The Little Book of Horrors: New Translations of Classic French Tales

by J.D. Horn, Prosper Mérimée, Charles Rabou

Ghosts, Devils, Vampires, Vengeful Deities, and the Terror of the Void Boundaries crossed. Taboos broken.Old crimes echoing through the years.Enticing new sins shimmering just beyond reach.And always, a price to be paid.Featuring Eight Gruesome Little TalesNew translations of eight classic French tales of horror by Prosper Mérimée, Charles Rabou, Auguste Villiers de L’Isle Adam, Guy de Maupassant, Erckmann-Chatrian, Charles Nodier, Théophile Gautier, and Jean Lorrain.

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 12, 2021

About the author

J. D. Horn is the author of the standalone dark fantasy Shivaree and the bestselling Witching Savannah series (The Line, The Source, The Void, and Jilo). The Witching Savannah series has been/is being translated into Russian, Polish, German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Romanian. He and his spouse, Rich, and their rescue Chihuahua Kirby, split their time between San Francisco and Palm Springs.

Reviews

[Sam Hicks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sure I would love these stories but didn't get through the first one due to the gung ho, careless, tin-eared translation. A 19th century French man addressing another as 'buddy' and saying 'it freaked me out' and 'I figured as much' and 'you old hooker' and starting a sentence with 'Man, I...'. FFS. I don't even want to think of this bloke touching anything written by Jean Lorrain. No doubt if I read further I'd come across a tormented priest addressing another as 'dude' and exclaiming 'Way to go!'.

[Mario Guslandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bestselling author, editor and publisher JD Horn provides an anthology of French dark tales newly translated in English by himself. Some are famous stories, some less popular pieces of fiction.
“ The Idol” by Prosper Mérimée is an engrossing story about a statue of Venus bringing about tragedy and death on a family,whose son has just married while Guy de Maupassant’s “The Apparition” is the short but effective report of a puzzling supernatural experience, the true nature of which remains elusive.
The dark and atmospheric “ The White and the Black” by the Erckmann-Chatrian duo portrays the natural and supernatural events following the murder of a young woman.
The famous story by Théophile Gautier, “The Lovely Dead” ( aka “ Clarimonde”) was one the first stories addressing the subject of vampirism, here embodied in a beautiful dead woman becoming the lover of a young priest.
Jean Lorrain’s “The Holes in the Mask” is a scary, horrific tale the nightmarish nature of which is revealed only at the end.
The other stories included therein are penned by Charles Raboul, Auguste Villiers de L’Isle-Adam and Charles Nodier.
An excellent opportunity to discover ( or re-discover) some classical French horror stories.

[Angela Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strang. Twist and turns, evil verses good. A different time. GREAT images. .