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Tales Of Love And Death
- GenresShort StoriesHorror
243 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
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About the author
Robert Aickman
153 books545 followersAuthor of: close to 50 "strange stories" in the weird-tale and ghost-story traditions, two novels (The Late Breakfasters and The Model), two volumes of memoir (The Attempted Rescue and The River Runs Uphill), and two books on the canals of England (Know Your Waterways and The Story of Our Inland Waterways).
Co-founder and longtime president of the Inland Waterways Association, an organization that in the middle of the 20th century restored a great part of England's deteriorating system of canals, now a major draw for recreation nationally and for tourism internationally.
Grandson of author Richard Marsh.
Co-founder and longtime president of the Inland Waterways Association, an organization that in the middle of the 20th century restored a great part of England's deteriorating system of canals, now a major draw for recreation nationally and for tourism internationally.
Grandson of author Richard Marsh.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 9, 2020
I always forget how funny Aickman can be. The wit is dry and the humor is often absurd, but it is always present in some way. Never more so than in this collection, which includes absurd jobs ("Marriage" has two women, one who works in "poultry statistics" and the other who "advises on baby clothing") and absurd attacks ("Compulsory Games" has a protagonist who has fits and flees at the sound of a sinister plane flown too close to ground by his estranged wife, much to the derision of the village children) and absurd situations taken in matter of fact fashion ("Growing Boys" has two 15-year-olds who are apparently giant-sized and can tear down jail walls with their bare hands). Aickman likes laughing at the absurdity of humans and the absurdity of life itself. Same.
This is probably his weakest collection that I've read or reread so far (only 2 more to go!) and certainly includes a story that I can't imagine Aickman even writing. - the uninterestingly straightforward and rather goofy "Raising the Wind" which had me rolling eyes throughout. But it does include two very standout tales: the slightly infamous "Growing Boys" and the extremely mordant "Residents Only" - I loved them both.
"Residents Only" takes the classic haunted cemetery scenario and portrays it from a highly unusual angle: via the perspective of a village council member charged with its upkeep. And so the story is even more remote than usual for the author, as all of the creepy, deadly disturbances are recounted coolly and with an eye on appropriate process and outcomes, and is as lacking in passion as the minutes of any such committee meeting. However, few committee meetings feature two perhaps deceased committee members showing up to vote no on a motion.
"Growing Boys" has challenged many an Aickman fan with its bizarre, utterly deadpan humor and its refusal to address its central situation - two boys growing out of control and a mother who flees the entire horrid situation - with anything resembling a realistic approach. That lack of realism makes the story an outlier in the author's works. I really enjoyed it though, the absurdity of it all, the disinterest of the mother in caring for these monsters, the parody of a disengaged husband, the idea of literally monstrous teens roaming the land assaulting anyone who crosses their path after being expelled from school for understandable reasons, the image of them hungrily devouring an unlucky fellow who crossed them. Kids these days!
💀
"Growing Boys" - GROWING BOYS ARE HUNGRY BOYS
"Marriage" - As the song goes, if you can't be with the one you love, then love the one you're with. But what if those two loves are flip sides of the same coin? Ah, marriage.
"Le Miroir" - As the saying goes, time marches on. But what if the you that is held in your mind's eye remains forever young, while cruel time has its way with you? Ah, mirrors.
"Compulsory Games" - "Colin had noticed that the more hopeless and tragic the situation, the more the English resorted to laughter."
"Raising the Wind" - [alas, i have discovered my least favorite aickman tale]
"Residents Only" - NO ENTRY into the cemetery grounds, except for certain members of the Committee: 'tis reserved for residents only.
"Wood" - NO EXIT from the marriage and the little house for 3; 'tis this family's business model: one leaves only via boxes made of wood.
This is probably his weakest collection that I've read or reread so far (only 2 more to go!) and certainly includes a story that I can't imagine Aickman even writing. - the uninterestingly straightforward and rather goofy "Raising the Wind" which had me rolling eyes throughout. But it does include two very standout tales: the slightly infamous "Growing Boys" and the extremely mordant "Residents Only" - I loved them both.
"Residents Only" takes the classic haunted cemetery scenario and portrays it from a highly unusual angle: via the perspective of a village council member charged with its upkeep. And so the story is even more remote than usual for the author, as all of the creepy, deadly disturbances are recounted coolly and with an eye on appropriate process and outcomes, and is as lacking in passion as the minutes of any such committee meeting. However, few committee meetings feature two perhaps deceased committee members showing up to vote no on a motion.
"Growing Boys" has challenged many an Aickman fan with its bizarre, utterly deadpan humor and its refusal to address its central situation - two boys growing out of control and a mother who flees the entire horrid situation - with anything resembling a realistic approach. That lack of realism makes the story an outlier in the author's works. I really enjoyed it though, the absurdity of it all, the disinterest of the mother in caring for these monsters, the parody of a disengaged husband, the idea of literally monstrous teens roaming the land assaulting anyone who crosses their path after being expelled from school for understandable reasons, the image of them hungrily devouring an unlucky fellow who crossed them. Kids these days!
💀
"Growing Boys" - GROWING BOYS ARE HUNGRY BOYS
"Marriage" - As the song goes, if you can't be with the one you love, then love the one you're with. But what if those two loves are flip sides of the same coin? Ah, marriage.
"Le Miroir" - As the saying goes, time marches on. But what if the you that is held in your mind's eye remains forever young, while cruel time has its way with you? Ah, mirrors.
"Compulsory Games" - "Colin had noticed that the more hopeless and tragic the situation, the more the English resorted to laughter."
"Raising the Wind" - [alas, i have discovered my least favorite aickman tale]
"Residents Only" - NO ENTRY into the cemetery grounds, except for certain members of the Committee: 'tis reserved for residents only.
"Wood" - NO EXIT from the marriage and the little house for 3; 'tis this family's business model: one leaves only via boxes made of wood.
October 12, 2022
when i was too young i bought a tatty one of these from a haunted library trolley and took it home boy my poltergeist liked throwing it against my bedroom walls!
March 13, 2014
Another top notch edition from Tartarus reproducing one of the authors many out of print collections with an introduction by Michael Dirda.
As for the stories themselves, not among my favourite of his collections I have to say. This was my second reading of everyone's worst Aickman story; "Growing Boys" and I must admit that it did improve somewhat upon my second read. This time I noticed some of the subtler points of interest that I missed first time. No doubt that is true of most if not all of his stories and might well be the case for "Residents Only" and "Wood" that shared a sense of black humour yet I didn't quite see what the author was trying to achieve with either.
The stand out stories for me were "Marriage" and "Compulsory Games". Both deeply effective and moving; simply Aickman at his best. There were also two shorter, minor pieces: "Raising the Wind" and "Le Miroir".
All in all, a must for Aickman completest but not somewhere to start if you are new to the author.
As for the stories themselves, not among my favourite of his collections I have to say. This was my second reading of everyone's worst Aickman story; "Growing Boys" and I must admit that it did improve somewhat upon my second read. This time I noticed some of the subtler points of interest that I missed first time. No doubt that is true of most if not all of his stories and might well be the case for "Residents Only" and "Wood" that shared a sense of black humour yet I didn't quite see what the author was trying to achieve with either.
The stand out stories for me were "Marriage" and "Compulsory Games". Both deeply effective and moving; simply Aickman at his best. There were also two shorter, minor pieces: "Raising the Wind" and "Le Miroir".
All in all, a must for Aickman completest but not somewhere to start if you are new to the author.
June 28, 2024
[Victor Gollancz Limited] (1977). 1/1. HB/DJ. 192 Pages. Signed, dedicated and dated (“September 1977”) by the author. Purchased from Skirrid Books.
Aickman’s fifth solo collection is comprised of seven stories: “Marriage", “Le Miroir", “Compulsory Games", “Raising the Wind", “Residents Only" and “Wood".
“Growing Boys” is the heftiest at 55 pages. It reads like a surreal dream - toxic leaks from the subconscious. Ethics and social disintegration are explored with overlying political allegories. It’s absurd and cartoonish.
This does not represent Aickman at the peak of his powers or anything close to it. “Wood” is, perhaps, the best of - for this author - a rather middling lot.
Aickman’s fifth solo collection is comprised of seven stories: “Marriage", “Le Miroir", “Compulsory Games", “Raising the Wind", “Residents Only" and “Wood".
“Growing Boys” is the heftiest at 55 pages. It reads like a surreal dream - toxic leaks from the subconscious. Ethics and social disintegration are explored with overlying political allegories. It’s absurd and cartoonish.
This does not represent Aickman at the peak of his powers or anything close to it. “Wood” is, perhaps, the best of - for this author - a rather middling lot.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews