Strange Tales

Rudyard Kipling is probably best remembered as a jingoist, British supremicist, and writer of some particularly bad poetry. Without apologizing, for the above criticisms are pretty much accurate, I suggest that readers also discover that Kipling had some level of affection and understanding for those diverse individuals (yes, "natives") who made up the British Empire and that Kipling's prose was good. This collection of supernatural fare includes a few of Kipling's better short stories (at his best, he was a master), as well as some of more mixed quality. The dash of reverence with which he regards Indian folklore provides an intriguing atmosphere for the stories and offers a measure of balance for the air of British superiority which unfortunately pervades all but the best of Kipling's writing.