Elizabeth's Reviews > Tales from a Gas-Lit Graveyard

What a pleasure to read a book compiled by an expert who so clearly loves his topic! Hugh Lamb, in gathering this collection of macabre Victorian fiction, has sought out many authors who, while successful in their day, have not necessarily remained in the public consciousness. These forgotten (or nearly) writers are once again given attention and acknowledgement in this little gem of a book. These stories are dark, powerful, and creepy—and while they certainly have a strong 19th-century flavor (that is their time period, after all) the content is never saccharine, and the writing is such that could hold its own against the tales of the present day.

Here are some good things:
• The book is well-organized.
• Each author has a mini (1 page) introduction.
• Lamb, in his intros, gives salient information without being loquacious.
• There are many unknown (or at least not well-known) authors.
• The stories show a wide variety of styles.
• The stories are interesting and quite well-written.
• Lamb clearly knows his craft and has done his research, but he never condescends to his readers or comes off as pretentious.

I suppose perhaps the best compliment I can give is this: these tales tend a bit too much toward the macabre for my taste, and yet I enjoyed reading each and every one of them, partly because Lamb’s introductions helped me understand their value, and mostly because his love for these stories shone through every page.