Night Music

Night Music is the second collection of short stories and novellas by John Connolly. It features a variety of tales regarding the supernatural ranging from ancient to modern times. I confess I haven't read the first collection, but felt it wasn't necessary to read before starting this.

The tales includes are: (summaries in brackets)

1. The Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository - (A man retires from his dead end job and moves to the country. There he sees a woman jump in front of a train. Why would she do that and why are there no remains anywhere? )
2. The Blood of the Lamb - (A young girl with a gift or a curse is being visited by priests from the vatican)
3. A Dream of Winter - (A young boy see an old man's face in his window at school)
4. The Lamia - (A woman raped in a small town looks for revenge)
5. The Hollow King: From the Universe of The Book of Lost Things - (A myst creeps over the land destroying everything in its path. )
6. The Children of Dr. Lyall - (Two thieves break into an old woman's house during World War II. The house is filled with strange patterns with initials. Who is the woman and what do these patterns mean?)
7. The Fractured Atlas - Five Fragments - (A collection of 5 stories featuring a book called “The Fractured Atlas”. Story 1 (The Dread and Fear of Kinds) takes place in the Dark Ages and introduces readers to the The Fractured Atlas, a strange book with a cover made of skin, and pages that only open when they choose. Story 2 (The Djinn) features Mags, a man who buys and sells books for a living. During an estate sale he finds the Fractured Atlas among its possessions. Story 3 (Mud) features an old soldier from World War II who is haunted by things he did or didn't do during the war. Story 4 (The Wanderer in Unknown Realms) features a private investigator hired to find a very rich man that has disappeared. This is the longest story in The Fractured Atlas and has been published before with great acclaim. Story 5 (And in Darkness Shall We Dwell) concludes the story of the Fractured Atlas and wraps up questions from the first 4 stories. )
8. Razorshins - (A group of men from rival gangs are transporting liquor during prohibition. A snow storm begins and the men take refuge on a man's farm, but they're not alone)
9. On the Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier - (A man recounts a painting of men dissecting a body for science and the death of a murderess Elizabeth Evans. )
10. A Haunting - (A widow books a stay in the hotel room he and his late wife used to rent out for every anniversary. After a short nap, the man finds a woman's belongings in his room. Then his wife appears. Is he the ghost, or is she? )
11. Lazarus - (This story explores the resurrection of Lazarus, a friend of Jesus of Nazareth. What is it like to be brought back from the dead? Is there really life after death?)
12. Holmes on the Range: A Tale of the Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository - (Related to the first story in this book, this tale looks at the addition of Sherlock Holmes and Watson to the Caxton Library. Fans of Sherlock Holmes should enjoy this tale)
13. I live here. - (Not a short story, but a collection of thoughts by the author John Connolly. It recounts book tours, and the sources that inspired his love of classic horror. He delves into lesser known facts about famous horror authors Bram Stoker and Mary Shelly and references books, tv shows, and movies that shaped him as a child. It's an interesting chapter with many ideas of what to watch and read next. )