Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts: A Book of Stories

"Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts: A Book of Stories" by Arthur Quiller-Couch is a compilation of short stories centered around the eerie and often disturbing theme of people who return from the past–as spirits, memories, or even reincarnated selves–and the chaos that ensues. These tales investigate how such hauntings from long ago can powerfully stir up emotions and minds. Each story presents its own spin on the meaning of life, death, and the long shadows cast by memories. The book opens with "Oceanus," a story about coping with loss, where the narrator, grieving his brother Harry's death, struggles with apathy and questions the fairness of life, which ultimately leads to a ghostly encounter where he meets what he believes is Harry's spirit. As they ride through landscapes that grow more and more unsettling, his story teeters on the edge of exhilaration and complete dread.