The Scarecrow and Other Stories

by G. Ranger Wormser

Gwendolyn Wormser's stories have languished in an undeserved obscurity for many years, with the single reprinting of any of her tales being in David Hartwell's 1997 anthology Bodies Of The Dead, which included the title story "The Scarecrow".

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fantasy

285 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1918

Reviews

[Heather Daughrity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love old fashioned horror. And I love discovering new-old writers. So this book? Right up my alley.

G. Ranger Wormser - that's G for Gwendolyn - was an early twentieth century writer known for mostly mainstream pieces, but in the darkness of the night, she wrung her hands together, let out a shiver-inducing cackle, and wrote much darker things.

Ok, so maybe that's just my own personal wishful thinking, but the truth is she did have an array of darkly-themed tales which won her a lot of criticism back in the day because blast it all, what's a woman doing writing such things?

These stories are the precursor to Shirley Jackson's. I say that because good old Gwendolyn was ahead of her time and had a knack for writing psychological horror. You'll be in the midst of one of these stories and it will strike you that you're not sure if the character is slowly losing it, the writer was slowly losing it, or perhaps...you're slowly losing it.

There are a few stories with supernatural elements - we get ghosts and some fortune telling and a werewolf - but many of these stories are just about the darkness hidden within humankind and the desperation of the oppressed. And when you get to the story 'Before the Dawn' - get ready, because it made ugly cry.

This collection prefaces the stories with an introduction by William P Simmons, which I found intelligently written and insightful.

All in all, a good little collection and and introduction to the writer of "the best collection of supernatural and psychological horror short fiction that you have never read".

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author was previously unknown to me except for the title story that I enjoyed in an anthology that I read a couple of months ago. Gwendolyn Wormser should have been an important voice in horror yet was somehow largely overlooked until now. Written in the days before shock and gore was the formula, and blood and guts the norm, her stories are suspenseful and eerie. The writing is haunting and lyrical, full of atmosphere and and rich with emotion.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark fiction from days gone by.

I received a complimentary copy.

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scarecrows seem to scare all but crows.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were great, I can definitely understand why people compare her to Shirley Jackson.

[Елена · Rating 5 out of 5]

🍂The Scarecrow & other Stories• by G. Ranger Wormser, edited by William P. Simmons 🍂

I received this book as a review gift from @shadowhousepub and I must say, I found myself a new favorite author!

🍂But why haven't you heard of Gwendolyn R. Wormser? She was born in a sexist era and she was ahead of her time with her ideas. When I was reading her stories, I thought that they were written at least in the late 20th c. But, she was born in 1893 and died in 1953. There is scarcely anything about her on the internet, everything I learned was from the editor's notes.

Reading this book was like discovering a priceless gem, ages old and forgotten.

🍂This is a true Gothic delight!

My favorite stories are:
•The Scarecrow
•Haunted
•The Wood of Living Trees
•Before the Dawn

🍂She explores themes of war, mysticism, human psyche, loss, desire, and transformation.

The narrative of each story was cleverly woven with ghostly seams. It's disturbing, in a psychological way.

🍂If you are looking for a clever rad with a supernatural twist written by a female author (forgotten by history) than this book is just for you!