James, M. R.
About the Author:
Montague Rhodes James was the son of a curate and was born in Kent, England in 1862. He studied at Cambridge and remained there for much of his life, becoming director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Provost of King's College and vice-chancellor of the University. James died in 1936.
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
4 out of 5
(1 book)
Ghost Stories
Originally published between 1904 and 1925, these seventeen stories relate dark and often deadly encounters with malignant powers and unquiet spirits.
With this collection of tales James proves why he's regarded as one of the foremost writers of ghost stories, showing a real talent for finding the balance between the mundane build-up of a mystery and the chilling revelation of its supernatural elements. This gives most of the stories just the right pacing to keep you turning the pages, with them rarely dragging on past the point of being engaging.
Honestly, what really worked for me was how he perfectly conveys the inhuman malice of the spirits and demons that lurk in the shadows of his stories. These are not necessarily monsters which will maul the unsuspecting but are instead agents of evil who can scare the life out of a person with their mere presence. There were several times whilst reading where I felt genuine chills run through me as the protagonists' eyes fell on some horrid, hairy shadow lurking at the end of their bed (or suchlike). James manages to convey a real sense of dark powers lurking beneath the surface of our world eagerly waiting at every moment to be unleashed by the curious or foolhardy.
It has to be said that there is a somewhat repetitive nature to these tales, most of which start with some antiquarian relating a second-hand tale of unexplained goings-on at either some mansion or a church. As such this book is perhaps better not read all in one go, as I did, but would work better for someone dipping in and out a story at a time. Nevertheless, this is absolutely one of the best and most unsettling collections of supernatural stories that I've ever read.
4 out of 5
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