Thana Niveau
Devils Coach Horse
We who walk here walk alone.
Posts: 109
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Post by Thana Niveau on Dec 19, 2012 20:48:17 GMT
Very disturbing and effective stories from Messrs Finch and Campbell, but that's hardly a surprise. "Down in the Dying Rooms" paints a too-real picture of a world I want no part of, and "Snakes and Ladders" has a classic Campbellian nightmarish finale. Great stuff, gentlemen!  I'd also like to say that the illustrations by Mme Demant are a very nice touch as well! |
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Post by dem on Dec 19, 2012 21:26:07 GMT
I've another from Craig set aside, entirely different, but still recognisably him. If asked which is representative of his work, the only honest answer would be both and neither! CB, if you've not already done so, you really must read The Mall in 9th Black Book of Horror. That one will set you up for Christmas! Is it me, or does Paul's cracker contain a shudder-pulp-gone-sensible moment? As for as I can establish, Down In The Dying-Rooms is another that's not yet been collected .... You might like to compare and contrast Ramsey's Snakes & Ladders with his preferred revised edition, Playing The Game in Years Best Horror # 17 and Waking Nightmares. Would have mentioned all the above earlier if I'd not come over very rabbit in headlights hacking out the intro's. It's been another bleedin good year for submissions, ain't it? A huge THANK YOU to all the contributors - and we're not done yet. I'd also like to say that the illustrations by Mme Demant are a very nice touch as well! will pass on your kind words, Thana. Chrissie's relative abstinence has been the one slight disappointment, but it really couldn't be helped, and maybe if we're still around this time next year ..... As it was, i've made do with a few end-pieces from her back catalogue where they seemed appropriate. A load of vampire and fetish themed stories and we'd have been sorted! |
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Dec 19, 2012 22:27:07 GMT
I've another from Craig set aside, entirely different, but still recognisably him. If asked which is representative of his work, the only honest answer would be both and neither! CB, if you've not already done so, you really must read The Mall in 9th Black Book of Horror. That one will set you up for Christmas! Is it me, or does Paul's cracker contain a shudder-pulp-gone-sensible moment? As for as I can establish, Down In The Dying-Rooms is another that's not yet been collected .... You might like to compare and contrast Ramsey's Snakes & Ladders with his preferred revised edition, Playing The Game in Years Best Horror # 17 and Waking Nightmares. Would have mentioned all the above earlier if I'd not come over very rabbit in headlights hacking out the intro's. It's been another bleedin good year for submissions again, ain't it? A huge THANK YOU to all the contributors - and we're not done yet. Both Paul and Ramsey displayed the master class touch for me. The sort of eerie symbolism and imagery in Snakes building to the final horror -  Thinking about Paul's story the word I was searching for was 'gripping' - again very different in style but hot stuff and horribly realistic. So far the calender has produced some gems - all of the modern stories are leaving sort of nasty vibrations in my consciousness. ideal for Christmas. |
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Post by jamesdoig on Dec 19, 2012 23:37:05 GMT
Both Paul and Ramsey displayed the master class touch for me. Yes indeed. And Paul's got a great ear for dialogue - not a word out of place. |
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Post by dem on Dec 20, 2012 6:09:37 GMT
Day 20 brings another Calendar first timer. James Doig is the man who introduced Australian Pulp & Supernatural Horror fiction to Vault, and this is a far better board for it! James has edited a trilogy of supernatural fiction anthologies for Equilibrium, Australian Gothic (2007), Australian Nightmares (2008: details, same link as above) and Australian Hauntings (2011). Australian Ghost Stories, an excellent compilation, sampling stories from ... Gothic & ... Nightmares, was published by Wordsworth Editions in 2010. His own short stories have appeared in Rosemary Pardoe's Ghost & Scholars and, recently, Paul Finch's Terror Tales Of East Anglia. His non-fiction - showcasing the artwork of Frank Bernier and the 'John Slater' WWII novels - are twin highlights of recent issues of Paperback Fanatic. So, another freezing morning. When the canteen opens, you might like to follow Gerard Coombs' example and treat yourself to a steaming hot bowl of Soup .... Thank you very much, Mr. D! Attachments:
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Dec 20, 2012 11:26:13 GMT
Unfortunately read that one just before breakfast James  |
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Post by David A. Riley on Dec 20, 2012 11:49:55 GMT
Unfortunately read that one just before breakfast James Does that mean this might not be appropriate lunchtime reading?  |
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Dec 20, 2012 11:58:52 GMT
Unfortunately read that one just before breakfast James Does that mean this might not be appropriate lunchtime reading? Well, as far it goes David I suppose horror writers can cope with a lot. It's got some tough moments and some excellent visceral images which might not sit easily if you're having soup.  |
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Post by David A. Riley on Dec 20, 2012 12:23:08 GMT
Went very nicely with cheese sandwiches. Some delightfully nasty images in this story, which certainly gave one nasty piece of work an appropriate fate. |
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Dec 20, 2012 17:05:09 GMT
Went very nicely with cheese sandwiches. It also went well with a slice of pizza and some watermelon-flavored soda. |
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Post by dem on Dec 20, 2012 17:58:12 GMT
Yah, you all need to go on a diet!  As with Franklin Marsh's A Delicate Undertaking, there's a decaying odour of Tales From The Crypt about Soup, but whereas Ker-Pow could consider themselves a little unfortunate (other than the obvious - i.e., being Ker-Pow - they've done nothing to deserve their fate), ghastly Gerald is so reprehensible you wonder why no responsible adult thought to strangle him at under-three's crèche. You can read another of James' stories, Mathrafal ( Ghosts & Scholars #29, Haunted Library, 1999) - "What connection does a scarecrow figure haunting an old castle have with a less-than-saintly image of a Welsh saint? "- on the Pardoes' G&S Website |
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Post by paulfinch on Dec 20, 2012 18:16:14 GMT
Thanks to all for the kind words re. my own small contribution to this Advent Calendar. I have to say, having read a couple of others now, this is one of the funnest things I've seen online in quite a while.
Happy Christmas to all.
Paul
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Post by jamesdoig on Dec 20, 2012 20:04:01 GMT
Yes, I figured something crudely offensive would appeal to finer Vaultish sensibilities. |
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Post by dem on Dec 21, 2012 7:29:07 GMT
There is industrious and there is Johnny Mains: Lest You Should Suffer Nightmares, Back From The Dead, Mary Danby's Party Pieces, The Pan Book Of Horror Stories reissue, Bite-Sized Horror, H. Van Thal's The Mask & Others, Screaming Book of Horror, With Deepest Sympathy .... those are just the one's he's written/ edited/ published. His fiction has also featured in a number of anthologies including Terror Tales of East Anglia, The Third Black Book Of Horror (with 'The Spoon', his first published story), The Fourth Black Book of Horror and Aklonomicon. Mr. Mains is also a regular contributor to Paperback Fanatic, for whom he's interviewed the celebrated likes of David Case, Basil Copper, John Holmes, Shaun Hutson and James Herbert. Skewed festive fantasy Mrs Claus and the Unfortunate Immaculate Conception, from second collection, Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types, (Shadow Publishing, 2012), concerns the bizarre repercussions of a commando raid on the North Pole to wipe Santa Inc. off the face of the earth .... Catch up with Mr. Mains at Noose & GibbetAttachments:
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Dec 21, 2012 10:50:46 GMT
Bizarre, imaginative and extremely funny. One of the great things about Johnnie's writing is the characterisation, which can have you believing that Mrs Santa and her helpers have real down to earth problems. Great stuff.
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Thinking about Paul's story the word I was searching for was 'gripping' - again very different in style but hot stuff and horribly realistic. So far the calender has produced some gems - all of the modern stories are leaving sort of nasty vibrations in my consciousness. ideal for Christmas. 
