format of journal entries. This felt a bit tiring and repetitive for me.
I really liked Sherlock Holmes stories and the novel "The lost world", but these stores felt just fine. Not as good as the other I've read.
Some stories felt like fantasy stories with a supernatural element, not quite horror stories.
Three of the first four stories were in part written in the format of journal entries. This felt a bit tiring and repetitive for me.
I really liked Sherlock Holmes stories and the novel "The lost world", but these stores felt just fine. Not as good as the other I've read.
January 21, 2023
Some of the stories are VERY racist, and “The Parasite” has quite a bit of misogyny and nastiness about disability as well. But there are some fantastic stories, nonetheless, and “Selecting a Ghost” is one of the funniest short stories I’ve read in a long time.
This edition is really great because of the footnotes that add information to the stories, plus an introduction, questions for discussion, and suggestions for further reading.
This edition is really great because of the footnotes that add information to the stories, plus an introduction, questions for discussion, and suggestions for further reading.
January 3, 2022
a lot of interesting concepts but overall not very scary. i especially liked the idea of the souls switching bodies story but again, these weren’t all that scary. but i did enjoy the writing style and ideas presented.
November 3, 2022
Actually loved all the stories in this collection, which is rare!
dnf
April 5, 2023I'm never going to get to this... I think I actually lost my copy :)
October 19, 2025
Hep Şerlok hep Şerlock yeter ayol bu adam başka bir şey yazmadı mı, diyenler için :)) Keyifli kısacık ve ürpertici bir öykü.
May 10, 2024
A terrific collection of classic horror stories from the creator of Sherlock Holmes. A must-read for those who love Victorian horror tales.
July 20, 2022
A fun collection of short horror stories from the guy who brought us Sherlock Holmes. It's a great selection of dark humor, terror, romance and sadness. Would recommend.
January 1, 2023
Short Story collection
Read: Nov. 2022
Arthur Conan Doyle is known for his real life fascination with mesmerism and what was called "spirituality", but. not of the religious kind.
The first and longest story, "The Parasite" is terrific! Highly recommend to ACD fans.
The other stories were not up to the same standards.
Read: Nov. 2022
Arthur Conan Doyle is known for his real life fascination with mesmerism and what was called "spirituality", but. not of the religious kind.
The first and longest story, "The Parasite" is terrific! Highly recommend to ACD fans.
The other stories were not up to the same standards.
December 18, 2025
Brilliant in places, the Parasite story was strongly reminiscent of the Gothic horror stories Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Frankenstein. Strongly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews