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The Shadow on the Wall
The Shadow on the Wall brings together Ruskin Bond’s most chilling works of fright and terror. The twenty-one stories in this book include classics such as ‘A Face in the Dark’, ‘The Chakrata Cat’, and ‘Susanna’s Seven Husbands’, along with a dose of eerie new tales that have never been published before. In ‘The Shadow on the Wall’, a young writer finds an unlikely first reader in a ghost; ‘The Doppelgänger’ is a creepy account of beings that occupy two places at once; ‘Haunted Places’ is a spooky look at the world around us.
From horrifying stories of chance encounters with hill station spirits, hauntings in abandoned mansions, malignant and mischievous jinns and shape-shifters, to prets and Mussoorie’s Bhoot-aunty, the twenty-one tales in The Shadow on the Wall showcase Ruskin Bond’s talent as a master of horror fiction.
From horrifying stories of chance encounters with hill station spirits, hauntings in abandoned mansions, malignant and mischievous jinns and shape-shifters, to prets and Mussoorie’s Bhoot-aunty, the twenty-one tales in The Shadow on the Wall showcase Ruskin Bond’s talent as a master of horror fiction.
172 pages, Hardcover
Published December 5, 2021
8 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Ruskin Bond
682 books3,567 followersRuskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist. He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen which won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novellas, over 500 short stories, as well as various essays and poems, all of which have established him as one of the best-loved and most admired chroniclers of contemporary India. In 1992 he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra", by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children's literature. He now lives with his adopted family in Landour near Mussoorie.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 16, 2022
Reading anything by Ruskin Bond is like a gentle reminder of why I absolutely love to lose myself in books. It reminds me of how magical reading feels like and the wonders that beautiful words can do to a parched mind.
When Bond talks about rustling leaves, I almost look outside my window waiting for the oak tree to awe me with its mightiness. When Bond writes about the eerie evening, I can almost feel the chill running through my spine and an unknown coldness grasp my hand. Although there is nothing drastic to put you out of your skin, the strangeness of the air can creep into your mind like an unknown age-old disease from the Victorian era and there is little you can do to prevent it.
The Shadow on the Wall by Ruskin Bond - I read this collection of horror short stories during my vacation and with each story I kept yearning for more. It reminded me of afternoons spent with my grandma and her unending storage of tales. It reminded me of winter evenings I spent with my friends playing in the park and the fog slowly enveloping us. It reminded me of how I ran into the safe space of my blanket as a kid in the darkness of the night from the bathroom. Ruskin Bond's writing has that bizarre impact on the readers and I was no stranger to it.
When Bond talks about rustling leaves, I almost look outside my window waiting for the oak tree to awe me with its mightiness. When Bond writes about the eerie evening, I can almost feel the chill running through my spine and an unknown coldness grasp my hand. Although there is nothing drastic to put you out of your skin, the strangeness of the air can creep into your mind like an unknown age-old disease from the Victorian era and there is little you can do to prevent it.
The Shadow on the Wall by Ruskin Bond - I read this collection of horror short stories during my vacation and with each story I kept yearning for more. It reminded me of afternoons spent with my grandma and her unending storage of tales. It reminded me of winter evenings I spent with my friends playing in the park and the fog slowly enveloping us. It reminded me of how I ran into the safe space of my blanket as a kid in the darkness of the night from the bathroom. Ruskin Bond's writing has that bizarre impact on the readers and I was no stranger to it.
January 18, 2022
This is such a beautiful edition of Ruskin Bond's selective horror stories! My favorite has always been A FACE IN THE DARK, but I was surprised to read a few others that I haven't read before. Another one that I really enjoyed reading is THE OVERCOAT.
The hardcover binding and the red jacket gives this book the perfect vibe of a collectible and the cover is so tantalizing that it is almost impossible to not pick it up. I would say this is the perfect read for chilly winter nights, sets the gothic mood just right. To start the new year with this eclectic collection has really been a good decision on my part.
The hardcover binding and the red jacket gives this book the perfect vibe of a collectible and the cover is so tantalizing that it is almost impossible to not pick it up. I would say this is the perfect read for chilly winter nights, sets the gothic mood just right. To start the new year with this eclectic collection has really been a good decision on my part.
January 13, 2022
// The Shadow on the Wall by @ruskinbondofficial
There's not a single book by Mr Bond that I haven't enjoyed so far and this one sits somewhere in the top five. These stories, both old and new are thrilling in nature. They aren't too frightening but carry the right amount of spookiness to them so that even a teenager can read them without any worry. Imagine that the weather is cold outside and you're wrapped in the softest of woolen sweaters that you own with a cup of hot chocolate in your hand; the only thing that you now need is this book.
Mr Bond humours us with his tales from Dehra, Landour and Shimla. He talks about wailing women, monstrous pillows and abandoned ghosts of the British who haunt mansions. Few ghosts are friendly, few mischievous and the rest are difficult to decipher. These 21 fictional tales are quite gripping, making it tough for you to keep the book down. It's fascinating how he manages to add amusement to a genre that is as grave as horror. I have come to realise that it's his trademark trait, one that makes him very endearing. This simple yet exciting book of short horror stories are perfect if you're in the mood for some entertainment.
So the next time you sleep in a new place, check under your beds and pillows. You never know what creature has made it their home! 👻
I highly recommend this.
Thank you for the copy @alephbookco 🌼
There's not a single book by Mr Bond that I haven't enjoyed so far and this one sits somewhere in the top five. These stories, both old and new are thrilling in nature. They aren't too frightening but carry the right amount of spookiness to them so that even a teenager can read them without any worry. Imagine that the weather is cold outside and you're wrapped in the softest of woolen sweaters that you own with a cup of hot chocolate in your hand; the only thing that you now need is this book.
Mr Bond humours us with his tales from Dehra, Landour and Shimla. He talks about wailing women, monstrous pillows and abandoned ghosts of the British who haunt mansions. Few ghosts are friendly, few mischievous and the rest are difficult to decipher. These 21 fictional tales are quite gripping, making it tough for you to keep the book down. It's fascinating how he manages to add amusement to a genre that is as grave as horror. I have come to realise that it's his trademark trait, one that makes him very endearing. This simple yet exciting book of short horror stories are perfect if you're in the mood for some entertainment.
So the next time you sleep in a new place, check under your beds and pillows. You never know what creature has made it their home! 👻
I highly recommend this.
Thank you for the copy @alephbookco 🌼
January 22, 2022
Reading Ruskin Bond is always a source of great pleasure. Over the years, my reading tastes have changed, my love for some authors has reduced, and the craze for some others has gone up, but one constant on my list of favorite authors has always been Mr. Ruskin Bond. I will never outgrow his books, of that, I am one hundred percent sure.
The Shadow on the Wall is an eclectic mix of tales of the supernatural, serving horror with variety, spice, and a pinch of salt. Though you cannot call them scary or spooky, there’s no denying the element of intrigue and fascination that these stories serve.
Read the detailed review on India's No. 1 Book Blog - https://www.bookgeeks.in/the-shadow-o...
The Shadow on the Wall is an eclectic mix of tales of the supernatural, serving horror with variety, spice, and a pinch of salt. Though you cannot call them scary or spooky, there’s no denying the element of intrigue and fascination that these stories serve.
Read the detailed review on India's No. 1 Book Blog - https://www.bookgeeks.in/the-shadow-o...
December 27, 2025
A collection of 21 short stories, this book is an ode to Ruskin Bond's amazing talent of langrous storytelling. The author has deftly presented simmering stories of the supernatural that are eerie and light at the same time.
From benevolent jinns to malevolent munjyas, human faced cats to faces beneath the pillow, Ruskin has kept the mystique and thrill of the supernatural alive in this unique collection. Set in the mist clad hill stations with the colonial hangover still intact, these stories stir us up and take us back to our childhood memories of ghost stories told and listened to in nights of awe, trepidation and disbelief.
From benevolent jinns to malevolent munjyas, human faced cats to faces beneath the pillow, Ruskin has kept the mystique and thrill of the supernatural alive in this unique collection. Set in the mist clad hill stations with the colonial hangover still intact, these stories stir us up and take us back to our childhood memories of ghost stories told and listened to in nights of awe, trepidation and disbelief.
January 19, 2022
My echo, my shadow, and me…
The unexpected is one super reservoir of joy but it is equally true that the unanticipated sound or a visual that is like a detour from the usual will inevitably trigger fear in us. Like our own shadows that sometimes scare us. Or an echo that seems linked to the unnatural. It is not just imagination playing games with us. Well, stories written by Ruskin Bond tell us that deviations from the normal ire not always the work of imagination alone… or is it that every scary story is after all, just another tale told well?
Imagine the density and spread of goosebumps on your body if you were to suddenly wake up in the middle of a night in a lonesome cottage on a hilltop and ‘moonbeams crept over the windowsill’ as ‘the mist crawled through the broken glass, and the wind rattled in it like a pair of castanets.’ Or as you walk back late on another cold and bleak night to watch the crooked, tormented branches of oak trees throw ‘twisted shadows across the path.’ What if you are ‘stalked by the shadows of the trees… some threateningly, others as though they needed companionship.’ Well, I did not have to move to a hill station during these covid-infested times to get to experience all this… I simply opened ‘The shadow on the wall’, a new book released by Ruskin Bond, and met all sorts of apparitions, spirits, jinns, ghosts, ghouls, and other supernatural beings and even managed to quote the author to one of these in a hoarse whisper: ‘Is it time that is passing by, or is it you and I?’ They luckily did not choose to reply, nor did they insist on having a prolonged conversation with me.
Yes, Ruskin’s stories are such that they flow into a reader’s being to bring out imagination screaming with delight out of its reluctant cave. This happens because the mind, while reading his stories, is not struggling to decipher some complex metaphor or an abstract link with another obstruse conceptual premise. No, his writing is not the sort that needs one to have a tharoorosaurus by the side but let me also add that this also does not mean that the stories are only for young readers. Yes, there is that occasional wretched skull ‘embellished with bits of wrapping paper and Sellotape, bouncing down the hill’ and some leopard in some story that springs at the throat of a mean old teacher and drags her into the bushes… but then every haunted tale does need to have just the right dose of malignant and mischievous spirits, right? Ruskin knows the art of writing such tales in a way that goosebumps pop up again and again without a reader ever wanting to leave the reading of the book to some other time...
Please read the complete review on my blog:
My echo, my shadow, and me…
https://passey.info/2022/01/my-echo-m...
.
The unexpected is one super reservoir of joy but it is equally true that the unanticipated sound or a visual that is like a detour from the usual will inevitably trigger fear in us. Like our own shadows that sometimes scare us. Or an echo that seems linked to the unnatural. It is not just imagination playing games with us. Well, stories written by Ruskin Bond tell us that deviations from the normal ire not always the work of imagination alone… or is it that every scary story is after all, just another tale told well?
Imagine the density and spread of goosebumps on your body if you were to suddenly wake up in the middle of a night in a lonesome cottage on a hilltop and ‘moonbeams crept over the windowsill’ as ‘the mist crawled through the broken glass, and the wind rattled in it like a pair of castanets.’ Or as you walk back late on another cold and bleak night to watch the crooked, tormented branches of oak trees throw ‘twisted shadows across the path.’ What if you are ‘stalked by the shadows of the trees… some threateningly, others as though they needed companionship.’ Well, I did not have to move to a hill station during these covid-infested times to get to experience all this… I simply opened ‘The shadow on the wall’, a new book released by Ruskin Bond, and met all sorts of apparitions, spirits, jinns, ghosts, ghouls, and other supernatural beings and even managed to quote the author to one of these in a hoarse whisper: ‘Is it time that is passing by, or is it you and I?’ They luckily did not choose to reply, nor did they insist on having a prolonged conversation with me.
Yes, Ruskin’s stories are such that they flow into a reader’s being to bring out imagination screaming with delight out of its reluctant cave. This happens because the mind, while reading his stories, is not struggling to decipher some complex metaphor or an abstract link with another obstruse conceptual premise. No, his writing is not the sort that needs one to have a tharoorosaurus by the side but let me also add that this also does not mean that the stories are only for young readers. Yes, there is that occasional wretched skull ‘embellished with bits of wrapping paper and Sellotape, bouncing down the hill’ and some leopard in some story that springs at the throat of a mean old teacher and drags her into the bushes… but then every haunted tale does need to have just the right dose of malignant and mischievous spirits, right? Ruskin knows the art of writing such tales in a way that goosebumps pop up again and again without a reader ever wanting to leave the reading of the book to some other time...
Please read the complete review on my blog:
My echo, my shadow, and me…
https://passey.info/2022/01/my-echo-m...
.
February 28, 2022
💀The Shadow On The Wall by Ruskin Bond is a collection of 21 tales in the genre horror fiction.
👻Jinns, spirits, ghosts, talks, scenarios and circumstances that may leave you with an eerie feeling are the talk of the tales in this book.
🕸️These short stories will possibly leave you scanning your surroundings for a quick minute. Stories we may have read before along with the ones that are brand new have been written in his scary but not so scary style.
🧟♀️Mr. Bond writes horror fiction with a touch of his charming style which along with being spooky tends to make you chuckle, entertain and love it. It's really interesting how this collection has the entire range of horror fiction and not a particular fixation upon one theme i.e. ghosts, he talk about weird incidents, people and circumstances as well.
My favourite stories from this collection were :
💀 The Shadow On The Wall
💀 The Skull
💀 Susanna's Seven Husbands
💀 The Doppelgänger
💀 The Wind On The Haunted Hill
💀 The Ghost and The Idiot
💀 Wilson's Bridge
👺This was one of the best collection horror tales by Mr. Bond. I'm certainly recommending this book to the ones who devour the genre horror fiction.
👻Jinns, spirits, ghosts, talks, scenarios and circumstances that may leave you with an eerie feeling are the talk of the tales in this book.
🕸️These short stories will possibly leave you scanning your surroundings for a quick minute. Stories we may have read before along with the ones that are brand new have been written in his scary but not so scary style.
🧟♀️Mr. Bond writes horror fiction with a touch of his charming style which along with being spooky tends to make you chuckle, entertain and love it. It's really interesting how this collection has the entire range of horror fiction and not a particular fixation upon one theme i.e. ghosts, he talk about weird incidents, people and circumstances as well.
My favourite stories from this collection were :
💀 The Shadow On The Wall
💀 The Skull
💀 Susanna's Seven Husbands
💀 The Doppelgänger
💀 The Wind On The Haunted Hill
💀 The Ghost and The Idiot
💀 Wilson's Bridge
👺This was one of the best collection horror tales by Mr. Bond. I'm certainly recommending this book to the ones who devour the genre horror fiction.
January 7, 2022
On days I feel like going back to the carefreeness of my childhood, I (re)visit the books and the authors that I read back then. Ruskin Bond, the most often. He is that familiar, soothing voice in my head that gives me comfort when I'm too agitated. As much when he talks about ghosts as when he talks about hills. And I carry his voice within me, into adulthood.
To soften the shock of growing up and having had another new year come up on silent toes, I escape in his latest book. Where there are good shadows and bad, silent ones and loud, alone and in company. Where there are living ghosts and dead. These short stories make you forget the misery of Monday mornings and the woes of office work.
You start with this simple book with no expectation other than of having a good time. And you finish it, relaxed and satisfied.
Quick, easy and absolutely worth that one extra page before you go back to work or sleep or lunch!
To soften the shock of growing up and having had another new year come up on silent toes, I escape in his latest book. Where there are good shadows and bad, silent ones and loud, alone and in company. Where there are living ghosts and dead. These short stories make you forget the misery of Monday mornings and the woes of office work.
You start with this simple book with no expectation other than of having a good time. And you finish it, relaxed and satisfied.
Quick, easy and absolutely worth that one extra page before you go back to work or sleep or lunch!
April 7, 2022
'The Shadow On The Wall' was my very first Horror genre book/short story collection, and boy, did every story, however spooky felt as if the author was narrating it himself. It felt like reading ghost stories at night near a fireplace; thrilling and yet warm. I think the simple way of story narration is the reason why readers appreciate Mr. Bond's works so much!
This anthology of short tales of ghosts, spirits, djinns and prets is very entertaining and scary too. A Face in the Dark and Fairy Glen Palace were downright scary and my favorite stories from the book. The Skull and Ghost Trouble are horror-comedies and fun to read. I actually felt sad when I finished the book because I was enjoying it so much!
This short story collection is perfect for children as well and would be a great option to pick up on a night of get-together of cousins (since horror stories were our favorite past time whenever us cousins would meet up). ❤
This anthology of short tales of ghosts, spirits, djinns and prets is very entertaining and scary too. A Face in the Dark and Fairy Glen Palace were downright scary and my favorite stories from the book. The Skull and Ghost Trouble are horror-comedies and fun to read. I actually felt sad when I finished the book because I was enjoying it so much!
This short story collection is perfect for children as well and would be a great option to pick up on a night of get-together of cousins (since horror stories were our favorite past time whenever us cousins would meet up). ❤
January 13, 2022
Ruskin Bond might not be my favourite author yet I cannot deny the feeling of joy and contentment that I get when I read his stories. They are written straight from the heart. The vivid imagery and use of literary devices make the reading experience enjoyable. The Shadow on the Wall is another collection of short stories (this time, the stories reek of mystery, thrill and hair-raising encounters) that showcase the sheer brilliance of Sir Bond with words!
Read the complete review here: https://www.aliveshadow.com/category-...
Read the complete review here: https://www.aliveshadow.com/category-...
February 28, 2022
Happy to have read a few new stories by the author after a long pause, combined with some old favourites. Priya Kurian does a good job with the cover illustrations - her style is distinct and appealing.
There is little doubt that Mr Bond is the best Indian writer in the English language. His style is simple and precise, and difficult to ape and replicate.
You know that when you pickup a book by the Writer on the Hill, you will seldom be disappointed.
There is little doubt that Mr Bond is the best Indian writer in the English language. His style is simple and precise, and difficult to ape and replicate.
You know that when you pickup a book by the Writer on the Hill, you will seldom be disappointed.
January 15, 2025
As always it is a pleasure to read Ruskin Bond. In fact, I had forgotten how enchanting his books were - easy to read and captivating as well. The book comprises a collection of haunting memories/stories with the typical Ruskin Bond charm intact.
Simple and small, the book can be finished in one sitting.
Simple and small, the book can be finished in one sitting.
October 24, 2025
Even though I love watching horror movies I don't like reading horror but this just hits the spooky spot the right way. This book gives you chills with the accurate amount of horror (that my heart could handle). Ruskin Bond books are never a miss.
January 3, 2022
21 stories of Ruskin Bond that deal with ghosts, spirits.
November 20, 2023
Great collection of stories. Not very horror for adults 😅but yes good for kids. Although I love the style or storytelling. All the short stories are interesting, you will be hooked till the end.
February 18, 2024
Great bedtime read !
February 24, 2025
Ruskin Bond at his usual best, with timeless tales of spooks and horror, right from "the Raj" to the misty hills of Mussoorie. A soothing, well paced read.
September 12, 2022
Spine-chilling and keeps you hooked till the end of each story.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews