In the Shadow of the Master

In the Shadow of the Master: Classic Tales by Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Michael Connelly, is more than simply a republishing of 13 of Poe's original tales. If that were all that was here there certainly wouldn't be much to comment on especially since virtually everything Poe ever published is available on the Internet.....for free in most cases. What is of value here are the short essays written by many of today's best authors of the horror/crime genre. Many of the essayists admit that they first really became interested in Poe in a variety of ways, some, for example, after watching one of Roger Corman's movies from the 60's. The movie The Pit and the Pendulum did it for me. I went to school the next week and checked out The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe from the school library and read it over the Christmas break. Two things happened as a result of that experience. One, I became a lifelong fan of Mr. Poe. The other was the realization that Hollywood could not improve on the written word. Later, when I started buying books, that same edition of The Complete Works was one of the first books I purchased. I still have it and I still read it from time to time. As I read the essays in the Shadow of the Master, I found that I also shared a fascination with Edgar Allan Poe with each of the writers. A sense of dread over takes the reader when you pick up a Poe story, but it's a dread that won't hurt you. Whether it's a crime story with world famous French detective Dupin or one of Poe's true horror classics like Tell-Tale Heart, we all share a love of the macabre that only Poe can dish up. In the Shadow of the Master is a fitting salute of Poe's 200th birthday. It is also reassuring that many of today's A list authors are willing to give Edgar Allan Poe his just recognition of having influenced them. All the essays are wonderful, but Michael Connelly, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Laura Lippman's are the best. This is a perfect book to read some cold winter evening when you can toss a throw over yourself and settle down to a truly frightening session with the master of the macabre. I highly recommend.

A brilliantly conceived homage to the master of the detective story: long may Poe and his admirers continue to bring delight to readers of all ages for all time.

Poe is the best. Horror writing doesn't get any better. I'm so excited to see all these writers who've carried Poe's vision into the 21st century honor him. Their essays are funny and interesting, and make a wonderful compliment to Poe's timeless, terrifying stories.

If you're a Poe fan at all, you owe it to yourself to check out this wonderful collection. To commemorate Poe's 200th birthday its a collection of some of his best stories and poems, with essays and commentary by a number of Edgar Award Winning mystery and horror authors. I picked it up thinking, well I'll just skip the essays and reread my favorite stories, but surprisingly, the essays were great. They were engaging, insightful and fun to read. You can see how your favorite modern thriller writers were influenced by Poe. Or, if so inclined, you can laugh at their shortcomings next to the undisputed master. A handful of the essays seem forced (the ones written in verse, and Sue Grafton who seems to be fishing for something good to say) but on the whole the essays are short and sweet (if you consider stories of childhood nighmares sweet). And the book has amazing illustrations; creepy black-and-white, stark, like Edward Gorey without the whimsy. And of course, there's Poe. The book includes a variety of his tales, William Wilson, Tell-Tale Heart, Cask of Amontillado, Masque of the Red Death, Murders in the Rue Morgue, and others, as well as "The Raven" and "The Bells". And as Poe is undeniably the master, these gems alone would be worth the price of the book.