Kecksies and Other Twilight Tales

by Marjorie Bowen

This 41-year old NEW copy of Kecksies looks like printed just yesterday!

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Literature, Classics

207 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1976

About the author

Marjorie Bowen (pseudonym of Mrs Gabrielle Margaret V[ere] Long née Campbell), was a British author who wrote historical romances, supernatural horror stories, popular history and biography. Her total output numbers over 150 volumes with the bulk of her work under the 'Bowen' pseudonym. She also wrote under the names Joseph Shearing, George R. Preedy, John Winch, Robert Paye, and Margaret Campbell. As Joseph Shearing, she wrote several sinister gothic romances full of terror and mystery. Many of these stories were published as Berkley Medallion Books. Several of her books were adapted as films. Her books are much sought after by aficionados of gothic horror and received praise from critics.

Bowen's alcoholic father left the family at an early age and was eventually found dead on a London street. After this, Bowen's prolific writings were the chief financial support for her family. She was married twice: first, from 1912-16, to a Sicilian named Zefferino Emilio Constanza, who died of tuberculosis, and then to one Arthur L. Long. Her first novel was The Viper of Milan (1906), after which she produced a steady stream of writings until the day of her death on 23rd December 1952. Her last, posthumous, novel was The Man with the Scales (1954).

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the first story, "The Hidden Ape", quite disappointing, particularly since Bowen is adept at creating an interesting situation and effectively building suspense. The story of a professor who finds his son's tutor is not what he seems, grows and grows in interest, but at the end takes a bizzare turn completely unjustified by what went before. In addition, it's unclear. The next two stories, "Kecksies" and "Raw Material," though better, each have an ending that leaves unfulfilled the promise of a captivating beginning. According to the jacket notes these are early and previously uncollected stories. Perhaps she mastered the form in her later, more acclaimed, stories. The ending is, after all, the hardest part for a writer to master.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐

The Hidden Ape • (1933) 4.25⭐
Kecksies • (1925) 2.5⭐
Raw Material • (1933) 3.5⭐
The Avenging of Ann Leete • (1923) 4⭐
The Crown Derby Plate • (1933) 4⭐
The Sign-Painter and the Crystal Fishes • (1909) 3⭐
Scoured Silk • (1919) 5⭐
The Breakdown 3⭐
One Remained Behind • (1936) 3.5⭐
The House by the Poppy Field 4⭐
Florence Flannery • (1924) 4⭐
Half-Past Two • (1928) 4.25⭐

[Randy Money · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bowen's short ghost stories are excellent at establishing a time, and a sense of place and character. Her attention to the detail of surroundings, whether on a moor or in a drawing room, and the detail of dress and bearing bring the majority of these stories to life. As with most collections, some stories I like more than others, and I would particularly recommend the title story, "The Sign Painter and the Crystal Fish," "Scoured Silk," "One Remained Behind" and "Florence Flannery".

[Andy Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title work from this collection is absolutely superb.

Bowen's writing and language suits the story so well.
Two young titled esquires are riding home, drunk, from Canterbury and take overnight shelter at a poor vassal’s house, Goodie Boyle. The Boyles have an unsavory reputation as being a family of witches.

Right from the start we dislike the two young men; they are rude to the landlady, and mock her. It soon becomes obvious that they will get their comeuppance, but the fun is in finding out exactly how.

It has a great plot, is horrific in several places, and compelling in particular whenever Bowen uses dialogue, which is frequently.

More Bowen please.. this was great.

Read beautifully by Jasper L'Estrange on the Encrypted podcast. His voice is perfect for this story.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written eerie and weird tales. Not quite the straightforward ghost stories I had expected, but a very enjoyable and unsettling read nonetheless.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

A couple of the stories are merely mediocre, but the best of the tales are Excellent!

"Raw Material, " is excellent, as is " "Scoured Silk, ", the latter having a grimmer resolution then I expected in the volume. " One Remained Behind, " is a dark fairy tale. ""The Sign-Painter and the Crystal Fishes" is a truly unique little story.

Recommended!

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confused the Kecksies with the Skeksis of “The Dark Crystal” fame, but a great read anyway.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read "Twilight," and it was . . . odd. Not what I was expecting at all.

[Greg Gbur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suspect that most people are unaware of the pivotal role that publisher Arkham House played in the history of weird fiction. Founded in 1939 by authors and H.P. Lovecraft fans August Derleth and Donald Wandrei, the original goal of the publishing house was to preserve the fiction and legacy of Lovecraft. It did not take long, however, before they branched out to publishing a wide variety of weird fiction by a variety of authors, often providing the opportunity for many new authors to get established in the field. Arkham House is evidently still in existence today, though they do not seem to be producing much new right now.

I’ve been cultivating a collection of Arkham House hardcover volumes, which are distinguished by their high quality and their often beautiful covers. Recently, I went on a short buying spree of Arkham classics, and among those I purchased was Kecksies and Other Twilight Tales (1976), by Marjorie Bowen.

Read the whole review.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining horror listening 🎧
A will written fantasy horror hauntaing novella by Marjorie Bowen about two men getting out of a storm at a womans house and what happens next. I would recommend this too readers of fantasy horror novels. Enjoy the adventure of books 2022