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Get a Load of This
My dear Cherry,
Some time ago you warned me against writing short stories. You stressed that the public didn't like them, and that I would be heading for a big flop if I persisted. Your views have always proved sound, so I've laid off until now. My present activities don't permit me to tackle a full-length novel, but as I have a number of situations up my sleeve I have been tempted to turn them into shorts. Have a little flutter on the book. Personally, I think it'll go. Not because it is better written than those which have flopped, but because the stories have got enough dynamite in them to make the average guy forget the blackout and the blitz--which, after all, is what we all want to do at this moment.
Anyway, here's the manuscript, and when you're not too busy--Get a load of this!
Yours,
Some time ago you warned me against writing short stories. You stressed that the public didn't like them, and that I would be heading for a big flop if I persisted. Your views have always proved sound, so I've laid off until now. My present activities don't permit me to tackle a full-length novel, but as I have a number of situations up my sleeve I have been tempted to turn them into shorts. Have a little flutter on the book. Personally, I think it'll go. Not because it is better written than those which have flopped, but because the stories have got enough dynamite in them to make the average guy forget the blackout and the blitz--which, after all, is what we all want to do at this moment.
Anyway, here's the manuscript, and when you're not too busy--Get a load of this!
Yours,
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1942
23 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
About the author
James Hadley Chase
645 books1,005 followersRené Lodge Brabazon Raymond was born on 24th December 1906 in London, England, the son of Colonel Francis Raymond of the colonial Indian Army, a veterinary surgeon. His father intended his son to have a scientific career, was initially educated at King's School, Rochester, Kent. He left home at the age of 18 and became at different times a children's encyclopedia salesman, a salesman in a bookshop, and executive for a book wholesaler before turning to a writing career that produced more than 90 mystery books. His interests included photography (he was up to professional standard), reading and listening to classical music, being a particularly enthusiastic opera lover. Also as a form of relaxation between novels, he put together highly complicated and sophisticated Meccano models.
In 1932, Raymond married Sylvia Ray, who gave him a son. They were together until his death fifty three years later. Prohibition and the ensuing US Great Depression (1929–1939), had given rise to the Chicago gangster culture just prior to World War II. This, combined with her book trade experience, made him realise that there was a big demand for gangster stories. He wrote as R. Raymond, James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Ambrose Grant and Raymond Marshall.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force, achieving the rank of Squadron Leader. Chase edited the RAF Journal with David Langdon and had several stories from it published after the war in the book Slipstream: A Royal Air Force Anthology.
Raymond moved to France in 1956 and then to Switzerland in 1969, living a secluded life in Corseaux-sur-Vevey, on Lake Geneva, from 1974. He eventually died there peacefully on 6 February 1985.
In 1932, Raymond married Sylvia Ray, who gave him a son. They were together until his death fifty three years later. Prohibition and the ensuing US Great Depression (1929–1939), had given rise to the Chicago gangster culture just prior to World War II. This, combined with her book trade experience, made him realise that there was a big demand for gangster stories. He wrote as R. Raymond, James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Ambrose Grant and Raymond Marshall.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force, achieving the rank of Squadron Leader. Chase edited the RAF Journal with David Langdon and had several stories from it published after the war in the book Slipstream: A Royal Air Force Anthology.
Raymond moved to France in 1956 and then to Switzerland in 1969, living a secluded life in Corseaux-sur-Vevey, on Lake Geneva, from 1974. He eventually died there peacefully on 6 February 1985.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 22, 2021
Chase was once described as the king of thriller writers.He was a writer capable of replying intelligently to the question,"what happens next ?"
This suspenseful book is his only volume of short stories,written in the 1940s.He should have written more,he excelled at the form.
Two stories stand out in this volume. "The Magnificent Opportunity" is a study of soldiers at war. It looks at how generals are prepared to sacrifice their subordinates,as they pursue glory for themselves.
"Two Thumb a Ride" is another terrific story,as two women try to rob a rich man,by enticing him with their charms.
The rest of the stories are not bad,either.
This is fast and furious action,a real page-turner.
This suspenseful book is his only volume of short stories,written in the 1940s.He should have written more,he excelled at the form.
Two stories stand out in this volume. "The Magnificent Opportunity" is a study of soldiers at war. It looks at how generals are prepared to sacrifice their subordinates,as they pursue glory for themselves.
"Two Thumb a Ride" is another terrific story,as two women try to rob a rich man,by enticing him with their charms.
The rest of the stories are not bad,either.
This is fast and furious action,a real page-turner.
September 29, 2018
In 1942, Chase published his only short story collection while serving in the war, "Get a Load of This." It contains fourteen different yarns. Most have an unexpected twist. Many are hardboiled, violent, often leaving the reader uneasy. They are all told in an easygoing, storytelling voice.
And what do you have here? A story about an "all-metal blonde with a buildup that does things to you, and a figure that weakens your resistance." It's a story about a nightclub, a blonde, and a gunshot. Never heard the phrase "all-metal blonde" before, but it's worth pondering and it's an example of why Chase was so good to read. You also have stories about surviving a hurricane with hitchhikers, one of whom was a honey, beautifully curved and blonde, and one who was six inches taller and almost mannish in her charms, stories about Latin American rebellions,a story about a man named Hemingway-- George Hemingway -- who was the center of attention at every gathering, who thrived on deep sea fishing, who owned oil wells, and drove race cars for a living , a story about a young assassin in Cuba and how he evades capture, a war story about a battle against overwhelming odds and a wonderful artillery piece, and a story about what happens when two hoods go for a walk in the park.
And what do you have here? A story about an "all-metal blonde with a buildup that does things to you, and a figure that weakens your resistance." It's a story about a nightclub, a blonde, and a gunshot. Never heard the phrase "all-metal blonde" before, but it's worth pondering and it's an example of why Chase was so good to read. You also have stories about surviving a hurricane with hitchhikers, one of whom was a honey, beautifully curved and blonde, and one who was six inches taller and almost mannish in her charms, stories about Latin American rebellions,a story about a man named Hemingway-- George Hemingway -- who was the center of attention at every gathering, who thrived on deep sea fishing, who owned oil wells, and drove race cars for a living , a story about a young assassin in Cuba and how he evades capture, a war story about a battle against overwhelming odds and a wonderful artillery piece, and a story about what happens when two hoods go for a walk in the park.
February 28, 2019
La notte porta consiglio?
8 racconti con i quali ci si ubriaca in fretta, brevi il giusto per non restare con la gola all'asciutto e lunghi quel tanto per riuscire ad assaporarne il gusto, gettati in mezzo a esistenze disparate e disperate che svangano la vita a modo loro.
Chase mantiene gli spigoli che più gli appartengono, quelli indagati dal Noir/Hardboiled, i meno illuminati, usandoli per rappresentare situazioni di uomini e donne alle prese con le pulsioni sane e malsane che avvolgono le varie anime, a volte con quel piglio sfrontato figlio della schiettezza dell'autore.
Ma c'è anche altro, ed è valido.
8 racconti con i quali ci si ubriaca in fretta, brevi il giusto per non restare con la gola all'asciutto e lunghi quel tanto per riuscire ad assaporarne il gusto, gettati in mezzo a esistenze disparate e disperate che svangano la vita a modo loro.
Chase mantiene gli spigoli che più gli appartengono, quelli indagati dal Noir/Hardboiled, i meno illuminati, usandoli per rappresentare situazioni di uomini e donne alle prese con le pulsioni sane e malsane che avvolgono le varie anime, a volte con quel piglio sfrontato figlio della schiettezza dell'autore.
Ma c'è anche altro, ed è valido.
December 6, 2011
This book is of short stories. If you really want youself to get trained in writing short stories. go grab this book and read it. I liked the way in which the english words were used. very carefully chosen words.
August 8, 2021
I had intended to read this volume of James Hadley Chase short stories after finishing his novels. As I write this, I have three novels to go. But I decided to go ahead and complete going through these stories published in a single volume in 1942. It's one of JHC's earlier works. And it reveals a writer capable of working in several genres. Included are hard boiled crime stories, psychological thrillers, adventure stories, mysteries, and even semi-historical fiction. Too, Chase includes a setting he never employs in the novels, Cuba (although he borrows the names of characters used in the Cuban stories, Anita and Fuentes, for his 1982 novel that includes Cuban refugees from Castro, Have a Nice Night). Several stories are set there, including probably the best one of the bunch, "The Place of Love." Chase's Havana is a place of dark antiquity, dripping with humid tropical air and filled with malevolence. I wish he had turned "The Place of Love" into a full novel; it's fit for it. Other stories include psycho killers meeting their karmic fate in "Two Thumb a Ride," and an appealing adventure set in the Mexican Revolution, "The Magnificent Opportunity."
May 4, 2010
"Havana the Place of love"
June 15, 2021
Not recommended. A bunch of short stories leaving you with an empty taste - tantalising but then stopping in mid flow leaving you to guess what happens next. Imagine sitting down to a 3 course meal and then the waiter takes away the main course in the middle of eating…
January 3, 2014
This one is a classic in short stories, very well described in graphic details, however I found some very hard to follow, not one of his best novels but still enjoyable....
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews