Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the ebook for review. I was really excited to read these short stories. Sadly, I found that these stories just weren’t my taste. Womp womp.

This is a book full of classic stories that I really enjoyed. I recommend to any lover of a great short story especially horror fans

This is a fun collection of classic horror/suspense stories and will be especially appealing to those like myself who prefer traditional horror/suspense to its more graphic modern counterpart. 

The collection kicks off with a lovely intro by Laird Hunt and is populated by a number of stories that will be familiar to many and some that will be new reads, though most readers will recognize all of the authors featured. 

As with all collections that include works by different authors, this one is a little hit or miss on quality from story to story, but overall it’s largely populated by fun, well-crafted examples of the genre. 

Among the highlights of the collection:

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death
Edith Wharton’s The Eyes 
Shirley Jackson’s Home
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper

I really enjoyed the variety within this collection! I had heard of many, if not most of the authors in this collection, however I have to admit that I hadn't read many of their works. Thanks to this collection I have certainly found some authors which I will be looking into, and buying some of their other works in the future.

~ I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~

This creepy collection offers the opportunity to explore the realms of horror in small, enjoyable portions. Among these classics are a few personal favourites; The Yellow Wallpaper will always hold a special place in my heart, with its cripplingly haunting tale about being imprisoned within one’s own home, driven to madness and hysteria. 

Unfortunately, whilst some stories enthralled me, others left me unsettled…and not in a good way. Classics often prove to be far too complicated, baffling me with complex language, or are just overly convoluted. This often disconnected me from the story, and therefore the horror, leaving me somewhat confused rather than scared.  Modern simplified horror seems to pack more of a punch; whilst classics are fascinating to delve into analytically speaking, this doesn’t make for overly relaxed, leisurely reading. 

Although some stories failed to impress, I still recommend this anthology as it encompasses a true variety, presenting a range of ghastly tales suited for everyone who appreciates a good spook.

This hair-raising little anthology serves to introduce modern readers to some of the most classic of American horror writers. As an early reader of horror, I was taken back to my teens as I read these stories again after many years. This is a decent selection of excellent stories that will appeal to horror fans.

I really enjoyed this collection of stories! Laird Hunt did a fantastic job of selecting the weird, supernatural and eerie stories from classic authors. A few of these I have read before but enjoyed reading again and a few were new reads from favorite authors. 

'The Masque of the Red Death', Edgar Allan Poe - 5 Stars 
I mean it's Poe, how can you go wrong?! 

'Young Goodman Brown', Nathaniel Hawthorne - 3 Stars 
Obviously quite different than The Scarlet Letter but it just didn't do much for me.

'The Eyes', Edith Wharton - 4 Stars 
This is my first read by Edith Wharton and I would love to check more of her work out; this story gave off such an unsettling feeling. I can't imagine waking up to find a pair of ghost eyes staring at me!

'The Mask', Robert Chambers - 3 Stars
I did love the Chemistry setting of the book. 

'Home', Shirley Jackson - 5 Stars 
Got to love Shirley Jackson! She has such a craft for writing horror. My favorite is still The Haunting of Hill House but this is a close second. 

'A Ghost Story', Mark Twain - 4 Stars
I've read this previously as A Ghosts Tale but it looks to be the same story. An unsettling conversation between a waking man and a ghost. 

'Spunk', Zora Neale Hurston - 3 Stars
Not my favorite love triangle. 

'The Yellow Wallpaper', Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 5 Stars
I love the journal entries and something sinister boiling just beneath them. This evoked such a feeling of paranoia. 

'An Itinerant House', Emma Frances Dawson - 3 Stars
This was my least favorite in the collection, good concept but weirdly executed. 

I read this as an ARC but I will be picking up a final copy for myself, I would love to have this in my final collection. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The last short story collection I have to share with you for Short Story September is American Midnight: Tales of the Dark. This is a cold classic American horror stories, with an introduction by Laird Hunt (an amazing writer himself).
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The stories are mostly well known, though the Shirley Jackson and Zora Neale Hurston ones were new to me.
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🖤‘The Masque of the Red Death’ by Edgar Allan Poe
🖤‘Young Goodman Brown’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne
🖤‘The Eyes’ by Edith Wharton
🖤‘The Mask’ by Robert Chambers
🖤'Home' by Shirley Jackson
🖤‘A Ghost Story’ by Mark Twain
🖤‘Spunk’ by Zora Neale Hurston
🖤‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
🖤‘An Itinerant House’ by Emma Frances Dawson
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Well known or not, these stories are writing perfection. There is just something about the older stories, the beautiful writing, the lonely settings, the atmosphere that breathes off the page. The old writers knew how to scare you without blood and guts and gore and I love them for it. Even though I already knew most of the stories, I read them again and was practically giddy with horrified delight. These stories are like old friends that welcome you home at the end of a long modern day.
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This book came out in the UK last year (on Halloween) and releases here in the US in August of 2021. 
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I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an excellent collection of ten dark, chilling American short stories. I was already familiar with ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and enjoyed reading it again alongside an interesting mix of other gothic tales. 

With an assortment of settings, characters and narrative styles, there’s sure to be stories that appeal to anyone who enjoys gothic literature. My favourites are ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ by Edgar Allen Poe and ‘An Iterant House’ by Emma Frances Dawson. I haven’t read many short stories since studying literature at university some years ago, but this collection has reminded me how enjoyable they can be and has prompted me to seek out more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the opportunity to read and review this title.

An amazing anthology of outstanding short stories by some of the greatest American writers. Because of my English lit degree, I was already familiar with a few but decided to reread them for the full experience. The stories are gripping and even creepy - the grotesque and uncanny elements are crucial for a good gothic story. 
It was a great read, definitely would recommend to all the fantasy lovers who like to be spooked.

Great collection of gothic tales. The Masque of the Red Death by Poe, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Home by Shirley Jackson are favorites of mine and was a treat to reread. The collection introduced me to The Eyes by Edith Wharton. Highly recommend.

A creepy and enjoyable collection of the old scary classics such as Edgar Alan Poe, Edith Wharton, Mark Twain and many others. All in all this is a very solid book from some of the best writers in history.

*thank you to Netgalley, Laird Hunt and Pushkin Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


3 stars

The Masque of the Red Death', Edgar Allan Poe ⭐⭐⭐
'Young Goodman Brown', Nathaniel Hawthorne ⭐⭐⭐
'The Eyes', Edith Wharton ⭐⭐
'The Mask', Robert Chambers ⭐⭐⭐
'Home', Shirley Jackson ⭐⭐⭐
'A Ghost Story', Mark Twain ⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Spunk', Zora Neale Hurston ⭐⭐⭐
'The Yellow Wallpaper', Charlotte Perkins Gilman ⭐⭐⭐⭐
'An Itinerant House', Emma Frances Dawson ⭐⭐⭐


Ohh horror, how I love this genre. I've always been a horror fan so when I saw this I just had to read it. I can say that it wasn't as enjoyable as I'd hoped but it was still definitely a great read. The stories were well varied and went well together. I would recommend this. Plus, that cover a amazing.

This was such a fun collection of stories! It really gave me some spooky, halloween vibes! This would be a perfect book to revisit in the fall or for halloween!

A wonderful anthology of American Gothic that shows the range of the genre. There's a good mix of classics (The Masque of the Red Death; The Yellow Wallpaper), stories from well-known authors (Wharton, Zora Neale Hurston, Hawthorne) and some wild-cards. My favourites are Shirley Jackson's typical mix of scary everyday, and 'Spunk' written in lively patois by Zora Neale Hurston. Short story collections can sometimes be uneven or a bit samey - this one gets the mix spot-on.

9 chilling stories....

‘The Masque of the Red Death', Edgar Allan Poe 

'Young Goodman Brown', Nathaniel Hawthorne 

'The Eyes', Edith Wharton 

'The Mask', Robert Chambers 

"Home", Shirley Jackson 

'A Ghost Story', Mark Twain 

'Spunk', Zora Neale Hurston 

'The Yellow Wallpaper', Charlotte Perkins Gilman 

'An Itinerant House', Emma Frances Dawson 

I personally didn’t like many of these. The last few stories were more enjoyable. 

A quick read! 

Something you might want to pick up during halloween time.

Laird Hunt has collated a selection of dark short stories, some of which I was already familiar and for which he provides an introduction. The stories in this collection are as follows:

‘The Masque of the Red Death’, Edgar Allan Poe
‘Young Goodman Brown’, Nathaniel Hawthorne
‘The Eyes’, Edith Wharton
‘The Mask’, Robert Chambers
“Home”, Shirley Jackson
‘A Ghost Story’, Mark Twain
‘Spunk’, Zora Neale Hurston
‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, Charlotte Perkins Gilman
‘An Itinerant House’, Emma Frances Dawson

As you might expect with a short story collection, it proves to be the usual expected mixed bag, I loved some more than others. In Poe's tale, amidst a deadly plague, the Red Death, Prince Prospero throws a masquerade ball at which an unexpected guest turns up. Hawthorne's offering has Goodman Brown leave his wife, Faith, for a meeting that will colour his future. Wharton's contribution is set after a dinner and the ghostly storytelling of the haunting eyes. Chambers tells of the bonds of love, dreams and insanity between Boris, Genevieve and Alec, whilst Jackson relates the tale of Ethel Sloane not being put off by the fears and concerns the locals have of her travelling along a particular road. Twain's ghost story has a touch of humour, with a blanket being insistently tugged away, along with noises, stealthy footsteps, clanking and muttered sentences. Neale Hurston's speaks of a husband, Joe Kanty, his wife, Lena, blatantly going with another man in public, and Gilman writes of insanity, a marriage, and a horrid, disturbing and strange yellow wallpaper. Dawson finishes the collection with a story of a tragic house and disturbing the dead.

My favourites was the Shirley Jackson, Mark Twain and Zora Neale Hurston's stories. With autumn not too far way, this is a perfect collection that will appeal to those who enjoy the dark side of life, I think most readers will find some stories here that they will enjoy, and might even be driven to follow the authors other works! Many thanks to Pushkin Press for an ARC.

"A chilling collection of classic weird and supernatural tales from the dark heart of American literature." 


I was really excited to sign up for these classic horror tales--from Edgar Allan Poe to Shirley Jackson, Nathaniel Hawthorne to Zora Neale Hurston and more. Though I appreciate the value of these stories' place in history, I must say that only a few of these really connected to me. My favorites are 'Home' by Shirley Jackson and 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (previously read from another collection). Runners up: 'Spunk' by Zora Neale Hurston and The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe. 

I failed to fully engage with the rest, perhaps they are too archaic, and a lot was lost in translation. Still, I would recommend this for anyone looking for short, atmospheric reads that you can binge on any day, or night. 


Big thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a solid collection of American short stories and a great starting point if you're just getting into classic horror or even just classic literature in general. I enjoyed the mix of stories and found it to be a well paced and balanced collection. A great book to have on your bedside table to dip in and out of when the mood suits. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review.

I had actually already read a lot of these stories, but a fantastic selection and I love the cover. I can totally see the appeal of purchasing this as a hardback and dipping into it every now and then. Absolutely iconic authors and great stories for curling up with a cup of tea on a cosy wintry night and creeping yourself out!