Some Things Fierce and Fatal

by Joan Kahn (Editor)

A selection of suspense stories by C.S. Forester, Ray Bradbury, Bret Harte, Edith Wharton, and other authors.

The turn of the tide / C.S. Forester --
The Vermont raffles who transcended the tomb / Edward H. Smith --
Invisible boy / Ray Bradbury --
Something evil in the house / Celia Fremlin --
The 'coney' men / Lloyd Lewis --
High-water mark / Bret Harte --
The magic shop / H.G. Wells --
The nine-to-five man / Stanley Ellin --
Sarah Jane Robinson / Edmund Pearson --
Kerfol / Edith Wharton --
The leaping trout / David Hogan --
A tale of terror / Paul Louis Courier --
Eight minutes to kill / Julian Symons --
Traveller's joy / Dwynwen Richards

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery, Horror

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent collection of short stories. I can't say they really scared me, though.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a very well-used copy of this collection and thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgia it brought. If I would have discovered this volume as a teenager I would have loved curling up with a flashlight and blanket and biting my nails. The stories are decidedly not scary or even creepy; the majority ARE suspenseful and very well-written. There’s a gem from Ray Bradbury and some hard-boiled tales that would make great TV. I highly recommend this journey to fellow “Gen-X” readers and anyone else interested in an older collection of solid stories.

[Frank McGirk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the fiction was not particularly good (though the H.G. Wells story "The Magic Shop" captured a nice feel), but the "fact" piece about some criminals who were attempting to steal Lincoln's remains in order to barter for the freedom of the counterfeit artist, while not particularly well written, will probably stick in my memory for quite some time.

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book of short stories that was published in 1971. Some notable authors contributed to this collection: Ray Bradbury, HG Wells, Edith Wharton are some I recognized. I can’t say I liked all of the stories. Some I just didn’t enjoy, like The Coney Men by Lloyd Lewis which was supposedly a true story about the attempt to steal Lincolns casket/body. However, there were some really great ones in here like, The Nine to Five Man by Stanley Ellin and Eight Minutes to Kill by Julian Symons. Bradbury wrote about an invisible boy. It was OK. Not anything memorable. HG Wells was mediocre as well. He wrote The Magic Shop. There was a true story, Sarah Jane Robinson by Edmund Pearson, which was actually non-fiction. It reminded me of a similar true story about a woman who killed 3 of her husbands here in North Carolina. Some of the endings left me scratching my head like Kerfol by Edith Wharton and The Leaping Trout by David Hogan. These stories would be great to discuss with other readers to get a different take on their interpretation. The style of this book is definitely a reflection of the times which was interesting to me because it is rare that I have the opportunity to read something from early 21st century. This is a treasure.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's worth reading this compilation for the Edith Wharton short story alone (though the tale of the witch in the woods is quite good too).