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Ghosts and other supernatural guests
Supernatural fiction's newest voice brings you a Gothic fest of twelve Poe-like tales from the darkest depths of the human psyche.
P. J. Hodge spins rich, spine-chilling and beautifully written tales that tell of the undead, possessed objects, haunted forests, soul-snatching demons and revengeful spectres that will not rest until their work is done.
Mesmerising, understated, and convincingly Victorian in tone, this is a frighteningly good collection of stories. Purchase at your own risk!
If you enjoy period ghost tales of that bygone England of country house gatherings, servants and hansom cabs, with smog-filled days and sinister churchyard nights, you’ll love this varied and entertaining collection of chillers.
"And by slow and awful degrees the child moved and grew more ghastly with each cycle of its crawl. I could see its mouth open revealing a rasping tongue as if to speak but unable to, instead delivering a series of hideous gurgles as if the throat was being choked."
P. J. Hodge spins rich, spine-chilling and beautifully written tales that tell of the undead, possessed objects, haunted forests, soul-snatching demons and revengeful spectres that will not rest until their work is done.
Mesmerising, understated, and convincingly Victorian in tone, this is a frighteningly good collection of stories. Purchase at your own risk!
If you enjoy period ghost tales of that bygone England of country house gatherings, servants and hansom cabs, with smog-filled days and sinister churchyard nights, you’ll love this varied and entertaining collection of chillers.
"And by slow and awful degrees the child moved and grew more ghastly with each cycle of its crawl. I could see its mouth open revealing a rasping tongue as if to speak but unable to, instead delivering a series of hideous gurgles as if the throat was being choked."
- GenresShort Stories
113 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2013
4 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 31, 2013
I've long been a keen follower of the Freaky Folk Tales blog by PJ Hodge, so I was very excited when I heard that these fascinating tales would be published in book form. The first volume has duly arrived, just in time for Hallowe'en (and, perhaps even better, well in time for Christmas).
The great news is, these stories work really well in a book format; Hodge writes in the style of MR James, or, more recently, David G. Rowlands, perfect to enjoy while relaxing in front of a roaring fire as darkness falls outside.
There are twelve tales here, and all are imbued with a unique authenticity which lifts them above the usual; Hodge has done the hard yards of research, and it shows. The reader is treated to a supernatural tour of traditional England, in which local myth and legend is intertwined with well-crafted drama, creating the kind of book it's difficult not to read in one sitting.
The scene is set by The Ghost Bureau, welcoming us into the world of Victorian drawing rooms, spiritualism and seances. The sceptical protagonist accepts a position with the eponymous organisation, and is forced to reconsider her own lack of belief in the spiritual world when she sees her own murderer – or does she? A gripping start, followed by A Tip of the Hat, which is something of a comic interlude, and deftly done.
In The Viaduct, an evocative tale of childhood misadventure and is recounted. During their summer holidays, Peter, Tom and James have explored further from home than ever before, encountering the viaduct that they had previously only seen from afar. There they hear an inexplicable dialogue, and become fascinated by the place, returning a few days later to find out more. Unfortunately, warnings are not heeded, and it all ends in tragedy. The wistful companionship of youth in a long-lost English landscape is picture perfect, and the reader is led by the hand into Return to Tyneham. To me this was one of the most powerful tales here, tackling the thorny issue of evacuation during the war. A whole village is relocated, but one family reject the new accommodation and choose to be "taken in" by their aunt Alice, who lives nearby on a farm. Heartbroken, they arrive, expecting to be welcomed but finding a deserted shell of a house. Alice's ghostly presence is felt, as is the rearrangement of space and time; revealing the need in everyone to have somewhere to call home.
The Flames of Stalbridge Manor introduces us to a terrifying phantom. Staying at an unfamiliar country manor, a family is subjected to horrific visions of a figure engulfed in flames. Distressed, they leave, only to find out rather more than they are comfortable with; someone was burnt to death there long ago, and ever since, the house has been boarded up. This leads to a deliciously ambiguous ending, which leaves the reader thinking. By contrast, A Tale of Chirbury is a more ancient tale of superstition and suspicion. A village is told by a witch not to enter the grounds of St Michael's church on All Hallow's Eve, but certain of the congregation choose to ignore this warning; and they hear the names of those who will be shortly buried therein. This roll-call of terror comes to haunt the whole village and affect later generations. Is it possible to step out of the shadow?
The collection is concluded by Alice's Ghost, the touching tale of a nobleman's love for Lucinda, the young daughter of his housekeeper. His proposal of marriage to her is accepted; however, the ghost of his dead wife Alice returns to warn him against re-marrying, and eventually he wilts under her intense supernatural pressure. In despair, he throws himself from a cliff; but is it the end, or merely the beginning? And is he in fact rescued, and if so, by whom?
I can see this book being the first in a long and successful series, and PJ Hodge becoming even more of an authority in local myths and legends. I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment already!
The great news is, these stories work really well in a book format; Hodge writes in the style of MR James, or, more recently, David G. Rowlands, perfect to enjoy while relaxing in front of a roaring fire as darkness falls outside.
There are twelve tales here, and all are imbued with a unique authenticity which lifts them above the usual; Hodge has done the hard yards of research, and it shows. The reader is treated to a supernatural tour of traditional England, in which local myth and legend is intertwined with well-crafted drama, creating the kind of book it's difficult not to read in one sitting.
The scene is set by The Ghost Bureau, welcoming us into the world of Victorian drawing rooms, spiritualism and seances. The sceptical protagonist accepts a position with the eponymous organisation, and is forced to reconsider her own lack of belief in the spiritual world when she sees her own murderer – or does she? A gripping start, followed by A Tip of the Hat, which is something of a comic interlude, and deftly done.
In The Viaduct, an evocative tale of childhood misadventure and is recounted. During their summer holidays, Peter, Tom and James have explored further from home than ever before, encountering the viaduct that they had previously only seen from afar. There they hear an inexplicable dialogue, and become fascinated by the place, returning a few days later to find out more. Unfortunately, warnings are not heeded, and it all ends in tragedy. The wistful companionship of youth in a long-lost English landscape is picture perfect, and the reader is led by the hand into Return to Tyneham. To me this was one of the most powerful tales here, tackling the thorny issue of evacuation during the war. A whole village is relocated, but one family reject the new accommodation and choose to be "taken in" by their aunt Alice, who lives nearby on a farm. Heartbroken, they arrive, expecting to be welcomed but finding a deserted shell of a house. Alice's ghostly presence is felt, as is the rearrangement of space and time; revealing the need in everyone to have somewhere to call home.
The Flames of Stalbridge Manor introduces us to a terrifying phantom. Staying at an unfamiliar country manor, a family is subjected to horrific visions of a figure engulfed in flames. Distressed, they leave, only to find out rather more than they are comfortable with; someone was burnt to death there long ago, and ever since, the house has been boarded up. This leads to a deliciously ambiguous ending, which leaves the reader thinking. By contrast, A Tale of Chirbury is a more ancient tale of superstition and suspicion. A village is told by a witch not to enter the grounds of St Michael's church on All Hallow's Eve, but certain of the congregation choose to ignore this warning; and they hear the names of those who will be shortly buried therein. This roll-call of terror comes to haunt the whole village and affect later generations. Is it possible to step out of the shadow?
The collection is concluded by Alice's Ghost, the touching tale of a nobleman's love for Lucinda, the young daughter of his housekeeper. His proposal of marriage to her is accepted; however, the ghost of his dead wife Alice returns to warn him against re-marrying, and eventually he wilts under her intense supernatural pressure. In despair, he throws himself from a cliff; but is it the end, or merely the beginning? And is he in fact rescued, and if so, by whom?
I can see this book being the first in a long and successful series, and PJ Hodge becoming even more of an authority in local myths and legends. I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment already!
October 30, 2013
Halloween is upon us (almost)! What better than a few scary stories to whet the appetite for whatever you might be getting up to in the next couple of days? And what better than supporting a fellow WordPress blogger and budding writer? I’ve been a follower and keen reader of Freaky Folk Tales so when P.J. Hodge announced the release of his first ebook based on his blog, I eagerly offered to review it for him.
The writer is a fan of British folklore, local ghost tales and Victorian / Edwardian supernatural fiction – that much is obvious and his style is very much in the tradition the likes of Ambrose Bierce and M.R. James. So if you like that sort of fiction and the sort of ghostly short films that the BBC used to show at Christmas, you will certainly enjoy this volume.
Hodge blends actual local folklore and fictional tales behind the places that have inspired him. Readers of his blog will know that his love of his native southern England and its landscape is his medium. There is no historic place, ancient or recent, that seemingly has not inspired the stories he tells. There is then, something quintessentially British about the work for these reasons and the sort of stories that were his inspiration. Ideal reading for this time of year, and then read them all again at Christmas!
There is not a bad story here but as with any collection, there will undoubtedly be favourites. Mine include The Haunted Cupboard (a story whose title should need no explanation!), The Viaduct ghostly goings on at a Victorian railway line, Return to Tyneham, a tale about a village evacuated during the war for training purposes and The Flames of Stalbridge Manor where the protagonist keeps experiencing the apparition of a burning woman in his house and eventually learns a horrifying secret.
They flow well and are told mostly in the first person. Though most likely a nod to the works that inspire him, I always felt that ghost stories work best in first person – it is an effective method of storytelling. He writes in a reporting type style that is very easy on the eye and feels personal for ghost stories, absorbing you into the place (sometimes claustrophobic) to increase the tension.
I don’t have much in the way of bad points, this is some solid storytelling and inevitably some are going to be better than others. I feel that a brief introduction to some of the stories would not have gone amiss. Being familiar with his blog, I’m used to hearing about the places that that have inspired him. A personal touch here never goes amiss.
What else can I say aside from support this up and coming writer who pays homage to some of the greatest supernatural fiction of the last century!
See more book reviews at my blog
The writer is a fan of British folklore, local ghost tales and Victorian / Edwardian supernatural fiction – that much is obvious and his style is very much in the tradition the likes of Ambrose Bierce and M.R. James. So if you like that sort of fiction and the sort of ghostly short films that the BBC used to show at Christmas, you will certainly enjoy this volume.
Hodge blends actual local folklore and fictional tales behind the places that have inspired him. Readers of his blog will know that his love of his native southern England and its landscape is his medium. There is no historic place, ancient or recent, that seemingly has not inspired the stories he tells. There is then, something quintessentially British about the work for these reasons and the sort of stories that were his inspiration. Ideal reading for this time of year, and then read them all again at Christmas!
There is not a bad story here but as with any collection, there will undoubtedly be favourites. Mine include The Haunted Cupboard (a story whose title should need no explanation!), The Viaduct ghostly goings on at a Victorian railway line, Return to Tyneham, a tale about a village evacuated during the war for training purposes and The Flames of Stalbridge Manor where the protagonist keeps experiencing the apparition of a burning woman in his house and eventually learns a horrifying secret.
They flow well and are told mostly in the first person. Though most likely a nod to the works that inspire him, I always felt that ghost stories work best in first person – it is an effective method of storytelling. He writes in a reporting type style that is very easy on the eye and feels personal for ghost stories, absorbing you into the place (sometimes claustrophobic) to increase the tension.
I don’t have much in the way of bad points, this is some solid storytelling and inevitably some are going to be better than others. I feel that a brief introduction to some of the stories would not have gone amiss. Being familiar with his blog, I’m used to hearing about the places that that have inspired him. A personal touch here never goes amiss.
What else can I say aside from support this up and coming writer who pays homage to some of the greatest supernatural fiction of the last century!
See more book reviews at my blog
October 25, 2013
Ghosts and other Supernatural Guests is a collection of twelve tales of terror and suspense from PJ Hodge of Freaky Folk Tales blog fame. Ranging from intimate first person narratives, to the traditional omniscient narrator; each tale is wonderfully crafted, precise in language and detail and very much harking back to the classic age of the ghost story.
PJ Hodge invites you to step outside your everyday world with tales that subtly entice you into a more liminal world, a world where the veils between physical measurable reality and the unexplained are drawn back to reveal unsettling truths and the often inescapable terrors of the great beyond.
The tales take their influence from local legend and folklore - PJ Hodge isn't afraid to go out into the field to research his tales, and this lends them an authenticity and place that comes across very strongly in many of the tales. In fact he clearly understands the importance of place and location in the ghost story - whether it is a haunted house or a haunted viaduct each of the locations are vividly and chillingly drawn.
The tales also hark back to the classic Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories of the likes of MR James and Sheridan le Fanu to name but two; I found that Walk with Me (to the Estuary) was a particularly atmospheric tale with a slowly building sense of menace and inescapable fate that felt very Jamesian in colour and tone. Of course taking the Edwardian and Victorian age as an influence also often allows for a certain element of arch parody of those more pompous and more assured times. This was particularly notable in the opening lines of The Haunted Cupbard which begins with a debate between two crusty gentleman at their club regarding the malignancy of Lucifer Matches! History is also used as a springboard into the supernatural, and the opening tale The Ghost Bureau takes as its influence the real-life Julia's Bureau of WT Stead, nineteenth century journalist, spiritualist and all round eccentric.
The tales range from childhood adventures with a tragic twist (The Viaduct); the truly horrific spectre of The Flames of Stalbridge Manor; to the heartwarming A Tip of the Hat. This is a perfect book to read, by a crackling fire, in a lonely manor house, on a dark and stormy night - was that a tree-branch tapping on the window-pane..or could it be Ghosts and other Supernatural Guests........!
PJ Hodge invites you to step outside your everyday world with tales that subtly entice you into a more liminal world, a world where the veils between physical measurable reality and the unexplained are drawn back to reveal unsettling truths and the often inescapable terrors of the great beyond.
The tales take their influence from local legend and folklore - PJ Hodge isn't afraid to go out into the field to research his tales, and this lends them an authenticity and place that comes across very strongly in many of the tales. In fact he clearly understands the importance of place and location in the ghost story - whether it is a haunted house or a haunted viaduct each of the locations are vividly and chillingly drawn.
The tales also hark back to the classic Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories of the likes of MR James and Sheridan le Fanu to name but two; I found that Walk with Me (to the Estuary) was a particularly atmospheric tale with a slowly building sense of menace and inescapable fate that felt very Jamesian in colour and tone. Of course taking the Edwardian and Victorian age as an influence also often allows for a certain element of arch parody of those more pompous and more assured times. This was particularly notable in the opening lines of The Haunted Cupbard which begins with a debate between two crusty gentleman at their club regarding the malignancy of Lucifer Matches! History is also used as a springboard into the supernatural, and the opening tale The Ghost Bureau takes as its influence the real-life Julia's Bureau of WT Stead, nineteenth century journalist, spiritualist and all round eccentric.
The tales range from childhood adventures with a tragic twist (The Viaduct); the truly horrific spectre of The Flames of Stalbridge Manor; to the heartwarming A Tip of the Hat. This is a perfect book to read, by a crackling fire, in a lonely manor house, on a dark and stormy night - was that a tree-branch tapping on the window-pane..or could it be Ghosts and other Supernatural Guests........!
December 12, 2013
GOTHIC READERS BOOK CLUB CHOICE AWARD WINNER
P.J. Hodge's Ghosts and Other Supernatural Guests is a fantastic Gothic collection. The writing style is reminiscent of the Victorian classics, but it's adapted to a modern audience. The crisp pacing reads well, and the archaic touches make a great framework to give the stories a very authentic air. The stories focus on Victorian ghosts, hauntings, manifestations, and psychological fear. Hodge is skilled at building tension rather than using gore and violence as a narrative tool. Very well done.
If You Like: M.R. James, Henry James, Guy de Maupassant
http://gothicreadersbookclub.blogspot...
P.J. Hodge's Ghosts and Other Supernatural Guests is a fantastic Gothic collection. The writing style is reminiscent of the Victorian classics, but it's adapted to a modern audience. The crisp pacing reads well, and the archaic touches make a great framework to give the stories a very authentic air. The stories focus on Victorian ghosts, hauntings, manifestations, and psychological fear. Hodge is skilled at building tension rather than using gore and violence as a narrative tool. Very well done.
If You Like: M.R. James, Henry James, Guy de Maupassant
http://gothicreadersbookclub.blogspot...
October 20, 2013
I loved this! A really thoughtful and inspired take on period-set hauntings. The words are beautiful, engaging and instantly transport you to a gas-lit era where ghosts inhabit the gloomy recesses of ancestral homes and readily appear at seances. Saying all this, one of my favourites is 'Walk with me,' possibly set in the modern era and a distant cousin of Du Maurier's 'Don't Look Now'. I thoroughly recommend this book!!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews