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D
- D'Ammassa, Don
- Dahl, Roald
- Dalby, Richard
- Daniel, Kate
- Daniels, Les
- Daniels, Zoe
- Darke, David
- Datlow, Ellen
- Davidson, Nicole
- Davis, Jack
- Davis, Richard
- De Lint, Charles
- De Maupassant, Guy
- Dee, Ron
- Derleth, August
- Devereaux, Robert
- Dickens, Charles
- Dillon, Steve
- Disch, Thomas M.
- Dokey, Cameron
- Donnelly, Joe
- Douglas, Drake
- Doyle, Arthur Conan
- Doyle, Debra
- Du Maurier, Daphne
- Due, Tananarive
- Duigon, Lee
- Duncan, Lois
- Dunn, Pauline
- Dunsany, Lord
- Dussling, Jennifer
- Dvorkin, David
- Dziemianowicz, Stefan
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 Customer Reviews
Not massively scary for the most part, but entertaining..., 25 Aug 2008
It's a somewhat uneducated cliché to say 'the old stuff ain't as scary', in an era where horror literature is far more explicit. I'm not an advocate of this school of thought however, proffering to be chilled by the likes of Le Fanu and James rather than grossed out. Dicken's ghost stories are, as the title suggests, stories about ghosts, but do not buy this under the misconception that they are all concocted purely to scare you, for they frequently have designs of a more esoteric nature than that.
'A Christmas Carol' is a morality tale, full of Dickens' often slated sentimentalism, which I nonetheless found infinitely enjoyable. Meanwhile 'The Ghosts Of The Mail' is almost like an adventure story, the likes of which we might expect from Washington Irving. Dickens seems determined to use the ghost story format to explore as many different emotions as possible, so some tales are comical, some sad, and yes some scary. One certainty is that all of the tales contained herein are very entertaining. Dickens' command of prose was, and still is, unmatched and he makes even the slightest details a source of great enjoyment with his profound sense of wit.
As such, I would label this a book of entertaining ghost stories rather than scary ghost stories, though there are exceptions to the rule. 'The Ghost In The Brides Chamber' is very chilling, not to mention rather sinister, and the frequently anthologised 'The Signalman' deserves its frequent 'contender for most chilling tale ever' accolade with absolute worthiness. Both of these tales share much in common with the works of Sheridan Le Fanu in their sense of escalation and presentation of inter-personal relationships, which is a charming comparison if ever there was one.
I'd say this is quite an essential collection, but I think it will appeal to fans of Dickens and/or 19th century literature in general first, ghost story enthusiasts second. It's not as intensely psychological or subtly chilling as many of the canonical authors in this genre, but the tales are so varied in style and effect that I don't consider this to be a negative criticism. What you have here is a collection of well written stories that never fail to being a smile upon ones face, and in light of that I'd thoroughly recommend this book.
Mixed bag, but includes some genuinely creepy stories, 21 Dec 2007
Like most collections of short stories, a bit of a maixed bag, though the positives predominate. The shorter stories (10-15 pagers) are best, esp. A Madman's Manuscript, The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber, Trial for Murder, and The Signalman, all of which are very atmospheric and quite creepy.
A Christmas Carol remains a timeless classic, and deserves to be the most famous ghost story in Western literature. The other longer ones I found disappointing: Haunted Man and Ghost's Bargain, a long one weighing in at 77 pages, I just found tedious and gave up on quite quickly. The Haunted House also was dull and lacking in atmosphere
A mixed bag, 05 Aug 2006
Here follows an overview of the contents of this volume, for your convenience:
The Queer Chair (The bagman's story) from The Pickwick Papers - extremely funny.
A Madman's Manuscript from The Pickwick Papers - one of the stories that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart.
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton from The Pickwick Papers - the predecessor of A Christmas Carol.
The Ghosts of the Mail (The story of the bagman's uncle) from The Pickwick Papers - another funny story.
The Baron of Grogzwig from Nicholas Nickleby - a story that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Devil in the Belfry.
A Christmas Carol - no comment needed.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain - a haunting story about the value of suffering.
To be Read at Dusk - a pair of stories concerning dreams and visions.
The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber from The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices - a story about a ghost that is doomed to walk the earth for evermore.
The Haunted House - a pair of stories about a house that is haunted by the narrator's own self.
The Trial for Murder (To be taken with a grain of salt) - a story about a murdered man who comes back to see justice done.
The Signalman - No comment needed.
the title says it all!, 05 May 2001
yep thats right. This book does really have the best ghost stories that send a shiver down your spine!if your a fan of ghost stories then this is the one for you!
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Customer Reviews
Not massively scary for the most part, but entertaining..., 25 Aug 2008
It's a somewhat uneducated cliché to say 'the old stuff ain't as scary', in an era where horror literature is far more explicit. I'm not an advocate of this school of thought however, proffering to be chilled by the likes of Le Fanu and James rather than grossed out. Dicken's ghost stories are, as the title suggests, stories about ghosts, but do not buy this under the misconception that they are all concocted purely to scare you, for they frequently have designs of a more esoteric nature than that.
'A Christmas Carol' is a morality tale, full of Dickens' often slated sentimentalism, which I nonetheless found infinitely enjoyable. Meanwhile 'The Ghosts Of The Mail' is almost like an adventure story, the likes of which we might expect from Washington Irving. Dickens seems determined to use the ghost story format to explore as many different emotions as possible, so some tales are comical, some sad, and yes some scary. One certainty is that all of the tales contained herein are very entertaining. Dickens' command of prose was, and still is, unmatched and he makes even the slightest details a source of great enjoyment with his profound sense of wit.
As such, I would label this a book of entertaining ghost stories rather than scary ghost stories, though there are exceptions to the rule. 'The Ghost In The Brides Chamber' is very chilling, not to mention rather sinister, and the frequently anthologised 'The Signalman' deserves its frequent 'contender for most chilling tale ever' accolade with absolute worthiness. Both of these tales share much in common with the works of Sheridan Le Fanu in their sense of escalation and presentation of inter-personal relationships, which is a charming comparison if ever there was one.
I'd say this is quite an essential collection, but I think it will appeal to fans of Dickens and/or 19th century literature in general first, ghost story enthusiasts second. It's not as intensely psychological or subtly chilling as many of the canonical authors in this genre, but the tales are so varied in style and effect that I don't consider this to be a negative criticism. What you have here is a collection of well written stories that never fail to being a smile upon ones face, and in light of that I'd thoroughly recommend this book.
Mixed bag, but includes some genuinely creepy stories, 21 Dec 2007
Like most collections of short stories, a bit of a maixed bag, though the positives predominate. The shorter stories (10-15 pagers) are best, esp. A Madman's Manuscript, The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber, Trial for Murder, and The Signalman, all of which are very atmospheric and quite creepy.
A Christmas Carol remains a timeless classic, and deserves to be the most famous ghost story in Western literature. The other longer ones I found disappointing: Haunted Man and Ghost's Bargain, a long one weighing in at 77 pages, I just found tedious and gave up on quite quickly. The Haunted House also was dull and lacking in atmosphere
A mixed bag, 05 Aug 2006
Here follows an overview of the contents of this volume, for your convenience:
The Queer Chair (The bagman's story) from The Pickwick Papers - extremely funny.
A Madman's Manuscript from The Pickwick Papers - one of the stories that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart.
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton from The Pickwick Papers - the predecessor of A Christmas Carol.
The Ghosts of the Mail (The story of the bagman's uncle) from The Pickwick Papers - another funny story.
The Baron of Grogzwig from Nicholas Nickleby - a story that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Devil in the Belfry.
A Christmas Carol - no comment needed.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain - a haunting story about the value of suffering.
To be Read at Dusk - a pair of stories concerning dreams and visions.
The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber from The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices - a story about a ghost that is doomed to walk the earth for evermore.
The Haunted House - a pair of stories about a house that is haunted by the narrator's own self.
The Trial for Murder (To be taken with a grain of salt) - a story about a murdered man who comes back to see justice done.
The Signalman - No comment needed.
the title says it all!, 05 May 2001
yep thats right. This book does really have the best ghost stories that send a shiver down your spine!if your a fan of ghost stories then this is the one for you!
A decent read, 05 Feb 2008
When i saw that Roald Dahl had chosen these stories i was expecting them to be terrifying, but to be honest they didn't really stir me at all (& i scare very easily). The only one that had that impact was 'Harry', that stayed with me for quite a while! I would recommend the book for that story alone, & there are a few others that i would describe as 'nice stories'. In other words they were nice tales of friendly ghosts rather than scary horror stories.
Hope that helps.
Every Hair On My Neck Stood Up..., 26 Oct 2006
reading some of these ghost stories. This is a wonderful wonderful collection of true ghost stories. Highly recommend it to everyone a bit older, say, 12 years and up!! Loved the one called Playmates. Cheers!
A Great Book, 12 Jan 2006
I read this when I was a teenager travelling through Africa. I had to cover the front image because alongside the stories it scared me to much. Yet these stories drew you in, scarier than any film I've seen yet far more intriging aswell. It's incomparible to any book I've read since. It's in a genre of it's own. Each is an individual master piece, they're beautiful, elequent and twist and turn in the most unexpected ways.
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Kiss Kiss
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*Amazon: £0.99
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Customer Reviews
Not massively scary for the most part, but entertaining..., 25 Aug 2008
It's a somewhat uneducated cliché to say 'the old stuff ain't as scary', in an era where horror literature is far more explicit. I'm not an advocate of this school of thought however, proffering to be chilled by the likes of Le Fanu and James rather than grossed out. Dicken's ghost stories are, as the title suggests, stories about ghosts, but do not buy this under the misconception that they are all concocted purely to scare you, for they frequently have designs of a more esoteric nature than that.
'A Christmas Carol' is a morality tale, full of Dickens' often slated sentimentalism, which I nonetheless found infinitely enjoyable. Meanwhile 'The Ghosts Of The Mail' is almost like an adventure story, the likes of which we might expect from Washington Irving. Dickens seems determined to use the ghost story format to explore as many different emotions as possible, so some tales are comical, some sad, and yes some scary. One certainty is that all of the tales contained herein are very entertaining. Dickens' command of prose was, and still is, unmatched and he makes even the slightest details a source of great enjoyment with his profound sense of wit.
As such, I would label this a book of entertaining ghost stories rather than scary ghost stories, though there are exceptions to the rule. 'The Ghost In The Brides Chamber' is very chilling, not to mention rather sinister, and the frequently anthologised 'The Signalman' deserves its frequent 'contender for most chilling tale ever' accolade with absolute worthiness. Both of these tales share much in common with the works of Sheridan Le Fanu in their sense of escalation and presentation of inter-personal relationships, which is a charming comparison if ever there was one.
I'd say this is quite an essential collection, but I think it will appeal to fans of Dickens and/or 19th century literature in general first, ghost story enthusiasts second. It's not as intensely psychological or subtly chilling as many of the canonical authors in this genre, but the tales are so varied in style and effect that I don't consider this to be a negative criticism. What you have here is a collection of well written stories that never fail to being a smile upon ones face, and in light of that I'd thoroughly recommend this book. Mixed bag, but includes some genuinely creepy stories, 21 Dec 2007
Like most collections of short stories, a bit of a maixed bag, though the positives predominate. The shorter stories (10-15 pagers) are best, esp. A Madman's Manuscript, The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber, Trial for Murder, and The Signalman, all of which are very atmospheric and quite creepy.
A Christmas Carol remains a timeless classic, and deserves to be the most famous ghost story in Western literature. The other longer ones I found disappointing: Haunted Man and Ghost's Bargain, a long one weighing in at 77 pages, I just found tedious and gave up on quite quickly. The Haunted House also was dull and lacking in atmosphere A mixed bag, 05 Aug 2006
Here follows an overview of the contents of this volume, for your convenience:
The Queer Chair (The bagman's story) from The Pickwick Papers - extremely funny.
A Madman's Manuscript from The Pickwick Papers - one of the stories that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart.
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton from The Pickwick Papers - the predecessor of A Christmas Carol.
The Ghosts of the Mail (The story of the bagman's uncle) from The Pickwick Papers - another funny story.
The Baron of Grogzwig from Nicholas Nickleby - a story that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Devil in the Belfry.
A Christmas Carol - no comment needed.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain - a haunting story about the value of suffering.
To be Read at Dusk - a pair of stories concerning dreams and visions.
The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber from The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices - a story about a ghost that is doomed to walk the earth for evermore.
The Haunted House - a pair of stories about a house that is haunted by the narrator's own self.
The Trial for Murder (To be taken with a grain of salt) - a story about a murdered man who comes back to see justice done.
The Signalman - No comment needed. the title says it all!, 05 May 2001
yep thats right. This book does really have the best ghost stories that send a shiver down your spine!if your a fan of ghost stories then this is the one for you! A decent read, 05 Feb 2008
When i saw that Roald Dahl had chosen these stories i was expecting them to be terrifying, but to be honest they didn't really stir me at all (& i scare very easily). The only one that had that impact was 'Harry', that stayed with me for quite a while! I would recommend the book for that story alone, & there are a few others that i would describe as 'nice stories'. In other words they were nice tales of friendly ghosts rather than scary horror stories.
Hope that helps. Every Hair On My Neck Stood Up..., 26 Oct 2006
reading some of these ghost stories. This is a wonderful wonderful collection of true ghost stories. Highly recommend it to everyone a bit older, say, 12 years and up!! Loved the one called Playmates. Cheers! A Great Book, 12 Jan 2006
I read this when I was a teenager travelling through Africa. I had to cover the front image because alongside the stories it scared me to much. Yet these stories drew you in, scarier than any film I've seen yet far more intriging aswell. It's incomparible to any book I've read since. It's in a genre of it's own. Each is an individual master piece, they're beautiful, elequent and twist and turn in the most unexpected ways. Good fun, 09 Nov 2003
This collection of short stories is certainly an interesting read. Roald Dahl very effectivly creates vile characters with weird and funny viewpoints on life and finishes his stories with a succession of bizarre and macabre twists. However, I thought that there was something curiously one dimensional about the writing rather reminiscent of his childrens stories. I didn't think that the short stories really got into the characters' minds. Overall I found'Kiss Kiss' funny and disturbing but a bit simplistic. A slice of the Human Beings!, 25 Oct 2003
This is the first book I read for Roald Dahl ,some of my friends have recommended his works for me and gave me this book along with Switch Bitch ,I have begun with Kiss Kiss , and I was totally amazed . Once you got passed the shallow introduction story (The Landlady) you will be faced with some of the most funniest and dare I say hilarious short stories ever written ,this collection includes some masterpieces which is (William and Mary) ,( Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's hat ) and the mind blowing (Parson's pleasure) , there are some very good ones like (The way Up to Heaven) ,(Edward the Conqueror) and (Pig) ,the remaining stories are also very entertaining but they can not be comparable to the rest mentioned above . Dahl's writings are not only about the sarcasm sense and funny situations ,actually the greatness of his writings comes from his extraordinary ability to explore the human nature ,and give us a glimpse about the weird nature which is existing deep inside every human being ,this collection deals with many aspects of the human behavior ranging from the FAKE socially civilized appearance to the bottom of the most disgusting characters you are likely to meet ,but the craft of Dahl is to make you sure that the both sides are actually equal ,and once you have picked this collection you will be hooked and you will ask for more ,luckily I have (Switch Bitch) collection and I am going to read it instantly .
Amazing, 26 Apr 2002
This is the most enjoyable book I have read in a long while. Roald Dahl has a talent for writing original short stories, incorporating hints of subtle horror, humour and unexpected twists in each. Tales such as 'The Way up to Heaven' and 'William and Mary' are quite eerie but this is all part of the fun. Although you come to expect a twist towards the end of each story, they are not always obvious (the ending to the story 'Pig' was extremely suprising!) If you haven't read this, you're missing out on a group of thoroughly interesting and addictive stories.
Macabre and brilliant, 14 Aug 2000
Perverse, inventive and often downright morbid, kiss kiss will be a shock to those only ingratiated with the (rather brilliant) children's stories. Yes, it is true that after reading a few of these tales, the end twist becomes somewhat of an enevitability, but the sheer dynamism and imagination of Dahl's storytelling remains intoxicating.The truly scary William and Mary in particular is a story that will remain with me forever All in all, a sick, frieghtening and thoughourly brilliant collection of tales, from an author who must now be recognised as the greatest short-story writer of a generation.
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Aliens Omnibus Volume 5: v. 5
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John ArcudiJim Woodring;
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Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £10.36
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Product Description
Time and the Gods collects in one volume the short stories of Lord Dunsany, some of the most influential fantasies ever written, affecting. Among others, the works of James Branc Cabell, HP Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, Michael Swanwick and Jack Vance. In these stories we find out what lies beyond the edge of the world and what happened to the jeweller Thangobrind there; champions return from beyond the grave to save a city lost in its dreams and a young warrior goes up against the sorcerer who inhabits the Fortress Unvanquishable Save for the sword Sacnoth. Dunsany's stories have the jewelled perfection of dreams and the sly malicious wit of after dinner conversation; his surreal imagination is as capable of sending a pirate ship trekking across the Sahara as it is of having a man sell his soul for three deadly jokes. These are stories in which time is the enemy and the gods as much victims of it as humanity, in which the tragedy of dreamers is that eventually they must wake. This is a definitive collection of work which has been unavailable for many years; it is one of the essential books in any fantasy collection. --Roz Kaveney
Customer Reviews
Not massively scary for the most part, but entertaining..., 25 Aug 2008
It's a somewhat uneducated cliché to say 'the old stuff ain't as scary', in an era where horror literature is far more explicit. I'm not an advocate of this school of thought however, proffering to be chilled by the likes of Le Fanu and James rather than grossed out. Dicken's ghost stories are, as the title suggests, stories about ghosts, but do not buy this under the misconception that they are all concocted purely to scare you, for they frequently have designs of a more esoteric nature than that.
'A Christmas Carol' is a morality tale, full of Dickens' often slated sentimentalism, which I nonetheless found infinitely enjoyable. Meanwhile 'The Ghosts Of The Mail' is almost like an adventure story, the likes of which we might expect from Washington Irving. Dickens seems determined to use the ghost story format to explore as many different emotions as possible, so some tales are comical, some sad, and yes some scary. One certainty is that all of the tales contained herein are very entertaining. Dickens' command of prose was, and still is, unmatched and he makes even the slightest details a source of great enjoyment with his profound sense of wit.
As such, I would label this a book of entertaining ghost stories rather than scary ghost stories, though there are exceptions to the rule. 'The Ghost In The Brides Chamber' is very chilling, not to mention rather sinister, and the frequently anthologised 'The Signalman' deserves its frequent 'contender for most chilling tale ever' accolade with absolute worthiness. Both of these tales share much in common with the works of Sheridan Le Fanu in their sense of escalation and presentation of inter-personal relationships, which is a charming comparison if ever there was one.
I'd say this is quite an essential collection, but I think it will appeal to fans of Dickens and/or 19th century literature in general first, ghost story enthusiasts second. It's not as intensely psychological or subtly chilling as many of the canonical authors in this genre, but the tales are so varied in style and effect that I don't consider this to be a negative criticism. What you have here is a collection of well written stories that never fail to being a smile upon ones face, and in light of that I'd thoroughly recommend this book. Mixed bag, but includes some genuinely creepy stories, 21 Dec 2007
Like most collections of short stories, a bit of a maixed bag, though the positives predominate. The shorter stories (10-15 pagers) are best, esp. A Madman's Manuscript, The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber, Trial for Murder, and The Signalman, all of which are very atmospheric and quite creepy.
A Christmas Carol remains a timeless classic, and deserves to be the most famous ghost story in Western literature. The other longer ones I found disappointing: Haunted Man and Ghost's Bargain, a long one weighing in at 77 pages, I just found tedious and gave up on quite quickly. The Haunted House also was dull and lacking in atmosphere A mixed bag, 05 Aug 2006
Here follows an overview of the contents of this volume, for your convenience:
The Queer Chair (The bagman's story) from The Pickwick Papers - extremely funny.
A Madman's Manuscript from The Pickwick Papers - one of the stories that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart.
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton from The Pickwick Papers - the predecessor of A Christmas Carol.
The Ghosts of the Mail (The story of the bagman's uncle) from The Pickwick Papers - another funny story.
The Baron of Grogzwig from Nicholas Nickleby - a story that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Devil in the Belfry.
A Christmas Carol - no comment needed.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain - a haunting story about the value of suffering.
To be Read at Dusk - a pair of stories concerning dreams and visions.
The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber from The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices - a story about a ghost that is doomed to walk the earth for evermore.
The Haunted House - a pair of stories about a house that is haunted by the narrator's own self.
The Trial for Murder (To be taken with a grain of salt) - a story about a murdered man who comes back to see justice done.
The Signalman - No comment needed. the title says it all!, 05 May 2001
yep thats right. This book does really have the best ghost stories that send a shiver down your spine!if your a fan of ghost stories then this is the one for you! A decent read, 05 Feb 2008
When i saw that Roald Dahl had chosen these stories i was expecting them to be terrifying, but to be honest they didn't really stir me at all (& i scare very easily). The only one that had that impact was 'Harry', that stayed with me for quite a while! I would recommend the book for that story alone, & there are a few others that i would describe as 'nice stories'. In other words they were nice tales of friendly ghosts rather than scary horror stories.
Hope that helps. Every Hair On My Neck Stood Up..., 26 Oct 2006
reading some of these ghost stories. This is a wonderful wonderful collection of true ghost stories. Highly recommend it to everyone a bit older, say, 12 years and up!! Loved the one called Playmates. Cheers! A Great Book, 12 Jan 2006
I read this when I was a teenager travelling through Africa. I had to cover the front image because alongside the stories it scared me to much. Yet these stories drew you in, scarier than any film I've seen yet far more intriging aswell. It's incomparible to any book I've read since. It's in a genre of it's own. Each is an individual master piece, they're beautiful, elequent and twist and turn in the most unexpected ways. Good fun, 09 Nov 2003
This collection of short stories is certainly an interesting read. Roald Dahl very effectivly creates vile characters with weird and funny viewpoints on life and finishes his stories with a succession of bizarre and macabre twists. However, I thought that there was something curiously one dimensional about the writing rather reminiscent of his childrens stories. I didn't think that the short stories really got into the characters' minds. Overall I found'Kiss Kiss' funny and disturbing but a bit simplistic. A slice of the Human Beings!, 25 Oct 2003
This is the first book I read for Roald Dahl ,some of my friends have recommended his works for me and gave me this book along with Switch Bitch ,I have begun with Kiss Kiss , and I was totally amazed . Once you got passed the shallow introduction story (The Landlady) you will be faced with some of the most funniest and dare I say hilarious short stories ever written ,this collection includes some masterpieces which is (William and Mary) ,( Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's hat ) and the mind blowing (Parson's pleasure) , there are some very good ones like (The way Up to Heaven) ,(Edward the Conqueror) and (Pig) ,the remaining stories are also very entertaining but they can not be comparable to the rest mentioned above . Dahl's writings are not only about the sarcasm sense and funny situations ,actually the greatness of his writings comes from his extraordinary ability to explore the human nature ,and give us a glimpse about the weird nature which is existing deep inside every human being ,this collection deals with many aspects of the human behavior ranging from the FAKE socially civilized appearance to the bottom of the most disgusting characters you are likely to meet ,but the craft of Dahl is to make you sure that the both sides are actually equal ,and once you have picked this collection you will be hooked and you will ask for more ,luckily I have (Switch Bitch) collection and I am going to read it instantly .
Amazing, 26 Apr 2002
This is the most enjoyable book I have read in a long while. Roald Dahl has a talent for writing original short stories, incorporating hints of subtle horror, humour and unexpected twists in each. Tales such as 'The Way up to Heaven' and 'William and Mary' are quite eerie but this is all part of the fun. Although you come to expect a twist towards the end of each story, they are not always obvious (the ending to the story 'Pig' was extremely suprising!) If you haven't read this, you're missing out on a group of thoroughly interesting and addictive stories.
Macabre and brilliant, 14 Aug 2000
Perverse, inventive and often downright morbid, kiss kiss will be a shock to those only ingratiated with the (rather brilliant) children's stories. Yes, it is true that after reading a few of these tales, the end twist becomes somewhat of an enevitability, but the sheer dynamism and imagination of Dahl's storytelling remains intoxicating.The truly scary William and Mary in particular is a story that will remain with me forever All in all, a sick, frieghtening and thoughourly brilliant collection of tales, from an author who must now be recognised as the greatest short-story writer of a generation.
Time And The Man, 24 Jul 2005
History has not been kind to this author, spectacularly successful in his own lifetime (his plays in particular being well received)he is now, if not exactly forgotten, not seen as a major literary figure.Chiefly he seems to be rememebered for the authors who he inspired, H P Lovecraft, for example, was a great admirer of Dunsany. This is unfair, in my opinion, Dunsany was a very original and prolific writer and the short story form suited his style perfectly. The early works, included in this excellent anthology, may seem slight, the tales from "The Gods Of Pegana" are startlingly short, but even these are perfect blends of humour and fantasy. The later, longer stories form "The Sword Of Welleran" are brilliant examples of the art of constructing short stories. For me, very few authors in this form equal Dunsany's skill...perhaps H G Wells and T H White could compare, I can honestly think of no other examples. Characterisation and dialogue are not Dunsany's strengths, his longer works like "The King Of Elfland's Daughter" show this, but his ideas and plotting and evocative descriptions of place are all second to none. In these short stories, these qualities are richly shown.
A lot of dreams here..., 12 Feb 2002
The least one can say about Lord Dunsany is that he was the founder of fantasy literature. The prose is a golden rhapsody of wonder and delight. The stories in this book formed some of the best hours of my youth. They brought me to exotic cities and lands of intoxicating beauty and strangeness, over cerulean seas to magnificent harbours and through deserts and beyond sunsets. It's odd that the greatest Dunsanian story ever is Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, which was not even written by Dunsany at all, but by an imitator of his, H.P.Lovecraft. Needless to say you won't find that story in this book. You won't find "Tales of Three Hemispheres" here, either, which is a pity. Buy it just the same.
Bible without the religion, 16 Feb 2001
This is a good book, often well-written, but boring boring boring. It reads like some Bible without religion. Very dated. As a modern reader you don't have to read this.
Dated, boring and heavy going, 12 Nov 2000
If you like the sort of book that takes things such as time and fear and makes them into people or creatures, then this is for you. It is a fantasy version of Pilgrim's Progress. If like me you like a real story with proper people or creatures and magic etc then don't buy this.
Beautiful worlds that will remain with you all your days., 17 Jun 2000
I would encourage you to read this book if you like fantasy at all. These stories are not to everyone's taste but for me they conjure up such a wistful loveliness or such an exotic richness of locations and strange dooms that I could not forgive myself if I did not draw them to your attention. Buy this book and prepare to be astounded.
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Customer Reviews
Not massively scary for the most part, but entertaining..., 25 Aug 2008
It's a somewhat uneducated cliché to say 'the old stuff ain't as scary', in an era where horror literature is far more explicit. I'm not an advocate of this school of thought however, proffering to be chilled by the likes of Le Fanu and James rather than grossed out. Dicken's ghost stories are, as the title suggests, stories about ghosts, but do not buy this under the misconception that they are all concocted purely to scare you, for they frequently have designs of a more esoteric nature than that.
'A Christmas Carol' is a morality tale, full of Dickens' often slated sentimentalism, which I nonetheless found infinitely enjoyable. Meanwhile 'The Ghosts Of The Mail' is almost like an adventure story, the likes of which we might expect from Washington Irving. Dickens seems determined to use the ghost story format to explore as many different emotions as possible, so some tales are comical, some sad, and yes some scary. One certainty is that all of the tales contained herein are very entertaining. Dickens' command of prose was, and still is, unmatched and he makes even the slightest details a source of great enjoyment with his profound sense of wit.
As such, I would label this a book of entertaining ghost stories rather than scary ghost stories, though there are exceptions to the rule. 'The Ghost In The Brides Chamber' is very chilling, not to mention rather sinister, and the frequently anthologised 'The Signalman' deserves its frequent 'contender for most chilling tale ever' accolade with absolute worthiness. Both of these tales share much in common with the works of Sheridan Le Fanu in their sense of escalation and presentation of inter-personal relationships, which is a charming comparison if ever there was one.
I'd say this is quite an essential collection, but I think it will appeal to fans of Dickens and/or 19th century literature in general first, ghost story enthusiasts second. It's not as intensely psychological or subtly chilling as many of the canonical authors in this genre, but the tales are so varied in style and effect that I don't consider this to be a negative criticism. What you have here is a collection of well written stories that never fail to being a smile upon ones face, and in light of that I'd thoroughly recommend this book. Mixed bag, but includes some genuinely creepy stories, 21 Dec 2007
Like most collections of short stories, a bit of a maixed bag, though the positives predominate. The shorter stories (10-15 pagers) are best, esp. A Madman's Manuscript, The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber, Trial for Murder, and The Signalman, all of which are very atmospheric and quite creepy.
A Christmas Carol remains a timeless classic, and deserves to be the most famous ghost story in Western literature. The other longer ones I found disappointing: Haunted Man and Ghost's Bargain, a long one weighing in at 77 pages, I just found tedious and gave up on quite quickly. The Haunted House also was dull and lacking in atmosphere A mixed bag, 05 Aug 2006
Here follows an overview of the contents of this volume, for your convenience:
The Queer Chair (The bagman's story) from The Pickwick Papers - extremely funny.
A Madman's Manuscript from The Pickwick Papers - one of the stories that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart.
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton from The Pickwick Papers - the predecessor of A Christmas Carol.
The Ghosts of the Mail (The story of the bagman's uncle) from The Pickwick Papers - another funny story.
The Baron of Grogzwig from Nicholas Nickleby - a story that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Devil in the Belfry.
A Christmas Carol - no comment needed.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain - a haunting story about the value of suffering.
To be Read at Dusk - a pair of stories concerning dreams and visions.
The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber from The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices - a story about a ghost that is doomed to walk the earth for evermore.
The Haunted House - a pair of stories about a house that is haunted by the narrator's own self.
The Trial for Murder (To be taken with a grain of salt) - a story about a murdered man who comes back to see justice done.
The Signalman - No comment needed. the title says it all!, 05 May 2001
yep thats right. This book does really have the best ghost stories that send a shiver down your spine!if your a fan of ghost stories then this is the one for you! A decent read, 05 Feb 2008
When i saw that Roald Dahl had chosen these stories i was expecting them to be terrifying, but to be honest they didn't really stir me at all (& i scare very easily). The only one that had that impact was 'Harry', that stayed with me for quite a while! I would recommend the book for that story alone, & there are a few others that i would describe as 'nice stories'. In other words they were nice tales of friendly ghosts rather than scary horror stories.
Hope that helps. Every Hair On My Neck Stood Up..., 26 Oct 2006
reading some of these ghost stories. This is a wonderful wonderful collection of true ghost stories. Highly recommend it to everyone a bit older, say, 12 years and up!! Loved the one called Playmates. Cheers! A Great Book, 12 Jan 2006
I read this when I was a teenager travelling through Africa. I had to cover the front image because alongside the stories it scared me to much. Yet these stories drew you in, scarier than any film I've seen yet far more intriging aswell. It's incomparible to any book I've read since. It's in a genre of it's own. Each is an individual master piece, they're beautiful, elequent and twist and turn in the most unexpected ways. Good fun, 09 Nov 2003
This collection of short stories is certainly an interesting read. Roald Dahl very effectivly creates vile characters with weird and funny viewpoints on life and finishes his stories with a succession of bizarre and macabre twists. However, I thought that there was something curiously one dimensional about the writing rather reminiscent of his childrens stories. I didn't think that the short stories really got into the characters' minds. Overall I found'Kiss Kiss' funny and disturbing but a bit simplistic. A slice of the Human Beings!, 25 Oct 2003
This is the first book I read for Roald Dahl ,some of my friends have recommended his works for me and gave me this book along with Switch Bitch ,I have begun with Kiss Kiss , and I was totally amazed . Once you got passed the shallow introduction story (The Landlady) you will be faced with some of the most funniest and dare I say hilarious short stories ever written ,this collection includes some masterpieces which is (William and Mary) ,( Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's hat ) and the mind blowing (Parson's pleasure) , there are some very good ones like (The way Up to Heaven) ,(Edward the Conqueror) and (Pig) ,the remaining stories are also very entertaining but they can not be comparable to the rest mentioned above . Dahl's writings are not only about the sarcasm sense and funny situations ,actually the greatness of his writings comes from his extraordinary ability to explore the human nature ,and give us a glimpse about the weird nature which is existing deep inside every human being ,this collection deals with many aspects of the human behavior ranging from the FAKE socially civilized appearance to the bottom of the most disgusting characters you are likely to meet ,but the craft of Dahl is to make you sure that the both sides are actually equal ,and once you have picked this collection you will be hooked and you will ask for more ,luckily I have (Switch Bitch) collection and I am going to read it instantly .
Amazing, 26 Apr 2002
This is the most enjoyable book I have read in a long while. Roald Dahl has a talent for writing original short stories, incorporating hints of subtle horror, humour and unexpected twists in each. Tales such as 'The Way up to Heaven' and 'William and Mary' are quite eerie but this is all part of the fun. Although you come to expect a twist towards the end of each story, they are not always obvious (the ending to the story 'Pig' was extremely suprising!) If you haven't read this, you're missing out on a group of thoroughly interesting and addictive stories.
Macabre and brilliant, 14 Aug 2000
Perverse, inventive and often downright morbid, kiss kiss will be a shock to those only ingratiated with the (rather brilliant) children's stories. Yes, it is true that after reading a few of these tales, the end twist becomes somewhat of an enevitability, but the sheer dynamism and imagination of Dahl's storytelling remains intoxicating.The truly scary William and Mary in particular is a story that will remain with me forever All in all, a sick, frieghtening and thoughourly brilliant collection of tales, from an author who must now be recognised as the greatest short-story writer of a generation.
Time And The Man, 24 Jul 2005
History has not been kind to this author, spectacularly successful in his own lifetime (his plays in particular being well received)he is now, if not exactly forgotten, not seen as a major literary figure.Chiefly he seems to be rememebered for the authors who he inspired, H P Lovecraft, for example, was a great admirer of Dunsany. This is unfair, in my opinion, Dunsany was a very original and prolific writer and the short story form suited his style perfectly. The early works, included in this excellent anthology, may seem slight, the tales from "The Gods Of Pegana" are startlingly short, but even these are perfect blends of humour and fantasy. The later, longer stories form "The Sword Of Welleran" are brilliant examples of the art of constructing short stories. For me, very few authors in this form equal Dunsany's skill...perhaps H G Wells and T H White could compare, I can honestly think of no other examples. Characterisation and dialogue are not Dunsany's strengths, his longer works like "The King Of Elfland's Daughter" show this, but his ideas and plotting and evocative descriptions of place are all second to none. In these short stories, these qualities are richly shown.
A lot of dreams here..., 12 Feb 2002
The least one can say about Lord Dunsany is that he was the founder of fantasy literature. The prose is a golden rhapsody of wonder and delight. The stories in this book formed some of the best hours of my youth. They brought me to exotic cities and lands of intoxicating beauty and strangeness, over cerulean seas to magnificent harbours and through deserts and beyond sunsets. It's odd that the greatest Dunsanian story ever is Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, which was not even written by Dunsany at all, but by an imitator of his, H.P.Lovecraft. Needless to say you won't find that story in this book. You won't find "Tales of Three Hemispheres" here, either, which is a pity. Buy it just the same.
Bible without the religion, 16 Feb 2001
This is a good book, often well-written, but boring boring boring. It reads like some Bible without religion. Very dated. As a modern reader you don't have to read this.
Dated, boring and heavy going, 12 Nov 2000
If you like the sort of book that takes things such as time and fear and makes them into people or creatures, then this is for you. It is a fantasy version of Pilgrim's Progress. If like me you like a real story with proper people or creatures and magic etc then don't buy this.
Beautiful worlds that will remain with you all your days., 17 Jun 2000
I would encourage you to read this book if you like fantasy at all. These stories are not to everyone's taste but for me they conjure up such a wistful loveliness or such an exotic richness of locations and strange dooms that I could not forgive myself if I did not draw them to your attention. Buy this book and prepare to be astounded.
Tales of the Unexpectedly Vicious, 07 Nov 2008
This book is not a comforting read, especially if you have preconceptions based on Sir Arthur's famous sleuth. I was surprised by how violent, sadistic and shocking the tales were. They did not seem dated at all. "Lot No 249" is the masterpiece of the collection, creating some unforgettable images and a real sense of fear. If you like cosy, safe tales, then go nowhere near "The Case of Lady Sannox" and "The Lord of Chateau Noir." If Conan Doyle had only written these tales he would still be worth remembering.
Strange Tales that Lurk in the Shadow of Sherlock......., 29 Nov 2007
Thank you Wordsworth for making this excellent collection of stories available. They are consistantly good and are best enjoyed in the dark on a wintry night beside a roaring log fire (or cheaper/ more environmentally friendly alternative).
I 've always enjoyed Conan Doyle, he's a very accessible writer who knows how to tell a good, effective yarn without getting bogged down with too much discription. He gets right to the point. Yes, he created Sherlock Holmes and found fame with that creation but these tales are unjustly sidelined by the the violin-playing, cocaine-taking super-sleuth. For just a couple of quid you can have these stories that are as far away from Mrs Hudson and the cosy interior of Baker Street as it is possible to get.
Consider a torn and blooded manuscript found in a field that tells a tale of high-altitude life forms attacking a pioneering 'aero-naut', Consider the tale of love, revenge and eternal life that takes place in the Louvre and witnessed by an English accademic or how about a vast subterranean cave system that is stalked by....by what exactly? All compelling, thrilling and weird in equal measure. Sometimes it is easy to see what is coming, but actually this makes the stories even more intriguing as you ask yourself, 'how exactly will this unfold?'
The two masterpieces of this collection are 'The Captain Of The Polestar' that draws on Conan Doyle's early experiences on a Whaling ship in the Frozen wastes of the Arctic, and Lot No. 249 which you won't be forgetting in a hurry.
Highly recommended. You can't really go wrong at this price anyway.
Incidentally, three of the stories can be found on the NAXOS audio 'Four Short Stories - read by the excellent Carl Rigg'. Worth hunting down that one. Also, If these stories are your cup of tea, check out 'The Wordsworth Book of Horror Stories (ISBN: 1840220562)It has all of 'TALES OF UNEASE' in it as well as All the M.R. James stories, some Sheridan Le Fanu, W. W. Jacobs, Ambrose Bierce and many others. A great introduction.
The Stories included in Tales Of Unease are:
The Brazilian Cat ****
The Ring Of Thoth ****
The Lord Of Chateau Noir *****
The New Catecomb *****
The Case Of Lady Sannox ****
The Brown Hand ****
The Horror Of The Heights ***** (On NAXOS cd)
The Terror Of Blue John Gap ***** (On NAXOS cd)
The Captain Of The Polestar *****
How It Happened ****
Playing With Fire *****
The Leather Funnel ****
Lot NO. 249 ***** (On NAXOS cd)
The Los Amigos Fiasco ****
The Nightmare Room *****
3 stars, 23 Oct 2007
A worthwhile read - if just to read Lot No 249 - the basis of all the Mummy movies. This collection is perhaps not as well written as the Sherlock Holme stories, but nevertheless an interesting departure from Doyles most famous creation.
Help! The Holmes-less!, 25 Feb 2005
If you love Doyle's greatest literary creation (SH - you know who) there is a place in your collection for this cheap-but-neat selection of some other stuff. What you already suspected - that Sir Art wasn't necessarily the best plotter who ever picked up a pen - is confirmed, but there are loads of nice moments (a vengeful mummy at large, a prehistoric cave monster in Derbyshire, man versus jungle cat in an English country house) that don't need a charismatic 'tec to pick them up. And three tales here, set above the clouds, in the afterlife and below Rome, are up there (or down there?) with HP and HG (Lovecraft and Wells). Really!
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Customer Reviews
Not massively scary for the most part, but entertaining..., 25 Aug 2008
It's a somewhat uneducated cliché to say 'the old stuff ain't as scary', in an era where horror literature is far more explicit. I'm not an advocate of this school of thought however, proffering to be chilled by the likes of Le Fanu and James rather than grossed out. Dicken's ghost stories are, as the title suggests, stories about ghosts, but do not buy this under the misconception that they are all concocted purely to scare you, for they frequently have designs of a more esoteric nature than that.
'A Christmas Carol' is a morality tale, full of Dickens' often slated sentimentalism, which I nonetheless found infinitely enjoyable. Meanwhile 'The Ghosts Of The Mail' is almost like an adventure story, the likes of which we might expect from Washington Irving. Dickens seems determined to use the ghost story format to explore as many different emotions as possible, so some tales are comical, some sad, and yes some scary. One certainty is that all of the tales contained herein are very entertaining. Dickens' command of prose was, and still is, unmatched and he makes even the slightest details a source of great enjoyment with his profound sense of wit.
As such, I would label this a book of entertaining ghost stories rather than scary ghost stories, though there are exceptions to the rule. 'The Ghost In The Brides Chamber' is very chilling, not to mention rather sinister, and the frequently anthologised 'The Signalman' deserves its frequent 'contender for most chilling tale ever' accolade with absolute worthiness. Both of these tales share much in common with the works of Sheridan Le Fanu in their sense of escalation and presentation of inter-personal relationships, which is a charming comparison if ever there was one.
I'd say this is quite an essential collection, but I think it will appeal to fans of Dickens and/or 19th century literature in general first, ghost story enthusiasts second. It's not as intensely psychological or subtly chilling as many of the canonical authors in this genre, but the tales are so varied in style and effect that I don't consider this to be a negative criticism. What you have here is a collection of well written stories that never fail to being a smile upon ones face, and in light of that I'd thoroughly recommend this book. Mixed bag, but includes some genuinely creepy stories, 21 Dec 2007
Like most collections of short stories, a bit of a maixed bag, though the positives predominate. The shorter stories (10-15 pagers) are best, esp. A Madman's Manuscript, The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber, Trial for Murder, and The Signalman, all of which are very atmospheric and quite creepy.
A Christmas Carol remains a timeless classic, and deserves to be the most famous ghost story in Western literature. The other longer ones I found disappointing: Haunted Man and Ghost's Bargain, a long one weighing in at 77 pages, I just found tedious and gave up on quite quickly. The Haunted House also was dull and lacking in atmosphere A mixed bag, 05 Aug 2006
Here follows an overview of the contents of this volume, for your convenience:
The Queer Chair (The bagman's story) from The Pickwick Papers - extremely funny.
A Madman's Manuscript from The Pickwick Papers - one of the stories that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart.
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton from The Pickwick Papers - the predecessor of A Christmas Carol.
The Ghosts of the Mail (The story of the bagman's uncle) from The Pickwick Papers - another funny story.
The Baron of Grogzwig from Nicholas Nickleby - a story that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Devil in the Belfry.
A Christmas Carol - no comment needed.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain - a haunting story about the value of suffering.
To be Read at Dusk - a pair of stories concerning dreams and visions.
The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber from The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices - a story about a ghost that is doomed to walk the earth for evermore.
The Haunted House - a pair of stories about a house that is haunted by the narrator's own self.
The Trial for Murder (To be taken with a grain of salt) - a story about a murdered man who comes back to see justice done.
The Signalman - No comment needed. the title says it all!, 05 May 2001
yep thats right. This book does really have the best ghost stories that send a shiver down your spine!if your a fan of ghost stories then this is the one for you! A decent read, 05 Feb 2008
When i saw that Roald Dahl had chosen these stories i was expecting them to be terrifying, but to be honest they didn't really stir me at all (& i scare very easily). The only one that had that impact was 'Harry', that stayed with me for quite a while! I would recommend the book for that story alone, & there are a few others that i would describe as 'nice stories'. In other words they were nice tales of friendly ghosts rather than scary horror stories.
Hope that helps. Every Hair On My Neck Stood Up..., 26 Oct 2006
reading some of these ghost stories. This is a wonderful wonderful collection of true ghost stories. Highly recommend it to everyone a bit older, say, 12 years and up!! Loved the one called Playmates. Cheers! A Great Book, 12 Jan 2006
I read this when I was a teenager travelling through Africa. I had to cover the front image because alongside the stories it scared me to much. Yet these stories drew you in, scarier than any film I've seen yet far more intriging aswell. It's incomparible to any book I've read since. It's in a genre of it's own. Each is an individual master piece, they're beautiful, elequent and twist and turn in the most unexpected ways. Good fun, 09 Nov 2003
This collection of short stories is certainly an interesting read. Roald Dahl very effectivly creates vile characters with weird and funny viewpoints on life and finishes his stories with a succession of bizarre and macabre twists. However, I thought that there was something curiously one dimensional about the writing rather reminiscent of his childrens stories. I didn't think that the short stories really got into the characters' minds. Overall I found'Kiss Kiss' funny and disturbing but a bit simplistic. A slice of the Human Beings!, 25 Oct 2003
This is the first book I read for Roald Dahl ,some of my friends have recommended his works for me and gave me this book along with Switch Bitch ,I have begun with Kiss Kiss , and I was totally amazed . Once you got passed the shallow introduction story (The Landlady) you will be faced with some of the most funniest and dare I say hilarious short stories ever written ,this collection includes some masterpieces which is (William and Mary) ,( Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's hat ) and the mind blowing (Parson's pleasure) , there are some very good ones like (The way Up to Heaven) ,(Edward the Conqueror) and (Pig) ,the remaining stories are also very entertaining but they can not be comparable to the rest mentioned above . Dahl's writings are not only about the sarcasm sense and funny situations ,actually the greatness of his writings comes from his extraordinary ability to explore the human nature ,and give us a glimpse about the weird nature which is existing deep inside every human being ,this collection deals with many aspects of the human behavior ranging from the FAKE socially civilized appearance to the bottom of the most disgusting characters you are likely to meet ,but the craft of Dahl is to make you sure that the both sides are actually equal ,and once you have picked this collection you will be hooked and you will ask for more ,luckily I have (Switch Bitch) collection and I am going to read it instantly .
Amazing, 26 Apr 2002
This is the most enjoyable book I have read in a long while. Roald Dahl has a talent for writing original short stories, incorporating hints of subtle horror, humour and unexpected twists in each. Tales such as 'The Way up to Heaven' and 'William and Mary' are quite eerie but this is all part of the fun. Although you come to expect a twist towards the end of each story, they are not always obvious (the ending to the story 'Pig' was extremely suprising!) If you haven't read this, you're missing out on a group of thoroughly interesting and addictive stories.
Macabre and brilliant, 14 Aug 2000
Perverse, inventive and often downright morbid, kiss kiss will be a shock to those only ingratiated with the (rather brilliant) children's stories. Yes, it is true that after reading a few of these tales, the end twist becomes somewhat of an enevitability, but the sheer dynamism and imagination of Dahl's storytelling remains intoxicating.The truly scary William and Mary in particular is a story that will remain with me forever All in all, a sick, frieghtening and thoughourly brilliant collection of tales, from an author who must now be recognised as the greatest short-story writer of a generation.
Time And The Man, 24 Jul 2005
History has not been kind to this author, spectacularly successful in his own lifetime (his plays in particular being well received)he is now, if not exactly forgotten, not seen as a major literary figure.Chiefly he seems to be rememebered for the authors who he inspired, H P Lovecraft, for example, was a great admirer of Dunsany. This is unfair, in my opinion, Dunsany was a very original and prolific writer and the short story form suited his style perfectly. The early works, included in this excellent anthology, may seem slight, the tales from "The Gods Of Pegana" are startlingly short, but even these are perfect blends of humour and fantasy. The later, longer stories form "The Sword Of Welleran" are brilliant examples of the art of constructing short stories. For me, very few authors in this form equal Dunsany's skill...perhaps H G Wells and T H White could compare, I can honestly think of no other examples. Characterisation and dialogue are not Dunsany's strengths, his longer works like "The King Of Elfland's Daughter" show this, but his ideas and plotting and evocative descriptions of place are all second to none. In these short stories, these qualities are richly shown.
A lot of dreams here..., 12 Feb 2002
The least one can say about Lord Dunsany is that he was the founder of fantasy literature. The prose is a golden rhapsody of wonder and delight. The stories in this book formed some of the best hours of my youth. They brought me to exotic cities and lands of intoxicating beauty and strangeness, over cerulean seas to magnificent harbours and through deserts and beyond sunsets. It's odd that the greatest Dunsanian story ever is Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, which was not even written by Dunsany at all, but by an imitator of his, H.P.Lovecraft. Needless to say you won't find that story in this book. You won't find "Tales of Three Hemispheres" here, either, which is a pity. Buy it just the same.
Bible without the religion, 16 Feb 2001
This is a good book, often well-written, but boring boring boring. It reads like some Bible without religion. Very dated. As a modern reader you don't have to read this.
Dated, boring and heavy going, 12 Nov 2000
If you like the sort of book that takes things such as time and fear and makes them into people or creatures, then this is for you. It is a fantasy version of Pilgrim's Progress. If like me you like a real story with proper people or creatures and magic etc then don't buy this.
Beautiful worlds that will remain with you all your days., 17 Jun 2000
I would encourage you to read this book if you like fantasy at all. These stories are not to everyone's taste but for me they conjure up such a wistful loveliness or such an exotic richness of locations and strange dooms that I could not forgive myself if I did not draw them to your attention. Buy this book and prepare to be astounded.
Tales of the Unexpectedly Vicious, 07 Nov 2008
This book is not a comforting read, especially if you have preconceptions based on Sir Arthur's famous sleuth. I was surprised by how violent, sadistic and shocking the tales were. They did not seem dated at all. "Lot No 249" is the masterpiece of the collection, creating some unforgettable images and a real sense of fear. If you like cosy, safe tales, then go nowhere near "The Case of Lady Sannox" and "The Lord of Chateau Noir." If Conan Doyle had only written these tales he would still be worth remembering.
Strange Tales that Lurk in the Shadow of Sherlock......., 29 Nov 2007
Thank you Wordsworth for making this excellent collection of stories available. They are consistantly good and are best enjoyed in the dark on a wintry night beside a roaring log fire (or cheaper/ more environmentally friendly alternative).
I 've always enjoyed Conan Doyle, he's a very accessible writer who knows how to tell a good, effective yarn without getting bogged down with too much discription. He gets right to the point. Yes, he created Sherlock Holmes and found fame with that creation but these tales are unjustly sidelined by the the violin-playing, cocaine-taking super-sleuth. For just a couple of quid you can have these stories that are as far away from Mrs Hudson and the cosy interior of Baker Street as it is possible to get.
Consider a torn and blooded manuscript found in a field that tells a tale of high-altitude life forms attacking a pioneering 'aero-naut', Consider the tale of love, revenge and eternal life that takes place in the Louvre and witnessed by an English accademic or how about a vast subterranean cave system that is stalked by....by what exactly? All compelling, thrilling and weird in equal measure. Sometimes it is easy to see what is coming, but actually this makes the stories even more intriguing as you ask yourself, 'how exactly will this unfold?'
The two masterpieces of this collection are 'The Captain Of The Polestar' that draws on Conan Doyle's early experiences on a Whaling ship in the Frozen wastes of the Arctic, and Lot No. 249 which you won't be forgetting in a hurry.
Highly recommended. You can't really go wrong at this price anyway.
Incidentally, three of the stories can be found on the NAXOS audio 'Four Short Stories - read by the excellent Carl Rigg'. Worth hunting down that one. Also, If these stories are your cup of tea, check out 'The Wordsworth Book of Horror Stories (ISBN: 1840220562)It has all of 'TALES OF UNEASE' in it as well as All the M.R. James stories, some Sheridan Le Fanu, W. W. Jacobs, Ambrose Bierce and many others. A great introduction.
The Stories included in Tales Of Unease are:
The Brazilian Cat ****
The Ring Of Thoth ****
The Lord Of Chateau Noir *****
The New Catecomb *****
The Case Of Lady Sannox ****
The Brown Hand ****
The Horror Of The Heights ***** (On NAXOS cd)
The Terror Of Blue John Gap ***** (On NAXOS cd)
The Captain Of The Polestar *****
How It Happened ****
Playing With Fire *****
The Leather Funnel ****
Lot NO. 249 ***** (On NAXOS cd)
The Los Amigos Fiasco ****
The Nightmare Room *****
3 stars, 23 Oct 2007
A worthwhile read - if just to read Lot No 249 - the basis of all the Mummy movies. This collection is perhaps not as well written as the Sherlock Holme stories, but nevertheless an interesting departure from Doyles most famous creation.
Help! The Holmes-less!, 25 Feb 2005
If you love Doyle's greatest literary creation (SH - you know who) there is a place in your collection for this cheap-but-neat selection of some other stuff. What you already suspected - that Sir Art wasn't necessarily the best plotter who ever picked up a pen - is confirmed, but there are loads of nice moments (a vengeful mummy at large, a prehistoric cave monster in Derbyshire, man versus jungle cat in an English country house) that don't need a charismatic 'tec to pick them up. And three tales here, set above the clouds, in the afterlife and below Rome, are up there (or down there?) with HP and HG (Lovecraft and Wells). Really!
The lure of magic, 02 Nov 2006
The folk of Erl lived close to the border of twilight and longed for some of the magic from the land beyond the fields they knew. Just the other side of the glimmering boundary lay Elfland and, bowing to the will of parliament, the lord of Erl sent his son to that perilous realm to wed the king's daughter and bring magic back to Erl. The old lord had a bad feeling about it and guessed the people would probably end up with a lot more enchantment than they wanted. He was right. Very little happened to start with. A helpful neighbour witch lady, forged a magical sword for Alveric (the lord's son) so he could steal Lirazel (the king's daughter) from Elfland and marry her. All seemed well. They had a son, Orion. Nothing changed for ages but Alveric wanted Lirazel to stop being so other-worldly and kept badgering her to be more normal until, confused and unhappy, she heeded her father's summons, leaving Alveric and Orion behind. Alveric spent a long time searching for Lirazel and in the meantime Orion grew up - half human, half elven. Gradually his magical heritage awakened and he attracted the magical denizens of Elfland into 'the fields we know'. Then, when it was too late, the parliament of Erl had second thoughts.
As Neil Gaiman says in his introduction, the writing is poetic and the story is a work of pure imagination. I know what 'the myriad-tinted border, the deep green elfin foliage and Elfland's magical flowers' look, sound and feel like - can sense the attraction and the danger of the magic - from Dunsany's vivid descriptions. The beauty and enchantment are irresistible. Published in 1924, when fantasy stories were rare, it must have seemed rich and original. It still does.
Mortal Love and Immortal Curiosity, 19 Mar 2002
Lord Dubsany's 'The King of Elfland's Daughter' is about the human world or as Dunsany put it 'The Fields We Know' and the curiosity and conflictions that it has with Elfland and its lack of sunrise but still a land full of endless beauty as well as peril. What begins as a love story between King Alveric of Erl and Princess Lirazel of Elfland soon becomes a tale of passing time in which their son Orion searches for his mother upon the border of twilight as his father searches madly for Elfland to retrieve his bride. Orion becomes an orphan but also a leader who has to find magic for Erl, as it is the new wonder of his people as Unicorns are seen upon the fields of Erl. Lurulu and his trolls are crafted brilliantly as they wonder and mock at the fields we know, demonstrating a believe by the author that two different worlds cannot co-exist and are better left untouched. Lord Dunsany was a hunter and their are many references to this fact that people may find unnecessary or against their principles. The reader should be aware that the novel was written in 1924 and parts of the novel reflect the accepted activities of that time period. The novel is also more than a love story, it is also about different worlds and their integrated relationships, where Elfland mocks Erl, the hunters kill the unicorns and Elflands creatures. Dialogue is at a minimum, and only used to extend the flow of descriptive writing, this detours a little from the believability but Lord Dunsany is a master writer and his descriptions are poetic and deeply moving. He respects nature and descibes it with passion, as well as creating an Elfland that is very similar to the one seen in Disney's 'Snow White'that adds to the joy of reading initial ideas that Lord Dunsany and other writers introduced to fantasy literature.
One of the most powerful fantasies ever written, 05 Jul 2001
If there is one thing that sticks after you have read this novel, it's the language. It's so fluent, flowery, rhythmic and beautiful that the story becomes an enchanted, magical and hypnotic journey through the fantastic scenery in Dunsany's Erl and Elfland. It's a slow read though, it's not exactly an action-filled book. Some passages, like the thoughts of the troll in the pigeon-loft, are quite hilarious, other passages are downright boring, which makes it a book some people might want to give up on at times. It's a book that demands the reader's concentration and time to absorb the power of it. Oh, and Neil Gaiman has written the introduction, which is a good thing as well.
The Paragon of Fantasy, 12 Apr 2001
If there is a single book that truly defines the heart of the fantasy genre, this is it. It has echoes not only of the story of the classic ballad of Thomas the Rhymer, but also of its gravity of place in the vast history of storytelling. It tells a poignant, but concise story concerning mankind's paradoxical love of faerie yet inability to have it without corrupting it (thus losing it). A sort of Heisenberg dilemma, i.e. you can know about faerie but not have it, or have it and not know it...
Little Known Fact, 25 Jan 2001
It is a little-known fact that two members of the folk-rock band Steeleye Span did a folk/rock/blues-opera version of this story in the mid-70s. Johnson & Knight's album features Christopher Lee at his most impressively deep-voiced best as both narrator and the King of Elfland, and also features Mary Hopkin as Lirazel, the King of Elfland's daughter, and Alexis Korner as the Troll. If you like this book -- you might want to try to find the CD...
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Customer Reviews
Not massively scary for the most part, but entertaining..., 25 Aug 2008
It's a somewhat uneducated cliché to say 'the old stuff ain't as scary', in an era where horror literature is far more explicit. I'm not an advocate of this school of thought however, proffering to be chilled by the likes of Le Fanu and James rather than grossed out. Dicken's ghost stories are, as the title suggests, stories about ghosts, but do not buy this under the misconception that they are all concocted purely to scare you, for they frequently have designs of a more esoteric nature than that.
'A Christmas Carol' is a morality tale, full of Dickens' often slated sentimentalism, which I nonetheless found infinitely enjoyable. Meanwhile 'The Ghosts Of The Mail' is almost like an adventure story, the likes of which we might expect from Washington Irving. Dickens seems determined to use the ghost story format to explore as many different emotions as possible, so some tales are comical, some sad, and yes some scary. One certainty is that all of the tales contained herein are very entertaining. Dickens' command of prose was, and still is, unmatched and he makes even the slightest details a source of great enjoyment with his profound sense of wit.
As such, I would label this a book of entertaining ghost stories rather than scary ghost stories, though there are exceptions to the rule. 'The Ghost In The Brides Chamber' is very chilling, not to mention rather sinister, and the frequently anthologised 'The Signalman' deserves its frequent 'contender for most chilling tale ever' accolade with absolute worthiness. Both of these tales share much in common with the works of Sheridan Le Fanu in their sense of escalation and presentation of inter-personal relationships, which is a charming comparison if ever there was one.
I'd say this is quite an essential collection, but I think it will appeal to fans of Dickens and/or 19th century literature in general first, ghost story enthusiasts second. It's not as intensely psychological or subtly chilling as many of the canonical authors in this genre, but the tales are so varied in style and effect that I don't consider this to be a negative criticism. What you have here is a collection of well written stories that never fail to being a smile upon ones face, and in light of that I'd thoroughly recommend this book. Mixed bag, but includes some genuinely creepy stories, 21 Dec 2007
Like most collections of short stories, a bit of a maixed bag, though the positives predominate. The shorter stories (10-15 pagers) are best, esp. A Madman's Manuscript, The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber, Trial for Murder, and The Signalman, all of which are very atmospheric and quite creepy.
A Christmas Carol remains a timeless classic, and deserves to be the most famous ghost story in Western literature. The other longer ones I found disappointing: Haunted Man and Ghost's Bargain, a long one weighing in at 77 pages, I just found tedious and gave up on quite quickly. The Haunted House also was dull and lacking in atmosphere A mixed bag, 05 Aug 2006
Here follows an overview of the contents of this volume, for your convenience:
The Queer Chair (The bagman's story) from The Pickwick Papers - extremely funny.
A Madman's Manuscript from The Pickwick Papers - one of the stories that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart.
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton from The Pickwick Papers - the predecessor of A Christmas Carol.
The Ghosts of the Mail (The story of the bagman's uncle) from The Pickwick Papers - another funny story.
The Baron of Grogzwig from Nicholas Nickleby - a story that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Devil in the Belfry.
A Christmas Carol - no comment needed.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain - a haunting story about the value of suffering.
To be Read at Dusk - a pair of stories concerning dreams and visions.
The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber from The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices - a story about a ghost that is doomed to walk the earth for evermore.
The Haunted House - a pair of stories about a house that is haunted by the narrator's own self.
The Trial for Murder (To be taken with a grain of salt) - a story about a murdered man who comes back to see justice done.
The Signalman - No comment needed. the title says it all!, 05 May 2001
yep thats right. This book does really have the best ghost stories that send a shiver down your spine!if your a fan of ghost stories then this is the one for you! A decent read, 05 Feb 2008
When i saw that Roald Dahl had chosen these stories i was expecting them to be terrifying, but to be honest they didn't really stir me at all (& i scare very easily). The only one that had that impact was 'Harry', that stayed with me for quite a while! I would recommend the book for that story alone, & there are a few others that i would describe as 'nice stories'. In other words they were nice tales of friendly ghosts rather than scary horror stories.
Hope that helps. Every Hair On My Neck Stood Up..., 26 Oct 2006
reading some of these ghost stories. This is a wonderful wonderful collection of true ghost stories. Highly recommend it to everyone a bit older, say, 12 years and up!! Loved the one called Playmates. Cheers! A Great Book, 12 Jan 2006
I read this when I was a teenager travelling through Africa. I had to cover the front image because alongside the stories it scared me to much. Yet these stories drew you in, scarier than any film I've seen yet far more intriging aswell. It's incomparible to any book I've read since. It's in a genre of it's own. Each is an individual master piece, they're beautiful, elequent and twist and turn in the most unexpected ways. Good fun, 09 Nov 2003
This collection of short stories is certainly an interesting read. Roald Dahl very effectivly creates vile characters with weird and funny viewpoints on life and finishes his stories with a succession of bizarre and macabre twists. However, I thought that there was something curiously one dimensional about the writing rather reminiscent of his childrens stories. I didn't think that the short stories really got into the characters' minds. Overall I found'Kiss Kiss' funny and disturbing but a bit simplistic. A slice of the Human Beings!, 25 Oct 2003
This is the first book I read for Roald Dahl ,some of my friends have recommended his works for me and gave me this book along with Switch Bitch ,I have begun with Kiss Kiss , and I was totally amazed . Once you got passed the shallow introduction story (The Landlady) you will be faced with some of the most funniest and dare I say hilarious short stories ever written ,this collection includes some masterpieces which is (William and Mary) ,( Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's hat ) and the mind blowing (Parson's pleasure) , there are some very good ones like (The way Up to Heaven) ,(Edward the Conqueror) and (Pig) ,the remaining stories are also very entertaining but they can not be comparable to the rest mentioned above . Dahl's writings are not only about the sarcasm sense and funny situations ,actually the greatness of his writings comes from his extraordinary ability to explore the human nature ,and give us a glimpse about the weird nature which is existing deep inside every human being ,this collection deals with many aspects of the human behavior ranging from the FAKE socially civilized appearance to the bottom of the most disgusting characters you are likely to meet ,but the craft of Dahl is to make you sure that the both sides are actually equal ,and once you have picked this collection you will be hooked and you will ask for more ,luckily I have (Switch Bitch) collection and I am going to read it instantly .
Amazing, 26 Apr 2002
This is the most enjoyable book I have read in a long while. Roald Dahl has a talent for writing original short stories, incorporating hints of subtle horror, humour and unexpected twists in each. Tales such as 'The Way up to Heaven' and 'William and Mary' are quite eerie but this is all part of the fun. Although you come to expect a twist towards the end of each story, they are not always obvious (the ending to the story 'Pig' was extremely suprising!) If you haven't read this, you're missing out on a group of thoroughly interesting and addictive stories.
Macabre and brilliant, 14 Aug 2000
Perverse, inventive and often downright morbid, kiss kiss will be a shock to those only ingratiated with the (rather brilliant) children's stories. Yes, it is true that after reading a few of these tales, the end twist becomes somewhat of an enevitability, but the sheer dynamism and imagination of Dahl's storytelling remains intoxicating.The truly scary William and Mary in particular is a story that will remain with me forever All in all, a sick, frieghtening and thoughourly brilliant collection of tales, from an author who must now be recognised as the greatest short-story writer of a generation.
Time And The Man, 24 Jul 2005
History has not been kind to this author, spectacularly successful in his own lifetime (his plays in particular being well received)he is now, if not exactly forgotten, not seen as a major literary figure.Chiefly he seems to be rememebered for the authors who he inspired, H P Lovecraft, for example, was a great admirer of Dunsany. This is unfair, in my opinion, Dunsany was a very original and prolific writer and the short story form suited his style perfectly. The early works, included in this excellent anthology, may seem slight, the tales from "The Gods Of Pegana" are startlingly short, but even these are perfect blends of humour and fantasy. The later, longer stories form "The Sword Of Welleran" are brilliant examples of the art of constructing short stories. For me, very few authors in this form equal Dunsany's skill...perhaps H G Wells and T H White could compare, I can honestly think of no other examples. Characterisation and dialogue are not Dunsany's strengths, his longer works like "The King Of Elfland's Daughter" show this, but his ideas and plotting and evocative descriptions of place are all second to none. In these short stories, these qualities are richly shown.
A lot of dreams here..., 12 Feb 2002
The least one can say about Lord Dunsany is that he was the founder of fantasy literature. The prose is a golden rhapsody of wonder and delight. The stories in this book formed some of the best hours of my youth. They brought me to exotic cities and lands of intoxicating beauty and strangeness, over cerulean seas to magnificent harbours and through deserts and beyond sunsets. It's odd that the greatest Dunsanian story ever is Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, which was not even written by Dunsany at all, but by an imitator of his, H.P.Lovecraft. Needless to say you won't find that story in this book. You won't find "Tales of Three Hemispheres" here, either, which is a pity. Buy it just the same.
Bible without the religion, 16 Feb 2001
This is a good book, often well-written, but boring boring boring. It reads like some Bible without religion. Very dated. As a modern reader you don't have to read this.
Dated, boring and heavy going, 12 Nov 2000
If you like the sort of book that takes things such as time and fear and makes them into people or creatures, then this is for you. It is a fantasy version of Pilgrim's Progress. If like me you like a real story with proper people or creatures and magic etc then don't buy this.
Beautiful worlds that will remain with you all your days., 17 Jun 2000
I would encourage you to read this book if you like fantasy at all. These stories are not to everyone's taste but for me they conjure up such a wistful loveliness or such an exotic richness of locations and strange dooms that I could not forgive myself if I did not draw them to your attention. Buy this book and prepare to be astounded.
Tales of the Unexpectedly Vicious, 07 Nov 2008
This book is not a comforting read, especially if you have preconceptions based on Sir Arthur's famous sleuth. I was surprised by how violent, sadistic and shocking the tales were. They did not seem dated at all. "Lot No 249" is the masterpiece of the collection, creating some unforgettable images and a real sense of fear. If you like cosy, safe tales, then go nowhere near "The Case of Lady Sannox" and "The Lord of Chateau Noir." If Conan Doyle had only written these tales he would still be worth remembering.
Strange Tales that Lurk in the Shadow of Sherlock......., 29 Nov 2007
Thank you Wordsworth for making this excellent collection of stories available. They are consistantly good and are best enjoyed in the dark on a wintry night beside a roaring log fire (or cheaper/ more environmentally friendly alternative).
I 've always enjoyed Conan Doyle, he's a very accessible writer who knows how to tell a good, effective yarn without getting bogged down with too much discription. He gets right to the point. Yes, he created Sherlock Holmes and found fame with that creation but these tales are unjustly sidelined by the the violin-playing, cocaine-taking super-sleuth. For just a couple of quid you can have these stories that are as far away from Mrs Hudson and the cosy interior of Baker Street as it is possible to get.
Consider a torn and blooded manuscript found in a field that tells a tale of high-altitude life forms attacking a pioneering 'aero-naut', Consider the tale of love, revenge and eternal life that takes place in the Louvre and witnessed by an English accademic or how about a vast subterranean cave system that is stalked by....by what exactly? All compelling, thrilling and weird in equal measure. Sometimes it is easy to see what is coming, but actually this makes the stories even more intriguing as you ask yourself, 'how exactly will this unfold?'
The two masterpieces of this collection are 'The Captain Of The Polestar' that draws on Conan Doyle's early experiences on a Whaling ship in the Frozen wastes of the Arctic, and Lot No. 249 which you won't be forgetting in a hurry.
Highly recommended. You can't really go wrong at this price anyway.
Incidentally, three of the stories can be found on the NAXOS audio 'Four Short Stories - read by the excellent Carl Rigg'. Worth hunting down that one. Also, If these stories are your cup of tea, check out 'The Wordsworth Book of Horror Stories (ISBN: 1840220562)It has all of 'TALES OF UNEASE' in it as well as All the M.R. James stories, some Sheridan Le Fanu, W. W. Jacobs, Ambrose Bierce and many others. A great introduction.
The Stories included in Tales Of Unease are:
The Brazilian Cat ****
The Ring Of Thoth ****
The Lord Of Chateau Noir *****
The New Catecomb *****
The Case Of Lady Sannox ****
The Brown Hand ****
The Horror Of The Heights ***** (On NAXOS cd)
The Terror Of Blue John Gap ***** (On NAXOS cd)
The Captain Of The Polestar *****
How It Happened ****
Playing With Fire *****
The Leather Funnel ****
Lot NO. 249 ***** (On NAXOS cd)
The Los Amigos Fiasco ****
The Nightmare Room *****
3 stars, 23 Oct 2007
A worthwhile read - if just to read Lot No 249 - the basis of all the Mummy movies. This collection is perhaps not as well written as the Sherlock Holme stories, but nevertheless an interesting departure from Doyles most famous creation.
Help! The Holmes-less!, 25 Feb 2005
If you love Doyle's greatest literary creation (SH - you know who) there is a place in your collection for this cheap-but-neat selection of some other stuff. What you already suspected - that Sir Art wasn't necessarily the best plotter who ever picked up a pen - is confirmed, but there are loads of nice moments (a vengeful mummy at large, a prehistoric cave monster in Derbyshire, man versus jungle cat in an English country house) that don't need a charismatic 'tec to pick them up. And three tales here, set above the clouds, in the afterlife and below Rome, are up there (or down there?) with HP and HG (Lovecraft and Wells). Really!
The lure of magic, 02 Nov 2006
The folk of Erl lived close to the border of twilight and longed for some of the magic from the land beyond the fields they knew. Jus | | |