Harringay's Last Gamble by Oscar Williams

[Johnlprobert]

Harringay's Last Gamble by Oscar Williams - Morris Books 1947 (probably)

Okay so I've brought this one on myself, having actively sought it out after the hilarity that was The Dance of Death. No dust jacket at all on this one, which is falling apart and smells a bit too, but no matter:

Harringay's Last Gamble
Dark Waters
Diamonds of Doom
The Swinging Pendulum

Yes it's time for another dose of badly written melodrama courtesy of Oscar 'ten adverbs and fifteen semi colons in one sentence' Williams. This time we get four novellas. For some reason Lady P & I have started with the final story, which I sincerely hope isn't the best.

The Swinging Pendulum Deformed hunchbacked millionaire Reuben Harding kept the money froma robbery while Con the Crab took the blame and had to do 15 years 'in quod'. But now Con's back, Reuben has a strike on his hands at his factory and his comely daughter Gloria has the hots for lead striker Matt O'Hara. Nowhere near as lurid as it should be we are having to rely on fights and ludicrous Northern accents to keep us amused with this one

[David A. Riley]

"and smells a bit too, but no matter:"


I love that. Shows just how intrepid you are.

[Johnlprobert]

Thanks David!

Just finished The Swinging Pendulum and I have to say it's one of the shabbiest pieces of storytelling I've ever come across. Next up has to be the title story. A random flick through has yielded the following:

The response of Yvonne L'Estrange was as forcible as it was unprintable.

Onwards!

[dem bones]

i used to get depressed that authors of Mr. Williams's stature died out once the second world war got underway, so i'm delighted to find there were still some heroic souls flying the flag for the most gloriously awful Creeps also rans. This doesn't yet sound quite as unmissable as The Dance Of Death, but i'll wager there's at least one gem awaiting you.

[Johnlprobert]

Just to follow up on this volume, Harringay's Last Gamble, Dark Waters and Diamonds of Doom are all examples of extremely awful storytelling of the first order. They do however contain quite a few murders but there's no nudity or sex and an awful lot of racist stereotypes with 'authentically written' dialogue to match, especially Diamonds, where the main villains are a German and an Indian with hypnotic powers.

I certainly think that's enough of Mr Williams who, judging by his verbose sentences was presumably paid by the word, and judging by some of his recurrent mis-uses of the English language had an editor who was either poorly educated, didn't care or didn't actually exist.

[dem bones]

i'm guessing that this one didn't quite live up/ down to expectations and that The Dance of Death sees Oscar at the peak of his storytelling powers? The Swinging Pendulum sounds a bit good, mind.

[Johnlprobert]

I was going to get rid of it, but I'm thinking of hanging onto the Dance of Death as I intend to read one of the more insane tales aloud at some appropriate future occasion (eg a Vault Xmas bash)