Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
93rd out of 277 books
—
1,271 voters
One Thousand and One Ghosts
Written at the height of the 1848 revolutions, Alexandre Dumas’ One Thousand and One Ghosts is a macabre collection of supernatural tales, told with unrelenting detail and almost unbearable suspense. Paralyzed with fear, a man confesses to the murder of his wife, and rather than return to the scene of the crime, begs to be locked in prison. As the police probe further, the...more
Paperback, 156 pages
Published
October 1st 2004
by Hesperus Press
(first published 1849)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
512)
A little book for my first encounter with Dumas. It dates from 1831, a time when the revolution and the guillotine were still in living memory.
It is, I think, a book with a lot to say about that period, but by knowledge of French history is rather sketchy and so it’s difficult for me to say how effective that is.
An unnamed narrator – later revealed to be Dumas himself – is visiting an old friend in the country. He leaves the company to explore his surroungs, and in time he arrives in the local v...more
It is, I think, a book with a lot to say about that period, but by knowledge of French history is rather sketchy and so it’s difficult for me to say how effective that is.
An unnamed narrator – later revealed to be Dumas himself – is visiting an old friend in the country. He leaves the company to explore his surroungs, and in time he arrives in the local v...more
I kind of can't believe this book exists, even after reading it. Basically: it's a collection of ghost stories by Alexandre Dumas.
They're packaged up into a single narrative... the premise being that Alex (we're on a first name basis now) acts as a witness in a murder investigation, and that investigation has some creepiness, which leads to him and some contemporaries debating the possibility of this creepiness NOT being a guilt-induced hallucination of the murderer, which leads to them telling...more
They're packaged up into a single narrative... the premise being that Alex (we're on a first name basis now) acts as a witness in a murder investigation, and that investigation has some creepiness, which leads to him and some contemporaries debating the possibility of this creepiness NOT being a guilt-induced hallucination of the murderer, which leads to them telling...more
having read and liked "The Count of Monte Cristo", I was expecting something of the similar genre when I picked this book. The cover is creepy enough and the summary should have warned me that what I am about to read is a compilation of horror stories.
The story telling is dark enough. I could imagined myself, in an unlit room, with the rest of the characters who are in deep exchange of story telling to backed their belief towards death, guillotine, severing one's head, and life. Two particular s...more
The story telling is dark enough. I could imagined myself, in an unlit room, with the rest of the characters who are in deep exchange of story telling to backed their belief towards death, guillotine, severing one's head, and life. Two particular s...more
When I found this, in mint condition, in one of my favourite local second-hand bookshops, I was surprised and thrilled and bought it quick-smart before anyone else spotted it. I've loved Dumas since I read The Count of Monte Cristo several years ago, when I lived in Japan. Yep, that one book sold me. I loved The Three Muskateers too, and I don't know why I haven't yet read the old copy of The Man in the Iron Mask that's hiding somewhere on my bookcase. Those are his three most famous books, and...more
Jul 28, 2008
Bill
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People craving a story about a disinterred Henry IV
I'm a sucker for both Dumas and ghost stories, so this book seemed made for me. Then again, considering that Dumas (more or less)authored hundreds of novels, plays, essays (even a cookbook), everyone can probably find some Dumas work that seems ideally suited to them.
I enjoyed the book, particularly as Dumas writes himself into it, but it scored low on the supernatural creep-out factor. It is loosely based around the question, starkly thrust to the fore during the Terror, of how long a head rema...more
I enjoyed the book, particularly as Dumas writes himself into it, but it scored low on the supernatural creep-out factor. It is loosely based around the question, starkly thrust to the fore during the Terror, of how long a head rema...more
One Thousand and One Ghosts, a recent translation of Dumas's Les Mille-et-un fantômes, contains six ghost stories including the first vampire story set in the Carpathian Mountains.
A hunting party is interrupted by a confession of murder. And when the murderer insists it was a supernatural event that drove him to confess, it inspires some of the others present to give their own first- and secondhand accounts of supernatural goings-on.
A hunting party is interrupted by a confession of murder. And when the murderer insists it was a supernatural event that drove him to confess, it inspires some of the others present to give their own first- and secondhand accounts of supernatural goings-on.
Mar 12, 2012
Verity Bracken
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
horror/ghost story fans, people who like short fiction, french history enthusiasts
Shelves:
fiction
I gobbled up Dumas as a teen. The Count of Monte Cristo, Three Musketeers, The Man In The Iron Mask, and the more obscure Twenty Years After. I found this slim volume at my local library and found it a pleasant surprise. There isn't much in the way of swashbuckling but all the valour, courage and faithfulness you'd expect in a Dumas story are there along with ghosts and vampires! He also makes himself a character in the story and narrates part of it in the first person, an old trick to lend supe...more
In his typically saucy style Dumas serves up these delicious morsels of terror.
What begins as a polite, social and scientific discussion on how long life can remain in a head severed by the guillotine turns into a group discussion where guests' provide proofs of their own personal horrific encounters. Not as amazing as his novels, but very fun. One of only two first person works I've read from Dumas and I do like his style.
What begins as a polite, social and scientific discussion on how long life can remain in a head severed by the guillotine turns into a group discussion where guests' provide proofs of their own personal horrific encounters. Not as amazing as his novels, but very fun. One of only two first person works I've read from Dumas and I do like his style.
i think the last story of the vampire in the carpathian mountains ("not like your civilized western mountains") was my favorite. while the book was not outright scary, the colorful language did stick enough to give rise to a few spooky dreams. luckily, the harrowing reality of yesterday's giant flying (!!!) cockroach in my bedroom made any scary dreams pale in comparison, so all i feel vividly is that this was an enjoyable read. can't get enough dumas!
Oct 20, 2012
Ernesto I. Ramirez
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
horror
Thousand and one Ghost or "Mil y un Fantasmas" is simply a wonderful group of terryfing short stories. Dumas with his excellent narrative takes you into stories that you can believe they were true even when you are faced with madness.
Libro regular, no muy imaginativo
Tema un poco cliché con matices algo trillados
Sin embargo utiliza uno que otro factor que evidencia imaginación
5/10
Tema un poco cliché con matices algo trillados
Sin embargo utiliza uno que otro factor que evidencia imaginación
5/10
An uneven collection of horror tales all centred in one way or another round the question of life after death. Guillotined and otherwise severed heads, hanged bandits, hinted at deals with dark powers. Like a Decameron lite a group meet for dinner after a murder and tell tales of the dead. The Corday/Solange tale was the stand out story for me, with it's description of severed heads in a basket grinding their teeth the most disturbing image I've read, in anything, in a while. Reads like it was w...more
One Thousand and One Ghosts did not even remotely compare to Dumas' swashbuckling tales like The Three Musketeers. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't all that exciting, either. It might have been sort of freaky for the time it was written, but with mass media we are so inundated with macabre stories, this book almost seems like a bedtime story by comparison. I got through this story, but pretty much lost interest in it about half way through.
Read Solange during my trip back home since it was the only book left.
Been awhile since I read it. Very strange book. Not quite sure what I read when I finished it.
Just finished reading it a second time. Hard a lot to say about the death penelty and religion. Provided some intresting ways of thinking about things.
Just finished reading it a second time. Hard a lot to say about the death penelty and religion. Provided some intresting ways of thinking about things.
Good horror fiction in frame narrative stlye that forgets to unravel the suspense instilled in its meta narrative.
Jun 16, 2013
Ellinor
marked it as to-read
Jun 16, 2013
Ashley
marked it as to-read
Jun 14, 2013
Jordan
marked it as to-read
Jun 12, 2013
Maren
marked it as to-read
Jun 12, 2013
Kristen
marked it as to-read
Jun 11, 2013
Alexandra Dumas
marked it as to-read
Jun 11, 2013
Ami
marked it as to-read
Jun 10, 2013
Chiek Er
marked it as to-read
Jun 09, 2013
Kim Cirillo
marked it as to-read
Jun 09, 2013
Tomi
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
This note regards Alexandre Dumas, père, the father of Alexandre Dumas, fils (son). For the son, see Alexandre Dumas fils.
Alexandre Dumas, père (French for "father", akin to Senior in English), born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. Many of h...more
More about Alexandre Dumas...
Alexandre Dumas, père (French for "father", akin to Senior in English), born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. Many of h...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Sometimes salvation is found in agony.”
—
4 people liked it
“The pride of those who cannot edify lies in destruction”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
