Stephen Bacon

Two novellas are collected in this volume: Lantern Rock by Stephen Bacon and The Lost Film by Mark West. The two stories are loosely connected by lost films, and in both cases, it probably would have been better that the films were never found.

Lantern Rock by Stephen Bacon was a cool story, chock full of atmosphere. It reminded me somewhat of the stories of M.R. James and James is even mentioned in this novella. I'm not going to get into the plot here, I rarely do, but I will say that despite starting off in a rather mundane way, this tale ramped up to full scale scares, reminding me of this:

I enjoyed this story a lot and it was my favorite of the two.

The Lost Film by Mark West was also a neat story featuring a private eye searching for a reclusive filmmaker. Despite numerous warnings to back off, Gabriel Bird, P.I. continues on his search. Sometimes, when something is lost, it's best that it stay lost. "I discovered the power of God and realized that I didn't like it." This is a quote from the book that struck me and brought home the whole "Be careful what you wish for" theme. I found the ending to this novella to be a bit abrupt, but after mulling it over for a moment, I thought it perfect.

I enjoyed these two novellas and I liked the idea of linking them together through film. With the first being reminiscent of an M. R. James story and the second reminding me a little of Robert Chambers' The King in Yellow, one could do much worse than spending a weekend reading these creepy tales.

Recommended for fans of M.R. James and Robert Chambers!

You can purchase this book here: http://www.pendragonpress.net/

*I received a free e-ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review. This is it!*… (plus d'informations)

Two novellas are collected in this volume: Lantern Rock by Stephen Bacon and The Lost Film by Mark West. The two stories are loosely connected by lost films, and in both cases, it probably would have been better that the films were never found.

Lantern Rock by Stephen Bacon was a cool story, chock full of atmosphere. It reminded me somewhat of the stories of M.R. James and James is even mentioned in this novella. I'm not going to get into the plot here, I rarely do, but I will say that despite starting off in a rather mundane way, this tale ramped up to full scale scares, reminding me of this:


The Lost Film by Mark West was also a neat story featuring a private eye searching for a reclusive filmmaker. Despite numerous warnings to back off, Gabriel Bird, P.I. continues on his search. Sometimes, when something is lost, it's best that it stay lost. "I discovered the power of God and realized that I didn't like it." This is a quote from the book that struck me and brought home the whole "Be careful what you wish for" theme. I found the ending to this novella to be a bit abrupt, but after mulling it over for a moment, I thought it perfect.

I enjoyed these two novellas and I liked the idea of linking them together through film. With the first being reminiscent of an M. R. James story and the second reminding me a little of Robert Chambers' The King in Yellow, one could do much worse than spending a weekend reading these creepy tales.

Recommended for fans of M.R. James and Robert Chambers!

You can purchase this book here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AO0GWJI?keywords=the lost film west&qid=1454361586&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

*I received a free e-ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review. This is it!*

… (plus d'informations)

Laudanum Nights is an enticing novella set in the Victorian age.

London being the usual place for tales set during this time period, this story instead takes place in the city of Blackfold. As news of a missing girl named Martha spreads throughout the neighborhood, Leonard Miller, a local teacher, is questioned by police. Because Leonard had been privately tutoring the girl, he's immediately targeted by the constables as a suspect. Well, for that reason and because of Leonard's more... private leanings. Leonard recalls another young girl that disappeared in much the same manner and sets about to investigate further in an effort to clear his name. If you want to find out what happens next, you'll have to read this novella.

I loved the setting of this book-all the darkness, dreariness and fog I think of when I picture a spooky Victorian tale are here. All of the filthy, stinking streets of the city are here too, but there's also the crumbling, aging mansion, the dotty old man and ...super creepy dolls! Dolls, I say!



It's like someone took the settings and subjects that make for a GREAT story, (at least to me), and combined them all into one compact, tasty treat; and I gobbled it up like a kid that just dumped out their Halloween booty after a heavy night of trick-or-treating. All I can say is: YUM!

Highly recommended for fans of creepy Victorian tales!

*I received a free ecopy of this novella in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*… (plus d'informations)

Ill At Ease contains three stories by three different authors; the three stories are all dark and focus on the psychology of the protagonists; none end happily although only one seems to feature anything supernatural (depending on how you read it).

Stephen Bacon - 'Waiting For Josh'. A strong opener, this is a well-written story about a man returning to his childhood home town to see his ex-best friend, who is dying. Old secrets are revealed, Some really strong imagery and scenes; my only complaint was it was a tad predictable in places.

Mark West - 'Come See My House In The Pretty Town'. For me, the highlight of this collection - another old friends reunited story, but with a more sinister tone. With its small isolated English village setting, this is almost like The League Of Gentlemen played straight instead of for laughs. If you are afraid of clowns this will do nothing to help...

Neil Williams - 'Closer Than You Think'. A ghost story, or the tale of a man having a nervous breakdown accompanied by strange visions? You decide. Another good story, I particularly liked the way the horror seemed to take place in such mundane settings - supermarket car parks and rubbish tips.

There's also some interesting notes from each author, explaining the inspiration behind each story. Overall a strong collection, and one that will definitely lead me to explore further work from all three writers involved.… (plus d'informations)