An excellent collection of Uncanny Tales, F. Marion Crawford’s best tales are almost aggressively creepy and are steeped in a wonderfully spooky atmosAn excellent collection of Uncanny Tales, F. Marion Crawford’s best tales are almost aggressively creepy and are steeped in a wonderfully spooky atmosphere, perfect autumn reading. His stories “The Dead Smile”, “The Screaming Skull”, and “For the Blood is the Life” are all well worth seeking out. I also really enjoyed Von Degen’s (Crawford’s older sister) two tales, “A Mystery of the Campagna” and “A Shadow on a Wave”. Both are imbued with beautiful prose and an excellent sense of place and ambiance. It is too bad she did not produce any more stories than these two. Richard Dalby’s introduction to the volume is also incredibly fascinating and sheds some interesting light on the lives and works of Crawford and his sisters....more
An absolutely wonderful novel, steeped in a strange, dreamlike atmosphere. Walter de la Mare’s prose is so incredibly beautiful it’s a treat to just sAn absolutely wonderful novel, steeped in a strange, dreamlike atmosphere. Walter de la Mare’s prose is so incredibly beautiful it’s a treat to just savor his sentences and the musical language of the book. Even though The Return is a literal tale of possession, it is Arthur Lawford’s psychological state that de la Mare is most concerned with throughout the book, exploring it through various discussions the characters engage in, ranging from domestic disputes to theological theories regarding the afterlife. Much like in de la Mare’s supernatural short stories, little is explained and seems forever to float on the very periphery of the narrative, out of reach of both protagonist and reader. The Return is a quiet masterpiece of the uncanny, a tragic and deeply alluring reading experience....more
The Course of the Heart is a difficult novel to describe, following four characters who are deeply affected by a ritual they performed together in UniThe Course of the Heart is a difficult novel to describe, following four characters who are deeply affected by a ritual they performed together in University. As their lives begin to disintegrate in strange ways, they slowly try to figure out if the ritual actually worked, or if something went horribly wrong.
Harrison’s prose and storytelling is simply masterful, weaving different conversations, perspectives, thoughts, and memories together almost seamlessly. His characters come to life in his stellar prose, fumbling in their search for answers, often irrational, full of faults and dreams. Wrapped within the narrative, there is also a novel within the novel about a fictional travel writer, where the writing reminded me a lot of W.G. Sebald’s Rings of Saturn, and Mark Valentine, and John Howard’s excellent Secret Europe. A mix of personal memoirs, history, and occultism portraying an alternate history of Europe. I felt that some of the occult and gnostic references went over my head as I read it, though I never felt that this deterred my enjoyment of the novel, however, I think the story will open itself up even more if one has a broader knowledge of Gnosticism.
The novel is quite bleak and I felt myself being quite affected by the melancholy of the characters and events as I read it, sometimes feeling restless and empty as I put the book away, yet I was always eager to continue reading. A strange and memorable novel, The Course of the Heart draws the reader into a narrative that feels both personal and mysterious. ...more
Weird Horror is Undertow Publications' new horror magazine, created in the vein of the pulp magazines of yesteryear. They’ve done a splendid job on thWeird Horror is Undertow Publications' new horror magazine, created in the vein of the pulp magazines of yesteryear. They’ve done a splendid job on the layout and design of the magazine, which is incredibly appealing. The contents were a mixed bag for me though, the opening essay by Strantzas was good, as was Orrin Grey’s article on The Crestwood House Monster books. I also liked the concise movie and book reviews that round out the issue. Steve Duffy’s tale “White Noise In A White Room” was the clear standout for me. Incredibly eerie and well written, the story is vague enough to set my mind reeling with horrifying images. I would go as far as to say it’s worth picking up this first issue of Weird Horror for this story alone. John Langan’s tale is also quite good, and I like how he builds up creeping tension through such a short narrative. Unfortunately, I didn’t care too much for the rest of the stories, ranging from decent to quite bad in my opinion, but I’m glad I picked up this issue and I’ll pick up the next one too as I’m glad to see a magazine devoted to new horror fiction....more
“The paths are deceptive and illusory. I have tried to retrace my steps on many occasions, but they meander and drift and I lose myself in thickets of“The paths are deceptive and illusory. I have tried to retrace my steps on many occasions, but they meander and drift and I lose myself in thickets of bramble and blackthorn, emerging to discover new wonders, which in turn are lost in future expeditions.”
Colin Insole’s prose feels deep, almost elusive at times, like skirting the edge of an unknown town draped in mist, close yet so distant. There are echoes of Schultz and Kafka that lingers over his sentences, dancing between the words, recalling strange and bleak European cities. Many of the tales are set around the first world war and the supernatural unfolds both from the past and the traumatic events that linger on the horizon from the looming catastrophe in Europe.
The characters often feel lost within small towns, haunted by the memories of war, familial secrets, and cruelty. Certain tales reminded me of Sarban’s tales, The Doll Maker in particular, with dolls playing a sinister part in some of the stories. Insole also uses landscape to great effect in his stories, whether it is the British countryside or some unnamed European city both feel desolate and filled with strange memories. Elegies & Requiems is a wonderful collection of tales, well worth seeking out if you can find it.
“Held in sunlight, it appeared on the edge of song, a music that would sing the stones awake.” ...more
The Doll Maker follows a young girl who feels lost and directionless within the strict school she attends, which is an old structure located near a daThe Doll Maker follows a young girl who feels lost and directionless within the strict school she attends, which is an old structure located near a dark stretch of wood. Its neighboring grounds and houses suddenly hold a strange and secret allure for her. And when she slips over the tall stone fence one winter night, she encounters the young man who owns the adjacent house and quickly falls for his extraordinary ways and charm.
There is a feeling of shared familiarity and secrecy with the young girl in the story, and the sensation of being taken into a strangely cozy, yet vaguely sinister atmosphere lingers over the novel. Sarban, like Aickman or de La Mare, won’t offer any explanations freely, yet throughout the tale, there are allusions and hints scattered that sheds an ominous light on the story. It feels like the mystery itself and the aura it surrounds the story and characters in is the most important part of the tale.
The two shorter pieces in the collection also explore this sense of mystery, The Trespassers revolves around the summer of two young boys, as they discover something hidden on a small island. We are effortlessly drawn into their world and share their awe when faced with something strange and beautiful.
A House of Call begins as a traditional ghost story, but the remnants from the past take on a different shape and tone than expected. Wonderful descriptions of the wild and desolate English countryside makes for a very atmospheric story.
There is a sensation that every word in Sarban’s stories was carefully thought out and chosen to convey a very specific atmosphere, and the effectiveness of his prose lies in his keen sense of mystery. There is also a similarity to Machen in his stories, the mystical, the beautiful that lingers just out of reach, behind a veil that Sarban carefully lifts for us to see what hidden wonders or terrors that might lurk just beyond our sense of reality....more
Swan River Press’ Uncertainties vol. 1 is a wonderful anthology that presents some of the finest contemporary writers exploring the strange and eerie.Swan River Press’ Uncertainties vol. 1 is a wonderful anthology that presents some of the finest contemporary writers exploring the strange and eerie. Each tale feels like it brings a fresh new perspective on the uncanny and all the stories were a delight to read. A couple of authors that stuck out was; Timothy J. Jarvis with his tale Flyblown, something deeply repulsive underlying a scorned love drama, it felt fresh and disturbing, it’s one of those stories that will stick with me for a long time. Lynda E. Rucker was another I’d not read anything by but heard only good things, and her tale The Séance showed me that she is a writer I need to read more of. A chilling exploration into the sinister art of a lost childhood friend. Another tale that really struck a chord with me was On a Clear Day by Robert Neilson, a story that embodies everything I love about strange fiction. It felt almost like a meditation on the unknown and the unreal, and this resonated very deeply with me. There is also a tale by Mark Valentine here; To the Eternal One, where he brings his usual flair for the uncertain to the tale, delightful to read as his fiction always is. Brian Showers has done an admirable job editing the anthology and picked a selection of stories that all feel deeply rooted in the uncertain and strange in different ways, and all of them are highly readable....more
In Peter Bell’s Labyrinth, the narrative takes us to an idyllic village, Thruxington, in England, where our protagonist, Norah Banks, is writing her dIn Peter Bell’s Labyrinth, the narrative takes us to an idyllic village, Thruxington, in England, where our protagonist, Norah Banks, is writing her dissertation on the Roman myth of Proserpina. The village is surrounded by old wells, moors, and caves. Norah arrives there during festival season when the locals dress up the surrounding wells to celebrate ascension day, but there is a far older presence over the wells in the area, which might even predate the Roman presence there.
Peter Bell’s story revolves around the survival of pre-Christian myths in England, hidden wells of Pagan importance and a veritable labyrinth, honeycombing the earth with pools and rivers. An uncanny and vivid sense of place is one of Peter Bell’s strongest qualities, from the small cozy cottage with its fire warm hearth, to the mist-shrouded moors and crags that surround the little village, the environs truly come to life in his prose. Norah comes off as being a headstrong, resourceful young woman, plunged further into a mystery than she had planned when she started her dissertation. There is a quiet aura of melancholy over her, the longing for love not spoken aloud drives her ambition, making her character more relatable and sympathetic. Bell deftly weaves Roman myths, folklore, and other authors into the narrative with great effect, even some strange works by R. Murray Gilchrist might have some bearing on the curious local topography. Labyrinth is a stellar folk-horror tale and a wonderful opener to this collection.
A Chess Game at Michaelmas by Mark Valentine is the next tale in the collection, and it is a superbly written tale that touches on strange folklore and the survival of strange traditions in England whose meaning has long been lost to time.
I don’t want to write too much of a synopsis to this tale as it should be experienced fresh when going in, preserving every bit of the wonderful mystery that Valentine has written. There is something homely and alluring over this story as there is in many of Mark Valentine’s tales. It matches a feeling of mystery and of awe that’s very hard for me to explain. I can think of few other authors who’s work resonates this deeply with me. Eerie and at times beautiful this tale alone is worth the price of the book in my opinion.
The Old Man of the Woods by Reggie Oliver is a delightfully spooky story of a British gentleman who buys an old property in France to live out his retirement. The old house is surrounded by a strange, dense wood which mildly perturbs him, as he is uncertain of what to do with it. He sees strange shadows out in the woods, and soon he learns of a sinister local legend that sheds an eerie light over the mystery.
Reggie Oliver delivers, as usual, a fine ghostly tale; his prose is elegant and presents us with a delightfully creepy mystery in a remote part of France. There is even some humor thrown in here that works well within the narrative.
Cropmarks by Derek John is the final tale of the collection, a story about a midlife crisis where our protagonist purchases a deconsecrated chapel in Ireland to live with his Wicca priestess partner and two other women, selling dream catchers, trinkets, and having nightly Wicca rituals. Then one of the locals discovers a strange circle of stones surrounding the chapel and things take a turn towards the sinister.
This tale was unfortunately not as good as the others, the prose is fine and the narrative flows very nicely, but I had troubles with the protagonists and the problems they faced. There is a notion of dime-store occultism in the face of old folklore did not quite work in my opinion and the denouement left me rather indifferent to the whole affair, unfortunately.
Overall this was a stellar collection of supernatural tales that deal with landscape and folklore. Bell and Valentine’s stories were easily the highlights for me, and the book should be sought out for those two tales alone. ...more
The stories in Strange Epiphanies are steeped in melancholy and isolation, with characters often suffer from depression or a lingering sadness, who seThe stories in Strange Epiphanies are steeped in melancholy and isolation, with characters often suffer from depression or a lingering sadness, who seems drawn to isolated places with a mystic aura over them. Through this brooding loneliness and melancholy, Bell has an incredible sense of place in his prose, with locations that enhance the somber and strange mood of his tales. From a forlorn island in Scotland to the deep, wolf-haunted woods of the Carpathians, these locations often feels like the center point of the stories and out of this he manages to conjure forth a truly excellent atmosphere that lies heavily over these tales. And in the background, there lingers a vague terror, waiting to be discovered.
Bell’s prose is comparable with M.R. James, Reggie Oliver and Robert Aickman, melding old influences with new, always showing a firm grasp over both worlds in his writing. There is a wonderful vagueness over the supernatural element in many of these stories, where the looming sense of revelation feels as much as a psychological manifestation as it does a specter that has taken material form, this creeping uncertainty is reminiscent of the uncanny in the works of both Robert Aickman and Walter de La Mare. This uncertainty manifests itself in his often-unstable characters and shows their tenuous grip on reality slowly beginning to disintegrate.
The tales in this collection are a rare treat to read for the connoisseur of the weird, but one, in particular, stood out for me; “A Midsummer Ramble in the Carpathians” an almost novella-length tale about an eerie travelogue through the Carpathians during the 1800s, using gothic tropes and the intensely moody setting of the Carpathian landscape to create one of the most distinctive short stories I’ve read in a long time.
Peter Bell’s stories show a mastery of the uncanny short story, through an incredibly atmospheric sense of place and loneliness, the psychological aspect of his characters as well as the looming presence of supernatural dread, he shows himself to be one of the finest contemporary practitioners of the weird and eerie. ...more
The first tale of the collection, Ravissante tells of a curious manuscript of a painter that is being read by our protagonist upon the painter's deathThe first tale of the collection, Ravissante tells of a curious manuscript of a painter that is being read by our protagonist upon the painter's death. It tells of a strange episode in Belgium, where the artist is visiting the elderly widow of one of his favorite artists. The story seems to thrive on alienation between the characters, nothing can be perceived until it’s too late. Aickman’s prose and turn of phrases through the story create an atmosphere that is so unbelievably unsettling, it’s almost hard to read on at a certain point. Details present themselves after finishing this tale, but they all hint at something far more terrible under the surface. I can actually not remember being this badly shaken by a short story before.
The Inner Room tells of a strange childhood gift, an ornate dollhouse filled with eerie dolls, but seemingly sealed. There is something off about the geometry of the house, a hidden room that will have some cryptic meaning for our protagonist in the future.
Never visit Venice has a dark pessimism lingering over it, not only of the state of Venice and the tourists that are slowly ruining the city but towards life itself. The protagonist seems lost within his own mediocracy and trapped within an introverted state that he seems unable to fathom. Seeking consolation in the company of women, he cannot seem to open himself to them either. What he seeks is a dream, an illusion without a clear purpose. He cannot clearly see the beginning of it, but there is a vague sense of familiarity over the looming dreadfulness of the ending.
The Unsettled Dust takes place in a curious and forgotten corner of England, where two elderly sisters live in a large home, immaculately kept, except for the dust everywhere. Here Aickman draws forth something wonderfully eerie from his keen sense of place, and the notion of something unresolved in the past. It struck me as poignant in the tale of a small river running through the landscape, so obscure that the people who live there haven’t even heard of it. There is a notion here that some people would rather forget than try to mend the ravages of time.
The Houses of the Russians show how masterfully Aickman played with the reader's expectations, the oncoming denouement, and the supernatural in his tales. Here as in many of his other stories, there lurks something more horrifying than is let on through the narrative somehow, a deeply disturbing clue that evades the reader’s attention.
No Stronger Than a Flowerexplores the complex expectations of a relationship. Where a cruel demand is suddenly met and one part of the couple experiences a loss of control and strange new urges arise from it. A makeover will bring change, total change sometimes not only physically but psychically as well.
In The Ciceronesa tourist's urge to experience something holy, something beyond a mere tourist attraction in a cathedral in Belgium. Suddenly he finds himself trapped within something exalted, in communion with something he doesn’t understand. I’m not sure I understand either, even upon the second reading of this eerie tale.
Into the Wood tells of a strange sanatorium nestled within the Swedish woods. Filled with insomniacs, an English housewife experiences something strange during her 2-day visit to the place. It is as if the lack of sleep attunes them to something, another meaning found within the labyrinthine forests that surrounds the sanatorium.
The strangeness that lies over Aickman’s stories is hard to shake, some of them lingered with me for days in the back of my mind like a bad dream. The prose is as complex and razor-sharp as ever, each word seems carefully placed and works perfectly together to create his unique brand of terrifying mystery. His incredible sense of place, characters, and strange situations cement him as one of the very greatest practitioners of the uncanny and ghostly, and Sub Rosa is one of the finest short story collections I’ve come across period....more
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