This is bit late, but at least I haven’t missed the date completely. I have been traveling today and really haven’t had a chance to post anything of substance. I hope everyone has a safe Halloween evening.
The minion jack o’lantern pretty much sums up my thoughts after learning of Sean Connery’s passing this morning.
But things are gloomy enough. Have a safe and happy evening, everyone.
One of the best ghost story writers of the 1800s was Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Fans of this type of literature are probably familiar with him, especially those who enjoyed an older style of writing.
“Carmilla” is arguably the best vampire story that predates Bram Stoker and Dracula. It contains some genuinely scary scenes. It also has strong lesbian elements.
I first read “Carmilla” back in high school, but that was so long ago that most of the details had fallen out of the holes in my head when I reread it for the first time last weekend. My memory was that I had really enjoyed it when I was a teenager, and I wasn’t disappointed this time. Continue reading
Dracula’s Ghost
Charles R. Rutledge
ebook $2.99
A while back, like just over a year ago, I reviewed Dracula’s Revenge by Charles R. Rutledge. It was a great novella with some nice surprises. Now he’s given us a sequel, and it’s as good as the first, and it also has some nice surprises, although they are a little subtle, such as the name of at least one of the uniformed police officers who has brief appearance.
Jennifer Grail is still having nightmares from when she learned that Dracula was a real person, not a fictional character. That’s when more vampires show up. it turns out that Bram Stoker wasn’t the only one to fictionalize a real vampire. And no, it’s not Varney. Although I won’t be surprised if he shows up in a later book. And if you think the female vampire on the cover is Elizabeth Bathory, think again. Although if she shows up in a forthcoming book, that would be cool. (I have no idea if Mr. Rutledge is going to write any more vampire tales, but I hope so.)
Jennifer turns to Carter de Camp for help. The new vampire in town is trying to resurrect Dracula.
This is a fast paced novella, and Rutledge puts as much action and character development in it as some writers would in a full length novel. There’s no padding or fluff. Just a rousing good tale, perfect for this time of year.
I had the pleasure of reading two other stories recently by Mr. Rutledge, both featuring Carter de Camp, one in the forthcoming Skelos #4 and one in Castle of Horror Anthology volume 4. Those stories didn’t involve vampires, but they were related in setting and what work of horror they related to. I’ve always enjoyed Charles’s work, but reading these three works, all of which I highly recommend, gave me a greater appreciation of just how good a writer he is. Check his stuff out. You’ll be glad you did.
In the Palace of Shadow and Joy
D. J. Butler
Baen
trade paper $16.00
ebook $8.99
I’d like to thank Mr. Butler for providing a copy of this novel. I won it a few months ago in a raffle he held.
This is a fantasy adventure that will appeal to fans of Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, although this story isn’t quite as dark as some of Leiber’s tales and has more humor. The publisher’s advertising copy says its a far future adventure, but I’m not seeing the far future aspect of it.
Indrajit and Fix are two down on their luck guys who are hired to protect an actress and singer, Ilsa Without Peer. Isla is the last of her race, and she is something of a slave to a powerful man in the city. She performs at one of the premiere theaters in town, The Palace of Shadow and Joy. A risk contract (think insurance policy) has been taken out on her. The risk merchant who holds part of the contract wants them to provide additional security. He’s got ulterior motives.
Things go wrong very quickly.
Today, October 21, is the birthday of Edmond Hamilton (1904-1977). He’s a favorite around these here parts. In observance of his birthday, I’m going to look at two stories from What’s It Like Out There?. I snagged a copy in great condition for a song last weekend, so this was the book I went to. This is a break from my usual practice of reviewing stories that are easily available. Copies of What’s It Like Out There? aren’t too hard to come by, though.
The back cover copy of What’s It Like Out There? says this is a collection of Hamilton’s best stories. The publication date is 1974, and the publisher was Ace, so this collection predates the Ballantine collection The Best of Edmond Hamilton by roughly three years. It’s interesting to note that What’s It Like Out There? has a dozen stories from the 1940s and 1950s, with one story from the early 60s, with the majority from the 40s. The Best of Edmond Hamilton has 21, from the 1920s to the late 60s. The title story of the Ace collection, “What’s It Like Out There?”, is the only duplication between them.
Hamilton is best remembered as a science fiction writer, but he wrote his share of fantasy and weird tales. In fact both of the stories we’ll look at are from Weird Tales. Neither are major works, but they are both entertaining. Continue reading
Today, October 19, marks the birth of R. H. Malden (1879-1951). Malden was a friend of M. R. James. He only published one collection of stories, Nine Ghosts, in 1943, but it was a popular seller, even with World War II raging.
Tonight’s story is a little chiller about a group who rent an old Irish house. The owner is an officer in the army who is single.
The sitting room, dining room, and billiard room compose the rooms on the south side of the house. Portraits of family members going back a couple of centuries line the walls. In the dining room there is one picture over the fireplace that isn’t of a family member. It’s a menacing picture showing a man astride a chair with his back to the viewer and facing the fireplace. He’s turning to look over his shoulder, but it looks like his neck is twisted more that is should be. The man’s neck doesn’t appear to be broken because in the painting, he’s very much alive.
There are dark family secrets, strange winds coming from and blowing into the fireplace, a mysterious figure in a dream, and a secret society that came to a bad end in some way.
If that sounds like a lot, it is, although when I read the story, it didn’t seem that way. Malden did an excellent job with his tale, and I found reading it to be an entirely satisfying experience. I’ll be reading the rest of this book.
I’m going to engage in a bit of shameless self-promotion. My latest publication is now available. It’s a story entitled “The Head of St. Brandon”. It’s in the latest volume from Rogue Blades Entertainment, As You Wish!. The stories are in the vein of The Princess Bride. This isn’t Princess Bride fan fiction.
Here’s what RBE has to say about it:
Classical romantic adventures in homage to William Goldman’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE. This omnibus includes SOMEBODY KILL THE PRINCE! – diabolical machinations defeated – and MOSTLY DEAD! – diabolical tortures defeated – by all the mostly ‘good parts’ of heroic family entertainment with true love and loyalty. Fun stories to share with all the family, stories that put a smile on readers’ faces! Authors include: Hayley Reese Chow, Carrie L. Clickard, Christopher Degni, Sarina Dorie, Gabriel Ertsgaard, Livia Finucci, Jalyn Renae Fiske, M T Ingoldby, Jessica Lévai, T. A. Markitan, Sarah Murray, Meghan K. O’Neill, Henry Ram, Emily Martha Sorensen, Jeff Stewart, J. B. Toner, and Keith West. Cover art by Bill Cavalier. Foreword by Fred Durbin. Edited by Jason M Waltz and Ty Johnston.
I’m proud to have a story in this volume, and I’m looking forward to the other stories. As You Wish! is available in print for $14 and in ebook for $4.
Dorothy McIlwraith
Dorothy McIlwraith (1891-1976) was born on this date, October 14. She was the editor of Weird Tales from 1940-1954, when the publication died its first “death”.
Most fans of the Unique Magazine don’t consider her tenure at the editorial helm to be as good as that of Farnsworth Wright. I’m not sure that’s a fair comparison. By the time Ms. McIlwraith took her position, the greatest three writers were gone: Howard and Lovecraft were dead, and Clark Ashton Smith had pretty much stopped writing fiction. Other writers from the 20’s and 30’s had also passed on, such as Henry S. Whitehead.
But other regulars continued to publish there, such as Seabury Quinn and Carl Jacobi. And look at some of the names that graced the covers and tables of contents in those years. Ray Bradbury. Manly Wade Wellman. Robert Bloch. August Derleth. Theodore Sturgeon. Plus Lee Brown Coye illustrated many of those issues.
Of course the tone and contents of the magazine changed with the passing of the Big Three, but things were changing anyway. That can be seen in the other pulps as well. I, for one, like what McIlwraith published in the magazine. Bradbury’s stories from Weird Tales were some of the first dark fantasy and horror that I read as a kid. There’s a lot noise these days about how women weren’t welcomed in the fields of the fantastic before [insert current Year Zero here].
As I’ve stated elsewhere in more than one place (such as here and here), there were women in the field in the early days, and they and their achievements need to be remembered.