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Post by dem bones on Nov 5, 2007 18:15:54 GMT
Herbert Van Thal - The 19th Pan Book Of Horror Stories (1978) Dulcie Gray - The Spectre Chris Morgan - Eric And I David Case - Neighbours James Hallums - A Trip Off The Map Norman Kaufman - Lady On Display Guy Delaway - Wild Bees, Golden Honey Edwin Brown - The Brother Dorothy K. Haynes - Zelma, My Sister-In-Law Rosemary Timperley - The Power Cut Diana Forster - Give A Dog A Bone Philip Dell Creed - The Sinister Nursemaid Guy Delaway - The Boy Who Was Afraid To die Simon Walsh - The Inquisitor Robert Holdstock - The Quiet GirlEighteen is dire, but Van Thal made immediate amends. Particularly memorable contributions from Kaufman (his vilest ?), Case, Holdstock and Morgan. Norman Kaufman - Lady On Display: Journalist Wendy interviews Edgar Quill, genial landlord of The Lifeless Lass Public House on the Yeominster Road. You might think The Lifeless Lass a peculiar choice of name for a Pub but it all makes perfect sense when you cop the inspired decor - the naked, stuffed corpse of a murder victim purchased from her parents back in the 'fifties. Trouble is, poor Wilhelmena is showing signs of wear and tear and Edgar is eager for a replacement. David Case - Neighbours: Mr. Harvey, local lad made good, has scandalised the town by returning from Guinea with a black wife. Mrs. Jennings, curtain-twitcher extraordinaire and fully paid up member of the "Now I'm not a racist, but ..." brigade, invites herself around to interrogate Julia, the blushing bride, over tea. "At first I couldn't believe it ... I thought it was just nasty gossip ... why, the way some carried on, one would think you were a cannibal or something". Julia is too distracted by Mrs. Jennings' juicy, plump little boy to be in the least offended. Simon Walsh - The Inquisitor: Toledo. Don Sancho has fallen for Donna Isabella D'Cruz, the beautiful wife of the Grand Inquisitor who certainly didn't get where he is by being merciful. Donna is burnt as an adulteress ("She lived a long time in the flames. Even I closed my ears from the sound of her screams" gloats D'Cruz) while her lover is subjected to prolonged and gruesome torture until he reveals the names of his fellow "heretics". He goes one better and denounces their leader ... Dulcie Gray - The Spectre: From the age of seven Valentine has collected butterflies, though perhaps persecuted butterflies is closer to the truth as he enjoys some warped sexual gratification from slowly squeezing their tiny heads to mush. But then he encounters the Chequered Skipper who wouldn't die.
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Post by Dr Terror on Feb 19, 2008 23:22:24 GMT
Ade wrote:
Yes, good one this. Savage west indeed.
Unusual perhaps that both Delaway's stories in this one feature homosexuality.
I wonder if Chris Morgan is the one who edited Dark Fantasies.
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Post by dem bones on Feb 20, 2008 9:32:41 GMT
I wonder if Chris Morgan is the one who edited Dark Fantasies. I'm almost certain that he is, Charles. I really enjoyed Eric And I when I first read it. Have you tried The Quiet Girl yet? A great vampire variation I found all but impossible to summarise. here's more from killercrab's original review; Dulcie Gray's THE SPECTRE has an E.C. resonance - not particularly nice butterfly collector get's the killing jar medicine. Overall not a bad opener - though the ending is somewhat telegraphed. ERIC AND I by Chris Morgan is a slightly bittersweet tale of adolescent peeping toms and bestiality. It's rather overlong in my opinion - but nevertheless is a solid read . NEIGHBOURS by David Case has a creepy undercurrent dealing with intolerance to*other cultures* and in this case - their cuisine! Interesting if unremarkable. A TRIP OFF THE MAP by Norman Kaufmann is frankly a timewaster - Murray - a BORE shows off his car to the simple villagers of a Monogolian town - does some road trip stuff and meets his fate ..snore. Norman Kaufman's LADY ON DISPLAY is EXCELLENT for all it's 4 and a half pages - grisly , gruesome and deeeelightful !
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Post by Dr Terror on Feb 20, 2008 13:26:25 GMT
Yep, The Quiet Girl was my other favourite from this one.
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Post by franklinmarsh on May 23, 2008 13:55:59 GMT
Arrived today - Huzzah! I love this cover - I think it's shot up the charts to No. 2
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Post by lukemorningstar on Sept 3, 2008 10:49:09 GMT
I loved 'Zelma My Sister In Law' - really creepy. Surely that could be filmed convincingly now with the advent of CGI !! I love the idea of the attache case and the tubes of liquid - very 1970s. Volume 19 I found very hard to get hold of, eventually finding one in a seaside second hand shop - surely one of the best places to find sought after Pan books?
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Post by Johnlprobert on Sept 3, 2008 11:58:10 GMT
I got my mint No.19 in a second hand shop in Brecon!
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Post by allthingshorror on Jan 7, 2009 8:47:21 GMT
Just had Simon Walsh get in touch via the website. His story was the only thing he's ever had published......
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Post by erebus on Feb 19, 2015 20:10:05 GMT
At one time this was believed to be one of the most rare of Pan's. Cannot think why as its not really a memorable volume and is a step down from the poorly judged number 18 ( Are you listening Mr Dem ? ) So what do we have ? SPECTRE. Dulcie Grey is always well written, non more so than here. Its a stylish little chiller to begin with and really gets to you, UNTIL, the eventual perpetrator. Is it really that ? Or was it in fact a mental breakdown and a figment of his disordered mind, he does see a few things prior to this. Its just a bit crazy to expect a giant one of those to come walking through the bedroom door. Anyway...... ERIC AND I. And adolescent peeping Tom, whats not to like, although this one gets more than what he bargained for. I like the little spin on the tale, as I thought it had werewolf written all over it. NEIGHBOURS. Unusual for David Case to deliver such a short story. Rather subtle in delivery, shame the nosy Mrs Jennings never made the pot. TRIP OFF THE MAP A pompous show off gets lost in the middle of nowhere in his fancy new motor car. Had all the makings of a grand slam slice em up nasty, sadly a punch in the chops to end the story just doesn't suffice. LADY ON DISPLAY. Always good value Norman Kaufman. You have to wonder what kind of clientele would be comfortable supping a pint in a pub with a rotting lass hanging from the beam behind the bar. I'd drink there . WILD BEES AND GOLDEN HONEY. The longest story in the book isn't always the best. This is not the best but horrid for different reasons. I find Priests being raped multiple times by Mexican bandits who tie you to trees and pour honey over you for the ants to devour you, always uncomfortable. Good tale though. ZELMA MY SISTER IN LAW. Just a little to out-there for my liking, but the chap can never complain he has a nagging wife can he. THE BROTHER. A poor wife suffers with a cruel jealous green eyed monster of a husband, Things get even worse when she meets Peter his brother, fresh from the loony bin after a spate of rape and murder . Little nod to the Urban Legends in the very final lines in the story too. POWERCUT. Sorry Rosemary, just stick to what you're good at, and that's the ghost stories. This becomes clumsy and weary after a good opening. GIVE A DOG A BONE. Best contender ever for the most give away story title ever . But I liked this one, Although it did retread very similar territory. THE SINISTER NURSEMAID. A snake as a bodyguard and babysitter is a novel idea, But not novel enough to be a story in a Pan book as it just doesn't work for me . I mean come on how hard could it be to run away from a bloody Cobra for Heavens sake. THE BOY WHO WAS AFRAID TO DIE. More males being raped by males in the second story by the author in this book. Young village lad is molested by a tyranical Pathan Chief officer. He then tops himself. Uncomfortable reading, but unnecessary . Am I missing something ? THE QUIET GIRL. Corpses in Graveyards are dug up and eaten by a witch reincarnated in a young girl. Now thats more like it. Contender for best story in the book. THE INQUISITOR Reading this really reminded me of Stuart Gordon's film version of Pit and the Pendulum, and The Assassin by Raymond Williams in volume 8 . Torture aplenty is always a winner in my book.
In summary a weak collection. Nothing stands out except Norman Kaufmans story, and The Quiet Girl. The rest are instantly forgettable . And COFFIN FLIES in volume 18 is far more superior than the whole of this volume. Think I'll have another go over of 20 whilst I'm on a roll.
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Post by dem bones on Feb 19, 2015 21:01:51 GMT
This from Vault MK I, October 2005. Amazing how ones tastes change in a decade. **** Had a go at this one a few months back, and enjoyed it far more than I thought I would although I don't think I completed it yet. Nevertheless, there was enough in your post to intrigue me - it just goes to show yet again, different strokes, etc.
For what it's worth, my two picks of the bunch were "Eric And I" (!) and "The Quiet Girl", with "Lady On Display" worthy of an honorable mention on account of it's sheer nastiness with the villain of the piece doing his best be be one of Richard Laymon's less endearing psycho's. "Wild Bees ..." I'll have to read now because I'm certain I skipped it, but I'm surprised you didn't enjoy "A Trip Off The Map". I thought there was something vaguely reminiscent of your average NEL shocker in that one, and the ending - however inevitable - worked for me.
"Neighbours" is fairly slight for Case, especially after "The Hunter" and "The Cell". I think he intended it as a sick parody of the dubious comedy of the day, "Love Thy Neighbour", with the twist being that everything the white bigot suspects his 'coloured' neighbour of doing proves to be entirely correct.
I'm ashamed to admit that I routinely skip Dulcie Gray and Martin Waddell these days, and I'm getting that way with Rosemary Timperley too (lonely child victim upon lonely child victim). It won't last though - I always think I'm missing out, and besides, some writers and stories I couldn't get along with 15 years ago, are now among my favourites. **** I got the last bit right at least, and in the intervening years have come to appreciate Dulcie Gray in particular, though still find the ultra-prolific Ro Timperley's ghost & horror stories hit and miss (as, according to Richard Dalby, did she. "She regarded her ghost stories as ephemeral fare, not worthy of revival ... She never kept any of her own stories, nor any of the anthologies in which they appeared."). I still think storming Norman's Lady On Display is his greatest contribution to Eng. lit. Thats another bloody Pan to revisit.
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Post by dem bones on Feb 22, 2015 8:14:49 GMT
Right. Re-match underway, beginning with three from the support cast. Diana Forster - Give A Dog A Bone: Unnamed protagonist meticulously plots despised wife's murder, paying particular detail to disposal of the body. To this end he invests in a pair of particularly temperamental Doberman Pinschers - and starves them. Agree with Mr. E. that the hackneyed title does this one no favours, but a decent variation on a familiar theme if not quite up there with Maurice Level's The Kennel or Charles Birkin's rip-off of tribute to same. Guy Delaway - The Boy Who Was Afraid To Die: Young Kishor is too beautiful for his own good. When the Pathan army arrive to "liberate" his peaceful Hindu village, the people surrender and hope for the best. They are herded into a hut and blown to pieces. All save Kishor. The Moslem leader, a sadistic homosexual, has other uses for him. "We Pathans have a proverb. A woman for duty: a boy for pleasure." Edwin Brown - The Brother: "She had caught the expression in his eyes and knew, beyond doubt now, that she was married to an unstable, probably dangerous, psychopath with strong sado-masochistic leanings." Marry in haste, repent at leisure. Can it only have been two months since Stella first set eyes on handsome, debonair Charles Ralston? Already it feels like an eternity. But for all that Charles is a brutal, pathologically possessive mummy's boy (see above for Stella's diagnosis), compared to his brother Peter he's a model of sanity and restraint. Peter has spent the last few years in a "special hospital" on account of his appetite for rape with violence. But he's cured now, and Mrs Ralston thinks it would be a nice idea if Charles and his new bride came over to welcome him home. THE BOY WHO WAS AFRAID TO DIE. More males being raped by males in the second story by the author in this book. Young village lad is molested by a tyranical Pathan Chief officer. He then tops himself. Uncomfortable reading, but unnecessary . Am I missing something ? I'm not sure Kishor tops himself. Isn't it more a case of the Pathan psycho not knowing his own strength (he had the boy by the throat at the time)? Seems to me like this story can't make up its mind whether its intended as a diseased fairy tale or straight war crime reportage.
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Post by erebus on Feb 22, 2015 13:16:34 GMT
Yes, you're spot on, he does not top himself as I so ignorantly stated. I blame it on reading to many books at the same time . Always great to see you read and add your views to the Volumes Dem. Wondering if your opinion of this book will change once you are through though.
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Post by dem bones on Feb 22, 2015 18:24:04 GMT
Two more. The first delicious, the second - not quite.
Chris Morgan - Eric And I: Michael, a 40 year old psychiatric nurse, reminisces on his youth when, as an outcast ten year old, he befriended Eric Jenks, a deformed, wheelchair-bound cripple with a massive head and a problem with full moons. At the age of twelve, Michael falls for his first girl, Margaret, a nurse at the local mental hospital who rents a room at the Jenkses, and takes to peering through her bedroom window at night, getting lucky on more than one occasion. So begins his career as The Thames Valley's unofficial #1 Peeping Tom. Unfortunately, the night his dream girl catches him ogling her from up a tree in the garden coincides with Eric's "monthly sickness." When a hysterical Margaret runs half-naked into his room it proves too much for the afflicted wretch who tears his manacles from the wall and mauls her to death.
And now, after all these years, their paths cross again. Whatever possesses poor Eric Jenks still strikes every full moon without fail, and he's made several attempts on his own life. When Eric lets on that he remembers Michael from way back when, our galloping globeswatcher decides it would be in his own interest to help an old chum on his way.
Rosemary Timperley - The Power Cut: The protagonist sets out to murder his ex in her bed but, panicked when she switches on a light, succeeds only in slicing off an arm. Dead from the subsequent blood-loss, the "Twiggie"-a-like's ghost haunts him around the clock in the form of a giant amputee. Decent enough but somehow devoid of any sparkle, as if the authoress couldn't wait to get back to writing her current novel-on-the-go. If and when we get a Best Ghost Stories of Rosemary Timperley, I'd be very surprised if the editor saw fit to include The Power Cut.
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Post by dem bones on Feb 23, 2015 8:20:15 GMT
Dorothy K. Haynes - Zelma, My Sister In Law: Dorothy K Haynes could do little wrong in my eyes and while this story may not rank along her very finest, it still makes for a deliciously creepy read. A travelling fair arrives in the village, star attraction 'Zelda, the woman with no head.' The crowd hand over their 50ps and pack the tent, desperate to be disgusted. Zelda obliges by eating her dinner through the tubes affixed to the stump of her neck. After the show, Michael hangs around. He knows its all a trick and, sure enough, the young woman he meets in Zelda's caravan is an absolutely gorgeous gypsy "smasher", so much so that, having been sworn to secrecy by her father, the fairground barker, he takes her home to meet Mum. The happy couple agree to a hush-hush wedding - Zelda is intent on continuing with her lucrative career - and all is well until the small reception when the non-blushing bride slips into character. DKH was hardly renowned for happy(ish) endings and this may be as close as she ever came. A snake as a bodyguard and babysitter is a novel idea, But not novel enough to be a story in a Pan book as it just doesn't work for me . I mean come on how hard could it be to run away from a bloody Cobra for Heavens sake. Its the beady little eyes - they transfix you! Philip Dell Creed - The Sinister Nursemaid: Shades of the '30s-40s Weird Tales throwback about our next story as we travel to a little village near Rajputana, India for some venom-laced mayhem. When Dacoit bandits abduct Hira and Rama Lal's new born baby for ransom, Rakheval, the family's twenty feet King Cobra takes the matter personally and mercilessly hunts down the culprits. Unfortunately the Dacoit are equally ruthless and retaliate in kind with a snake of their own resulting in yet more hideous corpses. The entire amazing and horrific episode is witnessed by Rama's old pal, Major Jonathan Jenkins, who suddenly finds himself too close to the action. For me, it's only The Power Cut and The Boy Who Didn't Want To Die have disappointed so far, and even they're not so bad.
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Post by dem bones on Feb 24, 2015 8:19:33 GMT
Probably a little late for this but: May Contain Spoilers!
James Hallums - A Trip Off The Map: "I'm a citizen of the United States of America. The greatest goddam country in the world. Ain't nothing going to happen to me." Murray Finebaum, self-made millionaire, didn't get where he is today by listening to other people, so when a border guard hands him a card suggesting he stick to the main roads as "the poeple of the villages are primitif and not used to stranjers" it's a given good old Murray will do the complete opposite. Eventually he chances on a small community so obscure it has yet to been charted.
Murray steps out of his swanky new convertible to meet the locals, a rum bunch of stunted, ape-like inbreds, low on gossip, high on superstition. All save the mayor, who is a cultured, well-educated and travelled multi-linguist. Too bad for the stranger that this man has a very low opinion of outsiders in general and Americans in particular. Finebaum's obnoxious personality does nothing to change it.
I understand why some readers are a little prickly toward Mr. Hallum's offering. It is a bit of a swizz. All that preamble only for the author to do a bunk just as the party finally gets underway. What a total rotter!
This is probably a good time to mention that, if you're in it purely and simply for the explicit gore and gloating sadism, vol. 19 is not the ideal Pan for you. Aside from nasty Norman Kaufman's superlative Lady On Display, to my way of thinking the only other out-and-out shocker is this next. Male on female rape has been a staple of Gothic horror lit since the days of Monk Lewis and deSade's Justine, so only fair that men should find themselves on the receiving end for a change, see how they like it!
Guy Delaway - Wild Bees, Golden Honey: To best of my knowledge, Van Thal published just the two stories by this author and did him no favours by including both in the same collection. The Boy Who Was Afraid To Die was only ever going to come off second best to this epic and would have been better saved for a later volume.
War has reduced Rosalita to a ghost village and now the young priest, Francisco Dos Anjos, has received orders from Mexico City to shut down the church and up sticks to Guadalajara. Francisco packs his saddlebags and sets off across the desert by mule, with the church gold hidden inside four pots of honey he's bringing for his sister, Maria, as a present.
Three thoroughly unpleasant bandits follow his tracks. 'El Guapo' (he's the good-looking one), 'El Bruto' (always in a bad mood), and 'El Grueso' (lazy fat slob) catch up with Francisco when he's bathing naked in the spring. 'El Guapo' likes what he sees and "befriends" his new pal. After a token resistance, the Priest, who has been down this road before, quietly gives in. The following morning he makes the fatal mistake of sneaking away. The trio soon catch him up again, and this time they take turns. Even worse is to follow when El Guapo smashes a pot and finds the first gold bar. As punishment for holding out on them, the bandits smear Francisco in honey and stake him out for the soldier ants.
When El Guapo finally rides into Guadalajara he is alone, having murdered his stooges for their share of the gold. All spruced up and dreaming of a new life, he meets and falls in love with a cabaret dancer. Everything's turning out roses. Until Maria asks him to take her to Rosalita as she's worried about her brother. A horrible story is about to get nastier still.
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