Ron K. (WhidbeyIslander) -
Doyle's short stories are all wonderfully written and different from one another. Doyle often provides a possible rational explanation to the seemingly supernatural events. The plot outlines here might seem to contain spoilers but many of the stories "give away" an important plot point right away, and the introductions to each story also hint at what you are about to read about. Those introductions add to the enjoyment of the stories.
The Mystery of Sasassa Valley Plot: two men roughing it trying to make a living in South Africa's Cape Colony investigate a story about a one-eyed demon haunting a local mountain pass. **** Review: interesting setting featuring likeable characters and a different twist.
The Captain of the Polestar' Plot: during a whale hunting expedition in the Arctic Sea, a ship's doctor recounts the strange behavior of the ship's captain and his belief that the ice floes are haunted. **** - Review: evokes the fear of the ship's crew (mostly about being trapped in the ice for the winter) well, and has a satisfying conclusion.
The Ghosts of Gorestthorpe Grange Plot: a man who buys a feudal mansion enlists the help of someone to obtain a ghost for his new home. **** Review: light-hearted story centered on ghosts, but not horror.
The Silver Hatchet Plot: the murder of a Hungarian professor is the first of a series of attacks following the professor's acquisition of a trove of medieval weapons for a local museum. *** Review: slightly different take on the "haunted object" plot that follows a path the reader can see ahead of time.
The Great Keinplatz Experiment Plot: a professor trying to prove that under hypnosis a person's spirit leaves the body and can see things in other places succeeds in a different way when he and his subject awake in each other's body. *** - Review: maybe the earliest of the "Freaky Friday" plots, it's a fun story but has too many plot-holes to succeed (neither man realizes the switch for too long a time, for instance.)
John Barrington Cowles Plot A medical student at Edinburgh University tells the story of the death of his great friend John Cowles. The friend becomes engaged to an enchanting young woman whose two previous fiancés both suffered strange fates after they broke off the engagement. A similar fate awaits Cowles. **** Review: interesting story that doesn't spell out plot details but gives enough hints as to what's going on to intrigue the reader.
The Ring of Thoth Plot: a man researching hieroglyphics at the Louvre falls asleep inside the Egyptian collections room following a tiresome journey from England. When he awakes he witnesses a museum attendant unwrapping one of the mummies and after confronting him about it he is told an amazing tale of ancient Egypt. **** Review: different from other "mummy" stories, it's both interesting and sort of sad.
A Pastoral Horror Plot: An Englishman visiting a small hamlet in the Tyrolean Alps becomes enmeshed in a series of horrible killings that no one in the small town can believe are being done by someone they all know. **** - Review: paints a vivid picture of the isolated village and although it becomes obvious quickly who is killing people, it's still a fun read.
De Profundis Plot: a newly married woman and her husband's friend board a ship for Ceylon following the husband and encounter a strange sight en route. **** Review: short and sweet, with a mini-lesson about the coffee trade in Ceylon.
Lot No. 249 Plot: A student at Oxford begins to suspect his downstairs neighbor, who is obsessed with Egyptian lore, is harboring a terrible secret that bodes ill for anyone the neighbor has a grudge against. ***** Review: well constructed tale that is interesting in itself for a peek into college life at that time.
The Parasite Plot: A University professor who is an adamant opponent of charlatans claiming to control others' minds under mesmerism challenges a woman who claims such powers. During the experiment he begins to change his opinion, but then regrets his involvement with the woman who seems to be able to make him do things he finds abhorrent. *** - Review: a little too long in getting to the conclusion, but still well-written and holds your interest; constructed as diary entries by the professor.
The Story of the Brown Hand Plot: A London doctor visits his uncle, a noted surgeon who spent his years in India and has returned to England where he experiences a supernatural phenomenon. ***** - Review: Satisfying story outlining the events of the doctor's visit and his attempts to solve the haunting.
Playing With Fire Plot: A group of people meet regularly to hold séances, mostly for entertainment. One night one of the regulars brings a guest who calls forth something none of the others expected. **** Review: Short and sweet and well thought out.
The Leather Funnel Plot: A man visiting the home of a friend who collects rare and unusual objects spends the night in a room filled with strange items. His sleep is disturbed with vivid dreams concerning one of the old objects, a funnel of unknown origin. *** Review different twist on a nightmare that's an okay read.
The Silver Mirror Plot: While working overtime on ledgers filled with columns of numbers, a man begins to see visions in a mirror next to his desk. Thinking he is over tired, he takes a break, but when tackling his task again the mirror again shows him a tableau which seems to point to an event in the former owner's life. *** - Review - An okay story but not really meant to be scary, which it isn't.
Through the Veil Plot: a "salt-of-the-earth" man and wife both have similar impressions of a battle at an old Roman fort. **** - Review: a short short story about the possibility of re-incarnation is well done and interesting. Only gripe is it could have been a little longer.
How It Happened Plot: returning late at night from a trip to London a man decides to take the wheel of his new automobile from his chauffeur. Cresting a particular nasty hill near his home, the man's unfamiliarity with the gears on his new machine lead to a mishap. *** Review: maybe a surprising twist in 1913 when it was written, it's sort of expected now; still well told, though.
The Bully of Brocas Court Plot: on their way to a boxing match a man and the boxer he has hired are accosted by a pair of unsavory characters who challenge the boxer to a fight. *** - Review: OK story with no surprises but evokes the situation well.
The Mystery of Sasassa Valley Plot: two men roughing it trying to make a living in South Africa's Cape Colony investigate a story about a one-eyed demon haunting a local mountain pass. **** Review: interesting setting featuring likeable characters and a different twist.
The Captain of the Polestar' Plot: during a whale hunting expedition in the Arctic Sea, a ship's doctor recounts the strange behavior of the ship's captain and his belief that the ice floes are haunted. **** - Review: evokes the fear of the ship's crew (mostly about being trapped in the ice for the winter) well, and has a satisfying conclusion.
The Ghosts of Gorestthorpe Grange Plot: a man who buys a feudal mansion enlists the help of someone to obtain a ghost for his new home. **** Review: light-hearted story centered on ghosts, but not horror.
The Silver Hatchet Plot: the murder of a Hungarian professor is the first of a series of attacks following the professor's acquisition of a trove of medieval weapons for a local museum. *** Review: slightly different take on the "haunted object" plot that follows a path the reader can see ahead of time.
The Great Keinplatz Experiment Plot: a professor trying to prove that under hypnosis a person's spirit leaves the body and can see things in other places succeeds in a different way when he and his subject awake in each other's body. *** - Review: maybe the earliest of the "Freaky Friday" plots, it's a fun story but has too many plot-holes to succeed (neither man realizes the switch for too long a time, for instance.)
John Barrington Cowles Plot A medical student at Edinburgh University tells the story of the death of his great friend John Cowles. The friend becomes engaged to an enchanting young woman whose two previous fiancés both suffered strange fates after they broke off the engagement. A similar fate awaits Cowles. **** Review: interesting story that doesn't spell out plot details but gives enough hints as to what's going on to intrigue the reader.
The Ring of Thoth Plot: a man researching hieroglyphics at the Louvre falls asleep inside the Egyptian collections room following a tiresome journey from England. When he awakes he witnesses a museum attendant unwrapping one of the mummies and after confronting him about it he is told an amazing tale of ancient Egypt. **** Review: different from other "mummy" stories, it's both interesting and sort of sad.
A Pastoral Horror Plot: An Englishman visiting a small hamlet in the Tyrolean Alps becomes enmeshed in a series of horrible killings that no one in the small town can believe are being done by someone they all know. **** - Review: paints a vivid picture of the isolated village and although it becomes obvious quickly who is killing people, it's still a fun read.
De Profundis Plot: a newly married woman and her husband's friend board a ship for Ceylon following the husband and encounter a strange sight en route. **** Review: short and sweet, with a mini-lesson about the coffee trade in Ceylon.
Lot No. 249 Plot: A student at Oxford begins to suspect his downstairs neighbor, who is obsessed with Egyptian lore, is harboring a terrible secret that bodes ill for anyone the neighbor has a grudge against. ***** Review: well constructed tale that is interesting in itself for a peek into college life at that time.
The Parasite Plot: A University professor who is an adamant opponent of charlatans claiming to control others' minds under mesmerism challenges a woman who claims such powers. During the experiment he begins to change his opinion, but then regrets his involvement with the woman who seems to be able to make him do things he finds abhorrent. *** - Review: a little too long in getting to the conclusion, but still well-written and holds your interest; constructed as diary entries by the professor.
The Story of the Brown Hand Plot: A London doctor visits his uncle, a noted surgeon who spent his years in India and has returned to England where he experiences a supernatural phenomenon. ***** - Review: Satisfying story outlining the events of the doctor's visit and his attempts to solve the haunting.
Playing With Fire Plot: A group of people meet regularly to hold séances, mostly for entertainment. One night one of the regulars brings a guest who calls forth something none of the others expected. **** Review: Short and sweet and well thought out.
The Leather Funnel Plot: A man visiting the home of a friend who collects rare and unusual objects spends the night in a room filled with strange items. His sleep is disturbed with vivid dreams concerning one of the old objects, a funnel of unknown origin. *** Review different twist on a nightmare that's an okay read.
The Silver Mirror Plot: While working overtime on ledgers filled with columns of numbers, a man begins to see visions in a mirror next to his desk. Thinking he is over tired, he takes a break, but when tackling his task again the mirror again shows him a tableau which seems to point to an event in the former owner's life. *** - Review - An okay story but not really meant to be scary, which it isn't.
Through the Veil Plot: a "salt-of-the-earth" man and wife both have similar impressions of a battle at an old Roman fort. **** - Review: a short short story about the possibility of re-incarnation is well done and interesting. Only gripe is it could have been a little longer.
How It Happened Plot: returning late at night from a trip to London a man decides to take the wheel of his new automobile from his chauffeur. Cresting a particular nasty hill near his home, the man's unfamiliarity with the gears on his new machine lead to a mishap. *** Review: maybe a surprising twist in 1913 when it was written, it's sort of expected now; still well told, though.
The Bully of Brocas Court Plot: on their way to a boxing match a man and the boxer he has hired are accosted by a pair of unsavory characters who challenge the boxer to a fight. *** - Review: OK story with no surprises but evokes the situation well.
