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Dancing Shadows: Tales of the Supernatural
Bernard Capes is not as well known as many other classic writers of speculative fiction, but he left behind a wide range of stories involving ghosts, werewolves, and other supernatural elements. His work shows a depth of language, and a enjoyment for the craft of writing itself. This collection includes 41 stories of romance, mystery, vengeance, horror, humor, and the weird.
416 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2011
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January 2, 2012
Algernon Blackwood (no, I am NOT reviewing the wrong book!) is supposed to be one of the greatest horror writers, and yet I had found his stories tedious to the point of being soporific. Bernard Capes is not that well-known, but if you manage to eliminate the redundant padding that plagues his earlier stories then you actually come across nuggets of such chilling plots & devices, that you feel like gasping and thinking: "if only he had an editor ruthless enough to clip all those rubbish, and yet conscientious enough not to abandon reading mid-way"! This massive collection of Cape's supernatural stories (Coachwhip has done another great job in unearthing these stories from 'out-of-print' hell, once the exquisite Ash Tree Press hardcover has gone o-o-p, and their quality of pages & printing is really wonderful; BUT there is no editorial introduction or biographical/bibliographical information, which is disappointing) should re-kindle people's interest in his stories, and I whole-heartedly believe that he deserves a fresh reading.
The contents of this book are:
1. The Moon Stricken
2. Dark Dignum
3. The Vanishing House
4. A Voice From The Pit
5. AN EDDY ON THE FLOOR: this is one story where 60% of the text is an appendage that should have been (and could have been, as evident from his later curt works) deleted, to make it one of the greatest horror stories.
6. The Black Reaper
7. The Sword of Corporal Lacoste: another unnecessarily long and oblique story that keeps piling on stuff, without allowing the reader to appreciate the things simply by standing back
8. William Tyrwhitt's "Copy"
9. The Accused Cordonnier
10. The Face On The Sheet
11. The Foot Of Time
12. The Lady-Killer
13. The Devil's Fantasia
14. The Green Bottle
15. A Ghost-Child
16. Poor Lucy Rivers
17. The Ghost-Leech
18. The Jade Button
19. John Field's Return
20. THE CORNER HOUSE: not as chilling as "The Frontier Guards", but very well-told indeed.
21. THE HAMADRYAD: a brilliant, chilling, and short piece (every single of his shorter works have some shuddering element, compared to the unnecessarily gothic and wordy pieces that he used to write earlier, we should remain obliged to the editors whom Capes might have encountered during his later years for compelling him to write short pieces).
22. The Voice
23. Tony's Drum
24. A Danse-Macabre
25. A Queer Cicerone: although this trope has been perfected by many other authors, esp. Reggie Oliver in his "The Man In the Grey Bedroom", this story was enjoyable.
26. Sub Specie
27. The Accident
28. The Apothecary's Revenge
29. The Blue Dragon
30. The Closed Door
31. The Dark Compartment
32. The Footsteps
33. The Glass Ball
34. The Marble Hands
35. The Mask
36. The Petroleuse
37. The Queer Picture
38. The Shadow-Dance
39. THE THING IN THE FOREST: an accomplished werewolf story, as usual well told in a compact manner.
40. The Van On The Road
41. The White Hare: a fable, well-told in 3 pages.
Overall, a satisfactory collection which has several stories that would remind you of the great masters who would come later and almost strangle you with their terrifying brusque images. But, once again, if only he had an editor!
The contents of this book are:
1. The Moon Stricken
2. Dark Dignum
3. The Vanishing House
4. A Voice From The Pit
5. AN EDDY ON THE FLOOR: this is one story where 60% of the text is an appendage that should have been (and could have been, as evident from his later curt works) deleted, to make it one of the greatest horror stories.
6. The Black Reaper
7. The Sword of Corporal Lacoste: another unnecessarily long and oblique story that keeps piling on stuff, without allowing the reader to appreciate the things simply by standing back
8. William Tyrwhitt's "Copy"
9. The Accused Cordonnier
10. The Face On The Sheet
11. The Foot Of Time
12. The Lady-Killer
13. The Devil's Fantasia
14. The Green Bottle
15. A Ghost-Child
16. Poor Lucy Rivers
17. The Ghost-Leech
18. The Jade Button
19. John Field's Return
20. THE CORNER HOUSE: not as chilling as "The Frontier Guards", but very well-told indeed.
21. THE HAMADRYAD: a brilliant, chilling, and short piece (every single of his shorter works have some shuddering element, compared to the unnecessarily gothic and wordy pieces that he used to write earlier, we should remain obliged to the editors whom Capes might have encountered during his later years for compelling him to write short pieces).
22. The Voice
23. Tony's Drum
24. A Danse-Macabre
25. A Queer Cicerone: although this trope has been perfected by many other authors, esp. Reggie Oliver in his "The Man In the Grey Bedroom", this story was enjoyable.
26. Sub Specie
27. The Accident
28. The Apothecary's Revenge
29. The Blue Dragon
30. The Closed Door
31. The Dark Compartment
32. The Footsteps
33. The Glass Ball
34. The Marble Hands
35. The Mask
36. The Petroleuse
37. The Queer Picture
38. The Shadow-Dance
39. THE THING IN THE FOREST: an accomplished werewolf story, as usual well told in a compact manner.
40. The Van On The Road
41. The White Hare: a fable, well-told in 3 pages.
Overall, a satisfactory collection which has several stories that would remind you of the great masters who would come later and almost strangle you with their terrifying brusque images. But, once again, if only he had an editor!
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