Joan Aiken 
The People in the Castle 
Selected Strange Stories

Praise for Joan Aiken’s stories:

‘Wildly inventive, darkly lyrical, and always surprising . . . should be cherished.’—Publishers Weekly

‘Darkly whimsical stories. . . . Aiken writes with surpassing spirit and alertness, her elegant restraint and dry wit never fail to leave their mark.’—Kirkus Reviews

‘Will appeal to readers of short stories and literary fiction. Highly recommended.’—Library Journal

‘Aiken’s pastoral meadows and circus chaos, gothic grotesques and quirky romances . . . have a dream-like quality executed with a brevity and wit that is a testament to her skill as a story-teller.’—California Literary Review

‘Fantasy is combined with magic, myth and adventure to form weird, wonderful and immersive tales.’—For Book’s Sake

Here is the whisper in the night, the dog whose loyalty outlasted death, the creak upstairs, that half-remembered ghost story that won’t let you sleep, the sound that raises gooseflesh, the wish you’d checked the lock on the door before dark fell. Here are tales of suspense and the supernatural that will chill, amuse, and exhilarate. Features a new introduction by the late author’s daughter, Lizza Aiken.

Best known for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken (1924–2004) wrote over a hundred books and won the Guardian and Edgar Allan Poe awards. After her first husband’s death, she supported her family by copyediting at Argosy magazine and an advertising agency before turning to fiction. She went on to write for Vogue, Good Housekeeping, Vanity Fair, Argosy, Women’s Own, and many others. Visit her online at joanaiken.com.

About the author