This homage to Edgar Allan Poe and his masterful short story, "The Masque of the Red Death", definitely has all the imagery down pat! From the ravens, to the ruined castle, to the utterly macabre animated corpses, to the addled Professor Fichtenburg, the visuals are strong and eminently suited to the genre. It is very easy to imagine the Gothic and often grotesque scenes. Likewise, the action scenes are fast-paced, clear, and full of lively energy. The conflicts set up in the story make for a solid story framework. The plot progresses quite smoothly with each of these conflicts and builds, the tone and characterization are clear-and the dialogue is terrific! The overall pacing of the plot is consistent, smooth, and nicely developed. The structure is typical for the Gothic horror genre. The plot progression is linear, and the chapters move forward in a logical way. The opening is engaging and introduces Ravenword in an appealing way. The juxtaposition of the modern dialogue and characters with the old-fashioned Gothic castle setting is particularly satisfying. The first few chapters provide the reader with all the need-to-know information about the characters, conflict, and premise. The ending offers effective closure and resolution. The story is written in third-person omniscient point of view. We learn, view, hear, and understand everything as the Ravenword characters do. This sets up the feeling of suspense very well, as the reader is just as baffled as Ravenword by the strange goings-on and, like them, wants to uncover the mystery. The characters are described and developed consistently, and each character has a purpose in the plot. Characters are consistent, well-developed, and effective throughout. Parson is funny, strong-willed, and emotional. He delivers the most biting (and humorous) insults, but he retains a high likability factor. Agnot, too, is a well-drawn, strong character, one who is easily visualized right from the beginning. Both Billy and Grayson are mysteriously presented (pleasingly so). The dialogue itself is great. It offers a nice distinction, in its slang and modernity, from the prose of the narrative. As mentioned before, the reader will enjoy the juxtaposition of this modern-sounding dialogue and characters with the Gothic setting.

"The Masque of the Red Death", originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy", is an 1842 short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ballwithin seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose "costume" proves to contain nothing tangible inside it; the guests also die in turn. Poe's story follows many traditions of Gothic fiction and is often analyzed as an allegory about the inevitability of death, though some critics advise against an allegorical reading. Many different interpretations have been presented, as well as attempts to identify the true nature of the titular disease. The story was first published in May 1842 in Graham's Magazineand has since been adapted in many different forms, including a 1964 film starring Vincent Price.

The road to redemption has never been so fierce. Atticus Riot wants to leave his tortured past behind, but his partner’s murder haunts his every step. Before he can find peace, the gunfighter turned detective needs to find the killer. But then a missing heiress draws him into a conspiracy of lies. A young woman’s life is at stake, so why won’t her rich, older husband tell the whole truth about her disappearance? The clock is ticking and Riot must unravel a twisted trail before an innocent life is lost. But deceit runs deeper than he imagined, and he’s soon thrown into the path of a fiercely independent woman who’s his match in every way. A suspenseful Victorian mystery with a strong female lead and a romantic detective duo in San Francisco’s lawless Barbary Coast. Fans of Laurie R. King, Deanna Raybourn, and C.S. Harris will love this thrilling historical mystery series.

Gathers Poe's essays on the theory of poetry, the art of fiction, the role of the critic, leading nineteenth-century writers, and the New York literary world.

“An eloquent testimonial to the power of love and the devastation of loss” from the National Book Award–winning author of Becoming a Man (Publishers Weekly). In 1974, Paul Monette met Roger Horwitz, the man with whom he would share more than a decade of his life. In 1986, Roger died of complications from AIDS. Borrowed Time traces this love story from start to tragic finish. At a time when the medical community was just beginning to understand this mysterious and virulent disease, Monette and others like him were coming to terms with unfathomable loss. This personal account of the early days of the AIDS crisis tells the story of love in the face of death. A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, Borrowed Time was one of the first memoirs to deal candidly with AIDS and is as moving and relevant now as it was more than twenty-five years ago. Written with fierce honesty and heartwarming tenderness, this book is part love story, part testimony, and part requiem. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Paul Monette including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the Paul Monette papers of the UCLA Library Special Collections.