Victorian Ghost Stories

The ghost story was as popular among Victorians as the murder novel is in the 21st century, and in this collection Mike Stocks introduces the genre to a younger generation. Rewritten for easy reading, the examples here are fairly formulaic - common elements include the use of the first person, a middle-class narrator and a series of ghostly apparitions that appear to avenge deaths or haunt loved ones, most notably the dead bridegroom who nevertheless attends his wedding. Many of the stories focus on the very Victorian theme of rational science being pitted against the more emotive supernatural, with the latter usually being the winner. Plots include the demon dog which wreaks vengeance on the English landlord responsible for the eviction and subsequent death of his Irish Master and the strange case of the man who returns from the dead to prove his innocence on a charge of embezzlement, not to mention the man who receives telephone calls from his dead wife, in an interesting example of modern technology being used for age-old ghostly purposes. The stories are accompanied by pencil illustrations by Darrell Warner and a discussion of some key ghost writers of the period for readers interested in exploring the genre further. This is an enjoyable collection which will appeal to all children interested in the supernatural. Ages 7-10 (Kirkus UK)