Young Claudio di Bartelma leaves the home of his adoptive father, the Marchese di Bartelma, to attend university at Rome. There, he befriends the handsome and mischievous Lodovico di Ponta. Together, the two youths become involved in a variety of amorous pursuits and humorous adventures. But their fun is short-lived, as events quickly take a turn for the sinister. A mysterious pilgrim seems to stalk their steps, and Claudio is drawn into an affair with an enigmatic older woman, Viola, who lives in splendour but yet claims to be imprisoned. Meanwhile, Claudio investigates the truth of his parentage. Who were his parents, and what is his connection to Lodovico's father, the Count di Ponta, who many years ago was involved in a murderous love affair with his brother's wife? Midnight meetings among ruins, supernatural warnings, and a vengeful spectre will help to reveal the shocking truth behind the strange mysteries!A clever mix of Bildungsroman, picaresque tale, mystery, and Gothic horror, Astonishment!!! (1802) shows Francis Lathom at the height of his powers. This new edition, the first since 1821, includes the unabridged text of the first edition, a reproduction of the first edition's title page, and the complete text of two contemporary reviews.
Mary Blyth is fired from her job for tardiness after being robbed and nearly murdered. But her luck seems to change for the better when a solicitor informs her that her distant uncle Benjamin Batters has died, naming her his sole heiress! He bequeaths to her a dilapidated old house, where impenetrable iron doors may guard terrible secrets.But the rats that infest the house, and the spirits that seem to haunt it, are not her only concerns. A trio of grotesque and ruthless thugs will stop at nothing to gain entrance to the house and the secrets it conceals. As the mystery deepens, a more frightening question arises: Is Benjamin Batters playing a murderous game from beyond the grave, or is he still alive? The novel''s relentless action builds in a crescendo until the horrifying truth of Batters''s fate is finally revealed!Richard Marsh''s The Joss (1901) can be read as a companion volume to his most famous novel, The Beetle (1897), which in its time outsold even Bram Stoker''s Dracula (1897). Like The Beetle, The Joss features a thrilling tale told from multiple points of view and a hideous, subhuman monster from the East. The Valancourt Books edition reprints the rare 1901 first edition, which survives in only a handful of copies worldwide, complete with a facsimile of its cover.
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