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The Ghosts of the Heaviside Layer and Other Fantasms
The Ghosts of the Heaviside Layer, and Other Fantasms is a collection of ghost stories, essays and plays by Anglo-Irish fantasy writer Lord Dunsany, edited by Darrell Schweitzer and illustrated by Tim Kirk. It was first published in hardcover by Owlswick Press in 1980.[1]
The book collects fourteen short stories, nineteen essays and two plays by the author, including two of his Jorkens stories, with an introductory foreword by Schweitzer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghos...
The book collects fourteen short stories, nineteen essays and two plays by the author, including two of his Jorkens stories, with an introductory foreword by Schweitzer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghos...
354 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1980
About the author
Lord Dunsany
710 books887 followersEdward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, eighteenth baron of Dunsany, was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist, notable for his work in fantasy published under the name Lord Dunsany. More than eighty books of his work were published, and his oeuvre includes hundreds of short stories, as well as successful plays, novels and essays. Born to one of the oldest titles in the Irish peerage, he lived much of his life at perhaps Ireland's longest-inhabited home, Dunsany Castle near Tara, received an honourary doctorate from Trinity College, and died in Dublin.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 14, 2023
The setting is epic: description of moody "Oneleigh," unshattered by centuries, is peak gothic: "And amidst these black-haired children of grey-headed Time stood the old house of Oneleigh. The black-haired children are ancient cedars, whose "grandsires knew Lebanon."
This carefully wrought setting carries the story; the characters are barely sketched in. This is essentially a ghost story but one heavily freighted by leaden symbolism. The power of the opening segment establishing the setting of Oneleigh is made to do a lot of work.
Dunsany is apparently famous for his ghost stories; I believe I've never read one before. This one may have been a bit freighted, but was mercifully short, and the description of Oneleigh is worth the journey.
This carefully wrought setting carries the story; the characters are barely sketched in. This is essentially a ghost story but one heavily freighted by leaden symbolism. The power of the opening segment establishing the setting of Oneleigh is made to do a lot of work.
Dunsany is apparently famous for his ghost stories; I believe I've never read one before. This one may have been a bit freighted, but was mercifully short, and the description of Oneleigh is worth the journey.
December 6, 2025
The Ghosts of the Heaviside Layer consists of works by Lord Dunsany that had not previosly been collected in book form. Edited by Dunsany biographer Darrell Schweitzer, the book was published by Owlswick Press in 1980. Schweitzer wrote the foreword and selected the book's 14 short stories, 19 essays, and two plays. Excellent cover and interior artwork is provided by Tim Kirk, which is somewhat reminiscent even of Dunsany's own illustrator, Sidney H. Sime.
The Ghosts of the Heaviside Layer is an important book for fans and collectors of Dunsany's work. Most of these pieces were only previously published in magazines, and Schweitzer writes that many were virtually unobtainable. The editor feels that Dunsany himself may have collected at least the ghost stories for publication in book form, had he lived longer, and perhaps more of his plays.
Indeed, most of the stories and essays included in this volume were published late in Dunsany's writing career, the 1950's, though a few stories date from much earlier and for some reason were omitted from other collections. Notably, "The Field Where the Satyrs Danced," from 1928, could easily belong to Tales of Three Hemispheres: it has that style—obviously later than A Dreamer's Tales or The Sword of Welleran, but still harking back to Dunsany's golden period of fantasy short stories. In this tale one has the sense of an older Dunsany recalling the literary inspiration of his younger self with nostalgia. The young boy in "The Field Where the Satyrs Danced" is still immersed in the magical world that Dunsany has left behind. I read this tale as autobiographical, whether intended by Dunsany or not. On the other hand, the very short story, "How the Lost Causes Were Removed from Valhalla," from 1919, would not be out of place in Fifty-One Tales.
Dunsany's ghost stories are certainly not horror. I don't think Dunsany would have been capable of genuine horror. Instead, they are gentle, amusing tales of the supernatural.
Included are two stray Jorkens' stories. "In the Mojave" was published in 1954—was it inspired by the time Dunsany spent with Hazel Littleton in California? "Jorkens's Problem" is about an unusual kind of Chess problem. Jorkens says it's a position where "Zuckertort was playing against a lady, and it was her move. But what did he move last?" (p. 104). The story has a very clever and completely unexpected finale. For me, the book would be worth it for this story alone. "Jorkens's Problem" is unique—where Chess literature meets fantasy. Not even Dunsany's other Chess story, "The Three Sailor's Gambit" from The Last Book of Wonder, has a challenging and interesting Chess problem. And Dunsany is effortlessly funny through the character of Jorkens.
In two essays, Dunsany writes of his work as a dramatist. In "Artist and Tradesman" he responds to a letter from the Dunsany Dramatic Circle. They have requested advice for "aspiring playwrights." One must be an artist not a "tradesman," according to Dunsany, and sincerity is the key. Dunsany writes of his own collection Five Plays. Of the five plays therein, he is content only with the Gods of the Mountain, which he loves. He plays down the significance even of King Argimenes and the Unknown Warrior.
Indeed, in the longest of the essays, "The Carving of the Ivory," Dunsany explains his method of playwriting in much more detail. He specifically writes that King Argimenes and the Unknown Warrior is full of faults. He writes positively about The Flight of the Queen, and it's inspiration in the life-cycle of bees. Dunsany doesn't mention his tragedy Alexander, although Schweitzer singles it out in the foreword. Alexander is easily the best of Dunsany's fantasy plays, in my opinion. In "The Carving of the Ivory" Dunsany is clearly conscious of his artistry as a dramatist.
"Spring Reaches England" begins with Dunsany's beautiful prose poetry about the countryside and ends with soaring cosmic fantasy. "Sime" from 1942 bears witness to the genius of Dunsany's illustrator. In The Book of Wonder of 1912, most of the stories are inspired by Sime illustrations, reversing the usual order of creation—the two were effectively partners in invention. Dunsany gives respect and honour to his recently departed friend.
Not every essay is brilliant, but they all have Dunsany's easy-going writing style. And there are some gems among them.
Of the two plays, the first, The Prince of Stamboul was previously published in Short Plays for Junior and Senior High Schools in 1925. I didn't quite get the point of this play, and it is a certainly a minor work in the Dunsany canon. Nevertheless, it's an interesting relic of the time—this is what school children were reading in the 1920's.
The second play, Lord Adrian, has three acts and is far more substantial. It was initially published in a small print run in 1933, and would have been difficult to find prior to its republication here. In Lord Adrian Dunsany strays into science fiction rather than fantasy. He chooses not to use the devil and the kind of Faustian pact he employs in The Good Bargain, for example. Lord Adrian resembles one of the horror movies that were starting to appear in the 1930's, and perhaps Dunsany was using these examples of popular culture as his inspiration. Nevertheless, fantasy rather than science fiction is Dunsany's forte, and I felt the play hasn't aged well.
The quality of the pieces in The Ghosts of the Heaviside Layer is not uniform. However, among the stories and the essays there are some real gems, as I mentioned. And the plays are interesting and unusual examples of Dunsany's work in the dramatic form. I wouldn't recommend The Ghosts of the Heaviside Layer as an introduction to the writing of Lord Dunsany, but it shouldn't be missed by fans and collectors.
The Ghosts of the Heaviside Layer is an important book for fans and collectors of Dunsany's work. Most of these pieces were only previously published in magazines, and Schweitzer writes that many were virtually unobtainable. The editor feels that Dunsany himself may have collected at least the ghost stories for publication in book form, had he lived longer, and perhaps more of his plays.
Indeed, most of the stories and essays included in this volume were published late in Dunsany's writing career, the 1950's, though a few stories date from much earlier and for some reason were omitted from other collections. Notably, "The Field Where the Satyrs Danced," from 1928, could easily belong to Tales of Three Hemispheres: it has that style—obviously later than A Dreamer's Tales or The Sword of Welleran, but still harking back to Dunsany's golden period of fantasy short stories. In this tale one has the sense of an older Dunsany recalling the literary inspiration of his younger self with nostalgia. The young boy in "The Field Where the Satyrs Danced" is still immersed in the magical world that Dunsany has left behind. I read this tale as autobiographical, whether intended by Dunsany or not. On the other hand, the very short story, "How the Lost Causes Were Removed from Valhalla," from 1919, would not be out of place in Fifty-One Tales.
Dunsany's ghost stories are certainly not horror. I don't think Dunsany would have been capable of genuine horror. Instead, they are gentle, amusing tales of the supernatural.
Included are two stray Jorkens' stories. "In the Mojave" was published in 1954—was it inspired by the time Dunsany spent with Hazel Littleton in California? "Jorkens's Problem" is about an unusual kind of Chess problem. Jorkens says it's a position where "Zuckertort was playing against a lady, and it was her move. But what did he move last?" (p. 104). The story has a very clever and completely unexpected finale. For me, the book would be worth it for this story alone. "Jorkens's Problem" is unique—where Chess literature meets fantasy. Not even Dunsany's other Chess story, "The Three Sailor's Gambit" from The Last Book of Wonder, has a challenging and interesting Chess problem. And Dunsany is effortlessly funny through the character of Jorkens.
In two essays, Dunsany writes of his work as a dramatist. In "Artist and Tradesman" he responds to a letter from the Dunsany Dramatic Circle. They have requested advice for "aspiring playwrights." One must be an artist not a "tradesman," according to Dunsany, and sincerity is the key. Dunsany writes of his own collection Five Plays. Of the five plays therein, he is content only with the Gods of the Mountain, which he loves. He plays down the significance even of King Argimenes and the Unknown Warrior.
Indeed, in the longest of the essays, "The Carving of the Ivory," Dunsany explains his method of playwriting in much more detail. He specifically writes that King Argimenes and the Unknown Warrior is full of faults. He writes positively about The Flight of the Queen, and it's inspiration in the life-cycle of bees. Dunsany doesn't mention his tragedy Alexander, although Schweitzer singles it out in the foreword. Alexander is easily the best of Dunsany's fantasy plays, in my opinion. In "The Carving of the Ivory" Dunsany is clearly conscious of his artistry as a dramatist.
"Spring Reaches England" begins with Dunsany's beautiful prose poetry about the countryside and ends with soaring cosmic fantasy. "Sime" from 1942 bears witness to the genius of Dunsany's illustrator. In The Book of Wonder of 1912, most of the stories are inspired by Sime illustrations, reversing the usual order of creation—the two were effectively partners in invention. Dunsany gives respect and honour to his recently departed friend.
Not every essay is brilliant, but they all have Dunsany's easy-going writing style. And there are some gems among them.
Of the two plays, the first, The Prince of Stamboul was previously published in Short Plays for Junior and Senior High Schools in 1925. I didn't quite get the point of this play, and it is a certainly a minor work in the Dunsany canon. Nevertheless, it's an interesting relic of the time—this is what school children were reading in the 1920's.
The second play, Lord Adrian, has three acts and is far more substantial. It was initially published in a small print run in 1933, and would have been difficult to find prior to its republication here. In Lord Adrian Dunsany strays into science fiction rather than fantasy. He chooses not to use the devil and the kind of Faustian pact he employs in The Good Bargain, for example. Lord Adrian resembles one of the horror movies that were starting to appear in the 1930's, and perhaps Dunsany was using these examples of popular culture as his inspiration. Nevertheless, fantasy rather than science fiction is Dunsany's forte, and I felt the play hasn't aged well.
The quality of the pieces in The Ghosts of the Heaviside Layer is not uniform. However, among the stories and the essays there are some real gems, as I mentioned. And the plays are interesting and unusual examples of Dunsany's work in the dramatic form. I wouldn't recommend The Ghosts of the Heaviside Layer as an introduction to the writing of Lord Dunsany, but it shouldn't be missed by fans and collectors.
January 1, 2022
I like the angles proving in the end.
February 9, 2026
Very interesting, indeed. So, a guy is visiting his brother at Oneleigh, where whispering cedars work on the wind how old men are like to work on problems, you know, by bending their head downward and saying, "yes, yes," and all that. And apparently, this house, Oneleigh as it were, is veery old. There's a nice metaphor in there about how seaweed or something gets stuck to rock over time and well, apparently much "seaweed" has attached itself to Oneleigh. So, there then ensues a not-so brotherly argument about the existence of ghosts. Our narrator is exceedingly logical, with some good points, I might add; one in particular called to mind red-eyed rats. He told his brother that many people have seen red-eyed rats in delirium and yet, we know such creatures don't exist, thank God. Nevertheless, he went as far to say that even if he, himself, saw a ghost he still wouldn't be convinced as that would only lead him to conclude that he wasn't in his right mind—I'm paraphrasing all mind you. Anyway, he comes up with a radical plan, really radical, I mean, I love this plan, indeed, even more than I love commas, in sooth, this is something I would do. So, he skips dinner, loads himself up with "strong tea," and I don't know how many cigars and makes a plan to spend the night in the most unnerving part of the abode where something terrible happened that the family can't even talk about. I almost want to call it a castle, I feel I know it, but that might be inaccurate. Oh, but there's one description that will stay with you, truly, it's his brother ascending the winding stairs with his candle. Oh, and the whole time our narrator watches said candle recede further and further into the abyss as he harkens to his voice telling him this is silly, and he's going to make himself uncomfortable, and why doesn't he just go have dinner and other such rational remarks. Nevertheless, our narrator goes with his plan and I can't tell you how it goes cause that gets into real spoiler territory and I don't want to get myself in trouble cause they hate me already. I will tell you that the ending, the underlying message, isn't written on a wall, and nor was I satisfied with the interpretations I perused and refused to surmise on these our very interwebs. But yes, The Ghosts... good stuff man. And I'm not just saying that cause the author's Irish. Well, not entirely.
July 22, 2024
An ionic wind generator annoys some ghosts, including Mohammed’s. The titular heavyside layer is supposed to reflect radio “waves”, now the neo-dark age dunces call it the ionosphere. Bur the real answer is unprintable here or anywhere. Humans may be able to escape their cages if they knew. Just like orangutans with screwdrivers.
December 19, 2018
It started off as a very strong ghost story, but devolved into a nonsensical mystery involving math equations. I’m honestly not sure what the ending was even supposed to imply.
May 2, 2026
Scifi,horror, fantasy, short story by a master, well done!!
August 21, 2013
Best book of short stories I've read in a number of years - and it's only half short stories, the rest being essays and two plays.
I'm not a huge Dunsany fan - I appreciate how his writing influenced subsequent generations of fantasy writers, but I find Dunsany's fantasy stories to be unfocused. "Flights of fancy" might be a better term for them, and they don't especially appeal to me. (There are few of these types of tales included in this anthology, but they're in the minority.) However, his "ghost" stories (some of which aren't, really) rock. These are classic short stories: brevity and a sharp punch are their hallmarks. My favorite is "Told Under Oath," which is now one of my favorite short stories, period. It's the kind of story that makes a writer envious. It's also the kind of story that you immediately re-read. Twice.
The essays aren't as riveting, but still reflect how focused and clever a writer Dunsany could be.
Go to the library and grab a copy.
I'm not a huge Dunsany fan - I appreciate how his writing influenced subsequent generations of fantasy writers, but I find Dunsany's fantasy stories to be unfocused. "Flights of fancy" might be a better term for them, and they don't especially appeal to me. (There are few of these types of tales included in this anthology, but they're in the minority.) However, his "ghost" stories (some of which aren't, really) rock. These are classic short stories: brevity and a sharp punch are their hallmarks. My favorite is "Told Under Oath," which is now one of my favorite short stories, period. It's the kind of story that makes a writer envious. It's also the kind of story that you immediately re-read. Twice.
The essays aren't as riveting, but still reflect how focused and clever a writer Dunsany could be.
Go to the library and grab a copy.
October 17, 2009
Dunsany is a good, even great writer, but I couldn't get into these. I only got to the second and stopped..maybe the later ones got better. i'm not a huge horror fan. I like Lovecraft and some fantasy/horror cross-overs. Again this is personal taste I just couldn't get into these stories.
December 14, 2015
The quiet tale of a man looking in on the ghosts of a castle or manor.
May 11, 2021
The sins were a interesting choice, I'd be interested to see if they appear elsewhere in his writing but other than that as a story I do find it lacking.
May 25, 2021
me trying to decipher that geometric theorem of angles in the end:
*charlie day's meme*
3.5
*charlie day's meme*
3.5
May 7, 2023
XD literally me in all of my maths exams
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews