Book Review: ‘Tales of Unease’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
There are fifteen tales in this collection, all short stories, but some much shorter than others, with ‘How it happened’ clocking in at a mere three pages. They range widely in terms of subject matter, from tales of twisted revenge and the occult, to ghost stories and science fiction. Of these, I had read only one previously in another anthology – the gripping ‘Lot No. 249’ – but even so, many of the stories seemed somehow familiar, a sensation accounted for by the fact that many of them have provided the basis for a number of films, which, in itself, is testimony to their quality. Thus, ‘The Ring of Thoth’ provided the raw material from which was fashioned ‘The Mummy’, starring Boris Karloff, with ‘Lot No. 249’ also furnishing additional trappings for a number of mummy pictures. Their influence has been wide, and particularly enduring.
The most disturbing of the tales collected here are those at whose heart lies the dark theme of revenge: ‘The Lord of Chateau Noir’, ‘The New Catacomb’, and ‘The Case of Lady Sannox’. Each of these is possessed of a distinctly unsettling unpleasantness, with the first and the last making the reader cringe at their graphically sadistic denouements, although ‘The New Catacomb’ delivers the sort of darkly delicious twist characteristic of Roald Dahl’s ‘Tales of the Unexpected’, as does ‘The Brazilian Cat’. Similarly, the reader of a more sensitive disposition should be warned that the occult-themed ‘The Leather Funnel’ might induce a little queasiness.
Despite their age, most of these stories do indeed manage to induce a sense of unease in the reader, although ‘The Horror of the Heights’ fares less well, as does ‘The Terror of the Blue John Gap’. Written in 1913, the former speculates as to what might be lurking in the upper atmosphere, waiting to encounter and take unawares intrepid aeronauts at 41,000 feet, some ten years or so hence. It is highly fanciful and peculiar, but as at that time this aerial region had not been explored, Doyle can be forgiven. For the natives of the Peak District, I doubt that the second of these beastly tales will occasion much loss of sleep.
Overall, this makes for a highly entertaining collection, which holds up well when compared to Doyle’s better-known Holmes stories.
The most disturbing of the tales collected here are those at whose heart lies the dark theme of revenge: ‘The Lord of Chateau Noir’, ‘The New Catacomb’, and ‘The Case of Lady Sannox’. Each of these is possessed of a distinctly unsettling unpleasantness, with the first and the last making the reader cringe at their graphically sadistic denouements, although ‘The New Catacomb’ delivers the sort of darkly delicious twist characteristic of Roald Dahl’s ‘Tales of the Unexpected’, as does ‘The Brazilian Cat’. Similarly, the reader of a more sensitive disposition should be warned that the occult-themed ‘The Leather Funnel’ might induce a little queasiness.
Despite their age, most of these stories do indeed manage to induce a sense of unease in the reader, although ‘The Horror of the Heights’ fares less well, as does ‘The Terror of the Blue John Gap’. Written in 1913, the former speculates as to what might be lurking in the upper atmosphere, waiting to encounter and take unawares intrepid aeronauts at 41,000 feet, some ten years or so hence. It is highly fanciful and peculiar, but as at that time this aerial region had not been explored, Doyle can be forgiven. For the natives of the Peak District, I doubt that the second of these beastly tales will occasion much loss of sleep.
Overall, this makes for a highly entertaining collection, which holds up well when compared to Doyle’s better-known Holmes stories.
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