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The Respectable Face Of Tyranny
“What the monsters used to achieve with claws, they now manage with pens…
Three years ago, Josh lost a lot of money on the unforgiving stock market. Now he’s divorced and living with his teenage daughter in a seaside caravan. Sally wants a tattoo; Josh just needs work.
For solace, he explores Saltwick Bay, a secluded stretch of beach whose cliff-side rock runs back to the ruthless Jurassic periods. There’s also a rotting boat there, leftover from the violent Second World War.
But when eerie creatures appear at night, dancing in the silent bay, Josh’s mind starts turning along unfathomable tracks . . . which may lead right back to the birth of tyranny."
Gary Fry’s new novella channels the spirit of Algernon Blackwood and other great masters of the weird tale, summoning forces from this world and others in a relentless symphony of unease. The signed limited hardcover edition includes an extensively revised version of his Lovecraftian novella WORLD WIDE WEB, in which a young boy must make sense of his parents’ divorce in a world of buried secrets and inexorable cosmic interventions . . .
Three years ago, Josh lost a lot of money on the unforgiving stock market. Now he’s divorced and living with his teenage daughter in a seaside caravan. Sally wants a tattoo; Josh just needs work.
For solace, he explores Saltwick Bay, a secluded stretch of beach whose cliff-side rock runs back to the ruthless Jurassic periods. There’s also a rotting boat there, leftover from the violent Second World War.
But when eerie creatures appear at night, dancing in the silent bay, Josh’s mind starts turning along unfathomable tracks . . . which may lead right back to the birth of tyranny."
Gary Fry’s new novella channels the spirit of Algernon Blackwood and other great masters of the weird tale, summoning forces from this world and others in a relentless symphony of unease. The signed limited hardcover edition includes an extensively revised version of his Lovecraftian novella WORLD WIDE WEB, in which a young boy must make sense of his parents’ divorce in a world of buried secrets and inexorable cosmic interventions . . .
- GenresHorror
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 12, 2012
This book is the first hardcover offering from the BFS award-nominee Spectral Press. It is a slim volume, with a hauntingly beautiful cover. The contents of this book are: -
1. The titular novella deals with the efforts and experiences of Josh, as he tries to come to terms with his recent misfortunes, increasing age, uncertainty about his relationship with his teenage daughter, fear about her mother’s dementia turning out to be hereditary, and apprehension about age-old evil returning to haunt him. The creepiest thing about this novella was the ambiguity about everything, presented through clean & lean prose in a taut narrative. Josh would never know what actually happened to him and his life and neither would we, making this novella truly strange.
2. The second novella in this book is “World Wide Web”. Contrary to the name, it has nothing to do with internet. Rather, it has a more literal sense that the reader can appreciate after the pages are over. It is a very good Lovecraftian novella, but the rather open ending (made inevitable by the short length of the work) made be dissatisfied.
Overall, this book is a very good indicator of the current contours of horror & strange fiction, and (in my humble opinion) it contains two of the best works of the author. Recommended.
1. The titular novella deals with the efforts and experiences of Josh, as he tries to come to terms with his recent misfortunes, increasing age, uncertainty about his relationship with his teenage daughter, fear about her mother’s dementia turning out to be hereditary, and apprehension about age-old evil returning to haunt him. The creepiest thing about this novella was the ambiguity about everything, presented through clean & lean prose in a taut narrative. Josh would never know what actually happened to him and his life and neither would we, making this novella truly strange.
2. The second novella in this book is “World Wide Web”. Contrary to the name, it has nothing to do with internet. Rather, it has a more literal sense that the reader can appreciate after the pages are over. It is a very good Lovecraftian novella, but the rather open ending (made inevitable by the short length of the work) made be dissatisfied.
Overall, this book is a very good indicator of the current contours of horror & strange fiction, and (in my humble opinion) it contains two of the best works of the author. Recommended.
April 25, 2015
Sometimes when you read a short book that is made up of two stories you start to worry, because if you really like the first one what happens if you hate the second. How do you even rate the book. Give a midway rating and it is unfair to the reader, give a high rating is not an accurate review for the bad story; a low does not do the first justice.
So, when I realised that Gary Fry’s The Respectable Face of Tyranny was two stories I began to have all those strange worries. I should not have done both the title story and its companion piece World Wide Web are very enjoyable and well written tales.
I can see why they have been put together, both similar reference points, set in or close to Whitby, both deal with single parents looking after a single child. In Tyranny it is a dad and his daughter; in Web the relationship is inverted. But there is another inversion too: in the first story it is the father doing his best to hold things together and to look after his daughter, while in the other the impression is that the son is the more balanced one while the mother totters on the edge of collapse.
I have to admit that I did not like the end of Tyranny, but this was one of those dislikes that is good. I wanted the story to continue, to follow the lives of the characters for that little bit longer. The fact that the story ended where it did was in keeping with the old adage ‘keep them wanting more.’ I certainly did.
The Respectable Face of Tyranny is the story of Josh, a formerly successful business man who has not exactly lost it all, rather found that his income has fallen into a form of hiatus following the stockmarket crash, his wife has gone because the money dried up leaving Josh to live with his daughter in the family’s former holiday home in Whitby. Fry catches the feeling of the beaches, giving it all an almost supernatural feel with a clever use of words that makes you think it is normal, just imagination twisting things. Which is, I guess, the way things could be seen, a place of craggy cliffs, sand dunes and the sea, not to mention the remains of a concrete boat. But it is the hint of things happening, supernatural or imagination that carries the story so well, the descriptions of things that might only be shadow or a trick of the light, stick in the mind giving that twisted skew to a normal world. Ultimately it is a story of learning to cope with new circumstances and love, just how far a father will go for his daughter, coming to terms with a new balance in a relationship and that old truth that kids grow up.
World Wide Web is not so subtle but works just as well, a tribute to H P Lovecraft (Indeed one of the characters is named for him). Adam is a boy just entering his teens, living with his near alcoholic mother, a former movie star whose waning career and divorce have taken their toll. Despite all the confusion that those early teenage years bring, Adam has to do his best to look after his mum, in an isolated place with no real male role models – indeed when we get to see his father, no matter how successful a man he may be, he is certainly not a great father. Although he probably believes he is. It is only when he meets writer Philip Howard that Adam finds any kind of connection at all, but it is the story that Howard has written that draws Adam in, but could the story of strange elder creatures be real?
So, when I realised that Gary Fry’s The Respectable Face of Tyranny was two stories I began to have all those strange worries. I should not have done both the title story and its companion piece World Wide Web are very enjoyable and well written tales.
I can see why they have been put together, both similar reference points, set in or close to Whitby, both deal with single parents looking after a single child. In Tyranny it is a dad and his daughter; in Web the relationship is inverted. But there is another inversion too: in the first story it is the father doing his best to hold things together and to look after his daughter, while in the other the impression is that the son is the more balanced one while the mother totters on the edge of collapse.
I have to admit that I did not like the end of Tyranny, but this was one of those dislikes that is good. I wanted the story to continue, to follow the lives of the characters for that little bit longer. The fact that the story ended where it did was in keeping with the old adage ‘keep them wanting more.’ I certainly did.
The Respectable Face of Tyranny is the story of Josh, a formerly successful business man who has not exactly lost it all, rather found that his income has fallen into a form of hiatus following the stockmarket crash, his wife has gone because the money dried up leaving Josh to live with his daughter in the family’s former holiday home in Whitby. Fry catches the feeling of the beaches, giving it all an almost supernatural feel with a clever use of words that makes you think it is normal, just imagination twisting things. Which is, I guess, the way things could be seen, a place of craggy cliffs, sand dunes and the sea, not to mention the remains of a concrete boat. But it is the hint of things happening, supernatural or imagination that carries the story so well, the descriptions of things that might only be shadow or a trick of the light, stick in the mind giving that twisted skew to a normal world. Ultimately it is a story of learning to cope with new circumstances and love, just how far a father will go for his daughter, coming to terms with a new balance in a relationship and that old truth that kids grow up.
World Wide Web is not so subtle but works just as well, a tribute to H P Lovecraft (Indeed one of the characters is named for him). Adam is a boy just entering his teens, living with his near alcoholic mother, a former movie star whose waning career and divorce have taken their toll. Despite all the confusion that those early teenage years bring, Adam has to do his best to look after his mum, in an isolated place with no real male role models – indeed when we get to see his father, no matter how successful a man he may be, he is certainly not a great father. Although he probably believes he is. It is only when he meets writer Philip Howard that Adam finds any kind of connection at all, but it is the story that Howard has written that draws Adam in, but could the story of strange elder creatures be real?
March 3, 2025
3.75; the Great Invisibles hypothesized by Andre Breton meet late capitalism in Algernon Blackwood's They Live.
May 22, 2012
What monsters used to achieve with claws, they now manage with pens…
Three years ago, Josh lost a lot of money on the unforgiving stock market. Now he’s divorced and living with his teenage daughter in a seaside caravan. Sally wants a tattoo; Josh just needs work.
For solace, he explores Saltwick Bay, a secluded stretch of beach whose cliff-side rock runs back to the ruthless Jurassic periods. There’s also a rotting boat there, leftover from the violent Second World War.
But when eerie creatures appear at night, dancing in the silent bay, Josh’s mind starts turning along unfathomable tracks . . . which may lead right back to the birth of tyranny.
The Respectable Face of Tyranny has a subtle, introspective quality about it that I wasn't expecting. Josh is an everyman character and suffers the same doubts and worries as many other parents. I'm sure there are plenty readers out there who could easily empathise with his predicament. He is trying his best to provide for his daughter, but fate, or some other higher power, attempts to derail his efforts at every turn. Along with Josh's own insecurities and fears the isolation of his current situation combine to attack his fragile mental state.
The desolate northeast coast around Whitby is a suitably stark and striking location for Josh’s story. I’ve been lucky enough to travel in this area a number of times and Gary Fry perfectly captures the imposing geography in his tale.
As the plot unfolds a growing sense of unease develops with each passing scene. The months that Josh has spent hiding away from the world have left their mark and the possibility that he may not be able to find his way back from his self imposed exile seem all too real. Fry has left just enough ambiguity in the writing so that it challenges the reader to draw their own conclusions about what is going on. Are Josh's experiences real or is he starting to suffer the first signs of the same dementia that plagues his mother?
Spectral Press has a knack for publishing short stories and novellas that challenge reader perceptions and this latest release is no exception. For me the best psychological horror feels all too real and I would include Gary Fry's novella in this select group.
Three years ago, Josh lost a lot of money on the unforgiving stock market. Now he’s divorced and living with his teenage daughter in a seaside caravan. Sally wants a tattoo; Josh just needs work.
For solace, he explores Saltwick Bay, a secluded stretch of beach whose cliff-side rock runs back to the ruthless Jurassic periods. There’s also a rotting boat there, leftover from the violent Second World War.
But when eerie creatures appear at night, dancing in the silent bay, Josh’s mind starts turning along unfathomable tracks . . . which may lead right back to the birth of tyranny.
The Respectable Face of Tyranny has a subtle, introspective quality about it that I wasn't expecting. Josh is an everyman character and suffers the same doubts and worries as many other parents. I'm sure there are plenty readers out there who could easily empathise with his predicament. He is trying his best to provide for his daughter, but fate, or some other higher power, attempts to derail his efforts at every turn. Along with Josh's own insecurities and fears the isolation of his current situation combine to attack his fragile mental state.
The desolate northeast coast around Whitby is a suitably stark and striking location for Josh’s story. I’ve been lucky enough to travel in this area a number of times and Gary Fry perfectly captures the imposing geography in his tale.
As the plot unfolds a growing sense of unease develops with each passing scene. The months that Josh has spent hiding away from the world have left their mark and the possibility that he may not be able to find his way back from his self imposed exile seem all too real. Fry has left just enough ambiguity in the writing so that it challenges the reader to draw their own conclusions about what is going on. Are Josh's experiences real or is he starting to suffer the first signs of the same dementia that plagues his mother?
Spectral Press has a knack for publishing short stories and novellas that challenge reader perceptions and this latest release is no exception. For me the best psychological horror feels all too real and I would include Gary Fry's novella in this select group.
September 20, 2012
Spectral Press are fast becoming major players in the world of horror fiction. Their limited edition chapbooks are beautifully presented collectors editions, containing stories that disturb and challenge the readers perceptions in equal measure. It was with a fair amount of excitement that I started reading their first novella length work – The Respectable Face of Tyranny by Gary Fry.
Josh is struggling to cope with his life. The economic downturn led to him losing his high paying job, his expensive home and his wife. To try and get himself back on his feet he moves into a caravan near Whitby with his teenage daughter, where he spends his time caring for his ailing mother and walking through the surrounding countryside, to try and make some sense of where his life went wrong. Before long he starts to see apparitions above the bay at night, and comes across strange carvings on the beach. Is he catching a glimpse of something ancient and terrifying, or have his recent troubles brought on the same dementia that claimed his invalid mother?
This is a very introspective piece of work. Gary Fry is quite obviously very familiar with Whitby and the surrounding area, and describes not only the town and its surroundings, but the people that live there in a level of detail that was quite astonishing. I’m not sure if I can remember reading anything recently that evoked such clear mental images for me. Similarly, the characters of Josh and Sally, his daughter, are beautifully drawn, to the extent that they were very real to me right from the start. Against this vivid backdrop, the insidious cosmic horrors that Josh has to contend with also become very real.
The Respectable Face of Tyranny is a slow paced and measured novella, that takes its time in painting a vivid picture and building the terror of both the creatures that Josh encounters and his own fear of losing his mind.
Very highly recommended for those that want something a little deeper and disturbing than the average horror story.
Josh is struggling to cope with his life. The economic downturn led to him losing his high paying job, his expensive home and his wife. To try and get himself back on his feet he moves into a caravan near Whitby with his teenage daughter, where he spends his time caring for his ailing mother and walking through the surrounding countryside, to try and make some sense of where his life went wrong. Before long he starts to see apparitions above the bay at night, and comes across strange carvings on the beach. Is he catching a glimpse of something ancient and terrifying, or have his recent troubles brought on the same dementia that claimed his invalid mother?
This is a very introspective piece of work. Gary Fry is quite obviously very familiar with Whitby and the surrounding area, and describes not only the town and its surroundings, but the people that live there in a level of detail that was quite astonishing. I’m not sure if I can remember reading anything recently that evoked such clear mental images for me. Similarly, the characters of Josh and Sally, his daughter, are beautifully drawn, to the extent that they were very real to me right from the start. Against this vivid backdrop, the insidious cosmic horrors that Josh has to contend with also become very real.
The Respectable Face of Tyranny is a slow paced and measured novella, that takes its time in painting a vivid picture and building the terror of both the creatures that Josh encounters and his own fear of losing his mind.
Very highly recommended for those that want something a little deeper and disturbing than the average horror story.
May 18, 2012
Quiet horror is something of a real treat to read, especially after reading something blatantly shocking or terrifying. It was after a particular graphic novel that I turned to Gary Fry's Respectable Face of Tyranny as a kind of decompression. The thing about quiet horror though, is how it can claw at the back of your mind a tad more insidiously than the knife-wielding maniacs.
In this novella, Josh, a divorcee dad, has moved to a quiet coastal town in the wake of a financial drubbing in his portfolio, not to mention the shellacking his ex-wife's lawyer put on him. The idyllic little burg is meant to serve as a getaway from the hustle, and hopefully offer a way to reconnect with his teenage daughter, Sally. It's not working out. Josh's mind is consumed with what amounts to a quietly devastated life and he's at a loss to put things back together. And it's starting to take a real toll on the relationship he has with Sally, who has started into her rebellious stage. During introspective walks along the seaside, Josh sees strange things along the beach, including--but not limited to--odd scratchings of symbols in the sand and macabre creatures etched into the cliffs--and just as tall.
While I didn't connect with Josh all that much as a character, I was rapt by the imagery Gary provides through this tale. The weird comes out in fits and bursts, and keeps you guessing as to whether it's all in Josh's mind or if there are things in the little town that are starting to come out of the woodwork. The alchemy of the father-daughter relationship rings true, and I actually wound up feeling more fearful for Sally than Josh.
Another engaging little gem from the folks at Spectral Press.
In this novella, Josh, a divorcee dad, has moved to a quiet coastal town in the wake of a financial drubbing in his portfolio, not to mention the shellacking his ex-wife's lawyer put on him. The idyllic little burg is meant to serve as a getaway from the hustle, and hopefully offer a way to reconnect with his teenage daughter, Sally. It's not working out. Josh's mind is consumed with what amounts to a quietly devastated life and he's at a loss to put things back together. And it's starting to take a real toll on the relationship he has with Sally, who has started into her rebellious stage. During introspective walks along the seaside, Josh sees strange things along the beach, including--but not limited to--odd scratchings of symbols in the sand and macabre creatures etched into the cliffs--and just as tall.
While I didn't connect with Josh all that much as a character, I was rapt by the imagery Gary provides through this tale. The weird comes out in fits and bursts, and keeps you guessing as to whether it's all in Josh's mind or if there are things in the little town that are starting to come out of the woodwork. The alchemy of the father-daughter relationship rings true, and I actually wound up feeling more fearful for Sally than Josh.
Another engaging little gem from the folks at Spectral Press.
May 17, 2012
Josh has suffered in the credit crunch, the drop in his investments being wiped out leading to divorce from his wife Denise and a forced move to a small caravan above Saltwick Bay, which he shares with his daughter Sally. Then he sees strange luminous creatures on the beach. The first in the Spectral Visions line, this is a typically well-written novella from Gary Fry, artfully mixing the run-down glamour of an English seaside resort (and one which I enjoyed visiting a few years ago), the gradual spiral into depression and the bleak realities of life when everything material you’d worked for has been ripped away from you. Gary is a clever writer and this shines throughout the story and it’s both a good thing (this is perfectly constructed) and not so much so (it took me a while to get used to his stylings and rhythm) and whilst I liked the mixing of what he thought he saw against currency symbols (I won’t say more for fear of spoilers), this did lead to Josh (slight spoiler alert), twice within four pages, thinking he sees something huge looming up over him from the beach and both times dismissing it as cloud cover. (end of slight spoiler alert) Those niggles aside, this is a polished tale, by a very good writer and shows that Spectral Press has, once again, done an absolutely bang-up job. Recommended.
October 2, 2012
Some thought provoking themes, an engaging father/daughter relationship and a well captured East Coast bleakness. A satisfying novella.
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