Literary Horror discussion

Is it okay to post a horror reading blog/group here? I've got a classic horror story for Christmas. If this isn't a good place to post, please let me know.

A Devil of A Christmas Murder ...

Can you guess the author of this short story? "Markheim." This author is Scottish born, literary celeb who was greatly admired by A.C. Doyle, Hemingway, Jack London. His most famous novel is a "strange case." He died at the young age of 44.

This Christmas story will give you a chill and a shiver. Snuggle up with hot cider (splash of rum?) while reading this one.

Markheim is a classic short story at Tales of Terror. And included is link to the radio play adaptation ... very vintage. FREE READ

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2013/...

Merry, merry!

RLS of course... = )

Phantasmagoria On the River

Guy de Maupassant! If you are a short story lover, you've certainly read his work. I find so many of his stories to be so entertaining and offer me an escape into the real world, and yet not my world. So refreshing!

On the River is one of his tales of terror. It's a short read about a man on a boat. Well, if you know de Maupassant, you know to expect much more than that.

Read it FREE at Reading Fiction, Tales of Terror. And I found a short film adaptation too.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...\

House of Dusk and Shadows ...

Nightmares have always featured well in horror stories. This week I have a short that brings you beyond the veil of sleep and into the realm of the unknown and the unfathomable. Do you know the author E.F.Benson? If you don't, experience this writer's talents in "The Room in the Tower."

At Tales of Terror, FREE short story
http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Thank you, Randolph. I'm glad to hear it and hope to see more of your comments.

SKULLS IN THE STARS

Looking for something fiendish? Ready for high horror adventure? Tuesday's Tale of Terror will take you there. Do you know Solomon Kane? If you don't, this character will excite and thrill you.

FREE short story by Robert E. Howard at Tales of Terror


http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

FREE classic short stories every Tuesday at Tales of Terror.

Amen!

Paula wrote (in part):

Do you know the author E.F.Benson? If you don't, experience this writer's talents in "The Room in the Tower.”

I missed this when you posted it a while ago, Paula. I’m not quite as fond of Benson as I was in my younger days. Some his his stuff is without parallel, but in re-reading his spook stories in recent years too many now feel rushed and a bit lackluster. Having said that, “Room in the Tower” remains, not just my favorite Fred Benson tale, but one of my all-time favorite supernatural stories.

Hi Canavan. I'm glad to hear it. I'm actually rediscovering some of Benson's work these days. Thanks for posting. For February, I'm participating in the national Women in Horror Month and featuring all women authors at Tales of Terror. Do stop by.

Are you a supporter of Women In Horror Month? Tales of Terror is celebrating WiHM all during February by recognizing women authors in horror of the 19th century.

Try this necromantic adventure in Genoa. Mary Shelley's short story, Transformation.

It's FREE at Tales of Terror blog. Stop by for a supernatural and romantic tale from 1831.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...


Also, don't miss Horror Society's blog on WiHM:
http://www.horrorsociety.com/2014/02/...

I'll read a woman's writing any time of the year.

Glad to hear it, Scott.

There are so many great female horror writers in the 19th century. One of my favorite creepy tales is Sarah Orne Jewett's "Lady Ferry". Has anyone else read it? I am also interested in Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, though I find it difficult to find any hard copies of her writing.

Hi Uncle. I've not read Lady Ferry but certainly would like to. For Mary Wilkins Freeman, I have her Little Maid at the Door link on my blog (http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2013/...) and Britannica has several of her shorts available.


http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amli...

Ever read the works of Hildegarde Hawthorne? Here's your chance to experience her short story "Perdita." She was the granddaughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne and quite a ghost story writer.

And in honor of February's Women In Horror Month, I've featured a short story by Caitlin R. Kiernan, "The Belated Burial." Great little read for a horror lover.

All FREE at Tales of Terror

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Paula wrote (in part):

And in honor of February's Women In Horror Month, I've featured a short story by Caitlin R. Kiernan, "The Belated Burial." Great little read for a horror lover.

This is a very atmospheric and disturbing little story. I did find aspects of it a bit puzzling — (view spoiler)[the purpose of Brylee’s trial, the nature of the "august visitor", etc. (hide spoiler)] A minor grumble, but I wish the author would have adopted a tense and stuck with it.

"The Demon Lover" by Elizabeth Bowen. Yeah, this is a very mysterious and haunting story (very short, about 20 minute read). Bowen is famous for her smooth and eerie prose full of imagery and symbolism. You might also like contemporary horror writer Lucy Taylor's "Walled," published at Nightmare Magazine. Chilling little cat story.

Both stories are free at Tales of Terror this week.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Paula wrote (in part):

"The Demon Lover" by Elizabeth Bowen. Yeah, this is a very mysterious and haunting story (very short, about 20 minute read). Bowen is famous for her smooth and eerie prose full of imagery and symbolism.

In spite of its status as a classic, I’m not sure I’ve ever read the Bowen story before. Predictable (the title doesn’t leave much room for doubt as to where things are heading), but well written. The author does a good job when it comes to withholding details about the promises made by Mrs. Drover. I wonder what K. stands for?

✭✭✭✭✭

More from Paula:

You might also like contemporary horror writer Lucy Taylor's "Walled," published at Nightmare Magazine. Chilling little cat story.

I haven’t read all that much by Taylor. This one’s a bit schmaltzy, but I sometimes have a weakness for that kind of thing if reasonably well crafted. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The author talks briefly about the story here.

✭✭✭✭½

An addendum of sorts to my earlier reaction to Elizabeth Bowen's "The Demon Lover": I was thinking some more about this story while driving home last evening and came to the conclusion that my initial thoughts had underestimated its complexity. In pondering the letter, it’s hard not to link the signature (K.) with the story’s narrator (Kathleen), which in turn leads to the notion that the narrator is in some rather surreal sense in dialogue with herself. I think this hypothesis receives support from the passage in which Kathleen "urgently and stealthily" looks into the mirror following her discovery of the letter. I notice also that in addition to hiding from the reader the precise nature of Kathleen's promises, we also are never shown K.'s face (in fact, the story repeatedly emphasizes that Kathleen cannot remember K.'s face) — we only see Kathleen's final reaction to it when in the taxi. It's perhaps instructive, too, to note how the story emphasizes the contrast between Kathleen's current "quiet, arboreal" existence with her recollections of her youthful self.

In the link provided by Paula, the story is followed by a series of study questions, the last of which asks the reader to consider a number of different interpretations ("hallucination" versus "out-and-out ghost story"). But I think that way of viewing Bowen's story is too simplistic. Instead of forcing the reader to choose from competing interpretations, I think the story is constructed such that the different views overlay rather than conflict with one another, if that makes sense.

Canavan, you make some very worthy points. There is debate out there if this is truly a ghost story or psychological/hallucination expression. If Bowen intended it as a psychological expression, what triggered the hallucination of the letter on the table? In the opening she seems to be thinking back about her life with her family when they occupied the house. Not sure I get your point of overlay. The K is mysterious in the letter. But when K said at their last meeting, "I shall be with you sooner or later," it suggested a sense of eternity, especially knowing he was going off to war. I took it as a ghost story and enjoyed it simply as that.

Paula wrote (in part):

Not sure I get your point of overlay.

Perhaps "overlay" was not the best word choice here. What I’m suggesting is that the debate over "hallucination" versus "supernatural" is pointless. The story is (my opinion, of course) an example of literary indeterminacy in which multiple ways of interpreting the text are deliberately set forth by the author as equally likely and equally valid.

Oh, yes, very clear now. You may be right. I'm not keen on that kind of gray strategy: literary indeterminacy. I guess I feel the foundation of the story should be the author's intention. I'm always looking for what the author is revealing through the mystery. For me the ghost returning is an exciting event. If it's Kathleen's psychological hallucination, I'm a bit disappointed. Great comments, Canavan!

Paula wrote (in part):

Oh, yes, very clear now. You may be right. I'm not keen on that kind of gray strategy: literary indeterminacy. I guess I feel the foundation of the story should be the author's intention. I'm always looking for what the author is revealing through the mystery. For me the ghost returning is an exciting event. If it's Kathleen's psychological hallucination, I'm a bit disappointed.

I’m open to that kind of literary strategy, but only if it’s well done. One of my favorite examples is Karl Edward Wagner's "The River of Night’s Dreaming" (1981), an homage to Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow (1895).

Great comments, Canavan!

Thanks. And great story picks, Paula.

Do you know the works of Gertrude Atherton? Joyce Carol Oates? Free short stories by these very talented authors at Tales of Terror for Women In Horror Month.

Where is Death?

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Are you a fan of Ambrose Bierce? What about Hindu jugglers who are crafty at disappearing acts?

The Realm of the Unreal is a tale of magic and mysticism.

FREE READ at Tales of Terror

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

This week I've got two tales of terror. One classic by Edward Lucas White, "The House of the Nightmare." Yep, it's about dreaming.

And ...another short about dreaming, but this one by contemporary author Thomas Ligotti. I choose his short story "Mrs. Rinaldi's Angel" because his horror writings inspired screen writer Nic Pizzolatto's character Rustin Cohle in the HBO horror series True Detective. I found Cohle to be a mesmerizing and fascinating character and thought if Ligotti was the inspiration, then I've got to read Ligotti.

Do you know Ligotti's work? Well, MRS. RINALDI'S ANGEL is wickedly dark!


FREE READs at Tales of Terror.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Oh really? I'm so glad to hear it. Thank you, Randolph.

Do you know the old murderess, Fledermausse? Would you like to?

The Invisible Eye by Erckmann-Chatrian (famous French authors of 1850s who wrote as a duo). Nobody reads these guys anymore: Emile Erckmann and Louis-Alexandre Chatrain. Discover them again in The Invisible Eye, a compelling occult short story.

FREE read at Tales of Terror.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Are you referring to Strauss's opera? Die Fledermaus?

Paula wrote (in part):

The Invisible Eye by Erckmann-Chatrian (famous French authors of 1850s who wrote as a duo). Nobody reads these guys anymore: Emile Erckmann and Louis-Alexandre Chatrain. Discover them again in The Invisible Eye, a compelling occult short story.

In case you were not already aware, Hugh Lamb edited a collection of their stories for Ash-Tree Press a few years back entitled The Invisible Eye .

I am just also start read this book tonight.

Oh, that's interesting, Zara. Do let us know which stories are your favorite. I'm interested in reading more of Erckmann-Chatrian.

Paula wrote: "Oh, that's interesting, Zara. Do let us know which stories are your favorite. I'm interested in reading more of Erckmann-Chatrian."

yes I will let u know when I am done read ok smile

Supernatural Visitant ...

Anonymous wrote the short story "Horror: A True Tale" (1861). Who is Anonymous? And who is the supernatural visitant in this story?

FREE short story, read at Tales of Terror.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

A Bloody Hand Upon Her Cheek ...

When Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote his famous "The Birthmark," in 1846, a horror short story about desiring perfection and how that can drive a person to extremes (and worse), I'll bet he didn't think his story would still be relevant in 2014.

Gosh, what have we learned about this in over 150 years? I can't recall where I heard this but someone said, 'there's a crack in everything ... that's how the light gets in.' Seriously, this story is a 'perfect' example of our imperfections.

Read it FREE at Tales of Terror.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Talk of Ghosts ... "To Be Read At Dusk"

A ghost story To Be Read At Dusk? This short story isn't one of the first titles that comes to mind when you think of a Charles Dickens' story. And this story probably is not read much these days or has been read by many people. But we all know that at dusk, when darkness rises and light fades, shadows emerge ...

FREE Read at Tales of Terror BLOG

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

I can't recall where I heard this but someone said, 'there's a crack in everything ... that's how the light gets in.'

Hi Paula, I just saw this and it's a line from a Leonard Cohen song called 'Anthem'. Great quote!

I didn't know about that. Thanks, Randolph.

Lady Madeline Usher

This woman doesn't speak a single word and is only seen three times in this most famous short story of Edgar Allan Poe's. But she is the most mysterious character. If she were given a few lines, what would she be telling us about Roderick Usher?

You know the story ...

Catch the free short story, audio, and film at Tales of Terror.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

"Wake Not The Dead"

We all know waking the dead would be a dangerous idea, right? Apparently Walter, the main character in this short story, didn't know. Come find out what evil is plucked in this 1823 fiction.

FREE read at Tales of Terror.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Paula wrote (in part):

"Wake Not The Dead"

We all know waking the dead would be a dangerous idea, right? Apparently Walter, the main character in this short story, didn't know. Come find out what evil is plucked in this 1823 fiction.

I first read this story about 4 or 5 years ago and, I gotta admit, found the going a little tough. While it’s definitely a worthwhile read given its historical place in the genre, the story’s language often embodies the heightened, over-the-top emotions that the Romantics of that period were so fond of.

Oh yes, you are so right, Canavan. The opening especially is overly dramatic but true to the period and style then. I find that with 19-century writing styles, there is a density: formal, longer sentence structure and the punctuation is heavier ("close" rather than our modern "open" style). I don't mind the melodrama because that's what makes it so vintage.

Night Terror in a Bleak Autumn

There is a "Dream-Woman" you might like to read about.

This short story takes place in the dreary autumn to a man named Isaac Scatchard.

If you've never read Wilkie Collins' "The Dream-Woman" now is the time.

FREE at Tales of Terror.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Oh that sounds cool, Randolph. I've only recently in the past year started to enjoy audio fiction. It's really a treat.

Faces Thinned in Shadows

It's H.G. Wells time. Ready for one of his great shorts? How about a story about astral projection and apparitions?

You got it, free at Tuesday's Tale of Terror

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

In a house full of shadows, would you know your own shadow?

Come meet Paul Oleron. He is a character (a writer of novels) created by Oliver Onions in "The Beckoning Fair One." This famous short story is so disturbing, I mean, really. In its era, The Beckoning Fair One was considered to be the best in the genre in psychological horror.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

"A devilish fine woman ..."

This short story is about sexual rivalry, written by Henry James. Can you guess the title? Stop by Tales of Terror for a FREE read.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

This photo is a clue: https://d.gr-assets.com/photos/140146...

This is my last Tales of Terror post in this group for a while. With promoting The Dazzling Darkness and Night Sea Journey, and with two short stories half finished (promised to editors by October), and with writing my third novel now, I have to cut back my media time. I will still be doing Tales of Terror on my Wordpress blog site and will still post weekly to my GR blog here, which links to my Wordpress. But the individual groups posts will no longer be weekly in this thread. Thanks for all your comments. I hope to see your comments either on my Goodreads blog or at Wordpress.

If you like Southern Gothic, William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily has all the elements. Horrific in its nature, flavors of the south, suspenseful and very disturbing.

FREE read at Reading Fiction, Tales of Terror Blog.

https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2015...

Are you a fan of H.G. Wells? Have you read Valley of the Spiders?

Tuesday's Tale of Terror, FREE short story.

https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2015...

Women in Horror Month is still the feature for February. Want to know who in our history are the women writers worth reading for supernatural, horror, and ghost stories? This week is an author whom you probably never heard of. Rosa Mulholland. She wrote the Haunted Organist of Hurly Burly.

FREE read at Tales of Terror Blog this week, and the audio.
https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2015...