Dennis Wheatley - Roger Brook Series.

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

I'm interested in these as the period they are set encompasses the height of the Romantic movement. What are your impressions of the books?

They seem to be centered around the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon, whom Hegel called the Weltseele:

“I saw the Emperor – this world-soul – riding out of the city on reconnaissance. It is indeed a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, who, concentrated here at a single point, astride a horse, reaches out over the world and masters it.”

Of course in our modern age the idea of the Great Man is frowned upon.

The series also has some titles that make you wonder if Wheatley was writing historical bodice-ripping romance: The Wanton Princess, The Ravishing of Lady Mary Ware.

The modern ebooks I could read state: "This book has been lightly edited for style and pace, at the request of the Wheatley family." So I'll avoid them and go to the originals, which fortunately are also available to me.

[dem bones]

Only one I ever attempted was The Irish Witch about 100 years ago. Far as I can recall I enjoyed it, not so sure that would be the case now, though. As is so often the case with Wheatley, I love much of the cover art, if not the writing.

Dennis Wheatley – In the Shadow of Tyburn Tree (Arrow, 1963; originally Hutchinson, 1948)

Sheldon

Blurb:
ROGER BROOK on a secret mission to Catherine the Great’s Russia.

In 1788 Roger travelled to the Russia of that bold, beautiful, cultured, licentious woman, Catherine II – justly surnamed ‘the Great’ – for Britain’s youngest Prime Minister, Billy Pitt. How he buried the Sword of Sweden in the dark straw of a dungeon and, overnight, became a Chevalier of the order of Vladimir, makes superbly enthralling reading.

Dennis Wheatley – The Rape Of Venice (Arrow, 1965: originally Hutchinson, 1959)

Blurb:
Passion Intrigue Violence Black Magic.
All the ingredients are here for another action-packed, thrill-laden story of adventure and romance featuring Roger Brook, Prime Minister Pitt’s most resourceful secret agent, one of the most famous characters created by “The Prince of thriller writers.”

Dennis Wheatley – The Irish Witch (Arrow, 1975)

Blurb:
The HellFire club is being revived – by a sensuous wanton who calls herself the Irish Witch. Once more the titled of the land are being sucked into its vortex of vice and degradation. And among them is Susan, Roger Brook’s young and lovely daughter.

Soon it will be Walpurgis Night. Soon a ruined castle will echo to the baying of initiates as Susan is led toward an altar – there to be ritually violated by the Priest of Satan.

[helrunar]

Dennis Wheatley seems to be a lot of fun if you can decide to ignore the ghastliness of his views about race, political systems, gender, etc.

The blurbs read like script ideas for a Monty Python film circa 1972. 

cheers, Hel.

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

I found a novel called The Strange Story of Linda Lee. It's amazing, but for all the wrong reasons.

As the creator of the Duke de Richieau, Gregory Sallust and Roger Brook, Dennis Wheatley is world famous. Now he produces an entirely different rabbit out of his hat: the loves and adventures of a beautiful girl with all the odds against her.

She was poor but she was honest, victim of a village crime
For the squire’s cruel passion robbed ’er of ’er ’onest nime.
Then she went right up ter London, for to ’ide ’er grief and shime,
There she met another squire, an’ she lorst ’er nime again. (Old drinking party song)

Except that Linda’s first seducer was not a squire, the above gives a fair idea of the opening of this story. Actually, too, she ran away to London because life as a slave in a market garden had become intolerable to her. Linda’s exceptional vitality, good looks and eager inquiring mind led her second squire to act as a fairy godfather. He transformed her from an uncouth country wench into a cultured and elegant beauty, whom he could take with pride to de luxe restaurants and travelling with him in Europe. But when he died Linda was left penniless.
Linda was not a wicked girl, but to save herself she committed a crime, and to escape arrest had to flee the country. For many thousands of miles she is pursued by the police, backwards and forwards across Canada. In the United States she is faced with even more desperate situations. Time after time only her wits and courage save her. At last it is her own patriotism that brings her to book.
After nearly forty years of writing about espionage, battles, international intrigue and gun-fights, what a challenge it was to produce this kind of book! Who, other than the ‘Prince of Story Tellers’, could have done it? Again he gives us those graphic descriptions of far countries in which he has travelled, twist after twist in the plot, pages of agonising suspense and ever-rising excitement until it is not prison but death that stalks brave and lovely Linda—then a magnificent denouement.

I was astonished to discover this book is set in 1970!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Later in a chapter called A Night in a Brothel she tears a black man called Bimbo's jugular vein out with her teeth while crushing his testicles in one of her hands.

Here is a conversation between them:

Still grinning, he surveyed her eagerly from head to foot, then rolled a red tongue round his thick lips and said, ‘Waal now, if ol’ Bimbo ain’t the lucky boy. Yo’s a real peach, sweetie. Ah could keep on layin’ yo’ till the cows come home.’
At last she found her voice and croaked, ‘Get out! Get out!’
He slowly shook his head. ‘Yo’ got it all wrong, honey bunch. I’m heah to gi’ yo’ a real good time. An’ I’m not leavin’ till yo’s as limp as lars’ week’s washin’.’

I'm frankly gobsmacked.

The dialogue is weird, I have never seen a book like it. Maybe his thrillers and historic fiction are better, and it was written toward the end of his life. He was certainly an interesting individual, and was obviously brave, serving in both world wars, and being gassed in the awfulness of Passchendaele.

[helrunar]

Cringe.

H.

[dem bones]

Glen St John Barclay devotes a chapter to Wheatley's work, referencing the Roger Brook series, in Anatomy of Horror: The Masters of Occult Fiction, 1979), which, as I type, is available to read on archive.org. Equally contentious/ hilarious [depending on your POV], his hatchet job on Lovecraft in chapter 5, The Myth That Never Was. I enjoyed this book, but wonder why the author took the trouble to research/ write it. Not that it matters in the slightest, but he doesn't seem to have a high opinion of supernatural horror fiction.

Ah, I knew it was on here somewhere: Anatomy of Terror

[helrunar]

Miss Clea, I think you may enjoy this thread, which I found thanks to a cleverly misdirecting reference in Dem's review of that "definitive" narrative on the history of Gothic horror (you'll have to take on trust my guffaw as I typed those words):

vaultofevil.proboards.com/thread/2828/gregory-pendennis-piranhas-petticoats

Just don't let Dalekina Supreme Mother Superior at the Convent know that you may soon be perusing the works of gasp the infamous Mr Gregory Pendennis.

cheers, Hel.

[helrunar]

I have to admit that Glen St John Barclay's flair for research is admirably showcased in this monumental passage, expertly cited by Lord Demonik:

Stocking tops were undoubtedly the most popular sexual fetish of the pre-pantyhose generation, and no writer not overtly dealing in pornography ever got more mileage out of stocking tops than Dennis Wheatley. The curious reader is referred in particular to Come Into My Parlour (stocking tops, murder, Nazis and sadism); Star of Ill-Omen (stocking tops, adultery, Communists and flying saucers); Curtain of Fear (stocking tops, Communists and flagellation); and especially To The Devil - A Daughter (stocking tops, Communists and the production of homunculi).

H.

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

Apr 14, 2023 21:12:19 GMT helrunar said:

I have to admit that Glen St John Barclay's flair for research is admirably showcased in this monumental passage, expertly cited by Lord Demonik:

Stocking tops were undoubtedly the most popular sexual fetish of the pre-pantyhose generation, and no writer not overtly dealing in pornography ever got more mileage out of stocking tops than Dennis Wheatley. The curious reader is referred in particular to Come Into My Parlour (stocking tops, murder, Nazis and sadism); Star of Ill-Omen (stocking tops, adultery, Communists and flying saucers); Curtain of Fear (stocking tops, Communists and flagellation); and especially To The Devil - A Daughter (stocking tops, Communists and the production of homunculi).

H.

The Strange Story of Linda Lee (stocking tops, Black Panthers, Communists and nuclear secrets).