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Visible and Invisible
Benson's second collection of ghost stories contains three powerful tales featuring the type of "spectres" that Benson seems to have been most haunted by: large ("Junonian," as he might say), attractive, cheerful, outgoing, middle-aged women. In "The Outcast" she is a reincarnation of Judas, in "Inscrutable Decrees" she is an emotional sadist and a murderer by omission, and in "Mrs. Amworth"--one of the best supernatural tales ever written--she is a conventional but nevertheless terrifying vampire.
There are other good tales here too, particularly "Negotium Perambulans" (featuring a giant slug acting as an instrument of divine vengeance) and "Roderick's Story," that rare tale about a benign haunting that still produces a shiver and the consciousness of a world beyond. (Bill Kerwin)
There are other good tales here too, particularly "Negotium Perambulans" (featuring a giant slug acting as an instrument of divine vengeance) and "Roderick's Story," that rare tale about a benign haunting that still produces a shiver and the consciousness of a world beyond. (Bill Kerwin)
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1924
About the author
E.F. Benson
1,318 books368 followersEdward Frederic "E. F." Benson was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, archaeologist and short story writer.
E. F. Benson was the younger brother of A.C. Benson, who wrote the words to "Land of Hope and Glory", Robert Hugh Benson, author of several novels and Roman Catholic apologetic works, and Margaret Benson, an author and amateur Egyptologist.
Benson died during 1940 of throat cancer at the University College Hospital, London. He is buried in the cemetery at Rye, East Sussex.
Last paragraph from Wikipedia
E. F. Benson was the younger brother of A.C. Benson, who wrote the words to "Land of Hope and Glory", Robert Hugh Benson, author of several novels and Roman Catholic apologetic works, and Margaret Benson, an author and amateur Egyptologist.
Benson died during 1940 of throat cancer at the University College Hospital, London. He is buried in the cemetery at Rye, East Sussex.
Last paragraph from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 23, 2019
Benson's second collection of ghost stories contains three powerful tales featuring the type of "spectres" that Benson seems to have been most haunted by: large ("Junonian," as he might say), attractive, cheerful, outgoing, middle-aged women. In "The Outcast" she is a reincarnation of Judas, in "Inscrutable Decrees" she is an emotional sadist and a murderer by omission, and in "Mrs. Amworth"--one of the best supernatural tales ever written--she is a conventional but nevertheless terrifying vampire.
There are other good tales here too, particularly "Negotium Perambulans" (featuring a giant slug acting as an instrument of divine vengeance) and "Roderick's Story," that rare tale about a benign haunting that still produces a shiver and the consciousness of a world beyond.
October 5, 2019
1924 collection of short stories with a supernatural theme.
And Spake the Dead - 3 stars (mad scientist)
The Outcast - 3 stars (reincarnation)
The Horror-Horn - 2 stars (strange creature)
Machaon - 2 stars (spiritual medium)
Negotium Perambulans - 4 stars (the Thing in the dark)
At the Farmhouse - 2 stars (supernatural revenge)
Inscrutable Decrees - 2 stars (truth revealed by seance)
The Gardener - 3 stars (ghost story)
Mr. Tilly's Seance - 3 stars (humorous seance )
Mrs. Amworth - 4 stars (vampire)
In the Tube - 3 stars (astral body projection)
Roderick's Story - 3 stars (borderland between life and death)
And Spake the Dead - 3 stars (mad scientist)
The Outcast - 3 stars (reincarnation)
The Horror-Horn - 2 stars (strange creature)
Machaon - 2 stars (spiritual medium)
Negotium Perambulans - 4 stars (the Thing in the dark)
At the Farmhouse - 2 stars (supernatural revenge)
Inscrutable Decrees - 2 stars (truth revealed by seance)
The Gardener - 3 stars (ghost story)
Mr. Tilly's Seance - 3 stars (humorous seance )
Mrs. Amworth - 4 stars (vampire)
In the Tube - 3 stars (astral body projection)
Roderick's Story - 3 stars (borderland between life and death)
November 20, 2019
"- Doświadczyłem wówczas duchowej grozy - podjął - od której, w co zaiste wierzę, nigdy nie wyzwoliłem się do końca. Ujrzałem, jak potworna może być żywa istota, a co za tym idzie, jak potworne jest samo życie".
Zaczynam się już powtarzać, ale kolejny chciałabym podziękować za powstanie biblioteki grozy, dzięki której miałam wielką przyjemność zapoznać się z opowiadaniami Edwarda Frederica Bensona. Gdyby ktoś kiedyś mnie zapytał, jakie powinny być historie z dreszczykiem - mogłabym z czystym sumieniem polecić ten zbiór. Trzynaście opowieści grozy, każda warta uwagi. Znajdziecie tu bardzo klasyczne atrybuty do straszenia - kota, karawan, nawiedzony dom, wampira czy porcelanową miseczkę (no dobra, miseczki do klasyki zaliczyć nie można, ale jakież to było dobre opowiadanie!). I muszę z pewną satysfakcją przyznać, że wcale aż tak delikatnie nie było, momentami krew lała się fontannami, cudownie!
8/10
Zaczynam się już powtarzać, ale kolejny chciałabym podziękować za powstanie biblioteki grozy, dzięki której miałam wielką przyjemność zapoznać się z opowiadaniami Edwarda Frederica Bensona. Gdyby ktoś kiedyś mnie zapytał, jakie powinny być historie z dreszczykiem - mogłabym z czystym sumieniem polecić ten zbiór. Trzynaście opowieści grozy, każda warta uwagi. Znajdziecie tu bardzo klasyczne atrybuty do straszenia - kota, karawan, nawiedzony dom, wampira czy porcelanową miseczkę (no dobra, miseczki do klasyki zaliczyć nie można, ale jakież to było dobre opowiadanie!). I muszę z pewną satysfakcją przyznać, że wcale aż tak delikatnie nie było, momentami krew lała się fontannami, cudownie!
8/10
May 17, 2026
Tras bastantes años he completado el segundo libro de relatos de terror de E. F. Benson, publicado en 1923. Es, probablemente, un pelín inferior al primero, pero se mantiene igual de variado y con unos cuantos momentos excelentes. Benson escribe muy bien, y a ratos sale a relucir su británico sentido del humor (por el que es famoso en su serie de Lucia y Mapp), su fe, sus discusiones sobre lo oculto...
Cuenta con 3 de sus relatos mas celebres: "The horror-Horn", "Negotium Perambulans" y "Mrs. Amsworth", que ya había leído en el pasado en diferentes antologías. Aunque por si solos ya justifican la calidad del libro, cuenta con agradables sorpresas que están a su nivel: "The outcast", "Inescrutable Decrees", "At the Farmhouse" y "In the Tube". Y añado el simpático "Mr. Tilly's seance".
-"And the Dead Spake.." -> Buena, aunque errónea, premisa inicial con bastantes detalles truculentos, pero bastante perjudicada por un final muy decepcionante. 2/5
-"The Outcast" -> La historia de una siniestra vecina. La verdad es que sus implicaciones de fondo me han gustado considerablemente. 4/5
-"The Horror-Horn" -> Efectiva historia de yetis pre-humanos entre montañeros contada al fuego en invierno. Bien narrada, pero quizá demasiado previsible. 3/5
-"Machaon" -> Historia entre la ciencia y el espiritismo. Una vez mas, al final le falta bastante punch. 2.5/5
-"Negotium Perambulans" -> Memorable. Gran ambientación. 5/5
-"At the Farmhouse" -> Infravalorada historia. Una de las mas atmosféricas y mejor escritas del libro. 5/5
-"Inscrutable Decrees" -> Con un trasfondo bastante horrible, me ha parecido bastante estimable. 4/5
-"The Gardener" -> Una atractiva primera mitad, que se diluye en la segunda. 2/5
-"Mr. Tilly's Séance" -> Humorístico relato sobre falsos mediums y espíritus. Muy simpático. 3.5/5
-"Mrs. Amworth" -> Uno de los mas celebres de Benson. Siempre me preguntó si influyó a Stephen King al escribir Salem’s Lot. 4/5
-"In the Tube" -> Una historia de visiones y eventos contada de noche frente a una chimenea. Bastante satisfactorio. 4/5
-"Roderick's Story" -> La historia mas benigna del libro, probablemente. Casi parece una conversación sobre la diferencia entre el hecho de que Benson escribía terror, y su fe. Pelín ñoño la verdad. 1.5/5
Cuenta con 3 de sus relatos mas celebres: "The horror-Horn", "Negotium Perambulans" y "Mrs. Amsworth", que ya había leído en el pasado en diferentes antologías. Aunque por si solos ya justifican la calidad del libro, cuenta con agradables sorpresas que están a su nivel: "The outcast", "Inescrutable Decrees", "At the Farmhouse" y "In the Tube". Y añado el simpático "Mr. Tilly's seance".
-"And the Dead Spake.." -> Buena, aunque errónea, premisa inicial con bastantes detalles truculentos, pero bastante perjudicada por un final muy decepcionante. 2/5
-"The Outcast" -> La historia de una siniestra vecina. La verdad es que sus implicaciones de fondo me han gustado considerablemente. 4/5
-"The Horror-Horn" -> Efectiva historia de yetis pre-humanos entre montañeros contada al fuego en invierno. Bien narrada, pero quizá demasiado previsible. 3/5
-"Machaon" -> Historia entre la ciencia y el espiritismo. Una vez mas, al final le falta bastante punch. 2.5/5
-"Negotium Perambulans" -> Memorable. Gran ambientación. 5/5
-"At the Farmhouse" -> Infravalorada historia. Una de las mas atmosféricas y mejor escritas del libro. 5/5
-"Inscrutable Decrees" -> Con un trasfondo bastante horrible, me ha parecido bastante estimable. 4/5
-"The Gardener" -> Una atractiva primera mitad, que se diluye en la segunda. 2/5
-"Mr. Tilly's Séance" -> Humorístico relato sobre falsos mediums y espíritus. Muy simpático. 3.5/5
-"Mrs. Amworth" -> Uno de los mas celebres de Benson. Siempre me preguntó si influyó a Stephen King al escribir Salem’s Lot. 4/5
-"In the Tube" -> Una historia de visiones y eventos contada de noche frente a una chimenea. Bastante satisfactorio. 4/5
-"Roderick's Story" -> La historia mas benigna del libro, probablemente. Casi parece una conversación sobre la diferencia entre el hecho de que Benson escribía terror, y su fe. Pelín ñoño la verdad. 1.5/5
March 5, 2018
Another spooky masterpiece - short stories to chill you.
Favourite passages:
"I adore life," he said. "I find it the most entrancing playing. It's a delightful game, and, as you know very well, the only conceivable way to play a game is to treat it extremely seriously. If you say to yourself, 'It's only a game,' you cease to take the slightest interest in it. You have to know that it's only a game, and behave as if it was the one object of existence."
There came an outline of shadow across the chimney-piece and the panels above it. It took shape: it fashioned itself into the outline of a man. Within the shape of the shadow details began to form themselves, and I saw wavering in the air, like something concealed by haze, the semblance of a face, stricken and tragic, and burdened with such a weight of woe as no human face had ever worn.
Favourite passages:
"I adore life," he said. "I find it the most entrancing playing. It's a delightful game, and, as you know very well, the only conceivable way to play a game is to treat it extremely seriously. If you say to yourself, 'It's only a game,' you cease to take the slightest interest in it. You have to know that it's only a game, and behave as if it was the one object of existence."
There came an outline of shadow across the chimney-piece and the panels above it. It took shape: it fashioned itself into the outline of a man. Within the shape of the shadow details began to form themselves, and I saw wavering in the air, like something concealed by haze, the semblance of a face, stricken and tragic, and burdened with such a weight of woe as no human face had ever worn.
July 27, 2026
I'm actually reading The Collected Ghost Stories, but having completed the first two of the four original collections contained therein (this being the second), I'm taking a break as I'm finding it a bit of a slog. There is just SO MUCH scene-setting, and very little suspense. This collection has a bit more variety than the first, with more science-fictional elements, and two true classics of monster and vampire tales ("Negotium Perambulans" and "Mrs. Amworth," respectively).
March 18, 2023
"AND THE DEAD SPAKE——" 5⭐
THE OUTCAST 4.5⭐
THE HORROR-HORN 5⭐
MACHAON 4⭐
NEGOTIUM PERAMBULANS 4⭐
AT THE FARMHOUSE 4.5⭐
INSCRUTABLE DECREES 3.25⭐
THE GARDENER 3⭐
MR. TILLY'S SÉANCE 4.25⭐
MRS. AMWORTH 5⭐
IN THE TUBE 3.75⭐
RODERICK'S STORY 4⭐
THE OUTCAST 4.5⭐
THE HORROR-HORN 5⭐
MACHAON 4⭐
NEGOTIUM PERAMBULANS 4⭐
AT THE FARMHOUSE 4.5⭐
INSCRUTABLE DECREES 3.25⭐
THE GARDENER 3⭐
MR. TILLY'S SÉANCE 4.25⭐
MRS. AMWORTH 5⭐
IN THE TUBE 3.75⭐
RODERICK'S STORY 4⭐
May 11, 2020
These are enjoyable ghost stories.
January 4, 2024
Great collection of stories, good for a period piece of subject matter...Loved It!!!
December 2, 2024
I'll read/listen to anything Fred wrote, but like his humor more.
March 1, 2017
Visible and Invisible is an entertaining collection of supernatural tales from E. F. Benson. His writing is surprisingly readable, and his stories are both vivid and haunting.
My favorite? I liked "The Horror-Horn," a chilling little number set in the Alps. His previous collection of supernatural stories, The Room in the Tower, is also well worth checking out.
My favorite? I liked "The Horror-Horn," a chilling little number set in the Alps. His previous collection of supernatural stories, The Room in the Tower, is also well worth checking out.
July 20, 2024
"And the Dead Spake..." (1922): A scientist's obsession with communicating with the dead leads to a terrifying discovery and a tragic end.
The Outcast (1922): A woman's mysterious past and the haunting of a house lead to a series of strange events and a chilling conclusion.
The Horror-Horn (1922): A mountaineering expedition leads to the discovery of a primal race of creatures, challenging the climbers' understanding of humanity and evolution.
Machaon (1923): A dying man's friend seeks help from a medium, whose connection to a spirit healer leads to an unexpected cure.
Negotium Perambulans (1922): A man builds a house on desecrated ground, leading to a series of supernatural events and his gruesome demise.
At the Farmhouse (1923): A man plots to kill his wife and burn down their farmhouse, but his plan takes a sinister turn when he is confronted by an unexpected presence.
Inscrutable Decrees (1923): Sir Archibald Rorke shares the haunting story of his broken engagement with Sybil, a woman with extraordinary mediumistic powers. A seance reveals a chilling truth about the death of a young girl.
The Gardener (1922): A ghostly gardener haunts a house, searching for his murdered wife and leaving the new inhabitants terrified.
Mr. Tilly's Séance (1922): After being run over by a traction engine, a man attends a séance and discovers the fraudulent practices of the medium.
Mrs. Amworth (1922): A seemingly charming woman is revealed to be a vampire, preying on the inhabitants of a small village.
In the Tube (1922): A man has premonitions of a stranger's suicide in the London Underground and grapples with the implications of his visions.
Roderick's Story (1923): A man revisits the house where his lost love died, finding solace in her presence and the hope of a reunion in the afterlife.
The Outcast (1922): A woman's mysterious past and the haunting of a house lead to a series of strange events and a chilling conclusion.
The Horror-Horn (1922): A mountaineering expedition leads to the discovery of a primal race of creatures, challenging the climbers' understanding of humanity and evolution.
Machaon (1923): A dying man's friend seeks help from a medium, whose connection to a spirit healer leads to an unexpected cure.
Negotium Perambulans (1922): A man builds a house on desecrated ground, leading to a series of supernatural events and his gruesome demise.
At the Farmhouse (1923): A man plots to kill his wife and burn down their farmhouse, but his plan takes a sinister turn when he is confronted by an unexpected presence.
Inscrutable Decrees (1923): Sir Archibald Rorke shares the haunting story of his broken engagement with Sybil, a woman with extraordinary mediumistic powers. A seance reveals a chilling truth about the death of a young girl.
The Gardener (1922): A ghostly gardener haunts a house, searching for his murdered wife and leaving the new inhabitants terrified.
Mr. Tilly's Séance (1922): After being run over by a traction engine, a man attends a séance and discovers the fraudulent practices of the medium.
Mrs. Amworth (1922): A seemingly charming woman is revealed to be a vampire, preying on the inhabitants of a small village.
In the Tube (1922): A man has premonitions of a stranger's suicide in the London Underground and grapples with the implications of his visions.
Roderick's Story (1923): A man revisits the house where his lost love died, finding solace in her presence and the hope of a reunion in the afterlife.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2017
If not as flawlessly uncanny as "The Room in the Tower," Benson's second collection is. More diverse and curious collection. The spooks here range from the standard twists on ghosts and vampires up to sociopaths, reincarnated revenants, missing link pseudo-humans, and one genuine mortal sociopath. In addition, Benson gets meta in "Roderick's Story." A strong follow-up.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews