Supernatural Tales

I hope nobody has been irked by the way I've cranked up my defences against spam, lately. I started receiving dozens of spam comments a week and - what was more worrying - sometimes the spam filter picked up legitimate comments. Anyway, it seems to have worked, as the spam filter has been empty for a good few days now. And, yes, I'm going to play it... This is pretty much the catering setup for the Olympics.

Tartarus Press was founded in 1990 , so is now 22 years old. Over the years Ray and Rosalie Russell have established a  rock-solid reputation for publishing high-quality hardback books, many of them reprints of neglected classics. They've also introduced many new authors to the discerning reader, and I hope he's duly grateful. I know I am. And here are some TP books I'm fortunate enough to own, starting with the oldest (all images from the TP Bibliography page ): Tales from Tartarus WORMING THE HARPY by Rhys Hughes

As some of you may know, UK postal charges have increased drastically in recent years. It seems very likely that year-on-year increases will continue for some time, making it too expensive to continue ST as a standard, postal subscription magazine. British government policy on postal charges seems unlikely to change. Rather than doubling the subscription cost or simply closing down ST altogether, I have decided instead to 'migrate' the magazine to the print-on-demand site Lulu.com. This means that existing subscriptions to ST will come to an end (most by ST#23, next spring), and no more subscription reminders will be sent out. I appreciate that not every ST reader is on line, and not everyone who is wants to buy the magazine via a website. However, I have to acknowledge the reality of the situation, which is that ST's very small print run (about 130 copies) means unit costs will always be pricey. Throw in delivery costs (i.e. me getting the magazine from Lulu) and the c...

Just in case you hadn't noticed, on the YouTube bar to the right you'll find - among other stuff - a dramatisation of that old warhorse 'The Monkey's Paw'. I know we all know it, but sometimes it can be fun to reacquaint ourselves with a time-honoured classic, much as it can be surprising to re-visit a place we knew well when we were young. (If you're still young, ignore that last bit.) Anyway, I think this particular adaptation, from the Canadian series Nightfall, is pretty good. Also, I found a rather neat picture of W.W. Jacobs himself, and was surprised to find him a rather handsome chap.

So, there's this bloke who's an expert in reconstructing faces for the (South Korean) police. He's a handy man to have around because these skulls keep turning up. Thanks to a fairly grisly opening scenes we know the skulls are clean of DNA because some nutcase involved in murdering people for transplant organs dissolves his victims' remains in some acid-y stuff. Unfortunately for law enforcement, our hero decides to resign from his job because his little daughter is ill. She recently had a heart transplant... Well, it's definitely a ghost story, and perhaps that's the main problem. There are very sound reasons for long-haired ghosts of an overly-familiar variety to zoom about the place, but that doesn't make the spooky scenes any less derivative. A rather interesting psychological thriller about medical ethics and serial murder is sacrificed (I think) for a so-so supernatural shocker. That said, there are some good central performances and it does make ...

I've already recommended this film, but I can recommend it again. It's well worth seeing in a cinema. If you like period ghost stories with a subtle and moving twist, this is for you.

For September 2012 Sarob Press is hugely delighted to present a collection of truly Jamesian ghost stories. These twelve stories are the winners in The Ghosts & Scholars M.R. James Newsletter prequel/sequel competition. All are previously unpublished except “Quis est Iste?”which appeared earlier this year in The Ghosts & Scholars M.R. James Newsletter as the overall competition winner. This volume is an absolute MUST for all Jamesian admirers and collectors. Stories (and their M.R. James inspirations): “Alberic de Mauléon” by Helen Grant (“Canon Alberic’s Scrap-book”); “Anningley Hall, Early Morning” by Rick Kennett (“The Mezzotint”); “The Mezzotaint” by John Llewellyn Probert (“The Mezzotint”); “Quis est Iste?” by Christopher Harman (“Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad”); “The Guardian” by Jacqueline Simpson (“The Treasure of Abbot Thomas”); “Between Four Yews” by Reggie Oliver (“A School Story”); “The Mirror of Don Ferrante” by Louis Marvick (“Casting the ...