Book 59 of 2023: Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings (Tales of the Weird)

[vivdunstan]

Just finished my 59th book of the year, and this is one of the British Library's Tales of the Weird short story collections, and one full of festive themed stories, dating from the 1860s to the 1940s. Here is the full list of stories included:

• The Four-Fifteen Express - Amelia B. Edwards
• The Curse of the Catafalques - F. Anstey
• Christmas Eve on a Haunted Hulk - Frank Cowper
• The Christmas Shadrach - Frank R. Stockton
• Number Ninety - B. M. Croker
• The Shadow - E. Nesbitt
• The Kit Bag - Algernon Blackwood
• The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance - M. R. James
• Boxing Night - E. E. Benson
• The Prescription - Marjorie Brown
• The Snow - Hugh Walpole
• Smee - A. M. Burrage
• The Demon Kind - J. B. Priestley
• Lucky's Grove - H. Russell Wakefield

Some of the stories had only tenuous links with Christmas, and the earlier part of the book was definitely weaker for me. However the book had some absolute standouts. Especially "The Kit Bag" by Algernon Blackwood and "Smee" by A.M. Burrage, both of which left me spooked for a very long time after reading! I also found "The Prescription" by Marjorie Brown to be highly effective.

Fortunately there are currently three other festive collections in the Tales of the Weird series of books, with potentially more to come. So I can see future Christmases where I read the others.

Rating 4/5 stars.