The ghosts of the Heaviside layer, and other fantasms Book

Best book of short stories I've read in a number of years - and it's only half short stories, the rest being essays and two plays.

I'm not a huge Dunsany fan - I appreciate how his writing influenced subsequent generations of fantasy writers, but I find Dunsany's fantasy stories to be unfocused. "Flights of fancy" might be a better term for them, and they don't especially appeal to me. (There are few of these types of tales included in this anthology, but they're in the minority.) However, his "ghost" stories (some of which aren't, really) rock. These are classic short stories: brevity and a sharp punch are their hallmarks. My favorite is "Told Under Oath," which is now one of my favorite short stories, period. It's the kind of story that makes a writer envious. It's also the kind of story that you immediately re-read. Twice.

The essays aren't as riveting, but still reflect how focused and clever a writer Dunsany could be.

Go to the library and grab a copy.