In the Night In the Dark

This wonderful book of stories & poems, dealing with ghosts, undefinable entities and other subjects & emotions, contains the following: -A) "Things that Go Bump in the Night" (Tales from the Endeavour): These are some of the best stories told in the style of M.R. James (or, to be more specific, H.R. Wakefield), and had received considerable attention during their first printings and subsequent collection (published by Sarob Press as a limited edition). They are: -a. The Scarecrowb. The Watchmanc. The Interruptionsd. The Wall-Paintinge. The Searchlightf. The Takingg. The Melodramah. The Prizei. The Breakdownj. The Poolk. The Cluesl. The Night before Christmasm. The Soldiern. The Souveniro. Sweet Chiming BellsB) "Things from beyond": These stories share the mythos-setting (although they succeed admirably in placing them in England, rather than in Lovecraft's Arkham & Innsmouth), and since I am not such a big fan of Mythos-stuff, I didn't derive much pleasure from these stories. But of course, that's my problem, and should not restrain you. The stories are: -a. Aliah Wardenb. The Dreaming Cityc. Custos Sanctorumd. Ishtaole. From the Desertf. The Fool's Taleg. The Man Who Inherited the Worldh. In Memoriami. On Dead GodsC) "More Things in Heaven and Earth...": I enjoyed this part, and it is likely that these are the stories & poems to whom I would be coming back from time-to-time for a shudder or a smile. The pieces are:a. The Serpent's Tooth: the beginning of the legend of Frankenstein, in 18th Century.b. Enigma: a delightful short-short.c. Desideratum: another great story about bargaining with the devil (or rather, why that's not such a good idea).d. Love, Death and the Maiden: a great horror story, justly praised by many, and finally unearthed after it had passed into o-o-p oblivion.e. "Oddities Investigated" - Tales from a Hero's Casebook: some of the most "odd" adventures of an occult detective (or, to be more accurate, her beautiful assistant, who always saves the day).f. A Butcher's Dozen: Tales in verse: cosmic stuff, just read them once!So, a highly enjoyable collection. Now, if only someone can persuade the author to write some more odd adventures of our "Hero". Recommended, obviously!

Roger Johnson's book 'In The Night In The Dark - Tales of Ghosts and Less Welcome Visitors' takes its title,at least in part, from one of my favourite horror movies, The Haunting (1963) directed by the excellent Robert Wise. 'In The Night In The Dark' is a compilation of ghostly and supernatural tales and the book is divided into three sections: 'Things that Go Bump in the Night (tales from the Endeavour)'; 'Things from Beyond'; and 'More Things in Heaven and Earth'.The first section is comprised of ghost stories written in the tradition of M R James, which are a joy to read. They are exquisitely well written and I have found them delightful bedtime reading over the last couple of weeks (my wife thinks I am barking mad to read ghost stories just before I go to sleep!). As with all story compilations I had my favourites of course but they are all beautifully crafted to a very high standard indeed. I devoured all these tales with much glee, although I suppose the stories that really stood out for me were 'The Scarecrow', 'The Wall Painting' and 'The Prize'. The stories are linked by a device whereby people are invited to tell their ghostly tale to a couple of locals in the setting of an old fashioned Essex pub, called The Endeavour. This section was originally published in 2001 as 'A Ghostly Crew: Tales from the Endeavour'. I would have been more than delighted with the book on the strength of this section alone.The book's second section 'Things from Beyond' is based on the writing of H P Lovecraft. I must confess to not being a great Lovecraft fan myself, however, Roger Johnson managed to keep me reading and more importantly kept me interested. The book's final section 'More Things in Heaven and Earth' is a miscellany of various pieces of writing that includes some poetry. This section also includes a chilling tale entitled 'Love, Death and the Maiden' based on the grim and very bloody life history of Countess Elisabeth Bathory, which I thought was truly excellent.It seem a worthy book to be recommending on 31 October!

This superb collection, by award winning writer Roger Johnson, is destined to be a classic of the genre. Johnson combines the nuance of M.R.James with the occult lore of Lovecraft and the flamboyance of both Chambers and Oscar Wilde, in this remarkable collection of chilling tales. Justifiably called "a master of the uncanny" Johnson's "In the Night - In the Dark" ( the title is derived from a memorable line in the film "The Innocents") is an essential part of the library of true lovers of ghostly fiction and the macabre. This modern masterwork is a truly recommended purchase!

There are not many English writers with the style and imagination needed to produce a first-rate ghost story. It has to be a mystery which emerges from the familiar world and leads us on into the realm of fear and trembling. M R James was the master of the genre and Roger Johnson has produced a collection which can share the same bookshelf. No one who enjoys tales of the supernatural can afford to miss these.