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Gothic!: Ten Original Dark Tales

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I started reading this book on a train. When the train came to a stop I was right in the middle of one of the stories and ran through the dark parking lot to my car and sat there, freezing my tush off, to finish the tale (Vivian Vande Velde's!). Then I sped home, looking over my shoulder the entire time for fear there was someone in the back seat of my car breathing down my neck. I got home - sped inside - turned on all the lights and dove under a blanket on my couch to finish reading the whole book. It's that good!
Gothic! is a collection of fun, scary, sometimes hysterical and sometimes melancholy tales that puts you in the perfect mood for a dark and stormy night. Once you start reading one, you'll have to read them all...and be sure to read the intro by Deborah Noyes - it perfectly sets the tone for the entire collection. Don't miss it!

"Lungewater" is a classic gothic tale that evokes ghosts of the past to establish a terrifying atmosphere in the present.

The ambiance created in "Morgan Roehmar's Boys" is so well described that it pulls you right inside the barn (even if you've never been inside one in real life). A story that misleads you while sending shivers up your spine.

My favorite story is "Watch and Wake", for from the moment that Jim arrives in town a feeling that something is not right invades your every fiber; a feeling that doesn't abandon you even after the dreadful twist in the end.

Despite its extremely long title "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire" is excellent! In an exceptionally ironic manner it explains why anyone would read or write stories like the ones in this book...

"The Dead and the Moonstruck" is a marvel! With its dream sequences and mysterious, yet fascinating world, it does what a good story should: leaves you wanting for more.

The title alone is enough to crack you up: "Have no Fear, Crumpot is Here!" is a bizarre story that deals with bratty vampires, a peculiar hero and responsibility; it combines horror and humor in an extraordinary way.

"Stone Tower" wraps you instantly in the lines of its astonishing plot. The more you read the more questions and doubts will arise.

A bold story that, as you begin to read, you really don't know what to expect. "The Prank" is bizarre; however, it holds a sense of irony, wit and emotion.

While reading "Writing on the Wall" I couldn't help to think "Amytiville Horror" and even though it is about a haunted house, it is nothing alike. This story brings up horrifying images and a fantasmagorific sense of insecurity.

"Endings" is rather poetic and very short story that leaves you with a sense of honor and closure.

If you enjoy shivers, creepy plots, horror in general and have an open imagination, this book is for you.

What exactly is the difference between a gothic tale and a horror story? In Deborah Noyes's introduction to GOTHIC!: Ten Original Dark Tales, she explains: "It's probably more accurate to think of gothic as a room within the larger house of horror. Its decor is distinctive. It insists on burden of the past. It also gleefully turns our ideas of good and evil on end."

GOTHIC! contains more than a collection of the classic gothic tale, however. Although some stories maintain the classic gothic story, we also find more contemporary tales that are both dark and sometimes even humorous. The cast of authors includes: Joan Aiken, Vivian Vande Velde, M.T. Anderson, Neil Gaiman, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Barry Yourgrau, Janni Lee Simmer, Gregory Maguire, Celia Rees, and Garth Nix.

There are several stories that stand out in this dark collection. Among them are Neil Gaiman's "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire." Gaiman is well known for his eerie graphic novels, and most recently the children's book CORALINE. As a fan of the gothic structure, Gaiman tips his hat to the traditional tale and leaves the reader questioning.

Also of note is Barry Yourgrau's "Have No Fear, Crumpot is Here!" which masterfully mixes humor and horror. The main character of the tale is a troublesome teen named Walter, who is to spend one week during the summer with his parents' friends. His parents, who are away on a business conference, want Walter to learn to "demonstrate responsibility." Walter is in an angsty world of his own where he has invented a ruthless alter ego named Crumpot. But not even Crumpot is prepared for what is in store!

Gregory Maguire's "The Prank" is another story that stands out from the pack. Maguire is widely known for his new renderings of the traditional fairy tales as he shows in his popular books WICKED and MIRROR MIRROR. Similar to Yourgrau's Walter character, Maguire introduces us to an equally angsty teen, Melanie, who has been sent away to live with her great aunt. Melanie has been in trouble at home and her smart alecky attitude is not getting her far with her great aunt. But even Melanie is shocked when she finds out the secret that is hiding in the attic...

GOTHIC!: Ten Original Dark Tales is a frightfully fun read for fans of horror movies and horror tales.

--- Reviewed by Kristi Olson (zooey24@yahoo.com)

Since this is an anthology, it's going to be short and sweet because I don't want to give too much away! Gothic! is a collection of ten short stories by known and not-so-known authors that have one thing in common: they know how to write a pretty eerie story. Now, mind you, gothic isn't necessarily scary like horror stories are. Gothic stories don't necessarily make you lose sleep, but you may keep a few lights on when you go to bed.


In this anthology, you really have to take the good with the bad. Some stories are spot-on, they story is well-written and fleshed out enough to be an understandable short story and also has those "creepy" moments I talked about before. Some stories sounded promising, but fell a little short. Then there was one or two that didn't have anything, except maybe good grammar. I have to say that Neil Gaiman's story, "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire" was as good as I expected it to be. Gaiman's an incredible writer and he delivered in this as well. I think the story I was most disappointed with was Gregory Maguire's "The Prank". It was definitely not the worst, but I'm a huge fan of his and I thought he could have done a little better.


Overall, I'd recommend this as a good book to curl up with on the couch under the soft light of a table lamp late at night. I'd say this is "Halloween-creepy" - based on horror, but a little too commercial and kiddy to be truly scary.

Truly enjoyed these shockingly repellent yet oddly inspiring tales. Quick question for anyone in the know. Is the editor of these stories related to Alfred Noyes, author of The Highwayman?

Just like the title suggests, all contributing authors to this anthology have weaved together gothic tales that range from eerie to humorous to -- unfortunately -- dull. An example of the latter is the very first story, Lungewater by Joan Aiken. The narrator is told a ghost story that ends up entwining with this one, but it is bland at best. Even the twist at the end seems more coincidental than clever.

Luckily, "Morgan Roehmar's Boys" by Vivian Vande Velde reprieves the previous story. It mixes together all the right elements to create an enjoyably spooky tale: a job at a haunted hayride, old serial murders, and, of course, a storm. The suspense steadily builds, making you invested in not only the story, but the main character, Ashley. While some may expect the twist at the end, I found it both shocking and satisfying enough to deem this one of the better stories in the anthology.

"Watch and Wake" by M.T. Anderson is the retelling of a story by Lucius Apuleius. When a young man named Jim stops in a small town during a trip to see his parents, he finds himself watching over the corpse of a woman's husband to keep witches from eating its face. The story feels very grounded and real despite the supernatural premise, the disturbing end sticking with you long after you've finished the story.

Another favorite in the anthology is Neil Gaiman's "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire." The title might be a mouthful, and it's a tad difficult to get into the story at first, but this clever tale becomes worthy enough for a re-read by the end. A writer finds himself struggling to write real literature instead of the fantasy work he's more drawn to -- except, the more you read, his concept of fantasy doesn't exactly match our own.

"The Dead and the Moonstruck" by Caitlin R. Kiernan was disappointing. It introduces an intriguing fantasy world where Starling Jane, a girl in training to become a changeling, fears she won't pass a crucial test during the Hunger Moon, but the plot meanders a bit, and the ending doesn't feel entirely earned.

"Have No Fear, Crumpot is Here!" by Barry Yourgrau is an amusing tale about Walter, a teenage boy who likes to make up goofy adventure stories about a character named -- you guessed it -- Crumpot. He ends up in a goofy adventure of his own when forced to babysit a boy who's also named Walter, but is not exactly what he appears to be. While not the best in the anthology, it is still an entertaining read with more of a focus on humor than the other stories.

Janni Lee Simner's story, "Stone Tower," is by far the best in the anthology. It has a fluid, fairy tale-like quality to it that keeps you engrossed in finding out who's the voice in Tara's head, as well as unraveling the mystery of what had happened before that voice muddled her mind and made her a prisoner.

"The Prank" by Gregory Maguire is told in the snarky first-person narrative of Melanie, a girl sent to her aunt's after committing what's considered a hate crime, even though she just views it as a prank. It soon becomes apparent, though that her aunt has her own secrets to hide. While the voice and suspense made this a page-turner, Melanie was a difficult character to like, and the twist needed more explanation.

Celia Rees's "Writing on the Wall" is a typical haunted house tale. However, it's easy to follow despite the mutliple points of view, and the relaxed way the story introduces the more supernatural elements makes it a suspenseful enough read to keep you intrigued until the very end.

"Endings" by Garth Nix is the perfect concluding story for this anthology. It's the shortest of the bunch, told from the perspective of a vampire, but effective in conveying its message in an almost poetic way.

Overall, while Gothic! has its share of tales worth skimming or skipping, there are still many in the anthology that are a joy to read, so fans of supernatural short stories should still check it out, although be wary of purchasing a copy for themselves firsthand before they do.

I didn't like most of the stories...They bored me after the first few pages so I skipped them.

I liked 2 out of the 10 and could only stand to completely read 4 of them. If you're going to get this book, go to the library. It isn't worth your money...at least not to me. It wasn't scary or funny, it was weird (which I enjoy but not this time). Most of the stories went around in circles without ever really explaining the point or main idea.

This wasn't a hard read besides the dullness but it did't add up to my expectations. I don't think I set them too high but the summary on the back made the book seem more interesting than it actually was.

I let my friend borrow it and she didn't get past the first few pages beacause she didn't enjoy it (and she thought she would).

Maybe you'll enjoy this book, but I sure didn't.

There were a few actual good tales in this book and there were some that just made me bored out of my mind!

Lungewater: This tale amazed me!

Morgan Roehmar's Boys: A very good horror tale, scared the wits out of me!

Watch and Wake: The beginning of this tale was boring, however towards the middle and ending of the story, it turned out great.

Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire: I admit, I love the title of the tale, but the tale itself was boring and I couldn't understand what was happening during it. The only thing I could comprehend was an author trying to write a story.

The Dead and The Moonstruck: Personally to me, it sounded like a dysfunctional Harry Potter story, which means it wasn't good at all.

Have No Fear, Crumpot is Here!: I loved this tale! This tale was absolutely adorable.

Stone Tower: This tale is my favorite one of them all.

The Prank: This tale was ok.

Writing on the Wall: I thought this tale was going to be another good horror one like the second tale, but it wasn't great at all, it seemed so typical to me.

Endings: This very short tale was actually really good.

Goosebumps are for kids, Gothic is for those who welcome the night with both open arms and opened imaginations. Come my children, what are you afraid of?

This book consists of 10 different gothic stories. The stories are really long and tend to be on the boring side. I stopped reading after I read the first 7 stories. There is really nothing to be excited about in this book, nothing to look forward to read. It was long and really bored me to death. The stories are usually the ones that I couldn't relate to. It didn't scare me or anything, it just wasted my time for a while and that's pretty much it. Maybe that's what gothic should be!