"Bury Him Darkly" (1969) by John Blackburn.
[www.goodreads.com]

I have finally read a story by L. A. Lewis, "The Child". His prose is perhaps not as artistically refined as that of better known supernatural writers, a bit more crude; but it is clear enough, and he has a good sensible grasp of horror.

I have read a few other ghost stories concerning dead children, and have not been very enthusiastic about them, because they are mostly tragic more than anything else to my senses. This includes "The Child", although it has also a horrifying conclusion of a distanced primal perspective, that makes it quite interesting to reflect on.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 21 Nov 20 | 02:08AM by Knygatin.

Knygatin Wrote:
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> I have finally read a story by L. A. Lewis, "The
> Child".
>
> I have read a few other ghost stories concerning
> dead children, and have not been very enthusiastic
> about them, because they are mostly tragic more
> than anything else to my senses. This includes
> "The Child", although it has also a horrifying
> conclusion of a distanced primal perspective.

Perhaps Ramsey Campbell's The Doll Who Ate His Mother is related in perspective? Has anyone here read that book, and can recommend it?

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Knygatin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I have finally read a story by L. A. Lewis,
> > "The Child".
> > I have read a few other ghost stories concerning
> > dead children, and have not been very enthusiastic
> > about them, because they are mostly tragic more
> > than anything else to my senses. This includes
> > "The Child", although it has also a horrifying
> > conclusion of a distanced primal perspective.

> Perhaps Ramsey Campbell's The Doll Who Ate His
> Mother is related in perspective? Has anyone here
> read that book, and can recommend it?


I have read The Doll Who Ate His Mother and thought it very good, even for a first novel. As far as being related to the subject at hand, however, it is not a dead child/ghost story, or even a horror story per se, except in the broadest sense. It is more of a suspense-plus-psychological portrait of a serial killer. I liked it at any rate, for whatever that's worth.

GreenFedora Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I have read The Doll Who Ate His Mother and
> thought it very good, even for a first novel. As
> far as being related to the subject at hand,
> however, it is not a dead child/ghost story, or
> even a horror story per se, except in the broadest
> sense. It is more of a suspense-plus-psychological
> portrait of a serial killer. I liked it at any
> rate, for whatever that's worth.


Thank you. Interesting, and unexpected. I was hoping for a work that have some more of the marvelously straightforward visually graphic and supernatural psychedelic prose of his early short-stories.

Knygatin Wrote:
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> Good Lord, I haven't read a single page of Dracula
> in probably a month! The spectacularly enjoyable
> beginning of the book lasted a few chapters, but
> then came to a grinding halt. I have been
> struggling almost halfway through, but it is slow
> and resisting my progress. I have just drifted
> away from it, and forget to read. But I still hope
> I will be able to complete it. People complain
> over Hodgson's Night Land, but this is slower.

Minicthulhu Wrote:
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> I know that feeling. This is probably the worst
> thing that might happen to a book. ...


I was finally able to complete Dracula a while back. It is very well written, ... especially the moments of supernatural horror are masterful. But it is too long, it drags, and could easily have been shortened by at least a third. The narrative documents every step the characters take, even the mundane in between. I have a very short attention span for bridging passages, and in my opinion every moment in a book, even the quieter ones, should be charged with deeper meaning and atmosphere.

Although several fine vampire and Dracula films have been made, none of them have quite captured the quality of Stoker's impressive imagination of horror in Dracula.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 13 Mar 21 | 04:23AM by Knygatin.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have a very short attention
> span for bridging passages, and in my opinion
> every moment in a book, even the quieter ones,
> should be charged with deeper meaning and
> atmosphere.
>

Or at least some interesting details. I appreciated the travelogue descriptions in Dracula of fine Hungarian & Rumanian food and wine, and made some notes of that for my travels.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have read a few other ghost stories concerning
> dead children, and have not been very enthusiastic
> about them, because they are mostly tragic more
> than anything else to my senses.

Some of the most effective and creepy elements of Stephen King's SALEM'S LOT were the scenes involving child vampires. These scenes were also effectively captured, and maybe even enhanced, in the 70s TV movie adaptation. King returned to the theme with his short story "One for the Road", but it was not as effective IMHO. At the moment, I can't think of better examples.

I too liked the "travelogue details" in Dracula, as I recall. I can enjoy it when an author lays such details on thick. I suppose my favorite parts of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and "The Whisperer in Darkness" are those evoking their locales; for example, I love the bus ride stuff in "Innsmouth." The old weird America....

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Knygatin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Good Lord, I haven't read a single page of
> Dracula
> > in probably a month! The spectacularly
> enjoyable
> > beginning of the book lasted a few chapters,
> but
> > then came to a grinding halt. I have been
> > struggling almost halfway through, but it is
> slow
> > and resisting my progress. I have just drifted
> > away from it, and forget to read. But I still
> hope
> > I will be able to complete it. People complain
> > over Hodgson's Night Land, but this is slower.
>
> Minicthulhu Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I know that feeling. This is probably the worst
> > thing that might happen to a book. ...
>
>
> I was finally able to complete Dracula a while
> back. It is very well written, ... especially the
> moments of supernatural horror are masterful. But
> it is too long, it drags, and could easily have
> been shortened by at least a third. The narrative
> documents every step the characters take, even the
> mundane in between. I have a very short attention
> span for bridging passages, and in my opinion
> every moment in a book, even the quieter ones,
> should be charged with deeper meaning and
> atmosphere.

This is a good opinions to share in that it causes readers of ED to review their own criteria for evaluating a narrative.

Thinking on it, I mostly agree with your observation, with a caveat: sometimes these otherwise mundane bridging sections tend to establish,or support, verisimilitude and/or credibility, making the central action, or characters, more believable.

Now, that said, there's only alimited place for this in a novel like Dracula.

>
> Although several fine vampire and Dracula films
> have been made, none of them have quite captured
> the quality of Stoker's impressive imagination of
> horror in Dracula.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sawfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sometimes these
> otherwise mundane bridging sections tend to
> establish,or support, verisimilitude and/or
> credibility, making the central action, or
> characters, more believable.
>

Yes, I suppose. That is true, but still, even the mundane bridging sections can be made into art, by a carefully observant writer. There always exist details, even in the most dull scene, that can be tapped into for some deeper interesting essence.

Lovecraft also argued that mundane scenes were necessary to establish verisimilitude. But I don't think he wrote a single paragraph in his stories that lacked interesting observations. He always had something to say.

The idea of otherwise helpless or innocent individuals being possessed of evil intent ad posing a threat is particularly potent.

There is an old 60s horror anthology film, Spirits of the Dead, in which there is an episode (Toby Dammit) by Fellini where the Devil is a little girl with a red balloon.

Kinda creepy.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Platypus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some of the most effective and creepy elements of
> Stephen King's SALEM'S LOT were the scenes
> involving child vampires. These scenes were also
> effectively captured, and maybe even enhanced, in
> the 70s TV movie adaptation.


That one, Tobe Hooper's Salem's Lot, may be my all-time favorite movie. I also saw it at just the right age, in my most impressionable teen years. It is creepy as hell! It has phenomenal atmosphere, and adventurous expectancy. The mission the man and boy team take upon themselves, is of Biblical proportions, and very engaging. All the actors are perfect in their roles, James Mason being my favorite, in his exquisite arrogance; not to mention the vampire, it looks like the real thing, not acting!

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sawfish Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > sometimes these
> > otherwise mundane bridging sections tend to
> > establish,or support, verisimilitude and/or
> > credibility, making the central action, or
> > characters, more believable.
> >
>
> Yes, I suppose. That is true, but still, even the
> mundane bridging sections can be made into art, by
> a carefully observant writer. There always exist
> details, even in the most dull scene, that can be
> tapped into for some deeper interesting essence.

So basically you're not arguing against the use of bridges so much as against the practice of mediocre writing?


>
> Lovecraft also argued that mundane scenes were
> necessary to establish verisimilitude. But I don't
> think he wrote a single paragraph in his stories
> that lacked interesting observations. He always
> had something to say.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sawfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So basically you're not arguing against the use of
> bridges so much as against the practice of
> mediocre writing?
>

I want the bridges to be interesting in themselves. One might then question if they are still bridges.