Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories

As soon as I finished M.R. James' The Haunted Dolls' House and Other Ghost Stories (review), the second volume of the Penguin omnibus edition of his ghost stories, I ordered a copy of the first, Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories (Penguin, 2005). I've been enjoying one or two of the stories before bedtime every night since (with the exception of one evening when the power was off and I read a few by candlelight before dinner).

I agree with the editors that the tales included here are generally of a higher quality than those in the other volume (but I think it speaks to James' talents that even his "inferior" stories were highly enjoyable). Once again James puts what he knows (antiquarianism, books, libraries, and academic culture) to show more great use, combining them with supernatural elements (and sometimes with his great fear of spiders) to shock and frighten.

Among my favorites from this collection: "Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book," "The Mezzotint" (probably the one I liked best of all), "Number 13," "Casting the Runes," and "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral." "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" is certainly among the most creepy ghost stories I've ever read.

I'm sure I'll return to these often, and I recommend them highly. As many of James' stories were originally meant for reading aloud around Christmas-time, now's a good chance to share them!

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In the preface to this book, M.R. James explains that for a ghost story to be successful the ghost must be “malevolent or odious”, and he has certainly fulfilled this promise. Whilst not terrifying by modern standards (the characters, mostly Victorian-type gentlemen, do not have the strongest nerves) the stories are definitely chilling and, at their best, are highly enjoyable. Fifteen accounts are included in this volume, most of which involve a grisly murder and all of which contain some element of mystery; at the end of each the reader is left to mull over the macabre world of the paranormal. Many of these short stories are written from the point of view of an impartial observer who is investigating an unexplained death, and the show more style works very well, particularly in my favourite /Number 13/, which could explain why many hotels do not have a room 13 to this day.

These tales are most enjoyable when read, as intended, close to Christmas, late at night and with the brandy in easy reach, just in case a flickering shadow or a startling noise causes one’s heart to beat a little faster. show less

Very menacing, but not in an obvious way. The most inventive are the ones where the ordinary turns into something frightening - the bedclothes taking form, for example

This is the kind of horror I remember reading in my younger years - originally published in 1931, they are spine-tingling to be sure. I read up on the author (Montague Rhodes - no wonder he used his initials!) and discovered that he originally wrote these stories to be read aloud in the tradition of Christmas Eve spooky stories. The stories are mostly rural settings and would probably be considered "old-fashioned" by today's youth and not at all like the writings of King and Koontz. Personally, I prefer these over the newer authors of today.

A Classic and academic collection of Ghost stories
One interesting aspect to the stories is a frequent footnoting to explain some of the place names and more archaic language. It does slow the flow a bit but in a way makes the stories more believable.

Although I'm not a connoisseur of ghost stories, I decided to get this book after I read and really enjoyed an M. R. James story online after learning about it on on an LT thread. M. R. James was a scholar of church history, medieval manuscripts, cathedrals, and more, writing ghost stories for amusement, and these scholarly subjects find their way into his stories. Some of these stories are quite creepy, although ultimately predictable. I didn't dislike the stories, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had dipped into the book off and on, instead of reading one story after another. As with any collection, some stories are better than others, and I think I still like "Casting the Runes," the story that was posted online, the best.

Great collection of ghost stories, I listened to the free audio version from the libri vox web and enjoyed the way in which they were read. I will listen to it again in the future.