Picture of author.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914)

Author of The Devil's Dictionary

486+ Works 13,285 Members 281 Reviews 81 Favorited
There is 1 open discussion about this author. See now.

About the Author

Ambrose Bierce was a brilliant, bitter, and cynical journalist. He is also the author of several collections of ironic epigrams and at least one powerful story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Bierce was born in Ohio, where he had an unhappy childhood. He served in the Union army during the show more Civil War. Following the war, he moved to San Francisco, where he worked as a columnist for the newspaper the Examiner, for which he wrote a number of satirical sketches. Bierce wrote a number of horror stories, some poetry, and countless essays. He is best known, however, for The Cynic's Word Book (1906), retitled The Devil's Dictionary in 1911, a collection of such cynical definitions as "Marriage: the state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all, two." Bierce's own marriage ended in divorce, and his life ended mysteriously. In 1913, he went to Mexico and vanished, presumably killed in the Mexican revolution. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Famous Americans CD-ROM & Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art)

Series

Works by Ambrose Bierce

The Devil's Dictionary (1906) 4,253 copies
Civil War Stories (1994) 801 copies
Can Such Things Be? (1893) 257 copies
Fantastic Fables (1898) 177 copies
Ambrose Bierce's Civil War (1956) 156 copies
Terror by Night (2006) 135 copies
The Parenticide Club (1986) 74 copies
Graphic Classics: Ambrose Bierce (2003) — Author — 58 copies
I racconti dell'oltretomba (1993) 44 copies
Poems of Ambrose Bierce (1995) 44 copies
The Best of Ambrose Bierce (1984) 38 copies
Stories and Fables (1977) 29 copies
Cobwebs from an Empty Skull (2005) 28 copies
Mijn lievelingsmoord (1973) 27 copies
21 Essential American Short Stories (2011) — Contributor — 24 copies
The Fiend's Delight (2007) 21 copies
Best War Stories (1985) 20 copies
A Cynic Looks at Life (2007) 19 copies
Black Beetles in Amber (1892) 18 copies
Shapes of Clay (2006) 16 copies
Tales and Fables (1988) 15 copies
Diabolical Definitions (1970) 15 copies
Racconti neri (1989) 15 copies
Bittere Stories (1965) 14 copies
Horrorgeschichten (1988) 14 copies
Chickamauga (1988) 13 copies
The Ways Of Ghosts (2023) 11 copies
A Baby Tramp (2013) 11 copies
The Man and the Snake (2000) 11 copies
Histoires impossibles (1985) 10 copies
Visions Of The Night (2011) 10 copies
A Horseman in the Sky (1889) 9 copies
A Vision of Doom (1980) 8 copies
One Summer Night (2019) 8 copies
A Resumed Identity (2010) 8 copies
Lügengeschichten (1997) 7 copies
The Ocean Wave (2003) 7 copies
The dance of death (2013) 7 copies
Gesammelte Werke (2014) — Author — 7 copies
Epigrammes (2014) 6 copies
99 fábulas fantásticas (2010) 6 copies
A Diagnosis of Death (2019) 6 copies
Contes noirs (1991) 6 copies
Killed At Resaca (2010) 6 copies
A Jug of Syrup — Author — 5 copies
An invocation, (1928) 5 copies
Meistererzählungen. (2002) 5 copies
Relatos cortos de terror (1997) — Contributor — 5 copies
A Deodorizer of Dead Dogs (1998) 5 copies
Cuentos de soldados (2011) 4 copies
Fábulas fantásticas (1997) 4 copies
Das Spukhaus (1992) 4 copies
Oil of Dog (2014) 4 copies
Favole a orologeria (1989) 4 copies
Oči plné děsu (1992) 4 copies
Ein Mann mit zwei Leben (1999) 4 copies
Contes noirs (2016) 3 copies
An Affair of Outposts (2016) 3 copies
The Haunted Valley (2016) 3 copies
The Cynic's Word Book (2013) 3 copies
The Classic Gothic Horror Collection (2021) — Contributor — 3 copies
Ausgewählte Werke (1993) 3 copies
One Of Twins 3 copies
A Fruitless Assignment (2019) — Author — 3 copies
Escac i Mat! (L'Arcà) (1987) 3 copies
The Mocking Bird (1980) 3 copies
The Applicant 2 copies
One Kind of Officer (2012) 2 copies
Fábulas feroces (2012) 2 copies
La mirada cínica (2010) 2 copies
El guardián del muerto (1901) 2 copies
Cynic's Dictionary (2014) 2 copies
Werke in vier Bänden (1992) 2 copies
HUMOR AMARGO (1975) 2 copies
A Vine on a House (2019) 2 copies
Poetry 2 copies
The Collected Works (2017) 2 copies
Nadprzyrodzone (2016) 2 copies
The Land Beyond the Blow (2013) 2 copies
A Little of Chickamauga (1980) 2 copies
Geisterstunde, CD 2 (2002) 2 copies
Skepticism and Dissent (1978) 2 copies
Ten Tales (1985) 2 copies
Oczy pantery 2 copies
Sorte historier 2 copies
Contos de Ambrose Bierce (2010) 2 copies
Battle Sketches 2 copies
I racconti (1994) 2 copies
Mauvaises pensées (2003) 2 copies
Die Satansschüler (1973) 2 copies
Seven fables 2 copies
Un jinete por el cielo (1993) 2 copies
E possivel? 1 copy
IMKANSIZ OYKULER (2005) 1 copy
LA FILLE DU BOURREAU. (1986) 1 copy
Ebolaj 1 copy
El reino de lo irreal (1988) 1 copy
Seytanin Sözlügü (2014) 1 copy
Curried Cow 1 copy
Alle verhalen (1985) 1 copy
Jug of syrup 1 copy
Les Fables de Zambri (2013) 1 copy
Relatos insólitos (1973) 1 copy
La cosa maldita (2016) 1 copy
pg972 1 copy
Baby Tramp 1 copy

Associated Works

The Dark Descent (1987) — Contributor — 719 copies
Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural (1944) — Contributor — 637 copies
The Book of Fantasy (1940) — Contributor — 601 copies
Great American Short Stories: From Hawthorne to Hemingway (2004) — Contributor — 587 copies
The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales (1992) — Contributor — 536 copies
The Oxford Book of Short Stories (1981) — Contributor — 510 copies
Great American Short Stories (1957) — Contributor — 493 copies
American Gothic Tales (1996) — Contributor — 457 copies
Flight or Fright (2018) — Contributor — 444 copies
American Supernatural Tales (2007) — Contributor — 441 copies
100 Hair-Raising Little Horror Stories (1993) — Contributor — 441 copies
Fantastic Tales: Visionary and Everyday (1983) — Contributor — 431 copies
Fifty Great American Short Stories (1965) — Contributor — 430 copies
Points of View: Revised Edition (1966) — Contributor — 411 copies
100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories (1978) — Contributor — 407 copies
Great Ghost Stories (1985) — Contributor — 394 copies
100 Ghastly Little Ghost Stories (1993) — Contributor — 338 copies
Ghosts: A Treasury of Chilling Tales Old & New (1981) — Contributor — 332 copies
The Mammoth Book of Seriously Comic Fantasy (1999) — Contributor — 332 copies
H.P. Lovecraft's Book of Horror (1993) — Contributor — 307 copies
75 Short Masterpieces: Stories from the World's Literature (1961) — Contributor — 296 copies
A Treasury of Short Stories (1947) — Contributor — 291 copies
Men at War: The Best War Stories of All Time (1942) — Contributor — 286 copies
A Subtreasury of American Humor (1941) — Contributor — 276 copies
Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (1985) — Contributor — 272 copies
The Treasury of American Short Stories (1981) — Contributor — 267 copies
Gothic Short Stories (2002) — Contributor — 242 copies
The Literary Cat (1977) — Contributor — 241 copies
The Omnibus of Crime (1929) — Contributor — 208 copies
The Hastur Cycle (1993) — Contributor — 208 copies
Russell Baker's Book of American Humor (1993) — Contributor — 207 copies
Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural (1981) — Contributor — 196 copies
A Century of Science Fiction (1962) — Contributor — 191 copies
The Penguin Book of American Short Stories (1969) — Contributor — 188 copies
100 Creepy Little Creature Stories (1994) — Contributor — 183 copies
The Mammoth Book of Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories (1995) — Contributor — 168 copies
Victorian Nightmares (1977) — Contributor — 161 copies
The Road to Science Fiction #1: From Gilgamesh to Wells (1977) — Contributor — 151 copies
The Penguin Book of Horror Stories (1984) — Contributor — 141 copies
My Favorite Horror Story (2007) — Contributor — 139 copies
An Anthology of Famous American Stories (1953) — Contributor — 137 copies
Chilling Horror Short Stories (2016) — Contributor — 136 copies
Famous Ghost Stories (1944) — Author — 134 copies
American Wits: An Anthology of Light Verse (2003) — Contributor — 134 copies
Witches' Brew (2002) — Contributor — 126 copies
Shadows of Carcosa: Tales of Cosmic Horror (2014) — Contributor — 125 copies
The Spawn Of Cthulhu (1971) — Contributor — 124 copies
The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories (1984) — Contributor — 122 copies
Bedtime Stories (Everyman's Pocket Classics) (2011) — Contributor — 121 copies
Mostly Ghostly (1991) — Author — 118 copies
Haunted America: Star-Spangled Supernatural Stories (1990) — Contributor — 111 copies
Phantastic Book of Ghost Stories (1990) — Contributor — 109 copies
The Ghouls (1971) — Contributor — 107 copies
American Short Stories (1976) — Contributor, some editions — 95 copies
A Treasury of American Horror Stories (1985) — Contributor — 94 copies
Poets of the Civil War (2005) — Contributor — 93 copies
Great Ghost Stories (Watermill Classics) (1985) — Contributor — 92 copies
American Fantastic Tales: Boxed Set (2009) — Contributor — 92 copies
The American Fantasy Tradition (2002) — Contributor — 89 copies
Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic (2019) — Contributor — 88 copies
Famous Modern Ghost Stories (1921) — Contributor — 87 copies
Mystery Stories: An Intriguing Collection (1996) — Contributor — 85 copies
The Hastur Cycle, Second Revised Edition (1997) — Contributor — 85 copies
H.P. Lovecraft's Favorite Weird Tales (2005) — Contributor — 83 copies
Scary! Stories That Will Make You Scream (1998) — Contributor — 83 copies
Murder Mayhem Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy) (2016) — Contributor — 82 copies
The Mammoth Book of Fantasy All-Time Greats (1983) — Contributor — 81 copies
65 Great Spine Chillers (1988) — Contributor — 79 copies
Great Short Tales of Mystery and Terror (1982) — Contributor — 79 copies
Bar the Doors (1972) — Contributor — 78 copies
A Treasury of Civil War Stories (1985) — Contributor — 76 copies
The Horror Hall of Fame (1991) — Contributor — 76 copies
World's Great Adventure Stories (1929) — Contributor — 75 copies
Supernatural Horror Short Stories (2017) — Contributor — 75 copies
The Treasury of Science Fiction Classics (1954) — Contributor — 75 copies
Pawn To Infinity (1982) — Contributor — 73 copies
Bedside Book of Famous American Stories (1936) — Contributor — 71 copies
200 Years of Great American Short Stories (1975) — Contributor — 68 copies
The Uncanny Reader: Stories from the Shadows (2015) — Contributor — 68 copies
Haunted House Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy) (2019) — Contributor — 67 copies
A Fabulous Formless Darkness (1991) — Contributor — 64 copies
The World's Greatest Horror Stories (1994) — Contributor — 63 copies
100 Twisted Little Tales of Torment (1998) — Contributor — 63 copies
65 Great Tales of the Supernatural (1979) — Contributor — 59 copies
14 Suspense Stories to Play Russian Roulette By (1945) — Contributor — 58 copies
Desert Island Decameron (1945) — Contributor — 57 copies
The Second Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories (1966) — Contributor — 55 copies
The Supernatural Reader (1953) — Contributor — 55 copies
The Penguin Classic Crime Omnibus (1984) — Contributor — 54 copies
100 Hilarious Little Howlers (1999) — Contributor — 53 copies
One Hundred Years of Science Fiction : Book Two (1950) — Author — 52 copies
The Mammoth Book of Sword and Honour (2000) — Contributor — 51 copies
The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories 2 (1656) — Contributor — 50 copies
The Mists from Beyond (1993) — Contributor — 50 copies
The Best American Mystery Stories of the 19th Century (2014) — Contributor — 49 copies
Alfred Hitchcock's Fear and Trembling (1948) — Contributor — 49 copies
San Francisco Noir 2: The Classics (2009) — Contributor — 47 copies
The Mammoth Book of Thrillers, Ghosts and Mysteries (1936) — Contributor — 47 copies
100 Fiendish Little Frightmares (1997) — Contributor — 46 copies
The House of the Nightmare and Other Eerie Tales (1967) — Contributor; Author, some editions — 46 copies
Horror Stories: Classic Tales from Hoffmann to Hodgson (2014) — Contributor — 45 copies
Prose and Poetry for Appreciation (1934) — Contributor — 44 copies
Realms of Darkness (1985) — Contributor — 44 copies
The nightmare reader, volume one (1973) — Contributor — 43 copies
Civil War Ghosts (2006) — Contributor — 42 copies
The Little Book of Horrors (1992) — Contributor — 41 copies
Poetry of Witness: The Tradition in English, 1500-2001 (2014) — Contributor — 41 copies
Tales from a Gas-Lit Graveyard (1980) — Contributor — 40 copies
Dixie Ghosts (1988) — Contributor — 40 copies
The Pocket Book of Science-Fiction (1943) — Contributor — 39 copies
Best Loved Short Stories of Nineteenth Century America (2003) — Contributor — 39 copies
Great Tales of Terror (2002) — Contributor — 39 copies
Stories Selected from The Unexpected (1948) — Author — 39 copies
The Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories (1966) — Contributor — 39 copies
The Screaming Skull and Other Classic Horror Stories (2010) — Contributor — 37 copies
The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries (2021) — Contributor — 37 copies
Beyond the Curtain of Dark (1972) — Contributor — 37 copies
Science Fiction Thinking Machines (1954) — Contributor — 37 copies
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge [1961 film] (1961) — Original story — 37 copies
The Graveyard Reader (1958) — Contributor — 36 copies
Great American Ghost Stories (1991) — Contributor — 35 copies
The Best Crime Stories Ever Told (2012) — Contributor — 34 copies
Tales of Terror (1943) — Contributor — 34 copies
The Best Ghost Stories (1919) — Contributor — 34 copies
100 Tiny Tales of Terror (1996) — Contributor — 33 copies
Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery, and Horror (1928) — Contributor — 32 copies
American Gothic Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy) (2019) — Contributor — 32 copies
The Undead (1971) — Contributor — 31 copies
Bodies of the Dead and Other Great American Ghost Stories (1995) — Contributor — 31 copies
The Lock and Key Library (Volume 9: American) (1909) — Contributor — 29 copies
King Solomon's Mines and Other Adventure Classics (2016) — Contributor — 29 copies
The Monster-Maker and Other Science Fiction Classics (2012) — Contributor — 29 copies
100 Years of Science Fiction (1968) — Contributor — 29 copies
The Tindalos Cycle (2009) — Contributor — 29 copies
The Mystery Book (1934) — Contributor — 29 copies
Showcase Presents: Secrets of Sinister House (2010) — Contributor — 28 copies
Stories for the Dead of Night (1957) — Contributor — 28 copies
The Ghostmasters: Weird Stories by Famous Writers (1976) — Contributor — 27 copies
Great Ghost Stories: 34 Classic Tales of the Supernatural (2002) — Contributor — 26 copies
American gothic : An anthology 1787–1916 (1999) — Contributor — 26 copies
American short stories, 1820 to the present (1952) — Contributor — 26 copies
Great Tales of Madness and the Macabre (1990) — Contributor — 25 copies
Great American Ghost Stories Volume 1 (Anthology 16-in-1) (1992) — Contributor — 25 copies
Mortal Echoes: Encounters With the End (2018) — Contributor — 25 copies
Nursery Crimes (1993) — Contributor — 24 copies
A Treasury of Victorian ghost stories (1981) — Contributor — 23 copies
We, Robots (2010) — Contributor — 23 copies
Enter at Your Own Risk: Old Masters, New Voices (2011) — Contributor — 23 copies
Tales of Dungeons and Dragons (1986) — Contributor — 23 copies
Studies in Fiction (1965) — Contributor — 22 copies
Robots & Artificial Intelligence Short Stories (2018) — Contributor — 22 copies
Shades of Blue and Gray: Ghosts of the Civil War (2013) — Contributor — 21 copies
The Looking Glass Book of Stories (1960) — Contributor — 21 copies
And the Darkness Falls (1946) — Contributor — 21 copies
The Tenth Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories (1974) — Contributor — 20 copies
Ghosts of the Heartland (1990) — Contributor — 19 copies
If This Goes Wrong . . . (2016) — Contributor — 18 copies
A Century of Thrillers from Poe to Arlen (First Series) (1934) — Contributor — 18 copies
Tales to Freeze the Blood: More Great Ghost Stories (2006) — Contributor — 17 copies
Beware of the Cat (1972) — Contributor — 17 copies
Western Ghosts (1990) — Contributor — 17 copies
Short Story Classics [American], Volume 4 (1905) — Contributor — 17 copies
Nightfrights (1972) — Contributor — 17 copies
Horror by Lamplight (1993) — Contributor — 17 copies
Back from the Dead (1991) — Contributor — 16 copies
Classic Science Fiction Stories (2022) — Contributor — 16 copies
Lost Souls Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy) (2018) — Contributor — 16 copies
Monster Festival: Classic Tales of the Macabre (1965) — Contributor — 16 copies
Monsters, monsters, monsters (1974) — Contributor — 15 copies
Victorian Tales of Terror (1974) — Contributor — 15 copies
Robots through the Ages: A Science Fiction Anthology (2023) — Contributor — 15 copies
Mind in Chains (1970) — Contributor — 14 copies
Terrifying Ghosts Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy) (2021) — Contributor — 14 copies
The Wrong Turning: Encounters with Ghosts (2021) — Contributor — 13 copies
Graphic Classics: Canine/Feline Classics (2014) — Contributor — 12 copies
The Eleventh Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories (1975) — Contributor — 11 copies
A wave of fear: A classic horror anthology (1973) — Contributor — 11 copies
Favourite Scary Stories from Graveside Al (1996) — Contributor — 11 copies
Classic American Short Stories [2016] (2012) — Contributor — 11 copies
Selected English short stories XIX & XX centuries (1914) — Contributor — 11 copies
Beyond Midnight (1976) — Author — 10 copies
The Great Modern American Stories: An Anthology (1920) — Contributor — 10 copies
M Is for Monster: A Modern Bestiary of Classic Monsters (2011) — Contributor — 9 copies
Klassieke griezelverhalen (1980) — Contributor — 8 copies
The Caedmon Short Story Collection (2001) — Contributor — 8 copies
Demonic, Dangerous, and Deadly: An Anthology (1983) — Contributor — 8 copies
Best Secret Service Stories (1960) — Contributor — 8 copies
Thin Air: An Anthology of Ghost Stories (1966) — Contributor — 7 copies
50 Halloween Stories You Have to Read Before You Die (2017) — Contributor — 7 copies
Great Classic Mysteries II (2012) — Contributor — 7 copies
Classic Tales of Ghosts and Vampires (2004) — Contributor — 7 copies
The Story Survey (1953) — Contributor — 6 copies
Great American Suspense: Five Unabridged Classics (2000) — Contributor — 6 copies
The Ghouls, Book Two (1974) — Contributor — 6 copies
A Tide of Terror; An Anthology of Rare Horror Stories. (1972) — Contributor — 6 copies
Demons within, & other disturbing tales (1977) — Contributor — 6 copies
Fear! Fear! Fear! (1981) — Contributor — 6 copies
Suspense: A Treasury for Young Adults (1966) — Contributor — 6 copies
Ghosts and Ghastlies (1976) — Contributor — 5 copies
Representative American Short Stories — Contributor — 5 copies
Tyve mesterfortællinger — Contributor, some editions — 4 copies
Horror Stories (audiobook) (1995) — Contributor — 4 copies
Famous Stories of Five Centuries (1934) — Contributor — 4 copies
The Stakes are High (1954) — Contributor — 4 copies
American Short Stories (1978) — Contributor — 3 copies
Bruin's Midnight Reader (2021) — Contributor, some editions — 3 copies
Short Fiction: Shape and Substance (1971) — Contributor — 3 copies
The New Roger Caras Treasury of Great Horse Stories (1999) — Contributor — 3 copies
Die schönsten Pferdegeschichten (1999) — Author, some editions — 2 copies
The nightmare reader (1973) — Contributor — 2 copies
Poltergeist: Tales of Deadly Ghosts (1987) — Contributor — 2 copies
Spionhistorier fra hele verden — Contributor — 2 copies
Klassisia kauhukertomuksia (2021) — Contributor — 2 copies
El cuento literario (2008) — Contributor — 2 copies
Enjoying Stories (1987) — Contributor — 2 copies
Short Stories of the Past (1950) — Contributor — 2 copies
Representative Modern Short Stories (1929) — Contributor — 2 copies
American Short Stories (1992) — Contributor — 1 copy
14 American Masterpieces Vol.1 — Contributor — 1 copy
Night | A Lasting Love | Chickamauga — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

19th century (242) 20th century (120) American (190) American literature (492) anthology (2,388) Civil War (226) classic (126) classics (215) collection (171) dictionary (382) ebook (123) fantasy (521) fiction (3,113) Folio Society (156) ghost stories (310) ghosts (293) gothic (220) hardcover (114) history (128) horror (2,491) humor (1,220) Kindle (126) language (205) Library of America (109) literature (600) mystery (239) non-fiction (331) poetry (171) read (119) reference (380) satire (428) science fiction (422) sf (137) short fiction (120) short stories (3,042) short story (129) stories (189) supernatural (134) to-read (1,362) unread (196)

Common Knowledge

Members

Discussions

THE DEEP ONES: "Beyond the Wall" by Ambrose Bierce in The Weird Tradition (July 2015)
I just bought The Collected Writings of Ambrose Bierce in Thing(amabrarian)s That Go Bump in the Night (January 2012)

Reviews

Ambrose Bierce was a journalist and a professional wit so it's sometimes difficult to reconcile his quips and his muckraking with the irrational and spiritual nature of horror, and especially his particular style of country horror. But he was a soldier in the civil war so he had seen his share of the American wilderness and of death and destruction. His dry personality is most evident when he describes ignorant yokel characters using highfalutin language.
But there is still something inexplicably natural and essential in his prose that I love. He created scenes and atmospheres that were both natural and unnatural, or perhaps in a way proto-natural, evoking ancient places and forces that even Manifest Destiny shouldn't disturb. Bierce had the ability to channel the superstitious cowboy that must exist in all of us, expressing frontier wisdom through ghost stories. "Don't go near that gulch! Lemme tell you about some buckaroos who went near that gulch, they were eaten by a ghost."… (more)
 
Flagged
ethorwitz | 5 other reviews | Jan 3, 2024 |
This was another case of well-written and an interesting idea well executed, but not one that significantly piqued my interest. I think I get why so many people love it and understand that its impact is somewhat lessened for me from when it was written.

I'd be lying if my hatred of pro-slavery scum, execution, and any kind of revelling in the death and suffering of even the worst people didn't effect my ability to connect with the story or care about just how clever the use of language and allusions are (some of it is very on the nose to be honest).… (more)
 
Flagged
RatGrrrl | 14 other reviews | Dec 20, 2023 |
Ambrose Bierce was an American civil war veteran, journalist and short story writer. This selection of 24 of his stories was first published in 1909. I read it because of its inclusion on some proto science fiction lists, but really the stories would fit more easily into the genres of horror or supernatural stories. As I started reading through the collection I was impressed with Bierce's ability to set the scene; here is an example:

"The day, I thought, must be far advanced, though the sun was invisible; and although sensible that the air was raw and chill my consciousness of that fact was rather mental than physical—I had no feeling of discomfort. Over all the dismal landscape a canopy of low, lead-colored clouds hung like a visible curse. In all this there were a menace and a portent—a hint of evil, an intimation of doom. Bird, beast, or insect there was none. The wind sighed in the bare branches of the dead trees and the gray grass bent to whisper its dread secret to the earth; but no other sound nor motion broke the awful repose of that dismal place."

I was disappointed that some of the stories did not progress much further than a description of events, there seemed to be no resolution. Many of them read like ghost stories, almost all of them feature a death of some kind, but the quality of the writing and my realisation that Bierce was intent on providing a disturbing story for the reader to consider and wonder if "[Can such things be?]" was enough to keep me reading. A typical example is the final story in the collection; a group of would be settlers are pushing through some hostile Indian country and have camped for the night. A man appears out of the darkness and tells the group a story of four men who were run to ground by a band of apaches nearby. There were no survivors and the storyteller quietly slips away, leaving the group of settlers wondering if they had just seen a ghost.

I enjoyed the stories the more I read through them, not expecting resolutions, but content to enjoy the feeling of strange things afoot. Of course some of the stories work better than others, but most manage to create an eerie atmosphere even if a suspension of belief is required. When these stories were written in the late nineteenth century, spiritualism was still considered by many to be part of everyday life; scientific investigations and debunkers of fraud had not yet convinced the general public that ghosts and the supernatural were not prevalent. Bierce honed in on this wave of uncertainty and belief in the supernatural; to create his disturbing stories, which can still be enjoyed today 3.5 stars.
… (more)
½
1 vote
Flagged
baswood | 5 other reviews | Dec 17, 2023 |
A mix of horror, war, and tall tales. For the most part, the stories are very short, and told from an omnipotent point of view. Some are more like reportage or anecdotes. Probably wouldn't read again, but it's interesting to see the work of one of these early American horror writers.
 
Flagged
TheGalaxyGirl | 8 other reviews | Oct 31, 2023 |

Lists

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

S. T. Joshi Editor, Author
H. P. Lovecraft Contributor, Author
Ernest Hemingway Contributor
Edgar Allan Poe Contributor
Jack London Contributor
Mark Twain Contributor, Author
Stephen Crane Contributor
Washington Irving Contributor
Saki Contributor
Robert Enrico Director
Guy de Maupassant Contributor, Author
O'Henry Contributor
Frank Stockton Contributor
Edith Wharton Contributor
James Thurber Contributor
Shirley Jackson Contributor
Herman Melville Contributor
William Faulkner Contributor
Carl Stephenson Contributor
E. F. Benson Contributor
Ina Lillian Peterson Co-author, Contributor
Bram Stoker Contributor
Garrick Hagon Narrator
Liza Ross Narrator
Henry James Contributor
Carter Scott Contributor
Théophile Gautier Contributor
Sheridan Le Fanu Contributor
Mary Shelley Contributor
Jack Sanders Director
Ralph Adams Cram Contributor
William Mudford Contributor
Elizabeth Gaskell Contributor
Dick Donovan Contributor
H. Sivia Author
Noel Black Director
Bridget Terry Producer
John Myers Preface
O. Henry Contributor
Dan Burr Illustrator
Leslie Murray Illustrator
Roger Langridge Illustrator
Rod Lott Illustrator
Reno Maniquis Illustrator
Steven Cerio Illustrator
John Coulthart Illustrator
Dieter E. Zimmer Translator
John Miles Illustrator
Robert Miles Introduction
Utz Riese Editor, Afterword
Russ Holcomb Narrator
Patrick Hagan Narrator
Mark Hammer Narrator
Stanley Wyatt Illustrator
Kate Chopin Contributor
Neil Gower Cover artist
Joachim Marten Translator
Anneliese Dangel Translator
Reinhild Böhnke Translator
Werner Beyer Translator
Bartos Tibor, Translator
Max Brand Contributor
Bret Harte Contributor
Joaquin Miller Contributor
Zane Grey Contributor
Hana Ulmanová Translator
Daniela Fink Translator
Peter Forster Illustrator
Gisbert Haefs Translator
Miles Kington Introduction
Bob den Uyl Translator
Clifton Fadiman Introduction
Enrique Campbell Translator
Marcus Cunliffe Afterword
Anthony Heald Narrator
Joseph Low Illustrator
Mark A. Nelson Illustrator
Dan O'Neill Illustrator
Carlo Vergara Illustrator
Michael Slack Illustrator
Annie Owens Illustrator
Delynne Lorentzen Illustrator
Mark Dancy Illustrator
Stanley W. Shaw Illustrator
Rick Geary Illustrator
J. R. Swanson Illustrator
Edouard Roditi Afterword
Jan Zábrana Translator
Tithi Luadthong Cover artist
A.L. Spoorenberg Translator

Statistics

Works
486
Also by
280
Members
13,285
Popularity
#1,756
Rating
3.9
Reviews
281
ISBNs
1,146
Languages
23
Favorited
81

Charts & Graphs