Collection of Original Vietnamese "Ghost" Stories
599600
The Frangipani Hotel is a collection of short ghost stories by Kupersmith, inspired by her Vietnamese-American heritage.  If the resulting stories depart from Vietnamese folklore, it is surely because Kupersmith is at least as much a product of America as Vietnam (and more individual than either American or Vietnamese).  And America takes a very big role in the stories.  Many take place in America (especially Houston).  Even the stories in Vietnam may feature an American.  The stories, then, are a product of a fusion of culture as well as lore.  They are also, as a well, strongly written.

I received a free copy of The Frangipani Hotel through NetGalley.
40144
HRW's second collection contain several stories that should be treated as classics of supernatural (or, as the modern terminology goes: strange tales) literature, as well as several stories that have got deservedly consigned to oblivion. The contents of this e-version of that book, available to us courtesy the Ash Tree Press, are:

* A highly informative as well as analytical Introduction from Barbara Roden.
1. Old Man's Beard: one of the finest and most terrifying stories of malevolent spectral manifestation, and HRW really surpasses himself in this story.
2. The Last to Leave: a rarity: benevolent ghost/ghostly affair from HRW's pen, written with sympathy & conviction.
3. The Cairn: a brilliant story that goes beyond the usual tropes and ends with lots of disquieting questions that keeps popping to the mind's surface.
4. Present At The End: another uncommon (from HRW's perspective) story where an avid follower of blood-sports becomes passionately converted to the opposite cause and gets his reward as his own ghosts stop bothering him at last.
5. `Look Up There!': an underrated and unappreciated jewel that is one of the best `haunting' stories that I have EVER read, and is one of the best stories of this book.
6. `Written in Our Flesh': a non-supernatural story with a protagonist whom every aspiring writer would be able to identify within themselves.
7. Blind Man's Buff: one of the all-time greatest ghost stories that have been ever written. Period.
8. A Coincidence at Hunton: a predictable story ending predictably, but HRW is at his nastiest & wittiest best in describing the characters, and somehow those descriptions leave a more indelible mark than the story.
9. Nurse's Tale: another very good story, and in his Jamesian-yet-not-quite-that way, HRW has produced one of his better works in this compact narrative.
10. The Dune: less of a ghost story, and more of a misogynist rant.
11. Unrehearsed: a chilling story of retribution.
12. A Jolly Surprise for Henri: another morbid & misogynist piece from HRW who seemed to have resorted to his reservoir of bitter thoughts to replenish the editorial requirements by this time.
13. The Red Hand: another non-supernatural and quite autobiographical piece, that is readable despite the associated bitterness.
14. Surprise Item: a competent story of amoral woman, immoral & murderous man, and vindictive ghosts, told as a report!
15. A Case of Mistaken Identity: a predictable story told competently, with the mounting tension and climax presented in a minimalist and yet effective way.

Overall, although this book pales somewhat in comparison with Wakefield's gold standard ("They Return at Evening"), it is, nevertheless, a very-very superior collection containing some of the best stories belonging to this genre. Highly Recommended.
2278125
This is an early review as I received an e-ARC for review purposes. I tend to like the genre, but I don't have a commercial relationship with the publisher. With this out of the way:

A new collection by Reggie Oliver is a treat for those who like their ghost stories well crafted and elegant yet menacing. Thanks to ebook editions, the man's previous books are now much more easily available, interested readers don't have to run down the original expensive and rare small press editions. For this new collection, the Tartarus hardback will likely be marvelously produced, and the ebook edition is very affordable, in reach of curious readers. Most of the stories were previously published in various anthologies. I barely read anthologies these days (I tend to skip too many stories in them), hence I was pleased to see the stories collected in this single author volume.
I am not going to give detailed descriptions of each story here. Really, it is much better to come cold to the stories. It is safe to say that if you like the classic ghost stories of M.R. James, then you will love this collection which offers a modern approach, and often a modern setting as well. Speaking of MRJ, one of the stories is in fact a kind of prequel to one of James's stories, but you can enjoy it without knowledge of the original story.
But don't expect tired MRJ pastiches. There may be a number of traditional ghostly scenarios, yet some others -such as the titles story Flowers of the Sea- are prime examples of the modern supernatural genre. Common with the classic grandmaster's work, the focus is not at all on gory details, rather on atmosphere, usually a mounting sense of dread.
A few observations:
- Some stories have that detective approach which works so well in the ghostly genre. Think about the story progress in the Ringu movie. Here also in a few stories the main character will gradually unravel an appalling mystery...
- When you read Reggie's collections, you're bound to find at least one story set in a theatre. That is no coincidence. The author is a playwright as well.
- Reggie has a fantastic command of older dialogue and prose style, something you will appreciate in all his collections. In this case the stand-out story is for me Lord of the Fleas, written as a series of letters and articles in wonderful period idiom ("he accepted my ministrations with a very ill grace", etc). Amusingly, this story has a few gentle echoes of Lovecraft's famous Charles Dexter Ward novella, and it even mentions the "essential saltes" - yet it is not a tired Lovecraftian pastiche at all.
The book has a perceptive introduction by Michael Dirda. I tend to skip introductions, this one was worth reading: how many small press authors dabbling in the ghostly genre get an introduction from a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist? The author also provided brief story notes at the end.
As a conclusion, if you have read Reggie Oliver before, then you probably bought the new collection without reading my humble little review. If the man's work is new to you, by all means give him a try. The ebook is affordable and any reader of supernatural tales will surely appreciate most of the stories. The BBC has regularly adapted a classic MRJ story for TV, for broadcasting around Christmas, it would be good to see them adapt Reggie Oliver next time around.
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REVIEWED: DEMONS
EDITED BY: John Skipp
PUBLISHED: September, 2011

L-O-V-E-D this anthology! IMMENSE collection of both classic literary tales and wild new fiction exploring the lore of Demons in culture. Violent, Funny, Provocative, this collection really has something for everybody. Of course, with so many stories and ideas, not all of them hit the mark, although that may be perceived as a matter of taste. I had read all the classics previously, but was nice to see them intermixed with the new fiction - including, "The Monkey's Paw," by W.W. Jacobs, "The Black Cat," by Edgar Allen Poe, and "The Howling Man," by Charles Beaumont. Some of my favorite new fiction included "Cherub," by Adam-Troy Castro, "Consuela Hates a Vacuum," by Cody Goodfellow, "Best Friends," by Robert R. McCammon, "Stupid Reason to Sell Your Soul," by Carlton Mellick III, and "Other People," by Neil Gaimon. My absolute favorite was "Mom" by Bentley Little! With 37 stories plus articles, this collection is a complete sampler of the theme of "Demons."
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* Entertaining stories with interesting illustrations and photos,
  * A few stories do not appear to be historically accurate.
  * Ideal for anyone planning a vacation in New England, or looking for some well-known ghosts to investigate.

This book includes some great stories of New England (USA) ghosts.

If you're looking for interesting folklore and some quirky personal investigations, this book is better than the average.  The stories can be chilling, and they're well told with interesting historical details and trivia.

Many of these tales were meticulously researched, with documents and photos to support them.  They're told in a conversational style, and the naturalness of that makes the stories even more eerie and disturbing.

However, other stories -- or aspects of them -- may be more folklore than fact.  That said, most of these stories have at least some foundation in truth, and they can be fascinating for ghost enthusiasts.

The author is well-known as a superb storyteller, and this book is among his best.  It's great book for a 'good scare' around Halloween.

In addition, if you're a ghost hunter (as I am), Cahill interviews people with powerful stories.  These are some excellent starting points if you'd like to research New England's classic ghost stories.
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This is the only anthology I have made a point of reading sequentially, since the stories are presented in chronological order. John Pelan's inspired selection criteria for this two volume set has resulted in a refreshingly eclectic mix of well-known and highly obscure authors and tales, since only the  "best" horror story of any given year is featured. I paid $75 for each book in 2012, and found the steep price tag to be perfectly reasonable considering the quality and content. Sadly, it is now out of print and no kindle versions exist. However, I have seen these books on sale for less than $50 used. These are among the few massive tomes I intend to lug around with me unto death.
930647
The short stories here are varied and well presented the etiquette of being a ghost is a highlight. Apocalypse 101 has a wonderful twist. I am sure you will enjoy these stories.
2975482
I really cannot find any stories in this collection that I did not like.  Each story is unique and enjoyable.

In this collection, you'll find tragic stories of spirits seeking to bring justice to their killers as well as malevolent ghosts who simply seek to attack or torment the living.  Not all stories end well for the storytellers though.

You won't find gory or raunchy stories in here that you find in alot of current horror writing and that is just another reason why this is a fresh of breath air.  So much horror today seems to try and shock you with the obscene more than they try to scare you with the truly supernatural.
4911462
I liked reading the Vietnam Poems.  They are very well done.
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The ghost stories in this collection are spooky indeed! This book is a fast read, with great illustrations and stories! My favorite story was, 'At the Sign of the Sir Charles', which has a trick ending!
Some of the stories are scary, some eerie, and some of them made me laugh. This book would be great to take camping -- the stories are perfect for reading around a campfire.
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A collection of nineteen occult stories by famous authors (Kipling, Hawthorne, Doyle, Saki) arranged into four categories (Secret Societies and Cults, Witchcraft and Magic, Spiritualism, Prophecy).  While the stories are generally of high quality, some may-- inevitably-- already be familiar to readers of classic horror (James' "Casting the Runes"), some are a bit dated, and a few don't represent the best works of their authors (O'Henry's "Pheobe").  The arranging of the stories into the four categories is a bit awkward, also.  Worth a look for those interested in early horror.
2158284
I like to refer to this book as the complete Hans Holzer because it appears to be compilation of his books mostly from the 60's and 70's, but the stories are still fascinating to read. If you want scary ghost stories, try something in the Michael Norman series, but if you want to read about actual investigations of hauntings, I highly recommend this book. A HUGE book with over 750 pages printed on high quality paper and lots of photographs, there is enough material here for at least three books!
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A fine collection of both fiction and non-fiction short stories for the lover of the paranormal genre.

This reviewer personally enjoyed the fiction stories better however remember when reading the stories that sometimes "the truth" is stranger than fiction.

If you enjoy the paranormal genre or just want to read a couple of scary stories, then go ahead and grab this book. Place it on your nightstand and read a story or two before you go to bed. Just make sure you leave the video recorder on in your room to record any visitors that come to see you middle of the night!

This reviewer rates this book 4.1 stars (rounded to 4 stars). A 4.0 rating from this reviewer classifies Creepy Book 2 as a "Quality Read".

Anthony Wessel
Founder of DigitalBookToday.com
Founder of The Top 100 Free Kindle Book List (updated daily)
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This is a collection of 10 short paranormal stories, in which a character is visited, or is the visitor, in each story.
This is a great collection of short stories. The paranormal elements are not graphic, gore filled hauntings, but more gentle visitations that leave you hoping that such do happen.
If you like your fiction with a paranormal twist then try these stories. They are well written, with no repetition of type of visitation. They are tales written by an author with a fantastic imagination.
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I enjoyed most of the stories in this book. I found them engaging to read.  I was pleased by the way you could be pulled into the stories and they reminded me of the ghost stories I read when I was younger. I do have a couple stories in this book that I would like my daughter to read.  The book could appeal to anyone over the age of 12. I say that because anyone younger would not appreciate the locations or situations in most of the stories. For a nice Halloween read, this is it.
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DC Comics "Showcase Presents" series reproduces many of their older comics from the 1950s-1970s in large, black-and-white digests.  Its a way to introduce older series in an economical format to a new generation of readers.  While many of the series focus on DCs most iconic superheroes, like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, several volumes focus on more obscure series that influenced modern comics writers like Neil Gaiman and Bill Willingham.

Today, I want to look at one of these lesser-known series, "Ghosts", an anthology of tales of hauntings and paranormal sightings.  The first volume contains the first eighteen issues, which ran from 1971-1973.  Some of the stories are instantly familiar: ghostly brides, phantom hitchhikers, and other figures straight from folklore and urban legends.  Each tale tends to be quite short  only six to ten pages each  which makes it easy to breeze through a half dozen or more in a single sitting.  Whether you want to hear stories of exotic curses, ghost ships, bodies hidden in secret passages or spectral protectors of soldiers  well, theres a ghost story in here somewhere thats sure to please.

The stories in "Ghosts" have a very timeless appeal. They follow the format of campfire tales and classic ghost stories, so they resonate with something very primal and essential to the human love of storytelling.  But that isn't to say they always age well.  Each comic challenges readers to read true tales of the weird and supernatural, and then asks at the end of every issue a question along the lines of Now do you believe in GHOSTS?  Ive no doubt that this was campy then, and it continues to be so now.  One story in particular strikes of an imagination sparked by Cold War fears: after Rasputin was murdered, his eyes were given to a blind girl, through the power of her gaze the Russian leader is slain.  (True tales, indeed?)

The reproductions of the original comics look great.  Although black and white, which some readers may find disappointing, the panels are very clear and really showcase the talent of the artists.  If you're a fan of old comics from this era, its a great way to check out some of DCs more unusual stories without spending a lot of money or hunting down individual issues.
1344414
This is a quite interesting collection of tales spanning everything from witches to demons, serial killers and mutants. I have to say that variety is this collection's strength, you are bound to dislike some of the stories but it's also certain hat you will find at least ten or twenty stories you will fall in love with. They are all very short pieces, which can easily be read in five minutes, just perfect for a brief scare before you go to bed :). Oh and before I forget to mention it, the cover art and the choice of story distribution, fonts and what not, (the little details) make this stand out as a very, very nice anthology.