30 review for Weird Tales: 101 Weird, Strange, and Supernatural Stories (Civitas Library Classics)

1. 

   5 out of 5

   Michael Blackmore – May 05, 2013

   Oh, tough call in rating this. It's a huge collection of stories (101!) there are some really fun ones here but a lot of average pulp era and before stories. And some of the stories are not short stories or even novella/novelettes more like short novels - so there is a lot of reading here. I have to admit I skipped the stories by authors I have in collections of their own work (like Poe, Lovecraft, Howard, etc.) that should be counted as good stories in the collection. But even allowing for that Oh, tough call in rating this. It's a huge collection of stories (101!) there are some really fun ones here but a lot of average pulp era and before stories. And some of the stories are not short stories or even novella/novelettes more like short novels - so there is a lot of reading here. I have to admit I skipped the stories by authors I have in collections of their own work (like Poe, Lovecraft, Howard, etc.) that should be counted as good stories in the collection. But even allowing for that there were way too many of okay stories here which seemed to overwhelm the good ones by there sheer volume. And especially too many of the sort of repetitive ones where strong goings on or a strange person is encountered only for the narrative to realize/reveal it was a ghost! Still there are some good ones and nice to read some of the stories have gone on to be referenced forever after like the "Most Dangerous Game" (hunter on island hunting people for sport. Or one which I'm convinced is the basis for the Japanese B flick - Attack of the Mushroom People! Do be warned that some of the stories are annoying racist and sexist in an sad reflection of the more common attitudes of the eras they were written. But thankfully not all. So good overall, but be prepared to want to skip over some stories to get to one's you like but there is a enough here that fans of SF/Horror/Weird Adventures/Pulp will find enough fun with in it.

2. 

   4 out of 5

   Derek Davis – Apr 28, 2016

   I'm slightly over half way through this monstrous (in more than one sense) collection, but that's enough to make general comments. First, though some of the stories are from Weird Tales mag, most are not. Second, the material ranges from short stories to short novels (such as Poe's Fall of the House of Usher). Third, the table of contents is organized only alpha by author, which isn't particularly helpful. Last, there is no original publication or copyright info included, so if you're interested I'm slightly over half way through this monstrous (in more than one sense) collection, but that's enough to make general comments. First, though some of the stories are from Weird Tales mag, most are not. Second, the material ranges from short stories to short novels (such as Poe's Fall of the House of Usher). Third, the table of contents is organized only alpha by author, which isn't particularly helpful. Last, there is no original publication or copyright info included, so if you're interested in that, you need to look online to a source like the Internet Speculative Fiction Database, a pretty amazing resource (http://www.isfdb.org). Material ranges from the early 19th century to the 1950s, and "weird" ranges from somewhat unlikely to shuddering horror, so whatever your interest in the "weird," you're bound to find at least a few items worth your time – and very minor expense. You're also likely to find some stories that drive you crazy (in my case, the long pieces by Algernon Blackwood, which I found mind-numbingly repetitive and static, and stories with near-invincible urban vigilantes). And remember: With H.P. Lovecraft, never take him too seriously. He had a wicked sense of humor and was often poking fun at both the genre and his own over-the-top writing. And heaven help us – there are at least nine sequels out, for a total of 1010 stories for under $20 – roughly the price of 2 lbs. of pecans.

3. 

   4 out of 5

   Joe Dickerson –

4. 

   4 out of 5

   Mike Gracen –

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Mateo –

6. 

   4 out of 5

   thomas j. stewart –

7. 

   5 out of 5

   Caitlin –

8. 

   4 out of 5

   Terrell Tucker –

9. 

   5 out of 5

   chris geralds –

10. 

    4 out of 5

    Seth –

11. 

    4 out of 5

    Douglas S Saegesser –

12. 

    4 out of 5

    Bobby –

13. 

    5 out of 5

    Leslie Raymond –

14. 

    5 out of 5

    John Diffley –

15. 

    5 out of 5

    Morgan Williams –

16. 

    4 out of 5

    Hamilton Ellis –

17. 

    5 out of 5

    WingNut –

18. 

    5 out of 5

    Patrick –

19. 

    5 out of 5

    Fred –

20. 

    5 out of 5

    Andrea Knott –

21. 

    4 out of 5

    Douglas –

22. 

    4 out of 5

    Wanda –

23. 

    5 out of 5

    Beryl Morago –

24. 

    4 out of 5

    Mike M –

25. 

    4 out of 5

    Kenny –

26. 

    5 out of 5

    Marki –

27. 

    5 out of 5

    T B –

28. 

    5 out of 5

    James Mercado –

29. 

    5 out of 5

    Vivek A Balasubramanyam –

30. 

    4 out of 5

    Toddball –