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Short stories 291-300

I have fallen way behind with my reporting of the short story challenge because I keep finding more interesting subjects to post about, but here is one more report:

  • “The Ghost of a Hand” by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. About a ghost that only shows its hand. 
  • “The Sweeper” by A.M. Burrage. The tale of a woman haunted by an event from her past.
This ends October.

  • “Couching at the Door” by D.K. (Dorothy Kathleen) Broster. About the dangers of dabbling in the dark arts. Highly recommended.
  • “The Familiar” by Sheridan Le Fanu. About a man haunted by a demon from his past. Very boring.
  • “Full Fathom Five” by Alexander Woollcott. A very short tale that sounds like a “true” ghost story.
  • “The Millvale Apparition” by Louis Adamic. About a painter working in a church who encounters an apparition/ghost.

We now come to Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories, a collection of ghost stories chosen by Dahl, who, I think everyone who has read his books will agree, knew his stuff when it came to chilling tales. I found it hard to restrain myself not to finish the book, but I have a specific theme for November (which I will reveal the next time I post about this challenge) so I decided to save those of the rest that don’t fit that theme for later. Maybe I’ll read them to counterbalance the Christmas stories I plan to read in December.
  • “In the Tube” by E.F. Benson. A creepy tale about a ghost of the living and a ghost of the dead.
  • “Elias and the Draug” by Jonas Lie. A tale of a man who has a fateful encounter with a sea-ghost, modelled on the narrative techniques of folk-tales.
  • “Playmates” by A.M. Burrage. A well-plotted ‘gentle’ ghost story. Recommended.
  • “Ringing the Changes” by Robert Aickman. About a honeymoon couple who encounter a frightening old ritual when they visit a small town on the coast of England. The masterfully controlled mounting tension, the horrifying climax and the inevitable resolution make this a tale to be highly recommended.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
Hello! I just discovered your blog via the Top Ten Tuesday list, and saw this post about your short story project. What a great idea. Like you, I have several hefty short story anthologies lying around the house. My book club also does a "short story month" at least once a year (or twice when we do "ghost story month") and it is always one of our most popular meetings.
-Jay
December 01, 2010 2:49 am
Bibliophile said…
Thanks for commenting, Jay.
I have always liked reading short stories, but with such a huge TBR stack I have tended to overlook them. The challenge was a way for me to go back to that love and start reading them again.
December 01, 2010 1:18 pm
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