Book Review: Vampire Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (2009)
Synopsis: A compilation of "vampire-themed" stories from Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The book was edited by Robert Eighteen-Bisang and Martin H. Greenberg.
Review: I went to the library Friday evening with the intention of checking out a couple more Hamish Macbeth books and was disappointed to learn someone had beat me to them. Figuring I still needed something to read, I decided to use it as an excuse to change things up a bit and wound up checking out this book.
In addition to enjoying all Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, I am also a big fan of his Brigadier Gerard series. Up until this point, however, I had not taken the time to read this collection of short stories. After doing so, I find my opinion of it mixed.
I'm going to first start out by saying the title of this book is very misleading. If you check this out thinking you are going to get a book full of traditional vampire stories, you are going to be very disappointed. The book's editors are very loose with their "vampire" definition and include everything from man-eating plants to mummies into that category.
That being said, there are some stories that still manage to be imaginative and entertaining. I particularly found myself enjoying the one about the man-eating plant and another story involving a stranded whaling vessel and its captain. However, at the same time, I also found about half the stories in this collection were somewhat drawn out and not overly exciting. In fact, there were a couple stories, like the Ring of Thoth, that I just couldn't get interested in and had to skip to the end. Ultimately, I was kind of glad when I finally got through the book.
Final Opinion: Again, the title is very misleading and, that alone, should be a turnoff for most people. There are some gems in this collection but, overall, I am convinced there is a reason why Doyle is not remembered for his horror stories.
My Grade: C
Review: I went to the library Friday evening with the intention of checking out a couple more Hamish Macbeth books and was disappointed to learn someone had beat me to them. Figuring I still needed something to read, I decided to use it as an excuse to change things up a bit and wound up checking out this book.
In addition to enjoying all Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, I am also a big fan of his Brigadier Gerard series. Up until this point, however, I had not taken the time to read this collection of short stories. After doing so, I find my opinion of it mixed.
I'm going to first start out by saying the title of this book is very misleading. If you check this out thinking you are going to get a book full of traditional vampire stories, you are going to be very disappointed. The book's editors are very loose with their "vampire" definition and include everything from man-eating plants to mummies into that category.
That being said, there are some stories that still manage to be imaginative and entertaining. I particularly found myself enjoying the one about the man-eating plant and another story involving a stranded whaling vessel and its captain. However, at the same time, I also found about half the stories in this collection were somewhat drawn out and not overly exciting. In fact, there were a couple stories, like the Ring of Thoth, that I just couldn't get interested in and had to skip to the end. Ultimately, I was kind of glad when I finally got through the book.
Final Opinion: Again, the title is very misleading and, that alone, should be a turnoff for most people. There are some gems in this collection but, overall, I am convinced there is a reason why Doyle is not remembered for his horror stories.
My Grade: C
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