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Synopsis
Considered one of the foremost humorists in England at the turn of the century, W. W. Jacobs (1863-1943) is best known for his masterpiece of horror, "The Monkey's Paw." He was the author of thirteen volumes of short stories-all of which were commercially successful-and eighteen of these are included together for the first time in this gripping collection of horror fiction.This book features Gothic narratives, stories of the macabre and supernatural tales. But they are also infused with shrewd and sardonic humor, for which Jacobs was justifiably famous. They demonstrate vividly his masterful instinct for weaving terror and suspense into scenes of ordinary everyday life. His boyhood memories of the South Devon Wharf lend authenticity to the many stories with nautical backgrounds or that feature seamen as protagonists.Because of its immense popularity, "The Monkey's Paw" has tended to overshadow a good deal of Jacobs' other work, and it is undoubtedly the most readily recognized and by far the most anthologized story in the collection.But readers will be delighted to know that Jacobs' craftmanship is abundantly apparent in many of his other tales, as they will discover in this new volume. Horror and mystery aficionados will be intrigued and delighted by his range of skillful and witty prose; and they will at last come to appreciate a writer whose other work has been for so long "lost" to the general public.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Monkey's Paw is one of the greatest short horror stories ever. And here are more tales from W.W. Jacobs, written with his customary precision. Although they are mostly of the Roald Dahl Tales Of The Unexpected variety, rather than supernatural horror, they are all atmospheric and creepy.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A mix of the good and the so-so
15 Jun 2010
Format:Paperback
I selected this based solely on the merit that I had heard of (and heard of references to) "The Monkey's Paw" story for some time, and having seen that Jacobs usually sprinkled some humor into his stories I was intrigued.
The title story is good, and definitely deserving of the various riffs that have been done to it over the years. As for the rest of the stories, they tend to fall into either "kinda' strange" territory (and usually dealing with some sort of nautical theme) or "the killer gets nervous and then comes undone and the police catch up with him."
On the plus side, it was a quick read, so the stories that aren't quite as punchy as the others do go by quickly. I also would note that the humor is very dry - to the point where you very well might miss it if not paying attention - so bear that in mind as well.
The title story is good, and definitely deserving of the various riffs that have been done to it over the years. As for the rest of the stories, they tend to fall into either "kinda' strange" territory (and usually dealing with some sort of nautical theme) or "the killer gets nervous and then comes undone and the police catch up with him."
On the plus side, it was a quick read, so the stories that aren't quite as punchy as the others do go by quickly. I also would note that the humor is very dry - to the point where you very well might miss it if not paying attention - so bear that in mind as well.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Still haunting after all these years...
26 July 2006
Format:Paperback
I was first introduced to Jacobs's work by my high-school English teacher, who had us read "The Monkey's Paw" along with assorted works by Edgar Allan Poe. Jacobs is first and foremost a humorist, but he handles human psychology and psychopathy well in this collection of his short stories. Also must-reads, aside from the title, are "The Well," "The Toll-House," "The Interruption," and if you like morbid humor with your mystery, "The Vigil."
8 of 14 people found the following review helpful
greatness and uninventiveness
8 April 2003
Format:Paperback
some of his stories are truly great. the monkey's paw and toll-house. some pretty good. his brother's keeper and jerry Bundler. but when he doesn't have much of a plot, the result is sad. uninventive. and awfully obvious. at his best his plot is excellent, his descriptions good, the suspence of the characters marked well.
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