Darkness, Mist & Shadows - Volume 3 [pb]

by Basil Copper, Stephen Jones (Editor), Bob Eggleton (Illustrator)

Contents:
When Greek Meets Greek
Line Engaged
One for the Pot
In a Darkling Wood
The Grass
Riding the Chariot
Final Destination
The Obelisk
Out There
The Summerhouse
As the Crow Flies
Poetic Justice
Ill Met by Daylight
Charing Cross-Dover-Charing Cross
There Lies the Danger
Queen Bee
Death of a Nobody
Reflections
The White Train
Hunted by Wolves
Storm Over Stromjolly
The Silver Salamander
Voices in the Water

Genres: Short Stories, Horror

437 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2013

About the author

Basil Copper was an English writer and former journalist and newspaper editor. He has written over 50 books and scripts. In addition to fantasy and horror, Copper is known for his series of Solar Pons stories continuing the character created by August Derleth.

Copper edited a 1982 two-volume omnibus collection of Derleth's stories of the 'Pontine' canon, published by Arkham House, a publishing firm founded by Derleth himself and chiefly publishing weird fiction (such as Cthulhu Mythos tales); in that edition, Copper "edited" most of the tales in ways that many Pontine aficionados found objectionable[citation needed]. A later omnibus, The Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition, was issued in 2000 under the imprint of Mycroft & Moran (a name which is itself a Holmesian jest).

He also wrote the long-running hard-boiled detective stories of "Mike Faraday" (58 novels from 1966 to 1988).

Copper has received many honours in recent years. In 1979, the Mark Twain Society of America elected him a Knight of Mark Twain for his outstanding "contribution to modern fiction", while the Praed Street Irregulars have twice honoured him for his work on the Solar Pons series. He has been a member of the Crime Writer's Association for over thirty years, serving as chairman in 1981/82 and on its committee for a total of seven years.

In early 2008, a bio-bibliography was published on him: Basil Copper: A Life in Books, compiled and edited by Stephen Jones.

In March 2010, Darkness, Mist and Shadow: The Collected Macabre Tales of Basil Copper was launched at the Brighton World Horror Convention as a two-volume set by PS Publishing.

Reviews

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been on the lookout for Basil Copper's collection of macabre stories ever since I read The Janissaries of Emillion, a truly terrifying story if there ever was one. So imagine my delight when I found out that volumes two and three of his collected fiction were available on Kindle Unlimited. I wasted no time in downloading them - and diving into this.

However, the result is one of utter, extreme disappointment. Not only are stories lacking in the terror department: many of them are outright boring. There is a great amount repetition of themes - the stories "As the Crow Flies" and "Queen Bee", for example. Also detected was a pulpy obsession with sex - the descriptions of women as slim, svelte, voluptuous etc. ad nauseum, and how men admire them (sometimes reaching the drooling stage). The language was repetitive and descriptions of characters eating, drinking and smooching ran on, page after page after page.

The author's obsession with the dream motif - one used to such terrifying effect in "Janissaries" - is repeated in many tales. (In fact, the story "The White Train" is a virtual rehash.) In many other stories also, dreams attack the protagonist every now and then so ultimately it loses it power to frighten.

Still, I am giving it two stars because it helped me while away some hours without much cerebration.

[Jon Ring · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Basil Copper. His prose, his ideas, everything that went into writing; he is one of the few writers I actually wish I could have met (maybe Algernon Blackwood as well, but that's a different topic). I had actually been putting off reading this book, not because I had better things to read, but because I was saving it, like a miser saves gold. After finally realizing how stupid that behavior was, I picked up the book and promptly devoured it. This volume covered his later short writings; to say the quality of his work did not dwindle during his last years in a gross understatement. Every tale was magnificently executed, from start to finish. I personally believe that a successful writing must be able to entertain at its core. I think Copper understood that, and doing so created works that will continue to delight long past his demise. The interview at the end of book featuring him in his own words was a nice way to finish the trilogy, helping sum up a career of a man who did things his own way, for love of his craft.

[Jeff McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Darkness, Mist and Shadow" is a collection of Basil Copper's short fiction, originally published in three volumes by PS Publishing. I haven't read volumes 1 and 2.

My first introduction of Copper's work was his short story ""The Janissaries of Emilion", a tale where nightmares overtake reality. And he wrote the short story that became one of "Night Gallery's" most famous episodes - "Camera Obscura".

Some of the stories therein almost embrace conte cruel - especially "The Summerhouse" where a young girl believes her father responsible for the murder of her mother, with unpleasant results. "When Greek Meets Greek" is the story of a man falling prey to a vampire.

All recommended.