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Nightshade & Damnations
9 · Kersh, the Demon Prince · Harlan Ellison · in
15 · The Queen of Pig Island · ss The Strand Mar ’49
29 · Frozen Beauty [as by Waldo Kellar] · ss John Bull Nov 29 ’41
35 · The Brighton Monster [“The Monster”] · ss The Saturday Evening Post Feb 21 ’48
51 · Men Without Bones · ss Esquire Aug ’54
63 · Busto Is a Ghost, Too Mean to Give Us a Fright!" [“Lunatic’s Broth”, as by P. J. Gahagan] · ss Courier Spr ’38
77 · The Ape and the Mystery [“The Mysterious Mona Lisa Smile”] · ss The Saturday Evening Post Jun 26 ’48
89 · The King Who Collected Clocks [“Royal Impostor”] · nv The Saturday Evening Post May 3 ’47
117 · Bone for Debunkers [“The Karmesin Affair”; Karmesin] · ss The Saturday Evening Post Dec 15 ’62
133 · A Lucky Day for the Boar · ss Playboy Oct ’62
143 · Voices in the Dust of Annan · ss The Saturday Evening Post Sep 13 ’47
161 · Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo? · nv The Brighton Monster, Heinemann, 1953; Star Science Fiction Stories #3, ed. Frederik Pohl, Ballantine, 1954
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
30 people are currently reading
517 people want to read
About the author
Gerald Kersh
109 books62 followersGerald Kersh was born in Teddington-on-Thames, near London, and, like so many writers, quit school to take on a series of jobs -- salesman, baker, fish-and-chips cook, nightclub bouncer, freelance newspaper reporter and at the same time was writing his first two novels.
In 1937, his third published novel, Night and the City, hurled him into the front ranks of young British writers. Twenty novels later Kersh created his personal masterpiece, Fowler's End, regarded by many as one of the outstanding novels of the century. He also, throughout his long career, wrote more than 400 short stories and over 1,000 articles.
Once a professional wrestler, Kersh also fought with the Coldstream Guards in World War II. His account of infantry training They Die With Their Boots Clean (1941), became an instant best-seller during that war.
After traveling over much of the world, he became an American citizen, living quietly in Cragsmoor, in a remote section of the Shawangunk Mountains in New York State. He died in Kingston, NY, in 1968.
(Biography compiled from "Nightmares & Damnations" and Fantastic Fiction.)
In 1937, his third published novel, Night and the City, hurled him into the front ranks of young British writers. Twenty novels later Kersh created his personal masterpiece, Fowler's End, regarded by many as one of the outstanding novels of the century. He also, throughout his long career, wrote more than 400 short stories and over 1,000 articles.
Once a professional wrestler, Kersh also fought with the Coldstream Guards in World War II. His account of infantry training They Die With Their Boots Clean (1941), became an instant best-seller during that war.
After traveling over much of the world, he became an American citizen, living quietly in Cragsmoor, in a remote section of the Shawangunk Mountains in New York State. He died in Kingston, NY, in 1968.
(Biography compiled from "Nightmares & Damnations" and Fantastic Fiction.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 27, 2015
WHY THE **** HADN’T I READ ANTYHING WRITTEN BY GERALD KERSH UNTIL NOW?
OK. Now I’m feeling better. That sense of betterment is derived not only from the fact that I have somehow managed to get that feeling, which had been plaguing me ever since I had picked up the book, out in the open. I’m feeling better because I’m quite sure that many-many of you, esteemed readers, would be in the same boat, and I can only hope that my humble comments might succeed in motivating you to rectify the situation ASAP.
Valancourt Books has performed a seminal service to readers everywhere by publishing this slim-but-attractive collection. It contains the following:
• An introduction from Harlan Ellison, titled “Kersh, the Demon Prince”, which had graced the 1968 edition, and remains totally valid even now in all its rants & ramblings. Then comes the stories, which are: -
1. The Queen of Pig Island
2. Frozen Beauty
3. The Brighton Monster
4. Men Without Bones
5. “Busto Is A Ghost, Too Mean to Give Us A Fright”
6. The Ape and the Mystery
7. The King Who Collected Clocks
8. Bone For Debunkers
9. A Lucky Day for the Boar
10. Voices in the Dust of Annan
11. Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?
If I try to summarise the stories, accompanied by my personal opinion with respect to each of them, the whole thing would be a travesty & mockery of the genius that was Kersh. He had, in his often poetic, often sharp, and rather hauntingly mocking prose, created worlds here. These worlds are dream-like in the sense that they are entirely recognisable, painful, joyous, fascinating, strange, and totally elusive when you try to capture them with your awake-yet-befuddled hands. These stories have generated tropes that have been encashed by Hollywood as well as all kinds of entertainers, literary or otherwise, without us ever knowing that it was Kersh who had gifted us with these concepts!
Better hurry, and grab a copy of this book, before you again forget, and deprive yourself of the pleasure of reading Kersh.
OK. Now I’m feeling better. That sense of betterment is derived not only from the fact that I have somehow managed to get that feeling, which had been plaguing me ever since I had picked up the book, out in the open. I’m feeling better because I’m quite sure that many-many of you, esteemed readers, would be in the same boat, and I can only hope that my humble comments might succeed in motivating you to rectify the situation ASAP.
Valancourt Books has performed a seminal service to readers everywhere by publishing this slim-but-attractive collection. It contains the following:
• An introduction from Harlan Ellison, titled “Kersh, the Demon Prince”, which had graced the 1968 edition, and remains totally valid even now in all its rants & ramblings. Then comes the stories, which are: -
1. The Queen of Pig Island
2. Frozen Beauty
3. The Brighton Monster
4. Men Without Bones
5. “Busto Is A Ghost, Too Mean to Give Us A Fright”
6. The Ape and the Mystery
7. The King Who Collected Clocks
8. Bone For Debunkers
9. A Lucky Day for the Boar
10. Voices in the Dust of Annan
11. Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?
If I try to summarise the stories, accompanied by my personal opinion with respect to each of them, the whole thing would be a travesty & mockery of the genius that was Kersh. He had, in his often poetic, often sharp, and rather hauntingly mocking prose, created worlds here. These worlds are dream-like in the sense that they are entirely recognisable, painful, joyous, fascinating, strange, and totally elusive when you try to capture them with your awake-yet-befuddled hands. These stories have generated tropes that have been encashed by Hollywood as well as all kinds of entertainers, literary or otherwise, without us ever knowing that it was Kersh who had gifted us with these concepts!
Better hurry, and grab a copy of this book, before you again forget, and deprive yourself of the pleasure of reading Kersh.
July 1, 2025
Reissue of the paperback original anthology published in 1968 by Fawcett/Gold Medal and selected, edited, and introduced by Harlan Ellison. The original featured another memorable cover design by the Dillons. This edition does not.
There are at least 2 other anthologies (Men Without Bones), published much earlier as paperback originals by Ballantine (I think - too lazy today to run downstairs to double check… do my leg work for me, will you please?) with a few stories not included in the original Gold Medal edition or in this reprint by Valancourt Books edition.
Everything by Kersh that I’ve read has been at times shocking, memorable, and often disturbing but he’s never a bore. Kersh wrote with a poet’s flair unsettling prose that propels impossible events and characters to often ludicrous resolutions that can leave the reader feeling as if a great joke has been played on them by the author.
There are NO “bad” stories in this collection. The tales are mostly Fantasy. Not Sword & Sorcery stuff, this is more akin to Poe, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch… that sort of Fantasy.
I think the first tale, The Queen Of Pig Island and the final story, Whatever Happened To Corporal Cuckoo? are standouts. Just exceptional and economically executed short stories.
The most promising tale, Men Without Bones is marred by a tacked on explanation of how these “men” came to be boneless that’s out of a 1950’s E.C. Comics Horror comic book.
The Brighton Monster is similarly flawed: a wonderful, fanciful tale ruined in the final paragraphs by adding Science Fiction elements.
Minor quibbles. Meaningless grumbling over trivialities.
Can’t recommend Gerald Kersh highly enough. His novels have drawn the most attention and praise in their day by mainstream critics but his short stories are superior and hold their own against other Fantasy genre giants of the mid-20th century.
There are at least 2 other anthologies (Men Without Bones), published much earlier as paperback originals by Ballantine (I think - too lazy today to run downstairs to double check… do my leg work for me, will you please?) with a few stories not included in the original Gold Medal edition or in this reprint by Valancourt Books edition.
Everything by Kersh that I’ve read has been at times shocking, memorable, and often disturbing but he’s never a bore. Kersh wrote with a poet’s flair unsettling prose that propels impossible events and characters to often ludicrous resolutions that can leave the reader feeling as if a great joke has been played on them by the author.
There are NO “bad” stories in this collection. The tales are mostly Fantasy. Not Sword & Sorcery stuff, this is more akin to Poe, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch… that sort of Fantasy.
I think the first tale, The Queen Of Pig Island and the final story, Whatever Happened To Corporal Cuckoo? are standouts. Just exceptional and economically executed short stories.
The most promising tale, Men Without Bones is marred by a tacked on explanation of how these “men” came to be boneless that’s out of a 1950’s E.C. Comics Horror comic book.
The Brighton Monster is similarly flawed: a wonderful, fanciful tale ruined in the final paragraphs by adding Science Fiction elements.
Minor quibbles. Meaningless grumbling over trivialities.
Can’t recommend Gerald Kersh highly enough. His novels have drawn the most attention and praise in their day by mainstream critics but his short stories are superior and hold their own against other Fantasy genre giants of the mid-20th century.
September 16, 2020
I don’t write reviews.
This is a nice collection of short fiction from a writer with a gifted imagination. His ideas are original even the lesser stories are worth your time. I liked The Entity Trap a lot. Weird and wild. Right up my alley.
Peace and love to you.
Lizz
This is a nice collection of short fiction from a writer with a gifted imagination. His ideas are original even the lesser stories are worth your time. I liked The Entity Trap a lot. Weird and wild. Right up my alley.
Peace and love to you.
Lizz
November 22, 2011
. . . Loaned to me by fellow writer and dear friend, Jack Mace, this remarkable anthology of 11 storeis by a brilliant writer, Gerald Kersh, unknown to me only a few years ago. Oh, perhaps I have encountered his name somewhere along the line, in one or more (then) obscures references to him by Harlan Ellison or Ray Bradbury, or any one of the writers I admire in an article or essay describing authors they admire. Nightshade & Damnation-11 Storeis of the Weird, the Unspeakable, the Bizarre since its publication in 1968 continues to surface in the ranks of the enthusiasts libraries, regularly attracting new raving fans.
With stories of this magnitude, picking favorites is a bit of a struggle, but inevitably, somehow, your favorites emerge. From this collection, my chosen include "The Queen of Pig Island," "Men Without Bones," "The King Who Collected Clocks," "Voices In The Dust of Annan," and, perhaps my very favorite, "Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?"
I am resolved to find my very own copy of this anthology; I will cherish it all my days.
Kersh was born in England, quit school before taking a degree, and continued his education in a series of jobs---salesman, baker, fish-and-chips cook, nighclub bouncer, freelance newspaper journalist---while writing his first two novels. The publication of is third novel, NIGHT AND THE CITY, in 1937 put him on the map and marked him as among the front ranks of young British writers. Twenty novels later, he created what he considered his masterpiece, FOWLER'S END, which is widely regarded as one of the outstanding novels of the 20th century. Throughout his career he wrote a number of distinguished short stories; many if not most in this anthology were printed first in the US by THE SATURDAY EVENING POST, PLAYBOY, ESQUIRE, and ON AN ODD NOTE among others.
Kersh fought with the Coldstream Guards in WWII and after traveling extensively, settled in America and gained citizenship (circa 1960) and from about that time lived quietly in Cragsmoor, in a remote section of the Shawangunk Mountains in New York State.
With stories of this magnitude, picking favorites is a bit of a struggle, but inevitably, somehow, your favorites emerge. From this collection, my chosen include "The Queen of Pig Island," "Men Without Bones," "The King Who Collected Clocks," "Voices In The Dust of Annan," and, perhaps my very favorite, "Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?"
I am resolved to find my very own copy of this anthology; I will cherish it all my days.
Kersh was born in England, quit school before taking a degree, and continued his education in a series of jobs---salesman, baker, fish-and-chips cook, nighclub bouncer, freelance newspaper journalist---while writing his first two novels. The publication of is third novel, NIGHT AND THE CITY, in 1937 put him on the map and marked him as among the front ranks of young British writers. Twenty novels later, he created what he considered his masterpiece, FOWLER'S END, which is widely regarded as one of the outstanding novels of the 20th century. Throughout his career he wrote a number of distinguished short stories; many if not most in this anthology were printed first in the US by THE SATURDAY EVENING POST, PLAYBOY, ESQUIRE, and ON AN ODD NOTE among others.
Kersh fought with the Coldstream Guards in WWII and after traveling extensively, settled in America and gained citizenship (circa 1960) and from about that time lived quietly in Cragsmoor, in a remote section of the Shawangunk Mountains in New York State.
September 28, 2016
Gerald Kersh wrote to make a living and these eleven stories – originally published between 1938 and 1962 – are for the most part potboilers. Many of them follow the sort of formula in which the narrator meets a chum who settles back in his armchair, lights his pipe, and says “Did I ever tell you the queer tale of the marmoset who played Mozart?” And then we get the queer tale...and that’s it.
But Kersh, for all his hack work, was an intermittently good writer capable of surprising you, both with the quality of his prose and with the originality of his ideas. Unfortunately neither is much in evidence in this collection. “Men Without Bones” is a typical example – a routine queer tale about (you guessed) men without bones, not enlivened by a gaumless twist ending. Yet the introductory setting – an encounter whilst loading a banana boat at night – is wonderful and exudes tropical menace, sadly not fulfilled.
The best of the stories is ”Busto Is A Ghost, Too Mean To Give Us A Fright”, a study of a surly slum landlord which includes some memorable lines:
“Time is more than a healer. It is a painter and decorator, a gilder and a glorifier.”
“I wrote a novel [that] was so sordid it made publishers’ readers scratch themselves.”
”I don’t know...there are men whom one hates until a certain moment when one sees, through a chink in their armor, the writhing of something nailed down and in torment.”
Great stuff. Pity there wasn’t more of this and less of the boneless men.
But Kersh, for all his hack work, was an intermittently good writer capable of surprising you, both with the quality of his prose and with the originality of his ideas. Unfortunately neither is much in evidence in this collection. “Men Without Bones” is a typical example – a routine queer tale about (you guessed) men without bones, not enlivened by a gaumless twist ending. Yet the introductory setting – an encounter whilst loading a banana boat at night – is wonderful and exudes tropical menace, sadly not fulfilled.
The best of the stories is ”Busto Is A Ghost, Too Mean To Give Us A Fright”, a study of a surly slum landlord which includes some memorable lines:
“Time is more than a healer. It is a painter and decorator, a gilder and a glorifier.”
“I wrote a novel [that] was so sordid it made publishers’ readers scratch themselves.”
”I don’t know...there are men whom one hates until a certain moment when one sees, through a chink in their armor, the writhing of something nailed down and in torment.”
Great stuff. Pity there wasn’t more of this and less of the boneless men.
March 25, 2019
Gerald Kersh is like a pulp magazine Georges Luis Borges. Kersh's story structure is the same as Borges, weird and uncanny stories told within the frame of obscure documents, dubious narrations of suspect old characters, and hodge podge collections of overheard facts.
This collection features 11 short fictions - all of them tight short stories most with a witty zinger at the end that can be both breathtaking and groan inducing. Kersh's prose is clear in a journalistic presentation, nothing too frilly as the descriptions are perfectly chosen to create just enough of feeling.
And it is this clarity that distances Kersh from the Lovecraft disciples, which one suspects he might be wrongfully lumped, since Kersh is less concerned with cosmic forces, rather he locates his stories in the slightly left of possible. Every story might be true, or like the forged manuscript in BONE FOR DEBUNKERS, might be a witty fabrication to pass the time.
These are great stories. Some of the best I've read in awhile. They don't waste time, but never feel shortchanged or rushed. They aren't science fiction at all. Fable and myth, possibly. But mostly, just ever so plausible.
This collection features 11 short fictions - all of them tight short stories most with a witty zinger at the end that can be both breathtaking and groan inducing. Kersh's prose is clear in a journalistic presentation, nothing too frilly as the descriptions are perfectly chosen to create just enough of feeling.
And it is this clarity that distances Kersh from the Lovecraft disciples, which one suspects he might be wrongfully lumped, since Kersh is less concerned with cosmic forces, rather he locates his stories in the slightly left of possible. Every story might be true, or like the forged manuscript in BONE FOR DEBUNKERS, might be a witty fabrication to pass the time.
These are great stories. Some of the best I've read in awhile. They don't waste time, but never feel shortchanged or rushed. They aren't science fiction at all. Fable and myth, possibly. But mostly, just ever so plausible.
October 3, 2008
Not so much horror as stories of the fantastic. Many of these would have felt right at home on the Twilight Zone of old.
July 30, 2019
Much more whimsical and science fictional than horror (which is how I’ve seen this collection typically billed) but very enjoyable nonetheless
September 13, 2022
Bizarre tales by a brilliantly talented writer, selected and introduced by Harlan Ellison(TM) back in 1967 when Kersh was alive (and so was Ellison). Ellison's introduction makes clear just how talented Kersh is at the level of sentences; as for the stories, they include...
-- Four circus freaks wash up on a desert island and make a life for themselves until it ends in an inevitable tragedy
-- A British fisherman in the 17th century finds a bizarre, humanlike monster
-- A king who collects clocks and loves practical jokes
-- A _really_ mean landlord
-- How to get information out of someone you are forbidden to interrogate in any way
-- The secret of Corporal Cuckoo.
...and others. They vary in length and in tone, but not in quality, which is always high.
I read it in a sitting (literally, while sitting in an airplane) and enjoyed the hecky-darn out of it.
-- Four circus freaks wash up on a desert island and make a life for themselves until it ends in an inevitable tragedy
-- A British fisherman in the 17th century finds a bizarre, humanlike monster
-- A king who collects clocks and loves practical jokes
-- A _really_ mean landlord
-- How to get information out of someone you are forbidden to interrogate in any way
-- The secret of Corporal Cuckoo.
...and others. They vary in length and in tone, but not in quality, which is always high.
I read it in a sitting (literally, while sitting in an airplane) and enjoyed the hecky-darn out of it.
March 2, 2009
I'd never heard of this guy before I read this book, with an introduction slobbering all over him by Harlan Ellison, but all these stories were interesting and very, very odd.
August 29, 2022
If you see a book with this title, and you see the cover to either the original Fawcett release or the new Valancourt release it's hard not to imagine that you are in for a collection of horror stories. Wrong.
That's not at all what's happening in this collection. The only horror story here is Men Without Bones, maybe a couple might be considered horror stories because some people might die here or there. Even the Brighton Monster would be a stretch to say it's a horror story.
So, fine. Expectations aside, what's here? There's a lot of speculative "weird" fiction with some half decent ideas mixed in with some straightforward human stories. Busto is a Ghost, The Ape and the Mystery, Bone for Debunkers all are grounded entirely in reality and aren't strange fiction in any way.
A big problem with most of these stories is that Kersh goes through this ritualistic justification to tell these stories by having some character tell the story to another character and then have that character relay the information to you as the reader. It's a bizarre hold over from late 19th century ghost stories to allow for an element of mystery and obfuscation. But with these stories, everything played straight. There weren't any unreliable narrators, it was just people telling stories that they heard from other characters. So you'd have some long-winded unnecessary set-up with no reward. Sometimes, the story would end and he'd even forget that the person telling the story was telling another person's story and it would just be over. So why would we need the middle man? Most of the good stuff, and there was good stuff, felt encased in wax with no immediacy, because the stories were so removed.
That said, I liked some of these stories. I think that Whatever Happened To Corporal Cuckoo was the highlight of the book and a good way to close it (although, I fear that people might give up on the book before getting to it). Men With Bones was a solid chiller with a silly twist, but whatever. And I liked The King Who Collected Clocks, although I thought it was too long for what it was because of the set-up. The rest were fine.
I will say I read through it pretty quickly. His style once you get past the shaggy-dog nonsense, chopped along. Really, only The Ape and The Mystery and The Queen of Pig Island (sadly the books opener) were a complete waste of time. It's just that in a world where time is limited and you aren't going to read all the books that you really want to read, maybe think about that before picking this up.
That's not at all what's happening in this collection. The only horror story here is Men Without Bones, maybe a couple might be considered horror stories because some people might die here or there. Even the Brighton Monster would be a stretch to say it's a horror story.
So, fine. Expectations aside, what's here? There's a lot of speculative "weird" fiction with some half decent ideas mixed in with some straightforward human stories. Busto is a Ghost, The Ape and the Mystery, Bone for Debunkers all are grounded entirely in reality and aren't strange fiction in any way.
A big problem with most of these stories is that Kersh goes through this ritualistic justification to tell these stories by having some character tell the story to another character and then have that character relay the information to you as the reader. It's a bizarre hold over from late 19th century ghost stories to allow for an element of mystery and obfuscation. But with these stories, everything played straight. There weren't any unreliable narrators, it was just people telling stories that they heard from other characters. So you'd have some long-winded unnecessary set-up with no reward. Sometimes, the story would end and he'd even forget that the person telling the story was telling another person's story and it would just be over. So why would we need the middle man? Most of the good stuff, and there was good stuff, felt encased in wax with no immediacy, because the stories were so removed.
That said, I liked some of these stories. I think that Whatever Happened To Corporal Cuckoo was the highlight of the book and a good way to close it (although, I fear that people might give up on the book before getting to it). Men With Bones was a solid chiller with a silly twist, but whatever. And I liked The King Who Collected Clocks, although I thought it was too long for what it was because of the set-up. The rest were fine.
I will say I read through it pretty quickly. His style once you get past the shaggy-dog nonsense, chopped along. Really, only The Ape and The Mystery and The Queen of Pig Island (sadly the books opener) were a complete waste of time. It's just that in a world where time is limited and you aren't going to read all the books that you really want to read, maybe think about that before picking this up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2021
This is a fascinating collection of quirkily macabre stories reminiscent of those of Edgar Allan Poe or Robert Aickman; the collection is prefaced by a somewhat hyperbolic introduction by Harlan Ellison. I think some of the stories are top notch, but I was underwhelmed by the full collection and not convinced by Ellison calling Kersh a "demon prince." A couple of the stories fascinated me by their strangeness and unexpected turns and are certainly recommended. These would be "The Brighton Merman," "A Lucky Day for the Boar," and "Voices in the Dust of Annan." "Lucky Day" was especially twisted and funny, and especially Poe-like in its terrible playfulness. Others made a minor impression but seemed to be a bit of a disappointment. If you do decide to read this collection, I certainly recommend avoiding the description on the back since it does provide some important details to some of the stories, such that it risks spoiling their effects. I am tempted to read a bit more by Kersh, but it may not be for awhile.
May 14, 2020
A collection of horror stories, making the incredible sound reasonable. Many of them like stories you might run across in the National Enquirer, except sounding more believable. They aren't bloody or gross horror, but more intellectual. Listed in Stephen King's Danse Macabre as one of the best collections of short story horror.
March 19, 2023
Kersh never disappoints.
December 7, 2013
A collection of short stories from the 1940s and 1950s, somewhat pulpy, but it’s a testament to Kersh’s style and POV that he has aged better than most.
I’d heard Kersh’s name for a while now and knew his work from Jules Dassin’s “Night & the City” before I knew who he was. I definitely recommend this book.
I’d heard Kersh’s name for a while now and knew his work from Jules Dassin’s “Night & the City” before I knew who he was. I definitely recommend this book.
Want to read
April 19, 2015The Queen of Pig Island *****
Frozen Beauty ****o
The Brighton Monster
Men Without Bones
"Busto is a Ghost, Too Mean to Give Us a Fright!"
The Ape and the Mystery
The King Who Collected Clocks
Bone for Debinkers
A Lucky Day for the Boar
Voices in the Dust Annan
Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?
Frozen Beauty ****o
The Brighton Monster
Men Without Bones
"Busto is a Ghost, Too Mean to Give Us a Fright!"
The Ape and the Mystery
The King Who Collected Clocks
Bone for Debinkers
A Lucky Day for the Boar
Voices in the Dust Annan
Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?
March 23, 2017
Great collection of stories. Not a clunker in the bunch. Glad I sought this book out. Thanks to Harlan Ellison. My favorites were "Busto Is A Ghost, Too Mean To Give Us A Fright", "Voices In The Dust Of Annan" and "Whatever Happened To Corporal Cuckoo?".
September 29, 2011
Great introduction to my favorite author's work. A true master of the short story.
March 14, 2016
These stories are pretty dated but there are a couple of good ones. But, for the most part, a boring collection.
March 24, 2023
This 1968 short story collection is an excellent introduction to a writer that has been unfairly forgotten by the reading public. Highly recommended - 4.5 stars.
This volume was compiled by the late great Harlan Ellison. While he did not get the "Edited by… " credit on the cover, he always included it in his official bibliographies. Harlan also provided an introduction to the first edition (which is unfortunately omitted from the audiobook version) in which he expresses admiration for Kersh's strong imagination and vivid prose.
Here are my individual story reviews ordered from most- to least-liked:
"The Brighton Monster" -- Two fishermen off the coast of East Sussex find a monster in the ocean in 1745. This tale begins as a Lovecraftian horror fable, then morphs into a science fiction time travel story. Well done!
"Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?" -- A disfigured, 400-year old soldier returns to New York City on the Queen Mary after World War II. His life story is a record of half a millennia of violence, exploitation, and failed get-rich-quick schemes. When Cuckoo stops aging, he also stops growing in intellect and wisdom. This is a brilliant story. The title character also appears in Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
"The Queen of Pig Island" -- Four circus performers wash ashore after a shipwreck--a giant, two surly dwarves, and the paraplegic beauty Lalouette. She wants to make an "earthly paradise on a desert island" but jealousy and murder undo her dream. This story is dark and gothic and falls somewhere on the spectrum between Carson McCullers and Charles Willeford.
"Men Without Bones" -- A jungle expedition in South America moves inward from the eastern coast looking for a city of the gods spoken of in native legends. Instead, they find evidence of aliens and evolution gone horribly awry. A fun pulpy blend of horror and sci-fi.
Voices in the Dust of Annan" -- An explorer is looted by a race of shrunken hominid creatures in the ruins of a destroyed city. This story feels like sword and sorcery at first, but the author develops a rich milieu based on the legends of Picts, fairies, and pygmies. Another case of science fiction masquerading as fantasy.
"Busto Is a Ghost, Too Mean to Give Us a Fright!" -- Busto is a miserly boarding house manager whose humanity is only glimpsed the morning he has to put down his dog. This story could have been maudlin, but it ratchets up the suspense almost to the point of the grotesque. "…there are men whom one hates until a certain moment when one sees, through a chink in the armor, the writhing of something nailed down and in torment."
"A Lucky Day for the Boar" -- The investigator Hyrax must break down a would-be traitor without physically harming the man. He achieves his end by manipulating the man's sense of time.
"Bone for Debunkers" -- A man who is down on his luck attempts to scam a society of historical debunkers. My favorite line from the story: "You may earn a crust by praising great men, but you will become rich belittling them."
"Frozen Beauty" -- A Russian Bolshevik banished to Siberia discovers a women who has been frozen in suspended animation for thousands of years under the ice.
"The Ape and the Mystery" -- Leonardo da Vinci tries to teach a duke how to clean his town's drinking water, but the nobleman only wants to talk about Lisa Gherardini del Gioconda. This story is told only through dialogue and leads up to a punch line -- what really lies behind the Mona Lisa's smile?
"The King Who Collected Clocks" -- A talented Swiss clock maker is invited to the royal court of Nicholas III, and he builds a wax automaton in the likeness of the king. This is a classic shaggy dog story--intricate frame device, many characters, long windup to an anticlimax. It is noteworthy only for its early use of steampunk tropes.
This volume was compiled by the late great Harlan Ellison. While he did not get the "Edited by… " credit on the cover, he always included it in his official bibliographies. Harlan also provided an introduction to the first edition (which is unfortunately omitted from the audiobook version) in which he expresses admiration for Kersh's strong imagination and vivid prose.
Here are my individual story reviews ordered from most- to least-liked:
"The Brighton Monster" -- Two fishermen off the coast of East Sussex find a monster in the ocean in 1745. This tale begins as a Lovecraftian horror fable, then morphs into a science fiction time travel story. Well done!
"Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?" -- A disfigured, 400-year old soldier returns to New York City on the Queen Mary after World War II. His life story is a record of half a millennia of violence, exploitation, and failed get-rich-quick schemes. When Cuckoo stops aging, he also stops growing in intellect and wisdom. This is a brilliant story. The title character also appears in Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
"The Queen of Pig Island" -- Four circus performers wash ashore after a shipwreck--a giant, two surly dwarves, and the paraplegic beauty Lalouette. She wants to make an "earthly paradise on a desert island" but jealousy and murder undo her dream. This story is dark and gothic and falls somewhere on the spectrum between Carson McCullers and Charles Willeford.
"Men Without Bones" -- A jungle expedition in South America moves inward from the eastern coast looking for a city of the gods spoken of in native legends. Instead, they find evidence of aliens and evolution gone horribly awry. A fun pulpy blend of horror and sci-fi.
Voices in the Dust of Annan" -- An explorer is looted by a race of shrunken hominid creatures in the ruins of a destroyed city. This story feels like sword and sorcery at first, but the author develops a rich milieu based on the legends of Picts, fairies, and pygmies. Another case of science fiction masquerading as fantasy.
"Busto Is a Ghost, Too Mean to Give Us a Fright!" -- Busto is a miserly boarding house manager whose humanity is only glimpsed the morning he has to put down his dog. This story could have been maudlin, but it ratchets up the suspense almost to the point of the grotesque. "…there are men whom one hates until a certain moment when one sees, through a chink in the armor, the writhing of something nailed down and in torment."
"A Lucky Day for the Boar" -- The investigator Hyrax must break down a would-be traitor without physically harming the man. He achieves his end by manipulating the man's sense of time.
"Bone for Debunkers" -- A man who is down on his luck attempts to scam a society of historical debunkers. My favorite line from the story: "You may earn a crust by praising great men, but you will become rich belittling them."
"Frozen Beauty" -- A Russian Bolshevik banished to Siberia discovers a women who has been frozen in suspended animation for thousands of years under the ice.
"The Ape and the Mystery" -- Leonardo da Vinci tries to teach a duke how to clean his town's drinking water, but the nobleman only wants to talk about Lisa Gherardini del Gioconda. This story is told only through dialogue and leads up to a punch line -- what really lies behind the Mona Lisa's smile?
"The King Who Collected Clocks" -- A talented Swiss clock maker is invited to the royal court of Nicholas III, and he builds a wax automaton in the likeness of the king. This is a classic shaggy dog story--intricate frame device, many characters, long windup to an anticlimax. It is noteworthy only for its early use of steampunk tropes.
June 30, 2022
No mortal can write this well, so says the incomparable Harlan Ellison.
He just may be right.
This is the best story collection I've seen since Welcome to the Monkey House (Vonnegut is still with us, in his works).
It's brilliant.
This is what every writer should aspire to.
Point by point? Let's go.
The Queen of Pig Island - doesn't it say something about love?
Frozen Beauty - chills, that's all. What if?
The Brighton Monster - LOVE this!!! Speculative fiction, certainly, but what an idea, and what horror if it were so!
Men Without Bones - likewise, but it's the scariest thing I've read since Jeffty is Five. I stopped breathing until the goosebumps quit, and had strange dreams all night
Busto is a Ghost - well, the man who stole my truck had a dog that hated everyone but him... and fell asleep in my lap. I gifted him dishware that was photo engraved with the now late dog.
Must be some good even in such as that. Just don't ask me to look for it now.
The Ape and the Mystery - how very pragmatic, in an overly dramatic age
The King Who Collected Clocks - I can't stop laughing. A dollop of common sense turns a would be fable into, well, perhaps a new kind of fable
Bone for Debunkers - my least favorite of the collection, mostly because it's too real, and that may be what makes it great. Be very, very careful of any "evidence" you find. Fabrication is easy for those who know the ropes. Imagine though. How much easier today?
A Lucky Day for the Boar - I see some H G Wells in this, and I love the Duke a bit in this one. You don't hurt family. Cage them temporarily if they try to kill you, scare them, but you don't touch them, and you don't gaslight them.
I was pleased with the ending.
Voices in the Dust of Annan - the three words I want to say would be a spoiler. He engages the myths of the past with the fears of the present so seamlessly as to create a sort of realism seldom seen in fiction.
Corporal Cuckoo - Stop. My favorite film is Man From Earth. I already loved the concept, and he just one-upped something written long after he died.
That's one hell of a mic drop
He just may be right.
This is the best story collection I've seen since Welcome to the Monkey House (Vonnegut is still with us, in his works).
It's brilliant.
This is what every writer should aspire to.
Point by point? Let's go.
The Queen of Pig Island - doesn't it say something about love?
Frozen Beauty - chills, that's all. What if?
The Brighton Monster - LOVE this!!! Speculative fiction, certainly, but what an idea, and what horror if it were so!
Men Without Bones - likewise, but it's the scariest thing I've read since Jeffty is Five. I stopped breathing until the goosebumps quit, and had strange dreams all night
Busto is a Ghost - well, the man who stole my truck had a dog that hated everyone but him... and fell asleep in my lap. I gifted him dishware that was photo engraved with the now late dog.
Must be some good even in such as that. Just don't ask me to look for it now.
The Ape and the Mystery - how very pragmatic, in an overly dramatic age
The King Who Collected Clocks - I can't stop laughing. A dollop of common sense turns a would be fable into, well, perhaps a new kind of fable
Bone for Debunkers - my least favorite of the collection, mostly because it's too real, and that may be what makes it great. Be very, very careful of any "evidence" you find. Fabrication is easy for those who know the ropes. Imagine though. How much easier today?
A Lucky Day for the Boar - I see some H G Wells in this, and I love the Duke a bit in this one. You don't hurt family. Cage them temporarily if they try to kill you, scare them, but you don't touch them, and you don't gaslight them.
I was pleased with the ending.
Voices in the Dust of Annan - the three words I want to say would be a spoiler. He engages the myths of the past with the fears of the present so seamlessly as to create a sort of realism seldom seen in fiction.
Corporal Cuckoo - Stop. My favorite film is Man From Earth. I already loved the concept, and he just one-upped something written long after he died.
That's one hell of a mic drop
January 30, 2020
General Comments
Good but not great collection of short stories. Kersh certainly can write prose effectively, but the plots typically leave something to be desired. Interesting to note that the story structure of each tale typically involves a character telling another about an event which happened in the past. Though this was a common trope in older weird tales, I always found this technique to detach the reader from the proceedings, depriving us from the visceral horror of being there in the moment - these stories are no exception. There is one gem (Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?) but most are merely "good".
Specific Comments
· The Queen of Pig Island - 3.0/5 - Interesting ideas but feels detached.
· Frozen Beauty - 3.0/5 - The quick pace and chilly atmospherics elevate this piece, but the story is slight.
· The Brighton Monster - 3.0/5 - The ending is interesting, though farfetched.
· Men Without Bones - 3.0/5 - Amusing jungle expedition adventure. Silly, yet fun, with an ending which felt tacked on.
· Busto Is a Ghost, Too Mean to Give Us a Fright! [“Lunatic’s Broth”] - 2.5/5 - Landlord's dog has fleas. Mildly interesting with a good line here and there.
· The Ape and the Mystery [“The Mysterious Mona Lisa Smile”] - 3.5/5 - Essentially one long joke. Normally I don't like these, but this one worked for me - I chuckled at its reveal.
· The King Who Collected Clocks [“Royal Impostor”] - 3.5/5 - A little long, much of it is predictable, but the writing is strong and the social satire is effective.
· Bone for Debunkers [“The Karmesin Affair”] - 2.5/5 - The plot is rather dull concerning the authorship of Shakespeare's works. Weakest of the lot, in my opinion.
· A Lucky Day for the Boar - 2.5/5 - Exploration of an improbable form of torture. Mildly interesting.
· Voices in the Dust of Annan - 3.5/5 - Repeats many of the beats from Men Without Bones to the point where Kersh seems to be rehashing the plot, but it ultimately proves to be more effective in how it unravels. Despite the improvements, the ending still feels tacked on, however. Quite enjoyable.
· Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo? - 4/5 - Easily the best of the lot with a fascinating character and interesting themes to accompany its fantastically weird tale. If only the other stories were up to this caliber.
Good but not great collection of short stories. Kersh certainly can write prose effectively, but the plots typically leave something to be desired. Interesting to note that the story structure of each tale typically involves a character telling another about an event which happened in the past. Though this was a common trope in older weird tales, I always found this technique to detach the reader from the proceedings, depriving us from the visceral horror of being there in the moment - these stories are no exception. There is one gem (Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?) but most are merely "good".
Specific Comments
· The Queen of Pig Island - 3.0/5 - Interesting ideas but feels detached.
· Frozen Beauty - 3.0/5 - The quick pace and chilly atmospherics elevate this piece, but the story is slight.
· The Brighton Monster - 3.0/5 - The ending is interesting, though farfetched.
· Men Without Bones - 3.0/5 - Amusing jungle expedition adventure. Silly, yet fun, with an ending which felt tacked on.
· Busto Is a Ghost, Too Mean to Give Us a Fright! [“Lunatic’s Broth”] - 2.5/5 - Landlord's dog has fleas. Mildly interesting with a good line here and there.
· The Ape and the Mystery [“The Mysterious Mona Lisa Smile”] - 3.5/5 - Essentially one long joke. Normally I don't like these, but this one worked for me - I chuckled at its reveal.
· The King Who Collected Clocks [“Royal Impostor”] - 3.5/5 - A little long, much of it is predictable, but the writing is strong and the social satire is effective.
· Bone for Debunkers [“The Karmesin Affair”] - 2.5/5 - The plot is rather dull concerning the authorship of Shakespeare's works. Weakest of the lot, in my opinion.
· A Lucky Day for the Boar - 2.5/5 - Exploration of an improbable form of torture. Mildly interesting.
· Voices in the Dust of Annan - 3.5/5 - Repeats many of the beats from Men Without Bones to the point where Kersh seems to be rehashing the plot, but it ultimately proves to be more effective in how it unravels. Despite the improvements, the ending still feels tacked on, however. Quite enjoyable.
· Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo? - 4/5 - Easily the best of the lot with a fascinating character and interesting themes to accompany its fantastically weird tale. If only the other stories were up to this caliber.
May 29, 2020
3.5 stars
When approaching this collection, keep in mind the stories were published over the span of three decades ranging from the late thirties to late sixties. I wouldn't venture to call this a pure horror or science fiction collection but rather speculative. Some resemble a shaggy-dog story while others offer plenty of oddness to smirk at and enjoy.
Harlan Ellison's introduction for Kersh still holds up despite his sloppy love for the man. Keep in mind Ellison is an idol in the sci-fi arena and his anthology Dangerous Visions is supposed to be a milestone in science fiction. I own it and have been very slowly savoring its stories over the years. It was originally published a year before this book.
Valancourt Books is an indispensable resource for contemporary horror fiction fanatics. They're known to purchase rights for long-forgotten novels and collections and reprint them for the new generation. Kersh's collection belongs in this category of republished forgotten gems.
I listened to the Audible version of this collection which was narrated by the fantastic Matt Godfrey. I noticed that he has narrated many Valancourt publishings — he's one of the best narrators in the game.
When approaching this collection, keep in mind the stories were published over the span of three decades ranging from the late thirties to late sixties. I wouldn't venture to call this a pure horror or science fiction collection but rather speculative. Some resemble a shaggy-dog story while others offer plenty of oddness to smirk at and enjoy.
Harlan Ellison's introduction for Kersh still holds up despite his sloppy love for the man. Keep in mind Ellison is an idol in the sci-fi arena and his anthology Dangerous Visions is supposed to be a milestone in science fiction. I own it and have been very slowly savoring its stories over the years. It was originally published a year before this book.
Valancourt Books is an indispensable resource for contemporary horror fiction fanatics. They're known to purchase rights for long-forgotten novels and collections and reprint them for the new generation. Kersh's collection belongs in this category of republished forgotten gems.
I listened to the Audible version of this collection which was narrated by the fantastic Matt Godfrey. I noticed that he has narrated many Valancourt publishings — he's one of the best narrators in the game.
January 26, 2021
This is a short story collection by the great Gerald Kersh, edited and introduced by the great Harlan "Don't call me a Science Fiction Writer" Ellison. What more do you want in a book? NOTE FIRST OFF: These are two of my favorite writers, and two of the very best in general. Now, I understand that the quality of people's work can be seen as subjective, but when a legendary writer like Ellison, who was incredibly intellectual and cared for nothing as strongly as creativity and integrity, essentially 'fanboys' (I hate that term, but it is fitting here) over a fellow writer, I take notice. To top it off, Kersh was Ellison's favourite writer, period. That is when you know you're in the hands of a genius edited by a genius.
As a diehard Kersh fan, I knew what to expect here: the obvious and the unexpected. Obvious in that you know you're in for a treat, but unexpected as Kersh will give you flights of fancy, tall tales, strange characterisations, twist endings and masterpieces of speculative fiction. Every story in this book is great, but of particular note are 'Queen Of Pig Island', 'The Brighton Monster', 'Whatever Happened To Colonel Cuckoo?' and 'Voices In The Dust Of Annan'. To describe these stories would do them a great disservice. Just read them. They're unforgettable.
As a diehard Kersh fan, I knew what to expect here: the obvious and the unexpected. Obvious in that you know you're in for a treat, but unexpected as Kersh will give you flights of fancy, tall tales, strange characterisations, twist endings and masterpieces of speculative fiction. Every story in this book is great, but of particular note are 'Queen Of Pig Island', 'The Brighton Monster', 'Whatever Happened To Colonel Cuckoo?' and 'Voices In The Dust Of Annan'. To describe these stories would do them a great disservice. Just read them. They're unforgettable.
October 4, 2025
This collection is no mere gathering of stories — it is a cathedral of shadows, where every tale is a chamber echoing with whispers of the uncanny. Gerald Kersh guides the reader through dim corridors of human frailty, illuminating grotesque truths with the flicker of a dying candle.
The prose is rich, almost decadent, yet shot through with unease. Each story lingers like incense in the lungs, heavy and unsettling, and the dread he conjures is not the cheap jolt of surprise, but the ancient, slow-burning terror that presses in when one is alone with their thoughts at midnight.
Kersh’s gift lies in revealing the horror beneath the veneer of the ordinary. He does not simply frighten — he unsettles, weaving tales where beauty and corruption intertwine like ivy and stone. This is Gothic literature in its modern mask: haunting, ironic, and eternal. This book is not read so much as it is inhabited — It's much like a descent into candlelit chambers where dread and fascination walk hand in hand.
The prose is rich, almost decadent, yet shot through with unease. Each story lingers like incense in the lungs, heavy and unsettling, and the dread he conjures is not the cheap jolt of surprise, but the ancient, slow-burning terror that presses in when one is alone with their thoughts at midnight.
Kersh’s gift lies in revealing the horror beneath the veneer of the ordinary. He does not simply frighten — he unsettles, weaving tales where beauty and corruption intertwine like ivy and stone. This is Gothic literature in its modern mask: haunting, ironic, and eternal. This book is not read so much as it is inhabited — It's much like a descent into candlelit chambers where dread and fascination walk hand in hand.
May 14, 2018
Kersh is an impossibly stylish writer, incapable of a bum note in any line. His stories are often shaggy dog ones with Kersh himself introducing them and framing them, like a Mephistophelean Edgar Wallace. But what a lot of fun and what fine, imaginative, beautifully told stories they are. "Busto is a ghost, too mean to give a fright" is full of Dickensian colour, which is to say rot and filth and stench, peopled with roaring Titans. "Men without Bones" and "Voices in the dust of Annan" are H G Wells grotesques. "The Brighton Monster" is a sci-fi period piece about nuclear war and wrestling. "Whatever happened to Corporal Cuckoo", a wonderful story, lies somewhere between early Italo Calvino and late Alan Moore. If any of this sounds good to you then I heartily recommend these stories.
May 13, 2020
I finally got around to reading this 1968 short story collection, which I purchased on Amazon just because Harlan Ellison wrote the effusive introduction and Leo & Diane Dillon created the creepily wonderful artwork on the Fawcett Gold Medal edition (60 cents when published). What a great book! Anyone who enjoys Ellison will recognize why the young writer found Kersh's work so appealing: the same twisted ironies, similarly punctuated with vivid descriptions of nightmarish images, fascinating characters . . . it's like an early Ellison book not written by Ellison. I can't wait to read more Kersh!
February 6, 2020
I loved this collection of short stories. They were well written and kept me interested until the last word. In my opinion, this was the best performance from Matt Godfrey. His narration was perfect. The last story was my favorite. Now I need to find more works by Gerald Kersh!
March 31, 2019
Listened on Audible. Some of the stories are good and some are ‘meh’. The narration is excellent, though, 5 stars for narration.
September 4, 2024
Memorable.
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