The Ash-Tree (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
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Below a particular ancient ash-tree centuries ago, a woman was executed for witchcraft. The tree now stands outside a room where the present owner of the estate finds himself in increasing peril.
A vengeful infestation of a terrifying, unnatural kind begins to breed and manifest in the branches outside, acting as a macabre, living extension of the curse. The horrifying presence serves as a visceral reminder that some acts of injustice are never truly over.
From the mind of M. R. James, the acknowledged master who redefined the ghost story for the 20th century and founded the 'antiquarian ghost story' genre, comes a chilling tale where the sins of the past take root in the present.
This story is a quintessential example of James' genius for combining creeping dread with unsettling, visceral horror. It is essential reading for fans of classic ghost stories and supernatural fiction, proving that some curses are carried by the very land itself.
M. R. James
Montague Rhodes James was born in 1862 at Goodnestone Parsonage, Kent, where his father was a curate, but the family moved soon afterwards to Great Livermere in Suffolk. James attended Eton College and later King's College Cambridge where he won many awards and scholarships. From 1894 to 1908 he was Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and from 1905 to 1918 was Provost of King's College. In 1913, he became Vice-Chancellor of the University for two years. In 1918 he was installed as Provost of Eton. A distinguished medievalist and scholar of international status, James published many works on biblical and historical antiquarian subjects. He was awarded the Order of Merit in 1930. His ghost story writing began almost as a divertissement from his academic work and as a form of entertainment for his colleagues. His first collection, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary was published in 1904. He never married and died in 1936.
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