Pan Book of Horror Stories: Volume 1

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Our Non-Fiction publishing is going from strength to strength, sharing stories that make a powerful, human connection with their readers. Among the finest non-supernatural lycanthrope stories and a thoroughly ghastly twist just when you think the worst is over.

You will see some unexpected inclusions in this list, and some surprising absences. Certain big names are missing because their greatest contributions are in short form, or because their books tread ground better travelled by others. Equally, some of these choices may cause horror fans’ eyes to wrinkle in confusion. But perhaps, in the end, that’s the secret of horror: it’s personal. It’s about how it makes you feel. Screaming Terror, published under the Arthur Baker imprint, is a collection from the first three Pan Book of Horror Stories and is also edited by Herbert Van Thal. Cook pays a visit to the houseboat. It’s a fair bet he won’t be eating any kebabs in the foreseeable future. Personal highlights were The Horror in the Museum by Hazel Head, a story about the horrors of working in a waxwork museum after dark, and Bram Stoker’s The Squaw in which a cat (as illustrated on the front cover) takes revenge on a man for accidentally killing her kitten. Also included is a A Brief History of the Horrors by Johnny Mains to get you up to speed on exactly why these books are considered a standard in the history of British Horror anthologies. Somewhat reluctantly, he decides to put up there for the night. At first, his main cause of concern is that the landlord is eyeless and reminds him of a slug, but there’s also a beautiful girl hanging around and at least she must be harmless …

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This was in the nature of a coffin supported by six headless bearers goose-stepping towards a white headstone. Underneath … with grim irony, the legend ‘Ye Journey’s End’”. Peter Pan first appeared as a character in the Scottish writer’s 1902 adult novel The Little White Birdbefore getting his own 1904 stage play, dramatized in the 2004 Johnny Depp movie (and current musical) Finding Neverland.After that, Barrie wrote the 1911 novel Peter and Wendy. Guy Preston - The Inn: Frank Metheun, stranded on the mist shrouded Cumberland moors, chances upon an early theme pub with an extremely off-putting sign:

One of my all time favourites of the Not at Night’s, and the climactic pursuit across the rooftop is genuinely exciting. From around volume nine there was a stronger focus on fresh talent rather than established authors and provided some much needed exposure for new writing talent. One of the things I was trying to get at in the book,” said Henry,“is the way groups of boys can be both really brutal with each other in a careless way, but also really tender and how they’ll tend to follow the most charismatic leader. And, obviously, Peter’s a charismatic leader. And so they follow him.” The early editions of the Pan Book of Horror Stories were notable for their lurid cover art [2] and Van Thal's introduction of stories by new authors alongside classics of the genre. The first edition included works by Peter Fleming, Muriel Spark, Bram Stoker and C. S. Forester. Later volumes featured Ray Bradbury and Lord Dunsany among others. Basil Copper made his debut in fifth volume, with the story "The Spider". [3] The series also published work by Charles Birkin, R. Chetwynd-Hayes and Alex Hamilton. [4] After volume nine, Van Thal placed a heavier reliance on new authors. The series grew in popularity and was the stepping stone for much new talent. [1] In the 1970s, the increasingly violent content of the Pan Books provoked some controversy. [4] In the early 1980s a slow decline in standards was observed. Popularity rose again in the late decade, but a multitude of reprint stories from Stephen King and a severe slide in quality ended the iconic series in 1989. The last book is now a rare collectors item, owing to the small print run it received.As a result of reading the more trashy stories in the 1980s I was inspired to read more in the series and this provided exposure to classic authors and their deeper story-telling in the earlier editions. I should not have doubted author Christina Henry, who also successfully added to and commented upon Alice in Wonderland canon with her novels Alice and Red Queen. The characters and world of Peter Pan is in safe hands. The story of Lost Boy.

Kids have to live in an unjust world, too, and they see that unfairness and injustice and, sometimes, horror, whether we adults like it or not. Lost Boyis the story of Jamie beginning to truly process the lifetimes of horror he has witnessed during his time with Peter. It’s this empathetic, relationship-driven question that drives the thrust of the Lost Boynarrative, and makes the booka fascinating exploration of boyhood, friendship, and the intersection of the two.One of the things that I do and one of the things that I think a lot of authors do when they’re retelling stories is they’re finding the empty space in the original story and filling it in for themselves. That was me, wanting to answer this question of ‘Why does Hook hate Peter Pan?’ I filled in the space. I don’t think I answered every question, and so there’s still imaginative space in there for the reader to fill in that space for themselves. A U.S edition of the first Pan book was released by Gold Medal, an imprint of Fawcett Publications, and books 3, 4 and 5 were released by Berkley Medallion. While the first book was complete in its contents, the other three books gave only a small selection of their UK counterparts. There is no evidence to support PBoH #2 ever having a US release. With such a weight of contention, any attempt at a list of ‘best’ horror novels is doomed to disagreement. That’s fine. All lists are subjective. We have, however, tried to celebrate the breadth of horror—to highlight those books that establish something about the genre or push it forward into new realms. It’s worth noting that we have confined our choices to novels. Short horror fiction has a parallel ­­but distinct history that would require a survey all of its own.

In the run-up to Halloween in October 2018, BBC Radio 4 broadcast Anita Sullivan's reinterpretations of five stories from the 1962 Second Pan Book Of Horror Stories as part of the station's 15 Minute Drama series. [5] Reception and influence [ edit ] A reprint of the initial Pan Book of Horror was published in October 2010, with an introduction by Pan expert Johnny Mains. Growing up in the 1970s and ’80s, a series of books featuring collections of short horror stories fed my hunger for interesting horror stories at an affordable price, that series of books was the ‘Pan Book of Horror Stories.’ While this book is intended for adults, not children, Henry doesn’t spare the horror because of the characters’ young age. “People talk about kids like they’re really innocent,” said Henry, “but I always say that the reason why Roald Dahl’s books have been so successful for so many years is because Roald Dahl doesn’t pretend that the world is a good place. He believes that bad things happen and bad things happen to kids and that’s present in all of his books: an awareness.” Furnishing lists of choice, from the Women’s Prize to Waterstones Thriller of the Month, Mantle publishes high quality writing and brilliant storytelling with a broad appeal that often features stories of ‘the outsider’ — those unsung heroes and heroines who change things for the better.All in all this is a great collection of stories, for both the Pan Horror novice who wants to find out how our definitions and attitudes toward what we classify as horror have changed over the years, or for the Pan Horror enthusiast to replace their dog-eared copies of the original book and revisit the early days in the series history.