The Tell-Tale Heart, Plus 3 other Tales of Mystery, Suspense

I had intended on starting this book in October for Halloween, but did not get around to it until November/December. Ah well. Those can be creepy months, too.

If you enjoy ghostly short-stories and are interested in reading some classic ones, this is certainly an anthology for you to check out. It includes such gems as "The Fall of the House of Usher," "Sleepy-Hollow," and "The Yellow Wallpaper," among others. The narrators can be a little quiet sometimes, so be sure to have volume control at your fingertips.

Having not read Poe since high school, I figured that I would read a collection of his works. Boy did some of them bring back memories.
I must say that Poe holds up for me these years later. What I really noticed this go around was the depth of Poe's writing ability to go deep in the mind's inner recesses.
Many say that he is also the father of the English language detective (Murders in the Rue Morgue) story, which I tend to agree with dating before Wilkie Collins' Woman in White and The Moonstone.
In any event if you haven't tried Poe, you should.

The stories are creepy and well-written, the illustrations are amazing, and this book itself is so beautiful that I just had to buy it. I also have the Barnes and Noble leather bound book of Poe's stories and poems, so when I finally sit down with that, it'll be to read the poems, and any stories that weren't featured in this edition. I love his style, his poetry is definitely my preference to his stories, but they're so iconic for the horror genre and referenced all the time in modern works.

I would love to see, or write, some feminist retellings of some of these stories, because we all know the role of the female in his works is typically to be beautiful and to die. It's not a criticism per say because I understand it's very closely linked to Poe's personal life and what moved him, but it'd be very fun to play with and make some of his girls a little more layered.

n  There is no passion in nature so demoniacally impatient, as that of him who, shuddering upon the edge of a precipice, thus meditates a Plunge.n

3.5 stars. As a pre-teen I was kind of obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe and the few short stories and poems that I read, and it was really interesting revisiting them as an adult. I think Poe had a lot to do with my love of the morbid and the weird. A lot of his horror isn't super scary, which suits my tastes well; it's more horrifying in a practical and quasi-realistic way. He's super into stories where it's like 'damn this person died... wait oh shit they didn't!!' This was my first time reading any of Poe's detective stories as well, and that was super interesting for me as a big ACD Holmes fan. You can definitely see where Doyle got some inspiration from. I'm biased, but I'd definitely say Dupin is the less compelling character. Still, really fun to read! I finally read 'The Cask of Amontillado' as well, which I've been meaning to since there were all those memes about it a few years back. 

I also really enjoyed the rereads. "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Fall of the House of Usher" were formative for me, and I still think "The Raven" is absolutely one of the best, most well-crafted pieces of poetry ever. So lyrical, perfect atmosphere, really lovely melancholy. Of the ones new to me, "Morella", "William Wilson" and "The Imp of the Perverse" were super striking. While I liked the detective stories, they weren't especially memorable, and I found his more mundane/scientific stories to be just okay.

A great author to revisit. I want to read more of his poetry, I think.

Edgar Allan Poe is a unique and prolific writer. he delves into his writings in a way that it reflects his emotion and understanding of life. we all know he lived a very sorrowful life from start to end and by choosing a genre such a mystery and sorrow as his recurring motives he has defined and made it one of the best works since Shakespeare. I praise and admire his poetry and his stories which tell the readers that life isn't all pretty. and I'd like to think that E.A.P was the father of the detective stories which others are reluctant to give him the title.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and hook you from the first sentence until the very last.

Pure Classicness.

A collection by legendary Edgar Allan Poe. What is there to say? You can’t get any more classic than this; which is good, and bad, depending on how you want to look at it. Must say Poe is consistently good, yet rarely awesome, at least in my experience. I hate poetry, hence my rating for the poems; if you are fond of the genre you might enjoy them though.

Go for the Best, consider the Good, whatever the Meh.

n   The Best n:
★★★★☆  “The Black Cat.”
★★★★☆ "The Fall of the House of Usher." [3.5]
★★★★☆  “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.” [3.5]

n   The Good n:
★★★☆☆ "The Tell-Tale Heart."
★★★☆☆  “Ligeia.”
★★★☆☆  “The Cask of Amontillado.”
★★★☆☆  “The Masque of the Red Death.”  
★★★☆☆  “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.”
★★★☆☆  “Eleonora.”
★★★☆☆  “The Premature Burial.”
★★★☆☆  “The Pit and the Pendulum.”  [2.5]
★★★☆☆  “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”  [2.5]
★★★☆☆  “A Descent into the Maelström.” [2.5]
★★★☆☆  “The Purloined Letter.”  [2.5]
★★★☆☆  “MS. Found in a Bottle.”  [2.5]

n   The Meh n:
★★☆☆☆  “William Wilson.”
★☆☆☆☆ “Silence—A Fable.”

n   POEMS n:
★★☆☆☆ "The Raven."
★★☆☆☆  “Annabel Lee.” [1.5]
☆☆☆☆☆ “Stanzas, Romance, To Helen, Israfel, The City in the Sea, The Sleeper, The Valley of Unrest, Lenore, A Valentine, Ulalume—A Ballad, For Annie, The Bells, Alone.”

It’s public domain. You can find it  Vol 1. HERE,  and  Vol 2. HERE,  and  Vol 3. HERE.  

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n  PERSONAL NOTEn:
[1843] [448p] [Collection] [Partly Recommendable]
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★★★☆☆  The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
★★☆☆☆  The Complete Stories and Poems
★★★☆☆  The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings
★★★☆☆  The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales
★☆☆☆☆  The Raven and Other Poems

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Puro Clasicismo.

Una colección por el legendario Edgar Allan Poe. ¿Qué hay para decir? No se puede ser más clásico que esto; lo cual es bueno, y malo, dependiendo del ojo con que quieras verlo. Debo decir que Poe es consistentemente bueno, aunque raramente genial, al menos en mi experiencia. Odio la poesía, por ello mi calificación para los poemas; aunque si te gusta el género seguramente podrías disfrutarlos.

Ir por lo Mejor, considerar lo Bueno, loquesea lo Meh.

n   Lo Mejor n:
★★★★☆  “El Gato Negro.”
★★★★☆  “El Hundimiento de la Casa de Usher.” [3.5]
★★★★☆  “La Narrativa de A. Gordon Pym.” [3.5]

n   Lo Bueno n:
★★★☆☆  “El Corazón Revelador.”
★★★☆☆  “Ligeia.”
★★★☆☆  “El Barril de Amontillado.”
★★★☆☆  “La Máscara de la Muerte Roja.”
★★★☆☆  “El Caso del Señor Valdemar.”
★★★☆☆  “Eleonora.”
★★★☆☆  “El Enterramiento Prematuro.”
★★★☆☆  “El Pozo y el Péndulo.” [2.5]
★★★☆☆  “Los Crímenes de la Rue Morgue.”  [2.5]
★★★☆☆  “Un Descenso Dentro del Maelstrom.” [2.5]
★★★☆☆  “La Carta Robada.”  [2.5]
★★★☆☆  “Manuscrito Hallado en una Botella.”  [2.5]

n   Lo Meh n:
★★☆☆☆  “William Wilson.”
★☆☆☆☆ “Silencio—Una Fábula.”

n   POEMAS n:
★★☆☆☆  "El Cuervo."
★★☆☆☆  “Annabel Lee.”  [1.5]
☆☆☆☆☆ “Stanzas, Romance, Para Helen, Israfel, La Ciudad en el Mar, El Durmiente, El Valle del Malestar, Lenore, A Valentine, Ulalume— Una Balada, Para Annie, Las Campanas, Solo.

Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar  Vol 1. ACA,  y  Vol 2. ACA,  y  Vol 3. ACA.  

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n  NOTA PERSONALn:
[1843] [448p] [Colección] [Parcialmente Recomendable]
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Another author whom I had the great pleasure to discover, while at University. Edgar Allan Poe's stories are so dark, but impossible to put down. He cleverly weaves his tales, and leaves his readers in a state of disbelief.