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The Supernatural Tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Tales of the supernatural by the author better known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Here are stories of ghosts and demons, vampires, werewolves and ghouls. The tales have such titles as "The Ghosts of Goresthorpe Grange" and "The Great Keinplatz Experiment".
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Arthur Conan Doyle
17.5k books25.1k followersSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 10, 2011
Obviously know primarily as the writer of the Sherlock Holmes novels, it is a sad truth that most are unaware of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's supernatural and horror pedigree. Something of a spiritualist Conan Doyle's open mind on the subject of the supernatural led him to write many compelling and convincing tales of ghosts and the beyond. If you only know Conan Doyle through Holmes, give this collection your time and you will find it well worthwhile as the best of his supernatural stories are up their with likes of Lovecraft and Poe in their prime....
February 15, 2014
Няма нужда да ви обяснявам кой е Артър Конан Дойл, създател на иконата Шерлок Холмс. Офталмолог по образование, впоследствие зарязва медицинската практика в името на творчеството. Конан Дойл се е увличал по окултизма, хипнозата, медиумите, спиритическите сеанси и още е вярвал във феи. Но, както всеки уважаващ себе си писател-джентълмен, той е творил и разкази на ужаса.
Сборника е хубав и разказите ми харесаха, но сякаш след затварянето на последната страница в мен остана усещане, че можеше още. Сигурно съм подходил към книгата с прекалено големи очаквания. И така:
1. Кафявата ръка - призрака на индиец и едно неспазено обещание ще преследват доктора с години... Какво може да премахне проклятието?
2. Игра с огъня - внимавайте със спиритическите сеанси, кого и какво точно призовавате!
3. Сребърната брадвичка - понякога хората и събитията, свързани с тях са толкова ужасяващи, че се просмукват дори в неодушевени предмети.
4. Кожената фуния - вж. предната бележка.
5. Насилникът от Брокас Корт - злобните сякаш нивга не умират... Но дори и те се страхуват от нещо.
6. Джон Барингтън Каулс - жените могат да изцедят мъжкия живот. Понякога съвсем буквално.
7. Големият експеримент в Кайнплац - може ли душата да напусне тялото и да се рее над него? А после да се върне обратно?
8. Фиаското в Лос Амигос - екзекуцията на затворника ще се изроди в нещо тотално необяснимо.
9. Призрак по избор - ти си богат човек и искаш да си купиш мрачно фамилно имение? Ала в имението ти не витае призрак? Няма проблем!
10. Пръстенът на Тот - един египтянин, една мумия и една потресаваща история.
- В повечето случаи разказите започват леко блудкаво. Освен това в сборника не е включен любимият ми разказ "Капитанът на <Полярна Звезда>"
За почитатели на класическите истории на ужаса от старите майстори - По, Стокър, Джеймс, Мерит, Блох.
Сборника е хубав и разказите ми харесаха, но сякаш след затварянето на последната страница в мен остана усещане, че можеше още. Сигурно съм подходил към книгата с прекалено големи очаквания. И така:
1. Кафявата ръка - призрака на индиец и едно неспазено обещание ще преследват доктора с години... Какво може да премахне проклятието?
2. Игра с огъня - внимавайте със спиритическите сеанси, кого и какво точно призовавате!
3. Сребърната брадвичка - понякога хората и събитията, свързани с тях са толкова ужасяващи, че се просмукват дори в неодушевени предмети.
4. Кожената фуния - вж. предната бележка.
5. Насилникът от Брокас Корт - злобните сякаш нивга не умират... Но дори и те се страхуват от нещо.
6. Джон Барингтън Каулс - жените могат да изцедят мъжкия живот. Понякога съвсем буквално.
7. Големият експеримент в Кайнплац - може ли душата да напусне тялото и да се рее над него? А после да се върне обратно?
8. Фиаското в Лос Амигос - екзекуцията на затворника ще се изроди в нещо тотално необяснимо.
9. Призрак по избор - ти си богат човек и искаш да си купиш мрачно фамилно имение? Ала в имението ти не витае призрак? Няма проблем!
10. Пръстенът на Тот - един египтянин, една мумия и една потресаваща история.
- В повечето случаи разказите започват леко блудкаво. Освен това в сборника не е включен любимият ми разказ "Капитанът на <Полярна Звезда>"
За почитатели на класическите истории на ужаса от старите майстори - По, Стокър, Джеймс, Мерит, Блох.
June 15, 2022
Doyle's short stories are all wonderfully written and different from one another. Doyle often provides a possible rational explanation to the seemingly supernatural events. The plot outlines here might seem to contain spoilers but many of the stories "give away" an important plot point right away, and the introductions to each story also hint at what you are about to read about. Those introductions add to the enjoyment of the stories.
The Mystery of Sasassa Valley Plot: two men roughing it trying to make a living in South Africa's Cape Colony investigate a story about a one-eyed demon haunting a local mountain pass. **** Review: interesting setting featuring likeable characters and a different twist.
The Captain of the Polestar' Plot: during a whale hunting expedition in the Arctic Sea, a ship's doctor recounts the strange behavior of the ship's captain and his belief that the ice floes are haunted. **** - Review: evokes the fear of the ship's crew (mostly about being trapped in the ice for the winter) well, and has a satisfying conclusion.
The Ghosts of Gorestthorpe Grange Plot: a man who buys a feudal mansion enlists the help of someone to obtain a ghost for his new home. **** Review: light-hearted story centered on ghosts, but not horror.
The Silver Hatchet Plot: the murder of a Hungarian professor is the first of a series of attacks following the professor's acquisition of a trove of medieval weapons for a local museum. *** Review: slightly different take on the "haunted object" plot that follows a path the reader can see ahead of time.
The Great Keinplatz Experiment Plot: a professor trying to prove that under hypnosis a person's spirit leaves the body and can see things in other places succeeds in a different way when he and his subject awake in each other's body. *** - Review: maybe the earliest of the "Freaky Friday" plots, it's a fun story but has too many plot-holes to succeed (neither man realizes the switch for too long a time, for instance.)
John Barrington Cowles Plot A medical student at Edinburgh University tells the story of the death of his great friend John Cowles. The friend becomes engaged to an enchanting young woman whose two previous fiancés both suffered strange fates after they broke off the engagement. A similar fate awaits Cowles. **** Review: interesting story that doesn't spell out plot details but gives enough hints as to what's going on to intrigue the reader.
The Ring of Thoth Plot: a man researching hieroglyphics at the Louvre falls asleep inside the Egyptian collections room following a tiresome journey from England. When he awakes he witnesses a museum attendant unwrapping one of the mummies and after confronting him about it he is told an amazing tale of ancient Egypt. **** Review: different from other "mummy" stories, it's both interesting and sort of sad.
A Pastoral Horror Plot: An Englishman visiting a small hamlet in the Tyrolean Alps becomes enmeshed in a series of horrible killings that no one in the small town can believe are being done by someone they all know. **** - Review: paints a vivid picture of the isolated village and although it becomes obvious quickly who is killing people, it's still a fun read.
De Profundis Plot: a newly married woman and her husband's friend board a ship for Ceylon following the husband and encounter a strange sight en route. **** Review: short and sweet, with a mini-lesson about the coffee trade in Ceylon.
Lot No. 249 Plot: A student at Oxford begins to suspect his downstairs neighbor, who is obsessed with Egyptian lore, is harboring a terrible secret that bodes ill for anyone the neighbor has a grudge against. ***** Review: well constructed tale that is interesting in itself for a peek into college life at that time.
The Parasite Plot: A University professor who is an adamant opponent of charlatans claiming to control others' minds under mesmerism challenges a woman who claims such powers. During the experiment he begins to change his opinion, but then regrets his involvement with the woman who seems to be able to make him do things he finds abhorrent. *** - Review: a little too long in getting to the conclusion, but still well-written and holds your interest; constructed as diary entries by the professor.
The Story of the Brown Hand Plot: A London doctor visits his uncle, a noted surgeon who spent his years in India and has returned to England where he experiences a supernatural phenomenon. ***** - Review: Satisfying story outlining the events of the doctor's visit and his attempts to solve the haunting.
Playing With Fire Plot: A group of people meet regularly to hold séances, mostly for entertainment. One night one of the regulars brings a guest who calls forth something none of the others expected. **** Review: Short and sweet and well thought out.
The Leather Funnel Plot: A man visiting the home of a friend who collects rare and unusual objects spends the night in a room filled with strange items. His sleep is disturbed with vivid dreams concerning one of the old objects, a funnel of unknown origin. *** Review different twist on a nightmare that's an okay read.
The Silver Mirror Plot: While working overtime on ledgers filled with columns of numbers, a man begins to see visions in a mirror next to his desk. Thinking he is over tired, he takes a break, but when tackling his task again the mirror again shows him a tableau which seems to point to an event in the former owner's life. *** - Review - An okay story but not really meant to be scary, which it isn't.
Through the Veil Plot: a "salt-of-the-earth" man and wife both have similar impressions of a battle at an old Roman fort. **** - Review: a short short story about the possibility of re-incarnation is well done and interesting. Only gripe is it could have been a little longer.
How It Happened Plot: returning late at night from a trip to London a man decides to take the wheel of his new automobile from his chauffeur. Cresting a particular nasty hill near his home, the man's unfamiliarity with the gears on his new machine lead to a mishap. *** Review: maybe a surprising twist in 1913 when it was written, it's sort of expected now; still well told, though.
The Bully of Brocas Court Plot: on their way to a boxing match a man and the boxer he has hired are accosted by a pair of unsavory characters who challenge the boxer to a fight. *** - Review: OK story with no surprises but evokes the situation well.
The Mystery of Sasassa Valley Plot: two men roughing it trying to make a living in South Africa's Cape Colony investigate a story about a one-eyed demon haunting a local mountain pass. **** Review: interesting setting featuring likeable characters and a different twist.
The Captain of the Polestar' Plot: during a whale hunting expedition in the Arctic Sea, a ship's doctor recounts the strange behavior of the ship's captain and his belief that the ice floes are haunted. **** - Review: evokes the fear of the ship's crew (mostly about being trapped in the ice for the winter) well, and has a satisfying conclusion.
The Ghosts of Gorestthorpe Grange Plot: a man who buys a feudal mansion enlists the help of someone to obtain a ghost for his new home. **** Review: light-hearted story centered on ghosts, but not horror.
The Silver Hatchet Plot: the murder of a Hungarian professor is the first of a series of attacks following the professor's acquisition of a trove of medieval weapons for a local museum. *** Review: slightly different take on the "haunted object" plot that follows a path the reader can see ahead of time.
The Great Keinplatz Experiment Plot: a professor trying to prove that under hypnosis a person's spirit leaves the body and can see things in other places succeeds in a different way when he and his subject awake in each other's body. *** - Review: maybe the earliest of the "Freaky Friday" plots, it's a fun story but has too many plot-holes to succeed (neither man realizes the switch for too long a time, for instance.)
John Barrington Cowles Plot A medical student at Edinburgh University tells the story of the death of his great friend John Cowles. The friend becomes engaged to an enchanting young woman whose two previous fiancés both suffered strange fates after they broke off the engagement. A similar fate awaits Cowles. **** Review: interesting story that doesn't spell out plot details but gives enough hints as to what's going on to intrigue the reader.
The Ring of Thoth Plot: a man researching hieroglyphics at the Louvre falls asleep inside the Egyptian collections room following a tiresome journey from England. When he awakes he witnesses a museum attendant unwrapping one of the mummies and after confronting him about it he is told an amazing tale of ancient Egypt. **** Review: different from other "mummy" stories, it's both interesting and sort of sad.
A Pastoral Horror Plot: An Englishman visiting a small hamlet in the Tyrolean Alps becomes enmeshed in a series of horrible killings that no one in the small town can believe are being done by someone they all know. **** - Review: paints a vivid picture of the isolated village and although it becomes obvious quickly who is killing people, it's still a fun read.
De Profundis Plot: a newly married woman and her husband's friend board a ship for Ceylon following the husband and encounter a strange sight en route. **** Review: short and sweet, with a mini-lesson about the coffee trade in Ceylon.
Lot No. 249 Plot: A student at Oxford begins to suspect his downstairs neighbor, who is obsessed with Egyptian lore, is harboring a terrible secret that bodes ill for anyone the neighbor has a grudge against. ***** Review: well constructed tale that is interesting in itself for a peek into college life at that time.
The Parasite Plot: A University professor who is an adamant opponent of charlatans claiming to control others' minds under mesmerism challenges a woman who claims such powers. During the experiment he begins to change his opinion, but then regrets his involvement with the woman who seems to be able to make him do things he finds abhorrent. *** - Review: a little too long in getting to the conclusion, but still well-written and holds your interest; constructed as diary entries by the professor.
The Story of the Brown Hand Plot: A London doctor visits his uncle, a noted surgeon who spent his years in India and has returned to England where he experiences a supernatural phenomenon. ***** - Review: Satisfying story outlining the events of the doctor's visit and his attempts to solve the haunting.
Playing With Fire Plot: A group of people meet regularly to hold séances, mostly for entertainment. One night one of the regulars brings a guest who calls forth something none of the others expected. **** Review: Short and sweet and well thought out.
The Leather Funnel Plot: A man visiting the home of a friend who collects rare and unusual objects spends the night in a room filled with strange items. His sleep is disturbed with vivid dreams concerning one of the old objects, a funnel of unknown origin. *** Review different twist on a nightmare that's an okay read.
The Silver Mirror Plot: While working overtime on ledgers filled with columns of numbers, a man begins to see visions in a mirror next to his desk. Thinking he is over tired, he takes a break, but when tackling his task again the mirror again shows him a tableau which seems to point to an event in the former owner's life. *** - Review - An okay story but not really meant to be scary, which it isn't.
Through the Veil Plot: a "salt-of-the-earth" man and wife both have similar impressions of a battle at an old Roman fort. **** - Review: a short short story about the possibility of re-incarnation is well done and interesting. Only gripe is it could have been a little longer.
How It Happened Plot: returning late at night from a trip to London a man decides to take the wheel of his new automobile from his chauffeur. Cresting a particular nasty hill near his home, the man's unfamiliarity with the gears on his new machine lead to a mishap. *** Review: maybe a surprising twist in 1913 when it was written, it's sort of expected now; still well told, though.
The Bully of Brocas Court Plot: on their way to a boxing match a man and the boxer he has hired are accosted by a pair of unsavory characters who challenge the boxer to a fight. *** - Review: OK story with no surprises but evokes the situation well.
April 13, 2015
This was great fun, I stayed up late and everything. Conan-Doyle was into all of this stuff and it comes through in this delightful read. Some of it I found hilarious, I think mainly due to the contrast of desensitisation that's occurred in society in the intervening years since publication.
February 21, 2022
Very much like Poe's short stories except less psychological and warped rather more about the supernatural and Spiritualism. A good source for mummy stories as there is no definitive mummy story like Stoker's book for vampires.
September 4, 2025
I have one piece of advice if you read this book: Skip the editor's notes until after you've read each story. They contain spoilers and will take all the fun out of it. Once I stopped reading those, I started really enjoying these.
This collection is comprised of 18 short stories of various length and quality. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle really explored a ton of our favorite spooky tropes, though his supernatural work was overshadowed, obviously, by our dear Sherlock Holmes. However, the common thread between Sherlock Holmes and these tales is in the style: richly descriptive and somewhat mirroring the detective story in format. The tropes are by now well-known, but if you love Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's style and a good spooky romp, this is for you.
My favorites were Lot No. 249 and The Parasite. Both are on the longer side, and each one got my heart pounding and stayed in my mind for the rest of the day. Their characters were the most compelling and their endings by far the most satisfying. Honorable mention goes to The Ghosts of Goresthorpe Grange, which was brief and hilariously self-aware for anyone interested in ghosts.
This collection is comprised of 18 short stories of various length and quality. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle really explored a ton of our favorite spooky tropes, though his supernatural work was overshadowed, obviously, by our dear Sherlock Holmes. However, the common thread between Sherlock Holmes and these tales is in the style: richly descriptive and somewhat mirroring the detective story in format. The tropes are by now well-known, but if you love Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's style and a good spooky romp, this is for you.
My favorites were Lot No. 249 and The Parasite. Both are on the longer side, and each one got my heart pounding and stayed in my mind for the rest of the day. Their characters were the most compelling and their endings by far the most satisfying. Honorable mention goes to The Ghosts of Goresthorpe Grange, which was brief and hilariously self-aware for anyone interested in ghosts.
August 2, 2022
Entertaining stories, but samey and formulaic.
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September 11, 2009I don't have this book yet.
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May 2, 2017"La máquina desintegradora". No es de los mejores relatos del profesor Challenger.
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