Tales of Horror: Terrifying Stories to Keep You Awake Past Midnight

by Bill Bowers (Editor)

Here is a collection of classic stories that deserve to be celebrated, and others that are less well known but deserve recognition from modern readers. Some of these stories have practically defined the horror genre, such as “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, one of the most frequently anthologized English-language stories of all time. Also included are two stories by Edgar Allan “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” Others are “The Damned Thing” by Ambrose Bierce, “The Mummy’s Foot” by Théophile Gautier, “The Night Wire” by H. F. Arnold, “At Abdul Ali’s Grave” by E. F. Benson, “The Secret of the Growing Gold” by Bram Stoker, “The Story of the Brazilian Cat” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, “In the Vault” by H. P. Lovecraft, and many, many others.

374 pages, Paperback

Published March 5, 2024

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of classic horror short stories from 1840-1928, by well known authors like Poe, Maupassant, Arthur Conan Doyle and more, and other authors I wasn’t familiar with. There’s quite a range of styles and levels of creepiness, a bit of gothic, vampire, werewolves etc and was a book I enjoyed dipping into reading a story or two at a time. My favourite was probably The Secret of the Growing Gold by Bram Stoker.

[Kat (Katlovesbooks) Dietrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales of Horror edited Bill Bowers  is a collection of classic short stories.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Globe Pequot, Lyons Press and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

  
My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
This is a collection of classic horror stories, many of which I have not read.  I have searched, and added the year each was published, and as always, I have reviewed each story individually.

1: The Damned Thing  By Ambrose Bierce (1893)... While hunting, a man is attacked by something he cannot see. Wonderful.... 5 stars

2: The Mummy’s Foot By Théophile Gautier (1840) ... A man purchases an Egyptian foot to use as a paper weight.  Just great.... 5 stars

3: The Pool of the Stone God By Abraham Merritt (1923) ... A ship-wreck leaves 5 men stranded on an island.  Only one will survive.  I've read this one before, but OMG, loved it.... 5 stars

4: At Abdul Ali’s Grave By E. F. Benson (1912) ...The oldest man in the village dies and no one knows what he did with his money.  Boring? 1 star

5: The Secret of the Growing Gold By Bram Stoker (1897) ... A scandal arises when two families mingle.  A little creepy, but I could not get into this one at all. Disliked the characters.       1 star

6: His Unconquerable Enemy By W. C. Morrow (1889) ... A servant who has had his limbs removed by his rajah, seeks revenge.  OMG, this was horrific.  Loved it.  5 stars

7: The Story of the Brazilian Cat By Arthur Conan Doyle (1898) ... A man visits his cousin in hopes of having his debts paid, only to find himself in a predicament with a large cat.  Have read this one before.  Still love it.  5 stars

8: The Wife of the Kenite By Agatha Christie (1923) ... After WWI, an ex-German soldier finds his way to a farmhouse, and into the hands of a woman he has forgotten.  Interesting! 4 stars

9: The Facts in the Case of M Valdemar By Edgar Allen Poe (1845) ... A man agrees to be mesmerized/hypnotized as he is about to die.  Have read it before.  Still not a favorite.  1 star

10: The Horror-Horn By E. F. Benson (1922) ... Mountain climbers encounter strange beings on their trip.  Great story!  5 stars

11: The Spider By Hanns Heinz Ewers (1915) ... Three deaths by hanging in the same apartment window prompts the police to get involved, and a medical student to take up residence in Room #7.   Very entertaining.  5 stars

12: The Man of Science By Jerome K. Jerome (1892) ... A scientist believes that a skeleton he purchases was the man he had wronged many years ago.  It was good.  3 stars

13: The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connell (1924) ... A hunter finds himself on an island, and becomes the hunted.  Have read this before, and it was still good.  4 stars

14: In the Vault By H. P. Lovecraft (1925) ... A rather shoddy undertaker is trapped in a vault with the dead he was to bury.  I know I've read it before, but I was still surprised.  Really good.  4 stars

15: The Cask of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe (1846) ... A man seeks revenge on one who has insulted him, by luring him into the catacombs.  I've read this before. It's okay.  3 stars

16: The Flayed Hand By Guy de Maupassant (1875) ... A young law student buys the hand of a notorious criminal who was said to be a proponent of both white and black magic.  This was good, if predictable.  3 stars

17: In Amundsen’s Tent By John Martin Leahy (1928) ...An exploration trip to the South Pole finds the participants discovering the unknown in many ways.  Have read this before, still quite good.  4 stars

18: For the Blood Is the Life By F. Marion Crawford (1905) ... A vampire tale.  Moved slowly.  Wasn't a fan.  2 stars

19: The Night Wire By H. F. Arnold (1926) ... Two men are working an overnight news service wire, when an unexpected story comes in.  Really different.  Loved it!  4 stars

20: Timber By John Galsworthy (1932) ... A man gets lost in the woods which he plans on selling.  A little boring. 2 stars

21: Carnivorine By Lucy H. Hooper (1889) ... A man hunts for a young scientist, only to discover that he created a deadly plant.  This was quite good.  3 stars

22: The Ring of Thoth By Arthur Conan Doyle (1890) ... An Egyptologist discovers a true Egyptian in a museum.  Interesting premise, but a little long.  3 stars

23: The Canal By Everil Worrell (1927) ... A vampire tale.  Loved this one!  5 stars

24: The Dead Smile By F. Marion Crawford (1911) ... A man and his cousin want to marry, but his father, on his death bed, refuses their request for a blessing, but gives no reason.  If there wasn't so much else going on, it could almost be a love story....well, except for the creepiness, and the deranged father, and the corpse that keeps moving, and the 100 year old nurse, and that weird smile they all had, and....  I loved it!  5 stars.

25: The Monkey’s Paw By W. W. Jacobs (1902) ... A fakir put a spell on a paw that would allow 3 men to have 3 different wishes on it.  I have lost count as to the number of times I have read this...but it never gets old. I love it every time.  5 stars

26: The Dream-Gown of the Japanese Ambassador by Brander Matthews (1896) ... A man returns home after world-wide adventures, dons a dressing gown, looks into a crystal ball, and goes on more adventures.  Made little sense.  1 star

27: The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service (1907) ... A man from Tennessee freezes to death in the Yukon, and the story is told by the man who must cremate him.  This is a classic poem, and I've always loved it.  5 stars

28: The Thing in the Forest by Bernard Capes (1915) ... A woman returning from a trip to get groceries, passes the church, where she spies a wolf which seems to be more than an animal.  This was okay.  3 stars

 

My Overall Opinion:
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I have read fairly few of these marvelous tales.  A word of caution.  Most, if not all, are over 100 years old, and therefore the language is of a different time.  That may have impacted my scoring but I hope not.

Anyway, this was a fairly good (if long) collection of classics, and I was surprised at how many I loved!

For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, as well as author information), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

[Megan Rang · Rating 3 out of 5]

*****I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was a bit disappointed with this collection of horror stories. They were classics and some were good some not as much. I felt they were harder to relate to in our modern world. The title says stories that will keep you awake at night. They fell short in that aspect. Just average for a large number of these short stories.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book if you never read any classic horror story or you want to discover some new one.
The author are well known and I appreciated this book even if not all the story are at the same level
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Sandra T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tales of Horror: Terrifying Stories to Keep You Awake Past Midnight, edited by Bill Bowers
Publication date: 5 March 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars
Thank you to Globe Pequot and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Here is a collection of classic stories that deserve to be celebrated, and others that are less well known but deserve recognition from modern readers. 

Classic. Horror. Short stories. So many of my buzzwords!
I was already familiar with a few of the stories, but appreciated the opportunity to enjoy their great writing again (they are classics for a reason.) However, the quality really varied throughout the book. The Mummy's Foot by Théophile Gautier was just plain daft, but The Wife of the Kenite By Agatha Christie, The Spider By Hanns Heinz Ewers, The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connell, The Cask of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe, In Amundsen’s Tent By John Martin Leahy and The Monkey’s Paw By W. W. Jacobs were definitely stand-outs for me; even though they did not scare me silly, they were still very atmospheric, sometimes creepy, and certainly unsettling.
On the whole, this collection was OK, but are you going to be so terrified as to being kept awake past midnight? I don't think so.

[Rainbow Goth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of horror stories is a mixed bag, consisting of stories I've read before, some I've heard of but never read, and others that are completely new to me. While I appreciate the build-up and atmosphere of the stories, I do think that the title may be a little misleading, as they will not keep you up past midnight, even for someone like me who struggles with insomnia. 🤣

However, I am grateful that I read this book, and I believe that for any horror lover, these stories are the very backbone of the genre. Many modern horror classics would not have been written without them. That being said, I must point out that casual racism and sexism are prevalent in some of the stories, which is not something I enjoy reading. While I understand that these stories were written in a different time period and should be viewed through a historical lens, it does not excuse such attitudes, nor does it diminish their value as cautionary tales or as works of fiction.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review*.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
Tales of Horror collects many notable authors and their various types of horror tales as well as some long forgotten or lesser known entries in the genre. What's great about the classic horror stories of this ilk is their use of atmosphere and the building of dread throughout, even when you can see what the ending will be right away, to produce a resounding climax to the tale. The imaginations of these authors long gone were just amazing, especially as they had less of a history of horror and the world as a whole compared to writers today. This is a very satisfying collection of stories whether you're a veteran of the genre or a newcomer looking to experience the classics.

[Ingrid Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a collection of classic stories that deserve to be celebrated, and others that are less well known but deserve recognition from modern readers. Some of these stories have practically defined the horror genre.

A great place to begin a love of horror by reading the classics. The horror genre shouldn't be judged by today's splatter style, you should at least sample the classics to see how horror was crafted.

Great choice of stories for beginners or those who just want to visit the good old days.

Thanks to Globe Pequot and @ netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you dare to read in the dark? Dive into some of the classic tales of horror in this fantastic novel. There are some favorites in here, with The Ring of Thoth being one of my top favorite short horror stories.

This was a fantastic read, and I enjoyed them all. There were a few that I had not read yet, which made for a nice treat.

Discover the gothic tales of old, and fall in love with these horror tales!

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written exclusively for horror genre lovers, the stories in this book are sure to find a direct hit to your nightmares. I've always loved anthologies and recommend them to anyone looking for something "different". These authors have flexed their skills to complete world class stories in fewer pages than many chapters. Famous authors stories run side by side with newer authors, giving readers samples of their style and adding their works to TBR lists everywhere.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good collection of short stories, most of which are new to me and others have a familiar taste to them. I was curious to see Agatha Christie's take on horror as well as Arthur Conan Doyle, which were both among my favourite stories here. There are a few that were less interesting to me and none of them very frightful but I quite enjoyed most of the tales and would recommend this to anyone who likes older fiction.

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection of classic horror short stories. There's just something about these older tales and the way they set the scene -- even a normal setting can seem so creepy. There are also exotic locations and influences that make it fun. I highly recommend this for everyone who enjoys atmospheric horror. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this