The Ghosts of Austerlitz and Other Tales: Edited by S. T. Joshi

by William Waldorf Astor, S.T. Joshi (Editor)

William Waldorf Astor (1848–1919) was a member of one of the wealthiest families in the English-speaking world, a family that had major branches in both the United States and England. Astor was born in New York City but emigrated to England in 1891. There, he engaged in politics, the acquisition of real estate (the estate of Cliveden, among others), and other activities. Among these was the establishment of a magazine, the Pall Mall Magazine, that published many of his own short stories. Astor, who had been the United States Minister to Italy in the 1880s, formed a great love of Europe and the classical world, and his writings reflect these interests. Several of his stories broach the supernatural, featuring characters who are reincarnations of figures from remote antiquity. Others recount the continued existence of the Greco-Roman gods. A whole series of tales are set in ancient Egypt; others are set in the Italy of the medieval and Renaissance eras. Astor enlivens his narratives with touching accounts of unrequited love, the terror of supernatural incursion, and the general ambiance of classical antiquity and myth. This volume features 16 of Astor’s best stories, several of them reprinted here for the first time.

Genres: Fantasy

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2020

Reviews

[Vasil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several of the stories, especially those set in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Israel, are pretty inspired and enjoyable.
The many stories featuring Dr. Vaini however, despite usually possessing an interesting premise, suffer from a lack of narrative direction, tend to drag forever and to wind up in convoluted love triangles.
There's a reason Astor isn't mentioned in the same breath as the "A-tier" old-school weird fiction masters. Nevertheless this book remains a testament to the imaginative and curious mind of this bookworm billionaire and I can gladly recommend it to any classic weird fiction superfan out there.

Check out this section of a YouTube video of mine if you'd want to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUSfO....