The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe by Stacy King

I am typically not a fan of Manga books, but I was intrigued to read it in comparison to Hinds’s adaptation of Poe’s work, with both works coming out within months of each other. I feel that this is a strong adaptation, and with the author’s notes about Poe and his stories, it is an excellent introduction for younger readers to then make the choice to study Poe’s additional works. The illustration style skews young, where I almost felt I should place it in the Juvenile collection at my library, did it not have such dark themes of murder and violence. The classical motifs were represented and the raven aptly symbolized the narrator’s grief and his descent into madness. This story’s illustrations were my favorite, and he incorporated little visuals from the other stories into this tale. The Raven– Another of Poe’s stories that lament lost love, Hinds makes the choice to make the narrator look like Poe to great effect.

The Bells– I was not familiar with this poem, but the imagery Hines paired with the stanzas helped build the rhythm, and truly made the bell chimes seem real in your ears. The Tell-Tale Heart– An interesting retelling of the tale of a guilty conscience, Hines frames the confession coming from an inmate in an insane asylum. The Pit and the Pendulum– Hind’s illustrations were evocative of the fear of the unknown as the prisoner awakes in a jail cell, in which he is tortured by unseen guards and has to use cunning to escape. I didn’t care for the illustrations for this poem initially, but his interpretation of sacrifice and years going by grew on me. The poem of lost love and eternal devotion has always appealed to me. I have to admit this story appealed to me, for don’t we all at times wish revenge on those that have wronged us?Īnnabel Lee– My favorite of Poe’s works, hands down. Fortunato insulted Montresor one too many times, and his own vanity led to his demise with no guilt from Montresor. The Cask of Amontillado– Revenge most sweet. The Masque of the Red Death– Using vivid imagery, this story incorporates the theme of “death comes for us all” quite effectively.

I have been looking forward to this adaptation by Gareth Hinds that recently came out, for his previous adaptions of classics such as Beowolf, Macbeth and The Odyssey have received rave reviews. But Poe’s works are now in the public domain so many feel his work is fair game, with some adaptations having greater success than others. I wrote a discussion post a few months back about if novels should be adapted into graphic novels once the author can no longer give their go ahead. I love his work, as his poems and short stories have always struck me as the perfect level of macabre and creepy. Edgar Allan Poe has always fascinated me.

The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe by Stacy King