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Nightmare Jack and Other Tales
John Metcalfe's tales of the macabre and the supernatural are amongst the finest in the genre, and are comparable to the stories of such authors as Walter de la Mare, L.P. Hartley, and Robert Aickman. The horrors in his stories are insidious and unnerving, frightening by stealth rather than by violence as they intrude into the quiet lives of ordinary people, who find their worlds shaken by forces they can neither understand nor control.
Like the best horror tales of Poe and Le Fanu, Metcalfe's narratives are often disturbing accounts of excursions into the 'bad lands' of the subconscious mind. Writing about John Metcalfe in The Penguin Encyclopaedia of Horror and the Supernatural, T.E.D. Klein said that the author's work is marked by 'a rare artistry, wit, and intelligence—and by a restraint too often lacking in the genre'. Mike Ashley, in Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction, calls Metcalfe's works 'skilful and bizarre', while E.F. Bleiler, in his The Guide to Supernatural Fiction, refers to them as 'tense, cryptic stories of brooding supernaturalism' which are now 'unjustly forgotten'.
In The St James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers, Brian Stableford 'The neglect into which Metcalfe's work has fallen is very unfortunate; an excellent eclectic collection could be compiled by combining The Feasting Dead with the cream of his short fiction, and it is high time that some such project was attempted.' Nightmare Jack and Other Tales does just that.
Introduction by Richard Dalby; 'Nightmare Jack'; 'The Double Admiral'; 'The Smoking Leg'; 'The Grey House'; 'The Tunnel'; 'The Bad Lands'; 'Mr Meldrum's Mania'; 'Time-Fust'; 'Mortmain'; 'Funeral March of a Marionette'; 'Brenner's Boy'; 'Not There'; '"Beyondaril"'; 'The Firing-Chamber'; 'The Renegade'; 'The Childish Thing'; 'The Feasting Dead'; Afterword, 'A Forgotten Man' by Alexis Lykiard.
Like the best horror tales of Poe and Le Fanu, Metcalfe's narratives are often disturbing accounts of excursions into the 'bad lands' of the subconscious mind. Writing about John Metcalfe in The Penguin Encyclopaedia of Horror and the Supernatural, T.E.D. Klein said that the author's work is marked by 'a rare artistry, wit, and intelligence—and by a restraint too often lacking in the genre'. Mike Ashley, in Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction, calls Metcalfe's works 'skilful and bizarre', while E.F. Bleiler, in his The Guide to Supernatural Fiction, refers to them as 'tense, cryptic stories of brooding supernaturalism' which are now 'unjustly forgotten'.
In The St James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers, Brian Stableford 'The neglect into which Metcalfe's work has fallen is very unfortunate; an excellent eclectic collection could be compiled by combining The Feasting Dead with the cream of his short fiction, and it is high time that some such project was attempted.' Nightmare Jack and Other Tales does just that.
Introduction by Richard Dalby; 'Nightmare Jack'; 'The Double Admiral'; 'The Smoking Leg'; 'The Grey House'; 'The Tunnel'; 'The Bad Lands'; 'Mr Meldrum's Mania'; 'Time-Fust'; 'Mortmain'; 'Funeral March of a Marionette'; 'Brenner's Boy'; 'Not There'; '"Beyondaril"'; 'The Firing-Chamber'; 'The Renegade'; 'The Childish Thing'; 'The Feasting Dead'; Afterword, 'A Forgotten Man' by Alexis Lykiard.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1998
11 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
John Metcalfe
129 books12 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
(William) John Metcalfe was born in Heacham, Norfolk in 1891, the son of William Charles Metcalfe, an author of sea stories for boys. Metcalfe graduated with a degree in philosophy from the University of London in 1913 and for the next two years, until the outbreak of the First World War, he taught in Paris. In 1914, he joined the Royal Naval Division and fought in the war but was invalided out in 1915; two years later, he enlisted again with the Royal Naval Air Service and in 1918 obtained a commission and served as an armament officer in the Royal Air Force.
After the war, Metcalfe obtained a post as an assistant master at a London school and began to write. His first book, The Smoking Leg and Other Stories, was published in 1925 and is highly regarded among connoisseurs of weird and supernatural tales. Another collection, also containing several horror stories, Judas and Other Stories, followed in 1931. Metcalfe also wrote a handful of novels in other genres.
In 1928, Metcalfe emigrated to New York and in 1930 married the American novelist Evelyn Scott, a prominent figure in the 1920s and ’30s American literary scene. In 1939, Metcalfe returned to military service with the British Royal Air Force and later again returned to the United States, where he taught at schools in Connecticut and New York. After the death of his wife in 1963, Metcalfe suffered a breakdown and was hospitalized; he died in 1965 after a fall.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
(William) John Metcalfe was born in Heacham, Norfolk in 1891, the son of William Charles Metcalfe, an author of sea stories for boys. Metcalfe graduated with a degree in philosophy from the University of London in 1913 and for the next two years, until the outbreak of the First World War, he taught in Paris. In 1914, he joined the Royal Naval Division and fought in the war but was invalided out in 1915; two years later, he enlisted again with the Royal Naval Air Service and in 1918 obtained a commission and served as an armament officer in the Royal Air Force.
After the war, Metcalfe obtained a post as an assistant master at a London school and began to write. His first book, The Smoking Leg and Other Stories, was published in 1925 and is highly regarded among connoisseurs of weird and supernatural tales. Another collection, also containing several horror stories, Judas and Other Stories, followed in 1931. Metcalfe also wrote a handful of novels in other genres.
In 1928, Metcalfe emigrated to New York and in 1930 married the American novelist Evelyn Scott, a prominent figure in the 1920s and ’30s American literary scene. In 1939, Metcalfe returned to military service with the British Royal Air Force and later again returned to the United States, where he taught at schools in Connecticut and New York. After the death of his wife in 1963, Metcalfe suffered a breakdown and was hospitalized; he died in 1965 after a fall.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 29, 2008
His prose is not as polite as that of Walter de la Mare, Henry James, or Robert Aickman, nor is the pacing of his stories as subdued or the characters as urbane. Nonetheless, the shopkeepers, mariners, smugglers, artist's models, and other who populate Metcalfe's stories slip into worlds just as disturbing as those encountered in these other masters.
Where are the Bad Lands, and why is the protagonist the only person who sees them?
What is waiting for the curious priest in the firing chamber, and why?
What is the meaning of the hour-glass effect witnessed in "The Double Admiral", and what are its possible long-term consequences?
As with much of the best horror fiction, these stories are not merely concerned with who, what, when, and where. They are most concerned with why - the deeper implications behind these strange events.
Where are the Bad Lands, and why is the protagonist the only person who sees them?
What is waiting for the curious priest in the firing chamber, and why?
What is the meaning of the hour-glass effect witnessed in "The Double Admiral", and what are its possible long-term consequences?
As with much of the best horror fiction, these stories are not merely concerned with who, what, when, and where. They are most concerned with why - the deeper implications behind these strange events.
Want to read
December 3, 2025PLACEHOLDER REVIEWS
"Mortmain" - Mr. Temple's new wife, Salome, had previously been married to the ogre Humphrey Childs, who passed away just a month ago. As they travel the nearby canals on a yacht for their honeymoon, though, the two find themselves haunted by moths and a looming pink-painted, weed and rust encrusted hulk of a house-boat, the Daisy, once owned by Childs, which impossibly seems to follow them everywhere.... and something seems to be driving the newlyweds apart... A slow burn story, all about an accrued eerie sense of menace. As noted by some, there's a feeling of Robert Aickman in the abstract approach and style - a normal setting with minor, abnormal occurrences, and an air of psychological conflict. It ends in a creepy, slow-motion chase. Quite good.
"Mr. Meldrum's Mania" - there are reports of an odd occurrence at the Forensic Arts Building, with an elevator containing two passengers descending the night before, only for the elevator operator to be taken away as a raving madman (in which state he is reported to have died), and neither passenger able to be found. One of those passengers was Amos Meldrum, whose history we learn... a history of depression (following a tooth pulling) that builds into an intermittent sensation that he has an long, invisible "nose" extending from his own face, which eventually begins to drive him mad... An odd story, not really a horror story (in content, perhaps, but not in presentation), more like one of those near-bilious, black-humor pieces Brother Theodore would resurrect for his stage show. It's quite long, so it's more of an extended routine than a simple humorous story. I liked it but it's a singular oddity in construction and deployment.
"No Sin" - Jasper Protopart, whose wife Charlotte had recently roused from a long coma to utter some commands and then pass away, prepares the turret room of their home as per her last wishes - including erecting a large statue of her, a monstrously disturbing statue as it captures her real character and presence, and to which he must, by bequest, add her wedding ring to the correct finger... A strange, psychological drama with a nasty ending. Not sure how I feel about it.
"Time-Fuse" - Miss Ellen Moody runs a boarding house and has a tendency to credulously involve herself with the latest fads - in this case Spiritualism - and so, she conducts seances and seems, surprisingly to even herself, to possess powers of faith... This is a strangely cruel story, presumably about faith and how it can give abilities, but how easily it can be shaken. Strange.
"Mortmain" - Mr. Temple's new wife, Salome, had previously been married to the ogre Humphrey Childs, who passed away just a month ago. As they travel the nearby canals on a yacht for their honeymoon, though, the two find themselves haunted by moths and a looming pink-painted, weed and rust encrusted hulk of a house-boat, the Daisy, once owned by Childs, which impossibly seems to follow them everywhere.... and something seems to be driving the newlyweds apart... A slow burn story, all about an accrued eerie sense of menace. As noted by some, there's a feeling of Robert Aickman in the abstract approach and style - a normal setting with minor, abnormal occurrences, and an air of psychological conflict. It ends in a creepy, slow-motion chase. Quite good.
"Mr. Meldrum's Mania" - there are reports of an odd occurrence at the Forensic Arts Building, with an elevator containing two passengers descending the night before, only for the elevator operator to be taken away as a raving madman (in which state he is reported to have died), and neither passenger able to be found. One of those passengers was Amos Meldrum, whose history we learn... a history of depression (following a tooth pulling) that builds into an intermittent sensation that he has an long, invisible "nose" extending from his own face, which eventually begins to drive him mad... An odd story, not really a horror story (in content, perhaps, but not in presentation), more like one of those near-bilious, black-humor pieces Brother Theodore would resurrect for his stage show. It's quite long, so it's more of an extended routine than a simple humorous story. I liked it but it's a singular oddity in construction and deployment.
"No Sin" - Jasper Protopart, whose wife Charlotte had recently roused from a long coma to utter some commands and then pass away, prepares the turret room of their home as per her last wishes - including erecting a large statue of her, a monstrously disturbing statue as it captures her real character and presence, and to which he must, by bequest, add her wedding ring to the correct finger... A strange, psychological drama with a nasty ending. Not sure how I feel about it.
"Time-Fuse" - Miss Ellen Moody runs a boarding house and has a tendency to credulously involve herself with the latest fads - in this case Spiritualism - and so, she conducts seances and seems, surprisingly to even herself, to possess powers of faith... This is a strangely cruel story, presumably about faith and how it can give abilities, but how easily it can be shaken. Strange.
November 6, 2012
A very compelling collection of stories from a truly underrated. Although I found the title story to be dated and rather creaky the majority of the tales were enjoyable. I especially liked 'The Badlands' but then I'm a sucker for what I like to call 'horrors whilst holidaying'. Yeah..that will never catch on.
But yes, a very good collection if you can track down a copy (without paying a fortune!)
But yes, a very good collection if you can track down a copy (without paying a fortune!)
Read
January 31, 2020The Badlands - 3.0/5
Atmospheric with the threat of menace, but ends quietly and ambiguously.
Atmospheric with the threat of menace, but ends quietly and ambiguously.
May 4, 2021
Only The Bad Lands is rated.
June 28, 2025
Great for lovers of Poe and de maupassant
Want to read
April 5, 2025Read so far:
*Nightmare Jack --
*The Double Admiral --
*The Smoking Leg --
The Grey House --
*The Tunnel --
The Bad Lands --2
*Mr Meldrum's Mania --
*Time-Fuse --
Mortmain --2
*Funeral March of a Marionette --
*Brenner's Boy --
Not There --
"Beyondaril" --
The Firing-Chamber --
*The Renegade --
The Childish Thing --
The Feasting Dead --
***
Judas --
Picnic --
*Nightmare Jack --
*The Double Admiral --
*The Smoking Leg --
The Grey House --
*The Tunnel --
The Bad Lands --2
*Mr Meldrum's Mania --
*Time-Fuse --
Mortmain --2
*Funeral March of a Marionette --
*Brenner's Boy --
Not There --
"Beyondaril" --
The Firing-Chamber --
*The Renegade --
The Childish Thing --
The Feasting Dead --
***
Judas --
Picnic --
January 3, 2010
fantastic,
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews