Famous American writer Ambrose Bierce is one of the pioneers of the "scary story" genre - a thriller that has gained wide popularity today. The plots of many of his stories were based on the indelible impressions of the American Civil War, a war in which Bierce rose from private to major. In the stormy stream of “terrible” literature that has poured upon our readers, the stories of the “king of California journalism” Ambrose Bierce stand out for their undeniable literary and artistic merits and deep psychologism. The book was also published under the title “Fantastic Fables.”