Edgar Allen Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness

From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up–Grimly's deliciously malevolent illustrations are the perfect complement to Poe's macabre stories. Four of the writer's most popular tales are presented in an abridged format: "The Black Cat," "The Masque of the Red Death," "Hop-Frog," and "The Fall of the House of Usher." The watercolor and pen-and-ink artwork is populated with deftly drawn cartoon humans, animals, and other beings, many with grotesque or sinister expressions. The pictures cover, crisscross, or circle the margins of the pages and are often contained in ornate art-deco frames along with small blocks of text. Libraries needing an additional copy of Poe's writings should consider this one.–Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 7-12. Archetypal horror writer Poe has received a variety of graphically enhanced treatments in recent years, including a volume in Eureka Productions' Rosebud Graphic Classics series (2001) and Jonathan Scott Fuqua's In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe (DC Comics, 2002). This exceptionally well-produced collection of four tales will, perhaps, reach a wider audience. The gently abridged retellings are in Poe's original language, and Grimly's wonderfully ghastly, full-color spot and full-page art splendidly depicts the mayhem that leads to murder in "The Black Cat," the partying in the "The Masque of the Red Death," the vicious genius of "Hop-Frog," and the dual connotations of "The Fall of the House of Usher." In addition to varied sizes and presentation of images, Grimly uses different typefaces to set off aspects of the narratives, which flow across the pages in the traditional manner rather than appearing in comics-style panels. With high-production values and gothic sensibilities thoroughly reflected in both text and art, this is an essential purchase for libraries. Adults can use it to lead young people to some great literature; readers will pluck it off the shelves themselves for creepy, entertaining fun. Francisca Goldsmith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
Roger Corman Filmmaker, The Little Shop of Horrors The macabre beauty and sly wit of Gris Grimly's illustrated edition of some of Poe's best-loved tales are destined to capture the imagination of a generation new to the master of terror, as well as delight longtime admirers of Poe, who will find much to relish in this haunting interpretation.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Gris Grimly applies his wicked pen to four of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness: "The Black Cat," "The Masque of the Red Death," "Hop-Frog" and "The Fall of the House of Usher." The morbid and fearsome text makes an ideal match for Grimly's gothic aesthetic. His artwork runs the gamut from a comic book-like progression of the search for the black cat to a medical textbook-style visual analysis of Roderick Usher. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Beverley Fahey

No one writes of the macabre in a more chilling vein than Edgar Allan Poe. These four selections, slightly abridged, include "The Black Cat," "The Masque of the Red Death," "Hop Frog," and, essential Poe, the "Fall of the House of Usher." Each story may be abbreviated in length, but each retains the essential intricate language, the chilling details, and the grotesque plots so terrifyingly penned by Poe. What sets this book apart from other Poe collections is its accessibility to those in middle school and its ghoulish and cadaverous illustration. The aptly named Gris Grimly renders these in pen and ink with watercolor. His style is reminiscent of Edward Gorey and he makes use of borders, and marginal drawings as well as full page illustrations to not only break up the ponderous text but to create the visual nightmares suggested by Poe's words. This is a fine introduction to the master of the gruesome. Better get several copies. This one won't be a shelf-sitter. 2004, Atheneum, Ages 12 to 14.

School Library Journal