Did I mention it was signed? Although Joe Hill is an accomplished horror novelist, not everything in here will give you the willies. There are some great ones in here that I really enjoyed. It is a sad, coming of age tale about two friends who experience profound loss - did I mention one of them is an inflatable human? I need to process a story after I finish one and then refocus on another. I should probably adapt this strategy in the future.
These stories have got to be the best in any collection I have ever read. Hill's imagination is a wild ride I would stand in line for all day.
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I can't get enough from this man! Spooky, scary, frightening and just down right crazy I love it all. View all 3 comments. Aug 16, Peggy rated it it was amazing. Football has returned to the airwaves. Still, I really do like the idea of Fall, though, and if I have to make my own chill, well, then, so be it. The best way I know of to bring a chill to the air is to break out the scary stories.
Luckily for us, one of the finest collections of contemporary horro I love Fall. Luckily for us, one of the finest collections of contemporary horror stories has just been released in the US. It was a terrific book: But you might not know that way back in a British publisher called PS Publishing took note of a spate of award-winning stories by a new American author and collected them all together into a book called 20th Century Ghosts. The book garnered many award mentions and landed on numerous best-of lists, but it was only available in Britain. Lucky for us, an American version is finally available, just in time to add some spice to our Fall.
As a bonus, because we had to wait so long, we get an extra story not included in the British edition. Take that, greedy Brits! Joe Hill is a mighty-fine writer, and this collection really showcases his talent. Are you looking for a sweet and subtle ghost story with some cogent points to make about aging and regret? But wait a minute. You need a harsh story. A story that actually uses your knowledge of horror conventions to build its atmosphere.
The stories differ in tone but share a style and subtlety and emotional impact — Hill weaves a web of such dark beauty that you long to be ensnared. May 31, Chris rated it it was amazing. What better word to start this review? Joe Hill has a true gift for the short story. All short story collections are somewhat hit and miss with me. Some stories are great, some good, some okay, and some meh. That's pretty much the standard with even my favorite short story authors: But I'm definitely putting Joe Hill on that list now.
His stories vary as well between excellent and meh, but even the "meh" category stories are written with his sub Wow.
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His stories vary as well between excellent and meh, but even the "meh" category stories are written with his subtle flare. It cannot be denied that his stories flow smoothly, and this goes for the best as well as the worst of the lot. There really aren't any bad stories in this group. Some are better than others, and a few left me unsatisfied. But even those were engaging. Even the two page "Dead-Wood" was beautifully crafted and left me feeling like I had gained something. And the best of the lot? Those were solidly awesome.
Often when I read a collection, certain stories make me wonder if I've wasted my time. In fact, it made me want more. Luckily, Joe's new novel is due out tomorrow. View all 8 comments. Jun 13, Tim rated it did not like it. The title seems false and the stories are lame. Fans of literary horror. I first heard of Joe Hill after winning a bundle of used hardcovers on Ebay. Among the books in the lot were several King, some limited edition Laymon, a Straub or two, and two first editions by an author of which I had never heard.
Heart Shaped Box and 20th Century Ghosts were in fantastic condition, and seemed to have never been read. I threw these two books on my shelf and forgot all about them. The premise piqued my interest, so I first heard of Joe Hill after winning a bundle of used hardcovers on Ebay. The premise piqued my interest, so I bought the hardcover, devoured it over the course of three days, and then went to place the book on my shelf in alphabetic order by author. Low and behold, I laid eyes on two other books by the same writer, the aforementioned ones I'd won in the bundle, which I had forgotten all about.
Still, I hadn't read 20th Century Ghosts. You may be asking yourself why, and the answer is one that all book collectors can sympathize with: I wouldn't crack that book open if you put a gun to my head. But I had to read it, of course I did, so I bought the ebook and added the audio book as a companion purchase.
The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories
And let me tell you, the audio book is the way to go. Notes on the Audible Edition: David Ledoux has a unique narrative voice. Every story herein is worth a read, but David's narration gives them that little something extra that just makes 'em pop. On the down side, the music, while thoroughly creepy, was produced at an entirely different volume than the spoken word.
I had to turn down my device every time a story ended for fear of rupturing my ear drums when the musical intro for the next story began. Other than that, I recommend the Audible version. Now, I will not be reviewing each and every story because they're all above average. I will warn that some of these tales have no ending. They are not open endings, or bad ending, but the stories of which I speak are completely devoid of any closing scene.
A perfect example of this is the opener, "Best New Horror", which is also one of the best stories in the collection. My absolute favorite story in the collection is "Pop Art", and that's because of the sheer originality of the tale. Even giving you a brief, vague synopsis would ruin the experience, so I will move on. Other notable tales are "20th Century Ghost", "The Black Phone", "The Cape" which has one of the best endings I've ever read where short stories are concerned , and the uber imaginative "Voluntary Committal".
The only story I disliked was "Abraham's Boys". Hill tried too damn hard to breathe new life into overused, out-of-date characters, and it resulted in the book's only failure. That one story slowed the book down and gummed up the collection's works so badly I was compelled to knock off a full star from the overall rating. Yes, it was that bad. If I had to rate "Abraham's Boys" on its own, I would give it two stars. Everything else gets fours and fives. You should know that these are not short stories; not technically anyway. Hill suffers the same what-ails-him as his father.
Neither man seems to grasp the concept of "short", but they write so damn well that you barely notice that their outings are more along the line of novelettes and novellas than they are short stories. A terrific collection of longer short stories, and far more literary in scope than your average horror anthology. A Note to Completionists: Hill hides a short story in the afterward, so make sure you don't skip the acknowledgment section.
Dec 10, Amar rated it it was amazing Shelves: Zanimljiva ideja , ali mi nije sjela nakon Pop Arta. E pa nek stoji 4,5 onda. Mladi Eric pada sa drveta nakon igranja. Veoma zanimljiva ideja koju bi mogao zamisliti kao jedan film. Mogu li se mrtva drva vratiti kao zli duhovi? I Jack je mora odma staviti preko lica , jer Joe Hill u najboljoj formi. Mada , ne pada mi napamet ovom biseru od knjige dati ocjenu manju od petice. Cjelokupno gledano , ovo je masterpiece. Aug 17, Jim rated it it was amazing. In this case, the apple fell very near indeed, but it got on the ground, grew its own roots and now it stands a proud tree.
As you can imagine that is quite an achievement, when the tree that you fell from is named Stephen King.
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Before I write my thoughts on this book, I need to tell some very important things. First that not all the stories on this collection, are horror stories. Sure if you must put it in only one category, that would be the one, but I find that unfair. Horror stories make you scared and give you a sense of fear. Those are by far not the only feelings you will get while reading this book. Secondly, here we have a collection of short stories, so they have the pros and cons of short stories.
If you are not a fan, it would be better for you to let this one go. I had to choose only three stories to talk about, I would love to share my thoughts of all of them, but it would become quite a big review, not that is a short one now or that someone actually gives a damn about my thoughts.
A horror magazine publisher reads for a first time in many years an original story. His search finally pays off Everything is too darn predictable. We know what is going to happen before it does. Imagine how good someone must be to turn this problem into their own favor. Joe Hill is that good. You know that you are alone, you know that the sounds you hear are coming from the wind. Right after I finish reading Pop Art I closed the book.
It took me 5 minutes to do something else, to think anything else. Hill 25 pages to make go from that to what I previously described. This story is a punch right in the heart. The last story in this book and what a way to end it. We learn what we learn from Nolan the narrator who shortly after his younger brother Morris went missing, got some forgotten memories back.
Memories about Eddie, his childhood friend who was last seen back in It was very hard to choose those three stories so here are the ratings for the rest. View all 7 comments. Fans of short stories, coming of age tales, and horror stories. I thought they both started very strong and then fizzled about half-way through. Maybe Hill is better writing in the short form?
The theme running most of these stories are kids coming of age through unexplained events and phenomenon that will stay with them forever, even as they get older. There's a romantic, nostalgic quality to the writing that really resonates throughout, and Hill is really gifted at capturing the voice of a young boy.
Horace Walpole (1717-1797)
The title story, "20th Century Ghost," is one of the best short stories I've read. It really touched me and sets the standard for the whole collection. I decided to try my hand at audiobooks for the first time to help me through long commutes, and I thought re-reading this collection would be a great way to start.
The reader was engaging and was great at voicing the kids. Dec 18, Percy rated it it was amazing. I think I can confidently say that this is the best collection of horror stories I've ever read. There were a few weak stories in the bunch, but the good ones more than made up for it. Not all of them were frightening. Some were humorous, others heart-warming. The mix of stories was a pleasant surprise.
20th Century Ghosts
I especially enjoyed the bit detailing the connection between ghost stories and social issues. Favorites and my recommendations for those who dislike reading anthologies straight through: Jun 01, Jenny Donovan rated it really liked it. This book was a culmination of many interesting ghost stories wrong throughout the twentieth century, including one by F. I thoroughly enjoyed reading each story and seeing how the style of writing changed over the course of the century. Sep 02, Adam rated it really liked it. Its a mixed bag, like anything like this will be, but some brilliant stories in this book: Oct 22, Jenny rated it really liked it Shelves: I was pretty iffy about this book.
I haven't had the best track record with ghost stories. But this one was really good. I couldn't believe it. Jul 07, Olivia rated it really liked it. A great mix of short stories, from your scary stories to the more unconventional so didn't seem like your stereotypical ghost story book, still not to be read before bed though!
K Basu rated it it was amazing Sep 06, Geraldine O'Hagan rated it really liked it Nov 10, Karl Hickey rated it it was ok Jan 02, Chris rated it really liked it Feb 12, Thomas Miller rated it it was amazing Jun 07, Nadine rated it really liked it Jun 17, Charlotte rated it liked it Jun 17, Eva Szosz rated it it was amazing Mar 02, Mattie rated it it was amazing Jun 27, Leigh rated it really liked it May 22, Brandon rated it did not like it Oct 01, Peter rated it it was amazing May 14, Lance rated it it was amazing May 12, Donal Mosher rated it it was amazing Jan 21, Suzanne rated it really liked it Feb 15, Adam Hughes rated it really liked it Jan 13, Ray rated it liked it Apr 20, Lango rated it really liked it Dec 24, There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Michael Andrew Cox was an English biographer, novelist and musician. Books by Michael Cox. The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow This pre-Victorian New World and decidedly un-Gothic ghost story is one of the first pieces of American fiction to achieve lasting popularity.
Although Poe was a prolific and innovative writer of Gothic horror—and, arguably, the inventor of the detective-story genre—very few of his works can properly be called ghost stories. Two that more or less fit the bill are:. The Masque of the Red Death in which a demonic presence appears to revelers at a costume ball, and,. The Tell-Tale Heart in which a psychotic murderer is driven to confess his crime by the incessant phantom heartbeats of his victim.
But he also wrote a number of other stories with a supernatural theme, of which The Signal-Man is one of the most well regarded. It features a demonic monkey that torments a country vicar. An Irish writer, Le Fanu is credited as the main founder of the Victorian ghost story genre. The Body Snatcher A haunted house story by the author of Dracula. But The Turn of the Screw may be the most important ghost story of all time.
This ghost story by science-fiction pioneer H. Wells starts out humorously and light-heartedly—then it takes a sudden turn toward darkness.