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Sep. 19th, 2009 01:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
joysilenceAfter all those reviews of pre-war ghost story collections, I think it's time for something a bit more modern! I've just finished The Faculty Of Terror by the contemporary British author John L Probert. The book's structure is a homage to the 'portmanteau' horror films that the studio Amicus (Hammer's main rival) used to churn out in the 70s, such as Vault of Horror and Tales From The Crypt. It consists of six stand-alone stories, each told by a different guest at a big dinner party held at an unnamed British university (probably a 'red brick', by the sound of it.) The hero in this framing device, Paul Dearden, hears each of these ghastly tales in turn and then finally submits one of his own. ( Read more... )
Priced at around £7, The Faculty of Terror gives the reader their money's worth of frights and surprises. It also contains an unusual amount of chatty extra material from the author, who talks at some length about his inspirations, especially from the world of film. I found his discussion of horror film soundtrack with Gary Fry (owner of Grayfriar Press) especially interesting. We also learn that Probert is a big-shot researcher and textbook author in the field of urology. Speaking as someone who's had a painfully malfunctioning urethra for the past five years, I can say with confidence that if I ever manage to collar Probert at a convention, he'll really learn the meaning of the term 'medical horror' as I pour out the long and dreary tale of my pathology ;) But I think that's enough about me. Finally, Zach MacCain deserves a special mention for his fine cover illustrations, though beware! If you look at them too carefully before the book is read, they'll give away details of the stories!
Priced at around £7, The Faculty of Terror gives the reader their money's worth of frights and surprises. It also contains an unusual amount of chatty extra material from the author, who talks at some length about his inspirations, especially from the world of film. I found his discussion of horror film soundtrack with Gary Fry (owner of Grayfriar Press) especially interesting. We also learn that Probert is a big-shot researcher and textbook author in the field of urology. Speaking as someone who's had a painfully malfunctioning urethra for the past five years, I can say with confidence that if I ever manage to collar Probert at a convention, he'll really learn the meaning of the term 'medical horror' as I pour out the long and dreary tale of my pathology ;) But I think that's enough about me. Finally, Zach MacCain deserves a special mention for his fine cover illustrations, though beware! If you look at them too carefully before the book is read, they'll give away details of the stories!
