What do you think?
Rate this book
The 16th Pan Book of Horror Stories
From the halls of darkness comes the clasp of terror...
'Great chunks of bone kept bouncing up from where the hammer was splintering his skull.' - An Experiment With H20, Norman Kaufman.
'Within the hour I shall be dead and I have yet to live.' - Debt Paid, Charles Thornton.
'I inserted the knife and sawed through the tongue.' - On the Eve of the Wedding, Maureen O'Hara.
'Somewhere in the darkness of that small room something evil and profoundly hideous was watching me.' - Diary of the Damned - David Lewis.
Fourteen stories of the macabre to thicken your blood with ice-cold fear...
"An Experiment With H20" by Norman P. Kaufman.
"The Evil Innocent" by Maureen O'Hara.
"Diary of the Damned" by David Lewis.
"Morning Echo" by Giles Gordon.
"The Tunisian Talking Ferret" by Harry E. Turner.
"The Municipal Gardener" by Christopher Bray.
"Jump To It" by Dulcie Gray.
"Debt Paid" by Charles Thornton.
"The Chicken-Switch" by Elleston Trevor.
"Virgin Territory" by Roger F. Dunkley.
"On The Eve Of The Wedding" by Maureen O'Hara.
"Revolt of the Ant People" by Lavan. E. Coberley.
"The Time Room" by Raymond Miller.
"The Bushmaster" by Conrad Hill.
'Great chunks of bone kept bouncing up from where the hammer was splintering his skull.' - An Experiment With H20, Norman Kaufman.
'Within the hour I shall be dead and I have yet to live.' - Debt Paid, Charles Thornton.
'I inserted the knife and sawed through the tongue.' - On the Eve of the Wedding, Maureen O'Hara.
'Somewhere in the darkness of that small room something evil and profoundly hideous was watching me.' - Diary of the Damned - David Lewis.
Fourteen stories of the macabre to thicken your blood with ice-cold fear...
"An Experiment With H20" by Norman P. Kaufman.
"The Evil Innocent" by Maureen O'Hara.
"Diary of the Damned" by David Lewis.
"Morning Echo" by Giles Gordon.
"The Tunisian Talking Ferret" by Harry E. Turner.
"The Municipal Gardener" by Christopher Bray.
"Jump To It" by Dulcie Gray.
"Debt Paid" by Charles Thornton.
"The Chicken-Switch" by Elleston Trevor.
"Virgin Territory" by Roger F. Dunkley.
"On The Eve Of The Wedding" by Maureen O'Hara.
"Revolt of the Ant People" by Lavan. E. Coberley.
"The Time Room" by Raymond Miller.
"The Bushmaster" by Conrad Hill.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
205 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 17, 1975
1 person is currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Herbert van Thal
115 books36 followersHerbert Maurice van Thal (1904-1983), known as Bertie van Thal, was a British bookseller, publisher, agent, biographer, and anthologist.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 7, 2012
An Experiment With H20 by Norman Kaufman
I know that this kind of a story was a Pan trademark, but beyond the graphic gore and the skillful contrast in voices between the thuggish murderer's narrative and the report of his scientist-tormentors, there isn't much to this story.
The Evil Innocent by Maureen O'Hara
A very haunting, folk-tale like story. Great atmosphere. Like something a more morbid Hans Anderson might have written.
Diary of the Damned by David Lewis
A satanic priest does something ghastly on a lifeboat. The way the narrative is framed makes it seem more interesting than it really is.
Morning Echo by Giles Gordon
A surprisingly effective time-slip tale with a suggestion of ghostly intervention at the very end. Not bad at all.
The Tunisian Talking Ferret by Harry E Turner
Some vivid atmosphere and effectively grisly details make this Moreau-esque tale a smooth read.
The Municipal Gardener by Christopher Bray
I liked this one quite a lot although the ending wasn't handled as well as it could have been. Very eerie take on the vengeance-from-beyond theme.
Jump To It by Dulcie Gray
Another tale of sadistic revenge, notable only for the grotesquerie and detail with which the killing is described.
Debt Paid by Charles Thornton
It is almost impossible to remember anything about this story; someone killed a woman and is being executed. or is he?
The Chicken-Switch by Elleston Trevor
A creepy tale about how one astronaut deals with the anticipated terrors of space travel; definitely written before the first moon landing, probably in the early years of the space race.
Virgin Territory by Roger F Dunkley
Ancient rites take hold of a modern couple in a druid's circle. I liked the idea of the story better than its execution.
On the Eve of the Wedding by Maureen O'Hara
A couple are soon to be married; but neither of them are what they seem. The end is a bit too pat but much else is pretty good.
Revolt of the Ant People by Lavan E Coberley
A fairly standard giant-insect-invasion tale, but told with enough verve and urgency to deliver the pulpy delights of the premise. It does feel like it must have been pretty old hat when this collection was first published.
The Time Room by Raymond Miller
A time-travel story, but one which involves a man killing his wife which seems to have been a leading criteria for admission into a Pan book. Competent enough.
The Bushmaster by Conrad Hill
A very original and wacky concept that becomes increasingly macabre. A weird ending that worked for me aesthetically. I would have been happier with this story if Hill could have avoided the unhappy marriage/nagging wife elements that again seem to be so common in these collections.
I know that this kind of a story was a Pan trademark, but beyond the graphic gore and the skillful contrast in voices between the thuggish murderer's narrative and the report of his scientist-tormentors, there isn't much to this story.
The Evil Innocent by Maureen O'Hara
A very haunting, folk-tale like story. Great atmosphere. Like something a more morbid Hans Anderson might have written.
Diary of the Damned by David Lewis
A satanic priest does something ghastly on a lifeboat. The way the narrative is framed makes it seem more interesting than it really is.
Morning Echo by Giles Gordon
A surprisingly effective time-slip tale with a suggestion of ghostly intervention at the very end. Not bad at all.
The Tunisian Talking Ferret by Harry E Turner
Some vivid atmosphere and effectively grisly details make this Moreau-esque tale a smooth read.
The Municipal Gardener by Christopher Bray
I liked this one quite a lot although the ending wasn't handled as well as it could have been. Very eerie take on the vengeance-from-beyond theme.
Jump To It by Dulcie Gray
Another tale of sadistic revenge, notable only for the grotesquerie and detail with which the killing is described.
Debt Paid by Charles Thornton
It is almost impossible to remember anything about this story; someone killed a woman and is being executed. or is he?
The Chicken-Switch by Elleston Trevor
A creepy tale about how one astronaut deals with the anticipated terrors of space travel; definitely written before the first moon landing, probably in the early years of the space race.
Virgin Territory by Roger F Dunkley
Ancient rites take hold of a modern couple in a druid's circle. I liked the idea of the story better than its execution.
On the Eve of the Wedding by Maureen O'Hara
A couple are soon to be married; but neither of them are what they seem. The end is a bit too pat but much else is pretty good.
Revolt of the Ant People by Lavan E Coberley
A fairly standard giant-insect-invasion tale, but told with enough verve and urgency to deliver the pulpy delights of the premise. It does feel like it must have been pretty old hat when this collection was first published.
The Time Room by Raymond Miller
A time-travel story, but one which involves a man killing his wife which seems to have been a leading criteria for admission into a Pan book. Competent enough.
The Bushmaster by Conrad Hill
A very original and wacky concept that becomes increasingly macabre. A weird ending that worked for me aesthetically. I would have been happier with this story if Hill could have avoided the unhappy marriage/nagging wife elements that again seem to be so common in these collections.
July 21, 2025
Hard to get these books in good condition,number 16 is my only copy that I got for a few pounds.
I wish I had a vacuum cleaner that sucked everything up ( no spoilers for the last story )
Great short stories that always chill you too the bone and some that make you chuckle slightly as well.
I will be looking for more pan horror books to read that are affordable
I wish I had a vacuum cleaner that sucked everything up ( no spoilers for the last story )
Great short stories that always chill you too the bone and some that make you chuckle slightly as well.
I will be looking for more pan horror books to read that are affordable
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews