Henry MazzeoCritiques

Great, great collection of classic horror/ghost stories that have been reprinted many times in many places, but this is one of my go-to reads for October in preparation for Halloween.

Very solid book of short stories carefully selected to include a diverse collection of horror of all different moods, approaches and proximities to classic/ Gothic horror. Maybe sacrilegious to say as a diehard Gorey lover, but I feel he phoned it in slightly with the illustrations included here. The setting and action of most of the stories is so conducive to framing visually in that bleak, black and white, heavily hatched style that I could almost swear that I had seen illustrations that in fact didn’t exist of certain passages. Thank you, imagination!

“And as he went past me, he laughed - a sort of gasping laugh, with his mouth open and his eyes glaring - I tell you, sir, he fair scared me! - like this.”
According to his imitation it was anything but a pleasant laugh. “He waved his hand, with all his fingers crooked and clawing - like that. And he said, in a sort of fierce whisper, ‘Life.’ Just that one word, ‘Life!’”
- The Stolen Body, H. G. Wells

My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9pZnGXxqR0

Enjoy!

What a wonderful horror anthology. The stories in this book, not to mention Edward Gorey's magnificent illustrations, made such an impression on me that thirty years later I still remembered them. Finally found and bought a used library edition of this book. It was well-thumbed when I got it, and it's even more well-thumbed now. I envy those young, middle-aged, and old people who might be reading it for the first time. Enjoy the ride!

Each story should be savored on a dark, stormy night, by candlelight in solitude. My two favorites: W. H. Hodgson's 'The Whistling Room,' and H. R. Wakefield's 'The Red Lodge.'

Great, great collection of classic horror/ghost stories that have been reprinted many times in many places, but this is one of my go-to reads for October in preparation for Halloween.

Varied collection of ghost stories is well selected and generally fun to read, though a couple (e.g., The Open Door) go on for too long. I liked the Lovecraft story, which was much more a straightforward, conventional horror tale than his other work. The H.G. Wells story is also memorable, and I loved Joseph Payne's Brennan's "Levitation". There are some familar stories here as well, such as the incomparable John Collier's "Thus I Refute Beelzy".½

Published in 1968, edited by Hentry J. Mazzeo, Jr., and illustrated by Edward Gorey, this collection of 17 spook tales is absolutely charming! Authors include: August Derleth, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, Manly Wade Wellman (a local interest of Asheville and Madison County), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Henry James, H. G. Wells, and 10 other excellent writers. Most pleasing to my tastes were Wellman's "Where Angels Fear", Hodgson's "The Whistling Room", and Wells' "The Stolen Body". Ohh yes, also charming was Robert Aickman's "The Visiting Star". The editor includes a bit of little known information about the authors, their stories, and relative information at the beginning and end of each story. Very nice collection of ghost stories which I, and others, make a distinction with between works of horror.