The Beast with Five Fingers

By W.F. Harvey

A chill creeps through the dimly lit study, where the boundaries between the living and the uncanny begin to blur. In this unsettling horror narrative, a presence lingers-something both physical and spectral, its touch felt long after the lights have been extinguished. This is a psychological horror tale that masterfully conjures dread from the ordinary, drawing readers into a world where the supernatural is never far from the surface, and the familiar turns eerily strange. Set against the backdrop of early twentieth-century British society, this gothic short story stands as a singular example of eerie supernatural fiction. It explores the terror that arises not from distant phantoms, but from the inexplicable forces that invade the sanctity of home and mind. The haunted hand story at its heart is unforgettable, weaving together elements of weird fiction classic with a subtlety and restraint that heighten the suspense. Each page teeters on the edge of the rational and the unexplainable, inviting readers to question what they know of fear. The atmosphere is thick with unease, as the narrative delves into obsession, guilt, and the uncanny. It is a work that lingers in the imagination, its images and implications growing more unsettling the deeper one reads. The prose is taut, precise, and evocative, capturing the peculiar anxiety that defines the finest British horror fiction. For those drawn to supernatural horror stories that unsettle rather than merely shock, this tale offers a rare blend of psychological depth and gothic tension. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure. For general readers, collectors, and those who appreciate the dark elegance of horror short stories, this volume promises a reading experience both chilling and enduring.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9376555767
• ISBN13: 9789376555765
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 28 Pages
• Weight: 0.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Master of Strange Stories

William Fryer Harvey's short stories are dark, ambivalent, murderous & sometimes slyly humorous. In this regard, he pre-dates Robert Aickman. Like some of Aickman's best tales - "Trains" & "Bind your hair" spring to mind - quite a few of Harvey's best tales are based around wanderings and the strange encounters that ensue. In "The Tool" a man takes a walking tour and somehow loses a day, a day in which a heinous crime has been committed; perhaps by the narrator? In "The Hearthside Fire", another murder is committed at midnight in an isolated public house on the moors & the perpetrator finds no rest ; in "August heat", a painter leaves his garret, goes for a stroll and is astonished to meet the murderously visaged person he has just painted an hour before. It's a dangerous business stepping beyond your doorstep, as Bilbo Baggins once observed. There is also the title story, which is one of the slickest black comedies since "Arsenic & old lace"; the "Follower" & "Miss Avenal", which are respectively a tale of elliptic horror a la Conrad & a tale of psychic vampirism. All of these tales were written in the Twenties & Thirties. The prose is clear, and always in the service of telling a lean story. I've read and re-read these stories many times with growing pleasure & appreciation.