Canavan’s Reviews > The Stoneground Ghost Tales > Status Update

I keep forgetting I have this around the house and haven't gotten to it. I'll be interested in your thoughts.

I’ve honestly had a bit of a “meh” reaction. They’re competently written and I like the ecclesiastical backdrop, but there is little or no sense of menace to these stories. Swain sometimes struggles to form a satisfying conclusion for his tales. For example, “The Rockery”, a story probably inspired by M. R. James’ “The Rose Garden”, sort of just peters out.

I think this is a collection worth reading, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of your to-be-read list.

Thanks. I wondered since my reaction to most of the writers following in James' footsteps is "meh". Some are better than others -- I enjoyed Ralph Adams Cram's stories though they don't really have the same impact -- but on the whole what James did may appear easy to do but isn't.