A Re-Discovered Classic

DEVILS' DRUMS by Vivian Meik (2011 Medusa Press / 214 pp / limited edition hc)


Continuing to find and re-release seldom-heard horror authors of old, Medusa Press delivers yet another fine collection from a fascinating writer.


After an informative introduction (Meik truly lived an amazing life), the original ten stories that made up DEVIL'S DRUMS in 1933 are presented, followed by three more tales (one actually a non-fiction piece).  Meik spent several years in Africa, his love and admiration for the country and culture showing in each tale.


The first two stories, 'Devil's Drums' and 'White Zombie' introduce us to African voodoo, complete with witch doctors, slave-zombies, and plenty of eerie atmosphere.  'An Acre in Hell' is one of the better moments here, dealing with the ultimate in voodoo evil and human sacrifice.  'The Doll of Death' is a spooky little yarn that was even turned into a short film forty years later when it appeared on one of the last episodes of 'Rod Serling's Night Gallery' in 1973.


'White Man's Law' shows what happens when the west intervenes where it shouldn't, and acts as a catalyst for the stories to follow (Mein uses most of the same characters in this collection, making the shorts seem almost like a single, long story).  'L'Amitie Reste' brings Meik favorites Geoffrey Aylett (an action commissioner) and Padre Vaneken (a Catholic missionary) closer together, this time in one of several tales that uses letters to unravel the happenings.


'The Man Who Sold His Shadow' is easily the best of the bunch, an eerie, heart-breaking account of a recently married white couple and their dealings with a local witch doctor.  It's the best example of Meik's horror writing, mixing a compelling supernatural plot with social intrigue.  'R.A.' finds our heroes Aylett and Padre Vaneken trying to get to the bottom of a series of gruesome murders along the local villages that leads them to a mysterious old woman and a legendary snake god.  'A Honeymoon in Hate' takes another look at a young couple and their life in Africa, complete with a surprise, brutal (for its time) ending.


The collection isn't called DEVILS' DRUMS for no reason: voodoo drum beats reverbeat throughout each tale, bringing a sense of dread whenever they appear.  'Domiria's Drum' ends the original ten-stories of the collection, once again taking a look at yet another cursed couple.


'The Two Old Women' (the first of three extra stories included in this edition) features not only characters from Meik's African horror tales, but also Meik himself.  This time the voodoo has come to London.  I'm assuming 'Chiromo' is the non-fiction piece mentioned in Douglas A. Anderson's introduction, as it starts off like a memoir then turns into a bizarre ghost story.  'I Leave it to You' ends the collection and is told from the Padre's point of view, and deals with a strange woman who may or may not be what she seems.


I found Meik's writing to be filler-free and to the point.  Perhaps he used the word "horror" a bit too often, but otherwise he was gifted at building dread and atmosphere while crafting likeable characters in a minimalist manner.  Medusa Press has also (once again) created an absolutely beautiful book here, one that any serious fan of horror fiction history will want on their book shelf.