His Hideous Heart is a compilation of 13 tales by Edgar Allen Poe’s tales re-imagined by current authors that takes most of the tales and puts them into a modernized setting for the readers of today’s age.

I’ve only ever read a few of Edgar Allen Poe’s works so I appreciated that the book include the original tales at the end.  It was a great way to remind myself of the original tales as well as read the ones I hadn’t gotten around to.

Overall, I enjoyed most of the stories, however, I did find that it was hard to get immersed in some others.  The stories I was able to really get into I enjoyed thoroughly and found it interesting to see a tale by Poe written into a more modern setting.  The tale that I enjoyed the most were:

• She Rode a Horse of Fire – inspired by Metzengerstein
• It’s Carnival! – inspired by The Cask of Manontillado
• The Glittering Death – inspired by The Pit and the Pendulum
• A Drop of Stolen Ink – inspired by The Purloined Letter
• The Oval Filter – inspired by The Oval Portrait
• Happy Days, Sweetheart – inspired by The Tell-Tale Heart

These ones above I enjoyed thoroughly.  My favorite of the bunch was A Drop of Stolen Ink because it had a more futuristic feel to it.  I really found it interesting to see these tales written into a more modern setting, and I think this will be a great way to introduce younger generations to Poe’s work.  Just as well, I definitely think that original Poe fans will find an appreciation for the re-tellings.

Rating: 3.5 stars