Gives me goosebumps thinking about some of the stories in this collection. It is a feast for any fan of horror - forty-seven stories and six poems selected by Marvin Kaye Kaye saralee. The selections focus on psychological horror rather than blood and gore. As Kaye says in his introduction "Any story that gave me a chill seemed weary column present the appropriate credentials for membership in the club." These are not the most popular and horror stories that appear over and over in anthologies, some are not readily available elsewhere.
I have several favorites among them. "The Bottle Imp", an interesting twist to make a pact with the devil, was written in 1891 by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. Keawe, a native of Hawaii, buy a bottle of a strange old man who tells him the devil in the bottle is responsible for his wealth. The IMP also give Keawe what you want. Of course, there's a catch. If he dies with the bottle in his possession his soul burn in hell. It has to be sold for less than its purchase price and can not dispose of it or give it away. Stevenson throws some twists and turns in history and Keawe faces some terrible decisions.
"Dracula's Guest" was published posthumously after the death of Bram Stoker and was probably intended to be the first chapter of his novel "Dracula." The narrator is Jonathan Harker on his way to Transylvania in Walpurgis Night, the first of May, when witches and demons are ready. He ignores the warnings of superstitious driver leaves the safety of their hotel to walk alone in the woods, where it has an eerie feeling that is being observed. When he encounters an ancient tomb in the old cemetery realize how stupid you have been.
"The Flies" by Isaac Asimov, was first published in June 1953. It is a science fiction short story about a group of former students who gather at a meeting of twenty years after graduation. They discuss their achievements and tells them that Casey says research on insecticides. Ironically, the flies seem to bother him and nobody else.
British novelist Tanith Lee provides a different view of the Cinderella story. "When the clock strikes," its heroine becomes a witch who swears allegiance to Lord Satan.
Gary Philips
President, Quotable Quotes, Inc.
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