Scary Short Stories: Shelley - Lovecraft - Lee - Howard

Written by Mary Shelley, Vernon Lee, H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard

With this collection, listeners will be taken on a journey through the darkest corners of the human imagination. From the supernatural to the psychological, these stories are sure to leave a lasting impression and keep listeners hooked until the very end. So sit back, relax, and prepare to be captivated by the masterful storytelling of these literary giants.

First up, we have "The Tomb" by H.P. Lovecraft, one of the most renowned horror writers of all time. This classic story takes the listener on a journey through the dark and shadowy depths of the human psyche, as the protagonist becomes increasingly obsessed with the idea of uncovering a mysterious tomb.

Next, we have "The Skulls in the Stars" by Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan the Barbarian. In this story, the protagonist faces a terrifying supernatural force that threatens to consume him in its grasp. With vivid imagery and a chilling atmosphere, this tale will keep listeners on the edge of their seats.

Moving on to "A Wedding Chest" by Vernon Lee, a master of gothic fiction. This haunting tale follows a young bride as she uncovers the dark secrets of her husband's family and the sinister forces that lurk within their ancestral home. With a subtle touch of psychological horror, this story is sure to leave a lasting impression on the listener.

Lastly, we have "Transformation" by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the author of the legendary "Frankenstein". This lesser-known gem tells the story of a young woman who experiences a bizarre and terrifying transformation after coming into contact with a mysterious substance. With its themes of identity and transformation, this story is a must-read for fans of Shelley's work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ashby Navis & Tennyson Media Publisher
• Release date: Apr 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781987111736

Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was an English novelist. Born the daughter of William Godwin, a novelist and anarchist philosopher, and Mary Wollstonecraft, a political philosopher and pioneering feminist, Shelley was raised and educated by Godwin following the death of Wollstonecraft shortly after her birth. In 1814, she began her relationship with Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, whom she would later marry following the death of his first wife, Harriet. In 1816, the Shelleys, joined by Mary’s stepsister Claire Clairmont, physician and writer John William Polidori, and poet Lord Byron, vacationed at the Villa Diodati near Geneva, Switzerland. They spent the unusually rainy summer writing and sharing stories and poems, and the event is now seen as a landmark moment in Romanticism. During their stay, Shelley composed her novel Frankenstein (1818), Byron continued his work on Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812-1818), and Polidori wrote “The Vampyre” (1819), now recognized as the first modern vampire story to be published in English. In 1818, the Shelleys traveled to Italy, where their two young children died and Mary gave birth to Percy Florence Shelley, the only one of her children to survive into adulthood. Following Percy Bysshe Shelley’s drowning death in 1822, Mary returned to England to raise her son and establish herself as a professional writer. Over the next several decades, she wrote the historical novel Valperga (1923), the dystopian novel The Last Man (1826), and numerous other works of fiction and nonfiction. Recognized as one of the core figures of English Romanticism, Shelley is remembered as a woman whose tragic life and determined individualism enabled her to produce essential works of literature which continue to inform, shape, and inspire the horror and science fiction genres to this day.