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Loading... Haunted Castles: The Complete Gothic Storiesby Ray Russell
   No current Talk conversations about this book.   ) JBD1 | Jan 8, 2023 |  Hey, what about what's inside? Well, you're in for a treat because this tasty morsel has all of Ray Russell's Gothic stories. Forget these if you want something politically correct. Ain't happenin'. Ray Russell was an editor for Playboy and had a lot to do with those "articles & fiction" you always told your Mom you had these hidden under your mattress for. And if you ever managed to talk your way out of a mouth washing with that lame excuse, you have Ray to thank. In addition Ray wrote a handful of stories in what I would call the racy Gothic vein. The collection is anchored on the Sagittarius triptych of stories which are justly legendary. Each of these is a longish tale, unrelated, that will leave you with a little something you didn't see coming at the end. The rest of the stories in the book pretty much take the epistolary or club tale format to do a similar late wrenching of the brain. Highly recommended if you have not read all these stories before. (  ) Gumbywan | Jun 24, 2022 | When I saw this one, to be honest, the title kind of put me off. Haunted castles? Meh. Still, great cover, and an author I'd enjoyed. Sure, I'd give it a shot. Glad I did. The three novellas that open this collection, Sardonicus, Sagittarious, and Sanguinarious, are just a blast, with the second and third exploring the Jekyll and Hyde and Elizabeth Bathory myths. The shorter stories that round out the collection bring back characters from the first of the novellas, and present some finely-wrought, gruesome little gothic horrors. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of the gothic horror story, but Russell has the writing chops and the ability to turn a wonderful phrase, and toss in a neat little twist right at the end, to make each one of the stories in this collection an absolute keeper. There isn't a stinker in the lot. ( ) TobinElliott | Sep 3, 2021 | Firstly, this is a delightful new hardcover edition from Penguin's new series, but having Del Toro's intro be the same in them all is a definite cheat and a big let down. But as for the stories themselves, Sardonicus retains its power even all these years later and is the highlight of the book. Sagittarius is also rather wonderful, and a fine unreliable narrator tale. The others I found to be lesser work, although Comet Wine has a nice alternate take on the Faust story. There is a streak of wicked humor throughout that is rarely seen these days, mixed equally with a cruel streak that some might find objectionable but which I thoroughly enjoyed. It makes a nice addition to the shelves, sitting well alongside these other new Penguin additions. I hope there are more to come. ( ) williemeikle | Dec 22, 2018 |  ) unclebob53703 | Aug 5, 2018 | no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher Series
" Part of a new six-volume series of the best in classic horror, selected by award-winning director Guillermo del Toro. Filmmaker and longtime horror literature fan Guillermo del Toro serves as the curator for the Penguin Horror series, a new collection of classic tales and poems by masters of the genre. Included here are some of del Toro's favorites, from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Ray Russell's short story "Sardonicus," considered by Stephen King to be "perhaps the finest example of the modern Gothic ever written," to Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, Ted Klein, and Robert E. Howard. Featuring original cover art by Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley, these stunningly creepy deluxe hardcovers will be perfect additions to the shelves of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal aficionados everywhere. Haunted Castles Haunted Castles is the definitve, complete collection of Ray Russell's masterful Gothic horror stories, including the famously terrifying novella trio of "Sardonicus," "Sanguinarius," and "Sagittarius." The characters that sprawl through Haunted Castles are frightful to the core: the heartless monster holding two lovers in limbo; the beautiful dame journeying down a damned road toward depravity (with the help of an evil gypsy); the man who must wear his fatal crimes on his face in the form of an awful smile. Engrossing, grotesque, perverted, and completely entrancing, Russell's Gothic tales are the best kind of dreadful. "-- No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4.01)
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