"When the nights draw in and the fires burn low, enjoy the eeriness, the dread and the comedy of all things Ghostly." Who could resist such a tempting invitation , such a promising blurb on the inside cover, on this beautifully designed dust cover? Not I for sure, there is Go on, do it yourself, there is only one thing to do with such temptation and that is yield. you will be in such good company in this anthology; Saki, Edgar Allen Poe, M.R. James, ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman. And off course there are contributions by Audrey Niffenegger who wrote the introduction, illustrated the book and gifted a truly unsettling yarn "Secret life, with Cats". Some great choices in this collection, some quite subtle choices and all fittingly Ghostly.
Audrey Niffenegger's fine black line illustrations lift the contents to an almost meta-degree, visually tip-toeing around the stories on lithe little cat feet. Her drawings have a Jean Cocteau quality to them. A dreamy surreal series of haunting visuals which linger like the stories.
The tone varies throughout in the most pleasant, if unsettling of ways, with hardly a misstep or a paw put wrong. The nicest surprise for me was the Oliver Onions story; The Beckoning Fair One". I was aware of its existence having read it referenced as a very special genre addition and it indeed lived up to what I had hoped. It felt timeless and also timely. no need to put this collection aside for the darker season, let these stories creep into your conciousness, seek reverie in the company of the strange, who fairly or unfairly beckon you onwards. Give into temptation...
What else is it for.
