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Black Shuck Shadows #31
Chasing Spirits
Meet John Glory, ex-doctor turned paperback tie-in writer (aha!) and any other writing job going (even more aha!) who inadvertently ends up investigating all sorts of weirdness. CHASING SPIRITS chronicles his first three Fistlock!, Give My Regards to Alan Smithee, and Hush Hush Sweet Charlatan.
- GenresHorror
122 pages, Paperback
Published June 24, 2022
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 30, 2022
Meet John Glory, ex-doctor turned paperback tie-in writer (aha!) and any other writing job going (even more aha!) who inadvertently ends up investigating all sorts of weirdness. CHASING SPIRITS chronicles his first three adventures: Fistlock!, Give My Regards to Alan Smithee, and Hush Hush Sweet Charlatan.
I am a huge fan of John’s writing and he & I share a similar taste for the seedy, sleazy British horror of the late sixties and seventies and this mini-collection (set in the present day) is right up my street. The first story, “Fistlock!”, features Glory called in to ghostwrite a novel about the titular character, since the writer - Ralph Brightman - died under suspicious circumstances. A medical friend of Glory lets him know that when some people read the books - or watched the late-night animated TV show based on it - they too died and despite the warnings Glory walks straight into trouble. Gleefully over-the-top, sparkling with wit and touches of horror, this was the perfect opener. “Give My Regards to Alan Smithee” is full of little easter eggs for fans of sleazy cinema and I loved it - Glory, after his adventures with Fistlock!, is hired by a young actress to find out what’s happening on the set of her new film, where a ghost seems to be directing the action. All is not as it seems but it’s great fun. “Hush, Hush Sweet Charlatan” closes the book, with Glory getting involved with pensioner mediums who are more powerful than they first appear, especially when it comes to banishing a demon. All three stories are briskly and breezily told, there’s a lot of humour and a clear amount of affection for the sub-genre but, most of all, they’re thoroughly entertaining. Very highly recommended.
I am a huge fan of John’s writing and he & I share a similar taste for the seedy, sleazy British horror of the late sixties and seventies and this mini-collection (set in the present day) is right up my street. The first story, “Fistlock!”, features Glory called in to ghostwrite a novel about the titular character, since the writer - Ralph Brightman - died under suspicious circumstances. A medical friend of Glory lets him know that when some people read the books - or watched the late-night animated TV show based on it - they too died and despite the warnings Glory walks straight into trouble. Gleefully over-the-top, sparkling with wit and touches of horror, this was the perfect opener. “Give My Regards to Alan Smithee” is full of little easter eggs for fans of sleazy cinema and I loved it - Glory, after his adventures with Fistlock!, is hired by a young actress to find out what’s happening on the set of her new film, where a ghost seems to be directing the action. All is not as it seems but it’s great fun. “Hush, Hush Sweet Charlatan” closes the book, with Glory getting involved with pensioner mediums who are more powerful than they first appear, especially when it comes to banishing a demon. All three stories are briskly and breezily told, there’s a lot of humour and a clear amount of affection for the sub-genre but, most of all, they’re thoroughly entertaining. Very highly recommended.
September 4, 2024
Lord Probert returns with a bang in this slim book with three long stories. All of them have the rather lacklustre scriptwriter Dr. Glory as the protagonist— who gets into all sorts of supernatural mess while working as unwilling psychic detective. These stories are~
1. Fistlock!
2. Give My Regards to Alan Smithee;
3. Hush, Hush Sweet Charlatan.
All of them are gloriously gory, supremely sardonic, wondrously witty... You get the drift.
In short, if you are an admirer of horror and humour, this is an essential read for you.
Highly recommended.
1. Fistlock!
2. Give My Regards to Alan Smithee;
3. Hush, Hush Sweet Charlatan.
All of them are gloriously gory, supremely sardonic, wondrously witty... You get the drift.
In short, if you are an admirer of horror and humour, this is an essential read for you.
Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews