My Goodreads review: Tales of Jack the Ripper

Tales of Jack the Ripper by Ross E. Lockhart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Full disclosure: the two sonnets that begin & end this anthology are mine. I won't be discussing them in my comments.

Emerging just in time for the Ripper's 125th anniversary of terror, Tales of Jack the Ripper is a widely varied anthology of mostly new works. There's something for everyone here, from meticulously researched speculations on Jack's identity (Stanley C. Sargent's "When the Means Just Defy the End," Ed Kurtz's "Hell Broke Loose") to cosmic horror (T.E. Grau's "The Truffle Pig") to pitch-black humor (Walter Greatshell's "Ripping"). There are familiar names -- Ramsey Campbell, Laird Barron, Joe R. Lansdale, Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. -- and plenty of new blood, an encouraging amount of it female. (I particularly liked E. Catherine Tobler's bittersweet "Once November.")

I had difficulty with two stories which, though well-crafted, were homages to "classic" Ripper tales I hadn't read. I also had a little trouble deducing why two other tales, both by well-known authors, had been included in this anthology. Again, both of these stories were extremely well-crafted . .. I just had trouble finding a strong connection to Whitechapel. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, however, I'll leave the reader to make his/her own determination about these.

All in all, this is a solid & strong assortment of mostly fresh Ripper fiction from a promising new press. The production values of the trade paperback are high, & a very affordable Kindle edition is also available.







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