I've been more scared getting lost in lakeside, 10 Oct 2008
I was very disappointed with this book, it started off really well but just seemed to evaporate into nothing, the story was ok but nothing was really explained and it wasn't scary either! the story wasn't in anyway spine tingling, infact it feel flat on it's face, very disappointing and even more so for the fact that it's a very thin paperback (I read it in a day) and it cost me £6.99 !!! not worth it at all !!!

Great start but then..., 02 Sep 2008
Not as good as the "Woman in Black". It starts (very) well but the plot loses direction at the middle and the becomes downright silly in the end. A good ghost story requires suspension of disbelief. It is an indictement of the plot that the disbelief occurs at the final actions of the protagonists rather than the manifestation of the supernatural.



A spooky little novella, 09 Aug 2008
I agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to the standard of The Woman in Black but it is still well worth a read.
It is well written and atmospheric; set in the ancient college rooms of Cambridge, Venice on a dark night and a crumbling Victorian mansion.
The characters are well formed for such a brief novella and the art work that the story revolves around is suitably chilling.
And there is a clever twist at the end of the tale.

I admire this genre of appropriately short stories, not padded out with unnecessary detail.


Elegant but not her best, 13 Jun 2008
I am a great admirer of Susan Hill's work, and this short novella is as stylishly written as her other work; sadly, though, it doesn't fully measure up to her great chiller "The Woman in Black", or indeed its splendid companion "The Mist in the Mirror". This new story has many elements in common with the earlier works, but its creepy atmosphere isn't sustained so expertly. To be honest, "Man in the Picture" feels a little re-heated, notwithstanding the author's characteristically excellent writing.

no woman in black, 05 Jun 2008
I have always seen Hill as a fantastic writer her prose are beautifully written, the ambience of her novels is fantastic. One of her fortais is ghost stories. I used woman in black for my GCSEs and it has made me become a real fan of her work. The man in the picture starts off well, and, she uses her wonderful skills in building up a great premise for the story, unfortunatly, the reverance of the woman in black appears to be overlooking this story a great deal and it does have tones of it embedded in this novel. I wont reveal the ending but it is simmilar to the woman in black. Not that its a bad thing as it is a great ghost story, but what could have been a great idea has not fully been taken with this project. I would say give it a go though as it is well written, the characters are well formed and if your a Hill fan you will enjoy it.

I've been more scared getting lost in lakeside, 10 Oct 2008
I was very disappointed with this book, it started off really well but just seemed to evaporate into nothing, the story was ok but nothing was really explained and it wasn't scary either! the story wasn't in anyway spine tingling, infact it feel flat on it's face, very disappointing and even more so for the fact that it's a very thin paperback (I read it in a day) and it cost me £6.99 !!! not worth it at all !!!

Great start but then..., 02 Sep 2008
Not as good as the "Woman in Black". It starts (very) well but the plot loses direction at the middle and the becomes downright silly in the end. A good ghost story requires suspension of disbelief. It is an indictement of the plot that the disbelief occurs at the final actions of the protagonists rather than the manifestation of the supernatural.



A spooky little novella, 09 Aug 2008
I agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to the standard of The Woman in Black but it is still well worth a read.
It is well written and atmospheric; set in the ancient college rooms of Cambridge, Venice on a dark night and a crumbling Victorian mansion.
The characters are well formed for such a brief novella and the art work that the story revolves around is suitably chilling.
And there is a clever twist at the end of the tale.

I admire this genre of appropriately short stories, not padded out with unnecessary detail.


Elegant but not her best, 13 Jun 2008
I am a great admirer of Susan Hill's work, and this short novella is as stylishly written as her other work; sadly, though, it doesn't fully measure up to her great chiller "The Woman in Black", or indeed its splendid companion "The Mist in the Mirror". This new story has many elements in common with the earlier works, but its creepy atmosphere isn't sustained so expertly. To be honest, "Man in the Picture" feels a little re-heated, notwithstanding the author's characteristically excellent writing.

no woman in black, 05 Jun 2008
I have always seen Hill as a fantastic writer her prose are beautifully written, the ambience of her novels is fantastic. One of her fortais is ghost stories. I used woman in black for my GCSEs and it has made me become a real fan of her work. The man in the picture starts off well, and, she uses her wonderful skills in building up a great premise for the story, unfortunatly, the reverance of the woman in black appears to be overlooking this story a great deal and it does have tones of it embedded in this novel. I wont reveal the ending but it is simmilar to the woman in black. Not that its a bad thing as it is a great ghost story, but what could have been a great idea has not fully been taken with this project. I would say give it a go though as it is well written, the characters are well formed and if your a Hill fan you will enjoy it.

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

I've been more scared getting lost in lakeside, 10 Oct 2008
I was very disappointed with this book, it started off really well but just seemed to evaporate into nothing, the story was ok but nothing was really explained and it wasn't scary either! the story wasn't in anyway spine tingling, infact it feel flat on it's face, very disappointing and even more so for the fact that it's a very thin paperback (I read it in a day) and it cost me £6.99 !!! not worth it at all !!!

Great start but then..., 02 Sep 2008
Not as good as the "Woman in Black". It starts (very) well but the plot loses direction at the middle and the becomes downright silly in the end. A good ghost story requires suspension of disbelief. It is an indictement of the plot that the disbelief occurs at the final actions of the protagonists rather than the manifestation of the supernatural.



A spooky little novella, 09 Aug 2008
I agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to the standard of The Woman in Black but it is still well worth a read.
It is well written and atmospheric; set in the ancient college rooms of Cambridge, Venice on a dark night and a crumbling Victorian mansion.
The characters are well formed for such a brief novella and the art work that the story revolves around is suitably chilling.
And there is a clever twist at the end of the tale.

I admire this genre of appropriately short stories, not padded out with unnecessary detail.


Elegant but not her best, 13 Jun 2008
I am a great admirer of Susan Hill's work, and this short novella is as stylishly written as her other work; sadly, though, it doesn't fully measure up to her great chiller "The Woman in Black", or indeed its splendid companion "The Mist in the Mirror". This new story has many elements in common with the earlier works, but its creepy atmosphere isn't sustained so expertly. To be honest, "Man in the Picture" feels a little re-heated, notwithstanding the author's characteristically excellent writing.

no woman in black, 05 Jun 2008
I have always seen Hill as a fantastic writer her prose are beautifully written, the ambience of her novels is fantastic. One of her fortais is ghost stories. I used woman in black for my GCSEs and it has made me become a real fan of her work. The man in the picture starts off well, and, she uses her wonderful skills in building up a great premise for the story, unfortunatly, the reverance of the woman in black appears to be overlooking this story a great deal and it does have tones of it embedded in this novel. I wont reveal the ending but it is simmilar to the woman in black. Not that its a bad thing as it is a great ghost story, but what could have been a great idea has not fully been taken with this project. I would say give it a go though as it is well written, the characters are well formed and if your a Hill fan you will enjoy it.

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

Who is the reader?, 08 Dec 2007
I was recommended this CD by a friend. I have to confess I was cynical at first but then was hooked very early on. The tales themselves are enough to chill the spine but the reader, Stephen Critchlow, certainly created the atmosphere. He has a wonderfully enticing and hypnotic voice which I think is perfect for such a medium as horror. I was transfixed and even pulled over on the M3 to listen to the end.Why isn't Stephen Critchlow a household name? More please....

I love being scared !, 05 Dec 2007
These stories are wonderfully scary. Congratulations to Stephen Critchlow, he is a Master of the genre. He must be a really scary person... well done. I look forward to more of his work.

SCARY STUFF, 05 Dec 2007
This is a spinetingler indeed - the readers meliflouous voice takes us into the dark side of our souls.....just great!

Truly Scary, 04 Dec 2007
This was recommended by a friend for its atmospheric presentation and I was not disappointed! To hear the stories told in this way is certainly more spine-tingling than reading for yourself. Perfect for dark winter nights, but you may not want to listen alone...

I've been more scared getting lost in lakeside, 10 Oct 2008
I was very disappointed with this book, it started off really well but just seemed to evaporate into nothing, the story was ok but nothing was really explained and it wasn't scary either! the story wasn't in anyway spine tingling, infact it feel flat on it's face, very disappointing and even more so for the fact that it's a very thin paperback (I read it in a day) and it cost me £6.99 !!! not worth it at all !!!

Great start but then..., 02 Sep 2008
Not as good as the "Woman in Black". It starts (very) well but the plot loses direction at the middle and the becomes downright silly in the end. A good ghost story requires suspension of disbelief. It is an indictement of the plot that the disbelief occurs at the final actions of the protagonists rather than the manifestation of the supernatural.



A spooky little novella, 09 Aug 2008
I agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to the standard of The Woman in Black but it is still well worth a read.
It is well written and atmospheric; set in the ancient college rooms of Cambridge, Venice on a dark night and a crumbling Victorian mansion.
The characters are well formed for such a brief novella and the art work that the story revolves around is suitably chilling.
And there is a clever twist at the end of the tale.

I admire this genre of appropriately short stories, not padded out with unnecessary detail.


Elegant but not her best, 13 Jun 2008
I am a great admirer of Susan Hill's work, and this short novella is as stylishly written as her other work; sadly, though, it doesn't fully measure up to her great chiller "The Woman in Black", or indeed its splendid companion "The Mist in the Mirror". This new story has many elements in common with the earlier works, but its creepy atmosphere isn't sustained so expertly. To be honest, "Man in the Picture" feels a little re-heated, notwithstanding the author's characteristically excellent writing.

no woman in black, 05 Jun 2008
I have always seen Hill as a fantastic writer her prose are beautifully written, the ambience of her novels is fantastic. One of her fortais is ghost stories. I used woman in black for my GCSEs and it has made me become a real fan of her work. The man in the picture starts off well, and, she uses her wonderful skills in building up a great premise for the story, unfortunatly, the reverance of the woman in black appears to be overlooking this story a great deal and it does have tones of it embedded in this novel. I wont reveal the ending but it is simmilar to the woman in black. Not that its a bad thing as it is a great ghost story, but what could have been a great idea has not fully been taken with this project. I would say give it a go though as it is well written, the characters are well formed and if your a Hill fan you will enjoy it.

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

Who is the reader?, 08 Dec 2007
I was recommended this CD by a friend. I have to confess I was cynical at first but then was hooked very early on. The tales themselves are enough to chill the spine but the reader, Stephen Critchlow, certainly created the atmosphere. He has a wonderfully enticing and hypnotic voice which I think is perfect for such a medium as horror. I was transfixed and even pulled over on the M3 to listen to the end.Why isn't Stephen Critchlow a household name? More please....

I love being scared !, 05 Dec 2007
These stories are wonderfully scary. Congratulations to Stephen Critchlow, he is a Master of the genre. He must be a really scary person... well done. I look forward to more of his work.

SCARY STUFF, 05 Dec 2007
This is a spinetingler indeed - the readers meliflouous voice takes us into the dark side of our souls.....just great!

Truly Scary, 04 Dec 2007
This was recommended by a friend for its atmospheric presentation and I was not disappointed! To hear the stories told in this way is certainly more spine-tingling than reading for yourself. Perfect for dark winter nights, but you may not want to listen alone...

no - still don't get it...............!, 29 Nov 2008
Having read "Heart Shaped Box" and not been impressed (see my review) I thought I'd better give 'ol Joe another go; after all Daddy is Stephen King so surely he has absorbed some writing ability from his pa, right? Wrong. I tried and tried to like him but to be perfectly honest he bored the pants off me again and I gave up! What "Pop Art" was trying to say is beyond me; maybe someone can enlighten me ??? will be interested to read others take on this one.

I've been more scared getting lost in lakeside, 10 Oct 2008
I was very disappointed with this book, it started off really well but just seemed to evaporate into nothing, the story was ok but nothing was really explained and it wasn't scary either! the story wasn't in anyway spine tingling, infact it feel flat on it's face, very disappointing and even more so for the fact that it's a very thin paperback (I read it in a day) and it cost me £6.99 !!! not worth it at all !!!

Great start but then..., 02 Sep 2008
Not as good as the "Woman in Black". It starts (very) well but the plot loses direction at the middle and the becomes downright silly in the end. A good ghost story requires suspension of disbelief. It is an indictement of the plot that the disbelief occurs at the final actions of the protagonists rather than the manifestation of the supernatural.



A spooky little novella, 09 Aug 2008
I agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to the standard of The Woman in Black but it is still well worth a read.
It is well written and atmospheric; set in the ancient college rooms of Cambridge, Venice on a dark night and a crumbling Victorian mansion.
The characters are well formed for such a brief novella and the art work that the story revolves around is suitably chilling.
And there is a clever twist at the end of the tale.

I admire this genre of appropriately short stories, not padded out with unnecessary detail.


Elegant but not her best, 13 Jun 2008
I am a great admirer of Susan Hill's work, and this short novella is as stylishly written as her other work; sadly, though, it doesn't fully measure up to her great chiller "The Woman in Black", or indeed its splendid companion "The Mist in the Mirror". This new story has many elements in common with the earlier works, but its creepy atmosphere isn't sustained so expertly. To be honest, "Man in the Picture" feels a little re-heated, notwithstanding the author's characteristically excellent writing.

no woman in black, 05 Jun 2008
I have always seen Hill as a fantastic writer her prose are beautifully written, the ambience of her novels is fantastic. One of her fortais is ghost stories. I used woman in black for my GCSEs and it has made me become a real fan of her work. The man in the picture starts off well, and, she uses her wonderful skills in building up a great premise for the story, unfortunatly, the reverance of the woman in black appears to be overlooking this story a great deal and it does have tones of it embedded in this novel. I wont reveal the ending but it is simmilar to the woman in black. Not that its a bad thing as it is a great ghost story, but what could have been a great idea has not fully been taken with this project. I would say give it a go though as it is well written, the characters are well formed and if your a Hill fan you will enjoy it.

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

Who is the reader?, 08 Dec 2007
I was recommended this CD by a friend. I have to confess I was cynical at first but then was hooked very early on. The tales themselves are enough to chill the spine but the reader, Stephen Critchlow, certainly created the atmosphere. He has a wonderfully enticing and hypnotic voice which I think is perfect for such a medium as horror. I was transfixed and even pulled over on the M3 to listen to the end.Why isn't Stephen Critchlow a household name? More please....

I love being scared !, 05 Dec 2007
These stories are wonderfully scary. Congratulations to Stephen Critchlow, he is a Master of the genre. He must be a really scary person... well done. I look forward to more of his work.

SCARY STUFF, 05 Dec 2007
This is a spinetingler indeed - the readers meliflouous voice takes us into the dark side of our souls.....just great!

Truly Scary, 04 Dec 2007
This was recommended by a friend for its atmospheric presentation and I was not disappointed! To hear the stories told in this way is certainly more spine-tingling than reading for yourself. Perfect for dark winter nights, but you may not want to listen alone...

no - still don't get it...............!, 29 Nov 2008
Having read "Heart Shaped Box" and not been impressed (see my review) I thought I'd better give 'ol Joe another go; after all Daddy is Stephen King so surely he has absorbed some writing ability from his pa, right? Wrong. I tried and tried to like him but to be perfectly honest he bored the pants off me again and I gave up! What "Pop Art" was trying to say is beyond me; maybe someone can enlighten me ??? will be interested to read others take on this one.

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.

Twelve superb stories , 11 Jun 2006
Sooner or later , everyone in their lives will have come across Dickens's output . As I personally am an avid reader of Dickens's books , I was very much content with the purchase of this anthology of ghost stories . I believe that for they who have never had an opportunity to read any of this brilliant author's books , reading 'Ghost Stories ' will allow them to commend the creativity and singularity with which Dickens depicts his characters and narrate the social events that conditioned his life .

The volume consists of twelve ghost stories . Each story was extracted from a variety of sources . Some of them were extracted from material meant to be used for publication ; other ones were taken from Dickens's main novels .

Reading this book offers readers an opportunity to understand one of the main topic that had strong connotations during the author's lifetime : interest in supernatural phenomena .Each story reveals a different approach to supernatual phenomena . They who will have an opportunity to buy this book will notice how the ghosts depicted in each story are very different from one another : Dickens describes some of them with benevolent and sage attributes , such as the three Christmas Ghosts from the story ' A Christmas Carol ' ; on the other hand , other ghosts are narrated in a much gloomier way , such as the apparition from the story 'The Ghost in the Bride's chamber '. Yet , beyond the stories themselves , it's possible for the reader to trace a strong morale message that the author delivers through each of his stories , a message that reveals an unfathomable scepticism and condemnation of the popular practices as well as a possibility - as contadictory as it may seem - to take into consideration the existence of paranormal entities .

In conclusion , the above-mentioned anthology may represent a valid opportunity for many a reader : for readers who are already fond of Dickens's works , it may be an opportunity to find out a new side of the author's lifetime interest in supernatual phenomena ; for they who have never had a chance to become acquainted with Dickens's work , this book pontentially reprents a way for them to appreciate the author as well as it may be springboard to future readings .

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!

I've been more scared getting lost in lakeside, 10 Oct 2008
I was very disappointed with this book, it started off really well but just seemed to evaporate into nothing, the story was ok but nothing was really explained and it wasn't scary either! the story wasn't in anyway spine tingling, infact it feel flat on it's face, very disappointing and even more so for the fact that it's a very thin paperback (I read it in a day) and it cost me £6.99 !!! not worth it at all !!!

Great start but then..., 02 Sep 2008
Not as good as the "Woman in Black". It starts (very) well but the plot loses direction at the middle and the becomes downright silly in the end. A good ghost story requires suspension of disbelief. It is an indictement of the plot that the disbelief occurs at the final actions of the protagonists rather than the manifestation of the supernatural.



A spooky little novella, 09 Aug 2008
I agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to the standard of The Woman in Black but it is still well worth a read.
It is well written and atmospheric; set in the ancient college rooms of Cambridge, Venice on a dark night and a crumbling Victorian mansion.
The characters are well formed for such a brief novella and the art work that the story revolves around is suitably chilling.
And there is a clever twist at the end of the tale.

I admire this genre of appropriately short stories, not padded out with unnecessary detail.


Elegant but not her best, 13 Jun 2008
I am a great admirer of Susan Hill's work, and this short novella is as stylishly written as her other work; sadly, though, it doesn't fully measure up to her great chiller "The Woman in Black", or indeed its splendid companion "The Mist in the Mirror". This new story has many elements in common with the earlier works, but its creepy atmosphere isn't sustained so expertly. To be honest, "Man in the Picture" feels a little re-heated, notwithstanding the author's characteristically excellent writing.

no woman in black, 05 Jun 2008
I have always seen Hill as a fantastic writer her prose are beautifully written, the ambience of her novels is fantastic. One of her fortais is ghost stories. I used woman in black for my GCSEs and it has made me become a real fan of her work. The man in the picture starts off well, and, she uses her wonderful skills in building up a great premise for the story, unfortunatly, the reverance of the woman in black appears to be overlooking this story a great deal and it does have tones of it embedded in this novel. I wont reveal the ending but it is simmilar to the woman in black. Not that its a bad thing as it is a great ghost story, but what could have been a great idea has not fully been taken with this project. I would say give it a go though as it is well written, the characters are well formed and if your a Hill fan you will enjoy it.

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

Who is the reader?, 08 Dec 2007
I was recommended this CD by a friend. I have to confess I was cynical at first but then was hooked very early on. The tales themselves are enough to chill the spine but the reader, Stephen Critchlow, certainly created the atmosphere. He has a wonderfully enticing and hypnotic voice which I think is perfect for such a medium as horror. I was transfixed and even pulled over on the M3 to listen to the end.Why isn't Stephen Critchlow a household name? More please....

I love being scared !, 05 Dec 2007
These stories are wonderfully scary. Congratulations to Stephen Critchlow, he is a Master of the genre. He must be a really scary person... well done. I look forward to more of his work.

SCARY STUFF, 05 Dec 2007
This is a spinetingler indeed - the readers meliflouous voice takes us into the dark side of our souls.....just great!

Truly Scary, 04 Dec 2007
This was recommended by a friend for its atmospheric presentation and I was not disappointed! To hear the stories told in this way is certainly more spine-tingling than reading for yourself. Perfect for dark winter nights, but you may not want to listen alone...

no - still don't get it...............!, 29 Nov 2008
Having read "Heart Shaped Box" and not been impressed (see my review) I thought I'd better give 'ol Joe another go; after all Daddy is Stephen King so surely he has absorbed some writing ability from his pa, right? Wrong. I tried and tried to like him but to be perfectly honest he bored the pants off me again and I gave up! What "Pop Art" was trying to say is beyond me; maybe someone can enlighten me ??? will be interested to read others take on this one.

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.

Twelve superb stories , 11 Jun 2006
Sooner or later , everyone in their lives will have come across Dickens's output . As I personally am an avid reader of Dickens's books , I was very much content with the purchase of this anthology of ghost stories . I believe that for they who have never had an opportunity to read any of this brilliant author's books , reading 'Ghost Stories ' will allow them to commend the creativity and singularity with which Dickens depicts his characters and narrate the social events that conditioned his life .

The volume consists of twelve ghost stories . Each story was extracted from a variety of sources . Some of them were extracted from material meant to be used for publication ; other ones were taken from Dickens's main novels .

Reading this book offers readers an opportunity to understand one of the main topic that had strong connotations during the author's lifetime : interest in supernatural phenomena .Each story reveals a different approach to supernatual phenomena . They who will have an opportunity to buy this book will notice how the ghosts depicted in each story are very different from one another : Dickens describes some of them with benevolent and sage attributes , such as the three Christmas Ghosts from the story ' A Christmas Carol ' ; on the other hand , other ghosts are narrated in a much gloomier way , such as the apparition from the story 'The Ghost in the Bride's chamber '. Yet , beyond the stories themselves , it's possible for the reader to trace a strong morale message that the author delivers through each of his stories , a message that reveals an unfathomable scepticism and condemnation of the popular practices as well as a possibility - as contadictory as it may seem - to take into consideration the existence of paranormal entities .

In conclusion , the above-mentioned anthology may represent a valid opportunity for many a reader : for readers who are already fond of Dickens's works , it may be an opportunity to find out a new side of the author's lifetime interest in supernatual phenomena ; for they who have never had a chance to become acquainted with Dickens's work , this book pontentially reprents a way for them to appreciate the author as well as it may be springboard to future readings .

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!

I've been more scared getting lost in lakeside, 10 Oct 2008
I was very disappointed with this book, it started off really well but just seemed to evaporate into nothing, the story was ok but nothing was really explained and it wasn't scary either! the story wasn't in anyway spine tingling, infact it feel flat on it's face, very disappointing and even more so for the fact that it's a very thin paperback (I read it in a day) and it cost me £6.99 !!! not worth it at all !!!

Great start but then..., 02 Sep 2008
Not as good as the "Woman in Black". It starts (very) well but the plot loses direction at the middle and the becomes downright silly in the end. A good ghost story requires suspension of disbelief. It is an indictement of the plot that the disbelief occurs at the final actions of the protagonists rather than the manifestation of the supernatural.



A spooky little novella, 09 Aug 2008
I agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to the standard of The Woman in Black but it is still well worth a read.
It is well written and atmospheric; set in the ancient college rooms of Cambridge, Venice on a dark night and a crumbling Victorian mansion.
The characters are well formed for such a brief novella and the art work that the story revolves around is suitably chilling.
And there is a clever twist at the end of the tale.

I admire this genre of appropriately short stories, not padded out with unnecessary detail.


Elegant but not her best, 13 Jun 2008
I am a great admirer of Susan Hill's work, and this short novella is as stylishly written as her other work; sadly, though, it doesn't fully measure up to her great chiller "The Woman in Black", or indeed its splendid companion "The Mist in the Mirror". This new story has many elements in common with the earlier works, but its creepy atmosphere isn't sustained so expertly. To be honest, "Man in the Picture" feels a little re-heated, notwithstanding the author's characteristically excellent writing.

no woman in black, 05 Jun 2008
I have always seen Hill as a fantastic writer her prose are beautifully written, the ambience of her novels is fantastic. One of her fortais is ghost stories. I used woman in black for my GCSEs and it has made me become a real fan of her work. The man in the picture starts off well, and, she uses her wonderful skills in building up a great premise for the story, unfortunatly, the reverance of the woman in black appears to be overlooking this story a great deal and it does have tones of it embedded in this novel. I wont reveal the ending but it is simmilar to the woman in black. Not that its a bad thing as it is a great ghost story, but what could have been a great idea has not fully been taken with this project. I would say give it a go though as it is well written, the characters are well formed and if your a Hill fan you will enjoy it.

I've been more scared getting lost in lakeside, 10 Oct 2008
I was very disappointed with this book, it started off really well but just seemed to evaporate into nothing, the story was ok but nothing was really explained and it wasn't scary either! the story wasn't in anyway spine tingling, infact it feel flat on it's face, very disappointing and even more so for the fact that it's a very thin paperback (I read it in a day) and it cost me £6.99 !!! not worth it at all !!!

Great start but then..., 02 Sep 2008
Not as good as the "Woman in Black". It starts (very) well but the plot loses direction at the middle and the becomes downright silly in the end. A good ghost story requires suspension of disbelief. It is an indictement of the plot that the disbelief occurs at the final actions of the protagonists rather than the manifestation of the supernatural.



A spooky little novella, 09 Aug 2008
I agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to the standard of The Woman in Black but it is still well worth a read.
It is well written and atmospheric; set in the ancient college rooms of Cambridge, Venice on a dark night and a crumbling Victorian mansion.
The characters are well formed for such a brief novella and the art work that the story revolves around is suitably chilling.
And there is a clever twist at the end of the tale.

I admire this genre of appropriately short stories, not padded out with unnecessary detail.


Elegant but not her best, 13 Jun 2008
I am a great admirer of Susan Hill's work, and this short novella is as stylishly written as her other work; sadly, though, it doesn't fully measure up to her great chiller "The Woman in Black", or indeed its splendid companion "The Mist in the Mirror". This new story has many elements in common with the earlier works, but its creepy atmosphere isn't sustained so expertly. To be honest, "Man in the Picture" feels a little re-heated, notwithstanding the author's characteristically excellent writing.

no woman in black, 05 Jun 2008
I have always seen Hill as a fantastic writer her prose are beautifully written, the ambience of her novels is fantastic. One of her fortais is ghost stories. I used woman in black for my GCSEs and it has made me become a real fan of her work. The man in the picture starts off well, and, she uses her wonderful skills in building up a great premise for the story, unfortunatly, the reverance of the woman in black appears to be overlooking this story a great deal and it does have tones of it embedded in this novel. I wont reveal the ending but it is simmilar to the woman in black. Not that its a bad thing as it is a great ghost story, but what could have been a great idea has not fully been taken with this project. I would say give it a go though as it is well written, the characters are well formed and if your a Hill fan you will enjoy it.

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

Who is the reader?, 08 Dec 2007
I was recommended this CD by a friend. I have to confess I was cynical at first but then was hooked very early on. The tales themselves are enough to chill the spine but the reader, Stephen Critchlow, certainly created the atmosphere. He has a wonderfully enticing and hypnotic voice which I think is perfect for such a medium as horror. I was transfixed and even pulled over on the M3 to listen to the end.Why isn't Stephen Critchlow a household name? More please....

I love being scared !, 05 Dec 2007
These stories are wonderfully scary. Congratulations to Stephen Critchlow, he is a Master of the genre. He must be a really scary person... well done. I look forward to more of his work.

SCARY STUFF, 05 Dec 2007
This is a spinetingler indeed - the readers meliflouous voice takes us into the dark side of our souls.....just great!

Truly Scary, 04 Dec 2007
This was recommended by a friend for its atmospheric presentation and I was not disappointed! To hear the stories told in this way is certainly more spine-tingling than reading for yourself. Perfect for dark winter nights, but you may not want to listen alone...

no - still don't get it...............!, 29 Nov 2008
Having read "Heart Shaped Box" and not been impressed (see my review) I thought I'd better give 'ol Joe another go; after all Daddy is Stephen King so surely he has absorbed some writing ability from his pa, right? Wrong. I tried and tried to like him but to be perfectly honest he bored the pants off me again and I gave up! What "Pop Art" was trying to say is beyond me; maybe someone can enlighten me ??? will be interested to read others take on this one.

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.

Twelve superb stories , 11 Jun 2006
Sooner or later , everyone in their lives will have come across Dickens's output . As I personally am an avid reader of Dickens's books , I was very much content with the purchase of this anthology of ghost stories . I believe that for they who have never had an opportunity to read any of this brilliant author's books , reading 'Ghost Stories ' will allow them to commend the creativity and singularity with which Dickens depicts his characters and narrate the social events that conditioned his life .

The volume consists of twelve ghost stories . Each story was extracted from a variety of sources . Some of them were extracted from material meant to be used for publication ; other ones were taken from Dickens's main novels .

Reading this book offers readers an opportunity to understand one of the main topic that had strong connotations during the author's lifetime : interest in supernatural phenomena .Each story reveals a different approach to supernatual phenomena . They who will have an opportunity to buy this book will notice how the ghosts depicted in each story are very different from one another : Dickens describes some of them with benevolent and sage attributes , such as the three Christmas Ghosts from the story ' A Christmas Carol ' ; on the other hand , other ghosts are narrated in a much gloomier way , such as the apparition from the story 'The Ghost in the Bride's chamber '. Yet , beyond the stories themselves , it's possible for the reader to trace a strong morale message that the author delivers through each of his stories , a message that reveals an unfathomable scepticism and condemnation of the popular practices as well as a possibility - as contadictory as it may seem - to take into consideration the existence of paranormal entities .

In conclusion , the above-mentioned anthology may represent a valid opportunity for many a reader : for readers who are already fond of Dickens's works , it may be an opportunity to find out a new side of the author's lifetime interest in supernatual phenomena ; for they who have never had a chance to become acquainted with Dickens's work , this book pontentially reprents a way for them to appreciate the author as well as it may be springboard to future readings .

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!

I've been more scared getting lost in lakeside, 10 Oct 2008
I was very disappointed with this book, it started off really well but just seemed to evaporate into nothing, the story was ok but nothing was really explained and it wasn't scary either! the story wasn't in anyway spine tingling, infact it feel flat on it's face, very disappointing and even more so for the fact that it's a very thin paperback (I read it in a day) and it cost me £6.99 !!! not worth it at all !!!

Great start but then..., 02 Sep 2008
Not as good as the "Woman in Black". It starts (very) well but the plot loses direction at the middle and the becomes downright silly in the end. A good ghost story requires suspension of disbelief. It is an indictement of the plot that the disbelief occurs at the final actions of the protagonists rather than the manifestation of the supernatural.



A spooky little novella, 09 Aug 2008
I agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to the standard of The Woman in Black but it is still well worth a read.
It is well written and atmospheric; set in the ancient college rooms of Cambridge, Venice on a dark night and a crumbling Victorian mansion.
The characters are well formed for such a brief novella and the art work that the story revolves around is suitably chilling.
And there is a clever twist at the end of the tale.

I admire this genre of appropriately short stories, not padded out with unnecessary detail.


Elegant but not her best, 13 Jun 2008
I am a great admirer of Susan Hill's work, and this short novella is as stylishly written as her other work; sadly, though, it doesn't fully measure up to her great chiller "The Woman in Black", or indeed its splendid companion "The Mist in the Mirror". This new story has many elements in common with the earlier works, but its creepy atmosphere isn't sustained so expertly. To be honest, "Man in the Picture" feels a little re-heated, notwithstanding the author's characteristically excellent writing.

no woman in black, 05 Jun 2008
I have always seen Hill as a fantastic writer her prose are beautifully written, the ambience of her novels is fantastic. One of her fortais is ghost stories. I used woman in black for my GCSEs and it has made me become a real fan of her work. The man in the picture starts off well, and, she uses her wonderful skills in building up a great premise for the story, unfortunatly, the reverance of the woman in black appears to be overlooking this story a great deal and it does have tones of it embedded in this novel. I wont reveal the ending but it is simmilar to the woman in black. Not that its a bad thing as it is a great ghost story, but what could have been a great idea has not fully been taken with this project. I would say give it a go though as it is well written, the characters are well formed and if your a Hill fan you will enjoy it.

Ghosts in December, 18 May 2008
It's been over a hundred years since Henry James' novella was published. I'm sure readers at the time were spooked by its tale of ghosts threatening the innocence of two children, and the attempts of a quasi-hysterical governess to save them. It was that period of the Victorian era when séances and ghosts were popular, when spiritists promised to bridge the road between the living and the dead. People enjoyed sitting around a fire and sharing ghost stories, specially during Christmas time.

But times have changed and this novella is now more interesting as a controversial piece of lit crit rather than a frightening ghost story. Did the ghosts in the story really exist? Or was it all part of the governess' imagination? You are never given the answers. One interesting question which resonates with today's world is what kind of "evil" was inflicted on the children. It's suggested that a deceased governess and her lover did "depraved" things to the children, only to later return as ghosts in order to continue their evil influence. But what kind of evil exactly?

If you enjoy puzzles and hard-to-read English writing, this novella is for you; if you are after an easy page-turner, you are better off looking elsewhere.

Screw turner not Page turner, 07 Dec 2007
And this is the author who dared to belittle Thomas Hardy. Henry James, born of insipid wealth and Hardy, wrought of the brown Wessex earth, and so their writing shows.

Turn of the Screw is a novel that could only be written by James. Which is to say that if a room full of socialite closet homosexual virgins with infinite typewriters were allowed infinite time to come up with a spooky story, this would be the inevitable result.

James' pathological will to translate the world's broadest language into the prose equivalent of C++ code is on show at the height of its powers here. Marvel at 5 page diatribes that could otherwise be summed up as "She saw a man and he saw her". Gasp at 50 word sentences that translate as "Oh what a beautiful child he was; and oh what a beautiful child she was; and oh what a beautful..." Oh what's the point.

The point is that Henry James is every bit the author that deserves raucous deliberation amongst the Oxbridge set as they blaze through their short-lived literary phases, prior to a career in private equity. James is also every bit a writer that merits insecure puzzlement from everyone else (its not you its HIM).

Apparently this is a spine-chiller. Hilariously having assumed this category, it has the timeless excuse that people, you know, "in those days" would've found it chilling. Because, of course, people in those days were all Mr Darcy types who shielded wilting debutantes from the most villanous of stiff breezes.

Personally i prefer to think of turn of the century readers of Turn of the Screw frowing the same frown, yawning the same yawn, then rolling over for the same night's sleep as i did.



Atmospheric, 01 Nov 2007
I almost gave up on this tale but persevered because a trusted friend had told me that it would be worth it. She was correct. Wow! What a chilling ghost story. It has a very atmospheric setting, in a country home in England, during the 1840s. The tale begins with friends chatting round a fire. One of the group begins to tell a tale about a governess who was employed in the home to look after two young children. Their guardian, who is their Uncle, tells her he wants nothing to do with her or the children, and that she mustn't bother him. The governess begins to see two ghosts, whom she believes are the previous governess and her lover. She thinks these ghosts are meaning to harm the children. The children claim to not be able to see any ghosts and the rest of the household staff are equally bemused. The reader is left wondering whether the governess is suffering from delusions, or genuinely needs to save the children from the ghosts. The final pages had me gripped and the ending left me breathless.






One good turn., 04 Apr 2007
I adore this book! I have read it so many times I need a new copy. This is definitely not a pleasant read, it is disturbing. It is in the skillful writing of James that creates a gripping story that leaves more questions & mystery on each new read. This ia a classic gothic tale that all fans of the genre should read.

The big book of commas, 18 Oct 2006
What becomes apparent upon first opening the book is that Henry James loves commas. Each long winded sentence ,seems, to stretch for half a page, which, without wanting to the press the point,makes,a very slow,hard to read novel.
The opening was promising! I thought the author wrote in such a style as to create suspense in the reader until i found myself dying to hear the story (the book is in the format of a tale read by an arbitrary character to a group of friends). But when the story begun, i realised that this was in fact not a deliberate attempt to create suspense, but instead was just the way in which James writes!
I was required to read this for an english literature course, and cannot see how anyone would want to read this for leisure. It realy is an uphill struggle, and even being an avid literature fan myself, i had to sit with a dictionary and look up every second word.
The plot does not make up for the battle one must put themselves through to reach the end of the book. Perhaps at the time the book was a shocking "ghost story" of a tale. But it stirred no feeling in me, was far too descriptive of mundane things with distracted from the plot, and was ,to put it plainly, boring.
I had hoped that the end would redeem the book, but without giving anything away, i was extremely dissapointed.

All in all a very difficult to read book which provided me with no enjoyment whatsoever.