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M. R. James' Count Magnus: A Detailed Summary and Literary AnalysisOne of M. R. James’ most beloved areas of research was in Scandinavian history and folklore. In “Count Magnus,” he underscores the fact that this...
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M. R. James' Canon Alberic's Scrap-book: A 5 Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisCommonly rated among the top ten of James’ stories by his admirers, “Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book” stands out as having many of the great tropes of...
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The Visitor from the Storm: A Ghost Story for Hallowe'enNOTE: Each October I write a ghost story or weird tale for Hallowe'en and post it here. The following piece is 2022's "Ghost Story for...
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Reviewing: "The Lost Son" Audio-DramaI seem to keep running into delightful firsts this year when it comes to my reviews. Today’s first – just in time for Hallowe’en – is an...
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Reviewing: Ty Tracey's Upcoming Novel, The Corroding“ We had all begun to accept that things may never go back to normal. Civilization as we knew it was in the midst of a great turning. We were no...
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“Why Do Spirits Walk the Earth?”: The 7 Hard Truths that Ghosts Expose in Literary HorrorEbenezer Scrooge said it best when he begged the preceding question of Marley’s Ghost in A Christmas Carol . What, he wanted to know, motivates a...
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My Recent Guest Spot on Sley House Publishing's Literary Podcast (— plus a short personal update)A very warm hello to you, dear reader! In this post I'll be breaking the fourth wall a bit to chat with you about two exciting updates from...
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M. R. James' Creepy Campfire Classic, Wailing Well: A 5 Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisFor M. R. James, who began his career as a writer of ghost stories by reading them to his friends at Christmas parties, his last great ghost story...
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Reviewing: Joe Pawlowski's In the Heart of the Garden is a TombOver the past year I have been stunned by the consistent strength of the books authors have sent me to review: the last six or so books which I...
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Carnacki the Ghost-finder's 7 Best Cases: A Spooky Spotlight on Hodgson's Steampunk Occult DetectiveIn a previous blog post, we specifically catalogued William Hope Hodgson’s best nautical horror stories – tales of haunted ships, sea monsters,...
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Robert Louis Stevenson's The Waif Woman: A Five-Minute Summary and a Literary AnalysisRepressed by Stevenson at his wife’s insistence, “The Waif Woman” – published posthumously (and only after Mrs. Stevenson’s death) is an...
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Edgar Allan Poe's A Descent into the Maelström: A Two-Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisLike its thematic predecessor, “MS. Found in a Bottle,” “A Descent into the Maelström” delves into themes of natural sublimity, seagoing...
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A Ghost Story for Easter: Ager's Martyrdom & Paxton's Penance in M. R. James' Warning to the CuriousTo the majority of his readership – especially those in the United Kingdom – M. R. James will forever be inextricably linked to the Christmas...
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Reviewing: J. Fremont's "Magician of Light"As a devotee of Arthur Machen , Oliver Onions, Robert W. Chambers , Algernon Blackwood, and their ilk, I must confess to have a soft...
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Arthur Machen's The Novel of the White Powder: A Two-Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisOne of Machen’s most anthologized stories – and certainly his most gruesome – “The Novel of the White Powder” is an excerpt from The Three...
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Reviewing: Geoff Woodbridge's "Something Weird, Something Strange"To begin with, from the very first moment that I read Woodbridge's fiction, I was struck by how rare and delicious it is to find a contemporary...
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Top 7 Film and Stage Adaptations of The Phantom of the Opera“The Opera Ghost really existed…” Such are the opening lines of Gaston Leroux’s Edwardian homage to the Belle Epoque . Pregnant with mystery,...
