The Clock Strikes Twelve

by H.R. Wakefield, Barbara Roden (Introduction)

A new collection of macabre tales by H. Russell Wakefield - collects Wakefield's "introduction" and eighteen stories from the original 1940 Jenkins and expanded 1946 Arkham House editions. Adds three stories by Wakefield that were not previously collected with his weird fiction and an introduction by Barbara Roden.

"Wakefield was a consistently competent writer who took up where M R James left off in extending the core of the British tradition through the period between the wars."- Barron (ed), Horror Literature

These eighteen new stories, together with an introduction, Why I Write Ghost Stories, represent the first new uncanny tales to be published in the United States since the notably successful They Return at Evening and Others Who Returned.

"That there are many things in Heaven and on Earth for which we have no explanation, and for which, in all probability, we shall never have an explanation is certainly part of my philosophy; and I have never written a tale in which are recorded happenings that I do not believe could occur," writes Mr. Wakefield in his Introduction to this collection. "We have to remember and face the fact that we have not and cannot have, any acquaintance with more than a millionth part of what is called reality or the final truth about the universe."

Contents
vii • Why I Write Ghost Stories • essay
3 • Into Outer Darkness • (1938) • short story
11 • The Alley • (1940) • short story
33 • Jay Walkers • (1940) • short story
47 • Ingredient X • (1940) • short story
59 • "I Recognized the Voice" • (1940) • short story
69 • Farewell Performance • (1940) • short story
77 • Not Quite Cricket • (1940) • short story
95 • In Collaboration • (1940) • short story
111 • A Stitch in Time • (1940) • short story
127 • Lucky's Grove • (1940) • short story
151 • Red Feathers • (1940) • short story
168 • Happy Ending? • (1940) • short story
177 • The First Sheaf • (1939) • short story
188 • Masrur • (1940) • short story
201 • A Fishing Story • (1935) • short story
212 • Used Car • (1932) • short story
228 • Death of a Poacher • (1935) • short story
244 • Knock! Knock! Who's There? • (1932) • short story

Genres: Horror

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Herbert Russell Wakefield was an English short story writer, novelist, publisher, and civil servant. Wakefield is best known for his ghost stories, but he produced work outside the field. He was greatly interested in the criminal mind and wrote two non-fiction criminology studies

Used These Alternate Names: H.R. Wakefield, H. Russell Wakefield, Рассел Уэйкфилд?, Herbert Russell Wakefield, Herbert R. Wakefield, Henry Russell Wakefield, Henry R. Wakefield, Sir H. Russell Wakefield, Horace Russell Wakefield

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A finely crafted collection of stories from Wakefield. 'Weird' fiction is a much over-used phrase - too often tales of either an overtly supernatural or psychological nature rely on tropes which can lessen their effect and leave them stranded in the realm of the disappointingly prosaic. The best ‘Weird’ fiction weaves a genuinely disturbing web, never quite admitting the reader into its dark heart, but leaving a chill via cryptic hints and disturbing insinuations. H.R Hartley, author of ‘The Travelling Grave’ was a master of the art, and so was Wakefield. The best of Wakefield’s fiction operates in the rarified liminal space of the truly ‘Weird’. ‘The Alley’, my favourite in ‘Clock Strikes Twelve’, is one such story, and it is a real gem. Also excellent here are "Ingredient X", "Lucky's Grove", "The First Sheaf" and "Farewell Performance", but the whole book is indispensable to fans of the genre, or those seeking an entry into this kind of fiction.

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Clock Strikes Twelve and Other Stories is an excellent collection of supernatural short stories. Wakefield tightens the coiled spring at the heart of each tale with impeccable prose. Nothing is left to chance or misunderstanding: when the reader leaps ahead, they land on the spot Wakefield previously swept and garnished.

Full: http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2021...

[Valentin Per · Rating 5 out of 5]

The master of the ghost story

Following on from They Return at Evening, this collection spans the 1920s to 40s and includes classic tales like Lucky's Grove and The Last Sheaf. After this point, Wakefield's style began to change: less emphasis on gentlemen scholars and haunted mansions and more on psychological horror, vengeance from beyond the grave and low-life types. These stories are an object lesson in how to create atmosphere which is where the true art of the ghost story lies.