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The Revenant of Rebecca Pascal
In witch-haunted Arkham, the restless spirit of the narrator’s great-aunt, the notorious poetess Rebecca Pascal, takes possession of an innocent woman and brings havoc to all who encounter her. Richard, to whom she bequeathed her house and wealth, is less fortunate than his expectation has led him to believe; his inheritance is something unholy–and he is no match for the machinations of Rebecca and her acolytes. Inspired in part by Lovecraft’s “The Thing on the Doorstep,” THE REVENANT OF REBECCA PASCAL takes you to ghostly houses and sinister Arkham burying grounds, where alchemy and madness join forces with a daemonic entity aroused from beyond the wall of sleep.
- GenresLovecraftianHorror
124 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2014
4 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
David Barker
19 books20 followersDavid Barker has published two collections of H. P. Lovecraft-inspired horror fiction written in collaboration with W. H. Pugmire: The Revenant of Rebecca Pascal (Dark Renaissance Books, 2014) and In the Gulfs of Dream & Other Lovecraftian Tales (Dark Renaissance Books, 2015). His Lovecraftian novel, Witches in Dreamland, (also written with W. H. Pugmire) will be published by Hippocampus Press in October 2018. David’s horror fiction and poetry has appeared in magazines and anthologies including Fungi, Cyäegha, Weird Fiction Review, The Audient Void, Nightmare’s Realm, Forbidden Knowledge, Spectral Realms, and The Art Mephitic. He has a long history in the horror field, having published widely in the small press during the 1980s and ‘90s when he also produced three different Lovecraft fanzines. He left the horror field in the late 1990s but returned in 2012 with the ebook trilogy Electro-Thrall Zombies (collected as Dead Guys in Packards).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 25, 2016
THE REVENANT OF REBECCA PASCAL, by David Barker and W.H. Pugmire takes place in the famous Lovecraftian Arkham. After Rebecca's physical death, her great nephew, Richard, is shocked to find that he has inherited her vast estate. With money no longer being a concern, Richard spends his days exploring his new "mansion", and attending poetry readings where fans of his late Aunt still gather.
It isn't long before he realizes that his Aunt Rebecca had some occult dealings, and she comes back--displacing another's spirit--in the body of an unfortunate, homeless woman.
Richard is immediately thrust into the poetic society: "...those weird words; I can still feel them in my brain, like wet clinging leaves..."
I loved the writing style of these two authors! The words carried so well that I felt like a spectator, rather than a mere reader. The prose was often beautiful, and at other times, a momentary comic relief would shine through. One of my favorite examples of this was when Richard began fretting over rearranging parts of his "dead" Aunt's house: "...for a second I felt guilty for having made this change in her home, but--after all--she'd been dead a good while and I no longer used the old phone. It was a useless relic at that point."
The only slight problem I had was that Richard was so against his Aunt's being involved in the occult at first, and then he seemed to turn a complete 180 and not care about that fact in the least. ". . . There were no redeeming thoughts to be found in the book. It was a bible of evil, a testament of vanity. . . " Then shortly later, he seemed to accept even her coming back from the dead without hesitation: "My Aunt was dead, and . . . yet I sensed her presence there; I felt the power of her mind, and her love for me."
Then again, this is Arkham.
And in Arkham, the "unusual" IS the norm. . .
Highly recommended!
It isn't long before he realizes that his Aunt Rebecca had some occult dealings, and she comes back--displacing another's spirit--in the body of an unfortunate, homeless woman.
Richard is immediately thrust into the poetic society: "...those weird words; I can still feel them in my brain, like wet clinging leaves..."
I loved the writing style of these two authors! The words carried so well that I felt like a spectator, rather than a mere reader. The prose was often beautiful, and at other times, a momentary comic relief would shine through. One of my favorite examples of this was when Richard began fretting over rearranging parts of his "dead" Aunt's house: "...for a second I felt guilty for having made this change in her home, but--after all--she'd been dead a good while and I no longer used the old phone. It was a useless relic at that point."
The only slight problem I had was that Richard was so against his Aunt's being involved in the occult at first, and then he seemed to turn a complete 180 and not care about that fact in the least. ". . . There were no redeeming thoughts to be found in the book. It was a bible of evil, a testament of vanity. . . " Then shortly later, he seemed to accept even her coming back from the dead without hesitation: "My Aunt was dead, and . . . yet I sensed her presence there; I felt the power of her mind, and her love for me."
Then again, this is Arkham.
And in Arkham, the "unusual" IS the norm. . .
Highly recommended!
Want to read
December 3, 2014This is copy 55 of 150 signed and numbered copies.
December 10, 2014
Originally published at Risingshadow.
The Revenant of Rebecca Pascal by David Barker and W. H. Pugmire is a beautifully written and atmospheric weird fiction novella. It's a hauntingly effective story that grows on you as the events begin to unfold in a true Lovecraftian manner.
The Revenant of Rebecca Pascal is a charmingly old-fashioned yet modern novella that reads like a story written by H. P. Lovecraft. It is set in the fictional city of Arkham that Lovecraft created for his eldritch stories and is partly inspired by Lovecraft's "The Thing on the Doorstep", which is a classic weird fiction story and one of the old master's best stories.
What separates this novella from many other Lovecraftian stories is the fact that David Barker and W. H. Pugmire genuinely seem to love Lovecraft's stories and have done their best to create their own kind of tribute to Lovecraft by writing a story that closely resembles many of his stories, but also differs from them by having modern elements in it.
Before I write more about this novella, I'll briefly mention that I had previously read stories by W. H. Pugmire, so I was familiar with his writing style and knew what kind of stories he writes, but David Barker was an almost unknown author to me. I had heard of David Barker and - if I'm not mistaken - I remember reading a couple of stories written by him, but I wasn't fully aware of what kind of fiction he writes. That's why it very interesting for me to read this collaboration.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
Richard Pascal travels to Arkham, because he has inherited his aunt's (Rebecca Pascal) house. When he spends time in Rebecca's house, he begins to have vivid and unsettling dreams about Rebecca. Richard finds a hidden room and Rebecca's occult library that consists of notorious and rare occult books. Soon Richard meets Rebecca in a surprising way, because she takes possession of a woman's body and begins to prepare herself for an unholy ceremony...
This is the beginning of one of the best Lovecraftian stories ever written. The story flows beautifully from start to finish, and the ending is unforgettable, because the story ends in one of the best and most memorable summoning scenes ever written by weird fiction authors. The authors write so well about the madness and incantations involved in the opening of the gateway that you can't help but admire how they've managed to build the whole scene so perfectly.
It's very difficult to put this novella down once you've started to read it, because the story grabs hold of your attention and almost forces you to read it in one sitting. This - in my opinion - is a clear sign of the addictive nature of the story, because only the best stories have this kind of an effect on the reader.
David Barker and W. H. Pugmire have done their best to match their writing style with Lovecraft's writing style and they have succeeded in it. They have even managed to emulate the long sentences, evocative descriptions and the vocabulary that Lovecraft used in his stories. The only other author who has succeeded in writing this kind of stories is Daniel Mills.
The authors have perfectly managed to create the same kind of creepy atmosphere that can only be found in Lovecraft's stories. This is quite an amazing and remarkable achievement, because not many authors are capable of writing this kind of old-fashioned weird fiction that contains eldritch terror and eeriness.
It's great that the authors have been able to create a story that gradually becomes more threatening, sinister and disturbing. The dreams that Richard sees highlight the weirdness of the story and build up tension in an excellent way, because the dreams are restless and filled with occult happenings that cause Richard unease and make him curious about certain things.
The cast of characters is fantastically quirky and eccentric. It was fascinating for me to read about Julia and Mr. Lorne, because they were well created characters and their characteristics were vividly brought to life by the authors. Rebecca was also a fascinating character, because she had her own motives and purposes that drove her to do unholy things.
This novella contains many Lovecraftian elements from bizarre dreams and quirky characters to Necronomicon and weird cults. The authors also mention a few characters whose names are most likely familiar to all who have read Lovecraft's stories. These elements will delight all fans of Lovecraft's stories.
The authors write expertly about cults, spirit possession, occult elements etc. It was thrilling to read what happened to Julia and how Mr. Lorne was obssessed with Rebecca Pascal and her powers. Rebecca's devotion to the dark arts was handled well, because she was fascinated and obsessed by occultism. She was a powerful woman who was able to cheat death.
The descriptions of the places are beautiful and evocative. It's easy to see how much both authors love H. P. Lovecraft's stories and enjoy storytelling, because well written descriptions of the places, characters and happenings are an essential part of this kind of literary weird fiction stories.
The ending of this novella is sophisticatedly sinister and Lovecraft fans will be delighted to read about the incantations used to summon something unholy to Arkham. The authors write fluently about cosmic horror and have paid attention to small details that are important to this kind of horror stories.
The preface by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. is one of the best and most atmospheric prefaces I've read to date. It beautifully captures the hauntingly compelling atmosphere of the witch-haunted Arkham where many strange things have happened.
The illustrations by Erin White are beautiful and fit the story perfectly.
There is a reason why W. H. Pugmire is considered to be one of the best Lovecraftian dark fantasy and horror authors, because he writes perfect Lovecraftian fiction and is aware of the subtle nuances that are needed to make the prose flow effortlessly. His prose is beautiful, eloquent and nuanced. All the trademarks that have made his previous stories memorable are present in this novella. I think it's great how easily he and David Barker have managed to combine their literary voices, because there are no faults in the story or in the prose. Everything is perfect - the prose is eloquent and the happenings are fascinatingly macabre.
The Revenant of Rebecca Pascal by David Barker and W. H. Pugmire is one of the best weird fiction novellas of the year and also one of the most terrifying cosmic horror novellas ever published, because the atmosphere is wonderfully eerie and macabre and full of eldritch menace that can only be found in the best Lovecraftian stories.
Very highly recommended to all readers who enjoy reading weird fiction and Lovecraftian horror stories! (If you love Lovecraftian stories, this novella is essential reading material for you.)
The Revenant of Rebecca Pascal by David Barker and W. H. Pugmire is a beautifully written and atmospheric weird fiction novella. It's a hauntingly effective story that grows on you as the events begin to unfold in a true Lovecraftian manner.
The Revenant of Rebecca Pascal is a charmingly old-fashioned yet modern novella that reads like a story written by H. P. Lovecraft. It is set in the fictional city of Arkham that Lovecraft created for his eldritch stories and is partly inspired by Lovecraft's "The Thing on the Doorstep", which is a classic weird fiction story and one of the old master's best stories.
What separates this novella from many other Lovecraftian stories is the fact that David Barker and W. H. Pugmire genuinely seem to love Lovecraft's stories and have done their best to create their own kind of tribute to Lovecraft by writing a story that closely resembles many of his stories, but also differs from them by having modern elements in it.
Before I write more about this novella, I'll briefly mention that I had previously read stories by W. H. Pugmire, so I was familiar with his writing style and knew what kind of stories he writes, but David Barker was an almost unknown author to me. I had heard of David Barker and - if I'm not mistaken - I remember reading a couple of stories written by him, but I wasn't fully aware of what kind of fiction he writes. That's why it very interesting for me to read this collaboration.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
Richard Pascal travels to Arkham, because he has inherited his aunt's (Rebecca Pascal) house. When he spends time in Rebecca's house, he begins to have vivid and unsettling dreams about Rebecca. Richard finds a hidden room and Rebecca's occult library that consists of notorious and rare occult books. Soon Richard meets Rebecca in a surprising way, because she takes possession of a woman's body and begins to prepare herself for an unholy ceremony...
This is the beginning of one of the best Lovecraftian stories ever written. The story flows beautifully from start to finish, and the ending is unforgettable, because the story ends in one of the best and most memorable summoning scenes ever written by weird fiction authors. The authors write so well about the madness and incantations involved in the opening of the gateway that you can't help but admire how they've managed to build the whole scene so perfectly.
It's very difficult to put this novella down once you've started to read it, because the story grabs hold of your attention and almost forces you to read it in one sitting. This - in my opinion - is a clear sign of the addictive nature of the story, because only the best stories have this kind of an effect on the reader.
David Barker and W. H. Pugmire have done their best to match their writing style with Lovecraft's writing style and they have succeeded in it. They have even managed to emulate the long sentences, evocative descriptions and the vocabulary that Lovecraft used in his stories. The only other author who has succeeded in writing this kind of stories is Daniel Mills.
The authors have perfectly managed to create the same kind of creepy atmosphere that can only be found in Lovecraft's stories. This is quite an amazing and remarkable achievement, because not many authors are capable of writing this kind of old-fashioned weird fiction that contains eldritch terror and eeriness.
It's great that the authors have been able to create a story that gradually becomes more threatening, sinister and disturbing. The dreams that Richard sees highlight the weirdness of the story and build up tension in an excellent way, because the dreams are restless and filled with occult happenings that cause Richard unease and make him curious about certain things.
The cast of characters is fantastically quirky and eccentric. It was fascinating for me to read about Julia and Mr. Lorne, because they were well created characters and their characteristics were vividly brought to life by the authors. Rebecca was also a fascinating character, because she had her own motives and purposes that drove her to do unholy things.
This novella contains many Lovecraftian elements from bizarre dreams and quirky characters to Necronomicon and weird cults. The authors also mention a few characters whose names are most likely familiar to all who have read Lovecraft's stories. These elements will delight all fans of Lovecraft's stories.
The authors write expertly about cults, spirit possession, occult elements etc. It was thrilling to read what happened to Julia and how Mr. Lorne was obssessed with Rebecca Pascal and her powers. Rebecca's devotion to the dark arts was handled well, because she was fascinated and obsessed by occultism. She was a powerful woman who was able to cheat death.
The descriptions of the places are beautiful and evocative. It's easy to see how much both authors love H. P. Lovecraft's stories and enjoy storytelling, because well written descriptions of the places, characters and happenings are an essential part of this kind of literary weird fiction stories.
The ending of this novella is sophisticatedly sinister and Lovecraft fans will be delighted to read about the incantations used to summon something unholy to Arkham. The authors write fluently about cosmic horror and have paid attention to small details that are important to this kind of horror stories.
The preface by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. is one of the best and most atmospheric prefaces I've read to date. It beautifully captures the hauntingly compelling atmosphere of the witch-haunted Arkham where many strange things have happened.
The illustrations by Erin White are beautiful and fit the story perfectly.
There is a reason why W. H. Pugmire is considered to be one of the best Lovecraftian dark fantasy and horror authors, because he writes perfect Lovecraftian fiction and is aware of the subtle nuances that are needed to make the prose flow effortlessly. His prose is beautiful, eloquent and nuanced. All the trademarks that have made his previous stories memorable are present in this novella. I think it's great how easily he and David Barker have managed to combine their literary voices, because there are no faults in the story or in the prose. Everything is perfect - the prose is eloquent and the happenings are fascinatingly macabre.
The Revenant of Rebecca Pascal by David Barker and W. H. Pugmire is one of the best weird fiction novellas of the year and also one of the most terrifying cosmic horror novellas ever published, because the atmosphere is wonderfully eerie and macabre and full of eldritch menace that can only be found in the best Lovecraftian stories.
Very highly recommended to all readers who enjoy reading weird fiction and Lovecraftian horror stories! (If you love Lovecraftian stories, this novella is essential reading material for you.)
May 29, 2020
For me, this book was an interesting mix. I'd read W.H. Pugmire before, but not David Barker. I knew that Pugmire would inject a solid vibe of magic, decadence and beauty, but it was kind of fun to see that balanced by a very down to earth approach, which I assume comes from Barker. There are flashes where you can see, "oh, Pugmire wrote that part" but it's not jarring and it flows with everything else.
Honestly, the plot is pretty basic Lovecraftian, and there are quite a few easter eggs as winks to Lovecraftians (though they actually also pertain to the plot, so they're not there for no reason), but the telling has different aspects that move the history of Arkham forward.
All in all a good book that I'm glad I read.
Honestly, the plot is pretty basic Lovecraftian, and there are quite a few easter eggs as winks to Lovecraftians (though they actually also pertain to the plot, so they're not there for no reason), but the telling has different aspects that move the history of Arkham forward.
All in all a good book that I'm glad I read.
December 26, 2018
So, it’s not high literature. There are plot holes, the writing is clunky in spots, and the main character carries the idiot ball for the entire length of the story.
It gets four stars anyway. I was *that* entertained.
It gets four stars anyway. I was *that* entertained.
August 22, 2022
Barker, David & Pugmire, Wilum - The Revenant Of Rebecca Pascal
An adventurous romp through veiled Arkham.
Richard Pascal inherits the home of his famous Aunt Rebecca, as well as a couple million dollars. (Always keep in touch with those relatives, kids.) He also inherits a persistent coterie of her old admirers. Well, Aunt Rebecca had been a movie star.
Only thing, these devoted fans keep hinting there was more to the grand dame, a darker, possibly sinister side.
Richard, unlike most Horror rubes, is not the curious looky-loo. More power to him, I say. Mind your own business and avoid rumors and gossips. Nevertheless, Richard is troubled by unsettling dreams, charged, highly erotic fantasies involving … sorry, these are too distasteful to write here.
Tidying up, cleaning house and the mental cobwebs, he finds – well – a secret door.
Throughout, a light, tongue in cheek humor pervades. This is not Lovecraft, this is an amusing tall tale.
Another gem from Dark Renaissance Press. Oh, how I wish Dark Regions has stuck with this imprint just a little longer.
An adventurous romp through veiled Arkham.
Richard Pascal inherits the home of his famous Aunt Rebecca, as well as a couple million dollars. (Always keep in touch with those relatives, kids.) He also inherits a persistent coterie of her old admirers. Well, Aunt Rebecca had been a movie star.
Only thing, these devoted fans keep hinting there was more to the grand dame, a darker, possibly sinister side.
Richard, unlike most Horror rubes, is not the curious looky-loo. More power to him, I say. Mind your own business and avoid rumors and gossips. Nevertheless, Richard is troubled by unsettling dreams, charged, highly erotic fantasies involving … sorry, these are too distasteful to write here.
Tidying up, cleaning house and the mental cobwebs, he finds – well – a secret door.
Throughout, a light, tongue in cheek humor pervades. This is not Lovecraft, this is an amusing tall tale.
Another gem from Dark Renaissance Press. Oh, how I wish Dark Regions has stuck with this imprint just a little longer.
February 8, 2024
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December 28, 2022
Olen ilmeisesti saanut luettua kaikki helposti hankittavat WHP:n novellikokoelmat, joten on aika siirtyä lukemaan hänen yhteistyössä muiden kanssa tekemiä teoksiaan. WHP oli erikoistunut tekemään lyhyitä tarinoita, joissa hahmot tulevat ja menevät. Juonikin oli vähän sivuseikka. Siksi on mielenkiintoista lukea vähän pidempi tarina, jossa hahmoilla olisi mahdollisuus elää ja kehittyä. Kyllähän tämä toimii, juoni rullaa. Hieman puolivälin tienoilla minulle tökki, vuoropuhelukin tuntui falskilta. Sinänsä kertojan toiminta tuntuu vähän päättämättömältä ja jopa tyhmältä, mutta kun esipuheessa myös toinen kirjoittaja Barker pohtii samaa, niin ehkä näin vain asioiden piti olla.
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