David A. Riley's Blog, page 31
November 19, 2021
RIP Simon Marshall-Jones
I am sorry to hear of the death at only 58 of editor and publisher Simon Marshall-Jones whose Spectral Press published some truly remarkable books. A few years ago I reviewed one of the books he edited and published, which just happens to be, in my opinion, one of the very best Christmas anthologies ever: The 13 Ghosts of Christmas. Below, in a sort of remembrance, is my review of it written in 2013:
Over the years Christmas, as well as a time of festive joy, has become synonymous, at least for some of us, with the traditional ghost story. How many of us look back fondly on the BBC's series of Ghost Stories for Christmas, based on M. R. James' classics, starting with The Stalls of Barchester back in the early seventies?Even for those too young to remember these when they first began it has become something of a tradition. And one in which this collection more than amicably fits. With a suitably macabre cover, the work of Vincent Shaw-Morton, this is a handsome 201 page volume whose look and feel are filled with promise. Thankfully, it is a promise fulfilled by the thirteen stories in it. There are ups and downs, but the ups are always of exceptionally good stories and the downs are never worse than adequate. Beginning with a lively and interesting introduction by horror-enthusiast Johnny Mains, the stories start off with perhaps the best in the volume. An Odd Number at the Table by John Costello is a cracking tale, beautifully well written, with enough twists and turns in its plot to intrigue anyone right up till its chilling climax. This sets a high standard, up to which Jan Edwards' Concerning Events at Leinster Gardens amply lives, wherein the ghosts could be echoes from the past, but echoes that have terrible consequences for those who experience them. I have never been a great fan of William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki stories nor in psychic sleuths in general, but William Meikle, who obviously loves these tales, makes a more than adequate stab at them. And at least in atmosphere sustains the ghostly Yuletide theme of the anthology with a strange story of a possessed ring. Raven Dane's A Taste of Almonds is a densely written atmospheric tale of murder, intrigue and the hallucinogenic properties of absinthe, grotesquely Dickensian in a fascinating way, with some interesting details about poison. The seasonal aspects of the story, though not strictly speaking essential to the tale, do add a nice touch to it. Where the Stones Lie by Richard Farren Barber is set in more modern times, though it concerns a family curse in a country farmhouse in Ireland. Nicholas Martin's story All That Is Living, like William Meikle's Carnacki tale, is about a ring. Unlike the previous story, though, this also includes a demonic snowman, which is far more effective than I would have expected. Snow plays an even more pivotal part in Thana Niveau's And May All Your Christmasses... Evil snow, in fact. And, as we have become accustomed to with her tales, this is a relentlessly bleak, harrowing story, colder even than the season. A strong addition to the middle of the book. This is followed by a shorter story by Martin Roberts. Now and Then is all about guilt, loss and consequences, effectively and eloquently packing a lot into its four pages. I have long loved Paul Finch's stories. And December is no exception, a macabre warning on the paganisation of Christmas, with a final ominous twist. Inspired by Arthur Machen's Ritual, Gary McMahon's Ritualism updates the original to the hopelessness in a bleak modern northern city. Its unsettling depiction of the alienness of children and the potential violence, loneliness and nihilism of urban life is as dark as it gets. Which leads us to the rural violence inherent in an ancient village monument in Neil Williams' We Are a Shadow, whose amateur dramatic society, the Railway Players, are part of a larger pagan survival reminiscent of the Wicker Man. In The Green Clearing by John Forth two families, friends for years, share an annual Christmas holiday in a log cabin miles from anywhere, but as in some of the other stories in this anthology, echoes from the past bring horrors into the present day with horrific results. The final story, Lost Soldiers by Adrian Tchaikovsky ends the book on a strong note in the East Anglian fens where ghosts are resurrected by a band of hapless parapsychologists into finishing off a violent task the fens and death prevented them from carrying out during their lifetimes. Some great details, atmosphere and a truly horrific climax bring this anthology to a satisfying close. Well nearly, because there is a brief extra in the opening pages of Stephen Volk's upcoming novella Whitstable, due from Spectral Press later this year, a fascinating four page snippet whose central character is none other than the late Peter Cushing.
Apart from one story these are all original to this collection, making it an even greater achievement that it lives up to its premise so successfully, showing just what outstanding talent there is these days. It would be nice to think that Spectral Press and Simon Marshall-Jones could repeat this with another volume next Christmas, but they have already set a high benchmark.
Recommended.
Plus the good news for those who missed out on the 100 copy limited edition hardback is that it is being reprinted in paperback. spectralpress.wordpress.com
November 18, 2021
Story accepted for Swords and Sorcery Magazine
I just learned today that my story The God in the Keep has been accepted for the next issue of Swords and Sorcery Magazine .
In Depth Review of A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror on the Vault of Evil Website
Kevin Demant has just concluded a story-by-story review of A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror on the Vault of Evil website. Click here to take a look at it.
November 5, 2021
A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror available now in paperback and kindle
Artwork: Jim Pitts
My fifth short story collection A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror is now available in paperback and kindle.
The short story collection includes fourteen dark tales of fantasy and horror ranging from 1971 to 2020.
Dead Ronnie and I was first published in Sanitarium issue 44, 2016
Corpse-Maker was first published in Weird Window issue 2, 1971
The Urn was first published in Whispers issue 1, 1972
Gwargens was first published in Beyond issue 3, 1995
Retribution was first published in Peeping Tom issue 3, 1991
The Bequest was first published in Dark Horizons, 2008
They Pissed on My Sofa was first published in Malicious Deviance, 2011
Old Grudge Ender was first published in The Screaming Book of Horror, 2012
A Girl, a Toad and a Cask was first published in The Unspoken, 2013
Scrap was first published in Dark Visions 1, 2013
Lem was first published in The Eleventh Black Book of Horror, 2015
A Grim God’s Revenge was first published in Mythic issue 4, 2017
Grudge End Cloggers was first published in Scare Me, 2020
Hanuman was first published in Phantasmagoria issue 16, 2020
November 4, 2021
Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 3 now available as paperback and ebook (kindle)
It is with great pleasure that I can announce Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 3 is now available as a paperback and ebook (kindle)
Copies can be ordered from:
Contents are:
Sorcerous Vengeance by Lorenzo D. Lopez Seal Snatchers of Jorsaleem by Tais Teng When the Gods Send You Rats by Chadwick Ginther Mother's Bones by Carson Ray In the Lair of the Snake-Witch by Darin Hlavaz The Rains of Barofonn by Mike Chinn Wardark by Craig Herbertson The Foliage by Rab Foster In the Lair of the Moonmen by Jon Hansen Sailing on the Thieves' Tide by Adrian Cole The covers and interior artwork are again by Jim Pitts. The book is 270 pages and costs £11.99 for the paperback and £2.99 for the kindle.November 1, 2021
A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror now available on kindle
Artwork: Jim Pitts Ahead of its publication as a paperback, A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy and Horror is available as a kindle ebook (price £2.99 in the UK). The paperback will be out later this week.
The short story collection includes fourteen dark tales of fantasy and horror ranging from 1971 to 2020.
Dead Ronnie and I was first published in Sanitarium issue 44, 2016
Corpse-Maker was first published in Weird Window issue 2, 1971
The Urn was first published in Whispers issue 1, 1972
Gwargens was first published in Beyond issue 3, 1995
Retribution was first published in Peeping Tom issue 3, 1991
The Bequest was first published in Dark Horizons, 2008
They Pissed on My Sofa was first published in Malicious Deviance, 2011
Old Grudge Ender was first published in The Screaming Book of Horror, 2012
A Girl, a Toad and a Cask was first published in The Unspoken, 2013
Scrap was first published in Dark Visions 1, 2013
Lem was first published in The Eleventh Black Book of Horror, 2015
A Grim God’s Revenge was first published in Mythic issue 4, 2017
Grudge End Cloggers was first published in Scare Me, 2020
Hanuman was first published in Phantasmagoria issue 16, 2020
October 23, 2021
A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror
Front & back cover artwork by Jim PittsMy next collection of stories will be published in November: A Grim Gods's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror.
This will include fourteen stories in the horror, fantasy and science fiction genres all of which have previously been published from the early 1970s to last year.
Dead Ronnie and I was first published in Sanitarium issue 44, 2016
Corpse-Maker was first published in Weird Window issue 2, 1971
The Urn was first published in Whispers issue 1, 1972
Gwargens was first published in Beyond issue 3, 1995
Retribution was first published in Peeping Tom issue 3, 1991
The Bequest was first published in Dark Horizons, 2008
They Pissed on My Sofa was first published in Malicious Deviance, 2011
Old Grudge Ender was first published in The Screaming Book of Horror, 2012
A Girl, a Toad and a Cask was first published in The Unspoken, 2013
Scrap was first published in Dark Visions 1, 2013
Lem was first published in The Eleventh Black Book of Horror, 2015
A Grim God’s Revenge was first published in Mythic issue 4, 2017
Grudge End Cloggers was first published in Scare Me, 2020
Hanuman was first published in Phantasmagoria issue 16, 2020
Artwork by Jim Pitts
October 18, 2021
Two great deliveries today
Two great deliveries today. A bluray "Legacy Collection" boxset of Dracula, containing Dracula (1931), Dracula's Daughter (1936), Son of Dracula (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945), and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). I won this on ebay with a bid made exactly 5 seconds before the auction ended. Also arrived today is the latest issue of the science fiction and fantasy magazine
Mythic
, which contains my story Baal the Necromancer, and a half-page advert for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy. October 17, 2021
My latest story: Baal the Necromancer in Mythic magazine
My latest story to be published is Baal the Necromancer in the Summer issue of Mythic. The magazine also includes a half page advert for the Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy series. See below.
October 16, 2021
My old collection of Conan Comics
I've been meaning for a while to take a look at my collection of Conan comics from back when I used to collect them, along with other Marvel and DC titles. Unfortunately I no longer have all my original collection, but I have managed to hang on to just over 50, the oldest of which is 50 years old next month! Here they are in all their glory.
No 249 October 1991
No 221 August 1989
No 217 April 1989
No 76 July 1977
No 69 December 1976
No 66 September 1976
No 65 August 1976
No 64 July 1976
No 63 June 1976
No 62 May 1976
No 61 April 1976
No 60 March 1976
No 58 January 1976
No 57 December 1975
No 54 September 1975
No 53 August 1975
No 52 July 1975
No 51 June 1975
No 50 May 1975
No 49 April 1975
No 48 March 1975
No 47 February 1975
No 46 January 1975
No 45 December 1974
No 44 November 1974
No 43 October 1974
No 42 September 1974
No 41 August 1974
No 35 February 1974
No 34 January 1974
No 33 December 1973
No 32 November 1973
No 31 October 1973
No 30 September 1973
No 29 August 1973
No 28 July 1973
No 27 June 1973
No 26 May 1973
No 25 April 1973
No 24 March 1973
No 23 February 1973
No 22 January 1973
No 21 December 1972
No 20 November 1972
No 19 October 1972
No 19 September 1972
No 17 August 1972
No 16 July 1972
No 15 May 1972
No 14 March 1972
No 12 December1971
No 11 November 1971
