The next story in The Ghosts & Scholars Book of Follies and Grottoes takes to fairly familiar territory - rural England, and back in time giving events a 'slight haze of distance'. The folly of the title is a grotesque, outsized tower erected by a dodgy character back in the eighteenth century. It overshadows a pleasant English church, and - as the narrator discovers - the story behind it tends to dominate local history. The folly is decorated with gargoyles apparently inspired by those of Notre Dame, but behind their grotesqueries lurks a grim secret.
Slowly, the truth about the dastardly Minter and his folly is revealed. The final, climactic scene is a surprising twist, but one that has been properly earned. It makes sense, and is all the more effective for it. I was impressed by this one because it uses the familiar M.R. Jamesian setting and character types to lure the reader to an unusual destination.
More about this excellent anthology very soon, I hope.
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