Description

The collection includes 10 unpublished short stories by Bram Stoker, which demonstrate his mastery of different genres and directions - from gothic to realism and satire. In fact, only one of his horror stories is featured here - „Jibbit Hill,“ discovered only a decade ago, which mixes the supernatural with the mystical, the pastoral and the trivial in the best traditions of „scary“ literature. The other nine stories rely on humour, drama and romance, with love being the central theme in most.

Nevertheless, some of them contain the Gothic elements characteristic of the author of Dracula, and the humour is occasionally dark (in The Man from Shorex, a temperamental Irish widow gives an unforgettable lesson in good manners to a brash, narcissistic Englishman that elicits both laughter and chills).

„The Prince of Roses“ is a magical tale combining the biblical myth of David and Goliath with typical fantasy motifs and tropes.

Will the hero of „Sunken Treasures“ be able to pull an iron chest from under the nose of the stormy sea that will allow him to win the hand of his beloved? Why does the young family's landlord insist so stubbornly on helping him with the repairs? What secrets might a simple duster hold?

And last but not least: what is the most sublime love according to Stoker?