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Post by Swampirella on May 2, 2017 21:04:01 GMT
 I've just enjoyed "Ghosts and Journeys"; here are some details: The Boys' Toilets: Why shouldn't toilets be haunted? We all spend time there, and some (such as Elvis, I believe) die there. The pupils of Spilsby Girls' Grammar school are forced to relocate due to an underground leak in the central heating. Off they go to the abandoned Harvest Road (boys) school, on the wrong side of the tracks in the literal and figurative sense. It's not long before several girls find that the toilets are still occupied by one former pupil. Not a bad story at all. The Bus - Retired teacher Jack gets on the wrong bus, once he finds out it only costs 2p. Of course, it doesn't follow any of the usual routes and takes him on a ride he'll never forget.. The Borgia Mirror - Lady Portia gets a tip from her antique dealer (?) Mr. Lipfriend about a large antique mirror said to belong to the Borgia family. Of course, she has to have it, so goes and buys it right before it's shipped off to the States to another buyer. If anybody can write a good haunted/possessed mirror story, it's Robert Westall. The Girl Who Couldn't Say No - No, not that kind of girl. Should be subtitled "How Joanna Hitchhiked Twice And Ended Up Engaged to The Honorable Frederick Mulberry". A well-written romantic short story, sadly ghost-free. Rosalie - This one's better; new girl Jane is sent to the stockroom for a map, not knowing of course that the ghost of Rosalie Scott lurks there. Journey - After motorcycle accident, Ted "wakes up" dead. He has "no mouth, no hands, no body at all"; he's just a thought bubble. Soon, he discovers more, mostly of dogs, and then Nurse Maureen Kelly, who was apparently murdered while on her way home. An enjoyable, light-hearted story. |
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Post by helrunar on May 3, 2017 1:12:23 GMT
Interesting notes. Thanks, Scarlett. I have never heard of Robert Westall--will have to check further up the thread for details of period, etc.
cheers, H.
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Post by Swampirella on May 3, 2017 1:55:46 GMT
This collection and another I read before it really are intended for a youth audience, and of course are somewhat dated from the time they were written. Very well written but just not the style that I'm going to seek out again, since many stories weren't scary. I read his "Antique Dust" which is a collection for adult readers; good but frankly, not scary enough for me to keep.
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Post by helrunar on May 3, 2017 2:13:43 GMT
Thanks, Scarlett, for those further clarifying notes.
cheers, H.
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Post by Shrink Proof on May 3, 2017 8:55:11 GMT
This collection and another I read before it really are intended for a youth audience, and of course are somewhat dated from the time they were written. Very well written but just not the style that I'm going to seek out again, since many stories weren't scary. I read his "Antique Dust" which is a collection for adult readers; good but frankly, not scary enough for me to keep. Oh. "Antique Dust" awaits reading here at Shrink Towers. That doesn't bode well... |
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Post by Swampirella on May 3, 2017 10:57:42 GMT
Please don't take my word for it; they're definitely well-written. I didn't say they weren't scary, just "not scary enough" Maybe they'll appeal to you more than to me; let me know what you think when you do get around to it.
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Post by Shrink Proof on May 4, 2017 22:26:04 GMT
Please don't take my word for it; they're definitely well-written. I didn't say they weren't scary, just "not scary enough" Maybe they'll appeal to you more than to me; let me know what you think when you do get around to it. Well, probably better to be good but not scary enough rather than the other way round. Will let you know... |
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Post by Shrink Proof on Sept 5, 2019 13:18:43 GMT
Please don't take my word for it; they're definitely well-written. I didn't say they weren't scary, just "not scary enough" Maybe they'll appeal to you more than to me; let me know what you think when you do get around to it. Well, eventually I did get round to it. So, finally, a reply.... Yes, you are right. Not very scary at all (although personally I tend to go for disturbing/unsettling even more than scary - an important distinction IMHO). But Westall could certainly write. And on balance I'd rather read a well-written second division story than a badly-written first division one. So it was worth reading them, though I'm unlikely to re-read them. |
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Post by Swampirella on Sept 5, 2019 13:23:57 GMT
Your last sentence sums up my feeling exactly....
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