The Weiser Book of Horror and the Occult: Hidden Magic, Occult Truths, and the Stories That Started It All

A good anthology of strange stories. Some stories i liked better than others as always happens with reading different authors in a collection. A good bedtime read.

These are horror stories, so of course there is some sort of violence to it, but more often than not its what they don't tell you that is scarier. I love Lon's writing, he has a very personable style that draws you in quickly and makes you not want to put the book down!

editor not author of well crafted horror stories by famous writers

great,short enough to enjoy between ritual..

First off, I have to mention (by the rules) that I received a copy of this book through a giveaway Weiser hosted on GoodReads.comWith my reading being halfway taken with literature textbooks, this book fits in perfectly. The set-up is a short introduction of the author and then a key piece of literature by them in the horror genre with occult tones but not focused in one movement (Realism, Naturalism, Gothic, etc). Going through the book made me wish more of these stories had made into the Norton Anthologies of English and American Literature because they add so much more depth the literary movements covered. Not including the horror elements through all literary movements makes the subjects covered in classes very bland. The only hint of horror is the study of the Gothic movement in a short section. While this text doesn't go into the movements of the time they were written, there are mentions of the periods.This text is going on my literature study shelf. Aside from the occult tones, which is often overlooked when talking about spiritualism that inspired society, the horror aspects are additions to what inspired authors outside of the mainstream. Many studies in literary movements forget the darker aspects of human life and works. In this collection, you'll find a contemporary to Louisa May Alcott who wrote horror and was a lead female author often overlooked. Included is also a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock fame.

i like lon duquette. i did some Enochian calls a while back with him and found him intelligent, funny and a heck of a musician. i very much enjoyed the introduction to this book as lon adds some good insight into classic horror and some of the authors. like lon, i too was drawn to Poe as a youngster (and carl jacobi's Revelations in Black). anyway the stories collected here are from 1886 -1923. i agree with lon that the classic stories do have a subtle horror to them. i do enjoy reading older authors as story and characters are much better developed than a lot of current authors who focus on violence and vulgarity. sadly most of the stories have been published in many, many other compilations and anyone who reads and collects horror, has them. typical authors featured: Poe, Bierece, Machen, Lovecraft, Stoker and Crowley to name a few. i still enjoyed the book, but there is nothing proprietary about who or what is featured. too bad really. read the book for lon's intro, or check out some stories that might have passed you by.

I've always admired and appreciated the esoteric works of Lon Milo Duquette and when i came across The Weiser Book of Horror and the Occult I knew that this collective book would be something special, something keepsake. I wasn't wrong. Mr Duquette weaves you into each story with an introduction that grabs you with excitement. The storytelling Ringmaster with his tent of surprises. The stories included are special gems of classic horror literature and occult fiction from some of the most admired and respected writers within the field of both horror and esoteric subjects, such as, Dion Fortune, Aleister Crowley, Edgar Allan Poe, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, plus many more. Personally, there aren't many people with the knowledge and expertise in both occult and literature to introduce a superb collection like this than the likes of Lon Milo Duquette. I highly recommend this book to the horror fan, the spiritual seeker, the student. The book will also appeal to anyone wanting to write horror or literature in general. This collective literary treasure will be a very educative tool. This book belongs on every book shelf! x

Not all the stories are great. Some of them are not that good some of them are great.

Really enjoying this book. Intelligently written,and the tales are very atmospheric It's an excellent collection, and a great taster to see if you want to read more of these author's works. I do. Highly recommend it.

Wunderbar