Ghostly: A Collection of Ghost Stories

By Audrey Niffenegger

Collected and introduced by the bestselling author of The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry--including Audrey Niffenegger's own fabulous new illustrations for each piece, and a new story by her--this is a unique and haunting anthology of some of the best ghost stories of all time.
     From Edgar Allan Poe to Kelly Link, M.R. James to Neil Gaiman, H.H. Munro to Audrey Niffenegger herself, Ghostly reveals the evolution of the ghost story genre with tales going back to the eighteenth century and into the modern era, ranging across styles from Gothic Horror to Victorian, stories about haunting--haunted children, animals, houses. Every story is introduced by Audrey Niffenegger, an acclaimed master of the craft, with some words on its background and why she chose to include it. Audrey's own story is "A Secret Life With Cats."
     Perfect for the classic and contemporary ghost story aficionado, this is a delightful volume, beautifully illustrated by Audrey, who is a graphic artist with great vision. Ghostly showcases the best of the best in the field, including Edith Wharton, P.G. Wodehouse, A.S. Byatt, Ray Bradbury, and so many more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 29, 2015
• ISBN: 9780345810335

Reviews for Ghostly

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A nicely varied collection of ghost stories. Stories include "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe, "Secret Life, with Cats" by Audrey Niffenegger, "Pomegranate Seed" by Edith Wharton, "The Beckoning Fair One" by Oliver Onions, "The Mezzotint" by M. R. James, "Honeysuckle Cottage" by P. G. Wodehouse, "Click-Clack the Rattlebag" by Neil Gaiman, "They" by Rudyard Kipling, "Playmates" by A. M. Burrage, "The July Ghost" by A. S. Byatt, "Laura" by Saki, "The Open Window" by Saki, "The Specialist's Hat" by Kelly Link, "Tiny Ghosts" by Amy Giacalone, "The Pink House" by Rebecca Curtis, and "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury. My least favorite was "The Specialist's Hat" because snakes were overplayed. I also didn't really enjoy "The Pink House." My favorites were "The Black Cat," "Secret Life, with Cats," "The Mezzotint," and "Playmates."

[girlwellread · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A special thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Audrey Niffenegger's earlier work so I thought this one would be a slam-dunk. Who doesn't love a good ghost story?

The collection is a bit on the ecclecic side, ranging from modern day to classic with a twist of contemporary. The stories are more on the traditional side of a ghost story versus the creepy kind that keep you up at night. All-in-all, a fun read, perfect for this time of year. I do wish the author had included more of her work because I think her writing speaks for itself. That being said, I enjoyed her introductions to each story and the illustrations, they were a perfect companion to the featured stories.

[mountie9_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Good StuffMy favorite story by far was , by Neil Gaiman (the man is a truly incredible writer who never wastes a word) - those are my types of ghost stories kids - sorry. I shivered at the end, it was the type of story we used to tell each other at sleepovers. You know the ones, right, keeps you up at nightEven the stories I didn't enjoy, I do appreciate the sense of mood they createdSome truly unique storiesThe Beckoning Fair One is wonderfully moody with a sense of foreboding The Mezzotint was delightfully dark and creepy and stayed with me for quite a while I also enjoyed Playmates, a very haunting yet empathetic tale (and as Niffenegger mentions, really shows you the resilience of children)The tale by Rudyard Kipling is creepy, yet beautiful. You really feel the authors griefGot a kick out of Laura by Saki. Ok, all I can say is that it is dark and funny and involves an Otter, what's not to loveI've read The Open Window before and it was pure delight to read again.Tiny Ghosts was wickedly odd and funny, it was my 2nd favorite next to Neil Gaiman's story There is a Ray Bradbury story, and damn that man was a wicked writer. Like Gaiman, not a word wasted. A truly gifted author. This one is not your usual ghost story, but something more horrific, because you can see the reality of it and that is more horrific than any ghost storyUm, the Edgar Allan Poe story, made me start being even nicer to my cat The Not So Good StuffNot my favorite types of ghost stories in this collection. Found them a little too literary for my taste. This isn't a bad thing, just a personal preference I don't trust my cat now (Also note to self: never piss off your cat or um die before someone can find you)I am a ghost story nerd so I was very much looking forward to reading this, but I was a tad disappointed, as many were very old fashioned and outdated for this generation. Again not a bad thing, just a personal preferenceFavorite Quotes"we all wonder about death, but we don't understand it. Ghost stories are speculations. little experiments in death""Coke is very bad for you, ' said the boy. "If you puta tooth in coke, in the morning it will be dissolved into nothing. That's how bad Coke is for you and why you must always clean your teeth, every night.""I'd heard the Coke story as a boy, and had been told, as an adult, that it wasn't true, but was certain that a lie which promoted dental hygiene was a good lie, and I'd let it pass.""Because I can't stop my body and mind waiting, every day, every day, I can't let go."3 Dewey'sI received this from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 a collection of ghost stories ranging from a few new ones back to Poe and Bradbury. Poe's story was one of my favorites though I had read it before. Another favorite was Honeysuckle Cottage, just loved the quirkiness of that one. Garman.so story provided a little shiver but for the most part none of these were very scary but all were good. Interesting so see what stories are chosen for a widespread collection like this one. A little something for everyone.ARC from NetGalley.

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As with most collections of this sort, some of the stories I had read before and some were new to me. There is a mix of classics and contemporary, and I had previously read many of the classics, or at least they seemed familiar, so I enjoyed the contemporary stories more. Standouts were the stories by Audrey Niffenegger ("Secret Life, with Cats"), Kelly Link ("The Specialist's Hat"), Neil Gaiman ("Click-Clack the Rattlebag," a reread), and Rebecca Curtis ("The Pink House"). Of the classics, Ray Bradbury's story ("August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains") is still a beautiful read, and P. G. Wodehouse's story ("The Honeysuckle Cottage"), while dated, was hilarious. There really isn't a bad story in this collection, although I keep wishing that new anthologies wouldn't have so many repeats. Niffenegger's wonderful illustrations that precede each story make this a beautiful book to own.

[jessicareadsthings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I should probably put this on the horror shelf, since it is filled with nothing but ghost stories, but somehow, it wasn't horrifying. I love how the collection brings together classic and contemporary ghost stories, highlighting both what has changed and what has stayed the same.

[andy5185 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great collection of creepy stories.