Quote:
Originally Posted by j. d. worthington  Thanks for that; reminded me of that series, which I'd been meaning to look into again (I've got a few, but hadn't kept up with, especially as several of the things they've put out I already had). Several in there now that I don't have in any form (or only a few scattered stories, such as those by A.C. and R.H. Benson -- E.F. is another matter.....) But why "The Loved Dead" as a title piece? Hardly among the best of Lovecraft's revisions (though quite enjoyable... very tongue-in-cheek....) |
The Temple of Death isn't a bad collection, though I find the moralistic tone of some of the stories a little irritating. Surprising scenes of brutality though, in all three brothers' works, and some wonderfully dark and tortured characters. Some others I've enjoyed:
The Beetle by Richard Marsh, a novel at one time as popular as Dracul
a, an odd and anachronistic tale involving a threat from Ancient Egypt that is never quite known or perhaps unknowable, and a cast of characters as grotesque in their own way as the thing they seek to combat. Sweeney Todd (the original
penny dreadful) is a helluva fun book, much better written than one might assume, though a little uneven in places--unsurprising given its multiple authors.
Kwaidan and
In Ghostly Japan by Lafcadio Hearn: Hearn's style is subtle and without pomp; he delivers his horrors plainly and naturally. An unsettling experience. Then there are the names everyone knows: James, Stoker, Lovecraft, Le Fanu, etc, and some writers I've never read, namely Caldecott.