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The Dark Descent: The Medusa in the Shield
Horror fiction has existed since man's earliest days of telling tales around a fire. It deals with our most powerful emotions: fear, love, and hope. Horror is not merely stories of supernatural creatures and evil gods, not just an allegorical representation of the eternal struggle between good and evil—horror has many faces.
In recent years, horror has produced a number of best-selling novels, but throughout its history the short story has always been horror's most vital form. In short fiction the boundaries of genre have been established, broken, and reestablished; the field has become differentiated and complex.
Now published in three volumes, The Dark Descent is a comprehensive presentation of the evolution of the horror story, filled with significant and powerful works by the masters of the genre. The anthology contains stories by the bestsellers of today, as well as little-known gems from writers almost forgotten—and from authors not usually considered horror writers.
The three volumes of The Dark Descent present the entire spectrum of horror fiction, from the psychological investigations of Edgar Allan Poe, William Faulker, Flannery O'Connor and Thomas M Disch, through the colourful supernatural allegories of J Sheridan Le Fanu, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Harlan Ellison, to the disturbing and dreadful stories of Oliver Onions, Edith Wharton and Gene Wolfe, stories that leave the reader in doubt of the very nature of reality.
Contents:
The Swords (1969), by Robert Aickman.
The Roaches (1965), by Thomas M. Disch.
Bright Segment (1955), by Theodore Sturgeon.
Dread (1984), by Clive Barker.
The Fall of the House of Usher (1839), by Edgar Allan Poe.
The Monkey (1980), by Stephen King.
Within the Walls of Tyre (1978), by Michael Bishop.
The Rats in the Walls (1924), by H.P. Lovecraft.
Schalken the Painter (1851), by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.
The Yellow Wallpaper (1892), by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
A Rose for Emily (1930), by William Faulkner.
How Love Came to Professor Guildea (1897), by Robert Hichens.
Born of Man and Woman (1950), by Richard Matheson.
My Dear Emily (1962), by Joanna Russ.
You Can Go Now (1980), by Dennis Etchison.
The Rocking-Horse Winner (1926), by D.H. Lawrence.
Three Days (1984), by Tanith Lee.
Good Country People (1955), by Flannery O'Connor.
Mackintosh Willy (1979), by Ramsey Campbell.
The Jolly Corner (1908), by Henry James.
In recent years, horror has produced a number of best-selling novels, but throughout its history the short story has always been horror's most vital form. In short fiction the boundaries of genre have been established, broken, and reestablished; the field has become differentiated and complex.
Now published in three volumes, The Dark Descent is a comprehensive presentation of the evolution of the horror story, filled with significant and powerful works by the masters of the genre. The anthology contains stories by the bestsellers of today, as well as little-known gems from writers almost forgotten—and from authors not usually considered horror writers.
The three volumes of The Dark Descent present the entire spectrum of horror fiction, from the psychological investigations of Edgar Allan Poe, William Faulker, Flannery O'Connor and Thomas M Disch, through the colourful supernatural allegories of J Sheridan Le Fanu, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Harlan Ellison, to the disturbing and dreadful stories of Oliver Onions, Edith Wharton and Gene Wolfe, stories that leave the reader in doubt of the very nature of reality.
Contents:
The Swords (1969), by Robert Aickman.
The Roaches (1965), by Thomas M. Disch.
Bright Segment (1955), by Theodore Sturgeon.
Dread (1984), by Clive Barker.
The Fall of the House of Usher (1839), by Edgar Allan Poe.
The Monkey (1980), by Stephen King.
Within the Walls of Tyre (1978), by Michael Bishop.
The Rats in the Walls (1924), by H.P. Lovecraft.
Schalken the Painter (1851), by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.
The Yellow Wallpaper (1892), by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
A Rose for Emily (1930), by William Faulkner.
How Love Came to Professor Guildea (1897), by Robert Hichens.
Born of Man and Woman (1950), by Richard Matheson.
My Dear Emily (1962), by Joanna Russ.
You Can Go Now (1980), by Dennis Etchison.
The Rocking-Horse Winner (1926), by D.H. Lawrence.
Three Days (1984), by Tanith Lee.
Good Country People (1955), by Flannery O'Connor.
Mackintosh Willy (1979), by Ramsey Campbell.
The Jolly Corner (1908), by Henry James.
352 pages, Paperback
First published November 8, 1990
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About the author
David G. Hartwell
115 books96 followersDavid Geddes Hartwell was an American editor of science fiction and fantasy. He worked for Signet (1971-1973), Berkley Putnam (1973-1978), Pocket (where he founded the Timescape imprint, 1978-1983, and created the Pocket Books Star Trek publishing line), and Tor (where he spearheaded Tor's Canadian publishing initiative, and was also influential in bringing many Australian writers to the US market, 1984-date), and has published numerous anthologies. He chaired the board of directors of the World Fantasy Convention and, with Gordon Van Gelder, was the administrator of the Philip K. Dick Award. He held a Ph.D. in comparative medieval literature.
He lived in Pleasantville, New York with his wife Kathryn Cramer and their two children.
He lived in Pleasantville, New York with his wife Kathryn Cramer and their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 1, 2007
This is one of the best horror anthologies -- it's a must-have, along with Kirby McCauley's Dark Forces and the Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural.
June 12, 2025
Some solid, and a few classic (Sturgeon, Barker, King, Poe, Gilman) tales of horror in this volume, along with a few that are more well along the scale towards supernatural, and then off the end—Faulkner and O'Connor are readable (if negligibly without the remits of the genre whose history Hartwell claims to be compiling), but Hichens (an author of whom I've never heard, and could live a good long while more without hearing of again) and James's interminable run-on sentences, both try the patience.
August 11, 2023
Book 2 of “The Dark Descent” collection.
An different array of horror stories than I’m accustomed to. Low on traditional monsters, instead filled with psychological terror and an uneasy dread.
Not all stories are winners (“The Fall of the House of Usher” has too much purple prose for me), but enough of it works that I’ve sought out the other two books in this collection.
An different array of horror stories than I’m accustomed to. Low on traditional monsters, instead filled with psychological terror and an uneasy dread.
Not all stories are winners (“The Fall of the House of Usher” has too much purple prose for me), but enough of it works that I’ve sought out the other two books in this collection.
March 4, 2018
A glorious multi storied book that sinks it's teeth into the reader.
October 21, 2011
Another collection of, by and large, excellent stories. This volume highlights horror from a psychological perspective--the events are not objectively horrifying, but horrifying in their effect on the human psyche. Here, fear is fear not because of what is outside, but because of how it is perceived by the human mind. Even the seemingly mundane can thus be rendered horrific if viewed through the eyes of one who fears it. And conversely, scary events lose their ability to terrify us if the characters in the story are utterly unaffected by the horrors that surround them.
The psychological focus is fodder for a much more highbrow treatment of horror, and the editor was able to pull from several authors who have garnered much more respect in the literary world. Thus, in addition to entries by popular writers like Stephen King, Clive Barker, and Richard Matheson (of the modern era) and Lovecraft and Le Fanu (from times past), Hartwell includes stories penned by such literary heavyweights as William Faulkner, D.H. Lawrence, Flannery O'Connor, Edgar Allen Poe, and Henry James.
Somewhat surprisingly, these bigwigs of the writing world did not necessarily produce the best stories in the collection. I was not terribly impressed by "The Fall of the House of Usher" (sorry, Poe--you know I love you, and I know this story is supposed to have been foundational for lots of other writers, but I didn't think it was a great story), and I had a heck of time slogging through "The Jolly Corner" (Henry James' credentials notwithstanding). But there were some definite gems in here. "The Roaches" was gross and creepy, "Bright Segment" was chilling, "Dread" was disturbing, "Good Country People" was depressing, and "The Monkey" was, if a little trite, still unsettling.
I really enjoyed "The Rocking-horse Winner" and "Three Days", though I'm not sure why they qualify as horror as opposed to merely otherworldly. Both stories had quite likable, even noble protagonists and were, in their way, sad and rather sweet.
All in all, I continue to be impressed with the collection of stories Hartwell has amassed. To the extent that his goal is to convince his readers that horror is a worthwhile and significant genre (and not just the stuff of insipid and talentless slasher films), he most definitely succeeds.
The psychological focus is fodder for a much more highbrow treatment of horror, and the editor was able to pull from several authors who have garnered much more respect in the literary world. Thus, in addition to entries by popular writers like Stephen King, Clive Barker, and Richard Matheson (of the modern era) and Lovecraft and Le Fanu (from times past), Hartwell includes stories penned by such literary heavyweights as William Faulkner, D.H. Lawrence, Flannery O'Connor, Edgar Allen Poe, and Henry James.
Somewhat surprisingly, these bigwigs of the writing world did not necessarily produce the best stories in the collection. I was not terribly impressed by "The Fall of the House of Usher" (sorry, Poe--you know I love you, and I know this story is supposed to have been foundational for lots of other writers, but I didn't think it was a great story), and I had a heck of time slogging through "The Jolly Corner" (Henry James' credentials notwithstanding). But there were some definite gems in here. "The Roaches" was gross and creepy, "Bright Segment" was chilling, "Dread" was disturbing, "Good Country People" was depressing, and "The Monkey" was, if a little trite, still unsettling.
I really enjoyed "The Rocking-horse Winner" and "Three Days", though I'm not sure why they qualify as horror as opposed to merely otherworldly. Both stories had quite likable, even noble protagonists and were, in their way, sad and rather sweet.
All in all, I continue to be impressed with the collection of stories Hartwell has amassed. To the extent that his goal is to convince his readers that horror is a worthwhile and significant genre (and not just the stuff of insipid and talentless slasher films), he most definitely succeeds.
September 4, 2012
This was the first book I read of horror stories that wasn't by Stephen King. And it's still the finest. My first exposure to H.P. Lovecraft ("The Rats In the Walls"). To the Books of Blood, Vols. 1-3 ("Dread"). Any reader interested in the genre should really get both volumes, collected in The Dark Descent, as volume one is also excellent, and extremely well chosen.
But this volume was the eye-opener for me. "There is no delight the equal of dread." I still have that famous opening line by Barker memorized, all these long years later. If those words resonate at all, then this book is for you.
But this volume was the eye-opener for me. "There is no delight the equal of dread." I still have that famous opening line by Barker memorized, all these long years later. If those words resonate at all, then this book is for you.
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February 21, 2012The Dark Descent by David G. Hartwell (1987)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews