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In his first collection of short fiction, New York Times bestselling author John Connolly offers a selection of dark, daring, and utterly haunting tales. Here are lost lovers and missing children, predatory demons, and vengeful ghosts. In "The New Daughter, " a father comes to suspect that a burial mound on his land hides something very ancient, and very much alive; in "The Underbury Witches, " a pair of London detectives find themselves battling a particularly female evil in a town culled show more of its menfolk. And finally, private detective Charlie Parker returns in the long novella "The Reflecting Eye, " in which the photograph of an unknown girl turns up in the mailbox of an abandoned house once occupied by an infamous killer. This discovery forces Parker to confront the possibility that the house is not as empty as it appears, and that something has been waiting in the darkness for its chance to kill again. In these stories, Connolly ratchets up the tension to almost unbearable-and irresistible-levels. Nocturnes is a deliciously chilling collection. show lessTags
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El irlandés John Connolly es mundialmente conocido por las novelas protagonizadas por Charlie Parker, y ha demostrado más que de sobra su capacidad para crear atmósferas sobrenaturales. Siempre pensé que Connolly sería un buen escritor de relatos cortos, y con ‘Nocturnos’ lo ha conseguido con creces. Sus relatos recuerdan a los autores de fantasmas más reconocidos, M.R. James, E.F. Benson o Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, pero también hay elementos de Stephen King, e incluso algo de Clive Barker.
A lo largo de los diecinueve relatos incluidos en ‘Nocturnos’, Connolly nos acerca al horror más primario, la mayoría de las veces desde un escenario cotidiano, y otras veces desde lugares macabros y tenebrosos. Son relatos de corta show more extensión, excepto el primero. En ellos nos encontramos los elementos más comunes del mal: un enigmático vaquero que se dedica a contaminar a otras personas, criaturas ocultas en iglesias, bestias subterráneas, embalses malditos, extraños payasos, brujas ocultas, mujeres lobo, elfos, vampiros. En resumen, estamos ante una muy buena colección de cuentos que disfrutará cualquier amante del género. show less
A lo largo de los diecinueve relatos incluidos en ‘Nocturnos’, Connolly nos acerca al horror más primario, la mayoría de las veces desde un escenario cotidiano, y otras veces desde lugares macabros y tenebrosos. Son relatos de corta show more extensión, excepto el primero. En ellos nos encontramos los elementos más comunes del mal: un enigmático vaquero que se dedica a contaminar a otras personas, criaturas ocultas en iglesias, bestias subterráneas, embalses malditos, extraños payasos, brujas ocultas, mujeres lobo, elfos, vampiros. En resumen, estamos ante una muy buena colección de cuentos que disfrutará cualquier amante del género. show less
This book was exactly my cup of tea. I enjoyed all the stories. This is a book for those of us who enjoy a subtle scare and especially for those who prefer their scares to roam freely rather than being pinned down like a butterfly; quantified, categorized and immutable.
'Nocturnes' is the best single author horror story collection from a modern author that I have ever read. I'm not quite sure how to describe it for recommendation, but I think that by using a film/tv comparison I can provide an accurate assessment. If you loved 'The Wicker Man', you will enjoy this book. If American Horror Story:Asylum is more to your taste, you probably won't like this book.
Some have accused Connolly of misogyny in their reviews of this book, but I have show more a different take on his attitude towards women. I got the impression that he is fascinated and fearful at the same time; as well he probably should be. For all his ambiguity he seems to be full of respect and admiration; he simply understands that we have our own agendas and motivations incomprehensible to men. I take his fear as a compliment; we can be very powerful and ruthless creatures......it only bothers me when an author marginalizes women.
That said, 'The Erlking' and 'The New Daughter' were two of my favorites in this book; both tales of mysterious and unnamed elemental beings threatening the human interlopers in their territory. 'The Inn at Shillington' is a straightforward traditional ghost story. The Charlie Parker novella in the middle of the book was also very good and makes me want to read some of the mystery novels revolving around him. show less
'Nocturnes' is the best single author horror story collection from a modern author that I have ever read. I'm not quite sure how to describe it for recommendation, but I think that by using a film/tv comparison I can provide an accurate assessment. If you loved 'The Wicker Man', you will enjoy this book. If American Horror Story:Asylum is more to your taste, you probably won't like this book.
Some have accused Connolly of misogyny in their reviews of this book, but I have show more a different take on his attitude towards women. I got the impression that he is fascinated and fearful at the same time; as well he probably should be. For all his ambiguity he seems to be full of respect and admiration; he simply understands that we have our own agendas and motivations incomprehensible to men. I take his fear as a compliment; we can be very powerful and ruthless creatures......it only bothers me when an author marginalizes women.
That said, 'The Erlking' and 'The New Daughter' were two of my favorites in this book; both tales of mysterious and unnamed elemental beings threatening the human interlopers in their territory. 'The Inn at Shillington' is a straightforward traditional ghost story. The Charlie Parker novella in the middle of the book was also very good and makes me want to read some of the mystery novels revolving around him. show less
When I recently saw a photograph of the author online, it occurred to me that behind that kindly-looking face must reside a very dark imagination, judging by this anthology of creepy and disturbing short stories and two novellas. They are populated by a whole range of supernatural beings that are already well known to readers of ghost and horror stories, and there are others that are unique to John Connolly's fancy, but no less terrifying for that. As always with such collections, some stories work better than others, but on the whole all offerings here are of a consistently high quality. Recommended, but be warned: some of the stories will invade your dreams.
This is one of the best story collections that I have read. Nocturnes is a great title as the stories are truly the stuff that nightmares are made of. It is rare that a single author collection doesn't have one story that would be better off in the dust bin but that is the case here. Even the worst story is pretty darn good.
On a side note, as Connolly is the author of the excellent Charlie Parker detective series I thought that some of the stories in this collection, particularly The Underbury Witches featuring Inspector Burke and Sergeant Stokes, could serve as a seed for another series, sort of a Scotland Yard/X-Files/Hound of the Baskervilles mash-up. Just a thought in case Connolly ever reads this review.
FYI: Nocturnes is considered show more book 4.5 of the Charlie Parker mystery series as it includes the novella, The Reflecting Eye which includes significant events in the Charlie Parker story arc. show less
On a side note, as Connolly is the author of the excellent Charlie Parker detective series I thought that some of the stories in this collection, particularly The Underbury Witches featuring Inspector Burke and Sergeant Stokes, could serve as a seed for another series, sort of a Scotland Yard/X-Files/Hound of the Baskervilles mash-up. Just a thought in case Connolly ever reads this review.
FYI: Nocturnes is considered show more book 4.5 of the Charlie Parker mystery series as it includes the novella, The Reflecting Eye which includes significant events in the Charlie Parker story arc. show less
Short stories are typically not my preferred genre, but I loved this book. Each story was unique, a horror tale which drew on commonalities of the genre but didn't just repeat the same old, same old. Avid readers will see an homage here and there to other authors - Sheridan LeFanu, Stephen King, and Ray Bradbury stick out to me - but the stories, at least to me, seem uniquely Connolly's own, new but familiar. The very first story, The Cancer Cowboy Rides, offers a beautifully portrayed original villain. Miss Froom, Vampire twists without twisting . And Some Children Wander by Mistake gives us a new reason to fear clowns, who are apparently "chosen in the mudderwomb".
Normally I am not a fan of short stories, but I loved this collection. I did end each story wanting more (so many possibilities!), but still enjoyed the stories for what they were. I particularly enjoyed the novella that's in here.
What a wonderful anthology. We even get a Charlie Parker story thrown in which I appreciated.
I can't really say too much about this one besides every story was wonderfully written and some scared the crap out of me. Yep, scared to the point that I didn't like to read this one too close to my bedtime cause I kept having nightmares about things in the woods coming closer or some unknown thing "chittering" at me in the dark. There are 19 stories (or chapters) altogether. Per usual I rate based on all of the stories, but provide individual ratings for those who are interested.
The Cancer Cowboy Rides (3.5 stars)-A slow start to this collection. A mysterious man has something terribly wrong with him and then it spreads. I liked the show more characters in this one though I thought the ending didn't really work.
Mr. Pettinger's Daemon (4.5 stars)-Someone goes digging and finds more than they bargained for. I thought this was an interesting story especially with the backdrop of the war in this one.
The Erlking (5 stars)-What a dark story that definitely will have you scared to open any windows or go wandering in the darkest parts of the wood.
The New Daughter (4.5 stars)-Reminded me a bit about the earlier story with a man and his son and daughter moving to a new home with a mysterious fairy mound.
The Ritual of the Bones (5 stars)-I wanted this to be longer! Wow it was great and also I now have a horror of boarding schools in England. Good job!
The Furnace Room (4 stars)-Not bad and definitely creepy. The ending made me shudder a bit and I liked how Connolly played with the whole see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil trope.
The Underbury Witches (4 stars)-I liked this one and this and some others in here shows a growing horror of women who are not what they seem, but are always feared and loathed by some of the men in the stories. I do think that the ending in this one didn't really work though. It felt like a weird thing to do when I think the story was tidied up enough.
The Inkpot Monkey (3.5 stars)-Not bad, but just kind of okay compared to the other stories. Also slightly humorous and dark.
The Shifting of the Sands (4 stars)-Seriously mysterious villages are not our friends people.
Some Children Wander by Mistake (5 stars)-Look I don't like clowns. This story did not help with that. At all. Shudder.
Deep, Dark Green (4.5 stars)-A very sad story about an old man's first love and what became of her. FYI, don't go swimming in weird lakes.
Miss Froom, Vampire (5 stars)-I thought this one was pretty cute in a morbid kind of way. I definitely got a Blanche DuBois moment with Miss Froom and the kindness of strangers.
Nocturne (4 stars)-Very creepy and dark and a piano plays a part.
The Wakeford Abyss (5 damn stars!)-Ugh. Chittering.
The Reflecting Eye: A Charlie Parker Novella (5 damn stars!)-Wow. So now I know why my friend yelled at me to go back and read this collection before continuing with my next Charlie Parker book. It sets up so much that I felt a little lost in when I was reading "The Black Angel."
The Bridal Bed (3.5 stars)-A bit of a letdown after the Charlie Parker novella. Not bad, but should have been in the first part of this collection.
The Man from the Second Fifteen (4 stars)-I think Connolly loves telling stories about places that seem okay and then you find out something dark and ancient is there and wants to rip your face off.
The Inn at Shillingford (5 stars)-In this case we have a haunted inn.
Mr. Gray's Folly (4 stars)-A story again showing how men are afraid of women. I loved the twists in this one, but thought the ending was a little... I don't know. I wanted it to be more. I loved the ending in the last one and would have liked that type of ending here.
The Cycle (5 stars)-Yeah, I thought it was about that too. Not so much. Two wannabe rapists get their just desserts. show less
I can't really say too much about this one besides every story was wonderfully written and some scared the crap out of me. Yep, scared to the point that I didn't like to read this one too close to my bedtime cause I kept having nightmares about things in the woods coming closer or some unknown thing "chittering" at me in the dark. There are 19 stories (or chapters) altogether. Per usual I rate based on all of the stories, but provide individual ratings for those who are interested.
The Cancer Cowboy Rides (3.5 stars)-A slow start to this collection. A mysterious man has something terribly wrong with him and then it spreads. I liked the show more characters in this one though I thought the ending didn't really work.
Mr. Pettinger's Daemon (4.5 stars)-Someone goes digging and finds more than they bargained for. I thought this was an interesting story especially with the backdrop of the war in this one.
The Erlking (5 stars)-What a dark story that definitely will have you scared to open any windows or go wandering in the darkest parts of the wood.
The New Daughter (4.5 stars)-Reminded me a bit about the earlier story with a man and his son and daughter moving to a new home with a mysterious fairy mound.
The Ritual of the Bones (5 stars)-I wanted this to be longer! Wow it was great and also I now have a horror of boarding schools in England. Good job!
The Furnace Room (4 stars)-Not bad and definitely creepy. The ending made me shudder a bit and I liked how Connolly played with the whole see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil trope.
The Underbury Witches (4 stars)-I liked this one and this and some others in here shows a growing horror of women who are not what they seem, but are always feared and loathed by some of the men in the stories. I do think that the ending in this one didn't really work though. It felt like a weird thing to do when I think the story was tidied up enough.
The Inkpot Monkey (3.5 stars)-Not bad, but just kind of okay compared to the other stories. Also slightly humorous and dark.
The Shifting of the Sands (4 stars)-Seriously mysterious villages are not our friends people.
Some Children Wander by Mistake (5 stars)-Look I don't like clowns. This story did not help with that. At all. Shudder.
Deep, Dark Green (4.5 stars)-A very sad story about an old man's first love and what became of her. FYI, don't go swimming in weird lakes.
Miss Froom, Vampire (5 stars)-I thought this one was pretty cute in a morbid kind of way. I definitely got a Blanche DuBois moment with Miss Froom and the kindness of strangers.
Nocturne (4 stars)-Very creepy and dark and a piano plays a part.
The Wakeford Abyss (5 damn stars!)-Ugh. Chittering.
The Reflecting Eye: A Charlie Parker Novella (5 damn stars!)-Wow. So now I know why my friend yelled at me to go back and read this collection before continuing with my next Charlie Parker book. It sets up so much that I felt a little lost in when I was reading "The Black Angel."
The Bridal Bed (3.5 stars)-A bit of a letdown after the Charlie Parker novella. Not bad, but should have been in the first part of this collection.
The Man from the Second Fifteen (4 stars)-I think Connolly loves telling stories about places that seem okay and then you find out something dark and ancient is there and wants to rip your face off.
The Inn at Shillingford (5 stars)-In this case we have a haunted inn.
Mr. Gray's Folly (4 stars)-A story again showing how men are afraid of women. I loved the twists in this one, but thought the ending was a little... I don't know. I wanted it to be more. I loved the ending in the last one and would have liked that type of ending here.
The Cycle (5 stars)-Yeah, I thought it was about that too. Not so much. Two wannabe rapists get their just desserts. show less
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John Connolly is the author of "Every Dead Thing" which was a bestseller in Britain and Ireland. He is a regular contributor to "The Irish Times," and has traveled extensively in the United States. He lives in Dublin, Ireland. (Publisher Provided) John Connolly was born May 31, 1968 in Dublin. He is an Irish writer who is best known for his series show more of novels starring private detective Charlie Parker. His first novel, Every Dead Thing was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel and went on to win the 2000 Shamus Award for Best First Private Eye Novel (he is the first author outside of the US to have won the award). Connolly's debut introduced readers to the anti-hero Charlie Parker, a former police officer hunting the killer of his wife and daughter. Connolly has since written a further 5 books in the popular Parker series and a non-Parker thriller, as well as venturing outside of the crime genre with the publication of first, an anthology of ghost stories and later, a novel about a young boy's coming-of-age journey during World War II England. Before becoming a full-time novelist, Connolly worked as a journalist, a barman, and a local government official. After graduating with a B.A. in English from Trinity College, Dublin and a M.A. in Journalism from Dublin City University, he spent five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper. He quickly became frustrated with the profession, and began to write Every Dead Thing in his spare time. Connolly continues to contribute articles to the paper. His eighth book in the Charlie Parker series, The Reapers, was published in 2008. The tenth Parker novel, titled The Whisperers, was published in 2010. His current bestseller is A Time of Torment, the fourteenth in the Charlie Parker series.. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Nocturnes
- Original title
- Nocturnes
- Original publication date
- 2004-10-11
- People/Characters
- Charlie Parker; Rachel Wolfe
- Related movies
- The New Daughter (2009 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- For Adèle, who will always be missed
- First words
- The rutted track was playing hell with Jerry Schneider's shocks.
- Quotations
- I watched him draw upon the stem until I could abide the sucking of his lips no longer, then turned my attention to the volumes upon his shelves. I wondered how many of them the bishop had read. He seemed to me to be the kind... (show all) of man who distrusted books, wary of the seeds of sedition and independent thought that they might sow in minds less disciplined than his own.
From 'Mr Pettinger's Daemon', pp. 81–2
But he never spoke of the Erlking. All that my father would say was that I should not venture into the woods alone, and that I should never stay out beyond nightfall. There were things out there, he would say: wolves, and wor... (show all)se-than-wolves.
There is myth, and there is reality; one we tell, and one we hide. We create monsters, and hope that the lessons wrapped in their tales will serve to guide us when we encounter that which is most terrible in life. We give forged names to our fears, and pray that we may face nothing worse than what we ourselves have created.
We lie to protect our children, and in lying we expose them to the greatest of harms.
From 'The Erlking', pp. 97–8 - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Or open, perhaps, depending upon one's misfortune.
- Publisher's editor
- Fletcher, Sue
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- English
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