Written by Edgar Allan Poe
Review written by Diana Iozzia
The collection of short stories by Edgar Allan Poe, known as "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" is a wonderful classic in the horror and mystery genres. I have been a reader of Edgar Allan Poe for years, for at least most of my childhood and adulthood. Due to this, I had read a few of the stories in the collection, but I was relatively impressed by the other ones I had not yet heard of.
"The Gold Bug" is a mystery including puzzles and codes. I personally enjoyed this, because it reminded by of "The Most Dangerous Game". We start to suspect that the narrator's friend has a threatening motivation behind the hunt for treasure on which they have embarked.
"The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" is a strange sort of "campfire" story or story that you'd tell at a sleepover. It is an archetypal ghost story. Our narrator is interested in mesmerism and hypnotism. He tells of his friend who was in a comatose state, but kept alive in a mesmerized state.
"Message Found in a Bottle" has a narrator who writes in his diary as a whirlpool consumes his crew and ship.
"A Descent into the Maelstrom" features a narrator who is told a story of a man delving into a maelstrom. I personally was not charmed by this one.
"The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Mystery of Marie Roget", and "The Purloined Letter" were the biggest disappointments for me in this collection. I was astounded by my dislike for Poe's mystery short stories. They were unrealistic and boring to me.
"The Fall of the House of Usher" is one of my favorite films starring Vincent Price. I was surprised by the lack of detail and plot in the actual story it was based on. I still liked the plot: a man visits his old friend, whose own mental health and that of his sister's has been ruined by the house.
"The Pit and the Pendulum" features a character plagued by imprisonment in a horrific pit.
"The Premature Burial" features smaller vignettes about people who are at the brink of death, but are buried alive.
"The Black Cat" was one of my favorite stories that I found through this collection. I had heard of it before, but had not read it. It features a man spiral through different levels of insanity, haunted by his murdered cat.
"The Cask of the Amontillado" and "The Tell Tale Heart" are stories I know like the back of my hand and love.
"The Oblong Box" features a man who encounters strange occurrences while on a cruise with his wife. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
"Ligeia" hosts a narrator who talks about the odd mysteries surrounding his wife's death.
"Silence: A Fable" has a demon recall his journey through a dark abyss.
"The Man of the Crowd" features a narrator follow and observe a mysterious man in London.
"Some Words with a Mummy" is a more comedic story. A group of scientists meet a man who has been mummified that rises and speaks to them.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this collection. I personally love short stories, especially the works of Edgar Allan Poe. I have to say, I thought the glossary and index in this book was not at all helpful for understanding the stories.
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