It isn't only zombies who are searching for brains.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/A_Ghost_Searches_for_his_Brain
#ghost-story — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #ghost-story, aggregated by home.social.
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Book Review: A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James
#ReaderCommunity #ReadingCommunity #BookCommunity #Reading #Books #BookReview #Review #GhostStory #GhostStories
http://georgelthomas.com/2026/10/09/book-review-a-warning-to-the-curious-by-m-r-james/
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Book Review: A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James
Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I’m sharing my review of A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James.
Click the image to find the book!A Warning to the Curious was first published in 1925 in the ghost story collection A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories by the publisher Edward Arnold. The story is 15 pages long.
The Plot
The story concerns a legend of three ancient “holy” crowns of East Anglia (or Anglia) buried along the coast to protect England from invasion. One was dug up long ago, one was lost to the sea, and the third remained, guarded by a family called the Agers.An amateur archaeologist/antiquarian named Paxton, on holiday, becomes obsessed with finding the last crown, which is located near the coastal town of Seaburgh.
Disregarding warnings and the fact that the last human guardian (William Ager) has died, Paxton finds and digs up the crown, which lead shim to be pursued by a spectral guardian (implied to be the spirit of the last of the Ager family, or something even older).
Characters
The Narrator
The nameless narrator serves as a framing device. Like many James narrators, he is a rational observer who collects the story after the fact, presenting it with scholarly detachment. This distance enhances the eerie tone, as if the tale is a documented incident rather than pure fiction.Paxton
Paxton is the central figure of the story. He is an amateur antiquarian—curious, intelligent, and unfortunately a bit too confident in his ability to outsmart old legends.He fits the typical M. R. James protagonist: a scholarly man who treats folklore as a puzzle rather than a warning. His curiosity drives the plot, but his personality remains somewhat thin.
Henry Long
Henry Long is present when Paxton tells his story about finding the crown and being stalked by the ghost. Along with the narrator, Long helps Paxton in his ultimately fatal attempt to return the treasure.The Guardian
The guardian, connected to the “Ager” family, specifically the last, recently deceased member, William Ager, is the most unsettling “character” in the story. It’s more of an unseen presence attached to the buried crown.James never fully describes it, which is a classic horror tactic. The creature—or spirit—seems to patrol the beach, ensuring the crown remains hidden.
Writing Style
M. R. James’s writing is rooted in a distinctly Edwardian storytelling style. The narrative voice is rather formal and often filtered through secondary accounts rather than direct action. Much of the story is conveyed through recollection and explanation, which gives it the feel of a reported incident rather than an immediate experience, which, as I said earlier, lends a certain eeriness to the story.James excels at atmosphere. His descriptions of windswept dunes, lonely seaside paths, and creeping dread are vivid and unsettling. The suggestion of horror—rather than explicit description—is one of his signature techniques.
However, this same restraint can also be a drawback. The pacing is slow, and the story spends a great deal of time building background before anything truly frightening happens. The characters are also somewhat distant, making it difficult to feel fully invested in their fate.
Final Thoughts
A Warning to the Curious contains all the ingredients of a compelling ghost story—ancient curses, buried treasure, and a relentless supernatural guardian—but the execution feels uneven. While the eerie premise and folklore elements are intriguing, the slow pacing and thin characterisation make the story less memorable than other works by M. R. James.I’m giving this one a 3/10.
Have you read A Warning to the Curious? What did you think?
As ever, thanks for stopping by and reading my review!
Until next time,
George
© 2026 GLT
#bookReview #ghostStories #ghostStory #MRJames #review #shortStory -
It is easy to be virtuous if you are rich.
But for others, poverty can even deny a peaceful stay in the afterlife.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Burial_Gown -
Cecile finds Martin Rouch's gallery.
ROOMS is #horror audio #microfiction
Explore more ROOMS at patreon.com/wkeithtims (free).
Cecile: Rae Witte#audiofiction #audiodrama #fiction #noai #hauntedhouse #supernatural #ghosts #ghoststory
ROOMS XI - War Gallery
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Chantelle listened to her mother coughing. It had been going on for a week now.
She looked at the cupboard door. She was not supposed to use the night hinge. Tonight, though, she was.
Opening the door the wrong way needed some pressure, but it gave way, and opened into a hallway of quiet magnificence. Provided you ignored the mess of scuffed and filthy shoes by the door. Although, as scuffed and dirty as they were, they were of the finest construction that she had ever seen.
There was a table by the door, simple and unadorned, but constructed with absolute perfection. Upon it was a small pile of money. Unfamiliar to her, but clearly money. She left what few coins she had, and took the pile. The door gave way easily to her hand and she went out.
She had been here before, but always with her mother. It was night. The cupboard door only opened at night, and it was always night where it opened.
She walked down the streets, lit by strange yellow lights that hurt the eyes to look at. Carts rushed by at impossible speeds, with bright lamps shining ahead, and red lamps behind.
Ahead, two people walked towards her with fierce determination. A man and a woman, dressed strangely. She dropped her head as they approached. They greeted her with a bright cheer that was at odds with their determined walk. She made a small noise. It may have been a squeak.
Just a little ahead was her destination. A shop, lit up as though it was day.
She went in. Doors opened with unseen hands.
All around her were a bewildering array of shelves and jars and boxes. Ahead was a counter, with a girl around her own age.
Swallowing, she went up. "Pardone, ma mere, elle tousse."
The girl frowned for a moment "Ma mere?" and then her eyebrows went up "Oh! Your mother! Uh, tous?"
Chantelle coughed.
"OK, your mother has a cough."What followed was a combination of mime and two languages. The girl at the counter knew a handful of words that Chantelle spoke, but no more.
Then the girl got out a slab of black glass, and made words appear on it. And then the slab spoke! And she could understand it!
A little while later, Chantelle left the shop, carrying a small bag. Inside were some pastilles and a potion. Along with strict instructions about the potion.
She re-entered the house, and went through the cupboard door in the hallway.
Back in the room at the pension she shared with her mother, she gave her a precisely measured amount of the potion.
The cough eased, and her mother slept at last.
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Warwick paused on his way out to the shops, and saw that the grocery stash was about half what it should be. In amongst it were some old coins. "Hey Mum! Our ghost is back! She's nicked about thirty bucks, but she left some really neat old coins!"
He picked one up, and inspected it. "They look French!"
"We'll take them to a collector next week" his mum called back.#SF #SFF #Scifi #TimeTravel #GhostStory #microfiction #microfic #tootfic #IAmWriting
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This week's Lost Tale is "Fiend of Fire" (1952) by Eando Binder.
Comic books used to include more fiction - and in looking at this ghost story from noted pulp and comic book writer Eando Binder, we try to find out why that was.
https://deepcuts.blog/2026/10/03/lost-tale-fiend-of-fire-1952-by-eando-binder/
#horror #weird #weirdlit #comicshistory #weirdfiction #ghost #ghoststory
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The piano had been sitting in the train station for years.
No one knew when it had arrived there. After the station opened, everyone was sure of that.
Felicity was not so sure. She'd been one of the first passengers to use the station, and she was pretty sure it had been there then.
And then there was the way the transport authority kept talking about removing it every couple of years. And then it would be promptly forgotten about.
So she found herself sitting down at it, despite not knowing how to play. Just to satisfy her curiosity, she said to herself.
"Hello piano," somehow it seemed polite to talk to it.
There was a rustle, and some sheet music blew across the platform and into her lap.
"I can't play, sorry."
Then she looked again, and saw the keys illustrated beneath the notes.
She tried picking them out.
Slowly a tune formed.
A train arrived, and passengers alighted.
One of them, an older woman, smiled at her, before going on her way.
The weeks passed, and she made half an hour in her commute home from work to see what would happen.
Her playing improved.
One day the older woman who had smiled that first time sat down next to her.
"There used to be a music school here" she opened with.
Felicity glanced up at her.
She continued "I'm Glenys. My mother was one of the last students of the school. I've seen photos of this piano in her albums."Felicity thought about this, and paused in her playing.
"I think it is still teaching", she said softly.
"Teachers are always waiting for the right student."
"Do you know how it got here?"
"The music school burned down long before the station was built."
Felicity looked down at the piano.
"So you think it is..."
"Best not to ask, and just enjoy."
#microfiction #tootfic #IAmWriting #GhostStory #microfic #SFF #Fantasy
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Some headless horsemen can turn into other shapes as well...
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Rider_on_the_Pale_Horse -
When the spirits of the dead will not stay away from the living, experts need to be called in to deal with them.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Ghost_of_Day_Laborer_Rossow_from_Klein-Kelle_near_R%C3%B6bel -
Disturbing graves is an effective form of divination, if done right.
But if done wrong, the dead will make their displeasure known in no uncertain terms.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory #magic
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Summoning_of_the_Dead -
Some parties go on for far longer than anyone intended.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Ghostly_Wedding_in_the_Deserted_Village_of_Scortowe -
ROOMS is #horror audio #microfiction
Explore more ROOMS at patreon.com/wkeithtims (free).
Cecile: Rae Witte
Images: Meelimello / Overlay: chickie stacks
#audiofiction #audiodrama #fiction #noai #hauntedhouse #supernatural #ghosts #ghoststoryhttps://www.patreon.com/wkeithtims/posts/rooms-x-marble-169052494
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If you like morris dancing and/or awful ghost stories, and can cope with so many typos it makes the Grauniad look like the OED, I highly recommend “Shepherd’s Warning” by Paul Melhuish, which I finished reading yesterday. I probably recommend it if you don’t as well, it is fucking hilarious - possibly even intentionally. YMMV.
#Bookstodon #Books #Reading #MorrisDancing #MorrisDance #GhostStory
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Many lost souls are happy enough to help the living. But be sure to properly thank them for their services!
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_God-Fearing_Carter -
The souls of the evil dead dwell in hidden domiciles found in the Illgraben valley.
#Switzerland #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Goatherd_Boy_in_the_Illgraben -
ROOMS is #horror audio #microfiction
Explore more ROOMS at https://patreon.com/wkeithtims (free).
Cecile: Rae Witte
Images: Photonate & Albrecht Dürer / Overlay: TBIT
#audiofiction #audiodrama #fiction #noai #hauntedhouse #supernatural #ghosts #ghoststoryhttps://www.patreon.com/wkeithtims/posts/rooms-ix-dining-168406612
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NEW - PUBLISHED TODAY
It’s not just Minxie’s birthday, it’s Gothmas! And she is going to get
Punished at Halloween 👻
#NSFW #Spanking #GhostStory #Erotica #Halloween
Free at #KindleUnlimited
🇺🇸 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJZ46LM2
🇬🇧 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HJZ46LM2
🇨🇦 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0HJZ46LM2
🇦🇺 https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0HJZ46LM2 -
Many water spirits seek to kill humans. And worse, some are even able to compel their victims to approach their waters so that they offer themselves up to the slaughter!
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Nixie_in_the_Lake_near_Wanzka -
Near Alfhausen, the ghost of an evil publican can be challenged to a race.
He manifests as a hot rod.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Alfhausen_and_the_Alkenkrug_Pub -
The high mountains are no place for the living...
#Austria #Germany #Switzerland #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohqef4A-jVo -
If someone asks you to get some blessed altar bread for them, you should probably ask a few questions first.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Bride_on_the_Lilienstein -
ROOMS is #horror audio #microfiction
Explore more ROOMS at https://patreon.com/wkeithtims (free).
Cecile: Rae Witte
Photo: Pixabay / Overlay: Minkmagic#audiofiction #audiodrama #fiction #noai #hauntedhouse #supernatural #ghosts #ghoststory
ROOMS VIII - Wooden Hall
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In mourning black she asked the Bank's clerks, day after day, if they had seen her brother - hanged for forgery. They told the kinder lie. From my written studies, the Black Nun of Threadneedle Street. https://bakerstreetholmes.substack.com/p/the-black-nun-of-threadneedle-street #GhostStory #CityOfLondon #History
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Seeing the invisible world might be tempting, but this is not without its risks.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Haunt_on_the_Harth -
ROOMS is #horror audio #microfiction
Explore more ROOMS at https://patreon.com/wkeithtims (free).
Cecile: Rae Witte
Photo: Chenspec / Overlay: Minkmagic
#audiofiction #audiodrama #fiction #noai #hauntedhouse #supernatural #ghosts #ghoststoryROOMS VII - Pomegranate Room
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Some say that the leader of the Wild Hunt is a king of Denmark who killed his own brother.
#Germany #Denmark #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory #WildHunt
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/King_Abel%27s_Hunt -
Our Capitalist oppressors want us to fight each other rather than unionizing and fighting for fair wages.
#Austria #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Moving_Stone -
Personally, I think taking away a stretch of land from a noble's estate and adding it to the land of the community should not be considered "theft" but an act of class justice.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Man_Who_Moved_The_Boundary_Stones -
If you would steal from the dead, you should be willing to accept the... consequences.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Ring -
You may have heard of ghosts taking on the shapes of headless horsemen.
But have you heard of the one about the ghost of a headless horse?
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory #horse
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Pale_Horse_Haunting_the_Town_Hall_of_Wernigerode -
Banishing evil spirits into rivers was considered "best practice" at some point.
#Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Woe_Mother -
The Hour of 3:17
Meher had only recently finished his studies and joined his first job. He never liked the chaos and noise of the city, so he rented a small apartment in a quiet colony just outside town, close to his office. Few people lived there. At night, the streets emptied quickly, leaving behind only the distant howls of stray dogs and the occasional whisper of the wind. It was the kind of silence he found comforting. For the first few days, everything went smoothly. Office in the morning, home in the […]https://kayeschroniclescom.wordpress.com/2026/08/22/the-hour-of-317/
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Moeka Hoshi in Japanese Ghost Story Thriller ‘Never After Dark’ Trailer
Moeka Hoshi in Japanese Ghost Story Thriller ‘Never After Dark’ Trailer by Alex Billington August 20, 2026Source: YouTube…
#EuropeSays #Japan #JP #DaveBoyle #foreignfilms #ghoststory #ghosts #Horror #horrorthriller #Japanese #japanesefilm #moekahoshi #neonrated #NeverAfterDark #spiritworld #supernatural #towatch #trailer
https://www.europesays.com/japan/77567/