Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe My rating: 5 of 5 stars Another required reading for my zombie/vampire course, this short story had me on the fence until the very end.I am not really a fan of long-winded descriptions and overly prolonged suspense until the reader doesn’t even remember what the suspense was supposed to be for, but it absolutely work with this story. I was sitting at my desk, reading on my computer with my arms crossed defensively in front of me and leaning back, wondering when the “good” will start. By the end I was leaning into my computer, mere inches from the screen, clutching the edge of my…
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Christabel
Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was good. I mean this was really good. It was a great blend of horror, medieval, Gothic and the classic.Part of my required reading list for my zombie/vampire course, Christabel was an intriguing story to read. Written in verse, it took a few stanzas to get used to the style, but it was worth it in the end.A story filled with eerie descriptions, a spooky atmosphere, a seductress and an outcome I would not have suspected. In my accompanying course notes and commentaries, I read that the version we have now wasn’t even the complete narration and Coleridge…
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Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge My rating: 4 of 5 stars A required reading for my zombie/vampire seminar, this was my second time reading this poem; however, I can’t remember when or where I had first come across it. I can vaguely remember someone in a class-setting talking about the mariner and facilitating some sort of discussion, but the details elude me, which really bothers me.Anyway, I think I have always preferred Coleridge to Shelley or Byron. I appreciate his skill for creating an eerie mood in his poems that is just perfect for what he is trying to accomplish.The poem itself isn’t my favourite, but…
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The Death of Halpin Frayser
The Death of Halpin Frayser by Ambrose Bierce My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another required reading for my zombie/vampire seminar.For some reason this story reminded me of the movie “The Labyrinth” with David Bowie. It could be because I had recently watched it and it was still fresh in my memory, but I assume it had something to do with the dream like sequence in the story. It’s that almost fantastic and otherworldly always reminds me a bit of classic 80’s fantasy movies. Although, this story had quite a bit of blood in it, so I would suggest not reading it whilst eating.The writing was quite nonchalant with a…
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It
It by Stephen King My rating: 3 of 5 stars ***********Warning: Contains Spoilers************** I feel like I have accomplished a rite of passage by finishing Stephen King’s It. I did it! It took me over a year to do so, with long breaks in between reading it, but I can honestly say that I have read it from beginning to end. I must apologize for this unusual review, which will contain spoilers. Normally, I refrain from discussing a book and strictly stick to only providing an opinion on it, but I pretty much spent a year of my life reading it, so much happens in it and it is so…
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The Castle of Otranto
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was my first assigned reading for my Zombie/Vampire in literature graduate seminar and half the time I was chuckling and the other half I could feel goosebumps rising up my arms.The prince reminded me of the Queen of Hearts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, constantly shouting “off with their heads”, while the other characters only took him half seriously and dealt with the conflicts in the story.The story in itself was rather spooky with perfectly placed eerie details, including the general feel of knights and chivalry and the Gothic atmosphere.Overall, widely considered the first English Gothic…
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Carmilla
Carmilla: A Vampyre Tale by J. Sheridan Le Fanu My rating: 5 of 5 stars I signed up for a graduate seminar course starting in the fall, perfect timing, called The Walking Undead: Zombies and Vampires in Transatlantic Cultural History, a literature course studying works other than the obvious Frankenstein and Dracula, and thank goodness for that. In anticipation of starting the new semester I asked my prof to provide me with the reading list, unfortunately he only gave me the list of authors, whose selected works we will be studying. I am pretty sure, though, that Carmilla is on the list, considering it is the story that inspired Bram…
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Wither
Wither by Amy MilesMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I received this ARC from Red Coat Publishing and the author in exchange for an honest review.Wow! And where can I get the second installment, if one exists? A post-apocalyptic, horror, creepy, sci-fi story that captures the reader’s attention and includes such depth is a rare find among books.The characters are complex, and the author keeps most of them shrouded in mystery, which adds to the eerie atmosphere surrounding this story. The main character is not the typical hero/anti-hero and shows a good range of strengths and weaknesses that make her believable and likeable in her own way.The plot is straight…
