A Terror

by Jeffrey Ford

"A Terror", by Jeffrey Ford, is a dark fantasy/horror novelette about a strange encounter Miss Emily Dickinson has one early September morning, and the consequences for her and others.
At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Fantasy, Historical, Poetry, Historical Fantasy, Dark

34 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 24, 2013

About the author

Jeffrey Ford is an American writer in the Fantastic genre tradition, although his works have spanned genres including Fantasy, Science Fiction and Mystery. His work is characterized by a sweeping imaginative power, humor, literary allusion, and a fascination with tales told within tales. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he studied with the novelist John Gardner.

He lives in southern New Jersey and teaches writing and literature at Brookdale Community College in Monmouth County. He has also taught at the summer Clarion Workshop for science fiction and fantasy writers in Michigan. He has contributed stories, essays and interviews to various magazines and e-magazines including MSS, Puerto Del Sol, Northwest Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, Argosy, Event Horizon, Infinity Plus, Black Gate and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

He published his first story, "The Casket", in Gardner's literary magazine MSS in 1981 and his first full-length novel, Vanitas, in 1988.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I could not stop for Death – 
He kindly stopped for me – 
The Carriage held but just Ourselves – 
And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility – 

We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring – 
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain – 
We passed the Setting Sun – 

Or rather – He passed us – 
The Dews drew quivering and chill – 
For only Gossamer, my Gown – 
My Tippet – only Tulle – 

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground – 
The Roof was scarcely visible – 
The Cornice – in the Ground – 

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity – 

it's not a spoiler to say that this is a short story about a meeting between emily dickinson and capital-d death. with this line in the second paragraph: Only when a fly buzzed against the windowpane did she remember everything, any emily dickinson fan worth their salt will know what that portends.

but the repercussions of that meeting - ah - that is for you to discover.

this story positively drips with references to her poetry, her imagery-palette, and her life, and also puts a deliciously macabre spin on the poetry written after these events would have taken place.

it is worth reading for a) her sniffy dismissal of walt whitman “The man’s pen has dysentery” and b) some of the most disgusting imagery i have ever had the pleasure of reading, which is visually represented by this "cover":



always such great artwork on these tor freebies!

read it for yourself here:

http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/07/a-...

come to my blog!

[Jess ❈Harbinger of Blood-Soaked Rainbows❈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

f is for Ford

This was a creepy and atmospheric little gem of a story about a chance encounter one September evening, 1861 between Emily Dickinson and Death.

No, no, no, no. More like death.


Thus begins our fantastical little tale which acts a little like a dark mystical, Victorian gothic fable about life, death, and words. Emily wakes up one night to find her parents and her sister have vanished in the night. She goes out to look for them and is approached my a handsome, genteel man in a carriage who has apparently come to take her.....on. He introduces himself.

“You are Death,” said Emily.

Her fellow traveler sat in shadow. “Call me Quill.” He leaned forward so that she could see his face and nodded. “Go ahead. I know you have questions.”

Well, our darling Ms. Dickinson does not want to die, and so Quill makes her a proposition. Help him restore one deprived of dying to his resting place, and he will give her a quarter century more life. Words, you see, are very mighty weapons of the supernatural. Battles can be fought and won with words. They can bring life, they can bring death.

“I’ve done bold things in my life, as quiet as it might have seemed.”

“You don’t have to convince me, Emily,” he said. “I know everything you’ve done and thought. You’ve nothing to be ashamed of. Even the falling sickness you tried to hide. It was nothing more than some twisted little knot in your brain work. You and Julius Caesar, my dear. Two emperors, one of men and one of words.”

I thought this was a very well written and delightfully creepy short. I admit, I am not much of an expert on Emily Dickinson or her poetry, but I don't think my lack of prior knowledge was a hindrance in reading this. I also came to find out in the author's afterward, that this story was inspired by a letter she wrote to an editor in 1863 in which she mentions a clandestine "terror" she had one night. So kudos to him for all the research and effort that went into this story.

And I wasn't going to add any spoilers, but I feel like this needs to be in here, so read at your own risk:
I absolutely love what Jeffrey Ford does with metaphor. It is so subtly and deftly worked into the plotline. Emily always wears white, like a blank sheet of paper, and her deathly tour guide's name is Quill. Her adventure is about the creation of her words into an art form, and this tale is supposed to be not only based on an allusion of a letter, but also a fictional basis of her poem, "Death Kindly Stopped for Me." So in essence, this is a creepy gothic horror tale, an essay about the power behind writing and words, an alternate history of Emily Dickinson's life, and a metaphor for the writing of her famous poem. All in short story form. I would love to read more of Mr. Ford's work.
Read it FOR FREE here:
http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/07/a-...
And enjoy the lovely and creepy cover art:

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A surgeon not a dervish” is a fascinating description of ED's poetry. Nice to see that Death is appreciative of literature.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not too familiar with the work of Emily Dickinson but I wouldn’t say that it really matters to be able to appreciate this short story. The writing is gorgeous and moves the plot along at a swift pace, I was captivated quickly and admired Jeffrey Ford’s style as the story remained absorbing throughout. There were also a few genuinely creepy moments, which I was hoping for after admiring the striking cover by Jude Palencar. I’d wholeheartedly recommend this story, which you can actually read here for free https://www.tor.com/2013/07/24/a-terror/

[Gregor Xane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine short piece starring Emily Dickinson and Death.

You can read it for free at Tor.com.

If you've not read Jeffrey Ford, this is a fine enough place to start as any.

[Licha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deliciously creepy. Great cover. And finally, a short story I liked.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely not what I was expecting. Absolutely a cover buy...did not read any synopsis...was not expecting a story about Emily Dickinson...but I'm not mad about it. An enjoyable read that felt very much like a classic ghost story. Would recommend for anyone who wants something spooky but not scary.

[Anzû · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one.

[Matthew Galloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, if abrupt, and slightly creepy supernatural tale featuring Emily Dickinson.

[lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

emily dickinson is the heroine of this short story, which plays off a certain poem of hers involving death. the horrific imagery of the story is so well done, so vivid and visceral, and the character of emily herself is as full of heart but just as inscrutable as you would expect her to be. the author clearly did his research into emily's life and more than anything, his story has made me want to do the same. "a terror" is available here for free.

[WitWhimWiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gruesome and beautiful in equal measure. I literally started gagging at one point, and since I was at work when it happened (during a break) I startled two of my co-workers in the office next door! Not for the squeamish, but profoundly beautiful in its horror.

SPOILER!!!!!

One Con: A dead small child.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

When she was finished cleaning him, he pulled his thumbnail off. It came away from its bed easy as breathing. He dropped it into her open palm, and she put it in her pocket.

Although, if I'm truthful, this is really just Emily Dickinson fan-fiction, Jeffrey Ford does have gift for pushing all my buttons in a story. So, I liked it, in spite of myself.

[Toolshed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Príjemne creepy poviedkonoveleta o tom, čo robila - alebo ak nerobila, tak mohla robiť - Emily Dickinson jednej noci a že asi nemala veľmi rada Walta Whitmana ("The man's pen has dysentery.")

[Per · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.tor.com/2013/07/24/a-terror

[Shene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story based on Emily Dickinson's famous poem on death. This story had a strong beginning invoking wispy images of cold mornings but by the end the story loses its steam.

[Mayumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Li aqui, marquei lido aqui: Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2013.

Enrolei muito tempo pra ler esse conto porque essa capa sempre me deixou muito assustada e, como eu geralmente leio antes de dormir, fiquei com medo de ler esse conto e ter pesadelos. Besteira, claro, porque a criança no saco de estopa aparece muito pouco no conto e não é de dar tanto medo assim. Pobre dela, na verdade.

Esse conto é o que o autor imaginou que foi o terror que a poeta Emily Dickinson disse que passou. Talvez eu tivesse aproveitado mais se tivesse pelo menos lido algum poema dela, mas foi uma ótima história.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was engaging, which surprised me because I don't typically like fictional stories with non-fiction characters that I don't know much about - I normally can't seem to get around wondering what parts of the story or character are true and which parts are fiction.

Thankfully the author added the after-note that put the story in context - I wish that I had read it before reading this, as it might have changed my impression.

I won't re-read this, but it was written well. Enjoyable.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A speculative dark fantasy that envisions an adventure Emily Dickinson embarks on. As a poet, Miss Dickinson is given a deal by Death (seen as a gentry personified) for which her talents could be of great use. After reading this short story I may venture back and look through her works again. Just to see if I could catch any hidden metaphors there.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the five stars above state: it was amazing. I regret postponing reading this novelette for so long.

She set a sheet of paper in front of her, moistened her pen in the inkwell and then sat there, staring, listening to the blizzard outside, searching for words in its distant shriek. An hour passed, maybe a day or year.

[Tess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy and good. I don't know Ms. Dickinson's poetry very well at all, but I did like the author incorporating fragments into the story, and the entire premise of explaining what Emily had experienced to write the poetry.

[Kimikimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Tor.com short story.

This story was interesting but not awesome. I do like that it was based on an Emily Dickinson poem and that she was the main character, but I'm not sure I liked the story itself.

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the ambience of this novelette though I feel the ending let me down just a little bit. Definitely a thumbs up for sheer creepiness factor. Some lovely imagery.

[Ava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short stories are so hard to come by.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very creepy story about Emily Dickinson and a brush with Death.

[Anabelee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirado en un poema de Emily Dickinson, un cuento fantástico.

[Carla Barroso · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was expecting something more terrifying.