Considering how exhausting Varney the Vampire (1845) was, I was pleasantly surprised by Sweeney Todd. They're both penny dreadfuls (19th century serial literature; weekly installments cost a penny), but the difference is that Sweeney's story is actually interesting and you want to know what happens next. Reading it at one go does it no favors, but in all its verbosity it's still ten times easier to read than Dickens. Whatever flaws Sweeney has, it's just the way penny dreadfuls were.

I still like the concept more than the execution. Sweeney himself is a legendary figure who's best known from the musical, but the other characters are fairly bland and uninteresting (and, true to penny dreadfuls, the actual plot is all over the place). The Christopher Bond play, however, really improves on the story and brings to focus everything that still gets a reaction from the modern audiences. I saw an amateur production of it in London, and they really did their best with what little resources they had.

Now, did Sweeney really exist? Most likely not, but it doesn't matter. I got chills down my spine when I was on a ghost bus tour and it drove past the supposed location of the barbershop. That's what good stories do. They make the reality come alive.

"You may laugh at a comedy, but you'll forget it in time. Tragedy has burrs. It sticks to your heart. You remember what it made you feel, always."

3,5 stars
I try to avoid impulse purchases, but when I was trying to decide what books to read on my London trip, I stumbled upon this on Goodreads. Purcell was unknown to me, but I had to take the risk. If you've ever been to one of those old London theaters with faded carpets, cramped staircases, and dim corridors, you know that they're the perfect settings for everything gothic and horror.

Where The Whispering Muse really shines are the characters and the evocative descriptions (the plot was fine, too, but it didn't fully captivate me). When dresser Jenny is hired to spy on Lilith, the lead actress, it becomes clear that Lilith's pact with the muse Melpomene has unleashed darkness on the theater. From the start, this is a little bloody, a bit gruesome, and atmospheric.

Most of Purcell's other books have pretty interesting themes as well, so I added a few more to my library wishlist to ensure I have plenty of choices in the darker months.

When the title mentions a haunted house, I expect exactly that. Maybe I have a different and narrower understanding of a haunted house story, but although the ending explains some things, Hendrix's latest is more like the doll segment "Amelia" in Trilogy of Terror (1975) than The Haunting of Hill House (1959). Which is fine, but not what I wanted.

The spooky and, at times, action-packed horror mixed in with the family drama that ensues from the death of parents and fighting estranged siblings could have worked, but I think the length was the biggest issue. It takes a while to get the ball rolling, and when it does, it loses its steam too many times. All was not lost, though: the good parts were very good. All of Hendrix's novels also involve themes that interest me in horror, so I'm already excited to see where he's going next (even if it's going to be lukewarm).

Appalachia is beautiful, but as with all wilderness, there is potential for horror. As far as thematic short story collections go, this was overall very enjoyable, although some of the stories could have easily been set in any remote location. By the way, if you have an uneasy feeling, turn back instead of entering deep into the forest. Just a thought.

Favorites:

End Trails by John Morgan:
Two friends are hiking on the Appalachian Trail but have mysterious company. Doesn't make you excited about sleeping in a tent.

The Ghost Sang by Jeffery X. Martin:
A photographer from the city encounters oddball characters who offer to take her on a farm tour. Felt like a Tales of the Crypt episode.

Hemlock Winds by Shawn Lachance:
The best of the bunch. Another hiking story, but told through the journal of a missing man.

A cozy Maine farmhouse and a couple that wants a child. Probably my favorite of the Creature Features. Starts off as creepy and ends with something straight from It's Alive (1974).

Like a lost episode of Tales from the Crypt. If you didn't like hanging your limbs off the bed as a child, this might take you back. I'd like a short story collection from Hendrix, please!

Very creative, folk horror-ish, and with an interesting urban legend, but the ending was a tad too disappointing.

Too sci-fi for my taste, and the baseball things went straight over my head, but not bad. If you enjoy nature horror, you might like this.

Although the cover makes it clear this is a werewolf story, it was never clear which direction the story would go. Creepy ending.