What better time than October to read tales of the supernatural? Curious Warnings is a collection of ~40 ghost stories from M.R. James, an English writer in the late Victorian era considered by some to be the father of the genre. The tales are generally set in the English countryside (or seaside), and feature the standard ghastly fare- the undead, (mostly) unseen spirits with ill intent, haunted objects, witchcraft, ancient secrets causing present problems, etc. Most stories are 10-20 pages in length.
Famous author Neil Gaiman says this of M.R. James: "There are all sorts of writers and all sorts of nightmares, but M.R. James wrote the best ghost stories. He may well have created the ghost story in its current form. Nobody can do what he did as well as he could." I'm not well-read in this genre, but I could see Gaiman's words being accurate. James does a good job creating suspense and building it in a short time. He creates a nameless fear- an lurking malevolence- so necessary for the genre. Overall, this was a fun read. Excellent art sprinkled throughout by Les Edwards added to the enjoyment (examples below). If you're a fan of ghost stories, check out a few in this volume.
Rating: A
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