12 Tales of the Supernatural

Michael Cox can be counted on to collect stories with a good shiver in them. If you enjoy tales of the supernatural, be sure to check out two of his previous collections (with R.A. Gilbert): "The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories (1986)" and "Victorian Ghost Stories (1991)." Both are exceptional."Twelve Tales of the Supernatural" is shorter than the two previously mentioned anthologies, and the selections range from 1864 into the middle of the twentieth century. Cox has included one of E.F. Benson's most frightening stories (which is saying a great deal), plus a couple of classical haunted house stories, plus a few seldom-collected stories from otherwise well-known authors of the supernatural:"Wicked Captain Walshawe, of Wauling (1864)" by J.S. Le Fanu - A wicked husband steals his wife's corpse candle and is cursed by her Irish maid."A Terrible Vengeance (1889)" by Mrs. J.H. Riddell - tiny, wet footprints follow a man to the wedding altar and beyond. A long, seldom-collected tale of revenge from beyond the grave that is as populated with interesting (but irrelevant) minor characters as a Dickens novel."Number 13 (1904)" by M.R. James - A Danish hotel room vanishes in the morning and reappears at night, inhabited by one who had sold his soul to the devil."Railhead (1908)" by Perceval Landon - A plot to steal a construction crew's payroll is complicated by ghostly telegraph messages."The Toll-House (1909)" by W.W. Jacobs - Four friends on a walking-tour egg each other into spending the night in a haunted house. Short and savage. One of the best of the 'I bet you can't spend a night in there' sub-genre."The Face (1928)" by E.F. Benson - One of E.F. Benson's scariest, in spite of its bland title. In a recurrent nightmare, a woman sees a graveyard that is slowly eroding into the sea. Someone waits for her there."The Tool (1928)" by W.F. Harvey - A Methodist minister goes on a walking tour on the moors and somehow loses a day out of his life."'Look Up There' (1929)" by H. Russell Wakefield - A man joins a party on New Year's Eve to discover the curse that haunts his host's castle."The Last Bouquet (1933)" by Marjorie Bowen - Two very different twin sisters blight each other's life. One promises the other that she will know of her death. Abnormal psychology with a supernatural twist."In Due Course (1947)" by Sir Andrew Caldecott - Souvenirs from Java help murder a wealthy uncle, then take revenge on his heir."A Christmas Game (1949)" by A.N.L. Munby - You've probably played this game yourself. You and your friends sit in a circle in the dark and pass around objects purporting to be body parts. A.N.L. Munby was a student of M.R. James and wrote his stories whilst a prisoner-of-war in Germany."Florinda (1965)" by Shamus Frazer - A child's invisible companion wreaks demoniac revenge.