Sheridan Le Fanu
1872
Around 400 pages
As I mentioned (bragged about) previously, I am currently an American Werewolf in London. As such, my usual Halloween spirit has been somewhat subdued, as it is not as acceptable for an adult to get overly excited about it here. Usually, I spend October stuffing candy corn in my face and reading horror novels. The month ends with me dressing up as some obscure fictional character that no one is able to guess. Unfortunately, no one here seems to even know what candy corn is (unless they are lying to protect their stash) and since I don't have access to a library, my reading material has been limited. However, this is a collection of horror stories, so it kind of counts...right?
There are five short stories in In a Glass Darkly. The first three kind of passed by without leaving too much of an impression on me. They were very short, quite bizarre (did anyone else think Don't Look Now?) and didn't have very satisfying explanations. The last two stories, which were technically novellas, were far more interesting. "The Room in the Dragon Volant" tells the story of a naive Englishman who falls in love with a Countess. The Countess is trapped in a brutal marriage and he attempts to save her. "Carmilla" is about a lesbian vampire. Apparently, this story "influenced" Bram Stoker. That's a nice way of putting it.
If I was judging the last two stories, Le Fanu might earn a five star rating. Unfortunately, I can't ignore "Green Tea" in which a man is being haunted by an evil monkey. I sincerely wish I could.
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
The title comes from the thirteenth chapter of the Corinthians, although it is deliberately misquoted (the quote is "For now we see through a glass, darkly."
UP NEXT: Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. Probably one of the most classic-y novels I have not yet read. Given my sophisticated lexicon, it might surprise you that there are holes in my knowledge.
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