Greetings, bibliophiles! I just finished a book that I think is worthy of sharing. The title is Haunted Legends, and it is an anthology edited by Ellen Datlow (who puts together some seriously awesome books) and Nick Mamatas, published by Tor, who specializes in speculative fiction (in case you don’t know, that is science fiction, fantasy, or horror, in brief). They invited the modern masters of the genre to contribute a tale; however, to make it more interesting, they asked the authors to draw inspiration from a legend, ghost story, or folktale from their town.
You all know I am a sucker for folklore, so it was love at first sight when I blindly picked up this book at Barnes & Noble. Usually I go for gothic classics, and I am ashamed to say I was a little wary about reading modern voice, but this book (or maybe these authors) instantly made me feel sorry for being so close-minded. I had never heard of any of the writers, but I am positive I will find myself researching many of them on Amazon once I finish this article. Some of my favorites were from Steven Pirie, Caitlin R. Kiernan, John Mantooth, and Jeffrey Ford. A few of the others have quite an impressive list of previous publishing’s—such as Ramsey Campbell, who has penned dozens of novels and short story collections, and Joe R. Lansdale, whose books have inspired two films by Don Coscarelli, the much beloved Bubba Ho-Tep starring Bruce Campbell, and the Masters of Horror piece Incident On and Off and Mountain Road.
"Spring-Heeled Jack" |
There is a tale from nearly every continent. Some feel familiar, as if a childhood friend has told them to you on a dark night. Others feel fantastical and poetic, pulled from a dream. The stories are most assuredly fiction, but the sources… well, it’s up to you whether or not the legends have any truth to them.
Maybe Haunted Legends has a tale from your very own town! Here is one from mine…
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" Irving's inspiration is said to have come from German folklore. |
I’d like to encourage everyone to share in the comments a local legend they might know from their own town. I love a good spooky tale!
3 comments:
I know far too many. I grew up in the Poconos. Creepy area.
Great review, Marie. I adore folklore - the creepier the better.
The fact that Ramsey Campbell - whose work is heavily influenced by MR James - is amongst the contributors of this collection - and that one of the stories is based on Spring Heeled Jack - makes me VERY interested in acquiring a copy... Thanks so much for the review.
PS My home town has a wonderfully morbid 'legend' involving a woman whose headstone reads 'Lived Once, Buried Twice.' I wrote about her here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/armagh/mccall_grave.shtml
My grandfather was actually the caretaker of the graveyard where she's buried, and my mum grew up in the graveyard house. Might go some way to explain my love of horror! :)
I have been trying to locate the tracks for some time. I have seen a variety of street names and areas. Can someone give me a definitive street name/location? I understand it to be on Renschler Station Rd somewhere near Overlook St.
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