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Post by dem on Feb 1, 2024 17:14:47 GMT
Katy Soar [ed.] - Circles of Stone: Weird Tales of Pagan Sites and Ancient Rites (British Library, Dec. 2023) Introduction
A Note from the publisher
Sarban - An Extract from Ringstones
E. F. Benson - The Temple
Jasper John - The Spirit of Stonehenge
H. R. Wakefield - The First Sheaf
Algernon Blackwood - The Tarn of Sacrifice
Stuart Strauss - The Shadow on the Moor
Frederick Cowles - Lisheen
Arthur Machen - The Ceremony
Mary Williams - The Dark Land
J. H. Pearce - The Man Who Could Talk with the Birds
A L Rowse - The Stone That Liked Company
Nigel Kneale - Minuke
L. T. C. Rolt - New Corner
Lisa Tuttle - Where the Stones Grow
Elsa Wallace - The Suppell StoneBlurb There was no sleep for him that night; he fancied he had seen the stone — which, as you know, was a couple of fields away — as large as life, as if it were on watch outside his window.
The standing stones, stone circles, dolmens and burial sites of the British Isles still resonate with the mystery of their primeval origins, enthralling our collective consciousness to this day. Rising up in the field of weird fiction, ancient stones and the rituals and dark forces they once witnessed have inspired a wicked branch of the genre by writers devoted to their eerie potential.
Gathered in tribute to these relics of a lost age — and their pagan legacy of blood — are fifteen stories of haunted henges, Druidic vengeance and solid rock alive with bloodlust, by authors including Algernon Blackwood, Lisa Tuttle, Arthur Machen and Nigel Kneale.
KATY SOAR is a Senior Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at the University of Winchester whose research explores the resonance of archaeology in culture. She has contributed to Hellebore magazine, and co-edited (with Dr. Amara Thornton) the Handheld Press anthology Strange Relics (2022).Sarban - An Extract from Ringstones: (1951). Dr. Ravelin relates the various scientific theories and folk legends advanced as to the origins and purpose of the stone circle on the Northumberland Moors. E. F. Benson - The Temple: ( Hutchinson's Magazine, Nov. 1924: Spook Stories[/i], 1928). St. Caradoc, Cornwall. Benson and archaeologist friend Frank Ingleton take a house in the woods near the standing stones known as "the Council of Penruth." As you may have guessed, the rent is set ridiculously low, on account of what became of the previous tenant. Mrs Fennell and daughter are happy to do for the pair on the understanding they'll not be required on the premises after sunset. Ingleton believes that somewhere hereabouts are the remains of a druid temple. He's right of course - the house stands on the site of it, and the stone of sacrifice requires regular victims. Jasper John [Rosalie Muspratt] - The Spirit of Stonehenge: ( Sinister Stories, 1930: Montague Summers [ed]. The Supernatural Omnibus, 1931). Excavationist Gavin Thomson believes that when the moon is full, elementals — "ugly evil spirits" — descend on the Stonehenge seeking host human bodies. Tragically, he's right. Thomson is first compelled to sacrifice a dog on the altar stone, after which the haunters of the dolmen demand the lifeblood of his friends.
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Post by dem on Feb 2, 2024 17:33:30 GMT
 Hugh Rankin: ( The Clock Strikes Twelve, 1940: August Derleth [ed.], The Night side, 1948; Bryan J. Netherwood Uncanny, 1974). "It's no day for you to be abroad, parson. Go home and stay indoors." When the Reverend Porteous takes over spiritual duties at the remote Essex village of Reedley End, he inherits a community steeped in the old religion. The inbred rustics are indifferent to his presence, just so long as he steers clear of a field known as 'the Good Place.' Three years of drought have brought successive crop failure and a high mortality rate among the cattle. Now the Gods must be appeased. A little girl goes missing. Stuart Strauss - The Shadow on the Moor: ( Weird Tales, Feb. 1928). A creepy tale of the pre-Druidic ruins of England — out on the moor were dancing, and strange wild music, and death. Famous author Gerald Jervais spends a weekend at the Blue Boar Tavern on Humberston Moor, whose ancient ruins were the scene of a recent bizarre and horrible crushing of a man's head beneath a rock. Johnson the landlord advises him to give the site the widest berth; "There's things there, sir, that a man better not talk about. There's death there and worse." |
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iant
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 60
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Post by iant on Feb 3, 2024 18:34:32 GMT
Just finished this the other day. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I am constantly surprised by how a themed anthology can avoid getting dull, but the variety of eras chosen, and the differing writing styles ensure that it all remains engrossing. The opening one was the least of the bunch, after that they were all great.
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Post by dem on Feb 4, 2024 17:28:44 GMT
Arthur Machen - The Ceremony: ( Ornaments in Jade, 1924). A fragment. From childhood, the protagonist has been strangely affected by a tall grey stone pillar in the wood. Now on her eighteenth birthday, she pays homage at its base, repeating the same blush-making ritual she'd watched a village girl perform before her. "Where The Stones Grow" by Lisa Tuttle. Catching up on reading, I came across this recently. One of the best stories in the "Dark Forces" anthology by Kirby McCauley. IMHO, of course... : (Kirby McCauley, [ed.] Dark Forces, 1980). "On certain nights the Sisters go down that path to bathe in the sea .... They will kill anyone who sees them." Nineteen years ago, Edward Staunton lost his life in mysterious circumstances on a seaside holiday in Devon. Intrigued by a preposterous village superstition, Staunton had waited up on Midsummer's Eve to watch for the standing stones' supposed descent of the cliffside stair. Today is the anniversary and Paul Staunton, still haunted by the nightmare of his father's death, is distressed to learn that his new San Antonio country house stands beside a stone circle ... J. H. Pearce - The Man Who Could Talk with the Birds: ( Drolls from Shadowland, 1893). Zennor, Cornwall. An auld black witch promises to teach the village simpleton to understand the language of his beloved crows, wagtails &c. if he'll just step inside the ringed stones. By the time the youth re-emerges — having learnt that birds have absolutely nothing of interest to say — he is a frail, solitary old man, friends and family having gone to their graves while the witch stole his life.
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Post by helrunar on Feb 4, 2024 17:34:30 GMT
I really enjoyed Lisa Tuttle's story, never having read anything by her before. The premise was unusual and very creepy, and she writes well.
Hel.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Feb 4, 2024 17:46:59 GMT
I really enjoyed Lisa Tuttle's story, never having read anything by her before. Apparently Christopher Priest, who was once married to Lisa Tuttle, died two days ago. ---Jojo Lapin X, Master Conversationalist |
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Post by dem on Feb 5, 2024 17:41:23 GMT
Frederick Cowles - Lisheen: ( Fear Walks the Night, 1993). St Germal church, Cornwall, early seventeenth century. The Rev John Pacey takes in an orphan child conceived of a witch and the horned God in the stone Circle at Bryn Glas. Lisheen defies all attempts at baptism, just as the corpse of her mother resists burial under consecrated soil. As the "wytch chylde" reaches maturity, the besotted parson transfers allegiance to "the master of evil" in return for participation in the Midsummer orgy, thereby damning his immortal soul. Their ghosts haunt the churchyard to this day (c.1940). Algernon Blackwood [with William Wilson] - The Tarn of Sacrifice: ( The Wolves of God & Other Fey Stories, 1921: Peter Haining [ed.], The Necromancers, 1971). Lake District. The Blood Tarn takes its name from an episode during the conquest when three Roman captives - a priest, his daughter and her lover - were hurled to their deaths from the crag above. Holt, a hero of the Somme, is hiking the moorland when he meets a beautiful young woman who claims to have awaited his coming for a considerable time. Accella has even prepared a straw bed for him. Soon Holt is so overcome with love, lust and race memory that her father's determination to avenge the human sacrifice with another seems entirely reasonable .... Mary Williams - The Dark Land: ( The Dark Land & Other Cornish Ghost Stories, 1975). Zennor, Cornwall. No sooner has she moved into the remote house on the moors than artist Julie Carrington takes to painting increasingly disturbing landscapes alive with vague, unpleasant faces leering from the undergrowth. The previous occupier drowned in the tarn beside the stranding stone under mysterious circumstances. Julie's obsession leads her to spend entire days on the moor. Her husband raises the alarm when she fails to return.
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Post by dem on Feb 6, 2024 19:00:27 GMT
Nigel Kneale - Minuke: ( Tomato Cain, 1949; Herbert Val Thal [ed] 11th Pan Book of Horror Stories, 1970; Peter Haining [ed], Ghost Movies, 1995, etc). Shortly before World War II, the Pritchard's move into their brand new home, a jerry-built bungalow on a coastal road. Unfortunately for them, it's built on a granite slab guarding a Norse burial ground. A combination of roaming furniture, pathological plumbing, collapsing chimneys, and food rotting before their eyes ensure the family don't stay long. A micro Amityville Horror. L. T. C. Rolt - New Corner: ( Sleep No More, 1948). Prior to hosting its first international, the motor racing circuit at Longbury Hill has been extended to encompass a steep incline between two great boulders. The new corner is unpopular with drivers who complain of an overpowering stench and a white robed lunatic stepping before their cars. Organiser Nelson of the MMC has a premonition of impending tragedy should the race go ahead. He blames it on overindulgence in the pub's excellent Stilton the previous evening.
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Post by andydecker on Feb 7, 2024 9:27:33 GMT
I really enjoyed Lisa Tuttle's story, never having read anything by her before. Apparently Christopher Priest, who was once married to Lisa Tuttle, died two days ago. ---Jojo Lapin X, Master Conversationalist Another one. R.I.P. I know I read one of his novels, A Dream of Wessex, but can't remember anything of it.And I watched Nolan's version of his novel The Prestige, which must be very different from the movie.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Feb 7, 2024 11:02:30 GMT
Apparently Christopher Priest, who was once married to Lisa Tuttle, died two days ago. ---Jojo Lapin X, Master Conversationalist Another one. R.I.P. I know I read one of his novels, A Dream of Wessex, but can't remember anything of it.And I watched Nolan's version of his novel The Prestige, which must be very different from the movie.
The film of THE PRESTIGE is a very faithful adaptation of the novel, except that it actually improves on a technical detail of the plot. THE PRESTIGE is unusual among Priest's novels, which are often more dream-like and ambiguous. I just started rereading THE GLAMOUR, something I have done a number of times over the years. It seems to me to be different every time. |
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Post by dem on Feb 9, 2024 18:02:08 GMT
A. L. Rowse - The Stone That Liked Company: ( West Country Stories, 1945). Another Cornish setting for the Dean's Christmas story. Young Christopher Wilford, an enthusiastic amateur archaeologist, rashly attempts excavation at 'the Devil's Walking Stick', a nine-foot tall menhir whose shape vaguely resembles a hooded and shrouded woman carrying a child. It follows him home. Elsa Wallace - The Suppell Stone: (Rosemary Pardoe [ed.], Ghosts & Scholars 34, Sept. 2018). Puttsford, a rural West Country village. On learning of Lizzie's interest in Stonehenge, old Perce insists on escorting her to the ancient menhir, last of a circle on Rannell's Farm as avoided by the locals due to its sinister reputation. Several persons have disappeared in the vicinity and the gypsies claim to have witnesses the huge, pear shaped Suppell Stone "folding up" a little girl and absorbing her into itself ... Definitely among my most enjoyed entries in the Tales of the Weird series to date.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Feb 12, 2024 22:07:07 GMT
I just started rereading THE GLAMOUR, something I have done a number of times over the years. It seems to me to be different every time. The reason may be that, apparently, it has been revised numerous times. |
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Post by andydecker on Feb 13, 2024 10:21:43 GMT
I just started rereading THE GLAMOUR, something I have done a number of times over the years. It seems to me to be different every time. The reason may be that, apparently, it has been revised numerous times. Do you have different print volumes or digital which sometimes gets updated if you want it or not. |
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Feb 13, 2024 10:32:09 GMT
The reason may be that, apparently, it has been revised numerous times. Do you have different print volumes or digital which sometimes gets updated if you want it or not. I have, I believe, the original paperback edition from 1985 or 1986 and another one from the mid-90s, and am currently reading the Kindle edition. |
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Post by andydecker on Feb 13, 2024 11:32:47 GMT
Do you have different print volumes or digital which sometimes gets updated if you want it or not. I have, I believe, the original paperback edition from 1985 or 1986 and another one from the mid-90s, and am currently reading the Kindle edition. Good to know that I am not the only one who does things like this. |
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