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Post by dem bones on Nov 26, 2019 22:08:28 GMT
Lenore Bredeson - More From One Step Beyond (Digit, 1961) Message from Clara
If you see Sally
The Trap
Reunion
To Know the EndBlurb On the subject of psychic phenomena the general public, we believe, can be divided into two loose categories; those who are believers, and those who adamantly insist that it is all foolishness but who, in their secret hearts, harbour disturbing reservations about really disbelieving. Thus everyone, one way or another, identifies strongly with tales of mental telepathy and ghosts.
The first published volume of stories from One Step Beyond met with warm public acceptance; therefore the publisher has produced the collection of documental case histories you now hold in your hand. We trust it will help satisfy your appetite for human experiences beyond our understanding. For, whether you admit it to yourself or not, the entire subject must fascinate you.
If you still doubt it, just turn the page ....Message from Clara: Miss Lois Morrison teaches English to foreign students. Among her pupils, Mr. Tomach the butcher, an unfortunate looking bear of a man who can't tolerate women laughing at him. Mr. Tomach has a crush on Lois and gifts her a cameo brooch. It belonged to Clara, the girl he loved back home in the old country, who died five years ago .... Reunion: The youthful members of a glider club learn of the outbreak of War while picnicking. Peter, a Nazi, is furious that Helga, his fiancée, is spending too much time with daredevil Hans, resolves to murder him - and does, stabbing him in the back as his glider is launched toward the mountains. The rest of the group vow to meet up at the airfield on the first Sunday after the inevitable German victory. Things don't quite work out as they'd hope, but Helga - now miserably married to Peter - is adamant that she attend the reunion picnic out of respect to any of the old gang who may have survived the hostilities. Who's that skeletal guy gliding over the trees?
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Post by dem bones on Nov 27, 2019 18:23:05 GMT
If you see Sally: A variation on the phantom hitch-hiker theme. Mr. Ellis blames his daughter for the death of her little brother, who drowned while canoeing on the lake. In a fit of pain he curses her. "If she was dead, too, there'd be some justice." The rift is such that Sally quits college, leaves home and takes menial work in a Plainview diner, refusing to return home until he asks her specifically to do so. After a week, Pa relents. A joyous Sally cadges a lift from a kindly trucker. They set out during a terrible storm ....
The Trap: "How can a perfectly healthy man be dying of thirst and suffocation in the middle of Chicago?," and why is Dominic Donovio crying out for 'Edna' when he's happily, faithfully married to Florence? What's the link between him and a man trapped down a mineshaft in Reno? A rare case of non-fatal, non-Daemonic possession. At least Reunion and If You See Sally briefly enlivened things a little.
To Know The End: In 1937, Emily, a London librarian, suffers a premonition of World War II, and the death of the husband she's yet to meet in a massacre at Point Loisse. Shortly afterwards she meets and falls in love with Harry McCravey, but is fearful to wed him in case the premonition is fulfilled. Not until Neville Chamberlain declares "peace in our time" is she prepared to accept Harry's wedding proposal, confident in the knowledge that nothing can possibly go wrong.
This book is so easy on the brain you finish it without hardly realising you've done any reading at all.
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Post by ripper on Dec 3, 2019 15:02:25 GMT
I've seen a few of the One Step Beyond episodes. I thought they were okay, but not anywhere as good as The Twilight Zone, a contemporary of OSB, and, of course, so much better remembered. The stories were supposedly based on 'real' events--but skeletons flying gliders is surely stretching credulity a tad. I didn't know the series spawned any paperbacks--I presume the stories are straight episode novelisations.
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Post by Dr Strange on Dec 3, 2019 15:09:13 GMT
There's been a new series of The Twilight Zone aired this year in the US, narrated by Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us).
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Post by dem bones on Dec 3, 2019 19:00:17 GMT
I didn't know the series spawned any paperbacks--I presume the stories are straight episode novelisations. Very straight episode novelisations. I'm sure plenty of work went into them, but on this evidence, Lenore Bredeson is not the most dynamic author. A week on from reading it and only If You See Sally and Reunion have stayed with me. |
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Post by ripper on Dec 3, 2019 22:21:24 GMT
There's been a new series of The Twilight Zone aired this year in the US, narrated by Jordan Peele ( Get Out, Us). I remember the revival series from the mid 80s. There used to be episodes on video cassettes in nearly every high street video rental shop, but I am not sure it appeared on UK TV. I expect the new series will be picked up by one of our digital channels. To be honest, I thought the 80s series really missed the wonderful narration of Rod Serling, who was taken from us far too soon. There was also a Twilight Zone series in the early 2000s, but I don't think I saw any episodes. |
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Post by ripper on Dec 3, 2019 22:43:35 GMT
I didn't know the series spawned any paperbacks--I presume the stories are straight episode novelisations. Very straight episode novelisations. I'm sure plenty of work went into them, but on this evidence, Lenore Bredeson is not the most dynamic author. A week on from reading it and only If You See Sally and Reunion have stayed with me. I got a novelisation of some Night Gallery episodes many years ago, and although I liked the series (excepting the humorous shorts) the adaptations in print were just ho-hum. |
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