Historical Hauntings, by Martin H. Greenberg and Jean Rabe (Daw, 2001)

Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you’re gone, or done with the world. In Historical Hauntings, edited by Martin Greenberg and Jean Rabe, eighteen authors dredge up stories worthy of any stormy night or campfire, tales of spectral vengeance, ambition, atonement and more. Stories of people who still have one last task to accomplish before they move on. People who can’t move on no matter what. Unfulfilled destinies, unfinished business, untold stories. And the ghosts invoked in this collection aren’t always who you’d expect. Anyone, anytime, anywhere, is fair game for this superb collection of spine-tingling and evocative ghost stories.

For instance, in Roland J. Green’s “Fighting Spirits,” the war for Iwo Jima isn’t over for General Kuribayashi, or for at least one of the many men who died on that island. The story is about honor, dignity, and purifying the spirit before moving on. Told from the viewpoint of an aging WWII Marine vet who now works for an agency too secret to be named, it sets up an interesting framework that could easily be expanded into future stories.

Stephen W. Gabriel’s “Jennie In The Field” is touching and tragic, the story of two sisters who can’t quite let go of one another until the time is right.

Science Fiction Grand Master Andre Norton weaves a gripping tale of ghosts inspired by Arthurian legend in “Ravenmere.” Morgan attempts dominance over the Ladies of the Lake, and only one enchanted reincarnation of a certain Arthurian lady stands in her way, as pawn or obstacle. James Lowder takes a different look at Arthurian legend, as one man tries to prove the true existence of Arthur, and becomes both celebrity and victim in the quest for the Grail.

Brian M. Thomsen gives us “In The Charnel House,” a profoundly disturbing and ambiguous tale inspired by the Holocaust, which plays with the senses and the nature of reality. What’s real and what’s the ghost in this story? Read it yourself to decide.

Michael A. Stackpole’s “When You’re Dead” features a magician who said he’d attempt the great escape of his career … by returning from beyond the grave. Though he doesn’t quite succeed, Harry Houdini does help one man cheat death by performing an escape even Houdini would be proud of.

John Helfers delivers a thoroughly enjoyable story set in Japan’s magical past, as a wandering wizard, his impetuous apprentice, and their enigmatic ronin companion must settle the mystery of a cursed castle, and the dangers from beyond which infest it. It’s another tale of honor, dying with dignity, and the fascinating mythology of the samurai, which sets up plenty of room for further tales featuring these characters. Easily one of my favorite stories in the book, “Spirit of Honor” is a fun read.

Janet Pack brings out “Danny’s Desire,” where a Tory spy for Washington’s army during the American Revolution is mistakenly hung. His curse reverberates through the centuries, impacting at last upon a modern-day professor, who will find a kindred soul in the young librarian who helps him to unravel the centuries-old mystery, and right the injustice.

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough’s “The Mummies of the Motorway” is an offbeat tale in which a vacationing American family has to deal with the thousands of disgruntled mummies who were ground up to make pavement for British roads during WWII. You’ll never look at mummies, cats, or truck drivers in quite the same way again. Peter Scheighofer turns in a second tale of ancient Egypt impacting on the present in “Hatshepsut’s Revenge.” Immortality isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be, and revenge can wait for millennia.

Bruce Holland Rogers shows us what happens when you invoke the wrong man’s name, when Chief Seattle comes back to deal with some ecoterrorists in “In The Chief’s Name.”

Leslie What’s “Those Taunted Lips” brings us a tale of Helen Keller … after her death. Pierce Askegren resurrects Jimmy Hoffa, while Lisanne Norman conjures up ghosts from the Battle of Hastings. Gene DeWeese spins a story of faith and Catholicism, and a ghost whose appearance is nothing short of miraculous. Tom Dupree’s protagonist still remembers the Confederate South, and his ghosts have a particularly nasty form of revenge in mind. Donald J. Bingle gives us the last message of John Lennon as it travels back through time, and Brian Hopkins touches upon the ghosts of the deep blue sea, and the lives the ocean has claimed over the years.

Chilling, touching, fascinating, these stories will make you think and shiver, and leave the lights on for a while. They take full advantage of the theme to truly explore unexpected topics, and feature some unusual protagonists. It’s another example of how rich and varied the genre can be, and how compelling stories of ghosts and the afterlife can be. Highly recommended.


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