It’s hard to believe that it’s been two decades since Charles L. Grant (1942-2006) left us. His birthday is today, September 12.
Highly prolific, Grant wrote novels and short stories under his own name and a number of pen names. Lionel Fenn was probably the most well-known. He wrote foru gothic novels under the name Deborah Lewis.
Grant was also a major editor. his landmark anthology series, Shadows, set a high standard for short horror and dark fantasy. They are worth tracking down. Reading them would be instructive to anyone wanting to write in a similar vein. He also edited stand alone anthologies and a series set in fictional Greystone Bay.
Grant was the preemininet practitioner of what is known as quiet horror. a subgenre that doesn’t depend on graphic content. That’s the type of horror I prefer. I’ll try to read one of his stories tonight.
What are your favorite Charles L. Grant stories?
So far it is “Coin of the Realm.” about the tollbooth.
All the best
Guy
That’s a good one.
Grant’s novel length work never reached me, but some of his short stories are unforgettable. His collection A Glow of Candles is excellent and seems to me a must-have for anyone interested in a well written macabre tale.
I agree, John. I read A Glow of Candles in either high school or undergrad. I started rereading it last night after I posted here. The percentage of stories in that book that were nominated for major awards is impressive.
I love Grant’s stuff! You’re right about reading “Shadows” being an education in the genre; in the 90s when i was trying to learn how to write stories I read thru the “Shadows” complete in our main library. (Our city consolidated a couple of branch libraries and sold off duplicates so I wound up with a complete set of “Shadows,” plus the “Best Of…”) I’ll agree about loving “quiet horror.” And about “Coin Of the Realm,” which is the one that pops into my head when asked for a favorite Grant story. Don’t forget the wonky novels he wrote as “Lionel Fenn,” including “668, the Neighbor of the Beast.” The title should give you an idea of the tone of his series about an out-of-work actor and his screwball encounters with the strange. Grant was a master storyteller. May he rest well…