A ghost reading.
I've been reading THE LITTLE STRANGER by Sarah Waters. It's a very old-fashioned ghost story that's almost more of a romance. Waters has the tone of those early to mid 20th century novels down pat. She's in no hurry to show her hand.
I love a good ghost story. But they're fairly rare. The one that scared me the most was GHOST STORY by Peter Straub. Or perhaps TURN OF THE SCREW by Henry James. What about you?
23 comments:
I was just re-reading Robert Bloch's short story "Sleeping Beauty" with a thought toward FF Books over the weekend. But such a cluster of Ramsey Campbell, Shirley Jackson, Robert Aickman, Joanna Russ, Kate Wilhelm, and the last issue of ALL HALLOWS (the Ghost Story society magazine) I've read all jostle each other, among others, as the nominee for the most recent extremely effective ghost story I've read for the first time.
Of course, there was one by someone maned Abbott which wasn't too shabby, either.
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE is right up there. You're too kind.
Straub's "Ghost Story" all the way. The whole novel is great, but that prologue, "Driving South", remains the creepiest single thing I've ever read.
It does stick, doesn't it?
I have to say, honestly, that I've read few *ghost* stories. I haven't read the ones mentioned, although I do know them. I've read stories with ghosts in them (Harry Potter; King's Bag of Bones). I know movie ghosts better and one I particularly liked (and seems to go along the same vein as Waters' story) is the Nicole Kidman film, The Others. When I think of ghost stories, I think of the word 'languid.' Don't know why b/c ghosts can scare the crap out of you. Ghosts, to me, have a reason for being a ghost and, many times, it's not to scare us human folk. That's just me but, then again, I'm not that versed in the genre. My wife particularly enjoyed Joe Hill's novel (forgot the title). She said I ought to read it as it was one of the best ghost stories she'd ever read.
Languid is a good word for the THE LITTLE STRANGER. Two hundred pages into it and not much has happened.
Loved that Nicole Kidman movie. I was really surprised by the ending.
Ghost Story gets my vote as well. It's actually the only Straub book I ever made it all the way through.
Me thinks, Todd is our only true ghost expert.
Scott, you're thinking of Heart-Shaped Box and, yes, it is pretty good. The apple don't fall far from the tree.
Although in some cases, the tree stand pretty far from the apples.
Daniel Pinkwater's latest book, THE YAGGYSSEY, has plenty of ghosts. But, for me, the master of the ghost genre is M. R. James. THE HAUNTED DOLLHOUSE & OTHER GHOST STORIES, COUNT MAGNUS & OTHER GHOST STORIES, and CASTING THE RUNES & OTHER GHOST STORIES explore every dimension possible relating to ghosts. Great stuff!
On my TBR pile, but the print is too small. When I bought it, it wasn't. Should have read it then.
Warning to the Curious (Transaction Large Print Books) [LARGE PRINT] (Hardcover)
by M. R. James (Author)
You might want to read this edition.
Thanks, George. I think the copy I have at home is just one of those really cheap ones.
I may not have the strength to hold up the large print formats. (I'm just teasing).
I am kind of partial to my own two Ghost Stories,
Ghost Story IGhost Story IIbut only because I know that they are true...
Almost any short story by Robert Aickman, Algernon Blackwood and E. F. Benson. Ash-Tree Press (Canada) and Tarturus Press (UK) are both doing a great job in bringing some truly good stuff back in print. And Hell House by Richard Matheson is a very effective novel.
Most of M.R. James, Blackwood and Benson are available on the web.
Oh, HELL HOUSE. I want to find that.
HELL HOUSE disappointed me...I took it to be Matheson's somewhat heavy-breathing answer to THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. But you can do worse.
Well, if we're describing All ghost stories, and not just the most recent good ones one has read, then one needs to investigate Fritz Leiber, P. M. Hubbard, Ambrose Bierce, Russell Kirk, Muriel Spark, Edith Wharton, Charles Grant, Lisa Tuttle, C. B. Gilford, Cornell Woolrich, Avram Davidson (surprise!), and a large number of others.
And, of course, Ash-Tree Press is the book publishing arm of the Ghost Story Society, the same folks who publishe the magazine ALL HALLOWS I mentioned...
HELL HOUSE disappointed me...I took it to be Matheson's somewhat heavy-breathing answer to THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. But you can do worse.
Well, if we're describing All ghost stories, and not just the most recent good ones one has read, then one needs to investigate Fritz Leiber, P. M. Hubbard, Ambrose Bierce, Russell Kirk, Muriel Spark, Edith Wharton, Charles Grant, Lisa Tuttle, C. B. Gilford, Cornell Woolrich, Avram Davidson (surprise!), and a large number of others.
And, of course, Ash-Tree Press is the book publishing arm of the Ghost Story Society, the same folks who publishe the magazine ALL HALLOWS I mentioned...
The Russell Kirk who did a forward to my husband's first book. Or is there two?
I sent the ghost story to AHMM. What the hell!
AHMM and ghost stories: Worked for C. B. Gilford back when.
The same Russell Kirk, who edited THE UNIVERSITY BOOKMAN and wrote THE CONSERVATIVE MIND, contributed ghost stories to THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION and WHISPERS magazine, and to various original anthologies. Buckley wrote spy novels, Dos Passos (mostly in his lefitsh youth) panoramic apparatus novels, and Kirk ghost stories.
R.A. Lafferty also wrote brilliantly idiosyncratic ghost stories, along with Davidson...the spectrum might run, Manly Wade Wellman (folkloric), Lafferty (tall-tale), Davidson (scholarly yet grounded).
E.F. Benson's brothers weren't too slouchy, either, if not up to him at his best.
I am very curious to hear what you think of this when you're done. I can tell you, it totally creeped me out. New definition of "unreliable narrator"!
I'll be back to you when done, Clea.
Post a Comment