When I read this I was perpetually high, which admittedly kinda suited it, but I might dig it out again - it’d be nice to remember more than hazy drifts of imagery!
Not sure why my post lost track of itself, but that’s fairly apt! It was to @manches about The Castle of O.
First chapter is great, I remember reading (some of?) it at university over a decade ago and only really remembering the atmosphere of it. Has that great Gothic quality (even being such an early example of Gothic fiction) where it really really reminds me of Resident Evil. As silly a comparison that is to make, just how realised the central location is with all its gloominess and secret passageways and strange spots for stranger threats to hide in and that
Reading some Poe short stories. Just finished The Gold Bug. Well that was tedious
Do they get better? Was only really interested in The Fall of the House of Usher as the new T Kingfisher is an adaptation of it and the write up sounds exactly my sort of thing #CreepyTreesAdjacent
Haha, no I totally get the Resi reference! Just need a high tech secret lab under it all and it’d be perfect. I don’t really remember a plot, but that might be because it was quite light on stuff like that!
Just finished Hamnet. Had only read one Maggie O’Farrell a long time ago and hadn’t enjoyed it. All the recommendations for this made me give it a go, glad I did. Thought it was great. Quite tender, and the scant historical detail for that part of Shakespeare’s life made it a good framework for a novel. Agnes was a v. good protagonist.
Re-reading Wyrd Sisters now ahead of the Terry Pratchett bio that’s out in a few days.
Speaking of spooky books, it’s Shirley Jackson season for me, and I went for The Bird’s Nest this year. I was sort of worried that I really wasn’t into it (having to spend so much time with the pompous doc), but as usual it’s built up to something pretty gripping and I’m thinking about the next time I’ll get to read it and peep another glint of a hidden thing!
I did the same (but because of the next Mike Flanagan series )
I didn’t care for many of them to be honest. Ligeia, House of Usher and Masque of the Red Death were pretty good. Liked The Raven too of course.
Skipped a few so may have missed a couple of decent ones but
Well I did like House of Usher, especially how he described how depresed he felt looking at it at the start, that was really good. But I think because I’d read what the new T Kingfisher book was about or just looked at the cover image I was expecting a load of fungi creepiness and there was that bit at the start saying the house was covered in fungus and I was like here we go! But then that was that.
He does go on a lot doesn’t he, listing things. In that gold bug story i skipped the entire decoding bit through annoyance.
I only know them from having the cassettes out as a kid and they were read by a really good actor (it might even have actually been Vincent Price). Anyway, they were cool but I’m not sure about how they’d do now.
Rue Morgue and the Masque of the Red Death were good. The Pit and the Pendulum was decent. There was also the Cask of Amontillado (I think it was called) which is referenced sometimes too.
Just find some of these old writing styles so bizarre
Here’s 3 pages on my malaise at seeing a sad bush
Here are 9 on lists of books in the library
Here is 1 short sentence about a death or pivotal plot point, hope you weren’t skimming that bit after the tedium immediately before it, ooops!
They’re definitely of the old school of very much descriptive stuff over character dialogue, excepting Rue Morgue.
I think of the two I preferred M R James more but I think really you’re meant to read the Poe stuff as closer to gothic poetry than prose which I think is why the audio books added a lot more to it.
Think my fave that hasn’t been mentioned is The Black Cat. That’s cracking.
I think they are pretty much all about evoking mood and atmosphere rather than, you know, stuff that actually happens, so can see why they’d be a slog if you’re looking for more incident.