Better known as the writer of pioneering social novels, Elizabeth Gaskell also wrote some fascinating tales of the supernatural and the macabre, which are collected here in this volume.

A sweet little cat drives a man to insanity and murder.... The grim death known as the plague roams a masquerade ball dressed in red.... A dwarf seeks his final revenge on his captors.... A sister calls to her beloved twin from beyond the grave.... Prepare yourself. You are about to enter a world where you will be shocked, terrified, and, though you'll be too scared to admit it at first, secretly thrilled. Here are four tales -- The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, Hop-Frog, and The Fall of the House of Usher -- by the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. The original tales have been ever so slightly dismembered -- but, of course, Poe understood dismemberment very well. And he would shriek in ghoulish delight at Gris Grimly's gruesomely delectable illustrations that adorn every page. So prepare yourself. And keep the lights on.

A fantasy classic by the author of The House with a Clock in Its Walls—basis for the Jack Black movie—and “a writer who knows what wizardry is all about” (Ursula K. Le Guin). A richly imaginative story of wizards stymied by a power beyond their control, A Face in the Frost combines the thrills of a horror novel with the inventiveness of fairy tale–inspired fantasy. Prospero, a tall, skinny misfit of a wizard, lives in the South Kingdom—a patchwork of feuding duchies and small manors, all loosely loyal to one figurehead king. Along with his necromancer friend Roger Bacon, who has been on a quest to find a mysterious book, Prospero must flee his home to escape ominous pursuers. Thus begins an adventure that will lead him to a grove where his old rival, Melichus, is falsely rumored to be buried and to a less-than-hospitable inn in the town of Five Dials—and ultimately into a dangerous battle with origins in a magical glass paperweight. Lin Carter called The Face in the Frost one of “the best fantasy novels to appear since The Lord of the Rings . . . Absolutely first class.” With a unique blend of humor and darkness, it remains one of the most beloved tales by the Edgar Award–nominated author also known for the long-running Lewis Barnavelt series.

Mark Twain is best known for his funny stories and novels about immortal boy heroes; however, his writings extend far into other fields. He wrote in a dizzying variety of genres, and much of his work explores themes well outside the realms of normal human experience. Although he is not generally known as a science fiction, fantasy, horror, or mystery author, he actually wrote a great deal in those fields. The 32 strange and macabre tales in the present volume—drawn mostly from his lesser-known works—offer a rarely seen side of him. Brought vividly to life by nearly 70 entirely original and realistic illustrations, these tales place characters in macabre and inexplicable situations, send them into remote dimensions of time and space, and have them commit terrible crimes, make incredible mistakes, and play fantastic tricks on one another. Readers will find this collection eye-opening, chilling, and thought-provoking ... but also full of laughs!

A follow up to Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror, this is another creepy middle grade story collection with a chilling frame. This time, the stories are all tales of the sea: pirates and plagues and storms a plenty...