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Shadows and Silence
The ghost story, in its many guises, continues to thrive, despite being written off many times over the past half-century, perhaps most notably by H.R. Wakefield, one of the masters of the genre, who wrote in 1961: "I believe ghost story writing to be a dying art." Wakefield could not have been more wrong; and the rich legacy of such writers in the genre as Wakefield himself, M.R. James, and Robert Aickman, who were all able to hint at horror rather than spell it out, is apparent in the twenty-five stories in SHADOWS AND SILENCE. There is horror here in abundance; but it is a haunting horror, which clearly demonstrates that the example given has been followed by the present day practitioners whose work appears in this volume.
Of the seventeen stories which appeared in the first Ash-Tree Press anthology, MIDNIGHT NEVER COMES, in 1997, no less than fifteen received honourable mentions in THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR. That success has provided added impetus to ensure that the stories in this volume live up to the quality of their predecessors. The stories in SHADOWS AND SILENCE encompass an even wider range of themes, showcasing the versatility of the supernatural story.
The ghost story is alive, well, and ready to face the challenges of the future.
An Ash-Tree Press Limited Edition.
CONTENTS
The Rag-and-Bone Men • (1999) • short story by Steve Duffy
The Last of Mr. Benjimen • (2000) • short story by Rick Kennett
Mr. Justice Delaney • (2000) • short story by John Morrow
The Fairhaven Phantom Train • (2000) • short story by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
The Man in the Blue Mercedes • (2000) • short story by Frances Oliver
The Graveyard • (2000) • short story by Don Tumasonis
The Slow Fall of Dust in a Quiet Place • (2000) • short story by Steve Rasnic Tem
Tourist Trap • (2000) • short story by Barbara Roden
The Witness Tree • (2000) • short story by Steve Burt
Frosted Glass • (2000) • short story by Jane Jakeman
Spider • (2000) • short story by John Pelan
The Counsels of Night • (2000) • short story by Ron Weighell
No Strings • (2000) • short story by Ramsey Campbell
The Mummers • (2000) • short story by Paul Finch
"Which, Being Translated, Means" • (2000) • short story by Cooper Renner
"Excuse Me ... " • (2000) • short story by John Whitbourn
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter • (2000) • short story by Michael Chislett
The Other Side of the Bay • (2000) • short story by Nick DiMartino
Wolferton Hall • (2000) • short story by James Doig
Littler • (2000) • short story by Hugh B. Cave
One Over the Twelve • (2000) • short story by C. E. Ward
The Chapel of Unrest • (2000) • short story by Stephen Volk
The Last Reel • (2000) • short story by David G. Rowlands
The Spirit Mirror • (2000) • short story by Keris McDonald
Mr. Dark's Carnival • novelette by Glen Hirshberg
Of the seventeen stories which appeared in the first Ash-Tree Press anthology, MIDNIGHT NEVER COMES, in 1997, no less than fifteen received honourable mentions in THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR. That success has provided added impetus to ensure that the stories in this volume live up to the quality of their predecessors. The stories in SHADOWS AND SILENCE encompass an even wider range of themes, showcasing the versatility of the supernatural story.
The ghost story is alive, well, and ready to face the challenges of the future.
An Ash-Tree Press Limited Edition.
CONTENTS
The Rag-and-Bone Men • (1999) • short story by Steve Duffy
The Last of Mr. Benjimen • (2000) • short story by Rick Kennett
Mr. Justice Delaney • (2000) • short story by John Morrow
The Fairhaven Phantom Train • (2000) • short story by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
The Man in the Blue Mercedes • (2000) • short story by Frances Oliver
The Graveyard • (2000) • short story by Don Tumasonis
The Slow Fall of Dust in a Quiet Place • (2000) • short story by Steve Rasnic Tem
Tourist Trap • (2000) • short story by Barbara Roden
The Witness Tree • (2000) • short story by Steve Burt
Frosted Glass • (2000) • short story by Jane Jakeman
Spider • (2000) • short story by John Pelan
The Counsels of Night • (2000) • short story by Ron Weighell
No Strings • (2000) • short story by Ramsey Campbell
The Mummers • (2000) • short story by Paul Finch
"Which, Being Translated, Means" • (2000) • short story by Cooper Renner
"Excuse Me ... " • (2000) • short story by John Whitbourn
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter • (2000) • short story by Michael Chislett
The Other Side of the Bay • (2000) • short story by Nick DiMartino
Wolferton Hall • (2000) • short story by James Doig
Littler • (2000) • short story by Hugh B. Cave
One Over the Twelve • (2000) • short story by C. E. Ward
The Chapel of Unrest • (2000) • short story by Stephen Volk
The Last Reel • (2000) • short story by David G. Rowlands
The Spirit Mirror • (2000) • short story by Keris McDonald
Mr. Dark's Carnival • novelette by Glen Hirshberg
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
342 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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February 26, 2019placeholder review: I got this through interlibrary loan to read the Ron Weighell story, and decided to also read the Ramsey Campbell. Hopefully, in the future, I can retrieve it again to read everything else.
"No Strings" by Ramsey Campbell has a radio talk show host run afoul of a street musician, a violinist who is not all that he seems, as he leads the host into an abandoned building and an encounter with a number of *others*. In a sense, this is fairly "by the numbers" Campbell - by which I mean that it's well-written and involving, while also (at least plot-wise) feeling a bit old hat. Not bad, though, and Campbell's so good at this stuff that it can't help but be involving.
"The Counsels of Night" by Ron Weighell is about a sculptor of classical statuery asked to help in restoring some of the choice pieces in a manor house's garden. As he's involved with this, a discovery is made of a sealed and buried folly on a small island on the grounds - a grotto built by a black-sheep member of the family. A decision is made to install new works of modern art - post-modern horror of rot, decay and disgust - as an installation to show of the newly excavated space, but only the classical sculptor realizes that this energizes and old power of evil originally called forth by the family's ancestor. Not bad - the writing could be a bit sharper (it's a little too hold-your-hand), but the central idea (that man does better by emulating perfection in his creation, than abstract disintegration and disgust) is nicely told. Would make a good BBC teleplay.
"No Strings" by Ramsey Campbell has a radio talk show host run afoul of a street musician, a violinist who is not all that he seems, as he leads the host into an abandoned building and an encounter with a number of *others*. In a sense, this is fairly "by the numbers" Campbell - by which I mean that it's well-written and involving, while also (at least plot-wise) feeling a bit old hat. Not bad, though, and Campbell's so good at this stuff that it can't help but be involving.
"The Counsels of Night" by Ron Weighell is about a sculptor of classical statuery asked to help in restoring some of the choice pieces in a manor house's garden. As he's involved with this, a discovery is made of a sealed and buried folly on a small island on the grounds - a grotto built by a black-sheep member of the family. A decision is made to install new works of modern art - post-modern horror of rot, decay and disgust - as an installation to show of the newly excavated space, but only the classical sculptor realizes that this energizes and old power of evil originally called forth by the family's ancestor. Not bad - the writing could be a bit sharper (it's a little too hold-your-hand), but the central idea (that man does better by emulating perfection in his creation, than abstract disintegration and disgust) is nicely told. Would make a good BBC teleplay.
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