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toffishay's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sierraayonnie's review against another edition
4.0
Due to it being a classic, the beginning is very slow because it introduces the stories in time order in which they were published. As you continue reading them, it gains a little more speed and has a lot of great short stories that are classics.
wickedmitch's review
4.0
Overall a solid anthology. The stories are, as one might expect, varying in quality and some are arguably not really supernatural (the King story simply seems to be science fiction/post apocalyptic in particular for instance) but overall a good read.
carsonelainee's review against another edition
read for class--
I won't be rating this since it is a collection of stories where I experienced such a wide range of enjoyment, but this truly does feature some of the greats of the horror/gothic genres.
It was a great learning experience since I hardly ever read horror. It was cool to see what makes the genre so prolific.
I won't be rating this since it is a collection of stories where I experienced such a wide range of enjoyment, but this truly does feature some of the greats of the horror/gothic genres.
It was a great learning experience since I hardly ever read horror. It was cool to see what makes the genre so prolific.
mattycakesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty awesome. There are naturally a few stories that are a little bit "meh," (Washington Irving's was probably my least favorite, which was a bummer considering how much I love Sleepy Hollow), and I wasn't totally sure how Stephen King's Night Surf was supernatural in any way - it seemed like it took place in the universe of the Stand, but it never mentioned anything that wouldn't qualify as science fiction.
But some of them were truly awesome. There's my favorite H.P. Lovecraft story, the Call of Cthulhu, the incredible Robert Chambers Yellow Sign story, The Events at Poroth Farm which kinda blew me away, and some other genuinely creepy shit, too.
The critic who wrote the intro to the book and the bios on each of the stories annoyed me a bit. I don't really care if my horror stories are "literary" in any way, and literary criticism of Stephen King has always pissed me off, as it seems more like elitists shitting on the literature of the plebes than anything else. King has never pretended to be a great literary artist, so why review him on those merits?
Joshi is, in a sense, better than most literary critics in that he's actually presenting a lot of horror pulp without too much derision, but he does get a little snarky about King and Chambers when he genuinely doesn't need to. But whatever, the collection is fantastic, and him being occasionally annoying doesn't blight any of the stories in the book.
But some of them were truly awesome. There's my favorite H.P. Lovecraft story, the Call of Cthulhu, the incredible Robert Chambers Yellow Sign story, The Events at Poroth Farm which kinda blew me away, and some other genuinely creepy shit, too.
The critic who wrote the intro to the book and the bios on each of the stories annoyed me a bit. I don't really care if my horror stories are "literary" in any way, and literary criticism of Stephen King has always pissed me off, as it seems more like elitists shitting on the literature of the plebes than anything else. King has never pretended to be a great literary artist, so why review him on those merits?
Joshi is, in a sense, better than most literary critics in that he's actually presenting a lot of horror pulp without too much derision, but he does get a little snarky about King and Chambers when he genuinely doesn't need to. But whatever, the collection is fantastic, and him being occasionally annoying doesn't blight any of the stories in the book.
shivani_maurya's review against another edition
4.0
"To learn what we fear is to learn who we are."
What is horror exactly? Is it in details of a tale by the fireside? Is it the unseen, the unnatural? Or is it in the details left out? Has supernatural become its only trope? Or does it in fact hide within our minds? Waiting for our beliefs to crumble, so it can seize control of our petrified beings? While I was reading this book, I found myself wondering about these and many more questions. After all that's what horror does best..makes one question oneself. And at best, makes them question everything.
As a genre, horror has an almost belligerent attitude to boundaries and beliefs. The horror that connects with the reader, has the uncanny ways of rooting out the worst fears and nightmares. It is the parallels drawn with this uprooted dreamscape that reinforce the dread against all rationale. There were times when science could be considered a bulwark against the unnatural. Then Shelly came along and suddenly science sided with the monsters. It came up with ways for perversion of nature and became the breeding ground of monsters that turned on their creators. On the other hand, faith in divinity with its inherent acceptance of inexplicable things made it impossible to deny the fantastic, let alone pray it away. And when both science and religion give up the ghost, the reign of horror begins.
Having the wish to start sampling Joshi's editorial works, I am glad this was my first. Couple it with introduction from del Toro and we have one of the best anthologies at hand, bringing together a wide variety of works. The absolute lack of monotony speaks volumes about the selections made by the editors. From house infestations, alien life forms, wendigo and vampires to talismans, myths, psychopathy and unknowns, the tales serve a flavor as varied as their readers. And I can't help but mention each with a rating.
3★ The Adventure of the German Student
3.5★ Edward Randolph's Portrait
4★ The Fall of the House of Usher
3★ What Was It?
4★ The Death of Halpin Frayser
4★ The Yellow Sign
3★ The Real Right Thing
5★ The Call of Cthulhu
4.5★ The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis
4★ Old Garfield's Heart
3.5★ Black Bargain
3.5★ The Lonesome Place
3★ The Girl with the Hungry Eyes
3★ The Fog Horn
3.5★ A Visit
3.5★ Long Distance Call
3.5★ The Vanishing American
5★ The Events at Poroth Farm
3★ Night Surf
3.5★ The Late Shift
3.5★ Vastarien
3.5★ Endless Night
4★ The Hollow Man
4★ Last Call for the Sons of Shock
3★ Demon
4★ In the Water Works
For me as a reader, the unknown trope hits a chord deeper than the tales with a known cause. The unknown coupled with lack of details, where the reader is constantly playing the "What If" game.
Oh, yeah, that game..the What If game. I probably play it too often. (Vain attempt to enlarge realm of the possible? Heighten my own sensitivity? Or merely work myself into an icy sweat?)
Anyways, the speculations get me going, get me more involved and at times lead to more dread than intended. Each to their own, I say. But if you are into monsters, there's plenty of those between these covers. Maybe not always upto no good. Sometimes even they need to kick back in a bar someplace. And just maybe..it's the one you frequent.