Other Stories – DaneCobain.com

Henry James – The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories | Review

Title: The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories

Author: Henry James

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 208

Rating: 9/10

Henry James – The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw is James’ most notorious piece of work for a reason – it’s chilling, sinister and suspenseful, and everything you want from a piece of writing. The only possible criticism I can think of would be that it’s too short, because you could go on reading James’ work forever – that said, the author knows best and perhaps if it was in a longer form, the suspense would be lost.

James’ other work is just as delightful as The Turn of the Screw, but I’m not sold on the ‘other stories’ aspect of the title – it seems to over-promise and under-deliver, because there are only two other short stories included in my copy (‘The Pupil‘ and ‘The Third Person‘). Still, it makes for a pleasant enough read, and one that I’d highly recommend.

But The Turn of the Screw itself was always going to be the highlight here, and it’s that that will make you want to keep on reading more and more of Henry James’ writing. I promise, you’re not going to regret it.

Henry James

Click here to buy The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – The Last Galley | Review

Title: The Last Galley

Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 263

Rating: 7/10

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – The Last Galley

No shit, Sherlock – this isn’t a Sherlock Holmes book, or even a Professor Challenger book – this is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle showing his spiritual, learned, historical side. This is a book that shows Conan Doyle’s imposing personality.

The Last Galley (and Other Stories) is a collection of eighteen short stories by the great Victorian wordsmith, a fascinating insight in to Conan Doyle’s prolific interests – stories like The Coming of the Huns and The Last of the Legions take you way back in time to the days when the Romans and their historical brethren ruled the earth.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

History certainly left a mark on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his writing – the Romans even earn a passing mention in The Terror of Blue John Gap, the last story in the collection. In that, Conan Doyle tried his hand at horror-writing – it was a sinister story, playing on our innate fear of the darkness and the unknown. Like his tale of prehistoric life surviving unnoticed in The Lost World, the inevitable beast in the Gap is explained scientifically, despite being dreadfully alive.

The Last Galley is a book that’s worth reading, but there are better Arthur Conan Doyle works out there – if you haven’t already, read The Lost World and the Sherlock Holmes series first. Then, and only then, move on to his wider range of work, of which this is as good as any other. Eventually, you’ll want to read it all.