Member Reviews

Asian Ghost Stories is a wonderful compilation of many old horror stories. Some terrifying, some funny, and some moody, they can be read at any point in time and in any order. Great job by the publisher, since it is a very gift-worthy book!

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"A new collection of stories from submissions and classic literature offering the best and most incredible ghost stories from East, South and Southeast Asia, combining new and classic authors across the region.

Another deluxe edition of new writing and neglected perspectives. Asian ghosts - from India to Sri Lanka, China to Korea, Japan to the Philippines - can be both terrifying and comforting. Underpinned by strong cultural beliefs in the cycles of life and ancestor worship, the nature of Asian spirits differs from that of their counterparts in other areas of the world. The possibility is more instinctually accepted that ghosts remain with us, as part of the world, whether we can see them or not. Featured here are all kinds of stories from across East, South and Southeast Asia: classic weird tales by the likes of Pu Songling, Rabindranath Tagore, S Mukerji, Im Bang and Yi Ruk, Lafcadio Hearn and Yei Theodora Ozaki, are complemented by stories by Asian writers of today. An egui (the Chinese version of a 'hungry ghost') is exorcised, a vicious jiangshi (Chinese zombie-like revenant) is encountered in the night, a Bengali shakchunni (the ghost of an unsatisfied bride) poignantly seeks love with devastating effect, a family is haunted by vengeful Korean gwishin, and the iconic Japanese tragedies of Oiwa and O-Kiku are revisited."

How can you call yourself a book person if you haven't been collecting the people books that Flame Tree Collections puts out?

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There are many stories in this book, some I had heard before, others had a very bittersweet taste to them. I did enjoy a lot most of the stories in this book, in many, like in Grimm stories you have a plot and can draw a conclusion of the story.

the ARC that I was given, had many errors and a weird formation and that made me procrastinate while I was reading, so that made take twice long to finish reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Asian Ghost Stories

[Blurb goes here]

I enjoy ghost stories to no end. Unfortunately this anthology has a glaring formatting error (Kindle version). You keep on reading in bold lettering, every few pages, "Strictly not for sale", "Addressee only", in between chapters or as part of a dialogue or a description. Try as I might, I couldn't finish it.

Still, as far as I got, it seemed to me that someone just copy/pasted these tales, not even taking the time to translate some of the words in the stories. If you're going to write 'haka' you might as well write "haka (graves)" or something, if indeed the word is in Japanese, and so on. There's not even a hint that an editor went through this early copy of the book.

The stories are shuffled around with no discernible logic. I mean, Is it too hard to put them in chronological order? Or maybe by country, or something? There's a clear mixture between old tales and modern ones but not a clue as to why they where put, one, after the other.

Thank you for the free copy!

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Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Asian Ghost Stories.

This is a weighty tome and features an extensive and impressive collection of Asian ghost stories.

I love horror movies and books and anything scary related, and I'm Asian yet I never read any Asian ghost stories.

Ghost stories are universal; every culture has them and it represents their cultural traditions at the time, what they feared and abhorred, what they cherished and worshipped.

Some of the old stories are similar; a ghost infiltrates a family and impersonates a family member. The tone and writing style made these particular shorts read similarly to parables, like the moral of the story should be something like, "Check your family member to make sure he or she hasn't been possessed by a ghost and/or demon."

Some of the stories are super short, a page or two; others are longer.

I didn't find any of the scary but it takes a lot to scare me; still, some of the stories were interesting. There's someone for everyone here. I think most people will find, at least, one story they like.

This is not a book you read straight through.

It's something you pick up as a break from work, or folding laundry or just to read briefly for a few minutes or a half hour.

Well worth the read!

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Asian Ghost Stories is a huge volume filled with a wide variety of stories. Some only last a couple of pages, while others are much longer. They show a different way of looking at the world, along with a very different perspective on things such as ghosts.

This book will undoubtedly please many who are Asian. It also helps others learn more about Asian culture and beliefs. And, perhaps most importantly, it sheds light on how Americans and other Westerners have long mistreated those of Asian heritage.

I enjoyed it, but I don’t think it was truly meant to be read straight through. This is more of a book to grab from your shelf and read a story or two, then go back to reading something else. If you were to do this enough times, you’d eventually get through the book with a new way of viewing things.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

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Superior, Beautifully Compiled…
Another luxurious collection in this series of superior editions from The Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections. Each edition specialising in a different collection of literature and this time Asian Ghost Stories. Immersive, entertaining, interesting, comforting and horrifying in equal measure there are tales here for everyone to enjoy from a plethora of regions, each with its own distinct cultural influence. Another beautifully compiled offering.

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I really enjoyed this collection of Asian ghost stories that were filled with dark and disturbing gothic folklore and myth. They were well written and well executed and each story had me on the edge of my seat and biting my nails. Some of the stories were more enjoyable than others and some had me wanting to sleep with a light on. A really good collection.

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