Can Such Things Be?

Ambrose Bierce's Can Such Things Be? collects twenty-four chilling short stories that blur the boundary between the living and the dead. Through tales of ghosts, apparitions, and unexplainable phenomena, Bierce explores the darkest corners of human experience—some stories unfolding on Civil War battlefields haunted by the conflict's violence, others in isolated country cottages and shadowy urban streets where reality itself seems to fracture. The title poses a provocative question: what if anything—the impossible, the supernatural, the unknowable—could happen at any moment? With masterful precision, Bierce crafts psychological horror and gothic mystery that linger long after the final page. His protagonists encounter inexplicable forces that challenge their sanity and perception, from cursed objects to spirits that defy natural law. These are stories meant to unsettle, to provoke contemplation about death, identity, and the thin veil separating our world from something far stranger. Perfect for listeners drawn to classic horror and literary fiction with genuine atmospheric dread, this collection showcases why Bierce remains one of America's greatest masters of the macabre. Ideal for late-night listening when shadows grow long and anything seems possible.