Montague Rhodes James

Collects ghost stories and tales of the supernatural, featuring such works as "Count Magnus," "Number 13," and "Casting the Runes."

The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James

Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories

Ilse

I read this as the little explanation written underneath it interested me: “A traveler in Sweden stumbles upon the history of a mysterious and ominous figure. Are you awake Count Magnus?”

Unfortunately, as this is written in the style of someone who reports upon a report made by someone investigating this Count Magnus I felt a total disconnect from the story. I really couldn’t care less about the unfortunate ending of the first investigator, and it didn’t at all feel like a ghost story. Maybe if it was written from the viewpoint of the fellow investigating this Count Magnus, it would’ve grabbed me more, but for now I can’t give it more than two stars

Montague Rhodes James is considered one of the greatest writers of ghost stories of all time. Born in Kent, England in 1862, James was a well-known and respected scholar in his time for his exacting and informative research in medieval studies. He went on to become a Provost at King's College, Cambridge, and later Eton, in addition to publishing four popular and influential collections of ghost stories between 1904 and 1925. His story-telling modernized the traditional gothic conception of a supernatural tale to the more realistic contemporary settings and characters of the early 20th century. James incorporated his vast knowledge of antiquities to make the details of his ghost stories all the more genuine and frightening and reveled in contrasting quiet bucolic settings with strange and unexplained events. James's style was widely influential and inspired famous horror writers, such as H. P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. "Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories" contains a collection of some of James' most famous ghost stories. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James

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