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Post by paulfinch on May 21, 2013 10:57:13 GMT
Very pleased to announce that the next volume in my series of original UK horror anthologies, TERROR TALES OF LONDON, is now ready to pre-order from Gray Friar Press. It includes 10 original works of horror fiction and three classic reprints, from such luminaries of the genre as Nina Allan, Mark Morris, Adam Nevill, Nicholas Royle, Christopher Fowler, Anna Taborska, etc. For the full TOC, cover art, back cover blurb and so forth, feel free to check my blog - paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/ or go straight to the Gray Friar page - www.grayfriarpress.com/catalogue/london.html
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Post by dem bones on May 21, 2013 13:48:04 GMT
Well done, Mr. F. Am dead looking forward to this one. For those who find hitting on a link way to strenuous, here's the dirt. Paul Finch (ed) - Terror Tales Of London (Gray Friars Press, 2013) Steve Upham Nina Allan - The Tiger London After Midnight Roger Johnson - The Soldier Queen Rat Nicholas Royle - Train, Night The Horror At Berkeley Square Adam Nevill - The Angels Of London Boudicca’s Bane Gary Fry - Capital Growth The Black Dog Of Newgate Rosalie Parker - The Thames The Other Murderers Mark Morris - The Red Door The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street Barbara Roden - Undesirable Residence Nosferatu In Highgate Jonathan Oliver - The Horror Writer Butchery In Bleeding-Heart Yard Christopher Fowler - Perry In Seraglio The Monster Of Hammersmith Marie O’Regan - Someone To Watch Over You The Black Death Returns David J. Howe - The Outcast Dead What Stirs Below? Anna Taborska - The Bloody TowerBlurb: The city of London - whose gold-paved streets are lost in choking fog and echo to the trundling of plague-carts, whose twisting back alleys ring to cries of "Murder!", whose awful tower is stained with the blood of princes and paupers alike.
The night stalker of Hammersmith The brutal butchery of Holborn The depraved spirit of Sydenham The fallen angel of Dalston The murder den of Notting Hill The haunted sewer of Bermondsey The red-eyed ghoul of Highgate
And many more chilling tales from Adam Nevill, Mark Morris, Christopher Fowler, Nina Allen, Nicholas Royle, and other award-winning masters and mistresses of the macabre.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 20, 2013 15:00:07 GMT
Should be finishing off one of approximately 200 novels on the go, but have been looking forward to this, and a quick peek can't hurt ... Jonathan Oliver - The Horror Writer: To cheer himself up after a lousy week, Simon travels to Charing Cross Road to creepy crawl the secondhand bookshops. Crushingly, several of his old haunts are bookshops no longer, but, bucking the trend, here's one he's unfamiliar with. The window display is hardly inspiring - S. King, C. Cookson, D. Brown - but inside is a different .... story. The proprietor - surly: unkempt; smokes roll-ups - directs him out back to a maze of bookshelves with a warning not to get lost. Simon's initial exhilaration gives way to nightmare as events take a turn for the surreal and he's stalked through the darkness by Dracula, Rupert the Bear, and Gregor Samsa out of Metamorphosis. Christopher Fowler - Perry In Seraglio ( City Jitters, Sphere, 1986). Ah, I love this one. Shades of Soho Black meets Ramsey Campbell's Potential with a bit of The Novel Of The White Powder thrown in, or so it seems to this reader. It's the height of Yuppie and Perry, 29, is at the forefront of things, haunting the trendiest nightspots and exclusive parties on a continual drugs-booze-casual sex binge with his equally vacuous entourage. Tonight's destination is Seraglio, "The Ultimate Party Club," on St. James Street. Our man has just dropped acid (on top of speed, dope, downers and copious amounts of booze), when word filters through that, Michael, his old pal from school, has hung himself. The sad news has the most profound effect on Perry .... Meanwhile in the "non-fiction" department. London After Midnight references the razor murder of Julia Mangan in October 1922. Robert Williams, who had recently watched London After Midnight at the cinema, admitted to the murder but claimed Lon Chaney Snr. had accompanied him to Hyde Park, and it was he who insisted Williams kill the girl. Ninety years on, the case provided inspiration for the Calvin Mantis storyline in Whitechapel series three. Nosferatu In Highgate is a short and sweet summary of the "evidence" pertaining to ... . I can't be bothered. Mr. Finch - very wisely, I'd have said - avoids naming the oh-so publicity shy protagonists. Finally, for time being, What Stirs Below? concerns the existence or otherwise of a phantom 'Dead Body Train,' which - some say - nightly ferries a cargo of corpses from Whitechapel Station through to the mortuary of the Royal London Hospital.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 21, 2013 21:29:33 GMT
Nicholas Royle - Train, Night: (3AM London, New York, Paris, Social Disease, 2008). A young actor is the unwitting accomplice in a film-maker's revenge on her feckless lover. Several references to 'sixties Belgian flick, Un Soir, Un Train, a complete mystery to me, though it didn't ruin my 'enjoyment' of the harrowing climax at Executioners Dock. Nasty.
Roger Johnson - The Soldier: (Richard Dalby [ed.] Mystery For Christmas, O'Mara, 1990). A low-key, Jamesian Christmas ghost story, set in 1880, and told as a round the fire tale some decades later. Much to amusement of family and friends, sixteen-year old Richard Wenlock,, "not actually backward in any usual sense, but distinctly strange," is set on a military life. His unlikely ambition is realised when he chances upon a hidden church in Spicers Lane, where Mr. Pater of the St. Denis Mitre eagerly accepts him as a "fellow soldier." The Worshipful Company of Militia, he explains, pre-dates Christianity. It's congregation is likewise ancient and the need for new blood urgent. But there are those who do not look kindly upon their traditions, and Richard is first sworn to secrecy before the priest leads him to the real place of worship, a church beneath the church. On the day of 'The Great Festival - December 25th - a fever-stricken Richard, sneaks from his sick bed to keep his date with ....
Anna Taborska - The Bloody Tower: Now this is proper horror!!I always look forward to a new Anna Taborska. offering and she's yet to disappoint. The ravens have flown the Tower, which has been returned to something akin to its original purpose, as a Detention & Concentration facility reserved for home- grown terror suspects. An injudicious remark at a party sees Shakil Malik, a harmless, Nirvana-worshiping teenage guitarist, dragged to the Tower and beaten for information about his non-existent terror cell by a Warden who takes too great a pleasure in his work, and an Interrogation Officer with an unhealthy interest in the Tower's well-stocked torture chamber. Shakil's blood seeps into the walls, reviving the spectres of those who suffered similar torment in centuries past. And those who inflicted it. Ghastly.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 22, 2013 13:23:48 GMT
Gary Fry - Capital Growth: The Gray Friar's The Jilted Bride of Windermere ( Terror Tales Of The Lake Distric) is among my series very favourites, and he's on top form with the story of Mary's day trip to London with husband Joe and Jason, their precious little boy. Holed up in the Yorkshire Dales, Mary is perhaps a little over-protective of her son, but then she learned early in life that the world is corrupt, men particularly so. Jason must be shielded from all evil influence, namely, other people. Not five minutes arrived in the Capital, and Mary has already seen off a wino, a Soho prostitute, a drug dealer, various shady City gents, and two bent politicians. But when she forbids Jason a ride on the London Eye, her husband treacherously over-rules her, and pays for his ticket! Of course, Joe is as bad as all the rest, and doubtless in league with her therapist, but she'd never have expected him to expose an eight year old to such peril! Worse, the tramp, hooker & Co. have boarded a neighbouring pod .....
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Post by dem bones on Jun 24, 2013 6:50:11 GMT
a weird haunting in Tufnell Park. and a little something to send Shiva's down your spine.
Mark Morris - The Red Door: With the death of her mother, Chloe finds that she no longer believes in God, which comes as a bereavement in itself. She was raised to believe in Our Lord as all-compassionate, but can no longer reconcile Him with a God who has shown such callous indifference throughout centuries of global suffering Chloe's sister, Jo, remains devout and insists that, without faith, you will be denied a place at His right hand. On top of which, Chloe has come to realise that London life is not for her. She's being stalked by a red, upside down door, projected halfway up walls of random buildings across the city, which only she can see ....
When Nick, her computer date and would-be lover (she recently demoted him to best mate: Chloe, a virgin, can't handle a serios relationship just now) is stabbed by hoodie muggers, she arranges for her return home to Dad in Buckinghamshire, but the Red Door has other ideas ....
Rosalie Parker - The Thames: Set during the London blitz. While under the protection of Cully, a mysterious "smashing looking" Indian prostitute, a fourteen year old street-walker is abused by a particularly vile kerb crawler. When next he approaches them, Cully suggests they make a threesome of it down at the wharves .....
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Post by dem bones on Jun 26, 2013 8:19:47 GMT
Another grimly fiendish London cult and a ghostly Guardian Angel in Thatcher country ...
Nina Allan - The Tiger: "There are demons on the other side, you know ... There are people who are trying to help the demons to break through. They believe in the rule of chaos, of enlightenment through pain ... They call themselves Satan's Tigers. If you knew how many of those sicko's were on the loose it would freak you out." Dennis Croft's former cellmate is a great one for colourful conspiracy theories, but in this instance, he might be on to something.
Croft is fresh from prison after serving ten years for the abduction, molestation, and murder of little Rebecca Riding. New evidence convicts the initial suspect, his once acquaintance Stephen Jepson, but, to Croft, the events of that day are such a blur, he no longer knows whether he's guilty or innocent.
Through the auspices of Richard Symes, his creepy parole officer, Croft finds a room above The Old Tiger's Head in Lee Green, Sarf London, a mere two miles from the scene of the crime. The landlord, McNeice, stonewalls him, but downtrodden wife Sandra is kindness itself, and the little boy, Alexander, fascinated that he's living with a proper convict.
Mr. Symes and wife Ashley hold informal group sessions for recently released offenders at their Forest Green home, and Croft is cordially "invited" to attend. He'd rather gouge out his own eyeballs, but can't afford to alienate Symes so of course he'd be absolutely delighted, thanks for asking, etc. Maybe he's being harsh. Before his imprisonment, Croft was on the Met's payroll as a forensic photographer, and at this initial, extremely weird get-together, here's Symes presenting him with a state-of-the-art Canon digital, explaining that his new best pals held a a whip-round as "your work means a great deal to us." Croft is soon to find out that, for once, Symes is telling the truth ....
Marie O’Regan - Someone To Watch Over You; As horror stories go, this one's pretty feel-good. when cub-reporter Emily is menaced by a would-be rapist at East Finchley station, a tall stranger intervenes on her behalf, wrestles her assailant off the platform and into the path of an oncoming train. Emily catches a last fleeting glimpse of her Sir Galahad, a tall fellow in a trilby (i think) and a long black coat who reeks of Old Holborn. Next day at the office, Emily's editor, Uncle George, has her research previous instances of East Finchley's phantom vigilante. Turns out he's been active since the early 'seventies, shortly after Emily's father lost his life while playing have-a-go hero to a damsel in distress. Cute, but in a good way.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 28, 2013 10:42:17 GMT
A second Down In The Tube Station At Midnight offering, another winner, too.
David J. Howe - The Outcast Dead: "How could this be happening? It was like some bad horror film.". Wrong, Milly. It is like a good, scary horror film.
The pub reunion with her scrounge-bag ex-boyfriend didn't go to plan and now Milly, a martyr to claustrophobia, finds herself alone on the last tube home - or so she believes. Between stations, she's stalked through the carriages by a rotting, skeletal wreck who makes the deformed sewer dweller from Creep seem positively bristling with rude health in comparison. If only Milly can outpace it until she reaches the driver's compartment.
Meanwhile in the tunnels, others of his kind await their chance. The Jubilee Line extension has disturbed the unconsecrated dead of Southwark's Cross Bones cemetery. The paupers of previous centuries have had it with being shoved around .....
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Post by dem bones on Jun 29, 2013 23:20:47 GMT
Much as i've rated the previous books in the Terror Tales series, I think this latest is quite possibly the most consistently rewarding to date. For once, my aversion/ inability to read horror anthologies in the order presented served me well, because I inadvertently saved perhaps the outstanding story of a terrific selection until last.
Adam Nevill - The Angels Of London: Frank came to London determined to find employment in the film industry. Four months on, he's working twelve hour shifts as a security guard and living in squalor above the bar of a derelict Dalston pub. To heap misery upon misery, Granby, his bastard of a landlord, has already racked up the rent on the excuse that he has family to maintain, though Frank's seen no evidence of this, and angrily refuses to pay extra. Martin, a long-time tenant who remembers The Angel of London when it was a functioning, popular pub, advises him to pay up, or Granby will send this 'family' down to collect the debt. Frank has him figured as Granby's confederate - perhaps he, 'Lillian' the cross dresser, and the permanently drunk wreck on the floor above, are all in on the racket, but it's no concern of his. Once he's moved out, he'll inform the police and the social security. Martin has more bad news for him. Concerning the 'leaving' part.
Barbara Roden - Undesirable Residence: "I told you, I think, that similar shelters were started, and then abandoned , at St. Paul's and the Oval. i wonder now if the official reasons given for their abandonment are not ... well, not quite truthful."
Set during World War II. Sergeant Harvey of the 1st Battalion of the East Surrey regiment is sent to London to inspect the vast, deep-lying shelter at Clapham North built alongside the existing tube tunnel. Mr. Bradley, the station master, is concerned that the shelter has already been penetrated by civilians on account of an unidentified, ear-splitting clanging noise "like navvies laying track" emanating from the shelter at night. To determine it's suitability for his men, Harvey suggests he spend the night down there. Bradley and Mr. Preston of the War Office agree to accompany him. The excavation work has disturbed a plague pit. Class.
The non-fiction/ "non-fiction" content is likewise plenty fun, sample cases in point being:
The Other Murders: Think 'London' and 'murder!' and chances are, the macabre nom de gore 'Jack the Ripper' comes to mind , but others who've tried to knock him off his perch include John 'Acid Bath vampire' Haigh, Reginald 'Reggie No Dick' Christie, Gordon 'The Black-out Ripper' Cummins, and the alleged 'Ratcliffe Highway killer', John Williams.
The Black Dog Of Newgate: Evil-reeking, snake headed Black Hound, believed to be vengeful spirit of an inmate cannibalised by other prisoners. Now said to haunt Amen Court near St. Pauls Cathedral in guise of "a shapeless mass which stinks disgustingly."
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Post by paulfinch on Jul 1, 2013 15:14:13 GMT
Glad you enjoyed, D.
It's been massive fun compiling this series so far. The good news is that more and more writers of note are contacting me, asking to get involved. Gonna have my work cut out putting together to the next few volumes. It'll be a case of who to leave out rather than who to include.
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Post by dem bones on Jul 1, 2013 16:10:26 GMT
Glad you enjoyed, D. It's been massive fun compiling this series so far. The good news is that more and more writers of note are contacting me, asking to get involved. Gonna have my work cut out putting together to the next few volumes. It'll be a case of who to leave out rather than who to include. Nice problem to have. And it's not like the Roll of Shame to date has been any too shabby ....
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Post by fritzmaitland on Sept 28, 2020 21:18:46 GMT
Fantastic Steve Upham cover! I used to work in the shadow of the Gherkin. Nina Allan's The Tiger is a rum tale.Hope that's a happy ending...did enjoy old Fourboys, Croft's cell mate with a penchant for pharmaceuticals and the likes of Borges and Lovecraft. He knows mirrors are portals between our world and another.Really quite unsettling. Enjoyed the London After Midnight tale too.
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Post by fritzmaitland on Sept 29, 2020 21:48:38 GMT
Barbara Roden's Undesirable Residence. Really atmospheric spooker set deep in the enormous bowels of Clapham North tube station.Is Babs Canadian? Definite shivers down the spine
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Post by fritzmaitland on Oct 1, 2020 5:37:50 GMT
Mark Morris - The Red Door. Enjoyed this, especially the unnerving visit to the Japanese art installation at the Tate Modern, but the disorientating ending lost me. Shame about Sweeney Todd, too.
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Post by Shrink Proof on Oct 1, 2020 18:47:21 GMT
Barbara Roden's Undesirable Residence. Really atmospheric spooker set deep in the enormous bowels of Clapham North tube station.Is Babs Canadian? Definite shivers down the spine She is indeed Canadian. Co-founder of Ash Tree Press along with husband Christopher. Any of the antholgies that the two of them edited are worth checking out and her collection of tales, "Northwest Passages" is excellent.
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