Lost Hearts (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

Lost Hearts introduces Stephen Elliot, a young orphan sent to live with his reclusive and unsettlingly genial cousin, Mr. Abney, an antiquarian residing in a vast country estate. The idyllic setting quickly turns sinister as Stephen begins to glimpse eerie, small figures wandering the halls. He soon uncovers the horrifying truth about Mr. Abney's secret study: a scholar's ruthless, methodical pursuit of arcane power that requires the most terrible of sacrificesthe very "e;lost hearts"e; of innocent victims.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 classic of scholarly terror.This story is a quintessential example of James' genius for combining creeping dread, erudite scholarship, and utterly visceral horror. It is essential reading for fans of classic ghost stories and supernatural fiction, proving that the most terrifying evil is often the quiet, calculating malice of the intellectual.