Customer Reviews

Twelve Gothic Tales (Oxford Twelve)

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This book is part of the excellent "Oxford Twelves" series that includes "Twelve Mystery Stories," "Twelve Victorian Ghost Stories" and a number of other collections of sensational fiction (I own all of them!). Most of the stories come from the Victorian and pre-WWII eras, although there are some exceptions. The series is also notable because the editors have made a special effort to find interesting stories by lesser known writers and the more obscure (but almost always entertaining) tales of the usual suspects such as Bram Stoker, Poe, J. Sheridan le Fanu, Conan Doyle and F. Marion Crawford. The collection under review is a great deal of fun despite the odd clunker and one or two of the stories is exceptional (Gerald Durrell, of all people, is represented by "The Entrance" which I regard as a small masterpiece). Those in search of more thorough coverage of the genre are referred to "The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales," edited by Chris Baldick.

Richard Dalby, a leading authority on the Gothic genre has compiled a collection of stories from the early nineteenth century to the twentieth. Some of which have never before been anthologized. Mary Shelley's The Dream, and The Dead Smile by Mary Crawford are among the best. A great collection of haunting and romantic stories.

Every tale in this book is wonderous and mysterious. The gothic is fantastic! I fell into it like it was swallowing me whole. I couldn't put it down even through my suspicions of someone watching me or the chill bumps that ran through my spine like water spilling and covering every inch of me. It was an awsome book and I recomand it very well to any person who loves these kind of stories.