Quite an amazing collection of Ghost stories
Book Name: The Penguin book of Indian Ghost Stories
Edited by: Ruskin Bond
Source: Read from library
Price: 199 INR
Total Pages: 181
Language: English
Genre: Fiction/Short stories/Horror
Introduction:
Those who know me personally must know that I am very fond of ghost stories. So when I saw this book in the library I picked it up. The editing by Ruskin Bond has added credibility to this book. So let's see how fair the book is!
Summary:
Ruskin Bond, who is famous for his unique literary work including ghost stories, has compiled many stories in this book.
This book has 21 short stories written by many authors ranging from Rudyard Kipling to Arthur Conon Doyle to Satyajit Ray. The introduction is very interesting to read where the editor has elaborated how he became fond of ghost stories. There is also an instance in the book wherein Ruskin Bond mentions seeing the apparition of Rudyard Kipling during Penguin's Puffin launching party.
The first half of the book is dedicated to a foreign author who has set his ghost stories in British India. 'The Brown Hand' by Arthur Conan Doyle is a story where a deceased Indian person comes in search of his amputated hand in the lab of a surgeon. The best stories of Rudyard Kipling 'The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes' & 'The Mark of the Beast' are slow in pace but interestingly written. 'The Werewolf'' by C. A. Kincaid introduce you to the concept of the werewolf which is very famous since ages. 'The Tail light' by F. R. Corson is something beyond belief where a ghost signals a motorman to stop the train as the track is totally damaged by heavy rain.
My favorites are the stories of Satyajit Ray 'Fritz' and 'Ananth Babu's Terror'. These stories are scary and I have never read any stories like these before. Other stories like 'A Shade to Soon', 'The Red Hydrangea', 'The yellow-legged man' 'Ghost of Korya Khar' are simply scary.
The story 'Topaz' by Ruskin Bond is amazingly written with an unpredictable turn.
Writing Style:
These are compiled stories so the writing style of each story is different. However some stories are very dry to read and you can not read this book in pace.
My Perception:
This book has a unique blend of various ghost stories written by different writers. If you are a ghost stories fan then don't miss this book. The compilation is very good with some of the never heard stories.
Halo of Books: Good !
Grab a copy of this book from here
Until next time, keep reading :)
