Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that are difficult to achieve elsewhere.

In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?

The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.

Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.

The Gothic short story is one of the most enduring of genres. In this volume we explore works by classic authors from all corners of Europe as they explore and exploit narratives with their undeniable talents.

1 - The Top 10 Short Stories - European Gothic - An Introduction

2 - The Force of Blood by Miguel de Cervantes

3 - The Hand by Guy de Maupassant

4 - The Spider by Hanns Heinz Ewers

5 - Wake Not the Dead - Part 1 by Ernst Raupach

6 - Wake Not the Dead - Part 2 by Ernst Raupach

7 - St Johns Eve by Nikolai Gogol

8 - Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter by Sheridan Le Fanu

9 - Belphagor by Niccolo Machiavelli

10 - The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin

11 - Vampirismus or Aurelia by E T A Hoffman

12 - The Mummy's Foot by Theophile Gautier