MMRM: "The Blue Lenses" and "The Doll" by Daphne du Maurier

'Tis the season for the unearthly, the undead, and the downright macabre. Not everyone can read an entire book in time for Halloween- some of us are too busy with other books, or even other things (gasp). For those poor souls, I offer these reviews: I will be writing my thoughts on some of my favorite short stories for this spooky season, either one at a time or in pairs.

"The Blue Lenses" by Daphne du Maurier

Available to read for free, online here. There is a free audio edition of this short story (!) here. (The audio appears to have more sentences- I'm not sure if it was added on or not.)

Rating: 4 Stars (Excellent)
Content: Ages 12+ for mild head-bending.
Page Count: (unknown) pages
Year Published: 1959

Surgeries are a vulnerable time for most people, so it makes sense to write a weird horror tale about the subject. Without sight, would we judge people differently or the same? Daphne du Maurier does an excellent job of playing on some of the more basic fears most people have.

The Plot: A woman has surgery to repair her vision, but when her bandages are removed, her vision seems to have bizarrely deteriorated instead.

Colour was not important. The blue symmetry of vision itself was all important. To see, to feel. It was indeed a rebirth, the discovery of a world long lost to her.

               ~"The Blue Lenses" by Daphne du Maurier

If you happen to be having eye surgery, I would save this one for later. It's a bit unsettling.

Another note: This was included in an article on Bibliotherapy: what to read when you're at breaking point. I suggest reading the story first, as she includes a minor spoiler.

"The Doll" by Daphne du Maurier

Available to read for free, online here.

Rating: 3 Stars (Good)
Content: 14+ for implied sex scenes
Page Count: (unknown) pages
Year Published: 1937

Although du Maurier is best known for having a character named Rebecca in her novel of the same name, here is another instance she uses a similarly named character to sinister effect.

The Plot: A man finds himself bewitched by a girl who is liberal with her affections.

Honestly, I can't say I liked this one as well as "The Blue Lenses", which had a certain amount of depth that this one doesn't have. As horror stories go, this one is heavy on the atmosphere. But I can see why it went unpublished for 70 years- it just doesn't have as much punch as du Maurier's other works.

She said, "Is it possible to love someone so much that it gives one a pleasure, an unaccountable pleasure to hurt them? To hurt them by jealousy, I mean, and to hurt oneself  at the same time. Pleasure and pain, an equal mingling of pleasure and pain, just as an experiment, a rare sensation?"

            ~"The Doll" by Daphne du Maurier

If you're afraid of dolls and losing someone you love, I suppose this one may be more frightening. As someone unafraid of dolls, it wasn't that scary to me.

Until next time,

MMRM #13: "The Pale Man" and "The Striding Place"

'Tis the season for the unearthly, the undead, and the downright macabre. Not everyone can read an entire book in time for Halloween- some of us are too busy with other books, or even other things (gasp). For those poor souls, I offer these reviews: I will be writing my thoughts on some of my favorite short stories for this spooky season, either one at a time or in pairs.

This Year's Mini Macabre Review Mondays:
#9: "The Alchemist" and "The Beast in the Cave" by H.P. Lovecraft
#10: "Canon Alberic's Scrap-book" and "The Mezzotint" by M.R. James
#11: "Casting the Runes" by M.R. James- A Book Blogger's Nightmare
#12: "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad" and "Number 13" by M.R. James

"The Pale Man" by Julius Long

Available to read for free, online here.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Exceptional)
Content: Ages 12+ for a macabre mystery
Page Count: Approximately 5 pages (takes about ten minutes to read)
Year Published: 1934

This story starts out fairly innocuous. There are reasonable explanations as to why a weirdly pale man might be residing in a hotel and changing rooms- he might be just strangely pale like yours truly. However, given I did find this on a website touting it was one of nine scariest short stories (yes, I did find it scary, but the other ones weren't so scary), I knew there had to be a twist to it.

The Plot: A pale man is seen in a country hotel.

I think what really makes this story shine is the fact that it's written in first person, and the personable writing style. It's easy to relate to the character, as I think we all tend to notice those who look a bit odd wherever we happen to be.

My favorite snippet:

He favored me with a smile whose meaning I have tried in vain to decipher. I can not but believe that he meant it to have some significance. He acted as if there were between us some secret that I failed to appreciate. But, then, perhaps his smile was meaningless after all and only ambiguous by chance, like that of the Mona Lisa.

           ~From "The Pale Man" by Julius Long

"The Pale Man" is one of my favorite Mini Macabre stories I found in 2016 (the other being "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad" from last week). It's concise, nicely paced, and it doesn't take long at all to read. What are you waiting for?

"The Striding Place" by Gertrude Atherton

Available to read for free, online here.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Great)
Content: Ages 12+ for creepy events
Page Count: Approximately 25 pages
Year Published: 1896

Though this story does have a nice twist (and an abrupt ending, for that matter), the problem I have with it is that I've seen similar twists in more recent stories. At the time, this was probably as shocking a story as any of Edgar Allan Poe's works, but because of the multitude of horror movies we have nowadays it doesn't have the impact it should.

The Plot: A man goes looking for his lost friend.

There are elements in this story that made me hike the rating up, despite the twist being somewhat disappointing for me- the characters are as fully realized as those in short stories can be, their discussions are interesting, and I wasn't tempted to skim at all (which cannot be said for most of the M.R. James stories I read this year).

"The Striding Place" is an interesting story that has been unfortunately replicated by more modern mediums. It still has the element of surprise in its favor, but many modern readers may be able to guess the twist before it comes. However, if you're easily scared or have a vivid imagination, this will be enough of a scare for you this year.

Until Next Year,

MMRM: "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad" and "Number 13" by M.R. James

'Tis the season for the unearthly, the undead, and the downright macabre. Not everyone can read an entire book in time for Halloween- some of us are too busy with other books, or even other things (gasp). For those poor souls, I offer these reviews: I will be writing my thoughts on some of my favorite short stories for this spooky season, either one at a time or in pairs.

This Year's Mini Macabre Review Mondays:
#9: "The Alchemist" and "The Beast in the Cave" by H.P. Lovecraft
#10: "Canon Alberic's Scrap-book" and "The Mezzotint" by M.R. James
#11: "Casting the Runes" by M.R. James- A Book Blogger's Nightmare

"Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad" by M.R. James

Available to read for free, online here.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Exceptional)
Content: Ages 14+ for never looking at mundane items the same way again.
Page Count: Approximately 20 pages
Year Published: 1904

This is a story I finished and didn't think much of, at first. But as days passed, having finished the complete Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James (which is public domain and is free as an ebook) this is the story I recall best, and one that my thoughts continue to linger on. There are musical items I might think of as haunted- pianos, harps, and those sorts of things, but never in my wildest dreams would I think blowing a simple whistle would be something to bring about strange occurrences.

The Plot: The discovery and use of an ancient whistle brings about bizarre events.

In a way, this story seems to preposterous to be scary- again, blowing a whistle seems like something to childish to bring about an effect other than sound. I also had different predictions of what actually might come about as a result- I hadn't anticipated this tale's end. Given where I read this book, I found the end to be increasingly unsettling as time went on.

The title "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad" sounds like a cheery song, or maybe an old comedy film, but I assure you this little story is neither. Some of the bizarre occurrences in this tale came off to me at first as somewhat laughable, but due to its lingering qualities, it's made me think twice about some everyday items. If that isn't a good horror tale trait, I don't know what is.

"Number 13" by M.R. James

Available to read for free, online here.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Great)
Content: Ages 12+ for unusual hotel suites
Page Count: Approximately 16 pages
Year Published: 1904

If you pay much attention to superstitions, the ones involving the number 13 seem to be the most abiding, even in modern times. Some buildings won't have 13th floors, some hotels won't have room number 13, and some people (my mother included) will do almost anything to avoid the number 13 showing up in their life. This story relies on that superstition, and to some extent, monopolizes it.

The Plot: A man checks into room 12, finding the room shrinks at certain times of the day.

The let down of this story is that it's a bit bulky given its premise- it could easily be edited down to a more modernly readable size. I was entertained, but I also have a tendency to skim wordy passages when it's clear they have no point other than passing fancy on the author's part. I've read quite a few of his stories, and M.R. James does tend to be on the wordy side of things, so if you prefer to the point stories there are other authors to be read.

"Number 13" requires some cultural tendencies to enjoy properly. If you were raised on Mars, for example, it might not have as much impact on you as someone who was raised in a more Earthly, fairly superstitious part of the world where the number 13 is more feared. Still, this is a great read, as long as you don't mind a bit of claustrophobic wordiness.

Keep it spooky,

MMRM: "Casting the Runes" by M.R. James- A Book Blogger's Nightmare

'Tis the season for the unearthly, the undead, and the downright macabre. Not everyone can read an entire book in time for Halloween- some of us are too busy with other books, or even other things (gasp). For those poor souls, I offer these reviews: I will be writing my thoughts on some of my favorite short stories for this spooky season, either one at a time or in pairs.

This Year's Mini Macabre Review Mondays:
#9: "The Alchemist" and "The Beast in the Cave" by H.P. Lovecraft
#10: "Canon Alberic's Scrap-book" and "The Mezzotint" by M.R. James

"Casting the Runes" by M.R. James

Available to read for free, online here.

Rating: 4 Stars (Excellent)
Content: Ages 12+ for violations in author-reviewer boundaries
Page Count: Approximately 16 pages
Year Published: 1911

I think this story does just perfectly on its own, which is why I'm chose this one for a singular review. One of the pitfalls of being a book blogger is that you sometimes come across a book you can't like- and sometimes you then write a review to purge your feelings about the offending book. Most of the time, these reviews pass unacknowledged by the author of said book, which is the way it should be. Most authors have plenty of positive reviews to fall back on. But imagine, for a moment, if you happened to review a book by an author who wasn't quite so forgiving.

That is the case with this story- a man believes an author has it out for him because he doesn't like his book. A series of weird happenings lead him to believe he's being targeted by someone, though he isn't sure who until clues are left for him in plain sight.

The Plot: Strange events lead a man to believe he will die if he doesn't outsmart his alleged killer.

'There is just one that has been taking shape vaguely in my mind. I've been told that your brother reviewed a book very severely not long before he died, and just lately I have happened to cross the path of the man who wrote that book in a way he would resent.'

            ~"Casting the Runes" by M.R. James

"Casting the Runes" is a cautionary tale about the perils of dabbling with things beyond your ken. Though it starts slow, I didn't find myself apathetic to the events of the tale, which sometimes happens when a book verges on the supernatural side of things. This is a nice short read for those of us who need a slight, scary respite from larger, more intimidating tomes.

Keep it spooky,

MMRM: "The Alchemist" and "The Beast in the Cave" by H.P. Lovecraft

'Tis the season for the unearthly, the undead, and the downright macabre. Not everyone can read an entire book in time for Halloween- some of us are too busy with other books, or even other things (gasp). For those poor souls, I offer these reviews: I will be writing my thoughts on some of my favorite short stories for this spooky season, either one at a time or in pairs.

This is the third year of Mini Macabre Review Monday. Long live creepy short stories!

Previous Mini Macabre Review Mondays:
#1: "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
#2: "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
#3: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "The Fall of the House of Usher"

#4: "The Birds" and "The Oval Portrait"

#5: "The Wendigo" by Algernon Blackwood
#6: "The Bodysnatcher" and "A Terribly Strange Bed"

#7: "The Haunted House: A True Ghost Story" by Walter Hubbell
#8: "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" and "Miriam"

"The Alchemist" by H.P. Lovecraft

Available to read for free, online here.

Rating: 3 Stars (Good)
Content: Ages 14+ for violence and a bit of excess description
Page Count: Approximately 6 pages
Year Published/Finished: 1908 (according to Wikipedia, Lovecraft was 17 or 18 years old)

I would say this story was greatly influenced by The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe, as when I was reading the first pages, I was a bit scared it would be almost identical to it. The main character, Count Antoine de C-, is of noble descent (obviously), and lives in a crumbling castle, a block of which killed his father. Where it deviates, though, makes it worth a read- the curse was cast centuries ago by the son of a wizard.

The Plot: A young man seeks to break the curse put on his family that causes every heir to die on their 32nd birthday.

While this delves into my preference for atmospheric reads with effusive description of the castle ruins, I found myself a bit put off by it. H.P. Lovecraft can write well- however, there is a point at which your mind wants a break from such inactive scenes.

"The Alchemist" is a good read, with a great scare factor. And yet, I also found my mind wandering the depths of its own thoughts rather than those offered by the protagonist. This might interest those who are fans of "The Fall of the House of Usher".

"The Beast in the Cave" by H.P. Lovecraft

Available to read for free, online here.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Great)
Content: 12+ for brief violence and mild horror elements
Page Count: Approximately 3 pages
Year Finished/Published: 1905 (Lovecraft was 14 years old)

I was a bit disoriented by the start of this tale, but quickly caught on to the drift of things- I have a collected works of H.P. Lovecraft book that has proven interesting, despite some of the stories simply being long swathes of description. Luckily, this one has less description than that of "The Alchemist", leading it to be easier to read.

The Plot: A man is separated from his guide and gets lost in a cave... where he believes he isn't alone.

To me, this almost reminds me of some elements of The Fellowship of the Ring, which perhaps raised my rating a little higher than usual. I know I've read a story similar to this one, but I can't quite recall which one it was (dastardly side effect of being a prolific reader with a short term memory). Adding to the suspense of this story is the fact that the main character has no torch to see with, and he is reliant on his ears to sense his surroundings.

"The Beast in the Cave" is far more spooky than Lovecraft's previous tale, despite being written earlier. While it does bear some resemblance to other scary stories I've read, I frankly did not expect this tale to end the way it did.

Keep it spooky,

"Tuf Voyaging" by George R.R. Martin

A Sci-Fi Summer Reading Challenge Pick

This isn't your average novel and not only because it isn't written by your average novelist- Tuf Voyaging is a series of long short stories involving the same character as the hero, told in sequential order. I'm usually not the first reader on board with seemingly endless space adventures (especially if they don't seem to have a point to them), but with Tuf's travels, there are some common themes that do give this book a sort of elegance as well as an amiable conclusion. Though these are short stories, there are recurring characters other than Tuf and his feline faculty, so there is more to this book than simple space exploration and aid to troubled planets.

If you don't like cats, most of the fun of this book will be lost on you. There are many references to the various and sometimes mysterious ways that cats influence our lives. I think many people who have experience with the feline species will know what I'm talking about- cats may be lazy, playful, friendly, or standoffish, but they also have a part of their personality that is distinctly "cat", and Mr. Martin does a great job of embellishing that trait in this adventure.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'Now back in print after almost ten years, Tuf Voyaging is the story of quirky and endearing Haviland Tuf, an unlikely hero just trying to do right by the galaxy, one planet at a time.
'Haviland Tuf is an honest space-trader who likes cats. So how is it that, in competition with the worst villains the universe has to offer, he’s become the proud owner of a seedship, the last remnant of Earth’s legendary Ecological Engineering Corps? Never mind; just be thankful that the most powerful weapon in human space is in good hands—hands which now have the godlike ability to control the genetic material of thousands of outlandish creatures.
'Armed with this unique equipment, Tuf is set to tackle the problems that human settlers have created in colonizing far-flung worlds: hosts of hostile monsters, a population hooked on procreation, a dictator who unleashes plagues to get his own way . . . and in every case, the only thing that stands between the colonists and disaster is Tuf’s ingenuity—and his reputation as a man of integrity in a universe of rogues.'

I love that this novel brings the joy of the summer sci-fi movies into book form. Sure, there's not really any beautiful heroines or handsome heroes, but there is a lot of fun to be had in this book- something I wasn't quite expecting, given the author's penchant for darkness. You can find gray morality in this book, but you can also find subtle humor and dialogue that had me highlighting as if my fingers were dipped in yellow. The author's prose boasts the same witticisms that made Tyrion Lannister everyone's favorite Lannister- just directed more toward the niche audience of the cat lovers.

I have to admit one thing- Haviland Tuf is a great problem solver. Somehow, in this book, though, he seemed to be a bit too predictable with his problem solving, and I knew what changes he would bring about from the moment he's confronted with the problem. That's a good thing, because it shows Mr. Martin's characters do make a lot of sense in what actions they take, but it also means Tuf was a bit too transparent to the reader from the very beginning. Tuf is a vegetarian, a feline lover, and also incredibly logical- those traits factor into all his choices in the book. If I had been a bit more surprised by those choices, it would've been a better read for me.

A little political humor for your pre-election pleasure:

"The blame lies entirely with me, sir," Tuf said when it happened. "I failed to remember that you are by training a bureaucrat, and thus good for virtually nothing."

            ~Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin, page 353 Kindle edition

Tuf Voyaging proves that every cat has a "touch of psi" (George was haunting me as I read it- likely he knew what I was reading). It deserves ludicrous amounts of praise from me, given it put a smile on my face and kept me reading even as I navigated a tough day of dealing with my various medical conundrums. At the same time, it was a tad too predictable, because Tuf was true to his character to the point of certain choices becoming inevitable. If you want a sci-fi without too much darkness and with plenty of cats, I recommend Tuf Voyaging for your reading consideration.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars for an excellent sci-fi romp for the cat-savvy reader!

Age Advisory: Ages 16+ for lapses in freedoms, animal neglect/abuse, dangerous monsters who bring a touch of gore to this book, and even more dangerous sentient beings.

Page Count: 449 pages of feline fun

"Peasant Tales of Russia" by V.I. Nemirovitch-Dantchenko

Since this is a collection of short stories, I'll review each of these and then summarize my experience of the collection. I found this ebook on Amazon and picked it up (despite its poor rating) because the book I had been reading for #TTWIB May Russian book read wasn't grabbing my attention. Since I gathered this would be a shorter read with folk tales (something I generally enjoy), it didn't take much thought to switch what I was reading.

"The Deserted Mine"
The plot of this one is simple- miners are trapped with no apparent escape in a deep shaft that is filling with water. They look to a somewhat senile-seeming old man (who they all know has worked the tunnels for the longest) for a way out.

This story almost seems like a Russian addition to the Bible, for spoilery reasons that I cannot disclose. That said, religious imagery of the Christian variety is front and center for this story, and it kind of spoiled the end of it for me (and I'm a Christian, darn it!). There is a fine line between inspirational and oh my word- look, it's an INSPIRATIONAL story. Subtlety is not one of the virtues of this short tale, but I did enjoy the first part of it more than the other stories in this collection.

"Mahmoud's Family"
I'm not too up on my history, so all I can say of the plot for this one is it's set during a war between the Russians and the Ottomans (or so I'm led to believe). Russian soldiers find an escaped prisoner of war (Mahmoud), who they plan on taking back to the main encampment for safekeeping, though he begs them not to. The soldiers are forced between a choice of duty and common decency, which proves to be a difficult decision.

This story has the flavor of a fable about it- leaning less towards religion-y lesson and more towards morality tale. I think other than The Luck of Ivan the Forgetful, it's my favorite of the bunch because of its concise storyline. Although there was still plenty of description, this story was a lot faster paced than the others.

"A Misunderstanding"
The plot of this story isn't apparent until the end- Helene became a nun for what seemed like an altruistic reason, but something went terribly awry.

My main complaint with this story is that there's really not much buildup to the end- most of the story is just fluff about Helene's martyrdom and humility. The thing is, becoming a nun isn't something one should take lightly, as she seemed to. She resigned herself to it without a really good reason, though it's unclear what the timeframe was for her decision (I'm thinking it's set in the 1800s). Regardless, it was a choice that didn't make sense, but I'm sure it could've happened back in those days.

"The Luck of Ivan The Forgetful"
My favorite of the book, this story reads the most like a fairytale. Ivan the Forgetful escapes jail to stumble upon an orphaned girl in the forest. He tries his best to teach her right from wrong despite his seeming unsuitedness to parenthood. But will his luck run out?

There's lots of imagery and some minor anomalies in this story (I think it may be missing a page or a paragraph) but it captured my attention regardless. I think there's something more human about this story than the others, which may be why I like it so much. Ivan isn't a paragon, which many of the previous main characters appear to be. He's somewhat relatable, though the author tries to make him seem horrible by injecting out-of-character speech and deeds to impugn him. I guess in my eyes, the author didn't succeed in that.

I wish I could give Peasant Tales of Russia a higher rating, but there too are many issues that stick out for me to raise it. It may be an issue of translation or of time, but some of these tales which may have once been regarded as timeless seem to have lost some luster over the years. Nonetheless, I recommend it for those interested in Russian folk tales, as it is available in multiple formats online for free.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars for a good collection of folk tales that could use some edits.

Content: Ages 14+ for violence and death.

Page Count: 112 pages in my Kindle edition

"My Man Jeeves (Jeeves #1)" by P.G. Wodehouse

I wouldn't say I'm particularly enchanted by short stories, so in general, I avoid them. But in the case of Jeeves, I decided to try it anyhow- I had become familiarized with Jeeves during my childhood thanks to the website that had been AskJeeves.com (once they retired Jeeves, I never used their site again- who wants to use Ask.com? No one!). Although Jeeves isn't the main character of this novel- the story is told through Bertie Wooster's eyes- he is the reason you keep reading.

For your information, I love British humor. The more outrageous it is, the more I tend to love it. The reason why I disclose that is I think you need a love of that sort of humor to properly enjoy this book (and likely, this series). This is also a play on manners comedy, situational comedy- really every type of comedy, but it most certainly has a British slant to it.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'Who can forget our beloved gentleman's personal gentleman, Jeeves, who ever comes to the rescue when the hapless Bertie Wooster falls into trouble. My Man Jeeves is sure to please anyone with a taste for pithy buffoonery, idiotic misunderstandings, gaffes, and aristocratic slapstick.'

Another thing this book has in spades is slang- some of which I can't even decipher myself. It makes for fun and quirky reading. For example instead of b.s. or straight out bulls**t, it's b.-and-s. There are a thousand more examples, but the fun of it is in the discovery- just make sure you have internet access on hand when you read this.

But what really makes this book are the characters- Wooster and Jeeves are the central bromance, but every other sort of character you could imagine (or even beyond that) comes into contact with them. Without the strength of the characters, the comedy in this book would fall completely flat. Even with the wonderful wordplay, it would simply not be a five star read for me without them.

A favorite quote beginning to one of the funniest (for me) stories in the book, "Absent Treatment":

I want to tell you about dear old Bobbie Cardew. It's a most interesting story. I can't put in any literary style and all that; but I don't have to, don't you know, because it goes on its Moral Lesson. If you're a man you mustn't miss it because it'll be a warning to you; and if you're a woman you won't want to, because it's all about how a girl made a man feel pretty well fed up with things.

            ~My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse, 41% Kindle edition


My Man Jeeves is one of those books that best represents the human condition- in a wickedly humorous manner. With a cast of characters I simply adore, cutting dialogue that is right on target, and situational humor in the vein of too strange to be fiction, it isn't any wonder why I didn't hesitate to rate this five stars. I recommend My Man Jeeves for those who love British humor, un-monotonous writing, and life in general.

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars for an extraordinary collection of misadventures!

Content: Ages 14+ for satire that sometimes goes a little too far.

Page Count: 256 pages
FYI: You can get this online for free as a digital version, here.

MMRM: "The Haunted House: A True Ghost Story" by Walter Hubbell

'Tis the season for the unearthly, the undead, and the downright macabre. Not everyone can read an entire book in time for Halloween- some of us are too busy with other books, or even other things (gasp). For those poor souls, I offer these reviews: I will be writing my thoughts on some of my favorite short stories for this spooky season, either one at a time or in pairs.

This Year's MMRMs:
#5: "The Wendigo" by Algernon Blackwood
#6: "The Bodysnatcher" and "A Terribly Strange Bed"

Photo of The Haunted House from Shadow Hunters

"The Haunted House: A True Ghost Story" by Walter Hubbell

Available to read for free, online here.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Great)
Content: Ages 13+ for spooky elements
Page Count: Approximately 50 pages
Year Published: 1879

Walter Hubbell is no writer, and it shows in his excessive use of description at the beginning of the story. He writes in present tense, introducing all the main characters in the tale before continuing. What makes this Mini Macabre Review short story interesting is it is supposedly real- depending on your inclination, you may find it highly unlikely or bone chillingly true. I take every ghost story with lots of salt, but having my own experiences with unfathomable activity, I feel inclined to believe those who aren't out for riches or fame. Walter Hubbell seems to be somewhat trustworthy, though I'm sure he made a tidy sum out of selling this tale to a publisher.

The Plot: Unexplained activity besets a normally calm household.

One thing that does lend credibility to the story are the sheer amount of witnesses going through the home. People in that day and age didn't truly believe the tales they'd heard, until they'd seen the activity for themselves. It became a sort of tourist hub, though I'm unsure if the family who experienced the phenomena benefitted from that or not.

In the paranormal world, the phenomena experienced in Esther's household would likely not be called a haunting, but rather a poltergeist. Esther, the young lady the phenomena centers around, experiences people shying away from her as a result of her troubles. I suppose if she did this for attention, that may have backfired atrociously. I honestly doubt any older teenage girl would want the kind of attention this story would draw, especially when she lived during the age of insane asylums.

A slightly spoiler-ish quote that I can't resist adding:

All looked at the wall whence the sound of writing came, when to their great astonishment there was seen written, near the head of the bed, in large characters, these words: "Esther Cox, you are mine to kill."

         ~The Haunted House: A True Ghost Story by Walter Hubbell, page 25

The Haunted House is a classic ghost story, whether you believe it's true or not. The writing, while problematic at times, still conveys the necessary spookiness for this to be listed along with "The Wendigo" and other scary tales I've reviewed for this feature. If you crave a ghost story to read this Halloween, you may want to bookmark the link to the free, online version of this story to have on hand, just in case those trick-or-treaters you were expecting don't arrive.

For more information on this story, check out the Wikipedia page for The Great Amherst Mystery.

Mini Macabre Review Monday Link-up (For Those Who Wish to Participate in this Feature)

"The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold" by Francesca Lia Block

These are fairy tale retellings set in the modern world, written in almost a poetry-like style. I remember reading these as a teen and being weirded out- but somehow I still rated it 3 Stars on Goodreads. As I reread, I was beginning to fear I'd made a terrible mistake in my original rating, because the first few weren't my cup of coffee, but they greatly improved after such a bumbling start.

I'll be individually grading each and put the overall rating at the bottom- it's much easier to review each story by story instead of generalizing them together.

"Snow" (Snow White Retelling)
I really felt this added nothing new to the story of Snow (White)- a few details were different, and the dwarves were renamed and modernized, but it didn't impress me.
Story Rating: 2 Stars

"Tiny" (Thumbelina Retelling)
Umm... the hero of this one was a major pervert, if you ask me. I liked Thumbelina's (or Tiny's, as she's called) character more than in the original fairy tale, but my enjoyment of her was overshadowed by the creepy hero.
Spoiler (Highlight to View): The 'hero' watches Tiny's mother undress through a window, and is perturbed to feel someone watching him- Tiny. Of course, he can't see her and freaks out.
Story Rating: 2 Stars

"Glass" (Cinderella Retelling)
Although the author's poetic style really shows in this one, I have to say I wasn't a fan. Maybe if something more was done with the story I wouldn't be so critical, but there was also the issue with the characters. I didn't even like the portrayal of one of my favorite fairy tale princesses, Cinderella (she actually went unnamed in this one, as far as I can tell).
Story Rating: 2 Stars

"Charm" (Sleeping Beauty Retelling)
This was the first one that I enjoyed rereading, despite being the one with the most difficult content (drugs and sexual abuse). The author manages to put a fresh spin on the story and addresses the difficult issues without it seeming out of place. I think she has powerful imagery, and she made the story her own.
Story Rating: 3.5 Stars

"Wolf" (Little Red Riding Hood Retelling)
Easily the best story in the entire book, due in part to a more relatable style. The characters were also more vivid, taking the spotlight instead of hiding in the shadows. Another darker story with themes of sexual abuse, but done in a tasteful way.
Story Rating: 4.5 Stars

"Rose" (Snow White and Rose Red Retelling)
This is the story that focuses more on issues between sisters or friends without as much happily ever after as the other stories have. Even the most lasting friendships can be damaged by jealousy and realizing that the other might have a better life, and this addresses that issue.
Story Rating: 3.5 Stars

"Bones" (Bluebeard Retelling)
I actually hadn't heard of Bluebeard before, and found out it's a French fairy tale based on a real life story- this is probably one of the more frightening ones due to the original story. This one truly gives you chills- it would almost have been suitable for my Mini Macabre Review Monday feature I had in October. The ending is what makes it so exceptional, which is why I said "Wolf" was the best short story, overall.
Story Rating: 4.5 Stars

"Beast" (Beauty and the Beast Retelling)
This one I really liked, but I've also read so many Beauty and the Beast stories that it didn't bring much new to the table for me, which is reflected in the story rating. Although a lot of the story was too much like the original (and other retellings), I liked what the author did for the ending, almost making it darker.
Story Rating: 3.5 Stars

"Ice" (The Snow Queen Retelling)
I vaguely remember the fairy tale of the Snow Queen, but didn't enjoy this story as much as I presumed I would. Even with the vague outline of the original story in my head, "Ice" wasn't much different, although I did like the style in which it was told.
Story Rating: 3 Stars

Although this collection didn't have the best of starts, the six stories at the end bolstered the rating. I'm sure there are better fairy tale retellings out there, but what made this one different was the setting in the modern world, with modern evils. I recommend this to those looking for a modern take on fairy tales, if you're willing to suffer the huge margins in the paperback edition (see below).

Overall Rating: 3 of 5 Stars for a good collection of short stories that starts out 'meh'.

Content: Ages 16+ for f-bombs, sexual abuse, drug abuse, and violence.

Page Count: 227 pages in my edition, but more like 113 due to huge margins.