Bernard Taylor - This is Midnight: Stories

[dem bones]

Bernard Taylor - This is Midnight: Stories (Valancourt, 2019; originally Centipede Press, July 2017)

Bernard Taylor - Introduction

Out of Sorts
Mama's Boy
Forget-Me-Not
Our Last Nanny
Cera
One of the Family
Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake
My Very Good Friend
Samhain
Peace Offering
Travelling Light
Mommy's Programme
Green Fingers

Blurb:


In ‘Out of Sorts’, things get hairy for a man’s wife and his mistress when he begins to feel unwell on the night of a full moon. In ‘Travelling Light’, a traveller is obliged to share a room with a strange man who knows a little too much about a series of inexplicable murders in which wives have been slain by their husbands. A tourist fascinated by the serial killer John Reginald Christie undergoes an uncanny and horrific experience on a trip to London in ‘Forget—Me-Not’. And in ‘Samhain’, marital strife threatens to turn deadly when a witch resorts to black magic to do away with her pathetic husband.

The thirteen stories collected here represent the complete short fiction of Bernard Taylor, one of the best-selling horror writers of the 1970's and ’80s, author of The Godsend and Mother’s Boys, both adapted for film, and Sweetheart, Sweetheart, hailed by Charles L. Grant as the finest ghost story of all time. In these tales, which often feature an unexpectedly cruel or bizarre twist, Taylor offers a clever mixture of horror and black humour that will delight fans of the genre.

Could resist no longer.

Introduction: The author recalls how getting lost late at night near Ladbroke Grove inspired Forget-me-not, a story about a strip of John Reginald Christie's haunted wallpaper. Also admits to borrowing the theme of an MR James story for one of his supernatural horror novels .....

Out of Sorts: (Charles L. Grant [ed.]. The Dodd, Mead Gallery of Horror, 1983). Beast in the attic fun set in Tallowford village, Yorks. Paul Gunn is furious at wife Sylvia for scheduling the woman's circle meeting for tonight of all nights. To make matters worse, Sylvia's proposal that Norma Russell - Paul's fancy bit on the side - be elected to the committee has been accepted unanimously. He daren't be around when she is in the house for more reasons than one. Sylvia, fully aware of this latest affair, has hit on a ruse to detain her rival beyond nightfall.

Green Fingers: (London Evening News, 8 March 1975, as In the Garden of Evil). All that pottering in the garden works wonders for Aunt Ada, sixty-eight years of age and still blessed with robust health. More's the pity. Nephew 'Tom-Tom' is itching to inherit that sexy sixty grand. Time to speed up the process.

[dem bones]

These three original to the collection. Particularly like the first pair, Mama's Boy, less so.

Mommy's Programme: Three-year-old Laurie Rooney learns a harsh last life lesson; woe betide anyone who comes between mommy and her daily fix of popular medical soap, This Is Our Life. Delightfully sick.

Peace Offering: Greg arrives to collect two-year-old daughter, Jeannie, from a first, supervised, weekend reunion with her mother since the acrimonious divorce. The Court ruled overwhelmingly in Greg's favour. Not only does he get to keep the house in Salisbury, he's also won sole custody of the child on account of Maureen's violent tendencies. Not unexpectedly, the judgement does not sit well with Maureen or her mother, Mrs. Cavendish, who's been hostile toward Greg from day one. Yet here they are offering him dinner! Though he detests every second in their company, still it would ill-mannered to spurn this unexpected olive branch ....

Mama's Boy: A widower holidaying in Florence, spies on a mother's efforts to raise infant twins in the most demanding circumstances.

[dem bones]

My Very Good Friend: (Mary Danby, [ed.] Frighteners, 1974). Hideously deformed, lonesome Pierre, raises his pet praying mantis on a miracle growth serum of his own concoction, 'Emil' proves an inappropriate choice of name for his amorous friend.

Cera: (Mary Danby, [ed.] Frighteners, 1974). Were-Angler fish on the low-key rampage; the beautiful Cera Tiidae restricting herself to just the one victim, her diminutive husband, and he seems happy enough with the arrangement. The lovers set up home on the cliff at Thorsall Down for easy access to the sea. Greg Marchant, who never forgave Cera for throwing him over for a short man, inadvertently brings about the lovers' demise. "We are what we are."

Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake: (Mary Danby, [ed.] Frighteners 2, 1976). Precocious baby has had enough of negligent pub-darts-bingo-chips mum and her one night stands - how best to acquire an upgrade?

Samhain: (Charles L. Grant, [ed.] Final Shadows, 1991). Domineering Doris wants rid of tiresome, henpecked husband and take up with the new initiate, fit young Steve Walker from Lyddiard, but, to date, her persistent persecution of Arthur has failed to have desired effect. Nothing else for it but to take up clay modelling and destroy him with voodoo. Hadn't read this one until now, absolutely loved it.

[dem bones]

Forget-Me-Not: (Richard Davis [ed.], Years Best horror Stories III, 1975: Published in Britain as The Orbit Book of Horror Stories, 1976). Sandra Kesselar, a 26-year-old New Yorker, arrives in London to take a teaching job in Notting Hill. Sandra develops an obsession with serial killer John Reginald Halliday Christie, whose house on Raston Close (formerly Rillington Place; the street was renamed after his execution) is facing demolition. Once the wrecking ball has done its worst, Sandra tears a strip of dirty wallpaper from the ruins to pin up in her bedsit by the photo of 'Reg' and smiling bride. It spreads ...

Our Last Nanny: (Mary Danby [ed.], 8th Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories, 1973, as "The Godsend"). Nine-year-old Caro still misses Janie, the lovely, cheery plump nanny who would perform such wonderful tricks to keep she and Rick entertained. But then her brother fell ill with weird bite-size 'pimples.' Of course, the little twerp insisted that he was under attack from two-inch high grasshoppers after dark, but that's soppy boys for you, always showing off. Strange how Janie ballooned in weight as Rick withered away and died - it's not like anyone ever saw her eat! A story for those who find the events of Cera too plausible.

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One of the Family: (Johnny Mains [ed.] Screaming Book of Horror, 2012). Twenty-four-year -old New Yorker Guy Allenbury, takes advantage of his first visit to England to look up his West Country relatives. A nicer bunch of retards, raving xenophobes, S&M freaks and psychopathic criminals than Aunt Mildred, Uncle Maurice, Cousin Joe Alleny and his wife Morffyd you couldn't wish never to meet.
A nasty one on which to end.

Travelling Light: (Mary Danby [ed.], 65 Great Stories of the Supernatural, 1979). A hotel admin error sees Gideon obliged to share a room with a stranger, Mr. Travers. The fellow seems ok, but Gideon feels uneasy watching him shave as it only serves as a reminder of the recent bloody murder spree; eight men have inexplicably hacked down their wives with razors....

That rare exception where I reckon you could sit down, read the stories in a glut, and not get bored with any dip in form or overmuch sameness. It's only a shame he's not a prolific short story writer. Very recommended.

[David A. Riley]

Feb 5, 2022 10:19:18 GMT dem bones said:

That rare exception where I reckon you could sit down, read the stories in a glut, and not get bored with any dip in form or overmuch sameness. it's only a shame he's not a prolific short story writer. Very recommended.

You've sold me on it. I have now ordered a copy of the paperback from amazon. I'm looking forward to reading it.

[dem bones]

Feb 5, 2022 15:29:00 GMT David A. Riley said:

You've sold me on it. I have now ordered a copy of the paperback from amazon. I'm looking forward to reading it.

I hope you'll share your verdict! It doubtless helps if you're a fan of his novels, but I'm confident you'll have a good time with Mr. Taylor.