The face in the glass and other gothic tales - M. E. Braddon

Victorian writer Mary Elizabeth Braddon is known these days almost exclusively for Lady Audley's Secret, which was a hit when it was published in 1862 and has remained popular ever since. The sensational plot of that novel, however, only hints at the gothic richness of Braddon's imagination. The Face in the Glass brings together fourteen of her long-forgotten supernatural stories that have lost none of their power to thrill and chill in the century since they were first published. Braddon's range is remarkable: in these pages, we encounter ghosts whose thirst for vengeance has not been quenched by the grave, visit an island seemingly populated by the dead, meet a scientifically minded vampire, and enter the ring with a lion tamer who is more worried about a mysterious spectator than the ravening beasts around him. Perfect for a chilly October night, Braddon's tales remind us that though gaslight may have long since given way to electric, the shadows of the night remain tenacious and terrifying.