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Danielle's Reading Adventures

Reading is my favorite hobby, hands down. Books are love to me.  I am an avid collector, and paper books will always edge out e-books with me.

100 Wild Little Weird Tales - Martin H. Greenberg, Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, Robert E. Weinberg I had never heard of the weird tale genre until a couple of years ago. But I knew I have always liked the kind of stories that fit in that genre. My fiction likes are firmly entrenched in genre fiction, whether it be romance, fantasy, horror, adventure, you name it. And I really like unusual stories that take you out of everyday life and into a reality where the impossible does happen. In a word, that is a weird tale. These stories are all vintage, from the early 20th century, and one must keep in mind that racism was more prevalent (it still is but not as overt) so some of these stories do show how those who expoused racist ideals and actions did not face admonishment and how casually apparent it was in the behavior of a lot of people. Considering that this teaches a lesson on what has been wrong with our society to those who read such fare nowadays, I was able to get past this and enjoy the stories as a snapshot of that time in history. You also can see the way that women were viewed has changed signficantly, and observe a more simplistic presentation of good and evil in these stories than what is prevalent in modern horror fiction. Having said that, I found the description of violence, sadism, borderline perverted behavior, and overt sexual themes in some of the stories very surprising. I would think, wow I didn't know a writer could get something published like this back then. There were some pretty interesting stories in this large volume, showing a creativity that I found very enjoyable. One of my favorite stories is of a Bean Nighe, a dark fairy who steals the souls of newlyweds on their wedding nights so that they exist in a halflife for the rest of their existence. It was very chilling. There are also stories of adventure that have a decidely cruel edge. Crime stories are present as well, not my favorite genre, but well-written nevertheless. One should keep in mind that these stories are by and large pulp fiction, and go for the scare, the shock, and the adrenaline rush. They typically are not subtle. But I enjoyed this about the stories. There is something to be said for telling a story with relish and enjoying the telling of it. I do recommend this for a reader who wants a taste of days gone by, and the opportunity to read stories like one might have read in a pulp magazine in the 30s and 40s. This collection is guaranteed to fill your hours and satisfy your taste for stories that pushed the envelope and the imagination back in the early 20th century. In fact, I hope to read more weird stories from this time period in the future.