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Richard Dalby Witchcraft Anthology
Aug. 10th, 2009 04:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
joysilenceRichard Dalby has long been one of my favourite editors and supernatural fiction scholars. He’s probably best known for editing the seminal Virago Book Of…ghost story anthologies, but I’ve recently resolved to explore some of his lesser-known works from the 80s and early 90s. I’ve just finished his 1991 themed collection Tales of Witchcraft.
For some reason, there are relatively few supernatural stories purely about witchcraft, and not all of them are successful either, by any means. This is sometimes down to the way authors insist on describing the processes of magic in agonizing pseudo-scientific detail, and the worst occult stories of all tend to be the ones written by people who practise witchcraft themselves (feel free to check out Aleister Crowley’s dire fictional output if you need any evidence…) So I was keen to see how Dalby would fill his brief of selecting 17 quality stories from the subgenre. And true to form, Tales of Witchcraft provided me with many enjoyable moments! ( Further cacklings within )
But don’t let these minor grouses put you off too much. Dalby’s signal-to-noise ratio is unusually high in this collection (even by his standards) and a quick look at the Fantastic Fiction website reveals that many hardback copies of the book are available for less than a quid! The copy I bought via the site is in perfect condition, though I must admit I did push the boat out and pay a whole £1.50 for it ;)
For some reason, there are relatively few supernatural stories purely about witchcraft, and not all of them are successful either, by any means. This is sometimes down to the way authors insist on describing the processes of magic in agonizing pseudo-scientific detail, and the worst occult stories of all tend to be the ones written by people who practise witchcraft themselves (feel free to check out Aleister Crowley’s dire fictional output if you need any evidence…) So I was keen to see how Dalby would fill his brief of selecting 17 quality stories from the subgenre. And true to form, Tales of Witchcraft provided me with many enjoyable moments! ( Further cacklings within )
But don’t let these minor grouses put you off too much. Dalby’s signal-to-noise ratio is unusually high in this collection (even by his standards) and a quick look at the Fantastic Fiction website reveals that many hardback copies of the book are available for less than a quid! The copy I bought via the site is in perfect condition, though I must admit I did push the boat out and pay a whole £1.50 for it ;)
