Book Review: Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry’s Definitive Collection
Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry’s Definitive Collection by Stephen Fry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Did I purchase this on Amazon solely because it was narrated by Stephen Fry? You bet. He’s one of my favorite narrators of all time. There’s something about his voice that is incredibly soothing, something about his delivery that is cozy and instantly transportive. Additionally, I loved the thought of getting not only his narration, but his brief thoughts on each of these classic, spooky tales. I love his way with words almost as much as the way he says them, and I found his introductions to each story interesting and informative. This collection proved to be perfect for spooky season.
Not only is it an excellent narration of eight classic tales of horror, Fry and the audio producers took things a step further by adding in sound effects that really added to the experience. These effects were perfectly balanced, contributing greatly to the tone and mood without being so prominent as to distract. I wish more audio productions would follow suit.
Below are my brief thoughts on each story included in the collection. Know that, for all of them, the narration and sound design were top tier!
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving: 5 stars
This is the best known story of the lot, by a long shot, and is one of the few in the collection that I had read previously. I had forgotten how very tongue-in-cheek the entirety of the story is. The tone is absolutely delightful. Ichabod Crane is one of those literary characters who never fades. He’s so proud and self-important for no good reason, and those massive character flaws add so much to the story. I also adore the descriptions of food, as that is the subject nearest and dearest to Ichabod’s heart. These descriptions are equal parts delicious and over-the-top. As for the specter, well, everyone knows the Headless Horseman. He’s a visual that is evergreen in generations of fertile, easily spooked minds!
Lost Hearts by M.R. James: 4 stars
I have to confess, this story was far creepier than I expected for something first published in 1895. It begins with lovely, atmospheric descriptions of the setting, but it quickly takes a dark turn. I found it surprisingly dark and scary for the date in which it was penned. A huge, almost shocking departure in tone from the Irving story preceding it. I had never read anything by M.R. James before this story, but I plan to rectify that now.
Was It an Illusion? By Amelia B. Edwards: 3 stars
This story was serviceable. Adequate. Not bad. I just didn’t find it particularly engaging. I felt the entire thing could have been tightened just a touch. But I’m likely judging it too harshly for something written in 1881. It’s a solid, chilling little mystery, with just the right amount of spookiness for the collection. There’s an epistolary aspect to the story, which I always enjoy.
The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson: 5 stars
This story FELT like a spooky autumn night. You can tell it was dreamed up in the same mind that created The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There was a great, tense mystery here, and a lovely, eerie pacing to the unveiling of it. It’s a deeply troubling dive into peer pressure, morality, and being haunted by the decisions of your past. There is such a difference between the spiritual hope of resurrection and the disturbing truth of ‘resurrection’ in this story. It had a perfect ending, comprised of both a creeping dread and an abrupt reveal.
The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood: 4 stars
I really enjoyed Blackwood’s writing style. He is another author I was first introduced to through his inclusion in this collection. This story is rife with classic horror tropes, from the haunted house motif to the address of said house including the number 13. In some places, it felt vaguely reminiscent to The Haunting of Hill House in terms of tone and theme. This was one of the most unnerving of the stories, and the audio rendition actually startled me a couple of times with some really chilling screams in the sound effects. This felt like the epitome of a classic “ghost” story.
William Wilson by Edgar Allan Poe: 5 stars
The only other story in the collection with which I already had a familiarity. There’s something about Poe’s writing that just really works for me. Not only is it darkly entertaining, it’s always thought-provoking. This was the most psychologically disturbing of the stories in the collection, and provided the most food for thought. Can you kill your conscience? Murder your morality? Who—or what—is William Wilson exactly? Is he real? A kind of twisted imaginary friend? Personified dark conscience? Madness? Who knows, but he always appears when the narrator is at his worst. It brought to mind a particular Bible verse, Numbers 32:23. To paraphrase, it says, “Be sure your sins will find you out.” There is also discourse on the importance of individual identity, and how disconcerting it is to have that identity infringed upon, its aspects assumed by another.
The Open Door by Charlotte Riddell: 5 stars
This was my favorite new-to-me story in the entire collection. Riddell imbued her narrator with such a fun voice. The tone was light, especially in the beginning, and had a Dickensian flair to it. This is part ghost story, part murder mystery, with the barest hint of a coming-of-age thread woven though it. I found our main character interesting and likable, if a bit full of himself. He was both too self-aware in some ways and not aware enough in others, but it was an accidentally charming blend. This story felt the most like a miniature novel, and was pretty near perfect in terms of pacing and voice and driving plot. I absolutely loved this one!
The Judge’s House by Bram Stoker: 3.5 stars
I can respect this story, and especially Stoker’s writing, but this was one of my least favorites. It was the darkest—and one of the scariest—stories. You could tell in the craft and the tone that it was penned by the same hand and from the same mind that gave the world Dracula. I found the demonic rat as a housing for an evil spirit really disconcerting. I did appreciate how the natural and the supernatural, using the same basic form, displayed a battle between good and evil, in a sense. But this story ended the collection on a dark, somber note, one that I wouldn’t have chosen for the finale. I can see why it was chosen, but it’s a choice I disagree with.
Across the board, this was a really solid collection of classic ghost stories. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy my time with Fry’s immersive voice, I was introduced to some new authors, authors I have heard of but have never experienced for myself. I can see myself revisiting this collection for many Halloweens to come!
You can purchase this audiobook from Audible.