Saturday, December 25, 2010

Horrific Fables, book review

I recently purchased this book off the internet and thought it was worth a brief review here.  Horrific Fables, edited by Thomas Huff, contains a selection of dark short stories from authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and Jack London (just to name a few). Included is the classic The Monkey's Paw, by W.W. Jacobs, an adaption of which was famously included in the original Tales from the Crypt movie and also parodied in The Simpsons.


Also included in the book are two short stories authored by the editor.

With the exception of the stories written by Mr. Huff, all of the other stories are in the public domain. But if you are like me, you don't have the time to search around Project Gutenberg for stories that are worth reading. Huff has separated the wheat from the chaff for us and has published stories that are entertaining and disturbing.

I really enjoyed The Ash-Tree by M.R. James and The Horla by Guy de Maupassant, as both stories touched on themes regarding witchcraft and sleep paralysis that occur in my non-fiction book on the Salem witch trialsJustice at Salem.

Huff's book is perfect for anyone who loves classic horror stories from the 19th or early 20th century. It would also make a perfect gift for someone, especially around Halloween.

You are not likely to find Horrific Fables in many bookstores, but it is easy enough to purchase from Amazon.com or, if you don't mind setting up an account at a different site, it is available at a slight discount from the publisher.