A BANQUET FOR HUNGRY GHOSTS

Eight grisly horror stories are arranged to feed the hungry imaginations of readers fascinated with blood, gore, murders and ghosts, who, like their Western counterparts, want to avenge their deaths and have the things they had in life, especially their favorite foods. Some tales have a folkloric feeling, a few are set in today’s China and one concerns a family in New York City’s Chinatown. The modern tales are among the most disturbing because of the contemporary issues that Compestine has woven into her narratives (and explains after each story). Fraudulent Buddhist monks and doctors who take bribes (and unusual foods) for underground medical services in today’s “new-rich” society, children who had to make dangerous fireworks when their schools became factories during the Cultural Revolution and a tale of a gambling man, his iPod and his butcher’s cleaver are all on the menu. Polhemus’s black-and-white illustrations lend a spooky air. This will whet the appetites of a certain type of ghost gourmet with a sophisticated palate; those with weak stomachs should stay away. (recipes) (Short stories/horror. 12-16)