What do you think?
The First Mayflower Book of Black Magic Stories
9 • Introduction • Michel Parry
12 • Potential • [Severn Valley] • (1973) • Ramsey Campbell
22 • The Snake • (1933) • Dennis Wheatley
38 • They Bite • (1943) • Anthony Boucher
51 • The Vixen • (1911) • Aleister Crowley
55 • "He Cometh and He Passeth By!" • (1928) • H. Russell Wakefield
84 • The Invoker of the Beast • Feodor Sologub
93 • Witch War • (1951) • Richard Matheson
99 • The Ensouled Violin • Helena P. Blavatsky
130 • Nasty • (1959) • Fredric Brown
132 • The New People • (1958) • Charles Beaumont
155 • In the Valley of the Sorceress • (1916) • Sax Rohmer
172 • The Devil's Debt • (1894) • James Platt
184 • The Hand of Glory • (1933) • Seabury Quinn
12 • Potential • [Severn Valley] • (1973) • Ramsey Campbell
22 • The Snake • (1933) • Dennis Wheatley
38 • They Bite • (1943) • Anthony Boucher
51 • The Vixen • (1911) • Aleister Crowley
55 • "He Cometh and He Passeth By!" • (1928) • H. Russell Wakefield
84 • The Invoker of the Beast • Feodor Sologub
93 • Witch War • (1951) • Richard Matheson
99 • The Ensouled Violin • Helena P. Blavatsky
130 • Nasty • (1959) • Fredric Brown
132 • The New People • (1958) • Charles Beaumont
155 • In the Valley of the Sorceress • (1916) • Sax Rohmer
172 • The Devil's Debt • (1894) • James Platt
184 • The Hand of Glory • (1933) • Seabury Quinn
- GenresHorrorAnthologies
222 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 5, 2010
This is the first in a fairly long-running series of black magic-themed horror anthologies that enlivened bookshop shelves during the 1970s. The editor is none other than Michel Parry, second only to Peter Haining as the UK’s most prolific editor in the horror genre.
I found this collection to be a mixed bag with some excellent stories, some passable work and some real dross. Part of the fun comes from never knowing what you’re going to end up reading next.
It kicks off with Ramsey Campbell’s POTENTIAL, a grim torture effort infused with a creepy Lovecraftian atmosphere. Following that we have Dennis Wheatley’s THE SNAKE, a period story of witch-doctory in South Africa that I found marred by huge helpings of racism.
Anthony Boucher’s THEY BITE is almost cinematic in scope, a B-movie for the written page. It tells of cannibals picking off travellers in a remote desert town – THE HILLS HAVE EYES ANYONE? It’s suspenseful and sometimes horrific, with a great climax, and a highlight in this collection.
Aleister Crowley’s THE VIXEN is present because of the author’s reputation as one of the most famous ‘real life’ wizards of all time. In all respects this tale of sadism is badly written and a bore. H. R. Wakefield’s ‘HE COMETH AND HE PASSETH BY’, by contrast, is absolutely fantastic, even if it is a thinly-disguised version of the M. R. James tale, CASTING THE RUNES. A guy finds himself haunted by a sinister, stalking shadow and must battle the black arts in order to survive. This is gripping throughout and had me on the edge of my seat.
THE INVOKER OF THE BEAST, by Feodor Sologub, is an abstract mess with a dream-like atmosphere, full of nonsense. Richard Matheson’s WITCH WAR is also a disappointment – the idea is good, but the execution merely serviceable, unlike much of the author’s writing. Madame Blavatsky’s THE ENSOULED VIOLIN is very good, though, mixing the grotesque and disturbing with the sinister, and the mythological with the perverse. Although you can pretty much guess the plot from the title alone, this is another highlight of the collection.
Fredric Brown’s NASTY is one of his short-shorts: snappy, blackly comic, an extended joke, really. THE NEW PEOPLE is yet another tired neighbours-turn-out-to-be-Satanists effort from Charles Beaumont, and one I found a real chore to sit through. Sax Rohmer’s IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS is much better, all about an archaeologist uncovering a lost tomb in the desert and haunted by nightmares involving big cats. Lots of foreboding in this one as well as some good scares.
THE DEVIL’S DEBT sees James Platt tackling the old make-a-pact-with-the-devil type story, but the writing is obtuse and the story unsatisfying, not to mention contrived. Still, at least we end on a high with Seabury Quinn’s THE HAND OF GLORY, a delightful pulp adventure in which Jules de Grandin comes up against a pair of dastardly devil-worshippers. Mix together the same type of story as THE DEVIL RIDES OUT with a Lovecraftian monster and you have the recipe for success – at least in my book.
I found this collection to be a mixed bag with some excellent stories, some passable work and some real dross. Part of the fun comes from never knowing what you’re going to end up reading next.
It kicks off with Ramsey Campbell’s POTENTIAL, a grim torture effort infused with a creepy Lovecraftian atmosphere. Following that we have Dennis Wheatley’s THE SNAKE, a period story of witch-doctory in South Africa that I found marred by huge helpings of racism.
Anthony Boucher’s THEY BITE is almost cinematic in scope, a B-movie for the written page. It tells of cannibals picking off travellers in a remote desert town – THE HILLS HAVE EYES ANYONE? It’s suspenseful and sometimes horrific, with a great climax, and a highlight in this collection.
Aleister Crowley’s THE VIXEN is present because of the author’s reputation as one of the most famous ‘real life’ wizards of all time. In all respects this tale of sadism is badly written and a bore. H. R. Wakefield’s ‘HE COMETH AND HE PASSETH BY’, by contrast, is absolutely fantastic, even if it is a thinly-disguised version of the M. R. James tale, CASTING THE RUNES. A guy finds himself haunted by a sinister, stalking shadow and must battle the black arts in order to survive. This is gripping throughout and had me on the edge of my seat.
THE INVOKER OF THE BEAST, by Feodor Sologub, is an abstract mess with a dream-like atmosphere, full of nonsense. Richard Matheson’s WITCH WAR is also a disappointment – the idea is good, but the execution merely serviceable, unlike much of the author’s writing. Madame Blavatsky’s THE ENSOULED VIOLIN is very good, though, mixing the grotesque and disturbing with the sinister, and the mythological with the perverse. Although you can pretty much guess the plot from the title alone, this is another highlight of the collection.
Fredric Brown’s NASTY is one of his short-shorts: snappy, blackly comic, an extended joke, really. THE NEW PEOPLE is yet another tired neighbours-turn-out-to-be-Satanists effort from Charles Beaumont, and one I found a real chore to sit through. Sax Rohmer’s IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS is much better, all about an archaeologist uncovering a lost tomb in the desert and haunted by nightmares involving big cats. Lots of foreboding in this one as well as some good scares.
THE DEVIL’S DEBT sees James Platt tackling the old make-a-pact-with-the-devil type story, but the writing is obtuse and the story unsatisfying, not to mention contrived. Still, at least we end on a high with Seabury Quinn’s THE HAND OF GLORY, a delightful pulp adventure in which Jules de Grandin comes up against a pair of dastardly devil-worshippers. Mix together the same type of story as THE DEVIL RIDES OUT with a Lovecraftian monster and you have the recipe for success – at least in my book.
January 16, 2023
[Mayflower Books Ltd] (1974). SB. 222 Pages. Purchased from Richard Dalby’s Library.
13 stories, selected by the prolific anthologist Michael Parry.
Volume One (of six), containing work by the likes of Dennis Wheatley, Aleister Crowley, Charles Beaumont, Sax Rohmer and Ramsey Campbell.
Widely variable in quality.
The best of the bunch, by some distance, is “He Cometh and He Passeth By” from H. R. Wakefield’s brilliant first collection (“They Return at Evening” (1928)).
This features the fiendish Oscar Clinton: murderer, sophist, paedophile, satanist, sadist, parasite:
“I always drink brandy after heroin…”
I have “…no regard whatever for morality…”
“I like cruelty…”
13 stories, selected by the prolific anthologist Michael Parry.
Volume One (of six), containing work by the likes of Dennis Wheatley, Aleister Crowley, Charles Beaumont, Sax Rohmer and Ramsey Campbell.
Widely variable in quality.
The best of the bunch, by some distance, is “He Cometh and He Passeth By” from H. R. Wakefield’s brilliant first collection (“They Return at Evening” (1928)).
This features the fiendish Oscar Clinton: murderer, sophist, paedophile, satanist, sadist, parasite:
“I always drink brandy after heroin…”
I have “…no regard whatever for morality…”
“I like cruelty…”
December 12, 2022
It's a wonderful anthology! I'm sure most , if not all stories can be found for free online now a days so keep that in mind.
The more famous names like Alistair Crowley had interesting contributionsl.
The more famous names like Alistair Crowley had interesting contributionsl.
November 16, 2021
While I found some of these stories highly forgettable, I still enjoyed the read. There are a couple gems in this collection. If you're a fan of short stories, this isn't a bad collection.
December 24, 2021
Shocking tales of various horror themes
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews