Dark Detectives: An Anthology of Supernatural Mysteries

by Stephen Jones | Mystery & Thrillers |
ISBN: 1783291303 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingGoryDetailswing of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 9/5/2018
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Journal Entry 1 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, September 5, 2018
I got this paperback at Barnes and Noble. It's an anthology themed on supernatural detectives, with contributions from some favorite authors of mine - and lots of atmospheric illustrations by Randy Broecker. Among the stories I liked best:

Kim Newman's "In Egypt's Land," written as a prologue to Bram Stoker's Jewel of the Seven Stars, a prototype of the "mummy's curse" plot. This leads in to a series of short chapters scattered throughout the book, interweaving Stoker's plot with Newman's own "Anno Dracula" characters and a variety of "detective" archetypes, sometimes represented by Newman's version of other authors' characters as well. (This takes up about half of the entire book; if you enjoy Newman's fondness for weaving many literary sources, characters, and plots into a cohesive storyline, you'll appreciate this!)

William Hope Hodgson's "The Horse of the Invisible" features his "ghost-finder", Carnacki, coping with yet another supernatural threat. I prefer "The Whistling Room" among the Carnacki stories, but this one has its points!

"Rouse Him Not" by Manly Wade Wellman features his dilettante-and-investigator-of-the-occult John Thunstone (who, by his description, is an expy of Wellman himself); the story deals with a dead sorcerer and his surviving - and malevolent - familiar.

On the more wacky/offbeat side, there's Jay Russell's "The Man Who Shot the Man Who Shot The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", which opens with "It started with a friendly game of strip Ouija" and only gets weirder from there.

"Bay Wolf" by Neil Gaiman is great fun. He uses his version of Lawrence Talbot (aka the "Wolf Man") again, here as an "adjuster" of the supernatural. The story's told in epic-poem form, suitable for its riff on "Beowulf", and mixes gritty combat with dark humor and considerable poignancy.

Journal Entry 2 by wingGoryDetailswing at Little Free Library, Mt Vernon Rd in Southington, Connecticut USA on Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Released 4 yrs ago (12/25/2019 UTC) at Little Free Library, Mt Vernon Rd in Southington, Connecticut USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I left this book in this roomy LFL on Christmas Day, on my way home from visiting family. Hope someone enjoys the book! [Note: when I was there, the ground was VERY icy, and some of the books had apparently become waterlogged and then frozen, so while otherwise roomy and nicely-decorated I think the LFL could use a little maintenance.]

[See other recent releases in CT here.]

*** Released for the 2019 D for December release challenge. ***

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