|
|
Post by ripper on Dec 19, 2014 15:30:21 GMT
Christmas Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley (Bloomsbury 2012) Blurb: From malevolent snowmen to Father Christmas - with a difference ... Chris Priestley is on absolute top form in these atmospheric, clever and thoroughly chilling stories. Add a new kind of thrill to the fluffiest of seasons with seven brilliantly conceived examples of why you'd better be good at Christmas time. For stories which can be enjoyed by the whole family, unwrap these perfectly formed festive tales of terror, each with a gripping yarn and genius twist. Singing carols may never seem quite the same again ... especially after dark. This festive collection in Chris Priestley's Tales of Terror series is only available on Kindle so far as I am aware. There are 7 fairly short stories, each set over the Christmas period and each taking place in the past--Victorian/Edwardian period it appears. Unlike the other titles in the Tales of Terror series there is no framing story, which surprised me somewhat. All 7 stories I found enjoyable, though, as usual with any anthology, some more than others. For me, the stand-out tale was the one about the snowman. Probably the couple that would be at the bottom of my enjoyment list being the ones about the Green Man and the choir; though both were okay, they didn't chill me as much as the rest. In most of the stories, someone meets a sticky end, sometimes deserved, though often they were just exhibiting the foibles and weaknesses of us all, and in one case an overtly kind act by a vicar and his son fails to save them from a nasty fate. Though aimed at children, this collection can be enjoyed by adults as well. As I said, it is rather short and can be read within a couple of hours. As is usually the case when I read the Tales of Terror series, I ended up wanting more. If you like Chris Priestley's work then you should like this one. The tales are atmospheric with some genuine chills, just right for cold, bleak nights. |
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Dec 20, 2014 11:40:44 GMT
Just a quick listing of the stories:
1. The Green Man: A boy's stepfather is cajoled by his wife into taking greenery from a forbidden copse to decorate the house with nasty results.
2. The Musical Box: A girl finds a fire-damaged musical box in the attic. Later, while her governess is taking her to the midnight service she returns home alone when the governess injures herself. But who is the mysterious girl who is following her?
3. The Snowman: A boy dreads the Christmas visit of his uncle and cousin as the cousin is a bully. After accidentally bloodying his cousin's nose the boy buries a bloodied handkerchief inside a snowman.
4. Frost: A vicar and his son visit a poor family on their way to Christmas dinner at the Grange. The vicar discovers that his parishoner's nephew has a talent for drawing, but the subject of the drawing disturbs the vicar.
5. In the Bleak Mid-Winter: A choir goes around singing carols to raise money for the church and also for themselves. On the way home they are warned by one choirboy not to sing as the ground they are walking over is a plague pit. He is laughed at, but who are those people walking towards them?
6. Soot: Staying with her cousin over Christmas, a girl is disturbed by rustlings in their bedroom chimney. Her cousin says it is Father Christmas and the girl fears it is rats, but who or what is it really?
7. The Last Present: A girl witnesses a pedlar selling a battered musical drummer boy being chased away from her house. Later, the drummer boy is found as a present under the Christmas tree.
|
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Dec 20, 2014 15:41:23 GMT
Ripper, you rotter! This sounds too good to miss. And I suppose now you're going to tell us you have The Teacher's Tales of Terror, too? Bah!
|
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Dec 20, 2014 20:20:54 GMT
I bought Teacher's Tales of Terror a while ago. I will re-read it and write it up for the board. If I remember correctly it is quite short--shorter than Christmas Tales of Terror.
Christmas Tales of Terror is a pretty fine collection, and, as always with this series, highly recommended. As I said before, I thought The Snowman was the best story, but I also really liked Frost. The stories are mostly rather grim--not explicit, but there are few happy endings in the Tales of Terror series.
The only problem I have is that I have now read all the series, so I hope Chris will write more :-).
|
|
|
|
Post by cauldronbrewer on Jul 20, 2015 19:56:02 GMT
Ripper, you rotter! This sounds too good to miss. And I suppose now you're going to tell us you have The Teacher's Tales of Terror, too? Bah! I finally read The Teacher's Tales of Terror. It's not Priestley's top shelf material, but it's still an enjoyable read. It includes three stories ("The Jet Brooch," "Simon Magus," and "Lydia") plus the obligatory framing story. Of the three, I liked the middle one the best. My edition is a flip book. The other side is Traction City by Philip Reeve, a short prequel to his Mortal Engines series. It's worth a read too (though it's science fiction, not horror). For that matter, Mortal Engines is one of my favorite books among the ones I've read this year. |
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Jul 21, 2015 18:35:44 GMT
Thanks, Mr. Brewer. I've fallen way behind on CP's prodigious output since that ebook-only release of Christmas ..., so will see if the library can help out with Teacher.
|
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Jul 24, 2015 20:13:04 GMT
Crikey, I have been so remiss in not writing up Teacher's Tales of Terror, but I would go along with Mr CB in his assessment, though I only have the Kindle version. I think the problem with the book is that it is
very short and when one or two stories are of lesser quality, the whole collection is dragged down far more than in a larger collection. I quite enjoyed the one about the brooch. The framing story had a few twists and turns and didn't go where I was expecting it to. Not CP's best collection by far but still worth reading. What I like about CP's work is that he doesn't talk down to children, nor molly-coddle them with stories about friendly ghosts; in CP's stories there are few happy endings and even if you are good there is no guarantee that you will reap your deserved reward.
|
|
|
|
Post by cauldronbrewer on May 23, 2019 17:02:42 GMT
What I like about CP's work is that he doesn't talk down to children, nor molly-coddle them with stories about friendly ghosts; in CP's stories there are few happy endings and even if you are good there is no guarantee that you will reap your deserved reward. A few days ago, I happened upon a slim book by Chris Priestley: Still Water (Barrington Stoke, 2018). It's really more of a short novella than a novel, and aimed at fairly young readers, but there's no molly-coddling here. The tale follows Rosie, a young girl from London who's shipped off to the countryside as WWII looms. Unfortunately for her, it's a change for the worse: The daughter of her host relentlessly bullies her, and the only local girl who seems interested in talking to Rosie is the ghost in Witches' Pond. Not necessarily a friendly ghost, either. The print layout of the book is somewhat odd, but there are some simple-yet-effective little illustrations, and the story itself has the old-fashioned creepiness that made the Tales of Terror series so much fun. |
|
|
|
Post by cauldronbrewer on Feb 18, 2020 16:12:43 GMT
A few days ago, I happened upon a slim book by Chris Priestley: Still Water (Barrington Stoke, 2018). It's really more of a short novella than a novel, and aimed at fairly young readers, but there's no molly-coddling here. The tale follows Rosie, a young girl from London who's shipped off to the countryside as WWII looms. Unfortunately for her, it's a change for the worse: The daughter of her host relentlessly bullies her, and the only local girl who seems interested in talking to Rosie is the ghost in Witches' Pond. Not necessarily a friendly ghost, either. The print layout of the book is somewhat odd, but there are some simple-yet-effective little illustrations, and the story itself has the old-fashioned creepiness that made the Tales of Terror series so much fun. Priestley recently published another book with the same press: Seven Ghosts (Barrington Stoke, 2019). This one's a collection of short tales within a framing story, much like the Tales of Terror series. As with Still Water, the target audience is relatively young, and the stories are accordingly simple, but Priestley fans may still enjoy them--they tend to feature rather gruesome fates for the young protagonists. No points for guessing the resolution for the framing story, at least not for anyone who's seen {Spoiler}The Sixth Sense, or The Others, or any other "dead all along" story. Seven Ghosts shares the same slightly odd layout as Still Water, but it turns out that Barrington Stoke specializes in books for dyslexic readers, so good for them. |
|
|
|
Post by darkbrabo on Mar 10, 2020 0:13:41 GMT
People who liked Priestley's terrific series - I surely did btw - should also give Grisly Tales From Tumblewater by Bruno Vincent a try. Originally published in 1980 and finally republished some twenty years later, it tells the story of an orphan boy who arrives in a bleak miserable town called Tumblewater. After getting in trouble with the town owner, Caspian Prye, he is taken in by an underground society. Several members of that society have some rather macabre stories to offer.
Also similar in tone are Achter Donkere Ramen and De Man Met De Staak by Bies Van Ede. Especially the first gives the Priestley books a serious run for their money.
|
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 10, 2021 18:30:16 GMT
Finally nabbed a copy ... Chris Priestley - The Teachers Tales of Terror/ Philip Reeve - Traction City, (Bloomsbury/ Scholastic, for World Book Day, March 2011) Chris Priestley
Mr. Munro
The Jet Brooch
Simon Magus
Lydia
Philip Reeve
Traction CityRipper, you rotter! This sounds too good to miss. And I suppose now you're going to tell us you have The Teacher's Tales of Terror, too? Bah! I finally read The Teacher's Tales of Terror. It's not Priestley's top shelf material, but it's still an enjoyable read. It includes three stories ("The Jet Brooch," "Simon Magus," and "Lydia") plus the obligatory framing story. Of the three, I liked the middle one the best. My edition is a flip book. The other side is Traction City by Philip Reeve, a short prequel to his Mortal Engines series. It's worth a read too (though it's science fiction, not horror). For that matter, Mortal Engines is one of my favorite books among the ones I've read this year. Crikey, I have been so remiss in not writing up Teacher's Tales of Terror, but I would go along with Mr CB in his assessment, though I only have the Kindle version. I think the problem with the book is that it is very short and when one or two stories are of lesser quality, the whole collection is dragged down far more than in a larger collection. I quite enjoyed the one about the brooch. The framing story had a few twists and turns and didn't go where I was expecting it to. Not CP's best collection by far but still worth reading. What I like about CP's work is that he doesn't talk down to children, nor molly-coddle them with stories about friendly ghosts; in CP's stories there are few happy endings and even if you are good there is no guarantee that you will reap your deserved reward. |
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 12, 2021 12:15:14 GMT
The Teacher's Tales of Terror
Mr. Munro: St. Apollonia's school on National Book Day. To mark the occasion, staff, pupils and their parents adopt Victorian fancy dress for a commemorative photograph. When Mr. Filbert cries off sick, Mrs. Nesbit arranges for a supply teacher. She and fast regrets doing so. Mr. Munro, a joyless soul who appears to have stepped out of the previous century, is assigned a class of children known for their excitability. The stand in has just the remedy for exuberant behaviour. He reads the youngsters three macabre ghost stories.
The Jet Brooch: Six months after the death of her husband, Mrs. Taplow takes the children on holiday to Whitby. Much to daughter Martha's annoyance, they visit a dreary old jewellers, Mum insisting she choose a black trinket in remembrance of her father by. Despite her sulk, Martha is strangely attracted to a piece depicting a snake devouring its own tail. Fans of a certain Dulcie Gray story will have a shrewd idea what to expect.
Simon Magus: A horrible kid with an unhealthy fondness for the torture and suffering of others, discovers the deadly secret behind a painting depicting the magician's demon-assisted levitation in defiance of St. Peter.
Lydia: Lady Overton's guilt over her role in favoured daughter Lydia's death drives her to commit an act of terrible desecration. My pick of the three by a distance - in fact, it's up there among my very favourite CP stories to date. Framing story skilfully concluded, too.
|
|
|
|
Post by cauldronbrewer on Feb 12, 2021 12:38:00 GMT
Sadly, it doesn't appear that a print version of Christmas Tales of Terror is coming out anytime soon, so I may need to break down and read the ebook version.
|
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Feb 18, 2021 14:18:27 GMT
The Teacher's Tales of Terror Mr. Munro: St. Apollonia's school on National Book Day. To mark the occasion, staff, pupils and their parents adopt Victorian fancy dress for a commemorative photograph. When Mr. Filbert cries off sick, Mrs. Nesbit arranges for a supply teacher. She and fast regrets doing so. Mr. Munro, a joyless soul who appears to have stepped out of the previous century, is assigned a class of children known for their excitability. The stand in has just the remedy for exuberant behaviour. He reads the youngsters three macabre ghost stories. The Jet Brooch: Six months after the death of her husband, Mrs. Taplow takes the children on holiday to Whitby. Much to daughter Martha's annoyance, they visit a dreary old jewellers, Mum insisting she choose a black trinket in remembrance of her father by. Despite her sulk, Martha is strangely attracted to a piece depicting a snake devouring its own tail. Fans of a certain Dulcie Gray story will have a shrewd idea what to expect. Simon Magus: A horrible kid with an unhealthy fondness for the torture and suffering of others, discovers the deadly secret behind a painting depicting the magician's demon-assisted levitation in defiance of St. Peter. Lydia: Lady Overton's guilt over her role in favoured daughter Lydia's death drives her to commit an act of terrible desecration. My pick of the three by a distance - in fact, it's up there among my very favourite CP stories to date. Framing story skilfully concluded, too. Agreed that Lydia is the pick of the bunch. I also quite enjoyed the framing story; it didn't go where I was expecting it to. The other two tales were okay, but are put in the shade by Lydia. |
|
|
|
Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Sept 5, 2021 20:32:47 GMT
Just discovered that Priestley has a new ghost story collection out, called Freeze.
The blurb:
When Maya and her classmates are asked to write a creepy story with a winter theme, they come up with some brilliant ideas. Rising floodwaters uncover long-buried bodies and ghostly children take to the ice on a frozen canal. But as each of the stories is read out in class, Maya grows more and more uncomfortable. She features in each of her friends' creepy tales and they start to feel a little too real. Finally, when a mysterious new girl stands up to read the last story of the day, the light outside dims and it starts to snow. The classroom starts to freeze but everyone is trapped. Can Maya stop the story before the nightmare comes true?
Sounds like it might be in Tales of Terror territory.
|
|
