Julian Lloyd Webber [ed.] - Short Sharp Shocks

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Julian Lloyd Webber [ed.] - Short Sharp Shocks (Weidenfeld & Nicolson 1990)

Acknowledgements
Julian Lloyd Webber - Introduction

Bernard Taylor – Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake
Conrad Hill – The Bushmaster
John Collier – De Mortuis
Arthur Machen – The Bright Boy
David Morrell – But at My Back I Always Hear
J. Yen – A Weird Day for Agro
James Kisner – The Litter
Andrea Newman – She’ll Be Company for You
Sydney J. Bounds – A Complete Collection
Leonard P. Carpenter – Dead Week
William Trevor – Miss Smith
Conrad Hill – The Grief Condition
R. Andrew Hall – The Other Woman
R. C. Cook – Green Fingers
Marghanita Laski – The Tower
Francis King – The Doll
William F. Nolan – Dead Call

Blurb:
"There are tales of obsession, jealousy, guilt, revenge, hatred, depravity, and lots of cold, naked fear. You will also find humour — of the black variety," writes Julian Lloyd Webber.
This extravaganza of horror is the result of Julian Lloyd Webber’s many lengthy journeys en route to the world’s concert halls, which he spent immersed in "every horror anthology I could lay my hands on." From literally hundreds of stories he has selected seventeen of the grizzliest gut-wrenchers of them all — for your delectation and delight!
He offers just one piece of advice: take one story at a time — preferably not before meals.

" ... from the age of eleven - around the time I began to support Leyton Orient - I have been a fan of horror stories." - Julian Lloyd Webber.

David Morrell – But at My Back I Always Hear: (Charles L. Grant [ed.], Shadows 6, 1986). Convinced that her tutor, Charles Ingram, is telepathically seducing her, lonesome, deeply troubled Sam Perry tells him as much. Ingram is suitably appalled. He is happily married with kids, and even were that not the case, plain, dismal Sam ... she just isn't his type. Tragically for the Ingrams, the stalker proves impossibly tenacious.

Leonard P. Carpenter – Dead Week: (Marcia Muller & Bill Pronzini [eds.], Dark Lessons, 1985). "The prose was impenetrable - written in Berkleyese, a pretentious academic style that tries earnestly to make itself immune from all criticism and ends up qualifying itself into meaningless obscurity." Cassy, a stressed, depressed biology student prone to memory loss, is obliged to take part time work in the campus cafeteria to supplement a too-modest grant. She really shouldn't have. Meanwhile, Prof. Thayer shares his profound thoughts on overpopulation.

Conrad Hill – The Grief Condition: An old man, demented with grief over the loss of his wife, neglects her pets to the brink of starvation. It's the eve of the funeral. His wife is lying at peace in the front room. Fortunately for cat and dog, husband has gone with the open casket option ....

Sydney J. Bounds - A Complete Collection: (Mary Danby, [ed.], Frighteners 2, 1976). Annual World Fantasy Convention, Regal Hotel, London. Genre-hopping pulp author Michael Cox (author of Doorway to Hell, Nightmare,Satan's Daughter & co.) attracts the unwanted attentions of obsessive fan Jonathan Jamieson. "I remember the first story of yours I ever read, The Curse of Khephra, in Terror Tales. I have an interest in Egyptology and yours was the first story of this type I'd come across where the author had bothered to get his facts right. I was impressed , sir, and immediately started to collect your work. I may say that I'm well on my way to forming a complete collection ..."

J. Yen – A Weird Day for Agro: (Clarence Paget [ed.], 27th Pan Book of Horror Stories, 1986). A punk musicians ear-splitting guitar riffs reduce elderly upstairs neighbour to puddle of goo. Charlie Black, the man who first alerted us to this anthology, shared some interesting facts re the author (and, indeed, 'Agro' himself).

William Trevor - Miss Smith: (Alex Hamilton, [ed.] Splinters, 1968). School oddball James Machen's increasingly desperate attempts to win over his form teacher are rewarded with spite. When the former Miss Smith becomes a mother, the little boy takes an unhealthy interest in baby daughter. Seriously creepy quiet horror, this one.

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From the introduction. "... Although the writing is a crucial factor, here are no 'pretentious' stories where the author seems more concerned with style than content."

Shame there wasn't a vol. II.

William F. Nolan - Dead Call: (Kirby McCauley [ed.], Frights, 1976). Hi there. Yeah, it's me, you're old pal who drove his car into a concrete pillar two months back. Listen, I heard you've been having a real hard time of things of late. I hate to break this to you, but things are only going to get worse. So why not take that gun out from the drawer and blow your brains out because, trust me, death is beautiful ....

Francis King - The Doll: (The Brighton Belle & Other Stories, 1968: Christine Bernard [ed.], Fontana Horror, 1969). The corpse of a mentally handicapped 12 year old girl is found on the beach. She'd been sexually assaulted. Meanwhile, Reynolds, valet to Sir Malcolm, is again suffering memory lapses. He's sure he recognises the girl from her photo in the paper as he's forever hanging around in the park where the special children play ...

R. A. Hall - The Other Woman: (John Burke [ed.], Tales of Unease, 1966). Each night while lying in bed with his wife, John dreams the latest episode in a serial nightmare, during the course of which his evil doppelganger waylays and throttles a young woman. Three years ago, at close of the first series of dreams, Alice Northwood, his bit-on-the-side, was strangled by killer unidentified. Now he's involuntarily taken to fantasising about a neighbour, Margaret Owen.

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Conrad Hill - The Bushmaster: (Herbert Van Thal [ed], 16th Pan Book of Horror, 1975). Incongruous choice in that, at 48 pages, story is anything but a 'short sharp shock.' Minerva Cannington is houseproud to a point way beyond lunacy. When her luxury Vibraglide automatic packs in after five months use, husband Roger spends £40 on the latest thing in West African tribal vacuum cleaners. The Bushmaster has the most voracious appetite for garbage, and just about anything it can suck down its funnel and convert to compost ...

[pbsplatter]

That’s a really great, idiosyncratic collection.

Thrilled to see “Dead Week” in there; it’s an underrated little gem.