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Haunted Bushes, Serial Killers, and Mysterious Strangers: Algernon Blackwood’s The Listener and Other Stories

Haunted Bushes, Serial Killers, and Mysterious Strangers: Algernon Blackwood’s The Listener and Other Stories

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The Listener and Other Stories-smallThe Listener and Other Stories
By Algernon Blackwood
1907/1917

The Listener and Other Stories was Blackwood’s second fiction collection. It was published a year after the first one, The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories. It contains “The Willows,” a novella that’s arguably one of his best known works and one whose reputation is well deserved. The rest of the collection doesn’t come off quite as well as the previous one but it has some good moments.

“The Listener”

An understated story, as with so much of Blackwood’s fiction. As the story progresses the narrator, who lives in a boarding house that isn’t exactly the Ritz, has various odd experiences and seems to be coming apart at the seams. Well done, but for some reason it didn’t really work for me.

“Max Hensig — Bacteriologist and Murderer”

No supernatural or weird content in this one but it’s not a bad effort. Max Hensig is a sort of prototype of the Hannibal Lecter type of serial killer, who happens to like poisoning people. Plays out as a cat and mouse game between the killer and a reporter.

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The Series Series: The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson

The Series Series: The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson

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The Girl with Ghost Eyes-smallHere’s a great problem to have:

Your first novel just appeared in bookstores a couple weeks ago, and you’re getting ready to host an author event. It’ll be a night of martial arts movies that inspired your story of a Daoist exorcist priestess battling malevolent ghosts in 1890’s San Francisco Chinatown. You’ll have a full house. You’re all set to give opening remarks, to field questions, and to sign autographs. Lots and lots of autographs. There’s just one problem.

The book has sold out.

Not just at all your local bookstores. Not just at the local warehouses of the big distributors. At the offices of the press that published you, and at all of Amazon, too.

Your word of mouth is so strong, an entire print run’s worth of readers couldn’t wait for author events or the holidays. They had to have your book right now. Your publisher is scrambling to print a second run to satisfy all that glorious demand, but it won’t come in time for this night’s autographing.

Man, I would love to have a problem like that. But if it couldn’t happen to me, I’m delighted that it did happen to my longtime friend M.H. Boroson.

I want to tell everybody at Black Gate how awesome The Girl with Ghost Eyes is, but I can’t pretend to objectivity about this book or its author. How can I be objective about a friend who’s been important to me since we met at 14 in a writing summer camp? I’ll have to let Publishers Weekly, and all those other review outlets that are notoriously stingy with starred reviews, do that whole objectivity thing in my stead. Brilliant, dazzling, wonderful, thrilling, say various objective reviewers who haven’t known Matthew for two-thirds of their lives. Glad they got that all those adjectives checked off for me, because really, those words do belong in any review of The Girl with Ghost Eyes.

What I can do is tell the readers who gather here why this book they might not immediately realize is for them is exactly the kind of book Black Gate readers love.

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New Treasures: Conspiracy of Angels by Michelle Belanger

New Treasures: Conspiracy of Angels by Michelle Belanger

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Conspiracy of Angels-smallMichelle Belanger is something of a celebrity with modern vampire subculture. She was featured on five seasons of A&E’s Paranormal State as an advocate for the “vampire community” (whatever that is), and she wrote several of its foundational texts, including The Black Veil, an ethical guide for vampires. If you’re a vampire nut, she’s your girl.

Closer to our interests, she’s also the editor of several horror anthologies for Llewellyn Publications, including Vampires in Their Own Words: An Anthology of Vampire Voices (2007) and Walking the Twilight Path: A Gothic Book of the Dead (2008). Late last year she released her debut novel, Conspiracy of Angels, the first of the Novels of the Shadowside.

When Zachary Westland regains consciousness on the winter shores of Lake Erie, his memories are gone. All he has are chaotic visions of violence and death… and a business card for Club Heaven. There Zack finds the six-foot-six transexual decimus known as Saliriel, and begins to learn what has happened.

Alarming details emerge, of angelic tribes trapped on Earth and struggling in the wake of the Blood Wars. Anakim, Nephilim, Gibburim, and Rephaim — there has been an uneasy peace for centuries, but the truce is at an end.

With the help of his “sibling” Remiel and Lilianna, the lady of beasts, Zack must stem the bloodshed before it cannot be stopped. Yet if he dies again, it may be for the final time.

Conspiracy of Angels was published by Titan Books on October 27, 2015. It is 426 pages, priced at $7.99 for both the print and digital editions. The cover was designed by Julia Lloyd.

Future Treasures: This Census-Taker by China Miéville

Future Treasures: This Census-Taker by China Miéville

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This Census-Taker-smallChina Miéville is one of the most acclaimed modern fantasy writers on the market. His novel The City & the City won the Arthur C. Clarke, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards in 2010, and his novels Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and Iron Council were all nominated for both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards. That’s a damned impressive record.

His latest book is a long novella that’s been called “A thought-provoking fairy tale for adults” (Booklist). It will be released in hardcover by Del Rey next week.

In a remote house on a hilltop, a lonely boy witnesses a profoundly traumatic event. He tries — and fails — to flee. Left alone with his increasingly deranged parent, he dreams of safety, of joining the other children in the town below, of escape.

When at last a stranger knocks at his door, the boy senses that his days of isolation might be over.

But by what authority does this man keep the meticulous records he carries? What is the purpose behind his questions? Is he friend? Enemy? Or something else altogether?

Filled with beauty, terror, and strangeness, This Census-Taker is a poignant and riveting exploration of memory and identity.

This Census-Taker will be published by Del Rey on January 12, 2016. It is 224 pages, priced at $24.99 in hardcover and $11.99 for the digital edition.

See all our coverage of the best in upcoming fantasy here.

Vintage Treasures: Tales From Gavagan’s Bar by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt

Vintage Treasures: Tales From Gavagan’s Bar by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt

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Tales From Gavagan's Bar-small

In March of 1925, the great Lord Dunsany created the character of Joseph Jorkens for the short story “The Tale of the Abu Laheeb.” Dunsany would return to the character many, many times, writing over 150 Jorkens tales over the next 32 years. They were some of his most popular stories, published in widely-circulated magazines like The Strand, Atlantic Monthly, The Saturday Evening Post and Vanity Fair. The Jorkens tales are widely credited with creating the genre of the “Club Tale,” which take place almost exclusively in comfortable settings like clubs or bars, where the narrator (himself, in Dunsany’s case) hears outlandish and fantastic tales from regulars and the occasional traveler from far away.

L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, both skilled American fantasists, imitated Dunsany with their own series of barroom tall tales, originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction between 1950-1959. The first 23 tales were collected as Tales From Gavagan’s Bar (Twayne Publishers, 1953). Bantam Books released a much-expanded paperback edition in 1980 (above), which contained six new stories and a chatty essay on the origins of the stories by de Camp, “By and About,” written in 1978, after Pratt’s death.

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New Treasures: A Crown For Cold Silver by Alex Marshall

New Treasures: A Crown For Cold Silver by Alex Marshall

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A Crown for Cold Silver-small A Crown for Cold Silver-back-small

I can’t keep up on a fraction of the new fantasy published every year. But fortunately, I’m not the only one who lives in my house. My children — whom not so very long ago didn’t absorb any fantasy unless it was read to them while curled in my lap — buy and read their own books these days. And occasionally they excitedly talk my ear off about about how much they loved some new discovery. That happened with my eldest boy Tim, a 20-year old physics student, who picked up a copy of Alex Marshall’s debut novel A Crown For Cold Silver last week, and who refused to be parted with it for the next three days. He read a great deal of epic fantasy last year, but I can’t recall any book getting him as excited as this one.

Calling A Crown For Cold Silver a ‘debut novel’ isn’t precisely accurate. There aren’t any other books by Alex Marshall on the shelves. But according to industry scuttlebutt, Marhall is a pseudonym for an established author who’s decided to strike off in new direction — as Megan Lindholm successfully did as Robin Hobb, and Tom Holt as K.J. Parker. A Crown For Cold Silver forms the first part of The Crimson Empire; the second volume, A Blade of Black Steel, is scheduled to arrive on May 26.

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The Winds of Winter Won’t Arrive Before Season Six

The Winds of Winter Won’t Arrive Before Season Six

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Martin The Winds of Winter-smallLate yesterday, George R.R. Martin confirmed that the sixth volume of his epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire will not be published before the new season of Game of Thrones debuts on HBO. The Winds of Winter was scheduled to arrive in March, before GoT debuts in mid-April, and Martin’s publisher Bantam reportedly had ramped up to fast-track the book for publication, as long as Martin delivered the manuscript by December 31. On his blog yesterday, Martin confirmed he’d blown the deadline, and that the official publication date is now up in the air.

Here it is, the first of January. The book is not done, not delivered. No words can change that. I tried, I promise you. I failed… I worked on the book a couple of days ago, revising a Theon chapter and adding some new material, and I will writing on it again tomorrow. But no, I can’t tell you when it will be done, or when it will be published. Best guess, based on our previous conversations, is that Bantam (and presumably my British publisher as well) can have the hardcover out within three months of delivery, if their schedules permit. But when delivery will be, I can’t say. I am not going to set another deadline for myself to trip over. The deadlines just stress me out…

I never thought the series could possibly catch up with the books, but it has. The show moved faster than I anticipated and I moved more slowly. There were other factors too, but that was the main one. Given where we are, inevitably, there will be certain plot twists and reveals in season six of Game of Thrones that have not yet happened in the books. For years my readers have been ahead of the viewers. This year, for some things, the reverse will be true. How you want to handle that… hey, that’s up to you.

While Martin has been notoriously slow with the last books in the series (it’s now been almost five years since the release of the fifth volume, A Dance With Dragons; that book appeared six years after A Feast for Crows), he’s worked hard to keep fans updated. And earlier this year, he released excerpts from Winds as a gift to fans. Just two books remain in the series, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring; Martin has indicated that both will be massive (1,500 manuscript pages each).

Future Treasures: The Drowning Eyes by Emily Foster

Future Treasures: The Drowning Eyes by Emily Foster

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The Drowning Eyes-smallTor.com‘s new lines of novellas was one of the biggest publishing stories of last year. Launched in September 2015 with Kai Ashante Wilson’s highly-regarded The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, Tor.com released a novella every week for ten weeks, including titles by Paul Cornell, Nnedi Okorafor, and K. J. Parker.

With the arrival of the new year, Tor.com kicks off another ambitious publishing round with The Drowning Eyes, the debut release from Emily Foster, a “magic- and wind-filled adventure, peopled with excellent and strong characters” (Fran Wilde) in which apprentice Windspeaker Shina must return her people’s power to them before the Dragon Ships destroy everything.

When the Dragon Ships began to tear through the trade lanes and ravage coastal towns, the hopes of the arichipelago turned to the Windspeakers on Tash. The solemn weather-shapers with their eyes of stone can steal the breeze from raiders’ sails and save the islands from their wrath. But the Windspeakers’ magic has been stolen, and only their young apprentice Shina can bring their power back and save her people.

Tazir has seen more than her share of storms and pirates in her many years as captain, and she’s not much interested in getting involved in the affairs of Windspeakers and Dragon Ships. Shina’s caught her eye, but that might not be enough to convince the grizzled sailor to risk her ship, her crew, and her neck.

See the complete list of Tor.com novellas we’ve covered so far below.

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Vintage Treasures: The Well of the Unicorn by Fletcher Pratt

Vintage Treasures: The Well of the Unicorn by Fletcher Pratt

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The Well of the Unicorn-smallIt’s no surprise that I don’t get to pick up as many novels as I used to — and I finish even fewer than I start. I tell myself that at least I’m pretty well grounded in classic fantasy… but even then there are embarrassing holes. Like Fletcher’s Pratt’s groundbreaking The Well of the Unicorn, which the great Lester del Rey called “The best piece of Epic Fantasy ever written.” It’s one of his two truly major novels (the other being The Blue Star), and it influenced an entire generation of fantasy writers. It has been out of print for decades, and there is no digital edition, but copies aren’t hard to find. I tracked one down last week, and I’m very much looking forward to reading it.

A rousing epic fantasy of romantic adventure and swashbuckling sorcery by the author of The Blue Star.

Outcast of the Well

The ruthless and greedy Vulkings drove young Airar Alvarson from his people and his heritage. But soon, aided by the mysterious enchanter Meliboe, he embarked on a desperate odyssey through a treacherous world where magic worked — sometimes at a perilous price. As one of a band of desperate rebels, fighting against his Vulking oppressors, Airar’s future quickly became enmeshed with a trio of women… each one seemed born to alter his destiny!

Gython: A snow blonde beauty who fired his blood with a heart as cold as ice…
Evadne: A savage warrior maid determined to have her way with her battles and her men…
Argyra: A princess of the Well from whose waters come peace. A lady who brought him only turmoil and strife…

In a flash Airar Alvarson was trapped in the bloodiest battles, the most sinister of intrigues… and the most amazing romance of all.

The Well of the Unicorn was first published in hardcover by William Sloane Associates in 1948 (under the name George U. Fletcher). It was first printed in paperback in 1967 by Lancer Books, and then Ballantine in May 1976, with a classic cover by the Brothers Hildebrandt. The Ballantine edition is 388 pages, priced at $1.95 (click the image at right for a bigger version).

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New Treasures: Slavemakers by Joseph Wallace

New Treasures: Slavemakers by Joseph Wallace

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Slavemakers Joseph Wallace-smallJack McDevitt called Joseph Wallace’s 2013 novel Invasive Species, the tale of an explorer who stumbles on a new species of wasp in an African rainforest, “Brilliant.” His newest thriller is a sequel to that book, and it opens with humans on the verge of extinction.

If you like postapocalyptic adventure tales, this one looks original and intriguing. Check it out.

It’s Their Territory Now

Twenty years ago, venomous parasitic wasps known as “thieves” staged a massive, apocalyptic attack on another species — Homo sapiens — putting them on the brink of extinction.

But some humans did survive. The colony called Refugia is home to a population of 281, including scientists, a pilot, and a tough young woman named Kait. In the African wilderness, there’s Aisha Rose, nearly feral, born at the end of the old world. And in the ruins of New York City, there’s a mysterious, powerful boy, a skilled hunter, isolated and living by his wits.

As the survivors journey through the wastelands, they will find that they are not the only humans left on earth. Not by a long shot.

But they may be the only ones left who are not under the thieves’ control…

Slavemakers was published by Ace Books on December 1, 2015. It is 384 pages, priced at $9.99 for both the paperback and digital editions.