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Demons and Shadows: The Ghostly Best Stories of Robert Westall
A collection of ten of the author's previously published ghostly tales, including "Rachel and the Angel" and "The Creatures in the House," and the previously unpublished "Graveyard Shift."
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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About the author
Robert Westall
122 books109 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Robert Westall was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England in 1929.
His first published book The Machine Gunners (1975) which won him the Carnegie Medal is set in World War Two when a group of children living on Tyneside retrieve a machine-gun from a crashed German aircraft. He won the Carnegie Medal again in 1981 for The Scarecrows, the first writer to win it twice. He won the Smarties Prize in 1989 for Blitzcat and the Guardian Award in 1990 for The Kingdom by the Sea. Robert Westall's books have been published in 21 different countries and in 18 different languages, including Braille.
From: http://www.robertwestall.com/
Robert Westall was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England in 1929.
His first published book The Machine Gunners (1975) which won him the Carnegie Medal is set in World War Two when a group of children living on Tyneside retrieve a machine-gun from a crashed German aircraft. He won the Carnegie Medal again in 1981 for The Scarecrows, the first writer to win it twice. He won the Smarties Prize in 1989 for Blitzcat and the Guardian Award in 1990 for The Kingdom by the Sea. Robert Westall's books have been published in 21 different countries and in 18 different languages, including Braille.
From: http://www.robertwestall.com/
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 16, 2013
Although I've been reading weird fiction for decades, I'd never heard of Westall until about a month ago. Plainly one of the most deft writers of ghost stories in modern times, and an avowed admirer of M.R. James, his neglect by pundits in the field leaves me bewildered. He's not even listed in the vast St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers, although plenty of crappy writers unfit to tie Westall's boots are covered in exhaustive detail.
Possibly there is prejudice against writers who are work under the "YA" label, although Westall makes few concessions to the supposed youthfulness of his audience––far fewer, say, than Stephen King, who often assumes the reader shares his mental age of fifteen.
No, these are sophisticated stories in terms of both style and content, and Westall's grasp of the Jamesian method is complete, even to the risky tightrope walk between ghastliness and very black comedy: "The Creatures in the House" is a particularly good example of this; the nastiness is if anything even more horrific than usual, but the climax, involving legions of pussycats, has its humorous aspect. "The Last Day of Miss Dorinda Molyneaux" similarly keeps more than one ball in the air.
This collection is intended to show off different sides of Westall's oeuvre, and not all the stories are supernatural fiction. All are well-written and enjoyable, even moving. I plan to make amends for my previous ignorance by stocking up on the man's other books.
Possibly there is prejudice against writers who are work under the "YA" label, although Westall makes few concessions to the supposed youthfulness of his audience––far fewer, say, than Stephen King, who often assumes the reader shares his mental age of fifteen.
No, these are sophisticated stories in terms of both style and content, and Westall's grasp of the Jamesian method is complete, even to the risky tightrope walk between ghastliness and very black comedy: "The Creatures in the House" is a particularly good example of this; the nastiness is if anything even more horrific than usual, but the climax, involving legions of pussycats, has its humorous aspect. "The Last Day of Miss Dorinda Molyneaux" similarly keeps more than one ball in the air.
This collection is intended to show off different sides of Westall's oeuvre, and not all the stories are supernatural fiction. All are well-written and enjoyable, even moving. I plan to make amends for my previous ignorance by stocking up on the man's other books.
April 25, 2010
I am, as I've mentioned, a big fan of Robert Westall. I first came across him when I picked up either this book or its sequel more-or-less at random from the library, and lately I got it into my head to read some of his ghostly stories again.
As I said, one of these days I'll make a longer post about him, but for now I'll just mention that I especially enjoyed his treatment of the supernatural in "Graveyard Shift," "The Creatures in the House," and "The Last Day of Miss Dorinda Molyneaux."
As I said, one of these days I'll make a longer post about him, but for now I'll just mention that I especially enjoyed his treatment of the supernatural in "Graveyard Shift," "The Creatures in the House," and "The Last Day of Miss Dorinda Molyneaux."
May 12, 2021
A very good collection of horror shorts.
I've only ever heard this authors audio book on the "Scarecrows" and loved that so thought I'd give these a go.
I think the way in which he can build such a good background and a group of characters in just a few pages is very clever. He really makes you want to know where each story is going, and then you feel a little disapointed each time the story ends.
Some of the stories really did have a cool and creepy feel to them, and I'll definitely be reading book 2.
For small little reviews on each short story in this book read my reading log updates as I commented on each story after I finished them.
I've only ever heard this authors audio book on the "Scarecrows" and loved that so thought I'd give these a go.
I think the way in which he can build such a good background and a group of characters in just a few pages is very clever. He really makes you want to know where each story is going, and then you feel a little disapointed each time the story ends.
Some of the stories really did have a cool and creepy feel to them, and I'll definitely be reading book 2.
For small little reviews on each short story in this book read my reading log updates as I commented on each story after I finished them.
September 20, 2018
Another classic collection of melancholy tales. I’ve said it numerous times... Westall is an unsung master.
June 21, 2025
I bought this book years ago off a discount book bin somewhere and never got around to reading it until now.
I wasn't familiar with Robert Westall's work before, but he is quite the storyteller. He is classified as being a YA author, though his themes are fairly adult, so probably not something I would hand to young teenagers.
But what is fascinating is that unlike most YA fiction nowadays, which is primarily concerned with *young* characters, Westall's short stories cover the full gamut. From the daughter of a minister in a country town who discovers something sinister in her dad's church through to an elderly antique dealer through to a young bunch of bikies. All diverse characters from different walks and stages of life, and yet Westall manages to make them feel believable and interesting.
Though this collection is meant to be "ghostly", not all tales are supernatural and some are darker than others, but they were all of them engaging. I'll definitely read Volume 2.
I wasn't familiar with Robert Westall's work before, but he is quite the storyteller. He is classified as being a YA author, though his themes are fairly adult, so probably not something I would hand to young teenagers.
But what is fascinating is that unlike most YA fiction nowadays, which is primarily concerned with *young* characters, Westall's short stories cover the full gamut. From the daughter of a minister in a country town who discovers something sinister in her dad's church through to an elderly antique dealer through to a young bunch of bikies. All diverse characters from different walks and stages of life, and yet Westall manages to make them feel believable and interesting.
Though this collection is meant to be "ghostly", not all tales are supernatural and some are darker than others, but they were all of them engaging. I'll definitely read Volume 2.
January 11, 2025
“The wind snatched away my voice; none of them answered. The wild bushes tossed their heads at me. The dead leaves in the yard scurried around like the trapped crowd in a burning theatre. The sound of dead leaves is the deadest sound in the world; they sound the same at night in Pompeii.”
Eleven short stories of the supernatural, featuring ordinary people in situations that turn out to be extraordinary.
Westall is one of my favourite authors, writing for a more youthful audience. His Blitz Cat is one of my favourite books. I’m sentimental. This collection of his stories doesn’t disappoint.
Eleven short stories of the supernatural, featuring ordinary people in situations that turn out to be extraordinary.
Westall is one of my favourite authors, writing for a more youthful audience. His Blitz Cat is one of my favourite books. I’m sentimental. This collection of his stories doesn’t disappoint.
September 10, 2018
Boring stories! I couldn’t finish it at all!!!!
March 11, 2024
No idea why Westall isn't better known. Excellent stories.
February 2, 2010
I did not read the entire book. It was overdue, and I am very busy. But the three stories I did read--"The Creatures in the House," "The Making of Me," and "A Nose Against the Glass"--were amazing. They were filled with creepiness and pathos. These stories reminded me of Bruce Coville, whom Jeff and I were digging on over the summer, but with more substance and humanity. This is saying something, because Coville also has a knack for injecting humanity into short horror/fantasy stories.
Updated to add: I have now read the whole book. It rocked.
Updated to add: I have now read the whole book. It rocked.
January 18, 2015
Robert Westfall is an old favorite. A writer of ghostly and weird tales in the older British tradition. He is best in describing scenes of rural Britain whether from the perspective of an antique dealer or a story about a creature that preys on single women's memories when they are alone and lonely... unless they are adopted by a family of cats. Wonderful collection of his tales.
August 20, 2018
That kind of spooky stories that either will stick with you or you'll forget them quickly. On the other hand, I have to praise one which is called "A Walk on the Wild Side". Yes, it's a cat story, but a pretty mysterious one. I had to read it at least twice to understand more and it's one of the few short stories that really got me baffled. "Graveyard Shift" is also good, of course.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews