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Professor Charlatan Bardot's Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World

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For nearly forty years, renowned paranormal investigator Professor Charlatan Bardot has examined, documented, and acquired stories of haunted buildings around the world. Partnered with leading anthologist Eric J. Guignard, and gifted artists Steve Lines and James Gabb, the greatest of Charlatan’s discoveries are made available now in this comprehensive travel anthology!

From the Philippines’ tragic Ame-Soeur Clothing Factory, to Sweden’s reverent Fish Church; from Tanzania’s vengeful Unguja Restaurant, to Canada’s cursed Crow Island Lighthouse, Charlatan Bardot presents a lifetime of experience and insight into paranormal architecture.

27 feature stories and 36 tiny tales are included of haunted temples, diners, hotels, shops, hospitals, outposts, theaters, and other building types, along with maps, travel notes, illustrations, and more, all designed to provide an immersive experience for veteran travelers and armchair ghost hunters alike!

Enter Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World (2021 edition) and explore the strange and curious locales of the globe and of your imagination.

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PRAISE:

“High-concept and brilliant . . . A who’s-who of supernatural fiction.” —Publishers Weekly

“An ambitious and beautifully constructed anthology that fans of the genre won’t want to miss.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Eric J. Guignard has outdone himself with this imaginative, eerily realistic, and fun anthology.” —Booklist

“Literally and figuratively bringing Horror from all over the world to the reader. Diversity in action.” —Readers Advisory for All: Horror

452 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 2021

14 people are currently reading
346 people want to read

About the author

Eric J. Guignard

189 books526 followers
ERIC J. GUIGNARD is a writer and editor of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles, where he also runs the small press, Dark Moon Books. He’s twice won the Bram Stoker Award (the highest literary award of horror fiction), won the Shirley Jackson Award, and been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and International Thriller Writers Award for his works of dark and speculative fiction.

He has over one hundred stories and non-fiction author credits appearing in publications around the world. As editor, Eric’s published multiple fiction anthologies, including his most recent, Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror , and A World of Horror , a showcase of international horror short fiction.

He currently publishes the acclaimed series of author primers created to champion modern masters of the dark and macabre, Exploring Dark Short Fiction ( Vol. I: Steve Rasnic Tem ; Vol. II: Kaaron Warren ; Vol. III: Nisi Shawl ; Vol. IV: Jeffrey Ford ; Vol. V: Han Song ; Vol. VI: Ramsey Campbell).

He is also publisher and acquisitions editor for the renowned +Horror Library+ anthology series. Additionally he curates the series, The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics through SourceBooks with co-editor Leslie S. Klinger.

His latest books are Last Case at a Baggage Auction ; Doorways to the Deadeye ; and short story collection That Which Grows Wild (Cemetery Dance).

Outside the glamorous and jet-setting world of indie fiction, Eric’s a technical writer and college professor, and he stumbles home each day to a wife, children, dogs, and a terrarium filled with mischievous beetles. Visit Eric at: www.ericjguignard.com, his blog: ericjguignard.blogspot.com, or Twitter: @ericjguignard.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly.
1,941 reviews2 followers
November 30, 2021
4.5 stars!

PROFESSOR CHARLATON BARDOT'S TRAVEL ANTHOLOGY TO THE MOST (FICTIONAL) HAUNTED BUILDINGS IN THE WEIRD, WILD WORLD, edited by Eric J. Guignard, was one of the most unique books I have read in a while! The stories were great, but what honestly impressed me the most was the set-up, illustrations, format of the physical copy. It was just so "different", that you wanted to keep reading more. I'm not sure how the eBook is in comparison, but I really enjoyed this one. It's definitely one to keep on the shelves for future reads!

Recommended.
Profile Image for Lisa Lee.
570 reviews37 followers
November 5, 2021
This is a magnificent book, not only because of the quality of the stories (which is amazing) but also due to the overall content, layout, and presentation. I highly recommend owning this in physical format so you can appreciate how incredible this book is as a whole.

This travel guide (anthology) of fictional haunted places (not houses) around the world is presented as a real travel guide would be. It is sectioned by global region and has maps, pictures, stories, listings, and so much more, even ads (they are ads for books, of course). The tiny tales are like ominous listings for haunted places, and the feature stories are accounts of the places they represent. It is so well thought-out and a lot of fun to read and peruse. Yes, peruse. It really is laid out like a reference book. There’s a reading list in the back of novels about haunted buildings so you can continue to abuse your TBR pile. There is so much to love about this book.

All of the stories and tiny tales are creative, engrossing, suspenseful, good stories. Some are as much about people and culture as they are about the creepy goings on. These are tales of hauntings, of the supernatural, of cultural lore. They are not graphic horror, though some are quite horrifying. One of my favorites is the feature story “A Tour of the Ramses.” I favor it as much for the style as the story itself. i found it evocative and captivating. It’s exquisite. And get this … the authors are from the regions they are writing about. How classy is that? It’s classy.

This book is not only a fantastic read, it’s an experience of places and people and lore. It’s an experience not to be missed.
Profile Image for Sherry Fundin.
2,305 reviews162 followers
January 22, 2022
I love the awesome cover for Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology by Eric Guignard. Some of the locales are real places, and, the rest, I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

The anthology includes short stories of horror from noted authors all over the world. Whether it takes place in a hospital, lighthouse, mining camp, wishing well…most everything but haunted houses, the anothology is sure to supply plenty of thrills and chills.

Might want to keep the light on…but, locked doors won’t keep them out.

Professor Bardot is as interesting as the beautiful book, with fabulous illustrations to go with the fantastic cover.

Travel around the world with horror as your companion. The Professor may have your imagination running wild on your travels when you visit your own hotel, cathedral…

I cannot think of anything that could be improved upon a book that gave me many hours of reading pleasure.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology by Eric J Guignard.

See more at fundinmental
Profile Image for Kim Napolitano.
307 reviews41 followers
November 6, 2021
Fantastic travelogue to the most famous (fictional) haunted places in the world! Beautiful illustrations, graphs and maps make this unique book not only a beautiful edition to any bookcase but a spooky read as well. I’ll be brief as I’ve ordered the book rather then try to complete my review from a small ebook. More updates to come. Released now, go and get a copy for yourself and it’s the perfect gift for all the scary story lovers in your life. Enjoy!
Profile Image for David Agranoff.
Author 31 books209 followers
January 22, 2022
Let me start by saying that this review will be filled almost to the brim with crazy understatements. If it sounds hyperbolic at times just know this is a super cool anthology and it would impossible to overstate the amount of work involved in this project. I have been on the record on many Dark Moon books. I think Eric’s primer series is so good. Guinard really knows how to put a collection together and give the reader value not just in content but the product of the books.

This anthology whose title is impossible to shorten is incredible on every level. The amount of work involved in just collecting close to 30 short stories on a tight theme itself is a monster task. These stories are sourced from an international cast of authors with both huge names, beginning writers from a dozen or more countries, and cultural backgrounds. Big names like Kaaron Warren, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Morton, Nadia Bulkin, Weston Ochse, and Joe R. freaking Lansdale. Just that feat alone is an intense act of editing.

But this book is just getting started. Add to it collecting almost 40 flash pieces – called Tiny from authors around the world that feature names like Cody Goodfellow, Poppy Z.Brite, Han Song, and many many more. These tiny tales are like seasoning but I liked them as introductions to authors, many of whom I have never heard of.

I am not done explaining why this is such an amazing feat of editing. Working with two artists Steve Lines and James Gabb the book is filled with so many illustrations and maps. Designing and formatting that is a ton of work. Working with the artists is hours and hours of work.

Next, you have to format the book and compile all the fiction into sections that are designed and set up by parts of the world. Stories from Asia, Europe, Australia and Oceanian, Africa, North America, and Latin America, and the Caribbean. Each section had to have equal stories of the long and flash formats. I know this feels like people explaining why Peter Jackson deserved the best director award. Making three epics at once was crazy. Editing this book was crazy. From the point Guinard opened submissions to when it went on sale was a super short amount of time. Throw all the awards at him.

This anthology is fantastic and really impressive. It is not just that he did all these things. They worked and the stories are great. The theme is great, a playful travel guide to (fictional) haunted spots around the globe. Guignard had fun inventing a fictional persona as his Co-editor but make no mistake this is the product of one fantastic editor.

Let’s talk about some of my favorite short stories in this book. Some of the best are of course by the long-time pros, they are in that position for a reason. That said the story representing Sweden for example, Fish Tale about a haunted fish market by Eugenia Triantafyllou was the first story to really hit me. Maybe it is the vegan in me but fish ghosts work very well for this reader. “The creature she met was not vengeful or angry. It carried with it sadness for all the wasted time it spent away from the sea.” One of the more surprising tales was about a haunted Chinese restaurant in Barcelona Spain by S.Qiouyi Lu. This was a story-heavy on the vibe that will have me seeking out this author.

As for the stories by pros. Ramsey Campbell rarely misfires, this is true here with a haunting piece. Nadia Bulkin is consistent as ever. Lisa Morton’s Hollywood tale is a great example of how she uses her native Angeleno eye for history like a superpower. Weston Ochse uses his experience in the country to write about a haunted tank in Afghanistan. While we are talking vehicles. Joe R. Lansdale’s Dead Car is a short but powerful tale that uses dialogue to bring the creeps. Neat trick.

Some other stand-outs include Above Aimi by Thersa Matsuura about a haunted Japanese hospital. Tidemarks by New Zealand’s Octavia Cade. Kaaron Warren’s haunting story about a dying parent making a last visit to a mine. Last but not least was The Case of Moaning Marquee representing Nigeria by Suyi Davis Okungbowa.

Those were stand-outs. I enjoyed this book from top to bottom and couldn’t be more impressed with the construction. I already had massive respect for Guignard, but this is some ‘we are not worthy’ shit right here. I think most readers might not understand the magic trick Eric and his Bad Moon press pulled off here. If you like horror anthologies and short fiction this is a must-have. If you are an indie publisher or an anthology editor you need to pick up this book to see how high the bar is being raised.
Profile Image for Paul Preston.
1,468 reviews
November 12, 2021
What an incredible book! Set up as a world wide travel guide to haunted buildings, this book is filled with stories told by people of the famous haunted building from their country. With maps, illustrations, and even ads; this is fun to pick up and flip through or sit down and read straight through.
When I was a kid I loved looking through books that had random facts. My brother and I could spend hours flipping through The Big Book of Amazing Facts or our picture dictionary.
Looking through and reading stories from PROFESSOR CHARLATAN BARDOT’S TRAVEL ANTHOLOGY brought those wonderful memories flooding back
53 reviews5 followers
November 20, 2021
My full review of the book is ready to appear elsewhere. I just want to warn you that in order to fully enjoy all the aspects of this extraordinary volume ( illustrations, maps etc) you should secure a physical copy.
Among the various full- lenght contributions, the stories by Clara Madrigano, Ramsey Campbell, Eugenia Triantafyllou, Thersa Matsuura, Kaaron Warren, Jeffrey Ford and Jackson Kuhl are especially standing out.
Profile Image for Erica Robyn Metcalf.
1,342 reviews107 followers
November 15, 2021
Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World edited by by Eric J. Guignard is a collection of tales about hauntings that will leave you chilled.

My favorites from this collection include:

Que vagi bé by S. Qiouyi Lu
The Caretaker’s Hut by Kevin J. Kennedy
End of the Road by Ray Cluley
One Day at Recess in the Convent of the Blessed Mother on Victoria Street by Christina Sng
Ingraham’s Bookstore by Alan Baxter
The Martha Hotel: Suite 101 by Lee Murray
The Soccer Fields of Abete, Iwaya by Dare Segun Falowo
House of Mouths by Osahon Ize-Iyamu
The Last Booth by Jeffrey Ford
The Lighthouse by D.R. Smith
The Gulch by Lisa Morton
The Norge Theater by Elizabeth Massie
Hitchhiker by Poppy Z. Brite
A Shining Vacation by John M. Floyd
Into the River by Clara Madrigano
Harkon Tavern by Julian J. Guignard
Colonia Del Sacramento’s Little Tailoring Shop by Dante Luiz

From train stations and bus stops, to department stores and clothing factories, all the way to hospitals and aquariums, and everything in between, you’ll be surprised at the list of haunted locations included here!

This collection is a must-read for fans of ghosts and hauntings!

Read more here: https://www.ericarobynreads.com/book-...
Profile Image for Heather Daughrity.
Author 9 books94 followers
November 2, 2021
The basics: an excellent collection of stories, full of ghosts and hauntings and things that go bump in the night.

The premise: Professor Charlatan Bardot (Charlie to his friends) is "the world's leading travel documentarian in international architectural paranormal investigations". The esteemed professor has gathered tales from around the world of haunted locales. But these are not haunted houses. The professor thinks haunted houses are yesterday's news. These are department stores, factories, fish markets, hospitals, lighthouses, restaurants, and more.

This book is a hot mess of stories, maps, and artwork, just the kind of busy chaos you'd expect from a professor named Charlatan. With 27 featured stories plus 36 "tiny tales" (one page stories), all arranged by the area of the world in which the hauntings occur, this book will keep you turning pages late into the night.

Stories scary, funny, and heartbreaking fill this collection by my favorite anthologist, Eric J. Guignard, who was lucky enough to be enlisted to assist the professor in organizing the tales from his world travels.

Special note: the story 'Soul Sisters' by Michelle Tang made me cry actual tears. She's definitely one to watch.
Profile Image for Eva.
Author 9 books28 followers
October 29, 2021
This book makes great use of graphics and the maps to showcase where all of the haunted buildings are to better illustrate that for readers. Even the shorter entries for each geographic area are engaging and present fascinating locales like Laura Mauro's English Martyrs Underground Station. The anthology is creatively organized as a mixture of longer form short stories as well as shorter featurettes by award-winning editor Guignard, here listed as the fictional Professor Charlaton Bardot's co-editor. Some of the most memorable entries include the Convent of the Blessed Mother on Victoria Street by Christina Sng, "Above Aimi" by Thersa (not Theresa?) Matsuura, Eugen Bacon's "A Taste of Unguja," Elizabeth Massie's "Norge Theater,
"Bluster" by Norman Prentiss, Joe R. Lansdale's "Dead Car," "Juan Clemente's Well" by H. Pueyo, and many more.
Profile Image for Paul Preston.
1,468 reviews
November 12, 2021
What an incredible book! Set up as a world wide travel guide to haunted buildings, this book is filled with stories told by people of the famous haunted building from their country. With maps, illustrations, and even ads; this is fun to pick up and flip through or sit down and read straight through.
When I was a kid I loved looking through books that had random facts. My brother and I could spend hours flipping through The Big Book of Amazing Facts or our picture dictionary.
Looking through and reading stories from PROFESSOR CHARLATAN BARDOT’S TRAVEL ANTHOLOGY brought those wonderful memories flooding back.
Profile Image for J.R. Santos.
Author 17 books18 followers
February 20, 2022
A very fun anthology! Many of the stories were very touching, successfully delivering an international flavor and adding many recommendations for eager readers who get to know of authors they may have not heard of before.
Profile Image for Becky Spratford.
Author 5 books796 followers
October 15, 2021
Review in the October 1, 2021 issue of Booklist and on the blog [link is live after 10/18]: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2021/10...

Three Words That Describe This Book: original, strong sense of place, eerily realistic

Draft review:

"Critically acclaimed editor Guignard, has outdone himself with this imaginative, eerily realistic, and fun anthology showcasing 63 Horror authors from all over the world. Featuring an
elaborate frame, including the creation of an alter ego-- the fictional, international paranormal expert Dr. Charlatan Bardot-- numerous illustrations, a stunning cover, and an index, Guignard’s meticulously constructed volume mimics an actual travel guide to haunted places across the globe. Organized by continent, the 27 stories and 36 flash fiction pieces are annotated by Bardot and introduce haunted places that are not houses. Instead readers feel the fear at, for example, a Puerto Rican frozen yogurt stand, an indoor fish market in Sweden, or a clothing factory in the Philippines. Readers could take the included GPS coordinates and explore these places for themselves, except none of it, save the well executed scares, is real, and that may be the creepiest part of all. For fans of original, haunted tales that chill while fully immersing the reader into their creepy spaces such as Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Khaw or the award winning anthology, Echoes edited by Datlow.

YA: Teens will love this anthology with its winning combination of stellar haunted tales in a variety of sizes, featuring fascinating illustrations, and with its tongue planted firmly in cheek. It is an excellent prompt tool for teen writer groups as well."


This book is very good-- it showcases Horror from around the world figuratively and literally. Stellar TOC and a great mix of scary and fun!

It is also a beautiful and well constructed book. Made like an actual travel guide. Care given to the layout. But ultimately it shines because the stories [short and flash] chill and thrill.

For fans of original, haunted tales that chill while fully immersing the reader into their creepy spaces such as Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Khaw or the excellent Echoes anthology edited by Datlow.
Profile Image for Michael Flores.
55 reviews26 followers
October 14, 2021
An incredibly beautiful and well-constructed anthology project tying in 60+ authors from around the world, writing stories about haunted buildings, while all framed as an interactive tour guide to visit, with maps, sidebars, illustrations. Just an amazing forward-thinking original book. I wish to see this as a series!
Profile Image for Ian Welke.
Author 26 books82 followers
November 2, 2021
This is an excellent anthology with a ton of material. There are enough stories in here that this could easily be several anthologies, and yet the quantity in no way diminishes the quality. The mix of short stories and flash fiction combined with the artwork and maps and the editorial musings of Charlatan Bardot all come together for something truly unique and wonderful.
Profile Image for Bianca Rose (Belladonnabooks).
922 reviews108 followers
November 18, 2021
This was such a fun journey around the world! Jam packed with stunning illustrations, references to haunted locations throughout the world and maps; this is a book which is both entertaining and beautiful. It’s set up as a travel guide and sectioned into the main continents of the world with each section containing fictional stories about haunted places in that continent. Each story is introduced by Professor Charlatan, a renowned paranormal investigator. I always appreciate story intros as it allows me as a reader to have valuable insights going into the story. I often feel connected before even going in.

The brilliant thing about this book is it steers away from haunted houses. Many haunted locations are explored, from war zones, lighthouses, hotels etc. There’s something here for every reader, particularly those who steer away from haunted house stories due to the trope being so saturated and overdone. This is truly a unique anthology.

I enjoyed all stories but my personal favourite was '𝐎𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝', a creepy story about a haunted outpost.

This was the perfect fusion of eeriness and wittiness. I loved this entire concept and found it such a unique contribution to the horror genre.

Thank you so much to the editor Eric for sending me a copy of this anthology in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Dollie.
1,353 reviews38 followers
December 9, 2021
I would like to thank NetGalley, editor Eric J. Guignard and Dark Moon Books. I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I really wanted to like this book but came away unimpressed. I love short stories and I love horror. What could go wrong? This anthology was just too much and too long. There are 27 feature stories about haunted places from all over the world, none of which was very long. That would have been enough for me because I didn’t find any of them particularly eerie or haunting. Only one or two of them are even memorable. Then there are 36 “tiny tales” of one page each and at the end of the book are four pages of one paragraph stories. They should have had their own volume. Then there were 16 pages of promotions throughout the book (instead of at the end, where they should have been) about more “horror” books by Dark Moon Books. Added to all that, I don’t speak Spanish or African and there are no translations. Even if it’s just one word, I’d like to know what it is and I’m not going to take the time afterward to look it up. I put a lot of time into getting through this book because the stories really didn’t do anything for me. I did like the short introductions, maps, biographies of the authors, drawings and illustrations. Out of 5 stars, it loses one for just too many (63) stories packed into one anthology, one for all the promotions of other books throughout and one because I wasn’t horrified by any of the stories. Not scared or feeling haunted at all, just disappointed.
Profile Image for Irene Well Worth A Read.
1,049 reviews113 followers
October 24, 2021
I'm going to be brief here. The title is a mouthful and the pages are a feast for the eyes and imagination. Illustrations, maps, and travel notes all combine to make fiction feel like reality.
The stories take you on a trip around the world, where you will become acquainted with several haunted places all from the safety of your favorite reading spot.
Multiple authors with their own distinctive style add a unique flair and flavor to this anthology.
There are hauntings that occur in the usual places, such as the hospital in the chilling story Above Aimi by Thersa Matsuura but also more unusual settings such as the haunted department store in Ramsey Campbells Still Hungry. These were just two of my favorites in this journey.
Expect the unexpected on your travels and enjoy the trip.

4 out of 5 stars
I received an advance copy under no obligation to write a review.
Profile Image for Allyssa.
120 reviews
August 6, 2022
One of the best anthology books I have read in a while. I love the variety of stories, authors, and perspectives found in this book. Some of my favorite stories were Soul Sisters (probably my overall favorite as well), Warp and Weft, The Case of the Moaning Marquee, A Tour of the Ramses, The Gulch, and The Haunting of the Plaza de la Beneficencia Pinkberry.
Profile Image for Phillip Smith.
150 reviews28 followers
July 22, 2022
4 to 4.5. Really loved the variety of length and location. Some real good stuff in here!
32 reviews1 follower
August 12, 2022
Wow, what an astounding book. The care and craft put into this is incredible Very good writing all throughout. Fun experience!
Profile Image for Lee-ann Oleski.
193 reviews20 followers
January 10, 2022
This was quite an Anthology! Featuring haunted buildings other than houses all over the world, these stories were very unique. Filled with fabulous illustrations, a beautiful presentation and ghostly maps, this one will keep you turning the pages right until the end 🙌.

Here are a few stories that really stood out for me. If I had to pick my absolute favorite 😁…..I’d have to go with The Lighthouse by D.R. Smith 😍.

𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙎𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 by Michelle Tang- After losing her daughter, a lady goes back to an abandoned clothing factory she once grew up in, and realizes she had caused some of the workers deaths many years ago. Ghosts talk to her and the ending made me tear up a bit 😢.

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝘿𝙤 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙂𝙤? By Andrew Hook-

“𝘈 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳.”

Set in an abandoned high rise apartment building in Kalachi, Kazakhstan, the residents long gone having left after becoming affected by a mysterious sleeping sickness causing days-long slumber and bizarre hallucinations. A man revisits the site and has his own strange unexplainable encounter with no trace of evidence left behind

𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝘼𝙞𝙢𝙞 by Thersa Matsuura-Set in a hospital in Mukomachi, Japan. A girl has a gallbladder attack and is booked for upcoming surgery. While in bed she notices strange occurrences happening and a hole in the roof only she can see

𝘼 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙖𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙨 by Jackson Kuhl- a couple takes a tour in an old hotel, and learns that long ago a famous belly dancer went missing there. The tour guides grandfather used to be the old hotel manager back in the day and now the hotel is run down and full of garbage and beggars. One beggar is especially interesting…

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 by D.R. Smith-

“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣����𝘢𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦.”

A man takes over the job of lighthouse keeper at Crow Island in Nova Scotia even though it is said to have something wrong with it. Murders and suicides have happened on the small rock, and as he tends to his duties, he starts to realize the stories are true. As Charlatan Bardot says, this one has a quiet, gothic tone. It was moody and atmospheric and I loved it!


Scattered throughout the short stories there were also a bunch on tiny tales to enjoy. These were generally about half a page long and I would say Kevin J. Kennedy’s story, The Caretakers Hut, was my favorite of these 😊.

Now if that wasn’t enough, there is a huge reading list of books based on haunted buildings that are not houses listed at the back of the book! I’ve already added a handful to my TBR 🤩. Thank you for this! 🙌.

I hate giving star ratings to anthologies due to the huge variation in authors, stories and my personal opinion on each. So I will say this ; Overall I had a great time with this book. I would definitely recommend it to you haunted/ psychological horror lovers!
Profile Image for Michael.
Author 36 books22 followers
December 12, 2021
Note: This is a review of an ARC which I received for free in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure: I love travel books. Despite doing very little traveling IRL, I thoroughly enjoy books which take me somewhere new, which immerse me in a new place. I will, when out IRL, go out of my way to visit spooky places.

Haunted places.

Fortunately for me, and the rest of the reading world, Professor Charlatan Bardot (what an awesome name), one of the leading experts on haunted buildings has put together a collection of material about haunted buildings that are NOT houses. The book includes feature stories, which are short story length, and miniature stories which focus on the details of a haunt. Each is accompanied by a geographical marking and illustrations. The book is divided by geographical area.

The stories themselves are compelling and frightening. Most focus on more than just the ghost of the area, but include deep characterization as well. If you are looking to take a trip into a frightening world of terrifying places, pick up Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World.
Profile Image for Kerry.
Author 60 books172 followers
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May 22, 2022
Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World edited by Charlatan Bardot and Eric J Guignard is an ambitious, unusual collection of short stories of various lengths interspersed with illustrations, maps, and captions by Steve Lines and James Gabb. The idea is Professor Charlatan Bardot, a world-renowned parapsychologist, introduces stories of regional interest for the savvy traveler. The list of over sixty international, contributing authors impresses. Set up like an intriguing travel guide, the stories tell of really or fictionally haunted locations around the globe. The formatting keeps things interesting, too, highlighting twenty-seven longer stories and thirty-six flash fictions or drabbles. I enjoyed all of them!
Profile Image for Jonathan Stewart.
79 reviews7 followers
April 8, 2022
Hands down, one of the best anthologies I’ve read all year, if not all decade. Reads like a cross of a travel guide and a haunted ghost tour, but all of fiction stories. Visually stellar with incredible artwork, maps, designs, etc. And filled with stories of haunted buildings by authors all over the world! Over 60 authors representing Brazil, Japan, Nigeria, Australia, Kenya, Greece, and more. A rating of more than 5 stars, if I could!
Profile Image for Annarella.
14.2k reviews165 followers
November 10, 2021
Netgalley is a great place to discover hidden jewel and this is one the best I've ever read.
A fiction guide to haunted places, a collection to short stories by new and well known authors, a graphically gorgeous book.
Now go and buy it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Profile Image for Andrew.
Author 120 books59 followers
February 5, 2024
Disclaimer: my short story, "Where Do Broken Dreams Go?" is included within these pages.

This is a beautifully and thoughtfully produced anthology of haunted (fictional) buildings including 36 very short tales and 27 longer pieces. About 2/3rds of the writers within were unknown to me which both illustrates the breadth and international scope of the book as well as the limits of my usual reading. Each story is illustrated and has details of the locale. As I said, it's lovingly put together and a real credit to all concerned.

As for the stories...anthologies tend to be mixed beasts, but I can honestly say I didn't skip a single story here. All were well-told and intriguing and worth my time. The variation in locations, perhaps drawing on local mythology, was impressive. I won't go through each tale, but will end by naming one that impressed me the most: "Tidemarks" by Octavia Cade.

Journey through this anthology to find your favourite.
Profile Image for Dayna.
288 reviews
May 29, 2024
I found this book accidentally while looking for books on biophilic design, but it was a happy accident. This is a solid collection of short (and very short) stories about haunted buildings (but not houses). It really commits to its travel anthology framework and like most short story collections, is a bit uneven. Still - there are some real winners in here!
Author 34 books6 followers
January 17, 2022
Creepy tales about haunted buildings. A well-curated anthology. I particularly enjoyed Ramsey Campbell's "Still Hungry.”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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