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Post by Swampirella on Apr 14, 2017 19:52:35 GMT
While reading an anthology the other day I came across one of John Gordon's stories and I am always amazed that he is not better known than he is. I thought I would try and list every short story of his that I knew of and see if anyone here can fill in some gaps. I have read that he has written over 50 short stories so that would leave a handful unaccounted for. Note: everything marked with a "*" appears in Left in the Dark: The Supernatural Tales of John Gordon released by Medusa Press in 2006. This rare 500 copy collection features 30 stories and only contains one previously unreleased story - The Night Watch - which, thankfully, was included in Best New Horror 18. Also, some of the anthologies I list may not be the original or only appearance of a story. Incomplete listing of John Gordon's short fiction: Core collections- The Spitfire Grave (1979) *All the Children Almost Never *Better the Devil You Know *The Broken O Dowser *The Place The Spitfire Grave Vandal *Without a Mark Catch Your Death (1984) *Catch Your Death *The Girl Outside *Half a Crown *If She Bends, She Breaks *Joby's Print *Little Black Pies *Never Grow Up *Oh, My Bairn *The Pot of Basil The Burning Baby (1992) *The Burning Baby *Death Wish *Eels *The Key *Under the Ice Uncollected short fiction Bewitched (The Young Oxford Book of Supernatural Stories edited by Dennis Pepper 1996) *Black Beads (The Mammoth Book of Dracula edited by Stephen Jones 1997) *The Black Prince (A Quiver of Ghosts edited by Aidan Chambers 1987) *Bone Meal (Bone Meal: Seven More Tales of Terror edited by A. Finnis 1995) Day's End {poem} (Off the Coastal Path: Dark Poems of the Seaside edited by Jo Fletcher 2010) *Grandmother's Footsteps (The Random House Book of Ghost Stories edited by Susan Hill 1991) The Hawk (The Oxford Book of Scary Tales edited by Dennis Pepper 1992) The Ivy Man (The Oxford Book of Christmas Stories edited by Dennis Pepper 1988) *The Kissing Gate (The Young Oxford Book of Christmas Stories edited by Dennis Pepper 2001) *Kroger's Choice (Haunting Ghost Stories edited by Deborah Shine 1980) *Left in the Dark (Ghost Stories edited by Robert Westall 1988) *The Night Watch (The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 18 edited by Stephen Jones 2007) Sam (Horror at Halloween edited by Jo Fletcher 1999) *The Smile of Eugene Ritter (Beware! Beware! edited by Jean Richardson 1987) The Steel Finger (On the Edge edited by Aidan Chambers 1991) *Uncle Walter (The Young Oxford Book of Nightmares edited by Dennis Pepper 2000) User-Friendly (Twisted Circuits: A Sinister Collection of Hi-Tech Tales edited by Mick Gowar 1987) *Vampire in Venice (13 Again edited by A. Finnis 1995) Whisper to Me (Spook: Stories of the Unusual edited by Bryan Newton 1985) The Whistling Boy (The Methuen Book of Strange Tales edited by Jean Russell 1980) If anyone knows of any others, please let me know. Mr. Happy Searched for "Richard Gordon" in the Vault about 3hrs ago, came across these postings instead and of course, I just had to order "Catch Your Death" "The Spitfire Grave" and "The Burning Baby" (despite having just read 2 of the stories in this one)....
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Post by dem bones on Apr 14, 2017 21:09:04 GMT
I revisited Catch Your Death (the story) very recently, hoping against hope that it would still affect me as powerfully as it did on initial acquaintance. It does. Don't think I've ever identified as strongly with a fictional (?) character as I do the narrator.
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Post by Swampirella on Apr 14, 2017 21:15:03 GMT
I revisited Catch Your Death (the story) very recently, hoping against hope that it would still affect me as powerfully as it did on initial acquaintance. It does. Don't think I've ever identified as strongly with a fictional (?) character as I do the narrator. Thank you; that makes me feel better about ordering 3 "childrens" collections. Especially as I just went and ordered 2 Robert Westall collections as well. One of them mainly because of "The Boys Toilets" stories commented on elsewhere in the Vault.
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Post by dem bones on Apr 14, 2017 21:47:17 GMT
Thank you; that makes me feel better about ordering 3 "childrens" collections. Especially as I just went and ordered 2 Robert Westall collections as well. One of them mainly because of "The Boys Toilets" stories commented on elsewhere in the Vault. That his admirers include Ramsey Campbell, Ro Pardoe, the late Karl E. Wagner, Stephen Jones, Mr. Happy and most significantly, me, should tell you you're onto a good thing. Robert Westall is likewise excellent albeit some of his collections are most certainly written specifically for the younger younger reader. Anthony Horowitz, Alison Prince, Chris Priestly, Mary Danby's Nightmares, Ramsey's The Gruesome Book ... note that some of Vault's liveliest threads can be found in this section.
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Post by rawlinson on Apr 14, 2017 22:04:52 GMT
Yeah, Gordon is an excellent writer and I was surprised at just how adult some of the themes in his work actually is. Westall is superb too. Really love his Stones of Muncaster.
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Post by Swampirella on Apr 14, 2017 22:10:10 GMT
Yeah, Gordon is an excellent writer and I was surprised at just how adult some of the themes in his work actually is. Westall is superb too. Really love his Stones of Muncaster. I seem to recall enjoying that one too, in his "Antique Dust" collection.
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Post by Swampirella on Apr 25, 2017 1:41:19 GMT
While reading an anthology the other day I came across one of John Gordon's stories and I am always amazed that he is not better known than he is. I thought I would try and list every short story of his that I knew of and see if anyone here can fill in some gaps. I have read that he has written over 50 short stories so that would leave a handful unaccounted for. Note: everything marked with a "*" appears in Left in the Dark: The Supernatural Tales of John Gordon released by Medusa Press in 2006. This rare 500 copy collection features 30 stories and only contains one previously unreleased story - The Night Watch - which, thankfully, was included in Best New Horror 18. Also, some of the anthologies I list may not be the original or only appearance of a story. Incomplete listing of John Gordon's short fiction: Core collections- The Spitfire Grave (1979) *All the Children Almost Never *Better the Devil You Know *The Broken O Dowser *The Place The Spitfire Grave Vandal *Without a Mark Catch Your Death (1984) *Catch Your Death *The Girl Outside *Half a Crown *If She Bends, She Breaks *Joby's Print *Little Black Pies *Never Grow Up *Oh, My Bairn *The Pot of Basil The Burning Baby (1992) *The Burning Baby *Death Wish *Eels *The Key *Under the Ice Uncollected short fiction Bewitched (The Young Oxford Book of Supernatural Stories edited by Dennis Pepper 1996) *Black Beads (The Mammoth Book of Dracula edited by Stephen Jones 1997) *The Black Prince (A Quiver of Ghosts edited by Aidan Chambers 1987) *Bone Meal (Bone Meal: Seven More Tales of Terror edited by A. Finnis 1995) Day's End {poem} (Off the Coastal Path: Dark Poems of the Seaside edited by Jo Fletcher 2010) *Grandmother's Footsteps (The Random House Book of Ghost Stories edited by Susan Hill 1991) The Hawk (The Oxford Book of Scary Tales edited by Dennis Pepper 1992) The Ivy Man (The Oxford Book of Christmas Stories edited by Dennis Pepper 1988) *The Kissing Gate (The Young Oxford Book of Christmas Stories edited by Dennis Pepper 2001) *Kroger's Choice (Haunting Ghost Stories edited by Deborah Shine 1980) *Left in the Dark (Ghost Stories edited by Robert Westall 1988) *The Night Watch (The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 18 edited by Stephen Jones 2007) Sam (Horror at Halloween edited by Jo Fletcher 1999) *The Smile of Eugene Ritter (Beware! Beware! edited by Jean Richardson 1987) The Steel Finger (On the Edge edited by Aidan Chambers 1991) *Uncle Walter (The Young Oxford Book of Nightmares edited by Dennis Pepper 2000) User-Friendly (Twisted Circuits: A Sinister Collection of Hi-Tech Tales edited by Mick Gowar 1987) *Vampire in Venice (13 Again edited by A. Finnis 1995) Whisper to Me (Spook: Stories of the Unusual edited by Bryan Newton 1985) The Whistling Boy (The Methuen Book of Strange Tales edited by Jean Russell 1980) If anyone knows of any others, please let me know. Mr. Happy Searched for "Richard Gordon" in the Vault about 3hrs ago, came across these postings instead and of course, I just had to order "Catch Your Death" "The Spitfire Grave" and "The Burning Baby" (despite having just read 2 of the stories in this one).... Thanks to this post, I bought "The Spitfire Grave" (and the other two). The Spitfire Grave - It's 1960 and old tramp Len Cooper keeps pestering Bill Cutts, his girlfriend Barbara and their friends with his old war souvenirs. He tell them about his friend Vince Barroway, who crashed his Spitfire outside the village during the war. Bill's mother saw the aftermath and is reluctant to talk about it. Then Len hands Bill a gold ring from Vince to somebody. Who is this gift from beyond the grave for? Good but only briefly scary at one point. The Place - An unnamed fiance and fiancee discuss his paranormal encounter in the home she's going to move into after marriage. The Broken 0 - Only two pages long; rather poetic and melancholic. I'll just let this one surprise you. Vandal - Chiv Cheevers invites his friend Thomo and two girls, Tessa and Yvonne, to a Saturday night picnic on school grounds. Another story that's interesting but not scary or uncanny. Without A Mark - Tom narrates this story. He's thirteen and has just inherited the house of his late uncle, whom he's named after, and his late wife. They were found dead in their living room, "without a mark" on them. Tom gets the keys from the police station and goes to the house to have a look around. Better The Devil You Know - Bella, William, Dorothy, Sonia and Ted hang around town in the evenings after work. They signal each other by whistling, which could "bring down" The Old Man of the Hill on them. People used to worship gods on The Hill. Another well written tale that has a few scary moments near the end. Dowser - A four page tale that seems to be about a little boy and a magic hanger that unlocks a box of toys. I really didn't get this one. All The Children - Mr. and Mrs. Spenlove have retired to a lovely village where she used to have relatives. Mr. Spenlove goes to the vicar's home to consult his register of births and deaths for his book on local history. After reading about an epidemic that killed numerous children, he finds a burial record for "James Rhodes Montague July 23 1974", a year ago today. It turns out that "Montague" died in the churchyard, "of natural causes" as the inquest found, after doing the same research that Spenlove is doing. "The man had a story-teller's instinct". Spenlove decides to stop off at the churchyard after having a few beers at the pub. Not the best of ideas, as it's already full of children playing, about whom the vicar is often quite irate. Finally, a ghost story, and an excellent one at that. Almost Never - It's 1930 and Geordie Jackson and his friends discover a wishing-well which "had almost been engulfed by the tall grey slag heaps that had grown outwards from the steel-works along the Tyne". Wishes almost never come true.... Catch Your Death And Other Ghost Stories Never Grow Up - The unnamed narrator, a 13yr old boy, is talking about his life to the girl whose grave he's lying on. His father is dead and his parents didn't get along too well. It seems his mother left a bottle of tablets around the house regularly, to "tempt" his father when he was feeling low. Catch Your Death - Ron and Sally think they've encountered Black Shuck. Their teacher, Mary Birdsall, has a mother who's selfishness is ruining her life and chance for happiness. Gordon neatly ties up these two plot strands/ If She Bends, She Breaks - Tommy Drake and some other kids go down to play and sled on the ice. Their teacher Miss Carter warned them not to, but everybody knows "If she cracks, she bears. If she bends, she breaks". Can Ben and the new boy prevent a tragedy? Joby's Pint -An old man tells the story of Joby's pint. Despite being dead for years, when the landlord hears the tapping of Joby's stick along the lane, he pulls him a pint. A little while later, it's always empty. One night, a "cocky young devil" scoffs at the story and says he'll drive right through old Joby if he sees him and then drive back and have a drink with him. Of course, this comment has it's consequences. Half a Crown - Polly's grandad annoys her on Christmas Eve. She goes out to get out of the house and encounters a strange, silent boy. The Girl Outside - Tom Shepherd is a reporter for the Advertiser, sent to write a piece on a woman who's just turned 100. As he nears the house he meets an attractive young girl. Oh, My Bairn - Old Bessie Eldon threatens 13yr old Claire that she'll tell her mother she saw her and Tony fooling around in the ditch near her house. In return for not tattling, Claire has to go and buy Bessie a tin of something with the money she gives her. She and Tony decided to pull a prank on Bessie, but it backfires on them.... Little Black Pie - Mature sisters Sarah and Emma Stittle talk about their lives and how they had to look after their mother for years after their father died. By the end of the story, all sorts of unknown events are revealed. The Pot of Basil - Another unnamed narrator here; a scholar who visits an unnamed town in order to study some letters by Keats that had been bequeathed to the town by a nineteenth-century clergyman. After receiving permission from the museum committee chairman and other worthies, the narrator is grudgingly allowed access by the unfriendly curator. He never quite seems to admit to himself that the small boy who slips into the library daily is actually a ghost. The title refers to a rather grisly Keats' poem "Isabella, or The Pot of Basil". A superb story that for me was the highlight of the collection and the reason I'll be hanging on to it.
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Post by dem bones on May 13, 2020 18:11:36 GMT
John Gordon - Catch Your Death and other Ghost Stories (Magnet, 1985: originally Patrick Hardy, 1984) Never Grow Up Catch Your Death If She Bends, She Breaks Joby's Pint Half a Crown The Girl Outside Oh, My Bairn Little Black Pies The Pot of BasilBlurb Imagine yourself at school, feeling alone, cut off, not wanting to join in the general fun, but drawn instead to another loner, and then feel the shock of discovering that both of you exist only in the land of ghosts! Or see the world through the eyes of Black Shuck, the huge ghost dog that roams the country lanes; the village people believe he brings death to whoever sees him. And one day two children meet him face to face ... These are just two of the nine riveting ghost stories in John Gordon's collection.Catch Your Death: Mrs. Birdsall feigns invalidity to dissuade daughter Mary from taking a partner and leaving home. Done teaching at the local primary school for the day, Mary spends her free time fetching and carrying for the conniving old bat. Recently Mary found a rebellious streak and began a clandestine dinner hour affair with a bank manager, but her refusal to abandon what she regards as her "duty" has seen an end to that brief taste of happiness. Then one day little Ron and Sally Stibbard lead the huge hound they've befriended to the Birdsall's cottage. Inexplicably, this marvellous dog is invisible to Mary and her malingering Ma. Black Shuck, the Death-Bringer, pads through the front door .... Joby's Pint: Each night the pub landlord leaves a pint on the bar for old Joby Jones when he hears his stick tap-tapping along the lane, no matter that he is, of course, long dead. A smarmy traveller, on hearing the story, vows to drive straight through Joby's ghost the next time he meets it on the road. And does. The Girl Outside: Tom Sheppard is despondent that the only events he's trusted to report on for the Advertiser are the boring likes of weddings, funerals and today's fiasco - the hundredth birthday party of Mrs. Salmon. At least there's an attractive young woman waiting outside the house to greet him. If She Bends, She Breaks: Defying his form teacher, Tommy Drake insists on taking Jenny sledging on the frozen river. The ghosts of two boys who fell through the ice - one of them Jenny's brother - entice them out to the centre. Little Black Pies: Ageing spinsters Emma and Sarah Stittle rolling pastry in the stifling, flyblown kitchen. Emma is furious at being ignored, but her protests fall on deaf ears. Sarah is too busy spitting out grievances to her pet jackdaw to realise hated sister's presence. Jeremy Ford Never Grow Up Never Grow Up: A thirteen-year-old pours out his troubles at the grave of a suicide. Read here.
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Post by dem bones on May 19, 2020 9:15:48 GMT
The Pot of Basil - Another unnamed narrator here; a scholar who visits an unnamed town in order to study some letters by Keats that had been bequeathed to the town by a nineteenth-century clergyman. After receiving permission from the museum committee chairman and other worthies, the narrator is grudgingly allowed access by the unfriendly curator. He never quite seems to admit to himself that the small boy who slips into the library daily is actually a ghost. The title refers to a rather grisly Keats' poem "Isabella, or The Pot of Basil". A superb story that for me was the highlight of the collection and the reason I'll be hanging on to it. Half a Crown: "Christmas were better when I were a boy. We had nowt, but we wus happy" insists grandfather, determined as ever to ruin everyone's holiday with his tedious reminiscences. Why, back in his day there were so little to eat, he died of starvation on the ten mile hike to school every morning - which only made him all the happier. Aye, life were better then, young 'un, an so were people - except, of course, for his wastrel brother, who stole the 2/6 they'd scraped together to buy Mum a Christmas present. Little Polly reaches the point where she can't take another second in the boring old bastard's company and sets out into the snow. Outside a neighboring derelict cottage she meets a strange boy .... The Pot of Basil: The narrator clashes with Mr. Parkes, the wretched curator of the museum library, while researching an episode in the life of John Keats. Parkes is so obviously hostile to all who dare contaminate the sanctity of his library, the scholar can only wonder at his overlooking a pale-skinned, miserable-looking schoolboy who seemingly comes and goes as he pleases. A fellow academic informs him that, incredible as it may seem, this Parkes was once romantically involved with a Miss Richelder, until she left town under mysterious circumstances. No-one knows what became of her - until the boy leads narrator into the garden to unearth the gruesome secret concealed within a stone urn.
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Post by jamesdoig on May 20, 2020 3:28:29 GMT
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Post by dem bones on May 21, 2020 17:13:50 GMT
Oh, My Bairn: Claire, thirteen, deliberately provokes bad tempered Bessie Eldon to rage by repeatedly throwing a ball against her wall. Now Bessie has opportunity for revenge. Having caught Claire snogging young Tony in a ditch, she threatens to inform the girl's mother unless she runs an errand for her. This hardly qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment, but Bessie has refused to pass the corner of the churchyard ever since her son was killed by a car while playing outside in the road. Clair meets Tony on the way to the village store and tells him what's happened. Goaded to action, he prepares a cruel surprise for the old woman.
Never Grow Up will always be special to me - it just kind of nails something - otherwise difficult to pick a favourite from this collection as, for once, I enjoyed every story. Joby's Pint is urban legend in the making, The Pot of Basil delightfully macabre, while the folksy title story triumphs despite what is technically a "happy" ending. And Little Black Pies is genius. No hesitation in recommending this one.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on May 21, 2020 19:31:46 GMT
Never Grow Up will always be special to me - it just kind of nails something - otherwise difficult to pick a favourite from this collection as, for once, I enjoyed every story. Joby's Pint is urban legend in the making, The Pot of Basil delightfully macabre, while the folksy title story triumphs despite what is technically a "happy" ending. And Little Black Pies is genius. No hesitation in recommending this one. Resistance is futile. I've ordered a copy.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Jun 25, 2020 12:07:07 GMT
Never Grow Up will always be special to me - it just kind of nails something - otherwise difficult to pick a favourite from this collection as, for once, I enjoyed every story. Joby's Pint is urban legend in the making, The Pot of Basil delightfully macabre, while the folksy title story triumphs despite what is technically a "happy" ending. And Little Black Pies is genius. No hesitation in recommending this one. Last night I read "Never Grow Up," "Catch Your Death," and "Joby's Pint." I like all three and was particularly struck by the subtly of their darker elements. Yeah, Gordon is an excellent writer and I was surprised at just how adult some of the themes in his work actually is. Same here. I'm looking forward to the other stories.
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Post by humgoo on Jun 25, 2020 15:10:07 GMT
"Never Grow Up" is quite the shocker, isn't it? Disturbing but unlike Let's Go Play at the Adams' or When Darkness Loves Us. Just another kind of disturbing. Remember to read the "The Burning Baby"!
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Jun 26, 2020 12:14:04 GMT
Two more stories from Catch Your Death: If She Bends, She Breaks: Defying his form teacher, Tommy Drake insists on taking Jenny sledging on the frozen river. The ghosts of two boys who fell through the ice - one of them Jenny's brother - entice them out to the centre. This one didn't work as well for me as the first three I read. That's mostly because I felt like Gordon kept hammering away with the signs that the two boys were ghosts: yes, yes, nobody responds to what they say and do, I get it. Maybe it was a more innocent, pre- Sixth Sense time. On the other hand, I liked the following: Half a Crown: "Christmas were better when I were a boy. We had nowt, but we wus happy" insists grandfather, determined as ever to ruin everyone's holiday with his tedious reminiscences. Why, back in his day there were so little to eat, he died of starvation on the ten mile hike to school every morning - which only made him all the happier. Aye, life were better then, young 'un, an so were people - except, of course, for his wastrel brother, who stole the 2/6 they'd scraped together to buy Mum a Christmas present. Little Polly reaches the point where she can't take another second in the boring old bastard's company and sets out into the snow. Outside a neighboring derelict cottage she meets a strange boy .... There's an effective balance here between the mundane girl-annoyed-at-her-grandad angle and the ultimately-heartwarming-but-still-kinda-creepy ghost angle.
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