I have dispensed with my 'Books of the Year' postings which covered the years 2009 and 2010, and now attempt to review a selection of books that I have read both good and bad, in editions old and new. Much of what I buy is often based on suggestions by others, or some train of thought that makes me think "maybe I should try..." so they are not necessarily all strange/supernatural fiction.
With many small press books costing around £35-£40 each, and some seemingly worthy tomes changing hands on the second hand market for many times that, these reviews may also give the potential purchaser some indication of what they might receive for their money. Needless to say, my opinions should not be given any great value as I bring my own foibles to every review and these may change at any time.
Rosemary Pardoe (edits)
'The Ghosts And Scholars Book Of Shadows'
Sarob Press
pp143 £28.00 (within the U.K.)
The words 'sequel' and 'prequel' are words that place fear into my heart, and in combination with the august name of M.R. James I approached this volume with a degree of trepidation despite the stella line-up of contributors and editorship by James expert Rosemary Pardoe.
However I am very pleased to say that my misgivings were wholly unjustified and this is an excellent homage to James or perhaps one might say, the tales of James. Certainly many of the pieces in this book can scarcely be called 'Jamesian' in style, a feature that may upset the purists wishing 'more of the same'.
The 'Jamesian style' was part of the panel discussion during the 2012 Halifax Ghost Story festival which included Joel Lane (not a fan), Ray Russell (who believes James is the the end of a cul-de-sac of writing), Ramsey Campbell and Reggie Oliver who seemed more warmly disposed to him (and incidently cited as in the James tradition by Rosemary Pardoe). Whilst some of 'James gang' (Swain, Mumby, Caldecott et al) were generally disparaged by the panel (a little unfairly in my view with the exception of Swain who seems vastly over-rated) one author mentioned in the discussion L.T.C. Rolt seemed to be quite admired. Rolts single collection 'Sleep No More' (1948) is a classic volume (hugely under-rated) and very much within the James 'tradition' though absolutely his own.
So what makes a James tale 'Jamesian'? Certainly many of his protagonists are academically minded, antiquarianism abounds (James' own knowledge as well as that of his characters), the country house etc etc; but with these aspects, an unwritten sense that we are reading of a semi-cloistered/closed world in which the weird intrudes to disrupt proceedings. Reggie Oliver referred to what he termed James 'withdrawal method' by which he meant that the reader was led towards, er...climax, and but at the moment of revelation pulled back from so that the reader fills in the gaps. I think that this has resonance with my own thoughts that James (like Rolt) is a very 'tight' writer; one feels that his words are carefully chosen and that flow of words is very controlled- ie that everything has its place just like the characters he portrays. It is this very preciseness that makes the dissonance of the strange work so well. I think it is this combination which makes James, James and where his followers (or imitators) often fail is that they are either too discursive in their writing style or they reveal too much at the denouemont.
Having taken that detour let us return to the book.
It opens very strongly, Helen Grants 'Alberic de Mauleon' which introduces his brother and reveals how that scrapbook came into being. Grant is a fine writer and a 'collected tales' volume by her has just been announced by Swan River here. This is very good news indeed.
Rick Kennett and John Llewellyn Probert both take 'The Mezzotint' as their starting point but move in very different directions the former giving a new variant on the event themselves, the latter revealing that the Mezzotints occupant might be one of many should one know how to look at things the right way. I think it one of Proberts best tales to date- a neat concept equally neatly related.
Christopher Harmanns 'Quis Etse Iste' was the winner of the 'Ghosts And Scholars Newsletter' competition of preludes and sequels, and relates what happens when a friend of Parkins revisits the scene of the latters encounter whereas Jaqueline Simpson looks at the Abbot Thomas tale from an unusual point of view.
Reggie Olivers 'Between Four Yews' is a sequel and prelude to 'A School Story'. I need hardly say (though I will) that anything by Oliver is a joy to read.
Louis Marvick's tale of a magic mirror (ex property of a Robert Karswell) is also excellent, again a very neat idea and related in a tighter style quite unlike his 'Star Ushak' novella (the only other thing by him I have read). Mark Valentines follows. 'Two Doctors' is among the least admired of the James canon but Valentine sequel is a great tour de force telling a very 'Jamesian' tale in the Valentine style. I especially like the 'Atlas of Hell', a book James would also have enjoyed had he seen it. I would say that the Marvick and Valentine tales are two of the highlights of this book.
Derek Johns tale of witchcraft does not quite work for me as it telegraphs its ending a bit too soon - though I have been reading Montague Summers of late so am a touch witched out. Clive Ward sets many of his tales around the period of the English Civil War, a period he is very knowledgeable of, which suits his writing style and traditional ghost story manner very well. David Suttons is set in the late Victorian era and fares less well than Wards as its characters speech of the streets (Yah kna', dropped 'aitches and the like) sits just the wrong side of parody for my liking.
The book closes with 'A Glamour of Madness' by Peter Bell which takes James 'A Vignette' and works it into something even more disturbing than the original. This tale should help to confirm his status as one of weird tales most able practitioners.
Perhaps the only let down is the books cover. It seems a pity that for such an un-Jamesian volume it features such a literal representation of perhaps his most famous story.
This is not a book for lovers of M. R. James purists. However the diversity of writing styles and interpretations should find it welcome addition to the library any lover of the weird tale. There were 340 copies printed, buy one soon or pay an exorbitant price later when it goes o.o.p. Highly recommended.
Sarob Press is is here.
