This is the only known picture of George Soane, the son and rebel family member of the famous architect, John Soane. From my research, I peg him as one of the most underrated authors of the supernatural from 1800-1849. I selected his horror story "The Lighthouse" to be included in The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849. "The Sexton of Cologne" is his best ghost story and I hope you enjoy it.
The Scary Short Stories Blog by award-winning author Andrew Barger where I discuss the scariest stories in the various supernatural genres. I emphasize classic scary short stories and provide insight into the origins of the stories and the authors behind them. Visit AndrewBarger.com to check out my books and to be scared.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Best Ghost Story 25 from 1800-1849
Friday, July 22, 2011
Best Ghost Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Ghost Anthology Published!
In my last post I promised exciting news. Well, here it is. The Best Ghost Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Ghost Anthology is published and available on Kindle. In the coming weeks I'll let you know when it is available at the iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc. The physical book is still at the designer's and I hope to have it published in time for the Halloween season. Next week I'll also post the stories and authors in the book. Believe me, I have picked the most well-written scariest ghost stories for the first half of the nineteenth century. It's reasonably priced at $2.99 and also available for Kindle UK and Germany. Enjoy!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Best Ghost Story 26 from 1800-1849: "The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton" by Charles Dickens
The 26th best ghost story of the fifty year period in review comes to us by the venerable Charles "Boz" Dickens (1812-1870). The scary story was first published in 1836 and later appeared as Chapter 29 in The Pickwick Papers. The ghost story is both funny and horrific in parts, reminiscent of A Christmas Carol in this regard.
The name of the story is The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton and it is one of Dickens's best ghost stories. The protagonist is one Gabriel Grub, a "sexton and grave-digger" who is going about his business on Christmas Eve when horror strikes among the gravestones. I will let you read it for yourself.
In closing, be ready for an exciting announcement in my next post that you will not want to miss!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Best Ghost Story 27 from 1800-1849: The Chase
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Best Ghost Stories 1800-1849: Story 28 is Solange by Alexander Dumas
The 28th best ghost story for the first half of the nineteenth century is Solange by the esteemed Alexander Dumas (1802-1870). This is the best ghost story by Dumas given its plot, style and characters. It is also his scariest ghost story with the plot building to its climatic end, which I won't give away here. The full title of the tale is "Solange: Dr. Ledu's Story of the Reign of Terror" and it was published in 1849. Most of the Top 40 ghost stories I have picked for this countdown have a ghostly presence throughout. In Solange, however, the ghost appears near the end, but it's effect is horrific just the same.
The portly Alexander Dumas is best known for creating such memorable characters as the Three Musketeers and Quasimodo. He is not considered a player in the realm of supernatural tales. None of his stories made my list of the Top 40 horror stories for the period in review and, obviously, none of them reached the level of the dozen picked for The Best Horror Stories 1800-1849 that I edited. He did pen "The Vampire of the Carpathian Mountains," which is thought to be the first vampire story set in the ominous mountain range of Europe. He also wrote a werewolf story by the title of "The Wolf Leader" in 1857.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Best Ghost Stories 1800-1849; Mary Burnet by James Hogg
It's been awhile since I last posted scary ghost story 30, maybe too long. Without further delay I pick James Hogg's (1770-1835) Mary Burnet as the 29th best ghost story for the first half of the nineteenth century. The scary story is the classic case of an "innocent maiden" who is wronged and, well . . . I'll let you read for yourself what happens.
James Hogg, commonly known by his penname "The Ettrick Shepard," was self-educated. He eventually made his way out of the rustic life of country living in Scotland. He began writing short stories and articles for Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine and befriended Sir Walter Scott. While Hogg's novels did not leave a deep mark on literature, his short stories were penned at a very high level. In my estimation he is greatly overlooked as a writer of horror and ghost stories in this important half century. Two of his stories made my list of the Top 40 horror short stories for the period in review, but none rose to the level of the top dozen that I include in The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849, which recently won a literary award. Hogg has a way with dialogue that takes one back to the old Scottish brogue and in the scary story of "Mary Burnet" he does not disappoint in this regard.
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