Weird Legacies

[ghannah01]

Another review from me - again written years ago for another forum - but I'm sure there are many Weird Tales fans here. Glen
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Review: "Weird Legacies"
Edited by Mike Ashley
"Weird Legacies" is a superb anthology of stories culled from "Weird
Tales" magazine, a pioneer publication of strange and bizarre fantasy
fiction that popularized such authors as H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E.
Howard, Robert Bloch and others, many of whom are represented in this
collection. Bloch's forward "A word about the weird" provides some
background to the magazine, as do Ashley's detailed introductions to
every story, providing the reader with a context in which to place
them.
(Ratings are out of 5)

"Skull in the Stars" by Robert E. Howard
Famous for "Conan the Barbarian," Howard also created "Solomon Kane,"
a puritan swashbuckler who sought out evil men in the middle ages and
vanquished them. In this tale, Kane ventures onto the moors to solve a
mysterious murder. (5/5)

"The Three Marked Pennies" by Mary Elizabeth Counselman
Three pennies are circulated. One brings fortune, one brings travel
and one brings death. But which is which? (5/5)

"He That Hath Wings" by Edmond Hamilton
A boy is born with wings but can he lead a normal life? (5/5)

"The Distortion out of Space" by Francis Flagg
When a meteor lands, it distorts time and space. (5/5)

"The Utmost Abomination" by Clark Ashton Smith and Lin Carter.
Dense other-worldly tale of serpents and sorcery (5/5)

"Eternal Rediffusion" by Eric Frank Russell and Leslie J. Johnson.
A racing driver dies and encounters life in another dimension (4/5)

"The Ducker" by Ray Bradbury
A simple minded man thinks that wartime combat is just a game. (5/5)

"The Black Kiss" by Robert Block and Henry Kuttner
A man inherits an old house by the sea, only to discover that an
ancient creature has designs on him. (4/5)

"The Survivor" by H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth.
A man tries to solve the mystery of an old house and its previous
occupant, who seems to have lived for centuries. (4/5)

Overall a worthy anthology, enhanced by Ashley's introductions. For a
newcomer to weird fiction, I found it engrossing and diverse and felt
as if I were experiencing the magazine as it was in its heyday.

Glen

Comments? Opinions?

[dem bones]

Cannibalised from a couple of old posts ....

Foreword - Robert Bloch
Preface - Mike Ashley

Robert E. Howard - Skulls In The Stars
Mary E. Counselman - The Three Marked Pennies
Edmond Hamilton - He That Hath Wings
Francis Flagg - The Distortion Out Of Space
Clark Ashton Smith & Lin Carter - The Utmost Abomination
Eric Frank Russell & Leslie J. Johnson - Eternal Rediffusion
Ray Bradbury - The Ducker
Robert Bloch & Henry Kuttner - The Black Kiss
H. P. Lovecraft & August Derleth - The Survivor

Blurb:

From 1923-1954 the name Weird Tales sent shivers of excitement and anticipation down the spines of all devotees of the macabre. For this was the magazine that reigned supreme over all the American weird fiction pulps. In this unearthly anthology, Mike Ashley has collected together the most eerie of its fiction to include such awe-inspiring names as Robert Bloch & Henry Kuttner, H. P. Lovecraft & August Derleth, Ray Bradbury, Robert E. Howard, Francis Flagg.

These are the fabric of horror fiction where the fingers of ice that scratch the surface of the mind penetrate to the soul's depths, creating a uniquely chilling universe of terror.

A compact paperback collection of WT wonders, although, personally, I must admit to being disappointed, although this is worth having for Mike Ashley's notes alone. Things get off to a flier with - arguably - Solomon Kane's finest moment, but after Mary E. Counselman's excellent story of randomly dispensed good fortune and abject tragedy things take a turn for the SF and fantasy. That said, the Edmond Hamilton story is worth a piece of anyone's time.

Includes:

Robert E. Howard - Skulls In The Stars: As he travels across the mist-shrouded, swampy fens, Solomon Kane is beset by a terrifying, red eyed figure with a terrible laugh. This spectre has already been responsible for the deaths of several men, and Kane is all but shredded by the thing's claws.
When the Puritan learns of the reason for the haunting, he dispenses his usual impartial, brutal justice to the miscreant responsible.

Mary E. Counselman - The Three Marked Pennies: "On the seventh day after this announcement the possessor of each marked penny will receive a gift.

To the first: $100, 000 in cash.
To The second: A trip around the world
To The third: Death."

Edmond Hamilton - He That Hath Wings: David Rand is born with a misshapen spine and shoulders . At first, the kindly Dr. Harriman believes that the orphan's deformity is a hunched back, but x-rays reveal that he is sprouting wings ..

Ray Bradbury - The Ducker: Johnny Choir doesn't believe that the bullets the Germans are firing at him are real, or that world war II is anything other than one big playground game with everybody taking turns at playing dead for a while. It's an uplifting tale and, like his friend, Private Smith who urges him to keep believing that way, you know Johnny will survive the conflict.

In September of the following year, however, Weird Tales published another Bradbury effort, Bang! You're Dead!, and the author's mood has darkened. Private Smith is shot and badly injured, and the vindictive Melter finally gets it through to Johnny that the battle is REAL and men are getting killed out there. Now 'enlightened', Johnny takes a direct hit to the skull.