Home › Impressions › Reign of Terror: Great Victorian Horror Stories edited by Michel Parry

Reign of Terror: Great Victorian Horror Stories edited by Michel Parry

By RachelUndefined on July 14, 2008 • ( 0 )

Synopsis:Victorian authors excelled in the ghost story and the tale of terror. In this book Michel Parry has collected a selection of the most spine-chilling examples of their art. He includes not just stories of horror but also the supernatural, physical terror, ghosts, necromancy and inhuman violence in all the dark corners and crevices of human belief and behaviour.

Contributors include:

Charles Dickens
Richard Harris Barham
Catherine Crowe
William Mudford
Mrs Gaskell

Reign of Terror also includes a long introduction by the editor about the history of the horror story which can only enhance the reader’s enjoyment of the stories themselves.
Genre:Horror
Rating:@@@
Pages:187
BCID:xxx-6157201
ISBN:o-7278-0340-9
Year:1977
Format:Hardcover
Comments:This is a decent little book of horror stories.

A Singular Passage in the Life of the Late Henry Harris, Doctor in Divinity as related by the Rev. Jasper Ingoldsby, M.A., his friend and executor by Richard Harris Barham
As the title suggests, this story was long, drawn out and very boring. I had to struggle through it.

The Phantom Regiment by James Grant
While a little confusing at first, this turned out to be a fine story and quite thrilling.

A Night In the Old Castle by G. P. R. James
This was quite a thrilling story with an unexpected ending.

The Forsaken of God by William Mudford
A little predictable, but still a good story.

The Monk’s Story by Catherine Crowe
I found this story fairly boring.

The North Mail by Amelia B. Edwards
This was one of the better stories in the book and was quite chilling.

The Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell
The language was a little difficult to get used to at first and the story seemed longer than the others (except the first one!) but this was the only story that gave me a good fright. This was definitely my favourite in this collection.

The Signalman by Charles Dickens
This was a well-told story with an unexpected ending.

Overall this is a thrilling collection of stories that will be enjoyed by fans of the genre.

Women in Horror Month: Suzanne Church (colleenanderson.wordpress.com)
Your Valentine’s Day horror stories (boston.com)
Women in Horror Month: E.M. MacCallum (colleenanderson.wordpress.com)

‹ Yummy Birthday Breakfast!

Woohoo! ›

Categories: Impressions

Tags: Arts, books, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, fiction, Henry Harris, horror, Horror fiction, paranormal, Reign of Terror, Richard Harris Barham

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