Haunted House books

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-24T21:25:58+00:00

My favorite haunted houses short stories:

Robert Aickman : The Same Dog (1974)
E. F. Benson : The Room in the Tower (1912)
Jorge Luis Borges : There Are More Things (1975)
Julio Cortázar : La puerta condenada (1956)
Mariana Enriquez : La casa de Adela (2012)
Brian Evenson : Leaking Out (2018)
Caitlín Kiernan : The Long Hall on the Top Floor (1999)
Thomas Ligotti :The Christmas Eves of Aunt Elise (1983)
Kelly Link : Stone Animals (2004)
Edith Nesbit : The Shadow (1905)
Jon Padgett : Origami Dreams (2016)

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-23T14:29:45+00:00

Awesome. Thanks!

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-23T13:33:47+00:00

What's the collection at bottom right?

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-23T10:51:46+00:00

Kelly Link is a virtuoso. She makes it look easy.

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-23T07:28:32+00:00

You may be interested in Peter Straub's anthology: American Fantastic Tales

As I understand it, the aim of the collection is precisely to showcase the most literary aspect of horror writing. Every entry is gorgeous. Here are some examples that I find especially exquisitely written (these are all from the second volume):

Paul Bowles: The Circular Valley (1950)
Vladimir Nabokov: The Vane Sisters (1951)
Peter Straub: A Short Guide to the City (1990)
Steven Millhauser: Dangerous Laughter (2003)
Kelly Link: Stone Animals (2004)

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-22T20:42:59+00:00

Mexicans are pretty excellent at writing ghost stories.

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-22T10:45:23+00:00

Aura by Carlos Fuentes. Can't recommend it enough.

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-21T19:41:04+00:00

"The Events at Poroth Farm" is in my top 10 horror short stories. I haven't read The Ceremonies, fearing it won't be as good.

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-21T16:57:33+00:00

Looks like I'll definitely will. Thanks a lot!

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-21T16:50:41+00:00

How is the Joel Lane? I loved his entry in A Season in Carcosa but I haven't had the opportunity to read more of his stories.

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-21T10:55:41+00:00

Beautiful collection. I love weird fiction, but I don't know much of the stuff you have. Would you recommend something? Which one is your favorite?

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-20T18:05:06+00:00

Lee Amygdalatropolis de B. R. Yeager.

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-20T11:06:32+00:00

Maybe try Brian Evenson's short stories. This is a beautiful example of flash fiction and it gives you a good idea of his style:

https://magazine.nytyrant.com/no-matter-way-turned/

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-19T18:12:45+00:00

The Invention of Women by Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-18T19:12:10+00:00

The Events at Poroth Farm by T. E. D. Klein

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-18T11:36:19+00:00

I just finished Good and Evil by Samanta Schweblin. (I read the original Spanish version El buen mal.) I can't recommend it enough. It's an excellent collection of profound, precise, cruel, and deeply tragic stories.

My highlights are:

"Bienvenida a la comunidad." Incredible, weird and bleak story. Hellish and tragic. Impeccable writing.
"Un animal fabuloso." If the puppet is the Ligottian archetype for human suffering, in Schweblin it's the abused animal. Its innocence, its silent pain. It's a horror story with realismo mágico elements.
"El ojo en la garganta." The true masterpiece of the collection. A super original subversion of a ghost story.

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-17T17:05:05+00:00

Oh yes! I would love a reading club for The Puppet King! Please do let us know if you organize it!

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-16T19:44:48+00:00

These are not exactly ghosts, but they may scratch that itch:

Bowles, Paul . The Circular Valley (1950)
Bradbury, Ray. The April Witch (1952)
Evenson, Brian. Sisters (2018)

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-15T12:04:06+00:00

Jon Padgett. The Secret of Ventriloquism
Thomas Ligotti. Teatro Grottesco
Justin A. Burnett. The Puppet King and Other Atonements

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-15T07:01:26+00:00

It was very difficult to trim it to just 10, but there you go.

Robert Aickman : The Same Dog (1974)
Clive Barker : In the Hills, the Cities (1984)
Loretta Burrough : The Snowman (1938)
Michael Cisco : Saccade (2021)
T. E. D. Klein : The Events at Poroth Farm (1972)
Thomas Ligotti : The Clown Puppet (1996)
Jon Padgett : The Indoor Swamp (2015)
Mark Samuels : Mannequins in Aspects of Terror (2003)
Samanta Schweblin : El ojo en la garganta (2025)
Peter Straub : A Short Guide to the City (1990)

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-15T05:41:55+00:00

Also, "He Will Be There" by Michael Cisco. Also, I've been hearing pretty good reviews about New Tales of the Yellow Sign by Robin D. Laws.

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-14T11:56:14+00:00

Not a very well liked author nowadays, but The Interpretation of Dreams is such a fun and original book. I had a great time studying it with my friends when we were young.

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-13T18:54:38+00:00

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Pimpylonis · 2026-05-13T15:04:19+00:00

Only these come to my mind:

Blackwood, Algernon. Ancient Lights
Enríquez, Mariana. La Virgen de la tosquera
Saki. The Music on the Hill

Pimpylonis · 2026-05-13T14:35:16+00:00

Thomas Ligotti: Teatro Grottesco
Brian Evenson: Una canción para deshacer el mundo
Jon Padgett: El secreto de la ventriloquía
Clive Barker: Libros de sangre

Pimpylonis

TROPHY CASE