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Post by cauldronbrewer on Mar 2, 2021 20:49:32 GMT
Ray Cluley - In The Light of St. Ives Emily has to go down to St. Ives to see her sister Claire, who's in hospital with first degree burns after apparently setting her house on fire. Claire always has been a bit flighty, leaving Emily to pick up the pieces. Another story I didn't quite get; something about yellow and green appearing everywhere, causing Claire to cover everything she could, including herself, in black paint. A tale of unease and weirdness that happens to be set in St. Ives. Morgawr Rising - Everything you always wanted to know about this Cornish sea serpent, and more... Reggie Oliver -Trouble at Botathen Tregillis narrates this story of Botathen Place, a now somewhat decrepit house bequeathed to Oxford by the late Prof. Blight "for the benefit of undergraduates in the vacations". He and some fellow undergrads have been invited down by Prof. Soper to spend a few weeks at a "reading party". One day on a solitary walk, he finds himself unable to continue walking along a path near a stream. Eventually he has to turn back. Later that night he finds a diary tucked into a bookshelf in the library which holds shocking revelations. A gem of a story! From the Lady Downs - The Story of Cherry of Zennor, or Jenny Permuen, a young woman in the late 18th century who claimed to have spent time living with the faeries. I'm not certain I fully understood "In the Light of St. Ives" either, but it felt right. I'm also predisposed to like stories about artists given that I was raised by a painter (sadly, I've never done anything with all the free art lessons my mother gave me). "Trouble at Botathen" builds a wonderfully gloomy atmosphere. I particularly liked the young woman's diary; it reminded me of Machen's "The White People." I need to keep an eye out for more stories by the writer whom I now think of as Stella Gibbons' nephew. I'm also enjoying the short nonfiction pieces.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Mar 5, 2021 12:46:16 GMT
Paul Edwards - The Unseen: Gore fan Lee's pursuit of the rare, uncut version of torture porn extravaganza The Black Remote delivers him into the clutches of powerful Satan worshippers, the Cult of the Infernal Abyss. Another genuine Cornish shocker in that the snuff footage is filmed on location in Asterion House, Cranlock. Very Pan Horror, right down to the author's depiction of jobless Lee as a thieving scumbag who deserves all he does and doesn't get. It's easy to see where "Unseen" is going once we find out that Lee recorded Last House on the Left over his own wedding video, but that only adds to the aura of inevitable doom. A solid entry in the "cursed videotape" genre that gave me flashbacks to watching an unlabeled bootleg of the Japanese film Ring before its US release. Jacqueline Simpson - Dragon Path: (Barbara & Christopher Roden [eds.], All Hallows #30, June 2002). Mick is hypersensitive to his friends' questioning his dubious Cornish "roots" and generally taking the piss out of his spasms of Celtic mumbo jumbo. Arriving at a stone circle, Mick finally gives a demonstration of his power by summoning every adder on Bodmin Moor to terrorise his detractors. Nasty, deadly effectively and most decidedly a Terror Tale of Cornwall! I enjoyed this one too, particularly the folklore roots of it, even if Mick's response seems rather ... disproportionate. Paul Finch - The Old Traditions Are Best: (Barbara & Christopher Roden [eds.] , Shades of Darkness, Ash Tree, 2008: Stephen Jones [ed.], Mammoth Best New Horror 20, Robinson, 2009). Scott Sinclair, teenage housebreaker, is a beneficiary of the controversial 'Safari programme' which sees young offenders packed off on holiday as part of their rehabilitation. Scott spends a short break in Padstow under the supervision of soft touch do-gooders Mary and Russ Kidwell. The young Manc is soon abusing their trust, antagonising the atypically (?) friendly locals and generally setting himself up for a fall. When a passing Morris Dancer explains the significance of Padstow's 'Obby 'Orse as both fertility symbol and repellent of thieves and raiders Scott fails to take the hint. Here's a case where the editor's own story is one of the highlights of the anthology. I got strong Wicker Man vibes from Finch's tale, but at the same time it's a fresh take on the concept. Mark Valentine - The Uncertainty Of All Earthy Things: Sancreed, Penzance. A graduate finds employment as curator of a museum devoted to 'Congo' Grenfell, explorer and missionary. Fate brings him into the orbit of artist of Leah Penrose who is designing a set of tarot cards based on the figures carved on the rood screen in the local church. Ultimately they share a vision of the triple-headed king. Agree with Scarlett that it ends "abruptly" and with Ro that it is a cracking story, albeit far too optimistic for personal miserable bastard preference. I must be a bit of a softy given that I liked the ending. Another winner, keeping the anthology's hit-to-miss ratio impressively high.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Mar 8, 2021 16:33:51 GMT
Mark Samuels - Moon Blood-Red, Tide Turning: That 'Destination Nihil' vibe. Where a story like The Unseen is all screaming evil and violence this offering from Richard Stains' altar-ego is a deathly quiet enigma. The luckless performers of Dr. Prozess's experimental work, New Quests For Nothing, whose dialogue largely comprises random gibberish, are doomed to act out the play in perpetuity. "Moon Blood-Red, Tide Turning" is another highlight of the anthology for me--it's an original and subtly horrific tale. One of those cases where the absence of an explanation or a resolution adds to the story's power.
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Post by dem bones on Mar 12, 2021 17:32:10 GMT
Paul Finch - The Old Traditions Are Best Young offender Mancunian Scott, 16, is in Padstow, Cornwall thanks to his probation officers Russ and Mary, a married couple. They encounter a Morris dancer who tells them the story of the Obby Oss and the much newer Peace Oss. Of course, Scott can't resist the temptation to disappear from a pub lunch and see what unoccupied houses he can find and break into. He should know better, for once.... Here's a case where the editor's own story is one of the highlights of the anthology. I got strong Wicker Man vibes from Finch's tale, but at the same time it's a fresh take on the concept. Wrong county, but found this Victorian something in one of the Vault Clippings Library folders.
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