Through eighteen dark tales bubbling with the ghostly and the occult, Mike Ashley traces the phenomenon of families in which a talent for channelling the Weird passes down the generations, showcasing six lineages whose names echo through the halls of speculative Dickens, Hawthorne, Le Fanu, Pangborn, Marryat and Aiken. With a story each from selected members of these families along with introductions on the history of their bloodlines, this collection explores unexpected connections and the strange influences that define us while offering a rare selection of chilling Weird fiction.