The Room in the Dragon Volant

First published in his collection In a Glass Darkly, this gothic novella contains some of J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s most atmospheric writing.

In 1815 Europe is still reeling from the Napoleonic wars. A young, wealthy Englishman goes traveling to France and Belgium, and is quickly surrounded by characters who may not be exactly what they seem: a beautiful young countess with a cruel husband, an elegant gentleman involved in delicate political intrigue, a violent, ugly old soldier bent on revenge, and a fortuneteller who seems to know everything about his affairs.

Le Fanu pulls these threads together into an intricately plotted mystery, with the sinister atmosphere of his better known ghost stories. It’s full of fascinating characters and evocative locations, from a rural village hostelry to a masked ball at the Palace of Versailles, to the mysterious haunted inn called the Dragon Volant.