ANCIENT TRACKS by Josh Reynolds (Sarob Press 2026)

'These are stories firmly in the M.R. Jamesian tradition with a great sense of place and time (so Jamesian that Rosemary Pardoe, renowned M.R. James expert and head-honcho at Ghosts & Scholars, almost insisted on providing a rather original introduction… alongside Josh… a sort of question and answer that tells us a lot about Josh and his inspirations).'

Thus spake Rob Morgan of Sarob. Here indeed is a very good collection of stories that I think MRJ himself would have approved of. Josh Reynolds had done an excellent job of taking a believable character - tough, sensible, and humane Artemis Whitlock - and setting her on a kind of quest that brings her into contact with Things along the weirder byways of folklore. The Introduction reveals that Artemis was partly inspired by Honoria Glossop, one of Wodehouse's most formidable women. She's very much the kind of gal you'd want on your side in a pinch.

Cover by Paul Lowe

The stories are set in the years following the Great War. Artemis' brother, a Cambridge scholar, was killed in one of the many battles of the Somme. He left copious notes for a book on obscure folk traditions. His still-grieving sister sets out to fulfil her sibling's plans. She thus has a sufficiently powerful incentive to keep going, even when she encounters entities that would make anyone reconsider their options. 

The first story, 'Windlestraw', follows a reliable Jamesian pattern. Artemis goes to a small village, talks to a somewhat vague vicar, and discovers the truth behind a harvest home ritual. Reynolds does not overdo the period detail, and his prose has satisfyingly clean lines. The eponymous entity works well and the overall plot is very believable. There are no villains here, just consequences and trade-offs. 

'Beating the Bounds' does have a villain, a treasure hunter looking to plunder an ancient tumulus. I enjoyed the way the author built to a logical, satisfying climax, with a nod to one of MRJ's grimmest stories. The description of an unusual village ritual reminded me slightly of The Wicker Man, which is never a bad thing. 

'He in the Tree' takes us into the well-trodden territory of the decayed English country estate 'between the wars'. A friend of Artemis' is living in reduced circumstances in the grounds of a once-splendid mansion. Artemis wants to take a look at a folly mentioned in her brother's notebook. It emerges that the statue of Dionysus in the fake(?) temple has inspired the wrong kind of person to perform a questionable ritual. It's nicely done, marred only by the anachronistic use of 'significant other'. Yes, I'm old and nitpicking - but it did take me out of the story. 

'An Indefinite Kingdom' features a turf maze atop a hill and a ritual run through it - the Hare Game. A rather annoying poet has inherited land and must take part in a  Reynolds narrows down the period in which the story is set. It seems the so-called Spanish Flu is on the wane, but still dangerous, so much so that being away from the cities is sensible. Given that the story takes place in Spring we can assume the year is 1920. The poet, who survived the Western Front, is understandably less concerned about the Hare Game. But, as Artemis discovers, the hare of the game is not a cuddly bunny.

'A Crooked Path' takes Artemis to Yorkshire and a site associated with the Battle of Marston Moor. More precisely, a place where some of Prince Rupert's defeated army camped after plundering a village. What caused a Cavalier regiment to vanish? The answer is satisfyingly worked through, without too much detail. I deeply dislike stories that go into detail about folk horror, especially magical malarkey. This one stays on the right side of the line and, as a result, is very atmospheric. In its depiction of a strange patch of land, it reminded me of Algernon Blackwood as much as MRJ. 

'Waters Painted Red' takes place on a very rainy day in Sheffield. Artemis encounters one of her late brother's fellow folklorists, one with a theory about the local river, the Don. It's grim up north, allegedly. This is an excellent, atmospheric tale that captures the weirdness inherent in an apparently ordinary urban setting. As with the earlier tales, this one would make an excellent short film. 

The same can be said of 'St. Ulfaugh', in which Artemis meets a ghost hunter who happened to know her late brother. The idea of a haunted church is always intriguing, as it raises questions about how much protection from malign spirits sacred ground can offer - if any. The action sequence inside the benighted church is very well handled.

'Via Maris' sees Artemis again experiencing the rawness of loss as she investigates a mysterious custom in a Cumberland coastal village. This one introduced me to the word 'agger', meaning a mound or earthwork, often associated with the Romans. This particular agger is more of a causeway leading out to - what? A place where gates to another world can and do open, sometimes. A fine ghost story with a very convincing ending.

The final story, 'Brinley Wood', takes us to the Wye Valley and a village where mysterious entities appear at Christmas. Artemis is naturally curious and opts to break a local rule by staying outside when the mysterious event occurs. This leads to a harrowing confrontation and a renewed sense of loss. There's a very nice touch with this one involving bricked-up windows. 

I'm sure this collection will sell out very quickly. It offers the modern reader a taste of the old-school ghost story; Josh Reynolds' use of ideas and settings is first-rate, and Artemis Whitlock is a likeable and convincing protagonist.