Classic Weird Stories

Weird Fiction occupies an unsettling space in supernatural fiction, a blend of horror and fantasy which journeys into the inexplicable. It came to prominence in the mid-19th century and here is a collection of vividly imagined short stories, by the likes of Ambrose Bierce, Lafcadio Hearn and Charlotte Riddell. The stories are chosen and introduced by Emily Alder.

The book is divided into different sections which showcase the full range of weird fiction. It begins with early examples such as The Damn Thing by Ambrose Bierce in which a man is killed by an unseen force; was it an invisible creature or an invasion of his mind? Then comes the horror, with stories that include The Inmost Light by Arthur Machen in which the circumstances of a woman’s death build to a terrifying climax. Many weird stories explore the limits of belief and push beyond the boundaries of natural laws. In The Heath Fire by Algernon Blackwood several witnesses attempt to explain the causes of unusual fires in a landscape which mesmerizes an artist but ultimately dramatically curtails his creativity. Then on into the early 20th century with the terrifying The Outsider by H. P. Lovecraft and May Sinclair’s richly imaginative The Finding of the Absolute.