A mixed bag
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The best tale in this lengthy compilation of nineteenth century 'spinechillers' is probably the last one, Algernon Blackwood's 'The Kit Bag', a cracking piece of macabre atmospheric suspense that could've been written yesterday. Unfortunately it is preceded by a fair number of inferior - and sometimes poorly executed - stories that may prove interesting to academics but are likely to cause you to fall asleep prematurely rather than lie awake with the light on. The more notable names, such as Dickens, MR James, Conan-Doyle and so forth, turn in excellent work (the latter's 'Captain of the Pole Star' is unforgettable) but the less familiar authors vary with dramatic unevenness from genuinely scary to wholly indifferent and forgettable. Probably half of the thirty or so tales on offer are worth a look. You'd probably be better off checking out the best of MR James. That's my plan anyway.
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