Anyone read any good ghost stories recently?
sean penguin
13'), but that's about it (currently engrossed in Stephen King's 'Cell'
- not ghostly, but damned good. Mind you, if you don't like King, you
won't like this).
Joey
sean penguin wrote:
Dear Mr Penguin
I acquired "Cell" on its day of publication, but my partner promptly
commandeered it and I haven't seen it since!
So, I've had to read "Blow up and other stories" by Julio Cortazar -
'Blow Up' was the story that Antonioni based his film with David
Hemming on so many years ago.
And "Fancies and Goodnights" by John Collier - if you haven't read
these stories, you must get a copy and start reading as soon as humanly
possible.
Not really ghost stories but stories that "explore the implacable logic
of lunacy". Great humour, too, in many of these fabulous tales.
Beyond that I'm afraid most of my time has been taken up studying
research material, predominantly about Caravaggio (Michelangelo
Merisi), for use in my current commission (which will also be my last
with any luck), and this will culminate with a five-week visit to Italy
later this year - which I am looking forward to, but with some
trepidation.
Beyond the above, the only recent "entertainment" type reading I've
been able to engage in is :"The Shadow Of The Wind" by Carlos Ruiz
Zafon. My edition is a translation by Lucia Graves, and its fantastic.
Not a ghost story. But a labyrinthine quest for truth. I would
recommend it to all.
Regards
Randy Money
[...]
> So, I've had to read
[...]
>
> And "Fancies and Goodnights" by John Collier - if you haven't read
> these stories, you must get a copy and start reading as soon as humanly
> possible.
>
> Not really ghost stories but stories that "explore the implacable logic
> of lunacy". Great humour, too, in many of these fabulous tales.
That's a pretty good description. Collier had a light touch I'm not sure
you see anymore. I'm about 1/3 through it, and hope to dig farther over
the next month. I've also been dipping into _The John Collier Reader_,
which overlaps it some, but has other stories as well.
I finally got past some other work, and my mid-winter funk and am
commenting on and proofreading a friend's manuscript, a collection of
ghost, horror and crime stories I hope he can get published so I can
crow about it here. I think many of you would find his stories of
pre-Katrina New Orleans enjoyable.
After that, I think I will tackle Christopher Priest's _The Prestige_.
There a movie of it coming out and I'd like to read it before either
seeing the movie or hearing a lot about it.
Randy M.
Sheerluck
"Joey" <waggaw...@yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:1144079009....@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
> Beyond that I'm afraid most of my time has been taken up studying
> research material, predominantly about Caravaggio (Michelangelo
> Merisi), for use in my current commission (which will also be my last
> with any luck), and this will culminate with a five-week visit to Italy
> later this year - which I am looking forward to, but with some
> trepidation.
We recently had a very good Caravaggio exhibition here in Melbourne
(National Gallery of Victoria) .
From the little I know of Caravaggio , his personal life was even more
colourful than his art :-)
Sheerluck
DianeG
I used to read a lot of Stephen King's novels though I stopped at
Desperation. I just felt is recent books are very similiar.
I quite enjoy reading Shaun Hudson his books have got some character.
Joey
Sheerluck wrote:
> We recently had a very good Caravaggio exhibition here in Melbourne
> (National Gallery of Victoria) .
> From the little I know of Caravaggio , his personal life was even more
> colourful than his art :-)
> Sheerluck
Did you get a chance to see the exhibition yourself?
Indeed, Caravaggio's life reads like the most sensational fiction! And
yet he still remains a quite enigmatic individual.
I have so often studied his two self-potraits firstly as Bacchus and
then as the head of Goliath in "David with the head of Goliath" that
this last has actually figured in a number of my dreams (nightmares?).
Regards
John Pelan
<giantalbi...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
Been reading Joe Hill (alternating with Bob Silverberg's early SF and
a smattering of John Brunner). The Hill collection is uneven, but
still a pretty strong contender for the best of the year. I'd probably
give the nod to Caitlin Kiernan's TO CHARLES FORT, WITH LOVE. As with
all of her books, upon completion you feel as though you've learned a
tiny piece of great and terrifying truth about the nature of
reality... Amazing how well the stories stand our their own yet when
put into context in a collection they morph into a part of something
much larger...
Cheers,
John
Rick Kennett
> (National Gallery of Victoria) .
> From the little I know of Caravaggio , his personal life was even more
> colourful than his art :-)
> Sheerluck
Greetings, Fellow Melbournian!
Rick
Rick Kennett
these stories, you must get a copy and start reading as soon as humanly
possible.
I have this book too and agree with what's been said about it. I also
have a tape of selected stories from it read by Vincent Price. If
there was anyone meant to read Collier aloud, Vinnie's da man!
Rick
RPN
Randy Money wrote:
>
> That's a pretty good description. Collier had a light touch I'm not sure
> you see anymore. I'm about 1/3 through it, and hope to dig farther over
> the next month. I've also been dipping into _The John Collier Reader_,
> which overlaps it some, but has other stories as well.
If you have the *Reader*, do not--I repeat, DO NOT--pass up *His Monkey
Wife*.
While I was reading the stories in *Feesters in the Lake*, something
about Leman's sense of humor kept reminding me of Collier. That may be
an idiosyncratic reaction, though.
RPN
Sheerluck
I'm afraid I belong to the "don't know much about art , but I know what I
like " group .
When I was a youngster , I saw a reproduction of a Caravaggio painting , and
I was mesmerised by something in the corner of the picture.... a bowl of
grapes . You can look at those grapes , their texture and the light
reflecting off them and you can TASTE them .
If you look at "The Sacrifice of Isaac" , you can see where the son is
pinned by a grip on the neck as his father holds the knife ...you just KNOW
that Caravaggio has seen his share of tavern brawls and Random Acts of
Violence . Compare Caravaggio's treatment of this subject with the version
by Orazio Riminaldi of 1625 .
As regards pictures of Caravaggio himself , the early Bacchus and the
Goliath are spot-on , but also look at his rival , Giovanni Baglione's
"Sacred and Profane Love ", where , according to one interpretation ,
Caravaggio is the sodomist in the painting .
The date of Baglione's painting , 1602 , would be about right for C's
appearance and age at that time .
Sheerluck
Sheerluck
"Rick Kennett" <rick...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1144182438.1...@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
Are you glad the bloody Commonwealth Games and Grand Prix are over ?
Sheerluck
ram...@ramsey-campbell.com
print? I see Price also read Leah Bodine Drake for Caedmon.
On Collier, I also recommend seeking out his non-fantasy novel DEFY THE
FOUL FIEND. His screenplay for Franklin Schaffner's WAR LORD is pretty
flavoursome too.
Randy Money
> Randy Money wrote:
>
>>That's a pretty good description. Collier had a light touch I'm not sure
>>you see anymore. I'm about 1/3 through it, and hope to dig farther over
>>the next month. I've also been dipping into _The John Collier Reader_,
>>which overlaps it some, but has other stories as well.
>
> If you have the *Reader*, do not--I repeat, DO NOT--pass up *His Monkey
> Wife*.
It's one of those novels that's been in the back of my mind for a long
time. I will get to it.
> While I was reading the stories in *Feesters in the Lake*, something
> about Leman's sense of humor kept reminding me of Collier. That may be
> an idiosyncratic reaction, though.
>
> RPN
Can't say that occured to me, but your noting it makes me wish I was
home so I could pull out the Leman with that in mind.
Randy M.
Rick Kennett
> >
> > Rick
> >
> Right back at you , Rick !
> Are you glad the bloody Commonwealth Games and Grand Prix are over ?
> Sheerluck
Whew! Am I what!
Rick
Rick Kennett
ram...@ramsey-campbell.com wrote:
> That tape sounds like a perfect match, Rick. I assume it's now out of
> print? I see Price also read Leah Bodine Drake for Caedmon.
Would that be A Horne Book for Witches? Got that tape too.
sean penguin
Randy Money wrote:
>
> ...After that, I think I will tackle Christopher Priest's _The Prestige_.
> There a movie of it coming out and I'd like to read it before either
> seeing the movie or hearing a lot about it.
>
Is he the chap who wrote 'Indoctrinaire' and keeps annoying Harlan
Ellison?
sean penguin
John Pelan wrote:
> Been reading Joe Hill (alternating with Bob Silverberg's early SF and
> a smattering of John Brunner)...
Brunner is responsible for one of the best SF novels ever ('The Sheep
Look Up'), but I must admit I find some of his earlier work a bit less
to my taste. I also found the couple of horror stories which I've
encountered by him he to be pretty damn good.
Silverberg I've found to be a little hit-and-miss, but still
responsible for some good stuff.
Randy Money
Not sure about Ellison -- seems possible since by most accounts Ellison
can be every bit as prickly as he can be charming.
_Indoctrinaire_ sounds familiar, but I'm not certain ...
Yup. That's the Priest, according to,
http://www.christopher-priest.co.uk/
Oddly, I came across several of his early novels back in the '80s, and
that led me to think he was relatively prolific. The list at the site
indicates otherwise.
Randy M.
Todd T
Brunner: Check out THE SHOCKWAVE RIDER (1975) for a prescient early
tale of internet security problems playing a role in everything, even
political elections.
Silverberg: I am a great fan of his 1970s work, long and short, and
agree with the general assessment that probably no one in sf has ever
combined such high quality with such high prolificity before or since.
I also enjoy the Majipoor series, but haven't read much else of his
newer work; just haven't got round to it yet.
- Todd T.
chris ward
in mind picked it up. Thanks guys, the first few stories have made it
worthwhile already. I didn't think I'd read Collier before, but Evening
Primrose turned out to be one I remember from years back.
- Chris W
smee
> On Collier, I also recommend seeking out his non-fantasy novel DEFY THE
> FOUL FIEND.
Could anyone provide a brief (preferably spoiler-free) description of
this novel? The only thing I really know about it is its subtitle ("The
Misadventures of a Heart"). I had always assumed it was dark fantasy of
some sort, but Ramsey's comment makes think I've probably been in
error. Thanks in advance.
Yrs,
Michael
andyandy68
My big book of Ramsey Campbell short stories is waiting to be
read...I've been really lazy about reading lately. But I did just
re-read The Hound Of The Baskervilles for the hell of it; it only takes
a day to get through. Not a real "ghost" in it, of course, but a
pretty good book for horror fans. Did Doyle invent the "stay off the
moors, for God's sake!" genre, or were there stories before that? I
think Hound is about 1895?
sean penguin
Randy Money wrote:
>
> Not sure about Ellison -- seems possible since by most accounts Ellison
> can be every bit as prickly as he can be charming.
>
There's a transcript of a speech Christopher Priest gave as guest of
honour at a convention here:
http://news.ansible.co.uk/a218-cp.html
It's pretty funny, and mentions Harlan Ellison in less than glowing
terms. It appears Priest upset him by writing a piece called 'The Book
on the Edge of Forever' about the long awaited 'Dangerous Visions 3'
anthology.
sean penguin
Todd T wrote:
>
> ...Brunner: Check out THE SHOCKWAVE RIDER (1975) for a prescient early
> tale of internet security problems playing a role in everything, even
> political elections...
Yep, that's another good one. Contains a fairly accurate prediction of
worm viruses, from what I can remember.
'Jagged Orbit' was one of his better novels, as was 'Stand on
Zanzibar', although I felt that the ending of the latter was a little
bit of a let-down.
sean penguin
andyandy68 wrote:
>
> My big book of Ramsey Campbell short stories is waiting to be
> read...I've been really lazy about reading lately. But I did just
> re-read The Hound Of The Baskervilles for the hell of it; it only takes
> a day to get through. Not a real "ghost" in it, of course, but a
> pretty good book for horror fans. Did Doyle invent the "stay off the
> moors, for God's sake!" genre, or were there stories before that? I
> think Hound is about 1895?
'Real' ghost or not, 'Hound' certainly has the atmosphere of a ghost
story for most of its pages.
rbm...@library.syr.edu
> Saw the Collier collection in town yesrday and with this recommendation
> in mind picked it up. Thanks guys, the first few stories have made it
> worthwhile already. I didn't think I'd read Collier before, but Evening
> Primrose turned out to be one I remember from years back.
>
> - Chris W
Glad to hear it's holding up for you, Chris. I just finished "The Lady
on the Gray" last night and enjoyed it quite a bit. Collier was a lot
of fun. I think EP is my favorite of his so far, though.
Randy M.
chris ward
favourite - Chris
smee
> chris ward wrote:
>
> > Saw the Collier collection in town yesrday and with this recommendation
> > in mind picked it up. Thanks guys, the first few stories have made it
> > worthwhile already. I didn't think I'd read Collier before, but Evening
> > Primrose turned out to be one I remember from years back.
>
> Glad to hear it's holding up for you, Chris. I just finished "The Lady
> on the Gray" last night and enjoyed it quite a bit. Collier was a lot
> of fun. I think EP is my favorite of his so far, though.
Sort of off topic, I suppose, but I was wondering if anyone had any
opinions on Sondheim's adaptation of this Collier story. A recording
was released by Nonesuch (in tandem with _The Frogs_, another early
Sondheim adaptation) about 5 years back.
Yrs,
Michael
andyandy68
Yes, very true. There are a lot of good novels and shorts that are not
really "ghost stories" but work with that atmosphere. I like to see an
author create a really good atmosphere, even if the ghosts aren't real.
Hound of the Baskervilles, Wuthering Heights, there are others, I
know, but those two especially come to mind.
jul...@pacbell.net
I agree, and would add "Rebecca" to that list.
Julie
RPN
jul...@pacbell.net wrote:
> andyandy68 wrote:
> > Yes, very true. There are a lot of good novels and shorts that are not
> > really "ghost stories" but work with that atmosphere. I like to see an
> > author create a really good atmosphere, even if the ghosts aren't real.
> > Hound of the Baskervilles, Wuthering Heights, there are others, I
> > know, but those two especially come to mind.
>
> I agree, and would add "Rebecca" to that list.
There was an a.b.g-f thread on this very topic a while back. If you can
ignore a couple of minor Barkerian intrusions, you may be interested in
the "atmospheric but not supernatural" examples that folks came up
with:
RPN
sean penguin
RPN wrote:
> There was an a.b.g-f thread on this very topic a while back. If you can
> ignore a couple of minor Barkerian intrusions, you may be interested in
> the "atmospheric but not supernatural" examples that folks came up
> with:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/re4sj
Blimey, that thread covers a lot of ground. Thanks for the link, RPN.
Some of the film / tv references found there were of interest. 'Freaks'
is one of my favourite films, and I think someone also mentioned an
episode of 'The Prisoner' ('Many Happy Returns'). Another Prisoner ep,
'Dance of the Dead' certainly has an air of the supernatural about it,
epecially as some of the chase scenes bring to mind the incredible
'Carnival of Souls'.