Best Ghost and Horror Stories (Dover Horror Classics)

While best known for literature's greatest, most popular, and most famous vampire novel, Dracula, Bram Stoker also wrote superlative short stories. Indeed, he was a genius at creating horror within the confines of a short tale. Now readers can sample Stoker's mastery in this treasury of fourteen spine-tingling stories. Not all the selections deal with the ghostly and supernatural, but they are always bizarre, and some—like "The Squaw" and "The Burial of the Rats"—are equal to Poe at his best. In addition to these two masterly tales, the collection includes "The Crystal Cup," "The Chain of Destiny," "The Castle of the King," "The Dualists" (probably Stoker's most horrifying story), "The Judge's House," "The Secret of the Growing Gold," "A Dream of Red Hands," "Crooken Sands," "Dracula's Guest," and three more. Lovers of occult and supernatural fiction will delight in this inexpensive collection of ghost and horror stories, called by Stephen King "absolutely champion short stories."

From Library Journal

The Dover volume collects 14 of Stoker's lesser-known horror stories such as "The Crystal Cup," "The Burial of the Rats," and "A Gipsey Prophecy." Though most of his other fiction has been overshadowed by Dracula, these offer some real chills and warrant reading. While editions of Dracula, which celebrated its centennial in 1997, are legion, Broadview's offers several extras, including a chronology of Stoker's life and appendixes on Transylvania, London, Mental Physiology, Reviews and Interviews, and more. That along with the full text make this one of the best editions available, especially at this remarkable price.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover

While best known for literature's greatest, most popular, and most famous vampire novel, Dracula, Bram Stoker also wrote superlative short stories. Indeed, he was a genius at creating horror within the confines of a short tale. Now readers can sample Stoker's mastery in this treasury of fourteen spine-tingling stories. Not all the selections deal with the ghostly and supernatural, but they are always bizarre, and some—like "The Squaw" and "The Burial of the Rats"—are equal to Poe at his best. In addition to these two masterly tales, the collection includes "The Crystal Cup," "The Chain of Destiny," "The Castle of the King," "The Dualists" (probably Stoker's most horrifying story), "The Judge's House," "The Secret of the Growing Gold," "A Dream of Red Hands," "Crooken Sands," "Dracula's Guest," and three more. Lovers of occult and supernatural fiction will delight in this inexpensive collection of ghost and horror stories, called by Stephen King "absolutely champion short stories." Original Dover (1997) compilation of 14 stories from various editions. Edited by Richard Dalby, Stefan Dziemianowicz, and S. T. Joshi. Introduction by Richard Dalby.

Reviews

News