What do you think?
Rate this book
The Great Detective Universe #6
The Book of Carnacki the Ghost-Finder
A Celebration of William Hope Hodgson’s Famous Occult Detective
Few if any classic detectives in fiction have spawned so many later pastiches and homages as William Hope Hodgson’s Carnacki the Ghost Finder. Whilst Sherlock Holmes exemplified the logic-wielding consulting detective, it was another, Thomas Carnacki – owing a little to Holmes and a little to the Victorian amateur psychic sleuth – who melded the science of rational investigation with the world of spiritual exploration. In doing so, his character proved formative for the entire field of occult detective literature.
“Carnacki, who first appeared in the Idler magazine in 1910, has all the elements in such perfect proportions that he deserves to be crowned king of the occult 'tecs.”
David Barnett, The Guardian
And with that accolade, Belanger Books is pleased to present an anthology dedicated entirely to Thomas Carnacki. Rather than drawing on existing pastiches, or simply presenting a selection of further, similar cases, The Book of Carnacki offers a range of new and intriguing tales which explore far more of the Second Great Detective’s life and activities.
Within this packed volume, therefore, although you will still find an enjoyable selection of investigations in the ‘classic’ style, you will also encounter stories which feature Carnacki at different stages of his career, from being a schoolboy, and then a young man of vigour, through to the weariness of his last years. With his ancient manuscripts and his modern monographs, with his cameras, protective herbs, and electrical pentacle, the Ghost Finder is ready to face the Dark.
In the eighteen stories written for this anthology, Thomas Carnacki faces scientific and spiritual mysteries, plus deception and doubt. A haunted landscape and a cursed book; a Japanese naval officer in fear for his life, and a London street which cannot exist. There will be lethal threats, but also tongue-in-cheek parody, and you will even learn a little more of his constant audience – Dodgson, Arkright, Jessop and Taylor, the four men who met regularly at his Cheyne Walk home to hear him recount his experiences.
The tragic fate of Aster in the case of the Black Veil is revealed, as is the horrifying truth behind the original Hope Hodgson story ‘The Searcher of End House’. Nor is Carnacki always alone in the field, as we add a tale which concerns his tutelage of the Royal Occultist, Charles St Cyprian – and an adventure which has a starring role for Sherlock Holmes himself!
Few if any classic detectives in fiction have spawned so many later pastiches and homages as William Hope Hodgson’s Carnacki the Ghost Finder. Whilst Sherlock Holmes exemplified the logic-wielding consulting detective, it was another, Thomas Carnacki – owing a little to Holmes and a little to the Victorian amateur psychic sleuth – who melded the science of rational investigation with the world of spiritual exploration. In doing so, his character proved formative for the entire field of occult detective literature.
“Carnacki, who first appeared in the Idler magazine in 1910, has all the elements in such perfect proportions that he deserves to be crowned king of the occult 'tecs.”
David Barnett, The Guardian
And with that accolade, Belanger Books is pleased to present an anthology dedicated entirely to Thomas Carnacki. Rather than drawing on existing pastiches, or simply presenting a selection of further, similar cases, The Book of Carnacki offers a range of new and intriguing tales which explore far more of the Second Great Detective’s life and activities.
Within this packed volume, therefore, although you will still find an enjoyable selection of investigations in the ‘classic’ style, you will also encounter stories which feature Carnacki at different stages of his career, from being a schoolboy, and then a young man of vigour, through to the weariness of his last years. With his ancient manuscripts and his modern monographs, with his cameras, protective herbs, and electrical pentacle, the Ghost Finder is ready to face the Dark.
In the eighteen stories written for this anthology, Thomas Carnacki faces scientific and spiritual mysteries, plus deception and doubt. A haunted landscape and a cursed book; a Japanese naval officer in fear for his life, and a London street which cannot exist. There will be lethal threats, but also tongue-in-cheek parody, and you will even learn a little more of his constant audience – Dodgson, Arkright, Jessop and Taylor, the four men who met regularly at his Cheyne Walk home to hear him recount his experiences.
The tragic fate of Aster in the case of the Black Veil is revealed, as is the horrifying truth behind the original Hope Hodgson story ‘The Searcher of End House’. Nor is Carnacki always alone in the field, as we add a tale which concerns his tutelage of the Royal Occultist, Charles St Cyprian – and an adventure which has a starring role for Sherlock Holmes himself!
- GenresOccult Detective
475 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2022
6 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
John Linwood Grant
102 books42 followersJohn Linwood Grant lives in Yorkshire with a pack of lurchers and a beard. He may also have a family.
When he's not chronicling the adventures of Mr Bubbles, the slightly psychotic pony, he writes a range of supernatural, horror and speculative tales, some of which are actually published.
You can find him every week on his website which celebrates weird fiction and weird art, greydogtales.com, often with his dogs.
When he's not chronicling the adventures of Mr Bubbles, the slightly psychotic pony, he writes a range of supernatural, horror and speculative tales, some of which are actually published.
You can find him every week on his website which celebrates weird fiction and weird art, greydogtales.com, often with his dogs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 12, 2022
I’m a big fan of William Hope Hodgson but never read his Carnacki stories before this. I really enjoyed these pastiches. They have such a charm to them. Each one felt like a monster of the week episode of a TV show that never was. I particularly enjoyed the stories that alluded to other famous detectives. Overall, I just had a good time with this book. I will have to read the originals. If you like horror and want a good anthology to read around Halloween this is great choice.
August 8, 2022
A hefty anthology of 19 new Carnacki stories, plus a "biography" of the character. Of course, with that many authors, I loved some, including those by Josh Reynolds, Mark Robson, and Karen Over, plus John Linwood Grant's updated story I'd read before. I didn't care for a couple, but overall, a very satisfying read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews