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3.5 

Weird Women

By Lisa Morton & Leslie S. Klinger
Weird Women by Lisa Morton & Leslie S. Klinger digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Following the success of Weird Women: Volume 1, acclaimed anthologists Lisa Morton and Leslie S. Klinger return with another offering of overlooked masterworks from early female horror writers, including George Eliot, Zora Neale Hurston, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Edith Wharton.

Following the success of their acclaimed Weird Women, star anthologists Lisa Morton and Leslie S. Klinger return with another offering of overlooked masterworks from early female horror writers.

This volume once again gathers some of the most famous voices of literature—George Eliot, Zora Neale Hurston, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Edith Wharton—along with chilling tales by writers who were among the bestselling and most critically-praised authors of the early supernatural story, including Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Vernon Lee, Florence Marryat, and Margaret Oliphant.

There are, of course, ghost stories here, but also tales of vampirism, mesmerism, witches, haunted India, demonic entities, and journeys into the afterlife. Introduced and annotated for modern readers,  Morton and Klinger have curated more stories sure to provide another "feast of entertaining (and scary) reads" (Library Journal).

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17 Reviews

3.5
“A collection of short stories exactly as the title describes. The stories are engaging and entertaining though there were a few duds for me. The book gains points by being an exemplary example of what an anthology should be. The stories are in chronological order and each story starts with a brief biography of the author. This also includes when and where the story first appeared. 1. The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell (1852) - A maid with her charge, a little orphaned girl related to a lord, go to live in the manor which is haunted by past deeds. So much happens here that I can't say anymore. Riveting. (5/5) 2. The Moonstone Mass by Harriet Prescott Spofford (1868) - A man joins an expedition for the Northwest Passage and is shipwrecked on an ice flow. Incredibly boring. Full of description and scientifics. I had to skim the last few pages I was so brain-dead. (0/5) 3. Lost in a Pyramid, or the Mummy's Curse by Louisa May Alcott (1869) - The title gives away the plot. A soon-to-be-wed couple find a golden case with three petrified seeds in it. The man then tells her the tale of how he got it. Then the curse arrives. (4/5) 4. What Was the Matter? By Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1869) - Aunt Alice is asked to come live with them but never arrives on the train. Oh, so much more strange goodness happens. (4/5) 5. An Itinerant House by Emma Frances Dawson (1878) - A woman is brought back to life using galvanization. She places a curse on the house. Started well but turned into quoting so many people and poems. A dud. (1/5) 6. Nut Bush Farm by Mrs JH (Charlotte) Riddell (1882) - A man takes on a small farm only to find the locals say it's haunted. Upon seeing the ghost himself he starts some detective work. A lot of fun. Lovely descriptions and characterizations. (5/5) 7. The Gray Man by Susan Orne Jewett (1886) - A man walks through a town and settles himself in an abandoned cabin on a mountain of a hill. His greyness and unsmiling face unsettle the townsfolk. A very short sketch of the man is interesting but uneventful. (3/5) 8. In a Far-Off World by Olive Schreiner (1890) - Only three pages long, a story set in a distant world about a woman who makes a wish for her lover. Nothing more can be said than it was ok. (3/5) 9. The Giant Wistaria by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1891) - Three couples summer in a deliciously spooky house they find is, unfortunately, not haunted. Then they tell their dreams one morning. Well written, flowing story that's a little bit creepy. (4/5) 10. The Lady with the Carnations by Marie Corelli (1896) - The narrator sees a painting in a museum and becomes enamoured with the sad subject. She then starts seeing the portrait's ghostly presence. A lovely flowing story showing ghosts are not to be feared. (4/5) 11. The Were-Wolf by Clemence Housman (1896) - A very long story probably would be called a novella nowadays. A man follows a giant wolf's tracks right to his cabin. Inside is a female traveller dressed in white wolf fur. He knows she is a Were-Wolf but nobody else will believe. His older brother falls. In love with her and he is determined to catch the were-wolf before she kills his brother. Fantastic story. Lot of moralizing but it wasn't over the top. Great characters and folk horror. (5/5) 12. Transmigration by Dora Sigerson Shorter (1900) - A man sick, alone, and dying screams about his fear of Hell due to his sinning ways. A kind soul comes to help him and he transfers souls. A tale of the fate of sinners. Reminded me a bit of Dotchevsky. (4/5) 13. The Wind in the Rose-Bush by Mary E Wilkins Freeman (1902) - A woman comes into some money and can finally go get her niece currently living with her stepmother. Fine read there are some cat-and-mouse tensions as the aunt tries to get the niece at home. On edge for the entire read. Loved the end. (4/5) 14. The Banshee's Halloween by Hermione Templeton Kavanagh (1903) - A Darby OGill story. A banshee is out on Halloween night causing havoc and Darby saves the day. One thing I do not like is a narrative written in a dialect such as this. I found it hard and slow reading making the story drag. (2/5) 15. In the Closed Room by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1904) - A little girl, born in the noise of the working class, is pale, gentle and petite just like her Aunt Hester who died young. This is a brilliant story with an ethereal atmosphere. Wonderful and airy with bittersweet tragedy. My favourite so far. (5/5) 16. The Dream-baby by Olivia Howard Dunbar (1904) - Two spinsters who run a school for young children, retire. Then one of them starts dreaming of a baby. A whimsical tale not without tragedy. (4/5) 17. The Third Drug by E. Bland (E. Nesbit) (1908) - At night a man is set upon by French thugs and finds his way to an open door. Within is a mad doctor trying to find the Knowledge of Life. This is an intelligent story bringing forth each event with wisdom. The horror is a cool dreadful one. An enjoyable story (5/5) 18. The Pocket-Hunter's Story by Mary Austin (1909) - A prospecting story of a man who died and when his partner comes back the body is gone with footprints leading away. This was tough to read with long meandering sentences. Not an enjoyable read but an interesting ending. (2/5) 19. Twilight by Marjorie Bowen (1912) - A male servant meets Lucretia Borgia in the gardens at twilight. A fictional tale of Borgia as elderly. Short with a twist ending. Readable but not that interesting. (2/5) 20. The Swine-Gods by Regina Miriam Bloch (1917) - I don't get this. A man is walking on the Lane of the Lost and enters a palace where the souls of people are being offered to two pagan gods. Then the end doesn't make sense. Not for me. (1/5) 21. Jordan's End by Ellen Glasgow (1923) - A dr. is called out to the mysterious Jordan house where all have eventually gone crazy. Ending with a bang, this is a moody, atmospheric southern gothic. Loved it. (5/5)”

About Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton is a screenwriter, author, anthologist, and the editor of the acclaimed Ghosts: A Haunted History. She is a six-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a recipient of the Black Quill Award, and winner of the 2012 Grand Prize from the Halloween Book Festival. A lifelong Californian, she lives in North Hills, California, and can be found online at www.lisamorton.com.

Leslie S. Klinger

Leslie S. Klinger is one of the world's foremost authorities on Sherlock Holmes. He is the editor of the three-volume The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. The first two volumes, The Complete Short Stories, won the Edgar for Best Critical/Biographical work. He is also the editor of the hugely successful The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft. Klinger is a member of the Baker Street Irregulars and lives in Malibu, California.

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