4 1/2 Stars.

I really enjoyed this anthology. Strong stories by several modern writers, particularly B. E. Scully (definitely have to read Verland now) juxtaposed with classic writers exploring similar themes. And not just the obvious most published stories by the older writers. "There Was A Man Dwelt by a Churchyard" by M.R. James was hair-raising and "The Spectre Bride" by William Harrison Ainsworth is one of the darkest stories I have ever read.

If you want to commune with some Gothic ghosts, this story will conjure them up for you. ( )

This is an anthology of Gothic literature, comprising of 28 short stories. A number of these stories are oldies but goodies from the literature vault - stories by Guy de Maupassant, H.P. Lovecraft, William Butler Yeats, Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker. Other stories included are the works of newer, fresher authors, some already established in the writing world, some with a few publications already under their belts and some just starting out.

The stories contained in this anthology were compiled as a project to see if the works of modern Gothic writers continue to take their cue and set the atmosphere of their stories in a manner similar to the masters of old, imbuing their story with just the right amount of creepiness to tingle the senses and possibly raise the hairs on the back of a reader's neck. Stories of spirits of the dead, nightmares, monsters that inhabit closets and other ghoulish fiends that reach out to the physical world. Stories of mysterious houses and jilted lovers. Stories of souls reaching beyond the grave to correct/avenge a wrong.

While the stories did not raise the hair on the back of my neck, I did find them to be deliciously creepy and steeped in atmosphere. The first story The Ground Always Wins by B.E. Scully sets the tone for the stories that follow: an older style house with a dirt root cellar with an eerie presence. Some personal favorites for me are: The Cold Embrace by Mary Elizabeth Braddon - a relationship sealed by a statement that it is only the suicide whose unholy spirit haunts the footsteps of the living; The Specter Bride by William Harrison Ainsworth; Feast with a Few Strangers by E.P. Berglund - a writer encounters three homeless men in the cemetery and Riobatta by A.A. Garrison - festival day in Canterbury has a dark side to it.

Some readers may find the stories have a dated feel to them, and they are correct, they do, but that is what I really enjoyed about them. These stories make the reader's imagination drive the emotional reaction, not the blatant gruesome details of more modern fiction writing. While I am still too new to the Gothic genre to say whether or not this collection hits the mark, it hits what I look for when I am in the mood for a creepy style story - heavy on the atmosphere, light on the gruesome, gory details.

This book was courtesy of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program ( )

The Old Masters of Dark Fiction in this collection include Poe, Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, and other eminent storytellers from the late 19th and early 20th century. Most stories are brief, fewer than 10 pages, and could help pass time in a waiting room, bus or train.

The New Voices in this collection are a bit rough and their stories are in need of editing. But, many of the stories show potential and may appear re-edited in other collections or on the web. A story by Mari Adkins piqued my interest: a young woman is idly browsing a record story when a detective approaches her. He wants her help locating a murder victim—after dinner and sex, she agrees to use her paranormal powers to help the detective, but as they search for the victim she slowly becomes aware that she may soon become a victim herself. The eerie conclusion is shocking and suitable for this anthology.

This collection is your chance to check out some new writing in the context of proven masters of horror.

My review copy of Old Masters/New Voices came in the email as a PDF. Unfortunately, the table of contents was corrupted and would not display with Adobe Reader. (I rebuilt the TOC using PDFpenPro, nice app to have around.)

If you like classic horror or stories of the weird and are willing to build a table-of-contents for your PDF reader then you may find this anthology worthwhile for your smart phone or tablet.

Carto, originally posted to Goodreads in Nov. 2012 (by mistake). ( )

A little compendium of stories - as it says many from new voices, but written in the gothic style. The stories are short enough to read in a quick sitting and perfect for the wintertime by a crackling fire. Perfect to read aloud too. I do like to indulge in a ittle psychological horror at this time of year, and although some of the stories are not as good as others, there are no turkeys here. Recommended for a little me-time with a fire on the go, a dog on your lap and a good drink by your side. The dark months were made for compendiums such as this. ( )

A collection of scary short stories done in various different styles. As with most anthologies I found some stories very well written while others not as good. What is notable is none of these stories delve into the gruesome and rather rely on the imagination ad implied to add the fear. Overall a good and interesting collection. ( )