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Post by dem bones on Aug 8, 2015 11:57:44 GMT
Thanks for sharing, Paul! And another magnificent Neil Williams cover painting.
Franklin, I've always found Mr. Fry an absolute gent to do business with. The last thing I'd usually advise anyone to do is "say you're from Vault," but in this solitary instance it might possibly go in your favour!
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Post by franklinmarsh on Aug 8, 2015 12:01:14 GMT
At the risk of sounding like an ad man, there is talk at Gray Friar that some reduced-price packages may be available during the run-in to Christmas for those who buy Terror Tales of the Ocean. Can't guarantee this as it won't be my decision, but it sounds likely. And I'm going to break one of my own rules here, and reveal the cover art for Ocean, though it's best not to run a separate thread on this yet, D, as it's likely to be late autumn before it's avaialable. View Attachment Hey, be an adman all you like with news like this, Paul. Great cover. I'm running out of superlatives for these stories - Carole Johnstone - The Claife Crier Not just a good story, but the father/daughter trip alongside the woods is an object lesson in writing fear. The Monster of Renwick Back on track!
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Post by franklinmarsh on Aug 10, 2015 11:02:42 GMT
Peter Crowther - Jewels in the Dust
Bizarre! Starts off in a lovely light-hearted tone, at odds with much of the rest of the volume so far, and then...turns into a ghost story with a heart-warming ending. Aaaiiieeeeee!!!! Different. More an observation than a criticism, but for such a thoroughly British collection, there's number of Americanisms in here.
The Devil’s Hole
Yes.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Aug 11, 2015 12:02:34 GMT
Ramsey Campbell - Above the World
Obsession? Guilt? I don't know. I want to use the term Aickmanesque but daren't. Everything/nothing. Read once, and then read again. the descriptions of landscape and flora enchanting. What's it about? I don't know. Nightmares of Burnmoor
Horses and coffins. Yes again.
Gary Fry - The Jilted Bride of Windermere
Had a much better time with this than Keeping It In The Family in BB6. The whole ghastly social entanglement of a wedding . The protagonist's self-deprecation (apparently the Hipsters call it a humble brag these days) - I wonder about his choice of career. The Hell of other people. And that local legend. A corner-of-the-eye tale - that just might be true. An upbeat ending that shouldn't be
The Horror at Carlisle Castle
I wish I'd seen Peter Watkins' Culloden. Horrible.
Steven Savile - Walk the Last Mile
I'd been pondering the difference between this collection of TTs and the good ol' Black Books. I'm enjoying these but was missing some nastiness and a few cultural references. WTLM dished them up in spades. Be careful what you wish for. Oddly I recently picked up a 3 cd alternative 80s package from a local supermarket and was grooving to The Cure, Bauhaus and The Jesus & Mary Chain last night so began to identify with the adolescent here until he...Good grief. Coming after the other stories ambivalence, supernatural leanings and subtlety, this was a bit of a shock.
The Poltergeist of Walla Crag
Is he still there?
Peter Bell - Framed
After the nasty, comes the trad. arr. light-hearted morality tale. Great stuff.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Aug 12, 2015 11:44:34 GMT
Fiend’s Fell
It doesn't exist! Nice to know attempts at exorcism are, at best, useless.
Anna Taborska - Night of the Crone
'kinell! Ms Taborska continues to astound and delight. This pulp-fuelled mayhem continues TTOTLD's lurch from quiet but absorbing stealthy terror into full-on gory but supernatural horror. Absolutely marvellous. A group of yoof cult ne'er-do-wells get their come-uppance from a once-imprisoned hag of a harpy who's in no mood to mess about. Bloody SUV's!
The Tortured Souls of Lord’s Rake
With a number of stories involving walking in the area, this sort of thing sends shudders down the spine.
Gary McMahon - Along Life’s Trail
Hah! The early stories seemed obsessed with naming as many B roads of the locale as possible, and latterly we seem to be attempting the world record for mentioning the word 'cagoule' in a horror collection. Still, here's the ultimate landlord's tale - a publican so unpopular he was shredded by an allegedly mythical creature. Idle holidaymaker Murray is rather concerned about blood trails - especially when he's still being followed by one after leaving the Lake District to return home to Newcastle. Really enjoyed this 'un.
The Black Hound of Shap
Hellhounds formed from the very mist!
Just Reggie to go now, and the adrenalin rush of the last few stories has me experiencing that tinge of regret you feel when approaching the end of a worthy collection.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 12, 2015 13:35:22 GMT
Steven Savile - Walk the Last Mile I'd been pondering the difference between this collection of TTs and the good ol' Black Books. I'm enjoying these but was missing some nastiness and a few cultural references. WTLM dished them up in spades. Be careful what you wish for. Oddly I recently picked up a 3 cd alternative 80s package from a local supermarket and was grooving to The Cure, Bauhaus and The Jesus & Mary Chain last night so began to identify with the adolescent here until he...Good grief. Coming after the other stories ambivalence, supernatural leanings and subtlety, this was a bit of a shock. Yeah, there are several 'Terror Tales' could hold their own in a Black Book and vice versa, Graeme Hurry's Shelleycoat, Gary Fry's Jack-Knife and Rosie Seymour's The Housekeeper from the recent ... of the Scottish Highland being cases in point, or seems that way to me. Likewise, Lady Probert's The Pier ( Seventh Black Book Of Horror would sit perfectly in Terror Tales Of The Seaside, and, should Mr. Finch ever compile a Terror Tales Of Bognor, there's Gary Power's modern shudder pulp, Deeper Than Dark Water, from Vol 10. The Grey Friar of Whitby's The Jilted Bride of Windermere is a brill trad(ish) ghost story gone horrible, and I knew you'd like Night Of The Crone!
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Post by franklinmarsh on Aug 12, 2015 13:47:01 GMT
Not 'arf! Anna's stuff just gets better and better. I now have BB8 as a follow up and hope to pick up a Terror Tales and a BB each month going forward.(Cotswolds!) Also hyped up about Kitchen Sink Gothic.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Aug 13, 2015 11:08:51 GMT
Reggie Oliver - Striding Edge
And so with great sadness, we reach the end of the journey. Well, not too much sadness, because there's loads of other volumes and, as with Anna T. I'm falling in love with Reggie O.'s stories. He hits the ball out of the park early on with the use of 'anorak' as opposed to the dreaded 'cagoule'. Considering he's (bad pun alert) treading similar paths to earlier stories , this is never less than fascinating, primarily because of the human element, and Mr Oliver's ability (like some others) to conjure dread from the most ordinary of situations. A terrific ending to a great book.
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Post by Shrink Proof on Aug 13, 2015 19:50:08 GMT
An excellent collection. I passed my copy on to a friend who lives miles from nowhere in the Lakes and who knows many of the story locations well. Apparently this makes it even creepier...
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Post by dem bones on Aug 14, 2015 17:29:16 GMT
Not 'arf! Anna's stuff just gets better and better. I now have BB8 as a follow up and hope to pick up a Terror Tales and a BB each month going forward.(Cotswolds!) Also hyped up about Kitchen Sink Gothic. Kitchen Sink Gothic is next on my hit-list (toward end of month, most likely, along with an earlier Grey Friar offering). Very glad you liked your first taste of the Terror Tales!
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Aug 15, 2015 9:35:05 GMT
Not 'arf! Anna's stuff just gets better and better. I now have BB8 as a follow up and hope to pick up a Terror Tales and a BB each month going forward.(Cotswolds!) Also hyped up about Kitchen Sink Gothic. Kitchen Sink Gothic is next on my hit-list (toward end of month, most likely, along with an earlier Grey Friar offering). Very glad you liked your first taste of the Terror Tales! I'm on page 104 of Kitchen Sink Gothic and enjoying it immensely. It's a very strong pack. At the moment the story which has captured the Kitchen Sink mood most for me is '1964'. Maybe it's because I was five at the time it's set and really remember guys at school asking if I was a mod or a rocker and the story feels very much steeped in personal experience.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Aug 15, 2015 11:25:07 GMT
I'm on page 104 of Kitchen Sink Gothic and enjoying it immensely. It's a very strong pack. At the moment the story which has captured the Kitchen Sink mood most for me is '1964'. Maybe it's because I was five at the time it's set and really remember guys at school asking if I was a mod or a rocker and the story feels very much steeped in personal experience. Some of it is, but not necessarily my own.
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Post by ripper on Aug 18, 2015 10:59:05 GMT
This one arrived through my letterbox a couple of days ago. I am reading it in order, which is unusual for me. So far, I have just finished 'The Claife Crier' and have enjoyed every story and non-fiction offering. All varied stories but each in their own way tense and disturbing. I love malevolent doll tales and the first story is a doozy. Paul Finch didn't disappoint with his story--very creepy. The thing in 'The Cliefe Crier' reminded me just a little of the nasty in M.R. James' 'A Neighbour's Landmark' with its wailing cry. Looking forward to reading some more tonight. My favourite non-fiction so far is 'The Tawney Boy.'
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Post by ripper on Aug 19, 2015 8:46:16 GMT
Just a few words about Simon Bestwick's contribution. Excellent, tense, and I so wanted the narrator and his wife to escape.
Peter Crowther's tale is by far the gentlest of the stories up til now. I was expecting it to turn nasty at some time but it didn't. Poignant and oddly uplifting--make the most of each day is the message, I think.
Ramsey Campbell's offering is another tense tale, with vivid descriptions, but I think I need to read it again. As is often the case with his stories, there are many subtleties that I miss first time around.
Gary Fry--just superb. Probably the pick of the stories so far for me. The narrator seems perfectly aware of what will happen when he lets his blotto pal sleep in the room that used to be occupied by the jilted bride.
About 2/3 of the way through now and overall it has been extremely good and enjoyable.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Aug 19, 2015 10:29:39 GMT
Go, Rip! So glad that you're not only enjoying this, but seem to be having the same reactions to the stories. Be interesting to see what you make of the next lot. It's all gonna go off!
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