Review: His Hideous Heart

His Hideous Heart by Dahlia Adler
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

A collection of thirteen (of course!) short stories that are retellings of classic Edgar Allan Poe short stories and poems. In a nice touch, the original Poe works are included in the same order after the newer stories.

I found this collection a bit uneven in sustaining my interest. Some are as filled with psychological horror as Poe's original work (see for instance "The Glittering Death" by Caleb Roehrig), some a clever remix (Amanda Lovelace's "The Raven (Remix)" uses redaction to create a new short tale), while some seem almost fragmentary ("Changeling" by Marieke Nijkamp left me wanting more story). I did enjoy Fran Wilde's clever "Fall of the Bank of Usher" and Tessa Gratton's poignant "Night-Tide," inspired by Annabel Lee.

I received a paper Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

View all my reviews