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Black Wine
Six stories by Ramsey Campbell and six stories by Charles L. Grant. Introduction by Douglas E Winter.
Hardcover
First published November 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 23, 2022
Since I find the prose of Ramsey Campbell to be typical of the average UK fiction writer--dull and wooden, that is--I have chosen to focus solely on Grant's work; that's the main reason why I bought this book anyway. I guess it's also a tempting prospect to possess any book featuring J.K. Potter's darkly bizarre photographic experiments; the cover's two-faced subject, along with the equally chimerical interior illustrations, captures the union of the ominous and the elegant already suggested by the book's simple though evocative title. Now, on to Grant's stories...
It seems that either Mr. Grant or Douglas E. Winter--or perhaps both--became better editors later on, because many noticeable errors litter the pages of the book's second half; I have a 1990 edition of Tales from the Nightside, so I can't say whether this sloppiness was typical of Grant's earlier works. Still, the stories themselves exemplify the emotional resonance and haunting ambience of this master's self-styled "quiet horror". Grant's first entry, "The Next Name You Hear", sacrifices intimations of the otherworldly for a psychologically grounded plot involving the strained relationship of two old friends. The tension of their mounting arguments--and the protagonist's continual thoughts of the other man's wife--doesn't so much climax as pull the taut strings of the reader's imagination to an even greater tenseness; the deft weaving of the story's title with the last few sentences tightens like a noose.
Another notable story, "Every Time I Say I Love You", is subtly complex in its merging of natural and supernatural horror territories. Focusing on a man grieving the loss of his wife, everything begins in a properly melancholy fashion until Grant inserts telling clues about this man's psyche--and what he's willing to do in order to end his grief. If there was ever a writer who could extract the tenderness at the core of necrophiliac desire, it was certainly Charles L. Grant.
Since some of these stories by Grant have been reprinted in a recent retrospective of his work, Scream Quietly, perhaps this book won't interest as many collectors of horror fiction as it would have at an earlier time. Still, the presence of J.K. Potter's outré images throughout the book could be a sufficient reason in itself for purchasing this book. And considering I've finally found a British horror writer whose prose is neither dull nor wooden--the late Joel Lane--maybe I'll give Campbell's stories another try.
It seems that either Mr. Grant or Douglas E. Winter--or perhaps both--became better editors later on, because many noticeable errors litter the pages of the book's second half; I have a 1990 edition of Tales from the Nightside, so I can't say whether this sloppiness was typical of Grant's earlier works. Still, the stories themselves exemplify the emotional resonance and haunting ambience of this master's self-styled "quiet horror". Grant's first entry, "The Next Name You Hear", sacrifices intimations of the otherworldly for a psychologically grounded plot involving the strained relationship of two old friends. The tension of their mounting arguments--and the protagonist's continual thoughts of the other man's wife--doesn't so much climax as pull the taut strings of the reader's imagination to an even greater tenseness; the deft weaving of the story's title with the last few sentences tightens like a noose.
Another notable story, "Every Time I Say I Love You", is subtly complex in its merging of natural and supernatural horror territories. Focusing on a man grieving the loss of his wife, everything begins in a properly melancholy fashion until Grant inserts telling clues about this man's psyche--and what he's willing to do in order to end his grief. If there was ever a writer who could extract the tenderness at the core of necrophiliac desire, it was certainly Charles L. Grant.
Since some of these stories by Grant have been reprinted in a recent retrospective of his work, Scream Quietly, perhaps this book won't interest as many collectors of horror fiction as it would have at an earlier time. Still, the presence of J.K. Potter's outré images throughout the book could be a sufficient reason in itself for purchasing this book. And considering I've finally found a British horror writer whose prose is neither dull nor wooden--the late Joel Lane--maybe I'll give Campbell's stories another try.
July 31, 2012
As usual, the only bad thing about this is it was so short. Ramsey's stories: so beautifully surreal. Charles' stories: humming with quiet desperation. Wonderful.
May 21, 2018
An anthology only consisting of two authors isnt something you see everyday. In Black Wine editor Douglas Winter present a handful of stories by both british Ramsey Campbell and american Charles Grant. Personally I prefer Campbell, since his stories are always a bit different than the average horrorstory, Always quite unsettling. But Charles Grants stories are also enjoyable without ever really bringing foth any goosebumps!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews