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Post by Paul Finch on Oct 23, 2021 11:18:54 GMT
At this risk of blatant self-pimping, guys, TERROR TALES OF THE SCOTTISH LOWLANDS is now officially available in ebook and paperback. Thanks for all the interest so far.
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Post by Shrink Proof on Oct 23, 2021 11:28:59 GMT
At this risk of blatant self-pimping, guys, TERROR TALES OF THE SCOTTISH LOWLANDS is now officially available in ebook and paperback. Thanks for all the interest so far. Erm... not self-pimping in the least. If the ebook and paperback formats had been available from the off, telling folk that back then would have simply been a case of passing on information. As it is now. Great book, btw...
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Post by andydecker on May 15, 2022 11:48:20 GMT
I finally made a start.
M. W. Craven - The Moss-Trooper A bloody great start to a Terror Tales in every sense of the word, someone said more eloquently as I ever could.
Bastions of Dread and the rest of the inserts.
As a foreigner you get the distinct impression that Scotland was not much fun in the 15th, 16th and 17th century when reading those. I just know some basics, Queen Mary, Darnley, King Charles, Laud and so on, what you get when reading Wedgwood and Frasier, and watching too much tv. Hello, Outlander. But to get a crash course in so many atrocities is a bit surprising. Those Scots knew how to harbour a grudge. it seems.
Steve Duffy - The Strathantine Imps Another well-written entry. I liked the setting and the atmosphere, even if some plot elements were a bit vague. Steve Duffy I will look up to see what I have of him and probably never read.
John Alfred Taylor - Gie Me Something ta Eat Afore I Dee
Maybe this is an uninformed predjudice, but I had the impression that this series is more leaning to the cozy side of horror. So this hommage to EC was a nice surprise.
Tracy Fahey - Land of the Foreigner
Not a fan of stories in this style. I guess I have read too many poor Marvel Horror Comics which thought themselves clever but are just pretentious. "You are Michael Morbius and you hunger for blood while your soul shrieks in despair" and so on. But while the story did nothing to me, a bit too soft for my taste, I'll grant it that it was written very well.
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Post by andydecker on May 20, 2022 16:05:12 GMT
The Bloodiest of Ends
Fred Urquhart - Proud Lady in a Cage The Scots and their sadistic punishments. I guess it is a age-thing, but I thought the protagonist Bella pretty unsympathetic. Poor Rod, her fiance. The most depressing thought was that the protagonists surely were not unrealistic. The story is build on a nice idea, and I liked the randomness of Bella's plight, because even if I couldn't stand her type, it is not that she deserved any of this. Still the story didn't exactly blew me away.
The Ghost Road This sounds like one of horrible features on the History Channel. the one with the professor of history, the anthroplogist and the medium.
Reggie Oliver - Drumglass Chapel I am a big fan of Oliver's theatre stories. Festivals, some nice touches like Gas-oven Gertie!, "the outrageous Holocaust musical!," not to forget Groin Strain. Maybe I am over-critical, but I thought the plot all in all a bit too ambiguous. Don't get me wrong, it was an entertaining read, but on the whole it was a bit meh.
The Devil in the Dark CityA nice story.
Anna Taborksa - Two Shakes of a Dead Lamb’s Tail This on the other hand was a lot of fun. It begins very traditional, not another writer in peril, I thought, but unexpectedly it becomes something out of Z-Nation and delivers a few mean-spirited twists. Maybe I should try Black Shuck's cat tales of Ms Taborska after all, even if I detest cat stories.
I’ll Be in Scotland Before You: Poor Perlin' Jean. Nothing like a ghost story to illustrate the dangers of socially unacceptable sex. She can spend eternity as a rotting ghost, he gets his privileged life destroyed.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 2, 2022 6:52:22 GMT
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Post by helrunar on Aug 2, 2022 15:33:04 GMT
That sounds utterly fascinating. Thanks, Dem!
H.
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Post by Dr Strange on Aug 2, 2022 16:47:35 GMT
There's a nice review of Adam Nevill's most recent novel, Cunning Folk (2021), at the bottom of that page. I thought I had posted a review of it somewhere on the Vault myself, but it seems not. I can't really add anything now to what Paul Finch says about it - except that while I was reading it I kept thinking about those "Neighbours from Hell" documentaries you get on TV, and how this would be one where "from Hell" would be especially appropriate. Sure, it's got the tried-and-tested "family from big city moves into spooky house in the country" and "weird country folks with pagan beliefs" tropes going on - but it is Adam Nevill, so it is also relentless, bleak, and disturbing. I suppose it shares some literary DNA with Machen's The White People, and could be seen as a very British take on the likes of TED Klein's The Ceremonies. Nevill's next novel, The Vessel, is due October 31st and looks to be more "folk horror".
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