The Fellow Travellers and Other Stories

by Sheila Hodgson

When M.R. James penned his essay 'Stories I have Tried to Write', he left several plot ideas for, as he wrote, 'the benefit of somebody else'. One writer who appreciated James's generosity was Sheila Hodgson, who determined to bring some of his ideas to fruition. This she did, skilfully using three of James's plots in her radio plays 'The Villa Martine', 'The Turning Point', and 'Come Follow!', two of which are narrated by 'Monty' himself. Then Hodgson went one step further, using the author as a character in the type of story with which he is so closely associated by enthusiasts of the classic supernatural tale.

Thus we find Dr James involved in a 'witch hunt' in south-west England; searching for the missing pages of a mediaeval text in Scotland; puzzling over mysterious happenings in the ruins of Medborough Abbey; and piecing together the strange events behind the account of a centuries-old trial. The rather sceptical James—occasionally accompanied in his adventures by his somewhat reluctant friend and publisher, George Masterman—attempts to explain these events rationally; yet there always seems to be something which does not quite fit.

In these twelve stories—eight of them based on radio plays—Sheila Hodgson has remained true to both the character and the spirit of M.R. James. The Fellow Travellers is a collection which will delight all lovers of the ghost story and its most famous practitioner.

CONTENTS:

Introduction by Sheila Hodgson
'The Villa Martine'
'The Turning Point'
'The Lodestone'
'Childermass'
'The Backward Glance'
'The Boat Hook'
'The Fellow Travellers'
'The Hand of Gideon Chant'
'Echoes from the Abbey'
'Here Am I, Where Are You?'
'The Smile'
'Come, Follow!'

Genres: Ghost Stories, Short Stories

193 pages, Hardcover

First published June 6, 1998

About the author

Was a writer and actress, known for Mrs Thursday (1966), Our Miss Pemberton (1957) and BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950). She was married to David Middleton.

Reviews

[Canavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

✭✭✭

“The Villa Martine” (1998) ✭✭✭½
“The Boat Hook” (1995) ✭✭✭✭
“Echoes from the Abbey” (1987) ✭✭✭
“The Turning Point” (1998) ✭✭
“The Lodestone” (1991) ✭✭✭½
“Childermass” (1991) ✭✭
“The Backward Glance” (1991) ✭✭✭½
“The Fellow Travellers” (1998) ✭✭✭½
“The Hand of Gideon Chant” (1998) ✭✭✭
“Here Am I, Where Are You?” (1998) ✭✭✭
“The Smile” (1998) ✭✭✭½
“Come, Follow!” (1982) ✭✭✭½

[Paul Hasbrouck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I was never bored with these stories, which using a few ideas of not written stories by M.R. James and dear Dr. James himself as a reluctant hero in others. The reader meets a host of supernatural beings-a ghost child, a model boat that haunts a married couple, a death match between a boy and his uncle, a devil worshiping vicar and others. I was entertain, but the major failure of this collection is that I never felt, the fear that Dr. James could create for his readers. None rise to level of ghoulish delight as The Ash Tree, Whistle and I Will Come You My Lad, Casting the Runes and The Uncommon Pray Book, by this brilliant Cambridge Don.

[Nancy Oakes]

full slate today so I'll have to get to this one a bit later. For now: the stories in this book are entertaining; some worked for me and some didn't which is usually the case in this sort of thing. I had fun with this book for the most part.

more to come

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This superb collection of “Jamesian” stories has been a prized possession of mine for quite some time. By making this long out-of-print book available to all, in a singularly affordable format, rather than confining it to the vagaries of collectors and dealers of used books, Ash Tree Press has earned the gratitude & blessings of all lovers of traditional ghost stories. These stories are among the best of their kind (i.e. those written in the style of Dr. M.R. James) because of the following reasons: -
1. The dry (English?) humour that permeates the narration (esp. when the narrator is Dr. James himself) enlivens the characters and makes the terror felt by them even more pleasing (to us, not to those poor souls).
2. Rather than going too far in imbuing the characters & places with the pre-War atmosphere, the narrative remains brisk and matter-of-fact, recalling the story-telling style of Dr. James and other masters.
3. In making Dr. James a narrator of many of these tales (with those ‘traits’ abundantly in display that have been mentioned by biographers & critics) the author has given the stories a loving authenticity that is rare to find and impossible to imitate.
And now about these stories. Among the 12 stories in this collection, the following had been written on the basis of the “ideas” offered by M.R. James himself in his “Stories I Have Tried to Write”: -
1) The Villa Martine
2) The Turning Point
3) The Backward Glance
4) The Hand of Gideon Chant
5) Echoes From The Abbey
6) Here Am I, Where Are You?
7) Come, Follow!
Let me categorically state that even in these stories, the plots & shudders conjured up by the author are entirely her own, and they are most satisfyingly scary. The remaining stories own no debt to Dr. M.R. James except in style, and for having him as the narrator. They are original, scary, and despite relying on some of the most-used tropes in literature, succeed in haunting us into a re-read: -
1) The Lodestone
2) Childermass
3) The Boat Hook
4) The Fellow Travellers
5) The Smile
Overall, highly recommended.

[robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hodgson seems to be to be in the position of someone who ran through MR James and, having come to the end of what was available, began writing her own stories.

That's not entirely accurate, but anyone who intentionally writes 'in the spirit of' or 'in the tradition of' is creating more of what they like and wish there was more of. That kind of writing is truly a mixed bag - look at all the Holmes pastiches, of which there are THOUSANDS - but having read, read, and reread MR James (and Doyle), I'm always happy to dip my toe into the waters of 'in the spirit of.'

I think these stories are kissing cousins to James, but not in the same rank of atmosphere and style. But entertaining and with the same habit of building a story around a relic or book or some element of learning, which is the most appealing element in James (for me).

[Paul Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really it deserves 3.5*, There are some truly exceptional tales in this book. which can certainly be described as gripping. Others are a little laboured hence the modest rating of it as a whole. Ms. Hodgson has a particular fondness for the verb HISS which crops up in all kinds of context throughout the collection.

[Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. If you’re a fan of MR James and his ghost stories, and ghost stories like it, about antiquarians and relics and railways and superstitions, you probably will, too.

MR James famously wrote an essay called “Stories I Have Tried to Write,” summarizing a few of his unused ghost story ideas; here, Sheila Hodgson tells a few of those stories. It’s a lot like pastiches written about one of Sherlock’s many untold cases, except these aren’t pastiches. They’re more like modern adaptations of what those stories might have looked like if James had actually written them. Hodgson, a gifted storyteller, first wrote them as radio scripts, then adapted them to be published as stories. I think even for at least one of these stories she did the opposite? I believe seven of the stories were broadcast on BBC radio, and one on RTE radio. They’re all very easy to find online except for “Fellow Travellers,” the one broadcast on RTE. (More lost media, boooo.)

Most of the stories are not from unused James ideas, but Hodgson’s own imagination. They’re all pretty good. Hodgson’s James is a little priggish but always with wry, dry humor. He is often disappointed with the world and its people, unaware or unwilling to face the fact that there are supernatural goings-on afoot. Very Simon Ark, Scooby Doo, John Dickson Carr, Paul Halter, in that regard. No matter what spooky stuff happens, Dr. James finds a rational explanation. Mostly. You won’t find any deep psychological insights into James’ character here. There is enough to read into if you already have some prior knowledge or theories and seek it, but this is bubblegum. Very enjoyable bubblegum.

I say these stories are not pastiches because Hodgson doesn’t ape James’ janky or quirky prose. (In my opinion that jerkiness quality adds a lot of verisimilitude to his stories, and was probably due to their being, of course, written to be read aloud.) These stories are almost breezy, and if anything the humor is too strong that it detracts from the horror. Actually, in most of the stories the horror never really has a chance to ratchet up, forestalled so by the humorous observations* from a very adorably curmudgeonly Dr. MR James. (The funniest is actually farcical, but still enjoyable, “The Boat Hook.” “Echoes from the Abbey” is really funny, too.)

I wish more of Hodgson’s work was available. (Especially “The Long Drive Home” from 1967. This little blurb sent me searching for it in vain, “A clever murder plot set in the world of golf-bores.”) Hodgson was a very talented woman and hopefully someday some publisher or other will see fit to publish her best radio scripts, since that seems to have been her primary medium. Luckily seven of her James plays are easily found online, at least. Maybe someone at RTE will find “Fellow Travellers” someday.

Highly recommended. I think this collection and Hodgson deserve more attention in James circles, and from general ghost story aficionados. These tales are very accessible and fun, albeit lacking those (chef’s kiss) Jamesian wallops.

*Just two examples because nobody will probably ever read this and there are too many to count anyway!

“I refuse to see strange females before midday.”

“Dear me. The young are singularly irritating.”