Pan Horror 14 - Sir Gore Carruthers

[dem]

Herbert Van Thal (ed.) - 14th Pan Book Of Horror Stories (1973)

Gaylord Sabatini - Vortex Of Horror
Conrad Hill - So Much Work
Harry Turner - Shwartz
Myc Harrison - The Rat Trap
Gerald Atkins - Patent Number
David Case - Strange Roots
Alex White - The Clinic
Myc Harrison - The Spider And The Fly
John Snellings - Change Of Heart
Gilbert Phelps - The Hook
Conrad Hill - The Man And The Boy
R. Chetwynd-Hayes - It Came To Dinner

Gaylord Sabatini - Vortex Of Horror: "The man just hung there quite still while this evil vegetable, in a series of thrusting movements, sawed all round his neck." Driving through the Kalahari desert, Dr. Bloom enters a parallel world where cannibalistic, many tentacled plants rule the roost and humans are staked out and eaten, their severed heads worn as jewellery.

Alex White - The Clinic: And I thought Charles Birkin was the last word in nihilism! This time it's Ellen's turn to undergo the torments of Hell at the hands of her stepfather, stepsister and mother who all loathe her for ... nothing, really. Stepdad Dr. Joubert tries to molest her and her new Sis Therese ceaselessly torments her until finally they decide she should take up a job at one of Joubert's clinics. Or that's what they tell her. In reality, Ellen is being sent there as a patient and, this being an Alex White story, you can tell that the "cure" for her behaviour will be somewhat extreme. Quite possibly the nastiest of AW's stories ... which is saying plenty.

R. Chetwynd-Hayes - It Came To Dinner: East Anglian fenland. Herbert, a tramp, comes in a house in a state of disrepair and, thinking it deserted, decides to spend the night there. He is wrong in his assumption that the old place is empty, but Stafford Carruthers will not hear of it him leaving and instead invites him to spend the night there with Lady Carruthers, daughter Helen, and their butler, Marvin. Herbert soon notices that the Carruthers' enjoy their food - mostly meat dishes - to the point of gluttony, but he really starts feeling uneasy with the arrival at table - unannounced - of Sir Gore Carruthers ...

"Pan loved it and wanted me to do some more, but I told them, 'No, I can't do any more like that.' I just proved to myself that I could write it."

RDH on It Came to Dinner (Skeleton Crew, Sept. 1990).

Gilbert Phelps - The Hook: Why Mrs Rydal always countersigns her invitations with a "Don't bring your own coat-hangers" request, and why there are no hooks to be found in her plush home on the Sussex Downs. It all has to do with her horrible brush with a village idiot in a South American graveyard during her childhood. Mr. Crittal, fresh over from Brazil, seems to know more than he should about the matter ...

Conrad Hill - So Much Work: Martinet Mr Nesbit leads his poor wife a life of soul-crushing misery until the mysterious intervention of Herbert and Horace Croaker, "Creative Funeral Directors", who also do for his infernal daschund, Heinz in an unfortunate late night hearse-mows-down-man-and-dog "accident."

Gerald Atkins - Patent Number: Eddie Richardson has had so many transplants, valve and limb replacements that it's no wonder a little girl asks him "Are you Frankenstein's monster ?" The inscription on his grave says it all.

[Scott Wood]

Might be because I've got a cold but after reading "The Clinic" and "The Spider and the Fly" I lost the will to read anymore. The clinic is pretty nasty but has a black thread running through it. Spider & The Fly isn't a creepy story, it's written by a creepy person. This is the fifth Pan I've read this year though, maaybe I've reached my limit.

I did enjoy "VOrtex of Horror" and "Strange Roots" though.

[footeater]

The Clinic is the finest story in the whole Pan oeuvre, in my opinion. Though I did 'like' Conrad Hill's The Man and the Boy - it was so shocking, so nasty, that I had to re-read the story. In fact, I read those two tales by Alex White and Conrad Hill one after the other, from time to time, just to remind myself what horror fiction once meant.

[dem]

Ashamed to say I don't remember The Man And The Boy (puts it to one side for a re-read) but will never forget The Clinic as long as I live, unquestionably one of the greatest, most spiteful horror stories it has been my pleasure to encounter. For a time there I thought the mysterious Ms. Alex White might indeed be a pseudonym of Charles Birkin's - the style is so similar - but Mike Ashley assured me it wasn't him, so back to the drawing board on that one.

I think there's a case for describing #14 as the quintessential Pan Book of Horror Stories (though have yet to read all of the Clarence Paget ones). There are one or two make-weights, but who wants a 'perfect' PBOH? It just wouldn't be the same.

[allthingshorror]

The Man and the Boy is one of Hills best stories after Bushmaster. The first time I read it when I was 15- it weirded me out so much that I actually didn't get to read It Came to Dinner for a fortnight afterwards because I was loathe to pick up the book again!

As to Birkin being White - I still think White's a woman. Even though the White stories are outrageous, there is a strong womans touch to them. (Oh but won't I look a t**t if Alex turns out to be a man!!)

Though frustratingly there is absolutely nothing on her/him in every place I've phoned - British Library, Royalties - even tracked down a secretary that worked for Van Thal at London Management, but sadly she can't remember.

Am slowly putting together an big press release that will hopefully be taken up by some of the dailies - I'm making sure that Alex White is one of the names mentioned...

Stories I'm fond of in this volume apart from the bleeding obvious- The Rat Trap by Harrison and Cases Strange Roots. But you're right Dem - award for best Pan Book EVER goes to Pan 14!

[dem]

Ha! When it comes to literature, I wouldn't know what 'best' was if it bit me on the arse, but #14 seems to me to be a high-watermark in the second phase of the Pan Horrors. With the magnificent numbers 1-4, Van Thal is really compiling anthologies from his favourite anthologies and there's very little new material. With #5 he goes for a mixture and by the wonderful #8 he's well into his stride and has something unique going with (mostly) then unknown contemporary authors. #2 is arguably the strongest selection of stories, but then most of them are acknowledged 'classics' and not really representative of the series.

Of course, for totally unrepresentative - climbs up on soap-box - look no further than the jobs-for-the-boys Dark Voices: The Best Of The Pan Book Of Horror Stories! We haven''t had a pop at that for ... oh, days!

[footeater]

Speaking of number eight, Mr Demonik, I reread it after reading your post about it and I don't get the joke in the Keefauver story. Does the last line refer to some advertising jingle ('where did the yellow go?' or some such inanity)? I was born in 1970 and I spent most of my formative years in South Africa so I'm not that up on British 60s ads.

I agree with you about the compilation overall, though: it's the nads. Especially The Benefactor and Suitable Applicant.

[dem]

Have to throw that one open for one of our more knowledgeable contributors, mr. foot. Much as i've enjoyed the occasional Keefauver effort, The Most Precious didn't really do it for me.

I'm not exactly playing a blinder here, because when i referred to "the wonderful number 8" in the previous post, i meant number 9, a personal favourite. Eight certainly has its moments - The Assassin, The Children, Suitable Applicant and The Tunnel all score v. highly by me - but nine is absolutely wild!

[franklinmarsh]

Jan 25, 2009 2:20:23 GMT footeater said:

Speaking of number eight, Mr Demonik, I reread it after reading your post about it and I don't get the joke in the Keefauver story. Does the last line refer to some advertising jingle ('where did the yellow go?' or some such inanity)? I was born in 1970 and I spent most of my formative years in South Africa so I'm not that up on British 60s ads.

I believe it refers to popular toothpaste brand of yesteryear Pepsodent.
I used to work with someone who was forever humming "You'll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent". Aaaarrrrrgh.

[footeater]

Many thanks, Franklinmarsh! So the joke was as naff as I'd assumed.

[erebus]

The Clinic is one of the saddest tales I have ever read. Especially in the closing words when the tear rolls down her remaining eye.

On another note. Don't wish to appear sarcastic or anything but Why do folks here call the cover ghoul Sir Gore Carruthers. In the tale if I recall does'nt it say that Gore Carruthers had no eyes just black empty holes ? The cover chap has two, a lovely shade of red they are at that too.

[erebus]

Been re reading a few of the tales in here.

So Much Work : Is a strange and silly tale. Which basically has the reader muttering "is that it ?" Poor sausage dog though.

Patent Number: A pointless page filler. Since when did it become The 14th pan book of Joke stories ?

The Clinic : As stated before one of the most evil tales ever to be written. You need a proper pick-me-up after reading this. Great tale.

The Spider and the Fly: Great little story. Quiet rare in the fact it does'nt contain a single living human being but still gives us a cringe at the last few lines. Superb hiding place Mr Spider.

Change of Heart : Although it is obvious exactly were this one is going right from the off it still is an entertaining little story and one typical of the Pan lore.

It Came to Dinner: As above a see through story but is different by the horrible outcome for the victim at the conclusion. What a hideous way to die * shudders ! *

[dem]

Feb 8, 2009 20:54:14 GMT erebus said:

On another note. Don't wish to appear sarcastic or anything but Why do folks here call the cover ghoul Sir Gore Carruthers. In the tale if I recall does'nt it say that Gore Carruthers had no eyes just black empty holes ? The cover chap has two, a lovely shade of red they are at that too.

Oh, that will be one of mine. Thing is, the fellow on the cover certainly looks very much like how I'd imagined Sir Gore - ghoulish, incredibly glamorous, dead - even if I forgot the small matter of his not having any eyes left.

[marksamuels]

Regarding the eyes of Sir Gore, artistic licence is the answer!

That cover of #14 transports me back to a little newsagents shop in Penge where, as a schoolboy, I used to pick up copies of the series with my pocket money.

I wish newsagents still sold such books.

Mark S.

[The Lurker In The Shadows]

I'm fairly certain that cover is actually a painting of an unmasked Abominable Dr Phibes.