The Bones Wizard

by Alan Peter Ryan

Haunting melodies echoing the long-buried past. Strange towns and forbidden places. Gruesome deaths and malevolent powers. The stuff of nightmares or the chilling dread when one wakes up... These are the themes that pervade this stunningly chilling collection of short horror fiction by the master storyteller of Cast a Cold Eye, The Killer and Quadriphobia.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

178 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Snobbery and Decay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking at the Doubleday's edition of Alan Ryan's collection The Bones Wizard, with its frankly hideous cover, one gets the impression that the publisher had no idea how to market these unique tales. Although labelled as ‘Science Fiction’, which they're most certainly not, the dust jacket promises scare and terror, which is as unimaginative a promotion this collection ever deserved.

Although plenty of horror is to be found in the pages of this volume, Alan Ryan's imagination travels far richer and weirder territories. At times inspired by his Irish roots (the eponymous story winner of the Best Short Story Award at the 1985 World Fantasy Convention; “Bundoran, Co. Donegal”, “The Rose of Knock”), this piece offers meditations on religion (“Pietà”, “Following the Way”) as well as on the breakdown of sanity (“Sand”, “Sheets”, “Hear the Whisle Blowing”, “Memory and Desire”) and is sure to leave the reader bewildered.

Ryan's style is not of the demonstrative sort, using an elegant yet discreet prose to sharpen his eerie stories designed to administrate the most subtle cuts on his unsuspecting readership. I have not read a collection of short fictions in one sitting since, perhaps, Clive Barker's Books of Blood almost 30 years ago. Ryan's tales are bold, highly imaginative, sometimes challenging and even occasionally sexy but always, always, arresting and chilling. Judging by the fact that no paperback edition exist of this title, we can only presume that this remarkable collection didn't find its audience and that’s truly a tragedy. A re-appraisal of Mr Ryan's work would be well deserved, the public recognition that alluded him during his life, for his talent is overwhelmingly obvious. But I won’t hold my breath. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to read these brilliant stories at all. So I guess that’s something.

[Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid selection of Ryan's 'quiet horror' stories, many of which carefully describe everyday people and their world, their activities and backgrounds, and then - almost in the final sentence - turning them into creepy and unsettling horror stories. Ryan also has a great control over his prose, carefully adopting vernacular and dialect according to his setting, building vivid scenarios and populating them with real people. After the late Charles L Grant, a master of this form of tale.

[Jeff Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised that the media never gave the late Alan Ryan much props since I really enjoy his stories and think BONE WIZARD is a fine collection. He is a "quiet" writer in that he sort of whispers as he tells the stories and the hurries up and ends them often with shout, so they do back a bit of a punch, but most are low-key and you sense something is about to happen. It doesn't always occur, but it seems like it might and that's what keeps you turning the pages.

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A shame Alan Ryan is not more well read. This collection features well-constructed, finely crafted "quiet horror" stories dealing most often with the fraility of humanity. Definitely should be on the list of those who want horror of substance.