Status
Available
Publication
Valancourt Books (2016), 278 pages
Description
In this volume, you will encounter tales of ghosts, haunted houses, witchcraft, vampirism, lycanthropy, and sea monsters. Stories of cruelty and vengeance, of a body that refuses to be cremated, a deranged performer with one last shocking show, a frozen corpse that may not be dead. With stories ranging from frightening to horrific to weird to darkly funny, by a lineup of authors that includes both masters of horror fiction and award-winning literary greats, this is a horror anthology like no other. Spanning two hundred years of horror, this new collection features seventeen macabre gems, including two original tales and many others that have never or seldom been reprinted, by: Charles Birkin - John Blackburn - Michael Blumlein - Mary Cholmondeley - Hugh Fleetwood - Stephen Gregory - Gerald Kersh - Francis King - M. G. Lewis - Florence Marryat - Richard Marsh - Michael McDowell - Christopher Priest - Forrest Reid - Bernard Taylor - Hugh Walpole 'The things were there and they were hiding in the slime; waiting ... waiting to clutch and claw and savage' - AUNTY GREEN by John Blackburn 'The sound that came from her throat, a small, pleading cry of terror, was cut off before she'd hardly had a chance to utter it' - OUT OF SORTS by Bernard Taylor 'The words filled her with an indescribable fear, and she turned to run; but her way was blocked by a figure, gigantic in stature - and its monstrous shape moved towards her, and she knew it was the incarnation of evil itself ' - THE TERROR ON TOBIT by Charles Birkin… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member runner56
Yet another wonderful compilation from Valancourt Books and what a delight this is. Putting together a number of unknown (to me anyway) authors with each story including an introduction about the writer and what is to follow. So what stood out?" California Burning" by Michael Blumlein...A rather
"The Frozen Man" by John Trevena was very Lovecraftian (Mountains of Madness) in both its content and execution. An expedition sent out on a journey of investigation to the North as...."some Germans were passing through the country further north, trapping and shooting all the furs they could find, thereby infringing upon the rights of the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay." I love this type of story with the cold and desolation creating its own terror and the madness that must surely happen!
"The Ghost of Charlotte Cray" a sublime and classic ghost story. Sigismund Braggett, publisher, caught between the love of two women; Emily Primrose and the divine Miss Cray. Braggett had hoped that the two women might meet but this idea faded to nothing (or did it!) when the body of Charlotte Cray was discovered at her lodgings in Hammersmith.
"The Gentleman all in Black" by Gerald Kersh is a familiar Faustian theme of selling one's soul to the devil. It's a short snappy tale to end, and brings to a conclusion a very varied and exciting compilation. Valancourt Books are amazing; They are bringing back into print and helping us discover rare and special books and by so doing introducing us to some amazing authors and their works. A special thanks to them for supplying me with a gratis copy for a fair and honest review and that is what I have written.
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dark comic view on the inability of a crematorium to safely dispose of some human remains came with a subliminal message...we all hold secrets and we are all not what we seem. Of course having read this tale I was intrigued to learn a little more about the author and the fact that he was also a physician by profession certainly added some intrigue to his writing. I shall be checking out "The Brains of Rats" by Michael Blumlein in the very near future (what a wonderful macabre title!)"The Frozen Man" by John Trevena was very Lovecraftian (Mountains of Madness) in both its content and execution. An expedition sent out on a journey of investigation to the North as...."some Germans were passing through the country further north, trapping and shooting all the furs they could find, thereby infringing upon the rights of the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay." I love this type of story with the cold and desolation creating its own terror and the madness that must surely happen!
"The Ghost of Charlotte Cray" a sublime and classic ghost story. Sigismund Braggett, publisher, caught between the love of two women; Emily Primrose and the divine Miss Cray. Braggett had hoped that the two women might meet but this idea faded to nothing (or did it!) when the body of Charlotte Cray was discovered at her lodgings in Hammersmith.
"The Gentleman all in Black" by Gerald Kersh is a familiar Faustian theme of selling one's soul to the devil. It's a short snappy tale to end, and brings to a conclusion a very varied and exciting compilation. Valancourt Books are amazing; They are bringing back into print and helping us discover rare and special books and by so doing introducing us to some amazing authors and their works. A special thanks to them for supplying me with a gratis copy for a fair and honest review and that is what I have written.
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LibraryThing member sturlington
Read Volume One after Volume Two, and I think it was the weaker of the two. The first volume seemed to contain a more traditional selection of stories. Although sufficiently entertaining, few were surprising. Standouts were the stories by Michael McDowell and Christopher Priest.
LibraryThing member ghr4
The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories, Volume One is a collection of rarely anthologized tales. Editors James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle have a sharp eye for assembling a collection that exhibits an unwavering thread of dark malevolence. The stories range from the Gothic to the Victorian Era and
Aunty Green - John Blackburn.... A terrific dark tale of revenge.
Miss Mack - Michael McDowell... Another dark tale of jealousy and revenge. This one’s horror seems to linger with you...
A Psychological Experiment - Richard Marsh.... A group conversation of murders and suicides slides into a one-on-one confrontation, and then further devolves into a taunting accusation.
The Progress of John Arthur Crabbe - Stephen Gregory.... A mentally deficient boy’s strange power to heal small animals is only the the prelude to a more astounding feat.
The Frozen Man - John Trevena.... Wonderfully atmospheric tale of the icy north lands, with some truly chilling moments.
Let Loose - Mary Cholmondeley.... An architect wheedles his way into a long-shuttered crypt to study its frescoes, and learns why entry has been forbidden.
Out of Sorts - Bernard Taylor.... A sly comic tale that culminates with a terrific punchline.
The Ghost of Charlotte Cray - Florence Marryat.... An excellent Victorian ghost story of jealousy and obsession.
The Terror on Tobit - Charles Birkin.... A good little monster story; another one where the chilling dread lingers on...
The Tarn - Hugh Walpole.... Walpole gives a wink and a nod to Poe in this tale of revenge taken by Fenwick for the many times that Foster “interfered” with his happiness.
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through to the present day. And for the most part, these are solid, well-crafted tales with a certain crispness in style and sharpness in their storytelling. And Valancourt thoughtfully precedes each story with a short blurb, neatly placing both the author and story in historical and literary context. Only a handful fail to intrigue, including Michael Blumlein’s “California Burning” (a darkly humorous story of a corpse that refuses to be cremated, against a backdrop of raging California wildfires), Christopher Priest’s “The Head and the Hand” (just too gruesome for my taste), and Hugh Fleetwood’s “Something Happened” (a curious tale of a Marek, a “lazy good-for-nothing“ and his magical encounters with the mysterious Mr. Smith) all of which are among the more recent tales in this anthology. That said, these ten are the standouts:Aunty Green - John Blackburn.... A terrific dark tale of revenge.
Miss Mack - Michael McDowell... Another dark tale of jealousy and revenge. This one’s horror seems to linger with you...
A Psychological Experiment - Richard Marsh.... A group conversation of murders and suicides slides into a one-on-one confrontation, and then further devolves into a taunting accusation.
The Progress of John Arthur Crabbe - Stephen Gregory.... A mentally deficient boy’s strange power to heal small animals is only the the prelude to a more astounding feat.
The Frozen Man - John Trevena.... Wonderfully atmospheric tale of the icy north lands, with some truly chilling moments.
Let Loose - Mary Cholmondeley.... An architect wheedles his way into a long-shuttered crypt to study its frescoes, and learns why entry has been forbidden.
Out of Sorts - Bernard Taylor.... A sly comic tale that culminates with a terrific punchline.
The Ghost of Charlotte Cray - Florence Marryat.... An excellent Victorian ghost story of jealousy and obsession.
The Terror on Tobit - Charles Birkin.... A good little monster story; another one where the chilling dread lingers on...
The Tarn - Hugh Walpole.... Walpole gives a wink and a nod to Poe in this tale of revenge taken by Fenwick for the many times that Foster “interfered” with his happiness.
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LibraryThing member ElizaJane
This book is a collection of horror stories across the ages from the late 1800s to one new to this volume. I enjoyed the selection and order of stories but would have preferred a stronger story at the end. Before each story is a brief literary history of the author and the date the selected story
1. Aunty Green (1977) - Reprinted here for the first time since original publication. Aunty Green abused little Jimmy terribly as a child but now he's a multimillionaire and is coming to visit her for the first time since then. Predictable but pleasant reading. (3/5)
2. Miss Mack by Michael McDowell (1986) - The headmaster is jealous of the relationship between two teachers. This is a well-written story with fully developed characters and very enjoyable but the ending was disappointing. (3/5)
3. School Crossing by Francis King (1979) - A man has visions of children crossing the road at a school crossing. The ending is predictable but the story is fun and only hints at other of the man's problems. (4/5)
4. A Psychological Experiment by Richard Marsh (1900) - Talk in the smoking room had been about murder and suicide. As the room emptied Mr Howitt turns to a remaining stranger and says what dreadful talk. The stranger then proceeds to tell him a story of a murder that he'd heard of. I didn't like this one. It's rather tedious reading and the twist was not much. (2/5)
5. The Progress of John Arthur Crabbe by Stephen Gregory. (1982) - A woman gives birth late in life. Unfortunately, her husband died one month before. The boy is mentally challenged and has slight physical deformities. However, he has the gift to heal animals. This is short and the twist comes with the last sentence. Well told and interesting until we start wondering and that last sentence grabs us. (5/5)
6. The Frozen Man by John Trevana (1912) - Set in the Frozen Canadian North. Three men, one of them an "Indian", set out going north with a dog sledge. One man is ill and that evening the Northern Lights shine red bringing spirits with them. Well-written having the essence of Jack London. A delightful tale of the Canadian North where the spirits of the Natives meld with those of the Whiteman. (4/5)
7. California Burning by Michael Blumlein (2009) - This story is very long. A man takes his father's body to a crematorium but the bones refuse to burn. A well-written piece of grief horror. The man's father is a developed character owing to the length. The plot goes to unexpected places. (4/5)
8. Let Loose by Mary Cholmondeley (1890) - Written seven years before "Dracula" this is a somewhat vampiric tale set in an antiquated village in Yorkshire. This is my favourite story so far. Well-written and engrossing. (5/5)
9. Out of Sorts by Bernard Taylor (1983) - A woman has been married for twenty-five years and is fed up with her husband's continuous affairs. So she plans to make sure it never happens again. A fun story. I never even expected what the twist turned out to be. Loved it! (4/5)
10. The Head and the Hand by Christopher Priest (1972) - A man who is crippled from his performance art of self-mutilation returns to the stage for one more time. This was gruesome in the thought of what has happened to the man and while I didn't foresee the tiny twist it wasn't shocking. Well-written and unsettling. (4/5)
11. The Ghost of Charlotte Cray by Florence Marriage (1883) - A man is hounded by a woman who is in love with him. Though he must see her as she is a client but he does not feel the same. Then he marries someone else and she continues to stalk him. Then she died. This is excellent and well-told with a bit of literary writing. Not creepy but probably would. have been at the time of writing. It's a lot of fun. (5/5)
12. The Grim White Woman by M.G. Lewis (1808) - I started this with apprehension as it is written in prose. I do not like most poetry, however, story poems I find readable. This is about a knight who dumps his lady friend and so she curses him in the name of the Grim White Woman. It's ok as far as the story goes. It's written in AABB rhyme making it easy to read and the galloping rhythm also helps those not fond of poetry. I'd give this a 2 simply for being a poem, though that is not fair so I'm giving it a 3. (3/5)
13. The Terror on Tobit by Charles Birkin (1933) - Two teenage girls insist on spending the night on a small island that people disappear from. This totally creeped me out. I couldn't stop thinking about it last night. I must read more of the author. My favourite story. (5/5)
14. Furnished Apartments by Forrest Reid (unpublished) - A man in a pub tells the tale of his first night in a furnished room in London. Extremely atmospheric and weird. I don't really get it but it is certainly well-told and strange. (4/5).
15. Something Happened by Hugh Fleetwood (2016) - Four servants look after the Boss' Switzerland home which he never visits and where nothing ever happens. One day Boss' friend comes for a visit and something happens. This is like a fairy tale and sweet. (3/5)
16. The Tarn by Hugh Walpole (1923) - A man who preferred his own company out in the country has a friend, whom he despises, spend a couple of nights. He keeps dreaming of killing him. This was very atmospheric and I found the lead-up to be more creepy than the actual ending. A good story. (3/5)
17. The Gentleman All in Black by Gerald Kersh (1946) - The Devil bargains for a man's time. Very short. Pretty boring but well-written. (3/5)
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is written. The latter is imperative in my opinion for short story collections of older works. A great selection of stories which I mostly loved and only one dud. Many of the stories appear here for the first time. A pleasure to read this collection of unique stories. 1. Aunty Green (1977) - Reprinted here for the first time since original publication. Aunty Green abused little Jimmy terribly as a child but now he's a multimillionaire and is coming to visit her for the first time since then. Predictable but pleasant reading. (3/5)
2. Miss Mack by Michael McDowell (1986) - The headmaster is jealous of the relationship between two teachers. This is a well-written story with fully developed characters and very enjoyable but the ending was disappointing. (3/5)
3. School Crossing by Francis King (1979) - A man has visions of children crossing the road at a school crossing. The ending is predictable but the story is fun and only hints at other of the man's problems. (4/5)
4. A Psychological Experiment by Richard Marsh (1900) - Talk in the smoking room had been about murder and suicide. As the room emptied Mr Howitt turns to a remaining stranger and says what dreadful talk. The stranger then proceeds to tell him a story of a murder that he'd heard of. I didn't like this one. It's rather tedious reading and the twist was not much. (2/5)
5. The Progress of John Arthur Crabbe by Stephen Gregory. (1982) - A woman gives birth late in life. Unfortunately, her husband died one month before. The boy is mentally challenged and has slight physical deformities. However, he has the gift to heal animals. This is short and the twist comes with the last sentence. Well told and interesting until we start wondering and that last sentence grabs us. (5/5)
6. The Frozen Man by John Trevana (1912) - Set in the Frozen Canadian North. Three men, one of them an "Indian", set out going north with a dog sledge. One man is ill and that evening the Northern Lights shine red bringing spirits with them. Well-written having the essence of Jack London. A delightful tale of the Canadian North where the spirits of the Natives meld with those of the Whiteman. (4/5)
7. California Burning by Michael Blumlein (2009) - This story is very long. A man takes his father's body to a crematorium but the bones refuse to burn. A well-written piece of grief horror. The man's father is a developed character owing to the length. The plot goes to unexpected places. (4/5)
8. Let Loose by Mary Cholmondeley (1890) - Written seven years before "Dracula" this is a somewhat vampiric tale set in an antiquated village in Yorkshire. This is my favourite story so far. Well-written and engrossing. (5/5)
9. Out of Sorts by Bernard Taylor (1983) - A woman has been married for twenty-five years and is fed up with her husband's continuous affairs. So she plans to make sure it never happens again. A fun story. I never even expected what the twist turned out to be. Loved it! (4/5)
10. The Head and the Hand by Christopher Priest (1972) - A man who is crippled from his performance art of self-mutilation returns to the stage for one more time. This was gruesome in the thought of what has happened to the man and while I didn't foresee the tiny twist it wasn't shocking. Well-written and unsettling. (4/5)
11. The Ghost of Charlotte Cray by Florence Marriage (1883) - A man is hounded by a woman who is in love with him. Though he must see her as she is a client but he does not feel the same. Then he marries someone else and she continues to stalk him. Then she died. This is excellent and well-told with a bit of literary writing. Not creepy but probably would. have been at the time of writing. It's a lot of fun. (5/5)
12. The Grim White Woman by M.G. Lewis (1808) - I started this with apprehension as it is written in prose. I do not like most poetry, however, story poems I find readable. This is about a knight who dumps his lady friend and so she curses him in the name of the Grim White Woman. It's ok as far as the story goes. It's written in AABB rhyme making it easy to read and the galloping rhythm also helps those not fond of poetry. I'd give this a 2 simply for being a poem, though that is not fair so I'm giving it a 3. (3/5)
13. The Terror on Tobit by Charles Birkin (1933) - Two teenage girls insist on spending the night on a small island that people disappear from. This totally creeped me out. I couldn't stop thinking about it last night. I must read more of the author. My favourite story. (5/5)
14. Furnished Apartments by Forrest Reid (unpublished) - A man in a pub tells the tale of his first night in a furnished room in London. Extremely atmospheric and weird. I don't really get it but it is certainly well-told and strange. (4/5).
15. Something Happened by Hugh Fleetwood (2016) - Four servants look after the Boss' Switzerland home which he never visits and where nothing ever happens. One day Boss' friend comes for a visit and something happens. This is like a fairy tale and sweet. (3/5)
16. The Tarn by Hugh Walpole (1923) - A man who preferred his own company out in the country has a friend, whom he despises, spend a couple of nights. He keeps dreaming of killing him. This was very atmospheric and I found the lead-up to be more creepy than the actual ending. A good story. (3/5)
17. The Gentleman All in Black by Gerald Kersh (1946) - The Devil bargains for a man's time. Very short. Pretty boring but well-written. (3/5)
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2016
Physical description
278 p.; 8 inches
ISBN
1943910529 / 9781943910526
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