Right then, I think I've read just about enough of this. I still have some 90 odd pages left to go and I may dip back in again at some point should the fancy take me but that's enough for now.As it is, it's taken me around six months to get this far. It's something I often find with these Wordsworth editions, you have to dip in and out of the collection, not attempt to read them all at once. And this one is no exception, there's a huge number of stories in here featuring a wide range of themes. It certainly serves to demonstrate Crowley's versatility as a writer. Personally though, I would have prefered a far more condensed and carefully selected collection.
One has to wonder just who this collection is aimed at. I can't imagine who else would pick up one of these editions if it wasn't merely to try the author, to sample their wares as it were. That's certainly why I picked it up at least. I was expecting more of a focus on his supernatural/weird fiction and many of the stories left me wondering why they were even in this collection.
That said, there are some wonderfully effecting and terrifying stories in here. "The Testament of Magdalen Blair" being one of the finest examples of these. The trouble is, they were lost, like needles in a haystack. I would find maybe one story in five of the kind I was interested in. The others weren't necessarily bad, just not of interest to me.
So, I'm not sure I would recommend this collection in particular to anyone but I definitely feel that Crowley as a writer has a lot to offer the fan of classic horror. Certainly there are gems in this collection but you will have to read through a lot else besides.