Book Review – The Moonlit Road and Other Ghost and Horror Stories by Ambrose Bierce

~ A. Siegelster

The Moonlit Road and Other Ghost and Horror Stories by Ambrose Bierce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Moonlit Road and Other Ghost and Horror Stories by Ambrose Bierce

picked up Bierce’s collection of ghost stories because I am a huge fan of reading ghost stories written around the same time and style – think Edith Wharton, E.F. Benson, Shirley Jackson, etc.

While these stories were VERY spooky, and definitely enjoyable, I encountered some rather unfortunate mannerisms of the time; that is, sexism, racism, making men either murderers or gamblers. It is unlike Wharton’s stories, which center around circumstances outside of the protagonist’s control – Bierce’s characters often put the supernatural experiences upon themselves while also being kind of horrible people. I didn’t ignore it as I went, nor did I excuse the behavior of the characters, but I did feel these traits were what made the stories so centered upon the characters’ downfalls.

I don’t know if I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t like period ghost stories as much as I do.



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Published by A. Siegelster

I am a classicist specializing in Latin and ancient Greek literature, a writer of poetry and short fiction, and an avid reader. I'm based in Los Angeles, California, and am pursuing an MA in classics in Canada.