450 words, 2 minutes read time. 31) “Nut Bush Farm” by Charlotte Riddell Plot: Our hero, Jack, was injured in some undisclosed way at his job. His father-in-law advised him to take a farm to convalesce. Jack thinks that’s just the thing to do. After some disappointments, he comes across Nut Bush Farm and rentsContinue reading “Review of “Nut Bush Farm” by Charlotte Riddell: Halloween Countdown”
Tag Archives: short story
Review of “The Invisible Eye” by Erckmann-Chatrian: Halloween Countdown
28) “The Invisible Eye” by Erckmann-Chatrian Note: This story was first published roughly 170 years ago and, unfortunately, displays the antisemitism and misogyny of the times. Plot: Christian, who narrates the story, is an artist renting an attic room in an old house on Rue des Minnesängers in Nuremberg. He has a commanding view ofContinue reading “Review of “The Invisible Eye” by Erckmann-Chatrian: Halloween Countdown”
Review of “The Haunted Orchard” by Richard Le Gallienne: Halloween Countdown
27) “The Haunted Orchard” by Richard Le Gallienne Plot:The unnamed narrator tells the reader about leaving the city for the Connecticut countryside and coming across an empty “quaint farm-house,” an “old colonial,” with lilacs and “surrounded by an orchard of ancient apple trees.” He finds a broken window pane and enters the house. Why not?Continue reading “Review of “The Haunted Orchard” by Richard Le Gallienne: Halloween Countdown”
Review of “The Hand” by Guy de Maupassant: Halloween Countdown
26) “The Hand” by Guy de Maupassant Plot:Clean-shaven M. Bermutier, a judge, talks to a group of people gathered in Paris discussing the Saint-Cloud mystery. The judge notes that the women, shaking and trembling, move closer to him; they are “moved by fear and curiosity, and by the eager and insatiable desire for the horrible,Continue reading “Review of “The Hand” by Guy de Maupassant: Halloween Countdown”
Review of “For the Blood is the Life” by F. Marion Crawford: Halloween Countdown
25) “For the Blood is the Life” by F. Marion Crawford Plot:The unnamed narrator of this story owns a sixteenth-century tower on the west coast of Calabria, built to keep off Barbary pirates. The tower stands at the extremity of a curving, rocky promontory that forms a small but safe natural harbor at the southernContinue reading “Review of “For the Blood is the Life” by F. Marion Crawford: Halloween Countdown”
Review of “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving: Halloween Countdown
24) “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving (as Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.) Note: The story reviewed is about two hundred years old and contains some racially insensitive and misogynistic language. Plot: In 1727, “at the time when earthquakes were prevalent in New England and shook many tall sinners down upon their knees,” Tom Walker,Continue reading “Review of “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving: Halloween Countdown”
Review of “The Case of Lady Sannox” by Arthur Conan Doyle: Halloween Countdown
22) “The Case of Lady Sannox” by Arthur Conan Doyle Plot: Those in the know understand that the married surgeon Douglas Stone and the equally married Lady Sannox were having an affair. That she announced she was taking the veil and would never be seen by the world again got tongues wagging. Stone’s valet foundContinue reading “Review of “The Case of Lady Sannox” by Arthur Conan Doyle: Halloween Countdown”
Review of “The Watcher by the Threshold” by John Buchan: Halloween Countdown
21) “The Watcher by the Threshold” by John Buchan Plot:Our hero, Henry, a lawyer, is enjoying some vacation time out shooting (ICK, but yeah) at a friend’s estate when he receives a letter from his cousin, Sibyl, asking him to visit her and her husband in Scotland. She adds a postscript: “For Heaven’s sake, comeContinue reading “Review of “The Watcher by the Threshold” by John Buchan: Halloween Countdown”
Review of “Wake Not the Dead” by Ernst Raupach: Halloween Countdown
20) “Wake Not the Dead” by Ernst Raupach (often attributed to Johann Ludwig Tieck) Plot: Walter, a powerful lord in Burgundy, marries a beautiful woman named Brunhilda. They are very much in love. Alas! Brunhilda dies, leaving Walter heartbroken. He eventually remarries a wonderful, beautiful woman named Swanhilda. They have two children, a boy andContinue reading “Review of “Wake Not the Dead” by Ernst Raupach: Halloween Countdown”
Review of “Unseen—Un[f]eared” by Francis Stevens: Halloween Countdown
19) “Unseen—Un[f]eared” by Francis Stevens Before I proceed, I would like to offer a few content warnings, specifically about suicide and some racially and ethnically insensitive elements of the story. About the latter: the narrator is ill and not himself, so it could reflect a paranoid, altered state of mind. Or he may just beContinue reading “Review of “Unseen—Un[f]eared” by Francis Stevens: Halloween Countdown”
