Tales of Terror from the Black Ship

Not as good as the previous ones.

Ethan and Cathy are two children living in an old inn, perched precariously on a cliff top. When they fall suddenly ill during a heavy storm, their father admonishes them to let nobody in, and rushes off to find a doctor. Suddenly there is a knock on the door, and Ethan taking pity on the young man standing outside, lets him in. To pass the time until their father returns, the stranger tells them some strange and terrifying sea-faring tales.

This is a collection of self-contained short stories within the larger narration concerning the children and the mysterious stranger. The atmosphere of disquiet and occasionally genuine terror conjured up by Chris Priestley is wonderful, creating a very enjoyable feeling of unease and foreboding, and his joy of storytelling is obvious. As Cathy puts it in response to one of the mysterious visitor's tales, "But I do so love to be frightened!" I have to marvel at the author's dark mind, being able to produce such spine-chilling tales, an ability he also demonstrates with his novella The Dead of Winter. The stories are enhanced by David Roberts' bleak and sinister illustrations. I'm just annoyed that the editor or publisher didn't notice that one of the illustrations at the very beginning of the book in effect gives away the twist at the end; I could still enjoy the skill of the narration but the "heart-stopping revelation" came as no surprise. I also couldn't help noticing that the illustrator pre-empts the conclusion to another of the tales, so that what was supposed to be a moment of shock had already been anticipated. I suppose that not every reader will pick up on those small details, but this will slightly mar the enjoyment of an otherwise excellent book for the keen observer. Bloomsbury have put a warning to younger readers on the back cover that this is a seriously scary book and I wholeheartedly agree; some of the tales are really quite disturbing and would not be suitable for a young readership, even I found a couple of the stories hard to stomach. Well worth re-reading again and again. ( )

Ethan and Cathy weren't supposed to let anyone in on that stormy night, alas they do and the stranger waits out the storm by telling creepy stories of the seafaring kind.
Being the second part of a series of books by Chris Priestley for young readers, but absolutely enjoyable at every age, this book focuses solely on stories that take place out at sea or nothing further than a harbor. The narrative is both engrossing and intricately written, and once again it shows how much the author loves storytelling. He's not just presenting individual stories but connects them expertly before he surprises the reader by a story in itself. The story of the two siblings Ethan and Cathy. Once again, to fully appreciate the love for detail, you should read all three books of the series, as they compliment each other in their wonderfully composed details.
If I were asked to compare the book I'd say it's like Edgar Allen Poe for kids.
In short: A frightfully good book filled with tales from the sea! ( )

Quite chilling. ( )

A fun, exciting read. Mysterious. Each chapter is a short story with a brief discussion among the characters at the end. Some chapters are fables, and some chapters provide clues to the mystery enshrouding the characters' circumstances. ( )