We move on to another in this impressive Egaeus Press volume, and a house haunted in a manner that's almost, but not quite, traditional. I remember (but only just) when Reggie Oliver submitted one of his earliest stories to me and being impressed by his carefully-crafted prose style, which recalls the inter-war 'Silver Age' of the ghost story, exemplified by Benson, Wakefield etc.
In 'The Crumblies' we find a prosperous family buying a country house formerly inhabited by two sisters who creatued much loved children's stories. The Crumblies are biscuit-people magically wished into existence to entertain lonely youngsters. However, as the new owners of the house explore, they discover that the sister who illustrated the tales the other wrote took the seemingly harmless creatures down a distinctly sinister path.
The haunted house theme is well-handled and the central idea is strong. If I have a reservation it's that the ending is somewhat pat, but that's a matter of taste. Suffice to say that the image of the Crumblies in their nastier form stayed with me. This may be because I never grew up....
More from this collection soon. I'm enjoying, by the way. And I should repeat, in an ethical way, that I did not receive a review copy from the publisher, but instead am working from a pdf sent by one of the authors.
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