Just finished "The Sumach", my first encounter with UB. Impressive! His short story collection "The Elemental" (ebook from
Ash-Tree Press) is now at the top of my "to buy" list.
Update: Bought the book this morning. So far, so good:
The Elemental - Mr. Murchison makes the mistake of going outside one night to watch the Severn Bore (look it up, I had to). Something follows him back inside and his nightmares begin. A story with the phrase "glutinous horror" just has to be good, even if it does closely resemble de Maupassant's "The Horla".
The Garden That Was Desolate - Philip Cranham takes shelter from a storm in a look-out post. His temporary host, Ralf Cook, relates how he acquired the land and built the "cottage". Then there's a knock at the door. Things get stranger and stranger from then on.
The Sumach - Why are the leaves of the sumach tree in the garden of Cleeve Grange turning red? Hopefully, you can read this excellent story for yourselves and find out.
Winds of Memory - Why are Bob and his old Granny feeling so cold in the sitting room? A few days later, a severe windstorm arises. Oddly, only in and around their home....
The Hand of Glory - An unnamed narrator travels to Dartmoor as executor of a friend's estate. Who or what drove Hervey Nicholson to kill himself, and what does old Mother Hibbert have to do with it?
More to follow tomorrow, I hope.....
It's tomorrow!
Here are the rest of the stories:
Matheson's Mummy - You wouldn't expect an out-of-body experience in this story, now would you?! Well, you'll get one, and a pretty scary one too. Oh, and something about a mummy too.
"H.F." - Not scary, but still a delightful tale of milquetoast writer Leonard Weekes. Nobody wants his dull, weak stories, until he falls into a daze and H.F. takes over.
The Bronze Devil - London expert and Chinese curio collector Lord Berrington buys a statue from a man off the street for 2,000 pounds. Naturally, odd things start to occur shortly after. Several phrases would be considered racist today but was perfectly acceptable at the time.
The People In the Hidden Room - Old retainer and handyman Daniel finds a hidden room at The Prince's Feathers inn. Owner Jason Doone is delighted to have a lovely "new" Jacobean chamber for paying guests. Naturally, they
and others soon find out that the room wasn't concealed without a good reason.
The Apostate - Roy Clifford tells his house-party guests the legend of the monk who haunts his home, Orton Priory.
A monk who gave up everything for love, and was punished by his Order. Young Ailsa Revett is strangely affected by the tale...
A Lasting Legacy - An elderly man tells an unnamed writer a story from his childhood. The boy was brought up by his grandfather who lived in a manor house on the road between Oxford and Cheltenham. Thanks to honouring his (unnamed, ? dead) son's debts, the pair and their servant(s) live in penury. One day, they are overjoyed to hear of a large legacy from the boy's (great?) uncle, due to arrive in a box by coach from London. Daily they go to meet the coach to accept the box until one day, they meet Granny Jordan, who is, of course, a gypsy with a mean streak.
The Other Occupant - Roger Wayford attends a friend's "great Armistice (fancy-dress) Ball". For lack of space, he's put in the Oak Closet, a small study. Going upstairs to his room, he encounters a Puritan woman fixing her hair. He leaves the room and hopes to see with her later. He does, but not in the way he expects...
As It Was Written - Millicent sees what she thinks is a murderer and his victim through the letter-box of a seemingly abandoned house. But does she? A story I found to be just so-so....
Scarlet Poppies - The shortest story in the book so far. Fielding is on holiday, paddling up a river in his canoe. He decides to go for a ramble and find himself exploring an old mill house.....
The Serpent - Ulric Daubeny himsself supposedly narrates this tale. He buys an odd musical instrument called The Serpent, which starts to play by itself when he's not at home.
The Goblet - De Haviland buys an Italian silver goblet at an auction of a late friend's possessions. It's not the one he thought he was buying, and things get worse then on.
On the whole, I'm glad I bought this and enjoyed every story. My thanks to
www.ash-tree.bc.ca for making it available at a very reasonable price.
Here are the rest of the stories:
