Gothic Ghost Stories    by A. S. Mott Order:  USA  Can Ghost House, 2004 (2004) Paperback    Reviewed by Martina Bexte A. S. Mott is back with another collection of weird tales, this one titled Gothic Ghost Stories. Mott tells us that these six tales 'access the darker side of human nature' and the 'complications of beauty'. Here's a sampling of what's offered: The Last of the Seven Brothers is a reworked version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. In the retelling, brother Wexel wants to help a beautiful young girl he once knew, only to find greater heartbreak after discovering she is not as he remembers her. Business as Usual follows a morally devious go-getter and his planned fast track to success, one that eventually derails. And in The Girl in the Water, the author takes a nod at one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays. While I couldn't quite relate to Mr. Mott's definition of 'gothic ghost story' as it applies to his collection, he does a reasonable, if not overly imaginative, job of presenting these six tales. Most reminded me of stories one might find in past collections or that you might have seen on TV shows like Tales From the Crypt where the darker side of human nature is blatantly examined. And where, as in Mott's collection, protagonists' actions generally play out to a bad ending, or lessons are eventually learned the hard way. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Fantasy books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews