Great Classic Haunting: Six Unabridged Stories
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
My Review on Goodreads
I decided to listen to this in October because I love classic ghost stories, and I wanted to re(read) The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales before I watch the Netflix show, and that story is included. This is free with the Audible membership, FYI. All but two are rereads for me, although I didn't realize it until I listened to a couple of the stories. I'll list my thoughts on each story:
"A Watcher by the Dead" by Ambrose Bierce
Another reread that I am ambivalent about. I do like some of Bierce's work. However, this is more about dark human nature and that fundamental evil. Not so much about supernatural evil, but couched in a story about a "haunting." 3 stars.
"The Body-Snatchers" by Robert Louis Stevenson
I think this is my third time reading this story. I am impressed at how easy RL Stevenson's prose is to digest for a modern reader. I think he's kind of an underrated author. This story seethes with dread and unease. It's as much about guilt as it is a supernatural tale. Sadly, some people are incapable of guilt and empathy, whereas others are often irrevocably damaged by their abundance of both. Although bodysnatching isn't really a concept nowadays, the atrocities that are still being committed on humans by other humans (and how we blithely go on with our lives despite this) is always going to be timely. 4 stars
"Adventure of the German Student" by Washington Irving
I really enjoy this story. This was probably my third time reading it as well. It's short but very effective. The descriptions are great, and Irving builds atmosphere beautifully. I feel like you know where this is going, but you still enjoy the journey. It reminds me of the story with the lady who wears a ribbon around her neck, for gruesome reasons. If you know, you know. I feel like the moody, sensitive hero always on the edge of a mental breakdown was its own genre in classic horror. 4 stars
"Dickon the Devil" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
I thought this one was just okay. It didn't do much for me, honestly. I can't recall if I've read thsi before or not. Maybe it just didn't make that much of an impression on me, this time or the other time I read it. 2.5 stars
"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
I am definitely a big fan of EA Poe, but maybe I wasn't in the mood for this one at this particular time. It seemed really melodramatic and over-the-top. Yes, I know EA Poe predated Lovecraft and I much prefer Poe, but I was getting Lovecraft vibes when I was listening to this. I have to say, I love what T. Kingfisher did with this story in What Moves the Dead, and not that's my preferred version. This was has some good tension and it's certainly suspenseful and creepy, but too overdramatic for me (in my present mood anyway). 3 stars
"The Open Window" by Saki
This was so fun. Instead of being a serious story, this is humor. It's very short and quite cheeky. I do love the buildup and the conclusion was the perfect way to end this collection of stories. 3.5 stars
The narrator was Geraint Wyn Davies, who played Nick Night on the "Forever Knight" show. He has a great voice and a facility for accents. Overall this was a pretty good listen.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars
"A Watcher by the Dead" by Ambrose Bierce
Another reread that I am ambivalent about. I do like some of Bierce's work. However, this is more about dark human nature and that fundamental evil. Not so much about supernatural evil, but couched in a story about a "haunting." 3 stars.
"The Body-Snatchers" by Robert Louis Stevenson
I think this is my third time reading this story. I am impressed at how easy RL Stevenson's prose is to digest for a modern reader. I think he's kind of an underrated author. This story seethes with dread and unease. It's as much about guilt as it is a supernatural tale. Sadly, some people are incapable of guilt and empathy, whereas others are often irrevocably damaged by their abundance of both. Although bodysnatching isn't really a concept nowadays, the atrocities that are still being committed on humans by other humans (and how we blithely go on with our lives despite this) is always going to be timely. 4 stars
"Adventure of the German Student" by Washington Irving
I really enjoy this story. This was probably my third time reading it as well. It's short but very effective. The descriptions are great, and Irving builds atmosphere beautifully. I feel like you know where this is going, but you still enjoy the journey. It reminds me of the story with the lady who wears a ribbon around her neck, for gruesome reasons. If you know, you know. I feel like the moody, sensitive hero always on the edge of a mental breakdown was its own genre in classic horror. 4 stars
"Dickon the Devil" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
I thought this one was just okay. It didn't do much for me, honestly. I can't recall if I've read thsi before or not. Maybe it just didn't make that much of an impression on me, this time or the other time I read it. 2.5 stars
"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
I am definitely a big fan of EA Poe, but maybe I wasn't in the mood for this one at this particular time. It seemed really melodramatic and over-the-top. Yes, I know EA Poe predated Lovecraft and I much prefer Poe, but I was getting Lovecraft vibes when I was listening to this. I have to say, I love what T. Kingfisher did with this story in What Moves the Dead, and not that's my preferred version. This was has some good tension and it's certainly suspenseful and creepy, but too overdramatic for me (in my present mood anyway). 3 stars
"The Open Window" by Saki
This was so fun. Instead of being a serious story, this is humor. It's very short and quite cheeky. I do love the buildup and the conclusion was the perfect way to end this collection of stories. 3.5 stars
The narrator was Geraint Wyn Davies, who played Nick Night on the "Forever Knight" show. He has a great voice and a facility for accents. Overall this was a pretty good listen.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars
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