James is the master of the English ghost story.

I thought MR James' stories were supposed to be spooky??

I've been far more 'spooked' by the likes of 'Macbeth', 'The Owl Service' (Alan Garner), and 'Z for Zachariah', than anything in this collection.

A collection of ghost stories from classic writer M. R. James, this is perfect for people who want some old-school suspense. Not exactly what I expected - a lot less creepy/scary - but still a nice collection to get into the Halloween spirit if you're not into contemporary horror. They're quite formulaic - scholar discovers something abnormal and then gets a scare - so I wouldn't recommend reading it in one sitting. I read a few in a row one day and it just felt like different versions of the same story, so for that reason I think they'd be enjoyed more as the odd short story here and there in between other reads.

2.5/5 rounded up to 3