The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is a very interesting tale of a young man that discovers the eldritch past of a long forgotten ancestor. Filled with the vivid descriptions common in H.P. Lovecraft's works, this story harshly describes why it is often in one's best interest to avoid tumbling down certain rabbit holes. In Charles' case, that rabbit hole, unfortunately, leads to an occult-like spiritual world that would make Aleister Crowley tremble.
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket was the only novel written by Edgar Allan Poe. The story primarily focuses on Mr. Pym's adventure on a whaling vessel that goes horribly awry at many different turns. Mr. Pym's abhorrent misadventure begins when he is locked in the ship's stowage with seemingly no way of escape. Set in a scene that would make a claustrophobic swoon, Pym fights starvation, dehydration, and his loving companion Tiger the dog in a very dark and tight space.
It saddens me that I had this novel in my library for two years before I even opened it. I'm in awe of how masterfully written this story was and to learn that Matthew Lewis was only 20 years old upon writing it... simply astonishing. Comedic, terrifying, romantic, disturbing, shocking, gravitational, intriguing, and profound are just a few of the words I would use to describe this masterpiece. Rarely have I ever delved into a book and felt such a magnetic attraction from page to hand that rendered me unable to put it down.
This tale focuses on a Frenchman who happens to be a great chef and a great philosopher. One day he is visited by the devil who seems to want to make a deal. He states he had made many deals with many people throughout history. The Frenchman, Bon-Bon, ends up getting drunk and disorderly. He mocks the devil but ends up wanting to make a deal with him. Bon-Bon becomes such a fool that the devil eventually declines. When the Devil things you are too disgusting to deal with you it is time to take a look at your life.
This is an interesting story that focuses on a mummy that is revived by a group of scientists and questioned. The interesting part is that they try showing off all of the modern devices of the 19th century only to be countered by the mummy describing a better technology that existed in ancient Egypt. The mummy actually makes a lot of good points and made me realize how little we advanced from the world of ancient Egypt to the early 19th century.
Sorry Edgar, but this story was terrible. The main characters are basically illiterate and the entire story is written in the words of the protagonist making it a pain to get through. There is a lot of confusion due to the two rivals being extremely low on the IQ scale. They are after the affection of the same woman and end up getting mixed up when thinking they are flirting with the woman, but are actually flirting with each other unintentionally.
I rate this story a 1 out of 5. It is so far my least favorite Poe tale.
This story didn't grab me. It focuses on going back in time and viewing the city of Daphne. Nothing very memorable happens and towards the end some animals escape and start killing the citizens.
I rate this story a 1 out of 5. I didn't care of about anything in the story. The only thing I learned is that a cameleopard is an archaic name for a giraffe.
Never Bet the Devil Your Head is a lesson on using figurative expressions, almost along the lines of another Poe story called Loss of Breath. The narrator describes an acquaintance by the name of Toby Dammit that makes a habit of using the figurative expression of "I'll bet the devil my head". He uses so freely that anything he does involves betting the Devil his head. One day he is overheard saying this by an old man who takes him up on the bet.
I really liked this story. This is one of Poe's tales of revenge, along with other stories like The Cask of Amontillado. The main character is a dwarf named Hop-Frog who provides entertainment to the King as the official court "fool". He is affectionate towards another servant that also happens to be a dwarf named Trippetta. One day the king deeply disrespects Trippetta infuriating poor Hop-Frog so much that he devises a masterful plan to murder the King and his seven councils.
Thou Art the Man made for a very entertaining and profound read. It is a little bit in the realm of Poe's tales of ratiocination but rather than unraveling a mystery throughout the story, the mystery is already solved and you just enjoy the ride. While the culprit is rather predictable, the way the mystery is solved is unique and shocking. With the help of a little ventriloquism and puppeteering, the murderer is eventually captured in a very clever way.