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The Bleeding Horse, and Other Ghost Stories
A collection of stories portraying a neighbourhood that many in Dublin know well with the supernatural twists and turns that are entirely fictional. It infests the Dublin neighbourhood with an authentic population of ghosts, ghouls and goblins. Each story is filled with regional history, local atmosphere and architectural details.
155 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Brian J. Showers
46 books47 followersBrian J. Showers is originally from Madison, Wisconsin. He has written short stories, articles, interviews and reviews for magazines such as Rue Morgue, All Hallows, Ghosts & Scholars: The M.R. James Newsletter, Le Fanu Studies, Supernatural Tales and Wormwood. He also runs The Swan River Press and the editor of The Green Book: Writings on Irish Gothic, Supernatural and Fantastic Literature.
His short story collection, The Bleeding Horse (Mercier Press), won the Children of the Night Award in 2008. He is also the author of Literary Walking Tours of Gothic Dublin (Nonsuch, 2006) and Old Albert — An Epilogue (Ex Occidente, 2011); with Gary W. Crawford and Jim Rockhill he co-edited the Bram Stoker Award-nominated Reflections in a Glass Darkly: Essays on J. Sheridan Le Fanu (Hippocampus Press, 2011).
Having studied Popular Literature at Trinity College, he currently resides on the Emerald Isle, somewhere in the verdant and ghost-haunted wilderness of Dublin City, where he is busy at work on various projects, including his next collection of strange tales.
His short story collection, The Bleeding Horse (Mercier Press), won the Children of the Night Award in 2008. He is also the author of Literary Walking Tours of Gothic Dublin (Nonsuch, 2006) and Old Albert — An Epilogue (Ex Occidente, 2011); with Gary W. Crawford and Jim Rockhill he co-edited the Bram Stoker Award-nominated Reflections in a Glass Darkly: Essays on J. Sheridan Le Fanu (Hippocampus Press, 2011).
Having studied Popular Literature at Trinity College, he currently resides on the Emerald Isle, somewhere in the verdant and ghost-haunted wilderness of Dublin City, where he is busy at work on various projects, including his next collection of strange tales.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 29, 2018
The Bleeding Horse and Other Ghost Stories (Mercier Press [www.mercierpress.ie]) is Wisconsin-born author Brian J. Showers’ first published full-length work of supernatural fiction. Prior to working on the volume, Showers wrote a series of acclaimed short works in a similar idiom, as well as numerous reviews, interviews, articles, and even a few comic book scripts. The author’s non-fiction Literary Walking Tours of Gothic Dublin (published in 2006 by Mercier’s sister company Nonsuch [www.nonsuchireland.com]) is one evident source of inspiration for the collection, another being the writings of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and indeed the Victorian Gothic movement in general. Showers has been a resident of the Rathmines area of Dublin for several years, having relocated to Ireland at the turn of the millennium. This locality provides the setting for the various tales of The Bleeding Horse (originally set to be titled Ghost Stories of Rathmines) and it is Showers’ familiarity with the district’s ancient buildings and thoroughfares which lends his stories an uncanny credibility.
Opening with an introduction from Le Fanu devotee and scholar Jim Rockhill ([www.prairienet.org/~almahu/jrock.htm]) which meditates upon the nature of ghost stories and the volume’s place within the tradition, The Bleeding Horse feels like a “classic” work from the outset. Indeed, though Showers’ prose can be almost conversational in tone and is agreeably easy to read, the author still manages to evoke that very distinct and yet somehow indefinable atmosphere which one normally associates with writers such as M. R. James, Bram Stoker and, dare I say, Edgar Allan Poe. Showers’ pleasant and matter of fact narration acts as the perfect cover for the many chilling twists and turns of his tales, lulling the reader into a false sense of security and normality. The individual stories are subtly linked in a queasily realistic manner; there are coincidences and hints but nothing too neat or overt as to drive things home inelegantly.
The Bleeding Horse is a work of metafictional psychogeography; Showers himself acting as our guide not only through the streets of Rathmines but through his own investigations and adventures. In the hands of a lesser author such literary devices could easily have seemed contrived but Showers pulls the whole thing off in a suitably understated manner. As mentioned earlier, I assume that having previously worked on a factual guide book of the city was a big influence on both the author’s desire to write in this manner and his ability to do so with confidence and ease.
I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending The Bleeding Horse to lovers of classic ghostly tales and modern fiction alike. One word of caution though; having read the book, should you then be tempted to enter into the complex game of trying to separate Showers’ fiction from matters of fact, you would do well to heed the words of psychic and one time stall holder at Blackberry Fair, Molly Crowe. “Do your research, but do it from a safe distance”, lest you end up in the same tragic condition as those inquisitive ghost hunters Messrs Liebl, Kendes and Ensine.
Opening with an introduction from Le Fanu devotee and scholar Jim Rockhill ([www.prairienet.org/~almahu/jrock.htm]) which meditates upon the nature of ghost stories and the volume’s place within the tradition, The Bleeding Horse feels like a “classic” work from the outset. Indeed, though Showers’ prose can be almost conversational in tone and is agreeably easy to read, the author still manages to evoke that very distinct and yet somehow indefinable atmosphere which one normally associates with writers such as M. R. James, Bram Stoker and, dare I say, Edgar Allan Poe. Showers’ pleasant and matter of fact narration acts as the perfect cover for the many chilling twists and turns of his tales, lulling the reader into a false sense of security and normality. The individual stories are subtly linked in a queasily realistic manner; there are coincidences and hints but nothing too neat or overt as to drive things home inelegantly.
The Bleeding Horse is a work of metafictional psychogeography; Showers himself acting as our guide not only through the streets of Rathmines but through his own investigations and adventures. In the hands of a lesser author such literary devices could easily have seemed contrived but Showers pulls the whole thing off in a suitably understated manner. As mentioned earlier, I assume that having previously worked on a factual guide book of the city was a big influence on both the author’s desire to write in this manner and his ability to do so with confidence and ease.
I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending The Bleeding Horse to lovers of classic ghostly tales and modern fiction alike. One word of caution though; having read the book, should you then be tempted to enter into the complex game of trying to separate Showers’ fiction from matters of fact, you would do well to heed the words of psychic and one time stall holder at Blackberry Fair, Molly Crowe. “Do your research, but do it from a safe distance”, lest you end up in the same tragic condition as those inquisitive ghost hunters Messrs Liebl, Kendes and Ensine.
September 9, 2016
✭✭✭½
“The Bleeding Horse” (2008). ✭✭✭
“Oil on Canvas” (2008). ✭✭✭
“Favourite No. 7 Omnibus” (2008). ✭✭✭✭½
“Meones’ Beast” (2008). ✭✭✭
“Quis Separabit” (2008). ✭✭✭✭✭
“Lavender and White Clover” (2008). ✭✭✭
“Father Corrigan’s Diary” (2008). ✭✭✭✭
“The Bleeding Horse” (2008). ✭✭✭
“Oil on Canvas” (2008). ✭✭✭
“Favourite No. 7 Omnibus” (2008). ✭✭✭✭½
“Meones’ Beast” (2008). ✭✭✭
“Quis Separabit” (2008). ✭✭✭✭✭
“Lavender and White Clover” (2008). ✭✭✭
“Father Corrigan’s Diary” (2008). ✭✭✭✭
July 3, 2011
One of the finst colections of "haunting" stories that I have had the good fortune to read in recent times. The book, with its excellent & atmospheric illustrations (by Duane Spurlock), is especially memorable because of the painstaking historical research that has gone in its making, giving the books a curiously authentic feeling that makes the stories more chilling. It has the follwing stories in it: -
(*) Introduction & 'A Note to The Reader'.
I. The Road to Rathmines
1) The Bleeding Horse: a classic pub-story involving historical incedents, an obviously bleeding horse and the spectre thereof, and the consequences echoing even now.
2) Oil on Canvas: Jack B. Yeats' unfinished masterpiece and its supposed completion from beyond the grave leading to 'disturbances' in the premises occupied by the artist before his death.
3) Favourite No. 7 Omnibus: A spectral vehicle and the casualties that are caused by its visitations in & around the La Touche Bridge over the Grand Canal.
II. Rathmines Road Lower
1) Meones' Beast: a small introductory piece describing the area and Sir Gilbert's legendary monster-slaying.
2) Quis Separabit: history (the loss of Irish Crown Jewells), fact (Blackberry Fair and its rise & demise) and legend (of the violent apparition supposedly haunting it) mixes in a superbly bone-chilling ghost story in this piece. This story should have found its exalted position in any of the better-known anthologies of "strange" stories, and I hope that it does so in future.
3) Lavender and White Clover: another small piece that acts as the appetiser for the next and the best piece.
4) Father Corrigan's Diary: a piece that is a compilation of several entries from the last days of the good Father's diary, but, unlike the mundane and mostly uninteresting (except for scholars & researchers) entries which are usually associated with his work, this piece appears increasingly strange, horrific, and utterly terrifying in its climax. This story deserves a proud position in "James-ian" pantheon, and is absolutely superlative.
(*) Epilogue & Bibliography
Overall, a surprsisingly compact gem, which should be lapped up by the lovers of gothic fiction, ghost stories, lovers of Dublin, and by anybody who might wish to tap the rich vein throbbing through the landscape that had gifted English literature with Le Fanu and Bram Stoker.
(*) Introduction & 'A Note to The Reader'.
I. The Road to Rathmines
1) The Bleeding Horse: a classic pub-story involving historical incedents, an obviously bleeding horse and the spectre thereof, and the consequences echoing even now.
2) Oil on Canvas: Jack B. Yeats' unfinished masterpiece and its supposed completion from beyond the grave leading to 'disturbances' in the premises occupied by the artist before his death.
3) Favourite No. 7 Omnibus: A spectral vehicle and the casualties that are caused by its visitations in & around the La Touche Bridge over the Grand Canal.
II. Rathmines Road Lower
1) Meones' Beast: a small introductory piece describing the area and Sir Gilbert's legendary monster-slaying.
2) Quis Separabit: history (the loss of Irish Crown Jewells), fact (Blackberry Fair and its rise & demise) and legend (of the violent apparition supposedly haunting it) mixes in a superbly bone-chilling ghost story in this piece. This story should have found its exalted position in any of the better-known anthologies of "strange" stories, and I hope that it does so in future.
3) Lavender and White Clover: another small piece that acts as the appetiser for the next and the best piece.
4) Father Corrigan's Diary: a piece that is a compilation of several entries from the last days of the good Father's diary, but, unlike the mundane and mostly uninteresting (except for scholars & researchers) entries which are usually associated with his work, this piece appears increasingly strange, horrific, and utterly terrifying in its climax. This story deserves a proud position in "James-ian" pantheon, and is absolutely superlative.
(*) Epilogue & Bibliography
Overall, a surprsisingly compact gem, which should be lapped up by the lovers of gothic fiction, ghost stories, lovers of Dublin, and by anybody who might wish to tap the rich vein throbbing through the landscape that had gifted English literature with Le Fanu and Bram Stoker.
April 12, 2015
A genial ghost tour of Dublin's Rathmines inexorable becomes something far more disconcerting. Fact twines with legend and fiction to insinuate something diabolical loose in the region.
May 27, 2009
An interesting, ecclectic collection of tales whose cumulative effect is delicious. The slowly increasing depth of understanding & atmosphere is a bit like wading into a pool- you're aware of the change at first, but as you become more immersed in each story you lose the sense of seperateness between yourself and the elements you're encountering. Suddenly you're afloat in another world and eagerly looking for clues and landmarks so that you can learn more about it. The last story comes too quickly- you emerge with a gasp, a wrench, & a scattering of drops, wishing the journey was longer.
July 23, 2010
I'd heard a lot of good stuff about The Bleeding Horse, but when I started it out it seemed like a pretty generic, if pleasant, collection of local ghost stories. That impression quickly passed. The subtle accretion of details and connections in this book is very impressive, producing a sense of the uncanny that ratchets up slowly but inexorably. There's a great review for it over at Speculative Fiction Junkie that partly helped me decide to read it, and Ben there puts it better than I could when he says that "Mr. Showers manages to expand reality rather than show the reader an alternate reality." Exactly that.
May 28, 2014
For a while it seemed this particular volume would be taking up permanent residence on my shelf. Living in an unread purgatory whilst I passed it by for more recent purchases.
Yesterday I finally picked it up and began to read. Years after its initial purchase, and finished a mere few hours later.
Excellent storytelling, and although short, the tales resonate and are very memorable. I particularly liked the tale of the Blackberry Man, a brilliant creation.
Highly recommended.
Yesterday I finally picked it up and began to read. Years after its initial purchase, and finished a mere few hours later.
Excellent storytelling, and although short, the tales resonate and are very memorable. I particularly liked the tale of the Blackberry Man, a brilliant creation.
Highly recommended.
December 14, 2022
Overall, a very interesting and unique (for me) book.
Over the course of its 150 pages it presents to us ghost stories based in Dublin with historic stuff to do with the city interwoven into the structure, and it reads like an evening with someone telling you a collection of stories.
There's also introductions to some of the stories, as well as almost 60 annotations adding more history or depth to the proceedings.
Whether it is completely fictional or if these stories have some basis of/on real life ones, I'm not sure.
Wasn't crazy about it, but I enjoyed what I read. Worth the £3 I spent on it.
Sheridan Le Fanu is mentioned a bit and I doubt that a character being named Montague is a coincidence.
Over the course of its 150 pages it presents to us ghost stories based in Dublin with historic stuff to do with the city interwoven into the structure, and it reads like an evening with someone telling you a collection of stories.
There's also introductions to some of the stories, as well as almost 60 annotations adding more history or depth to the proceedings.
Whether it is completely fictional or if these stories have some basis of/on real life ones, I'm not sure.
Wasn't crazy about it, but I enjoyed what I read. Worth the £3 I spent on it.
Sheridan Le Fanu is mentioned a bit and I doubt that a character being named Montague is a coincidence.
June 8, 2025
[Mercier Press] (2008). 1/1. HB/DJ. 155 Pages. Purchased from Cold Tonnage Books.
A superior collection of atmospheric, Dublin-based supernatural pieces.
Nice artwork from Scott Hampton and Duane Spurlock.
The (now browned) paper has something of a “War Economy Standard” look and feel, which is a shame.
“Introduction” – Jim Rockhill
“A Note to the Reader”
“The Bleeding Horse”
“Oil on Canvas”
“Favourite No. 7 Omnibus”
“Meones’ Beast”
“Quis Separabit”
“Lavender and White Clover”
“Father Corrigan’s Diary”
“Epilogue”
“Bibliography”
A superior collection of atmospheric, Dublin-based supernatural pieces.
Nice artwork from Scott Hampton and Duane Spurlock.
The (now browned) paper has something of a “War Economy Standard” look and feel, which is a shame.
“Introduction” – Jim Rockhill
“A Note to the Reader”
“The Bleeding Horse”
“Oil on Canvas”
“Favourite No. 7 Omnibus”
“Meones’ Beast”
“Quis Separabit”
“Lavender and White Clover”
“Father Corrigan’s Diary”
“Epilogue”
“Bibliography”
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews