The Mark of the Beast and Other Fantastical Tales

by Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling was a major figure of English literature, who used the full power and intensity of his imagination and his writing ability in his excursions into fantasy. Kipling, one of England's greatest writers, was born in Bombay. He was educated in England, but returned to India in 1882. He began writing fantasy and supernatural stories set in his native continent, such as 'The Phantom Rickshaw' and 'The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes', and his most famous weird story is 'The Mark of the Beast' (1890), about a man cursed to transform into a were-leopard. This Masterwork, edited by Stephen Jones, Britain's most accomplished and acclaimed anthologist, collects all Kipling's weird fiction for the first time; the stories range from traditional ghostly tales to psychological horror.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Suspense, Literature

800 pages, Paperback

Published January 11, 2007

About the author

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist.

Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".

Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."

Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure if it happened only once, but I seem to have the memory in my mind of the blind Jorge Luis Borges, whenever an English-speaking visitor came to interview him, asking the visitor to read out loud to him from the work of Rudyard Kipling. As for myself, it has been some years since I've read any of Kipling's work. I suspect I have been staying away from his work because of his reputation of being an unregenerate imperialist. (My friends from India, for example, loathe him.)

When I picked up a copy of The Mark of the Beast and Other Horror Tales to read, I was surprised to find that there is something about the man's style that is indeed admirable. I would find myself re-reading a passage out loud just for the color of the words and the marshaling of the sentences. Take, for instance, the opening of "My Own True Ghost Story":

There are, in this land, ghosts who take the form of fat, cold, pobby corpses, and hide in trees near the roadside till a traveler passes. Then they drop upon his neck and remain. There are also terrible ghosts of women who have died in child-bed. These wander along the pathways at dusk, or hide in the crops near a village, and call seductively. But to answer their call is death in this world and the next. Their feet are turned backward that all sober men may recognize them. There are ghosts of little children who have been thrown into wells. These haunt well curbs and the fringes of jungles, and wail under the stars, or catch women by the wrist and beg to be taken up and carried. These and the corpse ghosts, however, are only vernacular articles and do not attack Sahibs. No native ghost has yet been authentically reported to have frightened an Englishman; but many English ghosts have scared the life out of both white and black.

Most of the stories in this collection are set in India and liberally interspersed with Anglo-Indian slang. Many of the more unusual terms are explained in a glossary at the end of the book.

It has become a ritual for me as Halloween approaches to read one of the many Dover Publications collections of horror stories, of which this is an excellent example. It contains a short, but adequate introduction by S. T. Joshi before launching into the stories themselves.

As horror stories go, Kipling's are not particularly horrible the way some of Algernon Blackwood's or M. R. James's stories are. They can even be said to be as much psychological as horrific, like many of the Val Lewton horror films of the 1040s.

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 4 out of 5]

Любопитни за времето си (най-ранният разказ от селекцията е писан през 1891, най-късният - 1909) истории с призраци, щипка мистика (Индия е оказала влияние върху автора) - спомени от минал живот, могъщи амулети, отмъстителни божества и техни служители и пр., които (съвсем разбираемо) са една идея по-мудни, отколкото ги предпочитам. И все пак, около 1/3 от общо 18-те разказа - "Завръщането на Имрей", заглавният "Клеймото на звяра", "Странната разходка на Мороуби Джукс", "По време на наводнение" и "Всъщност", доста ми се всладиха, а оформлението на Пепи Станимиров превръща тази книга в абсолютно бижу!

Ето го и пълното съдържание:

За автора
Бисарата от Пури
Моята история с истински приказки
Дочуто
Рикшата фантом
Най-хубавата история на света
Завръщането на Имрей
Клеймото на Звяра
Лечител за къщата
Знакът на Дана Да
"Вратата на стоте болки"
Къщата на Съдху
Неговата законна съпруга
Странната разходка на Мороуби Джукс
По време на наводнение
Всъщност
Сънят на Дънкан Паръннес
Пред изкопания гроб
Скитникът евреин

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're like me then you wouldn't have realised that this famous classic author had ever written in the horror field. I hadn't actually read any of his work before and so it was high time I read something by him, this looked like a good place to start.

The stories are presented in chronological order and hence there's a definite sense of change and progression reading through them in order. In my opinion, we see the Kipling developing his skills as a writer and the stories generally improve as they go on. Also, later on there is a definite shift away from India as the setting, I suppose reflecting the fact that he moved away from India later on in life.

Some stories definitely left a stronger impression than others. Besides the unquestionably excellent title story, I loved "The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes" in which an English officer accidentally falls into a sand trap in the desert and finds a community of scavengers living in it with apparently no way out. An interesting examination of human nature.

"The Wandering Jew" was a haunting tale of someone who is driven to try and gain extra days of life my travelling constantly eastwards around the world.

In "They" the protagonist, lost while driving, encounters a blind lady living in a house with mysteriously shy children. He eventually discovers they are not quite what they seem.

And in "The House Surgeon" we see a house haunted, not by the dead, by by the grief of the a living, tortured soul.

All in all, a pleasing collection in which the stories can be read back to back as they vary considerably and served up with an informative introduction by S. T. Joshi.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 4 out of 5]

Спомням си, когато преди време художникът Петър Станимиров пусна в социалните мрежи една от своите илюстрации, изобразяваща кобра, плъзнала се току що плъзнала се през прага на някаква къща. Предположението ми веднага бе, че идва ред на Ръдиард Киплинг да се присъедини към Колекция „Върхове” на изд. „Изток-Запад”. Вече предвкусвах поредния прекрасно илюстриран луксозен том, в който щях да си припомня приключенията на Рики-Тики-Тави и останалите класически разкази за обитателите на индийската фаунана. Оказах се прав, но… не напълно. „Това е един нов и непознат за мен Киплинг” – предупреди ме Петър Станимиров, и се оказа напълно прав. „Клеймото на звяра” е сборник с общо осемнадесет жанрово разнообразни разказа на този класик, които ще разширят и обогатят представите ви за неговото творчество. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...

[Бранимир Събев · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Истината е дама без дрехи и ако по нещастно стечение на обстоятелствата е изплувала от морското дъно, редно е един джентълмен или да й подаде халат от имприме, или да обърне лице към стената и да се закълне, че нищо не е видял."

[Gabyal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reto la mansión encantada, temática hombres lobo. Relato cortito y ameno, fácil de leer. Ocurre lejos de los escenarios que comúnmente vemos en los hombres lobo. Fue una lectura interesante.

[Marco Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una serie de cuentos de tinte fantástico, pero que al mismo tiempo son retratos de su tiempo y lugar: la India colonial, con toda la vibrante complejidad derivada del choque tan peculiar entre dos culturas. Además, la narrativa de Kipling es vibrante, original y dinámica, contagiando al lector de las mismas emociones vertidas en cada cuento.

[Eve Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of these were well written, interesting and thought provoking. Some of these had an air of horror.
Others were just stories, some sadly out-dated, namely the last few.
The ones in the beginning of the book, the oldest ones, were the best ones. Actually, some of them might haunt me for a while.

[Brucifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-edited collection (by THE horror authority of today, S.T. Joshi) of stories by Kipling, that I would argue are not all necessarily "horror," as the collection's title suggests, but certainly in the "weird tales' vein. The collection is organized chronologically, which could be off-putting to the impatient, as many of the earlier stories (save the classic "The Phantom Rickshaw") read more like dream narratives than stories, and are more interesting in concept than actually involving. But stick with this collection, which culminates in some of the best early 20th century horror classics as the title story, "They," and "The Lost Legion." I can't give the collection 5 stars, due to some throwaway tales, but I'd rather get a full picture of Kipling's ventures into the "weird" area than a much shorter collection that just picks a few highlights that have otherwise been frequently anthologized. This makes me want to read more Kipling, certainly, especially his science fiction, which I only recently learned about.

[Paloma orejuda (Pevima) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pues... leído solo el relato "la marca de la bestia".

Primera incursión con Kipling (creo) y aunque la narrativa no me ha disgustado, el final no me ha dicho nada, me ha parecido muy muy blando y en cierto modo, demasiado bueno para "el implicado".
Además, durante la lectura ciertas frases me han evocado un tono un poco racista (y eso que no suelo fijarme en esas cosas, si lo hago es porque la historia me aburre).

Lo bueno es que es corto, se lee en un suspiro y no da miedo (soy muy miedosas).

En fin, 2 estrellas sobre 5 porque es un relato bastante flojo.

[Eden]

Ugh I hated reading this, even though it I know it's a beneficial text to understand colonial ideology -- it was just so nauseating.

[Miriam]

The Foreword by Roger Burlingame is most helpful to the understanding the context of this collection of stories. Some of Mr. Burlingame's insight comes from having met Kipling. Kipling was a visitor to Mr. Burlingame's childhood home as Kipling was a friend of his father's. Mr. Burlingame points out that people find the endings of some Kipling stories obscure. Working out for oneself the meaning comes with thinking about the story after it is finished. This Kipling quote sums up the nature of the stories: "I write of all matters that lie within my understanding, and of many the do not. But chiefly I write of Life and Death, and men and women, and Love and Fate, according to the measure of my ability...."
1. It is easy to enjoy stories of the glory of Empire but hard if the reader can't actually side with the Masters. "Without Benefit of Clergy" reveals the point of view of a native woman with whom the reader has much sympathy. A sad ending is inevitable. This falls in the category of "Love and Fate."
2. "The Mark of the Beast" is in the werewolf genre but with a twist, leprosy.
3. "They" (The title itself is in quotes and should be understood to mean "They, whoever They may be." This is definitely a story in the realm of "Twilight Zone." It is also "Life and Death."
4. "The Brushwood Boy" Not the best story in the lot, but my favorite. The heroine's name is Miriam. This is heavy on the romantic and mystical. This is "Love and Fate", but points to a happy conclusion.
5. ".007" Before The Little Engine that Could and Thomas. This story is from the point of view of .007 a little engine in the roundhouse in the United States. He chats and competes with the other engines. Also before 007. (Makes you wonder where Ian Fleming came up with that number.)
6. "The Man Who Was"
7. "Georgie Porgie"
8. "An Habitation Enforced"
9. "The Incarnation of Krishna Mulvaney"
10. "The Man Who Would be King" The movie version was so good I couldn't help but hear the voices of Michael Caine and Sean Connery as I read.
11. "Brother Square-Toes" About smuggling and the American Colonies.
12. "Garm--A Hostage" A story of a dog named Garm. Although not from Garm's point of view we know what Garm is thinking because his caretaker can sense Garm's point of view.
13. "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" Autobiographical.
14. "The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes" Another from the Zone, but it has a happy ending.
15. "The Gardener" You won't get the ending unless you know the Gospels. It is a very, very short story by Kipling standards. ("The Brushwood Boy" is almost a novella.)

[Chris Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phew! Finally finished this bible-thick volume of Kipling's 'weird fiction', and am now enlightened as to what a prolific and talented author he was, and can recognise the tendrils of his influence in the work of other authors that followed him.

Strangely, Rudyard Kipling wasn't a name that I associated with this kind of writing - prior to reading this, the works he had written that were known to me I could count on one hand. The Jungle Book. Riki-tiki-tavi. Kim. Just So Stories. I'd heard of 'The Phantom Rickshaw' but didn't know it was by RK.

After WWI, and with the waning of British Imperialism, Kipling came to be decried in what are known as 'liberal circles' as somewhat of a racist and imperialist due to the jingoistic tone of many of his works, his support for the Boer War and his friendship with Cecil Rhodes, and I think this negative view of Kipling persists in the minds of many. But his work needs to be viewed in the context of the times in which it was written, and taken for what it is, which is the work of a skilled and clever author.

Besides which (at least in these stories), Kipling's imperialism is actually tinged with a very healthy degree of cynicism for the workings of Empire, and his racism does not express itself in hateful language. In fact you will find a good deal more racism in the works of other fantastical writers who succeeded him, such as R.E.Howard or H.P.Lovecraft (both of whom I respect and admire as authors).

The thing I enjoyed the most about reading these stories is the picture they paint of life in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th century. Kipling writes about people from all walks of life. Though well-connected, Kipling was no stranger to hardship and suffering, and his life was filled with a breadth of personal experience of the human condition. This is what separates Kipling from many other authors of weird fiction - he writes convincingly, with believable characters, and his stories are more than a mere facile vehicle for whatever bit of phantasmagoria he wants to dangle in front of the reader.

Top marks.

[Fabulantes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña: http://www.fabulantes.com/2015/12/la-...
"En el cuento, Kipling se pregunta quién es el civilizado, si el pulcro inglés venido de la metrópoli o el hindú de costumbres extravagantes. Para ello, construye a Fleete, el personaje que desencadena el oscuro suceso que refiere el relato. Fleete, con dinero y propiedades, es “alto, afable, pesado e inofensivo” y, por supuesto, tiene un limitado conocimiento de los costumbres nativas. Se considera superior moralmente a los hindúes, y se queja de su lenguaje incomprensible. Es el prototipo de inglés que no entiende nada, que considera un disparate integrarse y que se cree autorizado a tratar como ganado a quienes no tienen la fortuna de haber nacido en su maravilloso país ni en hablar su idioma. Durante una borrachera de órdago en Nochevieja, Fleete comete el imperdonable sacrificio de estampar la brasa de su cigarrillo en la frente de una imagen sagrada del dios-mono Hanuman. El hecho provoca una alteración mayúscula en el pequeño templo en el que Fleete, el tolerante jefe de policía Strickland y el narrador, han acabado recalando; los fieles reclaman venganza, y se la cobran mediante un leproso, “El Hombre de Plata”, que acaba maldiciendo al sacrílego con “la marca de la bestia”: “Él (Fleete) ha terminado con Hanuman” -profieren-, “pero Hanuman no ha terminado con él”."

[Stephanie Augustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps Kipling is best known for his portraits of colonialised India and the cultures that pervade the country. Perhaps he may provide a biased white man's view of the locals. But damn these are good stories. If you think he only knows how to write about India, his more romantic stories set in England can dissuade you of that thought. Highlights: A Matter of Fact, The Phantom Rickshaw, The Man Who Would Be King, The Finest Story in the World, The Brushwood Boy, Swept and Garnished, On the Gate: A Tale of '16.

[Raúl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Los cuentos de Kipling son una exploración del límite, del terreno en que lo blanco y lo negro, lo malo y lo bueno, lo rea y lo fantástico se mezclan y llegan a ser indistinguibles. Esta antología es una gran muestra de ello, y el cuento que le da título, La marca de la bestia, es una pesadilla absolutamente revulsiva.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I most often enjoy Kipling's writing and once again he proved to be enjoyable. His imagination is fantastic...

[Carlos Rioja · Rating 3 out of 5]

No me ha vuelto loco pero es una lectura entretenida. Las historias están bien construidas y ambientadas.

[vinier · Rating 3 out of 5]

No es la fantasía que esperaba, pero me hizo darme cuenta que ya estoy casado con un sólo género y no: debo leer más.

[Ана Хелс · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ако и вие сте си мислили като мен досега, че Киплинг е само нещо там за малко мургавеляче, хвърлено сред диви животни, които противно на всякаква еволюционна логика превръща в семейство и приятели, то с този сборник представата ви малко или много ще се наруши, и ще разберете, че този странен човечец от корицата с вид на класически колонизатор с бяла шапка с платнени ушанки и бастунче има много, много тъмна страна, в която ще се влюбите. Или ще се уплашите хубавичката, защото да разказваш истории за призраци и демони, живеещи в онази клоака на човешките души Индия си е хорър от най-висш порядък. Сега, аз Индия я мразя вътрешно много преди визуалната демонстрация на постоянно застинали в ужас погледи, наречена Малката булка да завладее България. След дълбоко смущаващата Песента на Кали на Дан Симънс, отвратителният Беднякът – милионер и невъзможния ми за дочитане Шантарам, родната страна на милиарди роми по цял свят за мен винаги ще се свие до голяма отходна дупка, пълна с трупове, шарени парцали и всички световни болести, организирали ли си симпозиум на миазмите и заразите. Единственото по-ужасяващо ме кътче вероятно е истинската черна Африка, където животът струва дори по-малко, отколкото в невероятната Индия, която никаква кампания не може да ме накара да видя и да оповръщам в омерзение.

А Киплинг допълнително напластява негативизма ми с цяла колекция истории за злонравни духове, търсещи отмъщение, но не точно справедливост, с обичайна жертва белите окупатори. Логично, но смущаващо, въпреки всичко, сякаш демонското семе на една гигантска страна избуява в адско селение, готово да погубва всеки, осмелил се да вдиша от хипербактериалната плазма, минаваща за въздух по онези места. В условия на поголовно унищожителни жеги, порои, наводнения, земетресения, мусони не е никак трудно да се създадат цели градове от разгневени духове, копнеещи за човешка кръв, а даже не е нужно да са съвсем умрели – чудовища в толкова среден вид на живот явно има във всяка дупка, наречена дом там някъде в Индия. И разбира се най-любимото им ястие е здравия разум и душата на наглия бял човек, дръзнал да стъпи през адските двери с безумното намерение да цивилизова тези романески извънземни. Колкото се е случило при нашите коптори, толкова се е случило и в техните гига-паланки-гета.

Киплинг е радушен, изящен, но хладен в описанието на живота в тази страна, сравнима просто с различна планета, населена с доста неприятни туземци, които гледат или да те ограбят, или да те измамят, или да те наранят или направо изядат. Белите полудяват, разболяват се, умират, страдат и отвъд границите на живота. В кошмарната обърквация от касти, религии и богове никой не може да остане с ума си, и да продължи нормален живот дори далеч от страната на бавната мъчителна смърт. Веднъж стъпил там, заразата остава в сърцето, и само ако се държиш постоянно интоксикиран можеш някак, криво-ляво да закърпиш пребитите си от миризми и гледки и сетива, и да се върнеш в лоното на добре познатата, студена развита страна, откъдето си дошъл. Красотата е в думите, опитващи се да предадат кошмарни гледки и случки от свят отвъд разбиранията ми за приемлив и приятен. Смутно удоволствие за читателя, поне донякъде безопасно – това е Киплинг.

[Eamonn Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an untrue fact known by everyone that Kipling, like Heinlein, was a fascist. In a short preface, Neil Gaiman excuses the publication of this collection on the grounds that he was a great writer of superb stories. It will probably sell. Heinlein’s books continue to sell. He was clearly influenced by Kipling in the early days when he did his best work. Anyone familiar with Heinlein will find similar themes here: the military, engineers, admiration for competence and a sentimental view of women. Rudyard came first, of course. An early Heinlein story about a spaceman with agoraphobia is more or less a straight steal from Kipling.

Wise to steal from the best. Kipling wrote many stories and not everyone is a classic by any means. In a bumper collection like this, there are bound to be a few misses. I found the tales of army life written in ‘Oirish’ dialect hard work, not because I was offended by them but because they were difficult to read.

The title is a bit misleading in that some tales are not really ‘Fantastical’ in any real sense. They are certainly exotic but that‘s mostly down to the location, namely India. I am not complaining. Stories like ‘The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes’ are so well written that the lack of any real supernatural element is easily forgiven. It's so enjoyable one can even forgive the deus ex machina ending.

Many stories which appear to be fantasy are done Scooby-Doo style with a rational explanation given at the end, albeit not, thankfully, by a smart-ass American teenager in big glasses. ‘An Indian Ghost story in England’, is an example, where a traveller shows the source of the mystery is a jackal, not a ghost. Likewise ‘The Unlimited Draw of Tick Boileau‘ and ‘In the House of Suddhoo’, where some participants, for a time, believe in the fantastic but reasonable explanations are given at the end.

Perhaps Kipling was the sort of rational, engineer loving chap who liked fantasy but couldn’t really bring himself to believe in it wholeheartedly, so even when there is no sensible explanation there is often ambiguity. An example of this is ‘The Bridge Builders’ about a bridge over the Ganges and a flood which threatens to destroy it on the point of completion. The chief engineer stays up all night watching to see if it will survive, taking some opium proffered by an Indian worker to stave off fever and fatigue. That night he sees and hears Hindu Gods debating whether or not the bridge should be destroyed. Was it real or was it the opium? On the other hand, there are straight fantastic tales like ‘The Phantom Rickshaw’ where the ghost of a jilted lover haunts a man to death. ‘The Mark of the Beast’ is a real fantasy too, and there are many others.

Those used to modern fiction may find that it takes time to get used to the dense, old-fashioned prose style. It’s worth the effort. That said, this volume is probably best consumed in small doses, three stories a week perhaps. It’s a bit rich and might cause mental indigestion. However, it is a classic and contains many stories that any well-read fantasy aficionado should know about. Carefully ingested it will provide many hours of entertainment and at £7.99, about a penny a page, it’s worth the money.

[Nuria Carreras · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Fue una noche muy mojada, y recuerdo que cantamos el" Auld Lang Syne" con los pies en la Copa del Campeonato de Polo, las cabezas en las estrellas, y que juramos que todos seríamos buenos amigos. Después, algunos partieron y anexionaron Birmania, otros trataron de abrir brecha en el Sudán y sufrieron un descalabro frente a los Fuzzies en aquella cruel refriega de los alrededores de Suakim ; algunos obtuvieron medallas y estrellas, otros se casaron, lo que no deja de ser una tontería, y otros hicieron cosas peores, mientras el resto de nosotros permanecimos atados a nuestras cadenas y luchamos por conseguir riquezas a fuerza de experiencias insatisfactorias. "

La marca de la bestia y otros relatos fantásticos, ( The Mark of the Beast) 1890
Rudyard Kipling
@valdemareditorial
Traducción de Rafael Díaz Santander

Este pequeño libro reúne seis relatos fantásticos ambientados en la India colonial, ese vasto territorio que Kipling conoció tan bien y se pateó durante su carrera como periodista.

En ellos se mezclan la superstición, la magia y las contradicciones de una sociedad en pleno cambio, todo regado con grandes dosis de humor negro.

Me ha gustado especialmente "La extraña cabalgada de Morrowbie Jukes" ( The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes) sobre un escalofriante lugar donde languidecen los muertos no muertos, abandonados a su suerte comiendo cornejas. 😱😱😱

De nuevo, un genial descubrimiento gracias al @clubclasicosjuveniles

Estamos leyendo #premiosnobeldeliteratura en el #clubclásicosjuveniles

#themarkofthebeast #thestrangerideofmorrowbiejukes #thereturnofimray #thebisaraofpooree #myowntrueghoststory #atheendofthepassage #rudyardkipling #leermola #leeresvivir #leoclásicos #premiosnobeldeliteratura

[Ostap Bender · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of short stories from Rudyard Kipling that was of some interest, but turned out to be very uneven. “The City of Dreadful Night”, on Lahore, “The Dream of Duncan Parrenness” on the loss of innocence, and “The Mark of the Beast” were all pretty good, but there were many others that were poor (“In the House of Suddhoo”, “Haunted Subalterns”, “By Word of Mouth”…).

Just a couple of quotes:
On growing up, from “The Dream of Duncan Parrenness”:
“Yet there be certain times in a young man’s life, when, through great sorrow or sin, all the boy in him is burnt and seared away so that he passes at one step to the more sorrowful state of manhood…”

On work, from “The Phantom Rickshaw”:
“Heatherlegh is the dearest doctor that ever was, and his invariable prescription to all his patients is, ‘Lie low, go slow, and keep cool.’ He says that more men are killed by overwork than the importance of this world justifies.”

[Leonel Terrazas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Los cuentos de Kipling tienen la capacidad de llevar al lector a exóticos parajes, donde la fantasía se mezcla con la realidad y crean un nuevo mundo, donde cobra vida todo aquello que en Occidente puede ser considerado como imposible. Y los cuentos de esta selección cumplen con ello. Una transformación producto de una maldición, un extraño lugar donde los muertos en vida esperan la muerte física, un objeto que trae desgracias o un fantasma que regresa para atormentar a su amor imposible son parte del mundo que Kipling introduce habilmente con sus palabras. Lamentablemente, la calidad narrativa no es consistente entre cuento y cuento, por lo que unos sobresalen más que otros. No obstante, la anécdota y las atmósferas son tan bien descritas que uno cierra el libro y se quedan impregnadas en la mente del lector.

- "La marca de la bestia" 4/5
- "El regreso de Imray" 2/5
- "La extraña cabalgada de Morrowbie Jukes" 4/5
- "El Bisara de Poore" 2.5/5
- "Mi verdadera historia de fantasmas" 3.5/5
- "Al final de la travesía" 3/5
- "La litera fantástica" 3.5/5

[Jorge Fernández · Rating 1 out of 5]

Atraído por el óleo de Despujols que ilustra la portada me aventuré a leer por primera vez a Kipling, y... parece que tardaré en volver. En la sinópsis se habla de una India inagotable, de intensos olores en los bazares, de muchedumbres en calles abrasadas y de laberintos sofocantes, y únicamente he encontrado un conjunto de desventuras (con componente fantástico y de terror muy blandito) de hijos de la reina Victoria que se vieron desplazados al Raj, haciendo gala de su elegante superioridad moral, social y económica sobre los indígenas.

[Victor Ramón Beltrán · Rating 4 out of 5]

No es tan reseñable como otras obras de Kipling, pero me encanta como narraba este señor. El ambiente extremo de la India que mezcla con las consecuencias de ser ingleses en ese mundo tan lejano.

Todos los relatos han tenido algo, pero me quedo con la agilidad de "la marca de la bestia", la intriga de "la litera fantastica" y la originalidad de "la extraña cabalgada de Morrowbie Jukes". Y, introducciones como la de "Mi verdadera historia de fantasmas" , me parecen tan espectaculares que me hacen querer leerlo en ingles.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halloween book for 2024. Had never read Kipling and thought it'd be fun to take a dip and stay in the horror mode for early October. Some fun moments, but overall I was left unmoved and unperturbed. I had issues with the mood (was hoping for 'eerie'), but I think that was more my problem as a reader in 2024 than his as a writer. There are some truly transgressive and surprising details in 'Mark of the Beast' particularly. Others like the 'Phanton Rickshaw', 'Srrange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes' and 'They' were a cut above.

[Richard Amery · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of Kipling's short stories - not necessarily horror, but certainly different from what most people associate him with. The tales are arranged in the order he wrote them, and the later ones are generally better than his earlier attempts. Kiplings writing style was of its time, and his attempts at writing accents phonetically can be a bit difficult to read till you ge the hang of it. As to be expected in a collection like this, some stories are better than others.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is only the second book that I have read on the Masterworks of Fantasy list. And it was GREAT! I had no idea that Kipling wrote scary stories, and the fact that they take place in India adds an extra level of intrigue that is very satisfying. The writing can seem dense at times, and the stories often end abruptly, but Kipling is strikingly good at creating these small tales. I enjoyed several, but the name sake was by far the best. I read it late at night in a dark house and was thoroughly creeped out. That one has definitely made it in to my Halloween rotation.

Well worth the time.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kipling has a fun way of writing that really captures the audience’s attention and feels timeless. “The Mark of the Beast” really stood out to me with its themes of colonialism and revenge leaving this particular stain on my mind. It’s like Carrie before Carrie (did that just age me?) was even a thing, and without the “destruction is all that exists” ending. Kinda. Skip “The Jungle Book” and read this instead.