Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror
Edgar loves to visit his uncle to hear the spine chilling tales he tells. But as Uncle Montague reveals more, and the strange noises from the house get louder and louder, Edgar begins to realise that there is more to the spooky stories than first met the eye…
Take a trip to Uncle Montague’s house in the woods in this collection of terrifying short stories – if you dare!
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Extract
'The door handle turned, rattling as it did so, and the door opened. From where I sat the door blocked my view and all I could see was my uncle standing by the open door, whispering our request before the door slowly closed once more and
the footsteps faded away into the distance, oddly mingling with their own echoes to produce a strange scampering sound.
I should like to have told you something of Franz’s appearance, as I am sure you will be wondering if he was tall or fat or fair-haired, but I am afraid that never on any of my visits did I so much as catch the merest glimpse of Franz.
By the time my uncle and I had exchanged some pleasantries and he had enquired as to the current state of my schooling, there were three more sonorous knocks at the door, and Uncle, getting up to answer it once again, returned with a tray, on which there was a large tea pot, cups and saucers, and a plate of cakes and biscuits. There was no milk jug because Uncle and I both took our tea black.
There was a bowl of sugar lumps and, though I never saw him actually take one, my uncle must have had a considerable sweet tooth, for they were always entirely gone by the time I left, and I never took sugar at all, even as a small boy. We sat either side of the fire, my uncle and I, with the tray on a small table between us, my uncle with his elbows on the arms of his chair and his fingertips together. When he leaned back, his face disappeared into shadow entirely.
"Your journey here was uneventful, I trust?" he asked.
"Yes, Uncle,." I said.
"You saw . . . nothing – in the woods?"
Uncle Montague often asked this question, and my reply was always the same.
"No, Uncle," I said, not seeing the need to mention the village children, as I could not imagine they would be of interest to a man like my uncle. "I did not see anything in the woods."
My uncle smiled strangely and nodded, taking a sip of tea. He sighed wistfully.
"There is nothing quite like a wood at night, eh, Edgar?" he said.
"No," I replied, trying to sound as though I might have some knowledge of nocturnal woodland.
"And where should mankind be without trees?" he continued. "Timber is the very engine of civilisation, Edgar: from the plough to paper, from the wheel to the house, from tool handles to sailing ships. Man would have been nothing without trees, lad." He went to put another log on the hearth and the flames seemed to almost leap out and wrest it from his grip. "After all, what could symbolise man’s separation from the animal world more than fire – fire’s warmth and fire’s light?"
We both looked into the fire, mesmerised for a while by its dancing flames.
"The Norse people believed that the world was suspended in the branches of a great ash tree. Did you know that, Edgar?"
"No, Uncle."
"Yes," he said. "The people of the northern forests have always had a special relationship with the tree. After all, those ancient wild woods were their storehouse of building materials and fuel and food . . . But they were also dark and mysterious, filled with bears and robbers and who knows what else . . ."
"Do you mean . . . witches, Uncle?"
His eyes twinkled. "Witches, warlocks, wizards, wood sprites, werewolves –"
"Werewolves?" I said with a little gulp.
"Perhaps." Uncle Montague gave a little shrug. "The point is they respected the forest and they respected trees – feared them – worshipped them."
"How did they worship them, Uncle?" I said, taking a biscuit and noticing that the sugar was already gone.
"In many ways, I am sure,." he said. "The Roman historians tell us of sacred groves, of oak trees splashed with blood –"
"Blood?" I said, spluttering a little on my biscuit.
"Yes," said Uncle Montague. "They tell of sacrifice – sometimes human. The Celts were partial to taking the heads of their enemies as trophies in battle. To them, the hanging of the heads on an oak was probably as festive as the hanging of baubles on a Christmas tree is to your dear mother."
I raised a doubtful eyebrow on both counts and Uncle smiled.
"But why worship a tree?" I said.
"I can think of many things less deserving of worship,." he replied. "Look at how long some trees have been alive. Think of what they have seen. Why, there are yew trees in churchyards that may be more than a thousand years old – older still than the ancient church nearby. Their roots are in one millennium and their branches in another. And who cannot stand in awe when they see a great oak or ash or elm standing alone like a mournful giant?"
He tapped his fingertips together and I saw his wolfish smile in the shadow. "I know a story about just such a tree,." said my uncle. "Would you like to hear it, Edgar?"
"Very much so." After all, that was why I was there.
"It may be a little frightening for you."
"I don’t mind, Uncle,." I said with more courage than I felt, for I was like someone who, having been hauled to the highest point of a fairground ride, was beginning to have second thoughts.
"Very well,." said Uncle Montague, looking into the fire. "Then I shall begin . . ."'
About the author
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Chris Priestley photo: Judith WeikChris Priestley
Chris Priestley has been a cartoonist and illustrator for many years, working mainly for magazines and newspapers. He currently has a weekly strip cartoon called Payne’s Grey in the New Statesman. Chris has been a published author since 2000. He has written several books for children, both fiction and non-fiction.... Read more about Chris Priestley
Video & audio
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Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror Booked Up video
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Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror Booked Up video (signed version)
Featured reviews
Reviews
This book was amazing! I love it as the language that Chris Preistley used was really subtle and he gave you clues that you had to pick up very quickly and you have to reread it to fully understand the complex story line
This is a spine chilling book great for people who love horrors. Not for the faint hearted.
It was amazing. I love this book and now I have the whole collection! Absolutely wonderful!
its a great book. it is one of the best stories in the world.
I love this book and it is the best book I've ever read. i love the short stories and the story being revealed all along- Uncle Montague. I would recommend this book to anybody who is a fan of scary stories.
In my opinion, Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror is one of the most scariest book I have ever read.
It is a brilliant book because it hooks you in and you dont want to stop reading it. You would always want to know what is the next tale of the book. The most surprising tale is Uncle Montagues tale, you would not ever expect what he did. Throughout the book you see Uncle Montague telling Edgar different tales which are connected to different artefacts such as a painting and a demon bench end.
To conclude you ought to read this book to experience the thrilling events i experienced.
i loved the book, it was good! :D i'm a horror fan and it wasn't the BEST book but it was a good book.
This book is about a young boy called Edgar, who goes to his uncle's to hear terrifying stories about boys and girls who come across ghosts and ghouls.
My favourite story is called 'climb not', a little bit because i like climbing trees but mainly the story. A young boy who has just moved into the neighbourhood has a tree in his back yard. He is told not to climb it by the gardner and his parents and there is a sign next to the tree saying 'climb not' on it. Against all warnings he climbs the tree, he soon gets his just desserts when something comes after him. You will have to read the rest...
This is a great book for someone who like a fright. You could also tell these stories in a camp out or something; or maybe even use them as inspiration for your own - you decide.
This book is a really good book because I like it when his uncle tells all the good tales to Edgar and I think it's a spooky book to read. I really enjoyed it and i hope you will too.
i love this twisted, magical story all about the mystery of a fab, fun uncle
I really enjoyed reading this book, never really enjoyed reading but with this book's action and adventure i read them all the time now! It's a great book to get you into books. I love it!
First it was good until when I got to the 3rd chapter it got a bit boring, so I read the 4th chapter. The language was to hard to understand.
The book was above the average line, but not at the very good mark. It is a bit confusing at the start at the book, because I weren't entirely sure what was happenining. It seemed like he was in the woods but the author used too much personification, so that's where it became a bit mad. After I got past that stage in the book, the book then became more clear. But I am very grateful for the government paying for books that so many secondary school children will receive!
it was a great book.
This book is really interesting and suitable for anyone who likes a good scary book. I would rate it four stars out of five because I wish it was longer.
This book sends shivers up your spine and every shadow or noise morphs itself into a menancing monster coming to get you. Hugely entertaining and fun to read, Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror brings childish fantasies and old wife's tales to life in an exuberant and terrifying way. A wonderful book to read.
This book is filled with wickedness and mystery. A great book. The creepiness increases on each page :o magical
The book really gave me nightmares but then again i had stories to tell to my younger siblings. this book was a real page turner, I coudn't stop reading and when I finished, I wanted to read it again!
I loved the book. It was great. The stories were VERY freaky and I had many nightmares! I would reccomend it to any horror reader of any age and anybody that has the guts to read such a scary book. 10 out of 10
This book is delightfully scary. Edgar loves the way his uncle's stories are scary but he soon realises that they are all true. This is a book for anyone with tough guts.
This book was an amazing book about Edward who goes to his uncle's house to hear scary stories. But he finds that the stories are not his uncle's. This book contains a lot of what I think are scary stories. I would give it 5 stars.
The Uncle Montague's tales of terror's stories are jaw dropping, terrifying and surprising - all of the stories are scary especially climb not when joseph fell of the tree and died. After I closed the book I had goosebumps for hours!
I really enjoyed all the little stories inside a story but you had to have your full attention on the book to understand all of the story.
this book is a very scary book, I would recommend it for children around the age of 11 or 12
I find this book very interesting and I like books that have an exciting and scary plot. The illustrations are excellent. I would definitely persuade others to read this book. It is an easy book to get into which I think is one of the best parts. But be warned this a seriously scary book. :L
This is a book which intrigues me, because it's very dark and spooky. It's basically about a boy called Edgar who is told spooky stories by his Uncle Montague whilst he is staying with him.I really like this book and can't wait to read more:)
A great book, i like it, but it could have more action.
it has okay stories, they don't really make me scared
this book is very exciting and scary, it is enjoyable for people who like scary/horror books. it is basically about a boy called edgar who travels through this dark spooky forest to see his uncle montague and he tells edgar lots of scary stories. hope you enjoy the book but read it if you dare.
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! i love it i could read it all my life if i could is so weird when you turn the page you get goosebumps
Uncle Montague's Tales of Terrror is spine chilling - it has many strange story and Edgar's uncle's house = FREAKY
I recommend it to people who won't be cuddling up to their mum and dad once they've read it!
This story is not one of your mild and safe Goosebumps stories. While expertly crafted, these cautionary tales are intensely dark and I believe, are only for the bravest children! Beware this book is brilliant, but SUPER scary!
I absolutely loved this book, this thrilling story sent me chills and goosebumps all over! I was still freaked out about the stories days after I read it, this book is seriously scary, and I would certainly recommend it to any boy or girl willing to get a big fright!
I think this book is alright it should be more scary though.
i thought the book was exciting but difficult to read and hard to understand. i recommend this for mad people who like odd stories. it was about many different tales the varied about ghosts and gargoles.
I think Uncle montague's tales of terror is a fantastic book! I haven't finished it yet but i already love it. My favourite story so far is the un door because that was the one that made me scared most. I am very happy that i chose this book because it is one of the best books i have read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good scare!
I thought this book was great and really got me thinking about the book. The book's about a young child called Edgar, he loves to visit his Uncle Montague. But .... Uncle Montague has lots of stories to tell which freaks Edgar out. He tells stories about the forest and how the creatures are actually alive ..... I would rate this book 4 stars because the stories are very intresting but you have to understand the book to be able to get what the stories are about. On the whole i think the book is very good and i would recommend this book to a lot of young readers.
I think this book is a bit odd. It is about a boy called Edgar who goes to his uncle's house in the woods and gets told lots of stories. Edga'rs uncle somehow has artefacts that seem to appear or be about each story. Young readers beware because there is a small swear-word hidden somewhere on page 86.
Hard to get into and very very very very WIERD
uncle montague's tales of terror was absolutely amazing. i couldn't put the book down. i used to be really interested in reading then i went off it now i'm back on it. but this book is amazing. :) especially when you get into the tales you should read this book!!! :):):)
The book was not as good as I thought it might be, well I have to admit it pretty much did scare the living dead out of me. The negative about the book is that he always goes to Uncle's house well if you read books like Morris Gleitzman's Once, Then and Now you should definitely read this book (Well that is my opinion!)
I like this book because it is really brilliant and interesting especially i like scary stories.
a very good setting but can get boring. but the descriptions make you you are there it all adds up.
i like this book because it is scary but some chapters or parts are a bit normal and not that scary
this book is absolutely brilliant. i havent read all of it but it's fantastic.
I think this is an excellent book for people who like spine chilling horrors. I love the story about the old blind bat! I recommend this book for people who can take a scary story!
uncle montague's tales of terror is brilliant and is a little scary. my favourite tale is the demon bench end. so far i haven't read all the book yet. when i finish my mum said she wanted to read it so i guess it's all about mystery but i kinda bribed my mum into it. i think this book is so good i can't put it down now i've started. there are two other books i would like to read of his, they are tales of terror from the tunnels mouth and tales of terror from the black ship. spooky huh. i love this book and i will treasure it forever. i would like to thank booked up for this book and i hope to get another of his books.
I liked all the stories he tells and that the scary stories are rather believable. i liked it so much i decided to tell other people about the book.
i love this book it is absolutely great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Personally I think Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror is a very good book if you like scary stories. It is not for the faint harted.
A boy named Edgar visits his uncle at his old, spooky mansion. Uncle Montague tells him all sorts of mysterious and creepy tales, (including his own) some of which are real.
Uncle Montague has got to be the most interesting and fun story teller ever. He tells the story as if you were in it!!!
The best bit has got to be in one of Uncle Montague’s stories when Simon, an ordinary boy, sneaks into the house of an old lady, Mother Tallow, and she turns out to be incredibly evil! The only bad bit is when Uncle Montague has stopped in the middle of a story to ask if Edgar was scared or understood it. Anyone who fancies adventure or a bit of horror will love this book. Overall it is rated 4.5/5!
this book was ok but not very scary:)
The book I am reading is called Uncel Montague's Tales of Terror. It was written by Chris Priestley and is about a young boy called Edgar who every weekend goes to the other side of the wood to see his Uncle Montague as his parents are not particularly interested in him. Every week his uncle would tell him one or two spine chilling tales of monsters, ghosts and then one day the most terrorfying of them all, Uncle Montague himself...
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to scare themselves out of their wits and people who like an action packed mystery of terror. I would rate this book as five stars as it now one of my favourite books!!!
This book is called Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror and it was written by Chris Prestley. This book is about a boy called Edgar who keeps going through a creepy wood to visit his Uncle Montague when he gets to his uncle's house he is told a tale of ultimate terror.
The main characters in Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror are Uncle Montague and Edgar. I think they are believable because they don't do anything that extraordinary but just walk, talk and drink tea.
My favourite character is probably Uncle Montague because he tells incredibly scary stories and has a mysterious past which he refuses to talk about, which just makes me want to read on to the end to find out more about him.
My favorite part of the book is when Uncle Montague tells the story of the guilt frame because I think it is a really good story with a scary ending. My least favorite part of the book is when Uncle Montague tells the offering story because I don't really get it.
I would recommend this book to someone who likes spooky and scary stories and is a confident reader. I gave this book four out of five stars. I really enjoyed the stories and the set-up between the stories, but I found the ending not as spooky as I had hoped.
Edgar likes to visits his uncle in his house beside the dark woods and hears his stories. Unusually, one day, his Uncle Montague tells him particularly horrifying stories and Edgar discovers that the house is full of an object that appears in those tales! And Edgar wonders ‘how his uncle did collect those objects?’
My subjective opinion about this book is that the book is extremely thrilling and the story is very interesting because all the tales are well described and the way the author wrote this book makes you feel that you are actually in the story. Furthermore, the author always included mysterious problems in every chapter which makes the reader keeps focus on the story.
Uncle Montague, who is very mysterious and strange man, is my favourite character because: during I was reading this book, I felt curious about Edgar’s uncle. The reason is, he always don’t tell everything about himself which made me think and focus on him. Plus, at the end, I figured out he is a kind and gentle person but caged up in the shadowy past.
I have enjoyed the entire book but especially, my favourite scene is when Uncle Montague tells Edgar the truth of his life at the end of the book because it tells you the truth of the uncle’s house and that made me feel proud of myself because it was like I found a treasure at last. I think this book can be improved when the author included some more detailed descriptions for every object and atmosphere because it can make the sentences more interesting. But the book is still really good and as I suggested, I have enjoyed this book very much.
Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror is about a young boy named Edgar. Edgar is an only son, that grew up with parents that don't really understand kids. Possibly the only thing that makes Edgar happy is spending all and every summer with his uncle Montague; uncle Montague isn't Edgar's real uncle he's just a old man that lives on the opposite side of the woods that Edgar grew attached to. When Edgar goes to his uncle his head gets stuffed with more stories than you can count. but are they really stories? Maybe so maybe not but that is what uncle montague has left Edgar to find out...
This book is about a little boy who lives with his parents just off a wood. The little boy is called Edgar. Edgar lives with his parents but they don't know how to relate to him so they don't speak much. Edgar gets very lonely sometimes so he goes to his uncle's and listens to stories he learnt many years ago.
My favourite character in the book is definitely Edgar. Even though you don't hear about him much he is always in the back of your mind. You always wonder how he would be listening to the story and because he always seems adventurous so you never know what he might do next.
I enjoy this book because it is adventurous and it has loads of different stories in it so you don't get bored on just one, otherwise you could predict the ending and then the reader could put the book down with out finishing it. This is probably one of my favourite books because it is fun and active. Uncle Montague is kind of a creepy man at first but then you learn to like him, realising he is not so bad afterall. He's the sort of person who is sometimes very quiet but he can be very strict and whenever he leans back he gets hidden by a shadow.
My favourite part of the book is the very beginning because it brings you straight into the story and describes where Uncle Montague's house is "the way to uncle montague's house lay through a small wood. the path coiled between the trees like a snake hiding in a thicket" i really like that because it gives you an instant image of where the story is set and makes you feel nervous and spooky. i really like this book because of all the detail and how well he has written it. so this is definitely a good book.
Uncle Montagues Tales of Terror is about a little boy who loves visiting his uncle to listen to his scary stories. But uncle montague has strange ornaments or objects that belong to the stories! So they may be true...
The main characters are Uncle Montague, Edgar (the small boy) and the tale characters. I think that Edgar and Uncle Montague are believable characters because they have human possesions that we have like food/drink, homes, parents and feelings. However i think that the story characters are unbelivable because the way Chris Preistly describes them makes them seem a bit make-belive.
My favourite character so far is Olivia (one of the story characters) because she was a ghost girl who Harriet (another character ) talked to and could see. I have been obsessed with somthing as she was obsessed with a dolls house.
My favorite part in the story is in a story called 'Climb not' when the gardener warned the boy not to climb the tree as it left me with a lot of questions. my least favorite part in the book was in a story called 'The Demon bench end' because a cat gets chopped in half and it made me feel sorry for it. I would recommend this book to someone who likes a scary book because as you can tell by the name, it's a scary story.
My book is called Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror. The author is Chris Priestley. The main characters are Edgar (a young boy), and Uncle Montague (a great story teller.)
I think the characters are believable, because you can relate. Because they are their own characters, with feelings and belief then you can enjoy them knowing that you're just like them and you can understand them.
The story is about a boy who loves listening to his uncle tells him. Edgar (the boy) finds objects to do with the story. Can he find answers?
I don't have a favourite character, because I don't feel I can understand the characters enough. I don't have a favourite part, because i like bits and pieces from the book in different chapters. My least favourite part of the book was that there wasn't enough characters in the book. I wouldn't recommend the book to to anyone, but if I had to then i would recommend the book to 9-13 years. The story did get a bit boring, so therefore I would only give it... 2 stars. :)
Uncle Montague's Tales Terror is the book that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, it sent shivers down my spine. This book is an epic succses with both gripping, emotional writing and peculiar and interesting illustrations. I would happily recommend this thrilling book to any young or teen reader!! :) :) :)
I think that the book was good, because the stories were slightly disturbing but not too scary for younger kids like me. I found the Gilt Frame the most scariest one, because it was disturbing how she was the one that told the police about the Maid and she was the one that pushed her Nanny down the stairs and she was the one that suffocated her sister. Overall, I found the book very good and I'm going to get the other ones! :D
I thought the book was good, because most of the stories were old fashioned and not many books today are like that today. The book had one or two disturbing stories, for example The Gilt Frame, but the book itself was interesting and not too scary for young kids.
I think the book is an excellent read, but not for younger children. As it has old-fashioned and difficult words and some tales are quite disturbing (especially the story called the gilt frame). I loved the book, I hope there are more like this.
i think uncle montague's tales of terror is a good book but it is hard to read and some of the stories are confusing
Its a great book with bone chilling stories told by uncle montague
good but it wasn't very scary
Great book but not for the faint hearted.
I really enjoyed the book. I have never heard of Chris Priestley so i will read more of his books.
I find this book outstandingly great and mysterious. I love every page, and don't regret getting it!!!
good
the book isn't actually scary at all, i don't like it due to this
Very good book, exciting, it is a must read and I could just could not get my head out of it. It was one of the best books I have read.
Tales of Terror is a scary and hard to put down book, it has a series of many tales each one scarier than the last. My favourite was the the undoor about two girls and one performs a seance while the other one plays some nasty tricks. I would recomend this book for brave 9 - 13 year olds as it may be a little too scary for younger readers. The book starts interesting and then takes a scary turn, ending with a few strange facts about Uncle Montague himself!
I think 'Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror' is an amazing book. It's about a boy who visits his great, great, great, great, great uncle. His uncle tells the boy stories! One day, Uncle Montague tells the boy a particulary strange set of tales. And at least one thing from every story, the boy finds in Montagues house. It is quite a freaky book. Personally, I wouldn't read some of them at night. The book is really good for people who like a bit of a scare!
it's an awesome book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a really great book the stories are brilliant - read this book!!!
i luv readin uncle montague. it was cool at the end but boring in the first chapter.
I really love this book, i love how the author describes the whole thing - it makes me picture everything in my head.
This book is really good so far, I am enjoying it.
Thank you so much for writing this book, I chose it from all the others because I thought it'd be the best and you haven't let me down.
Thank you very much for delivering this book to me, I have only read the first chapter and i'm so excited.
This book is about a boy called edgar who likes to visit his uncle who tells lots of stories. One day he hears him tell a particular grim story, and edgar discovers that the house is full of the objects in the story. The answers are in the woods. I would thouroughly recommend this book.
I have only read 1 chapter and it is all ready scaring me... I love scary books luckily so i hope i will enjoy this book as much as i will be scared.
I think it was scary and when i got to the intreesting part I wanted to keep on reading.
This book is brill and I recomend it to people that like spooky books.
this book sounds really good I can not wait to get it :)
If you are bored at home tales of terror is the book for you. Once you get in the book you can't get out of it. It is a delightfully scary book. If I were you I would choose Tales of Terror :)
Although I have only read the blurb, this book sounds interesting.
i'm getting that book because i love scary books.
This book is my favourite book because I love scary stories and this is just one of the most scariest children stories that I have read .I would love it if Chris Priestley could write another book. But even more scary and gruesome. I would like to say a huge thank you to the Booked up company.
i have read this book about 100 times because the action in it is bri and i would recommend to everyone.
it was so good and really funny .i wish the author wrote another book. I will recommend it to be like funny facts.
this spine thriller mind mixing story was BRILLIANT im sooooo glad i chose this book.
I have not read the book yet! but it looks great to read i am really looking forward to reading it!! x
edgar likes to visit his uncle in his house past the woods. edgar likes to hear his stories. but one time he told edgar a hole load of tales that were chilling.
it is a horror so if you dont like horrors dont try this book.
I just ordered it, I cant wait for it to arrive, i have read allot of reviews.
ps cant wait!!!!
I think this is a great book, plagued by terror on every page. I would definitely recommend it to any brave boy or girl who dare open it, but be warned, your insides will still be untangling themselves hours after you close this book.
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