CARNACKI - Heaven and Hell


Carnacki resonated with me immediately on my first reading many years ago. Several of the stories have a Lovecraftian viewpoint, with cosmic entities that have no regard for the doings of mankind. The background Hodgson proposes fits with some of my own viewpoint on the ways the Universe might function, and the slightly formal Edwardian language seems to be a "voice" I fall into naturally. I write them because of love, pure and simple.

I also love exploring the Occult Detective sub-genre, in the Midnight Eye Files stories, in this series of Carnacki stories, and with Sherlock Holmes in REVENANT, and a series of short stories. I intend to write a lot more of it, and that will definitely mean more Carnacki to come. THE DARK ISLAND novella in the collection is a focal point for Carnacki -- in it he has learned that the bounds of his research are much, much wider than he had previously thought. That's going to give me plenty of scope for further stories and explorations.

You may notice while reading that Carnacki likes a drink and a smoke, and a hearty meal with his friends gathered round. This dovetails perfectly with my own idea of a good time. And although I no longer smoke, witing about characters who do allows me a small vicarious reminder of my own younger days. I wish I had Carnacki's library, his toys, but most of all, I envy him his regular visits from his tight group of friends, all more than willing to listen to his tales of adventure into the weird places of the world while drinking his Scotch and smoking his cigarettes.


Contents

  • The Blooded Iklwa
  • The Larkhill Barrow
  • The Sisters of Mercy
  • The Hellfire Mirror
  • The Beast of Glamis
  • The Tomb of Pygea
  • The Lusitania
  • The Haunted Oak
  • The Shoreditch Worm
  • The Dark Island

Reviews

Carnacki: Heaven and Hell takes the original Hodgson canon and deftly and confidently builds on it in order to make it Mr Meikle’s own original (and, dare I say it, superior) creation. - THE SCI-FI AND FANTASY REVIEWER

This is an excellent collection, worthy of the attention of any reader with a fondness for ghost stories. Meikle does a fine job, both in creating fresh material for the supernatural sleuth, and also for delivering the voice and feel of the classic Carnacki tales ... I urge you to seek out this book with all possible speed; I’m confident you won’t be disappointed. - Flames Rising

William Meikle does a stand up job here of capturing the tone of the original stories. He falls naturally into the more formal language of the period, without making it any less easy to read. - David Brzeski, British Fantasy Society

William Meikle has become one of my favorite storytellers--here with a trademark mingling of intrigue, suspense and fantasy in these linked tales. Part Sherlock Holmes, part Lovecraft, and all Meikle, these tales are perfect for curling up on a foggy night with a bottle and a fire." - Scott Nicholson

Meikle gets the style of the original stories so well that it is virtually impossible to distinguish his tales from the ones Hodgson wrote a century ago. In a couple of stories he brings in real world elements that Hodgson probably wouldn't have included; it doesn't distract at all. And Carnacki's four friends - who were VERY anonymous in the original stories - get rudimentary personalities (Arkwright is a bit of a twit). I am generally fond of pastiches - Sherlock Holmes, Lovecraftian tales etc. - and this is one of the best I've read for quite some time. - Stig Olsen

This version of Carnacki seems a bit more voluble than the one I remember, but horror stories of this type generally assume a more relaxed and intellectual air than most modern ones. It's a style of writing that I appreciate, and miss. - Don D'Ammassa

...worthy of sharing a bookshelf with its source material. - Pete Tennant, Black Static #30




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