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Post by ropardoe on Jun 13, 2018 8:57:16 GMT
Off the top of my head, the only phantom-hitcher (avowed) fiction I can think of are the relatively recent examples in Sherman & DeCandido's hit and miss Urban Horrors selection. Have drawn a complete blank on variations on Michael Arlen's 'The Phantom Footsteps' though know they are out there! Am also particularly interested in supernatural and/or horror fiction rooted in 'The Hook' and 'Typhoid Mary / AIDs Harry' legends. As ever, any suggestions welcome. It being an unwritten rule at the time - in fact I think it was written at the time in the All Hallows guidelines - that you should never write a story based around the Phantom Hitchhiker legend, Steve Duffy accepted the challenge. It was with considerable success too, I think. "The Vanishing Hitchhiker" appeared in Supernatural Tales 1 (2001). He followed up with an equally good take on the Hook legend: "The Hook" appeared in Supernatural Tales 3 (2002). At around the same time, I think his story "Numbers", in Queer Fear II (2002) is a take on one of the Aids urban legends.
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 12, 2018 12:40:07 GMT
Loosely related to the article on Jack Finney and the Disappearance of Rudolph Fentz, The Demon In The Cathedral concerns an account of an 'authentic' Mexican haunting published in Fate (Sept. 1977) which, shall we say, probably owes more than a little to MRJ's An Episode Of Cathedral History. Responding to critics who remarked the similarities, authors Bound and Lopez were adamant they'd no familiarity with James' work and their piece was based on documentary evidence provided them by a 'Professor Carrasco' and his aide, Jorge Zaragoza Carmona. Ro ponders the delightful possibility that the pair were themselves the victims of a hoax perpetuated by a mischievous 'Professor Carrasco' and his aide, Jorge Zaragoza Carmona. The Three Fortunate Concealments highlights an instance of MRJ subverting extant Celtic folklore to create a new (Anglo-Saxon) myth - namely "the three crowns of East Anglia' - via 'A Warning To The Curious.' And then there's Fluttering Draperies. All you ever needed to know about "MRJ's horror of cloth" and the likely origins of this peculiar faux phobia. From the 'Everlasting Club' writings, Wraiths don't show up on CCTV (except when they do). Not what this reader was expecting from the title but a riposte to a smug lit. bore's snooty, self-aggrandizing, and wildly misguided remarks on the ghost story. Am glad Ro cites Roald Dahl as an example of another cosy establishment non-authority on the subject, his pompous introduction to A Book Of Ghost Stories being a classic example of the "anything I don't like is hopeless" school. Judged on his seven intro's to The Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories, Robert Aickman also had plenty of this about him, but at least he wasn't boring with it. Finally for time being, Adventures of a Jamesian Detective (or Agatha Christie's Pardoe as it's known chez Dem) will resonate with anyone whose investigations of a literary mystery have met with success. Part 2, where-in the author identifies the lucky recipient of a copy of Thackeray's 'Ballads' dedicated by MRJ, is especially cheering. I think "Wraiths don't show up on CCTV" is the only article in the book where I get really angry! As for the Jamesian Detective piece, I wish I had more of that sort of investigation work to do (at reasonable rates, of course!).
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 6, 2018 10:11:41 GMT
What was that film - it was on the Horror Channel again a couple of weeks ago - in which someone appears to wear a silver painted colander to protect himself from being taken over by aliens? Apparently it works too, but I've never been tempted to try it: I'd rather be taken over by aliens than look that silly. Your secret is safe with us.... I refuse to comment on the grounds that it might incriminate me! I can answer my own question though - the film was They Came From Beyond Space. Two stars on IMDB and that's being generous - I reckon it gets one of the stars for the colander.
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 6, 2018 8:43:22 GMT
Pretty much anything by von Daniken would qualify I reckon. You know, "Was god an astronaut?", "Chariots of the gods", that kind of thing. Every copy should come complete with a sheet of tinfoil and the appropriate hat-making origami instructions. What was that film - it was on the Horror Channel again a couple of weeks ago - in which someone appears to wear a silver painted colander to protect himself from being taken over by aliens? Apparently it works too, but I've never been tempted to try it: I'd rather be taken over by aliens than look that silly. You're right about Von Daniken, of course, and he's still at it now: I believe he had another book out quite recently.
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 6, 2018 8:40:16 GMT
And we can't forget this one... However hard we try!
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 6, 2018 8:31:17 GMT
Mark Valentine has just posted a lovely write-up of The Black Pilgrimage on the Wormwoodiana blog: wormwoodiana.blogspot.com. As I've told him, I think even I'd want to read the book after seeing his final paragraph! And there's another very nice write-up on the Supernatural Tales blog: suptales.blogspot.com. It is slightly misleading, though, in that it says there are articles by other authors in the book. I guess this refers to a couple of articles which I co-wrote with my sister Jane; and another couple co-written with Darroll (all credited accordingly). But otherwise it's all me!
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 5, 2018 9:33:53 GMT
Thanks Kev. Hope you enjoy it - I'm very happy with it. In case people missed my post in the Shadow Publishing thread, here's a link to a great write-up by Mark Valentine on the Wormwoodiana blog: wormwoodiana.blogspot.com
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 4, 2018 19:37:08 GMT
I once rewatched Buffy with a copy of the book to hand and made a note of at least a dozen pages which appear in various episodes. (I know what you're thinking - yes, I must have been short of things to do with my time back then!) Seems like legitimate scholarship to me. If you published your findings. Otherwise, I am not sure. No, not scholarship, just geekiness!
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 4, 2018 16:08:47 GMT
Mark Valentine has just posted a lovely write-up of The Black Pilgrimage on the Wormwoodiana blog: wormwoodiana.blogspot.com. As I've told him, I think even I'd want to read the book after seeing his final paragraph!
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 4, 2018 14:51:32 GMT
There are some great nut books there, and some I shall need to follow up. Some aren't what I'd considered nut books though - The Old Straight Track, for instance, and the Heuvelmans. Now here's an interesting little note about one of the books: Witchcraft, Magic and Alchemy. Anyone remember in Buffy how they would often consult an arcane tome on magic, demons, etc.? Nine times out of ten, this was Witchcraft, Magic and Alchemy, sometimes with the page slightly doctored, sometimes completely straight. I once rewatched Buffy with a copy of the book to hand and made a note of at least a dozen pages which appear in various episodes. (I know what you're thinking - yes, I must have been short of things to do with my time back then!)
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 3, 2018 8:40:16 GMT
I've been a bit scarce lately, so I don't know if it's been previously mentioned, but according to the latest edition of David Langford's SF fanzine "Ansible" (https://news.ansible.uk/a371.html), Eddy Bertin passed away on 19 May, aged 73. RIP. Mark Yes, I saw that there too. By the time Ansible comes out each month, I'm usually well up on the genre deaths mentioned there (mainly since I read the wonderful File 770 every day), but Eddy's was news to me. Sad.
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 1, 2018 17:28:37 GMT
That's what it says. MRJ could definitely have made it as a GP. This is MRJ writing neatly! Yes, really. I'd love to know who the letter was written to, but there are no clues.
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Post by ropardoe on May 31, 2018 17:50:19 GMT
Just heard from David Sutton that he's got the first supply of The Black Pilgrimage and will be mailing copies out to advance orders (of which there are a very satisfactory number) over the next few days. My copies should be with me later in the week. I'm even more excited now! Received the email to tell me my copy is on its way. Really looking forward to it - as if there was ever any doubt there. Mine just arrived this afternoon. I'm very pleased with it. I believe David will be sending out all the advance orders, review copies, etc., over the next couple of days.
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Post by ropardoe on May 29, 2018 18:09:54 GMT
Just heard from David Sutton that he's got the first supply of The Black Pilgrimage and will be mailing copies out to advance orders (of which there are a very satisfactory number) over the next few days. My copies should be with me later in the week. I'm even more excited now!
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Mazes
May 29, 2018 8:14:25 GMT
Post by ropardoe on May 29, 2018 8:14:25 GMT
About two years ago I raised the subject of maze stories in an MRJ thread, complaining that I didn't know of a list of such, let alone an anthology. Kev commented: "I think you may have to take the lead on that one, Ro". While hastening to note that I have no plans whatsoever to put together such an anthology, I've been prompted by the forthcoming appearance of a maze story in the next Ghosts & Scholars to have a go at a list. Here then is my preliminary attempt. I've tried to note the first appearance of each of the tales (which is not, of course, necessarily the place where it's most accessible). Please add whatever you can! There are some great stories here and there's no doubt they'd make a nice collection, but not edited by me!
And yet... and yet...
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