Great Untold Stories of Fantasy and Horror

by Alden H. Norton (Editor), Sam Moskowitz (Editor), Huan Mee (Contributor)

Eleven shuddering tales of the haunted and the damned. Stories of demons and demigods, witches and warlocks, incredible beings and awesome events.
Take a heart-freezing trip - if you dare - through the corridors of fear with H.P. Lovecraft, Winston Churchill, Huan Mee, Wardon Allan Curtis, Robert W. Chambers and other masters of the unknown.

A Study of Destiny by Cheiro
The Mysterious Card by Cleveland Moffett
An Unnatural Feud by Norman Douglas
Jungli Admi by Sarath Kumar Ghosh
The Messenger by Robert W, Chambers
The Monster-Maker by W.C. Morrow
The Mother of Turquoise by Clotilde Grave
"Man Overboard!" by Winston Spencer Churchill
The Black Statue by Huan Mee
The Seal of Solomon The Great by Wardon Allan Curtis
The Dreams In The Witch House by H.P. Lovecraft

Genres: Horror, Anthologies

222 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1969

Reviews

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting collection that spans the gamut from the rather familiar HP Lovecraft to the "Huh" moment of reading short fiction from Winston Churchill(!) to some stories like "A Study of Destiny" by Count Leigh de Hamong (about an archaeological expedition that gets very horrific as the tale progresses) to "The Messenger" by Robert W. Chambers that would do well in any good horror anthology series. I really liked "The Monster-Maker" by W.C. Morrow, in which the protagonist does unspeakable surgeries. These were a lot of fun to read, and just as with finding old pre-code comics that are hidden gems, anytime I see an anthology like this, I grab it. Good stuff.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.6 stars

A Study of Destiny by Count Leigh de Hamong ***
The Mysterious Card by Cleveland Moffett ****
An Unnatural Feud by Norman Douglas **
Jungli Admi by Saarath Kumar Ghosh ***
The Messenger by Robert W. Chambers ***
the Monster-Maker by W.C. Morrow ****
the Mother of Turquoise by Clotilde Graves ****
Man Overboard! by Winston S. Churchill ****
the Black Statue by Huan Mee ****
the Seal of Solomon the Great by Wardon Allan Curtis ***
The Dreams in the Witch-House by H.P. Lovecraft ****

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently purchased a used paperback of this book from Myopic Books, a used bookstore the size of a two story house. This book is a collection of short stories in fantasy, horror, and science fiction that were published--roughly--between 1890 and 1933, and which the editors consider to be "forgotton gems". The stories, though, were a mixed bag for me.

"A Study of Destiny" by Count Leigh de Hamong, probably published in the 1890s, is a horror story set during an archaeology expedition in Egypt. This long story goes in various directions and I found it to be a slog.

"Man Overboard" is a three page story written by Winston Churchill when he was a young man. Yes, that Winston Churchill. A man falls overboard from a ship; the others on the ship don't hear his pleas for help and his attempt to swim back to the ship fails. The story has a 'twist' ending.

"The Messenger" is a supernatural horror story by Robert W. Chambers. Not a _The King in Yellow_ story, but it had a cleaner prose style than the stories in the _King in Yellow_ cycle.

The best story in this book is "Jungli Admi" by Sarath Kumar Ghosh. Now this is a find! It is a gripping adventure story about a man captured by a Raja and forced to fight a wild beast. According to the editors, Ghosh published a book in 1904 entitled _1,001 Indian Nights._ The title alone of that book gives a good idea as to what it is about, and I plan to read it.

"The Mysterious Card" by Cleveland Moffett sustained my attention throughout. An attractive woman places a card on a table where a man is seated. This man picks up the card, but, since its written in French, he doesn't know what it says. He shows this card to his wife, friend, and authorities and they never tell him what it says, and this card also ruins the man's relationship with everyone who sees it. I was not satisfied with the ending of this story though.

"The Black Statue" is a science fiction/horror story about a mad scientist who turns people in a statue.

This book also has the story "The Dreams of the Witch-house" by H.P. Lovecraft.