The Pit and the Pendulum and Midnight Fright

The Pit and the Pendulum

by Edgar Allan Poe

★★★★

Poe was the master of capturing our deepest fears and giving them a stage on which to shine. In Tell-Tale Heart he writes about guilt driving a man insane, other stories focus on the fear of being buried alive, destructive force of greed, etc. This dark tale is about a man being tortured to death and it’s a doozy. One man is trapped in complete darkness and as he slowly begins to explore his prison he realizes just how dire his case is.

“The blackness of eternal night encompassed me. I struggled for breath. The intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle me.” 
 

Midnight Fright

A Collection of Ghost Stories

★★★★

This collection contains five short stories by famous authors, most of whom are known for their work outside of the supernatural realm. Each offer up a ghost story of sorts and overall it’s a great compilation. Because the story are so short, instead of summarizing them I’m going to rate each one and encourage you to pick the slim volume up for yourself!

The Signalman by Charles Dickens: B+

Man-Size in Marble by E. Nesbit: A

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A

The Cigarette Case by Oliver Onions: C

The Horla by Guy de Maupassant: A+ - This one blew me away. Not only is it completely engrossing, it was apparently written by the author during the final 18 months of his life, while he was living in an asylum! The creepy tale, which questions a man's sanity, is magnified by that fact. If you like The Yellow Wallpaper you should definitely read this one!

I read both of these for the R.I.P. Challenge. 

The Graveyard Book Read-Along: Part 3

This is the final post in The Graveyard Book Read-Along hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings. You can find parts 1 and 2 here and here. In this final post I’m talking about Chapter 7 and 8 so there are obviously spoilers.

The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
★★★★★

Every Man Jack: This chapter brought us the unexplained absence of Silas and the return of Bod’s childhood friend Scarlett. She and her mother move back to the small town and she makes friends with a man named Mr. Frost. Though I’d read the book before, I somehow forgot who Frost is revealed to be, so it caught me completely by surprise.

This is by far the scariest chapter in the book. The Jacks, who have been hunting Bod for years, are finally revealed in an ultimate fight between good and evil. We learn that Silas has been trying to eliminate Jacks all over the world with other members of the Honor Guard. The five remaining villains converge in the graveyard in an effort to void the prophesy that predicted Bod would be the end of their secret society.

By the end of the battle both sides have incurred losses. Bod looses both Miss Lupescu and in another way he loses his friend Scarlett again. He also looses his innocence in a way. He does what he has to in order to survive, but it changes him. 

Leavings and Partings: The book’s conclusion hit all the right notes for me. It was sweet and hopeful. Bod is only 15, but his time in the graveyard has come to an end. He feels the change and though he doesn’t understand it he accepts it. We know this when he answers his own question about returning to the graveyard.
 
“If I come back, it will be a place, but it won’t be home any longer."
 
I loved that he had the perfect goodbye with each person. I thought Mr. Owens was particularly poignant when he tells Bod that he is the son he always longed for during his life. Bod knew it wouldn’t be easy to walk away, but he does and that’s incredibly brave.
 
“But between now and then, there was Life; and Bod walked into it with his eyes and his heart wide open.”

BOTTOM LINE: It’s a wonderful, creepy coming-of-age story. Gaiman creates an unforgettable world in the graveyard and these characters will stay with me forever.

I also want to mention the illustrations in the book (done by Dave McKean). The first time I read it was as an audiobook, wonderfully narrated by the author himself. I missed the illustrations and they add so much to the story! They capture the spooky elements in Gaiman’s novel beautifully and I’d encourage you to get your hands on a copy to check them out if you listened to the audiobook.

Image from The Graveyard Book.

In the Woods

In the Woods
by Tana French
★★★★

When a murdered girl is found in a small Ireland community two Dublin detectives are assigned to the case. Rob Ryan and Cassie have a unique relationship, similar to siblings’ playful, antagonistic style. It feels very realistic and the dynamic works well. The pair play off the others’ strengths and weaknesses, creating a wonderful balance of trust and support.

The whole story is told from Rob Ryan’s point of view and from the beginning he tells us that as a detective he does two things: he lies and at the same he desperately seeks the truth. Those two things, which at first seem contradictory, make up much the novel’s suspense. How much can his narration be trusted? Early on we learn that Ryan went through an incredibly traumatic event in his childhood and the ripples of it still affect his life. This new murder case brings many of those old hurts to the surface and throws his life into turmoil.

The novel really explores the delicate balance in relationships; those between children and their parents, friends, co-workers, etc. Exploring the breakdown of those bonds is fascinating. The whole book moves quickly and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I will say that some of the content is dark and so if you're sensitive to that you should be aware of it in advance.
 
**SPOILERS**

I know the ending, which leaves the old case unsolved is realistic, but I still was hoping to know what happened. Even though I’d heard something along these lines about the book I was still really surprised when I realized we would never know. I was also surprised to find out that the second book in the series is not from the same person’s point of view so the odds of ever having a resolution to that case is unlikely.
 
**SPOILERS OVER**

Here’s the thing, the book is a mystery but it’s so well-written and engrossing that the who-dun-it part is not the most interesting element. I actually had a pretty good idea who was behind it (definitely not the details though), but that didn’t take anything away from the enjoyment of watching it unfold.
 
BOTTOM LINE: A really good psychological mystery; the characters’ relationships take precedence over the mystery itself. Don’t expect everything to be tied up with a neat bow. If that bothers you then you might want to skip this one. My unanswered questions actually made me lower my rating for this one just a little bit, but I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the series.

I read this for the R.I.P. Challenge

Wordless Wednesday: Graveyard

The Westminster Hall Burying Ground where Poe is buried in Baltimore. 

In honor of Stainless Steel Droppings A Grave Tale event. 

More Wordless Wednesday here.



Photo by moi.

The Graveyard Book Read-Along: Part 1

I first read The Graveyard Book a few years ago, before I was blogging. I immediately loved the tone of the book. Gaiman blended the innocence and naïveté of a young boy with the dark atmosphere of a ghost story. I’m re-reading it at a slower pace and I’ve noticed so much more that I love about the book. It’s a coming-of-age story and at its heart it’s about a boy who feels like he doesn’t quite fit in anywhere. That unifying feeling makes the book applicable to just about anyone, but especially young teens.

The first three chapters include How Nobody Came to the Graveyard, The New Friend, and The Hounds of God. The first chapter reminds me so much of The Jungle Book. I know this was an intentional decision on Gaiman’s part to loosely retell that story and I think he did it beautifully. Bod is struggling to figure out his place in the world while being raised in a very foreign environment, just as Mowgli did.

I also think it was interesting to structure the book as a collection of short stories instead of as a seamless novel. Giving us glimpses into Bod’s life as he grows up works wonderfully. Each chapter contains its own little story while at the same time adding pieces to the deeper mystery behind the murder of Bod’s family. I like that some things are implied, not spelled out. We can guess a bit about who Silas is, but we don’t know for sure where he comes from or what he is.

The New Friend chapter broke my heart for Bod. For the first time in his life he finds a living friend. She’s kind and playful and Bod is happy. But circumstances beyond his control end the friendship before it really has a chance to begin. Also, the indigo man and the whole cave were super creepy.

The Hounds of God is probably my least favorite chapter. I still loved the evolution of Bod’s relationship with Miss Lupescu, but not the kidnapping of Bod by the ghouls as much. I do think it was crucial for Bod to realize how much he values his life in the graveyard and this chapter does that. It also reminded me a tiny bit of the dwarves being captured by the trolls in The Hobbit.

Up next week I’ll talk about Chapters 4-6. Thanks again to Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings for hosting this read-along as part of his R.I.P. event!