***This book was reviewed for Chronicle Books via Netgalley

This delightful collection of Victorian ghost tales features offerings by such notables as Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Robert Louis Stevenson, among others. I was a bit disappointed to find no tale from Edgar Allan Poe though. Ghost stories of this era are a far cry from the horror of today, relying more on subtleties and eerieness to carry the weight as opposed to the blood, gore, and in your face nature typical of horror today, excepting the truly exceptional authors like Stephen King who still do rely more on the subtle and the eerie.

There are seven stories total, from both the UK and the US. My two favourites were Dickens’ ‘The Signalman’ and ‘The Body-snatcher’ by Robert Louis Stevenson. Previous to reading this book, I had a great animosity towards Dickens. Given the fact that I enjoyed his story in this collection, I think I may give his longer works a chance again. Reading preferences, as with anything else, change over time. Who knows? Maybe I will actually enjoy Great Expectations now

???? Recommended, especially if you enjoy Victorian-era works, or if you enjoy ghost stories.