Nightmares

Grant, Charles L. Nightmares. NY: Playboy Press, 1979

Nightmares at the ISFdb

Nightmares at Goodreads

Overall rating:     6/10

One of Charles L. Grant's more widely read of his many anthologies, Nightmares was published the year following the first entry of his most popular anthology series, Shadows. The stories in Nightmares are consistent with Grant's brand of "quiet horror," and while I've enjoyed many of Grant's own stories, an entire anthology in this tone had a less than stellar effect on me. I found myself pausing between stories to read other things.

Grant combines ten new stories with nine recent reprints. In his introduction, he writes that the reprints selected have "relatively low profiles," but since they had only been published recently, in some cases a year earlier, they hadn't had a change to gain much readership. Regardless, his efforts in selecting the reprints are laudable, as I found the reprints to be consistently superior to the new entries. The two stories that were familiar to me prior to my reading the anthology were "Camps," by Jack Dann (1979), and "I Can't Help Saying Goodbye," by Ann Mackenzie (1978), both of which I'd read many years ago in year's best styled anthologies (Nebula and Ellery Queen, respectively). I enjoyed them both back in the day, and perhaps even more revisiting them here. Other enjoyable reprints are Stephen King's "Suffer the Little Children" (1972), Dennis Etchison's "Daughter of the Golden West" (originally as "A Feast for Cathy," 1973), Ray Russell's "The Runaway Lovers" (1967), and William F. Nolan's wonderfully titled "He Kilt it with a Stick" (1979). Of the new stories I especially liked "The Anchoress," a tragedy by Beverly Evans, and I also enjoyed Ramsey Campbell's "Midnight Hobo," while Bill Pronzini's "Peekaboo" was amusing, mostly due to Pronzini's ability to make something so brief, fun. Most of the others are forgettable.

Not an anthology I would recommend, as the good stories can be found in better collections. (With the exception of "The Anchoress," which seems to not have been reprinted.) In addition, the many, many typos mar the reading experience, giving the impression that no one cared about how it all came together. At least Grant took the time to include a brief intro for each story, which I appreciate.

Suffer the Little Children by Stephen King     7/10

Cavalier, February 1972

Miss Sydley is a disciplinarian high school teacher who is able to see what her students are doing behind her back. Her trick is that she spies on them in the reflection of her glasses. But when she sees troublemaker Robert transform into something horrible, she is left shaken. Robert later reveals to her that there are many among the students who are just like him.

A highly entertaining and suspenseful story that sways between being ambiguous, and being flat-out about monsters--is Miss Sydley finally cracking under the pressures of teaching, or are there monsters in her midst? The story shifts our idea as to who the real monster is, the disciplinarian or the students, with a nice, creepy finish.

Though published originally in 1972, it was not included in a King collection until Nightmares & Dreamscapes in 1993, for some reason being omitted from both Night Shift and Skeleton Crew, and in favour of far weaker stories where the latter is concerned. I wonder if it was left out due to there already being so many early King stories about high schools and high schoolers included in the earlier collections.

Peekaboo by Bill Pronzini     7/10

Nightmares, ed. Charles L. Grant, Playboy Press, 1979

Roper is awakened in the middle of the night with the feeling that someone is in the house. He'd leased the house eight days before, following a botched robbery and needing an empty house in an isolated area to lay low for a while. The agent had said the previous owner was into devilish rites, and that the last tenant had been murdered in the house. But Roper doesn't believe in demons or ghosts, and whatever is in the house is a human intruder. Armed with flashlight and gun, he searches the house for the human he is certain is there.

We can figure out the ending, but getting there is still a bit of fun. 

Daughter of the Golden West by Dennis Etchison     7/10

As "A Feast for Cathy," Cavalier, July 1973

Shortly after graduation, three inseparable high school seniors' lives are changed when one of them is found dead on the side of a road. The body is unrecognizable, and the remaining pair set off to investigate, learning there were two other such discoveries nearby in the past several weeks.

A suspenseful story, well written (aside from an awkward couple of remarks about Mountain Dew). It reads like a mystery with an ending of a classic horror.

The Duppy Tree by Steven Edward McDonald     6/10

Nightmares, ed. Charles L. Grant, Playboy Press, 1979

A Jamaican woman, Miss Bell, tells her daughter of colonialist Major Philip Laird-Hamlyn who, between the world wars, arrived in the town of Mandeville. The Major came to head the police department, and at the time our narrator was a maid at his house. Trouble began when the Major asked Charlie, the gardener, to cut down an old cottonwood tree that "haunted" him, and Charlie confided to the narrator that he didn't want to cut the tree down, as it is a duppy tree, and something bad will befall him if he were to cut it down. The duppy is an evil spirit, and it lived in the cottonwood tree. As expected, the tree was cut down to ensure there be a story.

A fairly average story of an outsider who believes not in the local hocus pocus. The story starts well enough, then absorbs all the tropes we expect, and spends too much time on the spells and the shaman and the like, so the short story is unnecessarily elongated to an epic, and the suspense is lost as I find myself rushing through the second half of the story.

Naples by Avram Davidson     7/10

Shadows, ed. Charles L. Grant, NY: Doubleday, 1978

A traveller walks the streets of old Naples, noticing the poverty of the locals. A local guide takes him through various alleys and through buildings until they reach run-down room and a man in a dirt bed. There an unusual exchange takes place. Most of the story is essentially preamble, descriptive jaunt through Old Naples, but well written preamble. The story itself is brief, the last three pages, and the unusual combination makes for a good read.

Interesting that Grant chose to recycle this from his anthology Shadows, published one year earlier. He likely recognized its unique power and wanted it to reach a wider audience.

Seat Partner by Chelsea Quinn Yarbo     5/10

Nightmares, ed. Charles L. Grant, Playboy Press, 1979

Young Jillian Walker is upgraded to first class on her return flight from Italy to America. There she is seated beside an actual European Count. The direction of this one is obvious from the start, and gives us no surprises. Competently enough constructed, but flat. Part of the Count of Saint-Germain series (possibly an excerpt from a longer work?).

Camps by Jack Dann     8/10

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, May 1979

Hospitalized Stephen inexplicably dreams of being a Jew in a concentration camp. The story moves between both realities, and does so effectively and suspensefully, paralleling both men in their fight for survival. I've commented in the past that novelettes are frequently overlong, but this is an example of a thirty-page story that reads fluidly, earning its length.

I first read this story years ago in Nebula Winners Fifteen (edited by Frank Herbert, Harper & Row, 1981), and remember being affected by it. This is my first re-read since, and it remains a strong story. Gardner Dozois included the novelette in his Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year: ninth Annual Collection (Dutton, 1980). Nominated for both a British Science Fiction Award (Best Short Fiction), and a Nebular Award (Best Novelette). It has been frequently reprinted.

The Anchoress by Beverly Evans     8/10

Nightmares, ed. Charles L. Grant, Playboy Press, 1979

A recently widowed woman is isolated on her farm, finding it difficult to cope with her husband's absence. A tragic, heartbreaking story, dealing with mental health in light of extreme suffering. I am surprised it hasn't been reprinted anywhere else.

Transfer by Barry N. Malzberg     6/10

Fantastic, August 1975

A man tells of the tentacled monster inside him that is let loose and kills innocent people in the nighttime streets. Some contradictions weaken this one, as does the narrator's claim that he tries to get the monster to stop, and a moment later he says he enjoys the thrill of the hunt. The clunkiness makes for uneven reading, but the ending is good.

Unknown Drives by Richard Christian Matheson     6/10

Nightmares, ed. Charles L. Grant, Playboy Press, 1979

A couple on a rural road get stuck behind a slow-moving local delivery truck. Impatient to get to their destination, the husband is willing to take risks to get around the truck. A quick story, simply yet well enough written, with a little twist that the reader can just beat the narrator getting to.

The Night of the Piasa by J. C. Green & Geo. W. Proctor     6/10

Nightmares, ed. Charles L. Grant, Playboy Press, 1979

Susan Avery, formerly Su-Ni-Ta Aguilar, is an Indian (or, in more appropriate terms, Indigenous) woman who has left the hardships of living in a white man's world by masquerading as Caucasian. Yet her past follows her in the guise of the spirit of the Changing Woman.

While stories in this vein can get dated fairly quickly, this was a surprisingly enjoyable read.

The Runaway Lovers by Ray Russell     7/10

Escapade 12:6, September 1967

A pair of lovers, a troubadour and a duchesse, are captured as they attempt to flee the duchy. The duke has strong ties to the church and is reputed to rule with leniency. However, he sentences the pair of lovers to seven days of torture: one day for each of the sins. An enjoyable conte cruel from the author of "Sardonicus," it features a handful of little twists. Russell was fiction editor at Playboy for a few years, and this short story was also first published in an American men's magazine, Escapade.

Fisherman's Log by Peter D. Pautz     3/10

Nightmares, ed. Charles L. Grant, Playboy Press, 1979

A pair of young brothers are fishing in a nearby pond. They fish and tease each other for about five pages, and then an old man comes to clear them off what he insists is his land. And there is a twist, but by the time that arrives, and despite the story being short, we just don't care as we want it to end. Easily the weakest story in the collection, and really the only bad story of the bunch.

I am unfamiliar with the author. From Grant's story introduction: "Peter D. Pautz is a psychologist and Executive Secretary of the Science Fiction Writers of America and is currently completing his first novel, The Cicatrix." That novel does not appear to have ever been published. Pautz published very little fiction, though Grant appears to have been a supporter, having included a story in each of Nightmares and Shadows 2.

I Can't Help Saying Goodbye by Ann Mackenzie     8/10

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, May 1978

Nine year-old Karen Anders can't help saying goodbye, yet when she does say goodbye to someone, shortly afterwards they die. Told through the point of view of the little girl, this is a truly creepy and at the same time, sad short story. I first came across it many years ago in Ellery Queen's Circumstantial Evidence, and it has stayed with me. The story was adapted for Tales from the Darkside, but unfortunately not well and is among my least favourite episodes of the series.

Editor Grant states the story first appeared in the March issue of EQMM, but in fact it appeared in the May issue (pp. 38-40). He also writes of Ann Mackenzie: "Ms. Mackenzie is a citizen of Rhodesia, which is all any of know about her--except that she definitely knows what true horror is..."

Midnight Hobo by Ramsey Campbell     7/10

Nightmares, ed. Charles L. Grant, Playboy Press, 1979

Radio interviewer Roy is dealing with a temporary co-host, Derrick, who is giving him trouble at work. He is also dealing with some ominous creature that seems to be living in the arch of the railway bridge outside his apartment. Some nice ambiguity, and the build-up of Roy's psychological breakdown is well done.

Snakes and Snails by Jack C. Haldeman II     6/10

Nightmares, ed. Charles L. Grant, Playboy Press, 1979

Lisa accompanies husband Mark out to his isolated childhood island home to get away from work and focus on his painting. Mark recalls a young girl, Deirdre Esworthy, he played with while growing up, and is surprised to learn she still lives in the area.

Mass Without Voices by Arthur L. Samuels     6/10

Nightmares, ed. Charles L. Grant, Playboy Press, 1979

On his deathbed, a violinist reminds Craigus of their pact, and the man promises he will go through with it. A very short story told through a quartet of quick scenes. I am not familiar with the author, and according to editor Grant's story intro, "Arthur L. Samuels is a professional violinist and currently concertmaster of the New Jersey Regional Orchestra." It is one of only two stories by Samuels included in the ISFdb. 

He Kilt It with a Stick by William F. Nolan     7/10

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1968

Fred Baxter does not like cats. In fact, he despises them so much that, since a boy, he's been killing them regularly. This need proves difficult when, in his thirties, he is diagnosed with a heart condition and told not to get too excited. The story could easily have been flat had it been written as straightforward horror, but it is elevated by its tone and energy. Not to mention that great title.

The Ghouls by R. Chetwynd-Hayes     6/10

The Night Ghouls and Other Grisly Tales, London: Fontana, 1975

Mr. Edward J. Goldsmith is visited one evening by a man who tells him he is dead. In a panic, Goldsmith flees and informs a police officer of the visit, but when they return to the flat, it is empty. Shortly thereafter, Goldsmith finds himself enmeshed in the world of the dead, where a group of living attempt to re-animate the dead as a cost-effective business venture. The story's comedic elements are tiresome, and it is longer than it should be, but the end did surprise me a little and there was enough to keep me interested. I have yet to read anything by Chetwynd-Hayes that has impressed me.

Chinua Achebe, Girls at War and Other Stories

Achebe, Chinua. Girls at War and Other Stories. Heineman Educational Books, 1972.

Girls at War and Other Stories at Goodreads

Overall Rating:     8/10

The stories in Chinua Achebe's Girls at War and Other Stories span two decades, and focus greatly on Nigeria's development: on culture, religion, urbanization, post-colonialism, revolution and famine.  Customs are changing and so are people. The early stories focus primarily on traditional values and clashes with British ideology, whereas the later stories tackle Nigeria's fight for independence, and the brutal Civil War that broke out in 1967. Whatever Achebe writes about, his observations are acute and his story-telling skills marvelous. The satire and depiction of class attitudes and clashing viewpoints make for an excellent read. I am sure I missed much of the subtlety in the book, as it is removed from my own culture and I was not yet alive during the events depicted in the book or at the time the stories were written. Regardless, it is accessible and great literature. It's most impressive feature is the combination of humour and charm, alongside the dark reality of war and death.

Aside from the last story, the stories in the collection are quite short, yet whether Achebe is criticizing political campaigning, social customs or gender relations, the brevity manages to encompass biting sarcasm and snarky humour, while telling an engaging, well-rounded story.

With his longtime publisher Heinemann, Achebe helped to establish the African Writers Series as part of the Heinemann Educational Books imprint. Achebe was concerned with the representation of Africa in western literature, and aimed to bring African writers to a greater international audience. The series published over one hundred books by African authors, with Achebe's own masterpiece Things Fall Apart being the first in the series, while his other African Trilogy novels, No Longer at Ease and Arrow of God being numbers three and sixteen, respectively. The original collection, Girls at War and Other Stories, is number 100.

The Madman     8/10

The Insider (Nwankwo-Ifejika), Enugu, 1971 (in a shorter version)

An encounter on market day between a vagrant and a wealthy landowner challenges the notion of what it is to be mad. An unnamed traveller leaves the road to search for water after seeing a group of women return to the road with water-pots on their heads. Meanwhile, landowner Nwibe leaves the bickering of his wives at home to work in his field. Once his work is done, Nwibe visits a stream to wash himself, and there the vagrant steals his clothing, believing Nwibe is the cause of much of his misery.

An absolutely wonderful story that toys with the idea of madness. People are defined not by their cast or their general behaviour, but by their community and customs, and what their neighbours believe is appropriate. The successful landowner crosses paths with a "madman" who seems to have taken residence in the nearby woods, and the landowner seems to have inherited the madness, as friends and neighbours who witness him run naked through the marketplace, deem him mad, sealing his fate.

The Voter     7/10

Black Orpheus, No. 17, 1965

Campaigner for the upcoming elections Rufus "Roof" Okeke pays two shillings to anyone who will vote for the current village political party, the People's Alliance Party (PAP) and its leader, the Chief Honourable Marcus Ibe. Yet when he is approached by a campaigner for the opposing party, the Progressive Organization Party (POP), who offers him five pounds for his vote, he greedily accepts. The campaigners from POP, however, are not satisfied with his word alone, and make him swear on an iyi that he will cast his vote for their leader, or the iyi will "take note."

The story is seeping in sarcasm, and is a joy to read. Every aspect of governance is driven by selfish greed, and democracy is a joke as the people are manipulated in their vote. This story was published in 1965, five years after Nigeria gained its independence from British rule.

Marriage is a Private Affair     7/10

The University Herald, Ibadan, May 1952

Nnaemeka receives a letter from his father informing him that he would like to begin the negotiations with his neighbour to arrange a marriage between their daughter and Nnaemeka. Yet Nnaemeka now lives in Lagos and has fallen in love with a woman named Nene. He visits his father in the village to tell him, and immediately a rift is made, as his father refuses to accept the outsider woman as his daughter-in-law.

Akueke     8/10

Reflections: Nigerian Prose and Verse, edited by Frances Ademola, Lagos: African University Press, 1965

Following the death of Akueke's mother, a rift grows between her and her brothers as she rejects every male suitor that seeks her hand in marriage. A brief yet complex story of belonging. The brothers love their sister dearly, but are guided by custom and not her emotional welfare.

Chike's School Days     7/10

Rotarian, April 1960

Amos has converted to Christianity, and on the advice of a white missionary-cum-bootlegger, married an Osu woman. They had five daughters before they had their first son, Chike, and the children were taught "the ways of the white man." Chike was enamoured with the English language, even though he did not know the meaning of many words, such as periwinkle. Amos's mother, who was also a Christian convert and took the name Elizabeth, was upset with the marriage and discussed the situation with the local diviner. She performed the rites as described by the diviner, but her son "remained insane" and went through with the marriage to the Osu woman named Sarah, so Elizabeth renounced her new-found religion and "returned to the faith of her people."

A humourous bit of satire, told with immeasurable charm.

The Sacrificial Egg     7/10

Atlantic Monthly, April 1959 (in a shorter version)

Umuru is an ancient city with a vast market that has been encroached upon by neighbouring communities. The market, it is said, is blessed by a deity who attracts people of faraway places from all directions, and now the market is filled with strangers who do not know how to properly behave. This angers the evil spirit Kitikpa, who has come to the market looking for a sacrifice. Julius Obi is longing for his bride-to-be Janet, who he had left one week ago, as Janet's ma warned him to stay away while the people lay out their sacrifices to Kitikpa.

Like many of the stories in the collection, this one looks at the changing landscape of Nigeria, the blending of cultures and generations, and the tensions that all this brings about.

Polar Undergraduate     6/10

The University Herald, December 1950

A brief satirical treatise on undergraduate course schedules and sleep deprivation. The earlier of the stories included in the collection, it was published in the University of Ibadan's school paper.

Vengeful Creditor     8/10

Okike, No. 1, 1971

In terms of biting satire, this story has some finely honed teeth. The government's plan to offer free education to its citizens backfires, as over a million people take advantage and the government is nearly bankrupt. The story follows the tribulations of the well-to-do Emenikes, who suffer the loss of various servants as they leave their posts in order to take advantage of free education. One particular baby-nurse named Vero is desperate to be educated that she attempts to kill the baby for which she is caring in order to be able to attend school. Much of the story is told through the point of view of the Emenikes, and we are through them given such logic as "the craze for education in this country will one day ruin all of us."

While the story manages to be quite funny, particularly via Mr. Emenike as he attempts to be a man of the house, the image we are left with is wholly tragic. A truly fine piece of writing.

In a Village Church     7/10

The University Herald, 1951

As the people gather Sunday morning for church, our narrator observes the proceedings and those around them, and offers some insightful observations. A short and charming piece on church visits.

Dead Men's Path     8/10

The University Herald, January 1953

Michael Obi has been appointed the new headmaster of Ndume Central School. The young man and his wife are excited to bring their modern ideas to the "unprogressive" and "backward" school, and to challenge the narrow views of the "older and often less-educated" teachers. They plunge into their work, beautifying the campus grounds, when Michael notices an old villager passing through campus and discovers an old path that brought her there. He demands that the path be blocked so that the villagers cannot cut through the school grounds, but the locals are terrified, as this is the path that is taken by the spirits of the dead.

A wonderful story, the first by Achebe I ever read, I believe in Backpack Literature.

Uncle Ben's Choice     7/10

Black Orpheus, No. 19, 1966

Uncle Ben tells of his youth, his love of expensive things and his avoidance of women. All this leads to a New Year's night when he encounters Mami Wota in his bed, a spirit who grants men great wealth, but refuses to allow them to marry and have children.

An amusing, simpler story, charmingly written.

Civil Peace     7/10

Okike, No. 2, 1971

Following the Nigerian Civil War, the Igbo communities attempt to rebuild their lives. Fresh running water is again becoming available, yet the country has a long way to go in order to rebuild. Jonathan Iwegbu has a house, at least, though it has fallen to ruin, and managed to hide a bicycle during the conflict which he has now retrieved. He has also managed to save himself, his wife and three of his four children during a devastation that saw the death of close to four million civilians. Achebe appears to be criticizing the state that offered what was essentially little help to the Biafran communities, and Jonathan, skillful and smart, manages to equip his family with the means to build a better future. Local thieves come literally knocking on his door, self-professing themselves as good thieves and asking for only a hundred pounds of what the family has managed to garner.

Girls at War     8/10

Girls at War and Other Stories, Heineman Educational, 1972

Over a period of nearly two years, Reginald Nwankwo from the Ministry of Justice encounters a young militia girl, from the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War. The story chronicles the changing viewpoints over time, as the promise of freedom is dampened by death and starvation, while many not only do their best to survive, but also profit from the war.

This latter story does not have the humour of Achebe's earlier works, as it deals with tragic events and presents a world that is broken physically and in spirit. An excellent, powerful story.

For more of this week's Wednesday Short Stories, please visit Patti Abbott's blog.

I Shudder at Your Touch, edited by Michele Slung

Slung, Michele, ed. I Shudder at Your Touch. NY: ROC, May 1991.

I Shudder at Your Touch at ISFdb
I Shudder at Your Touch at Goodreads

Overall Rating:     7.5/10

Cover pic courtesy of ISFdb

There are many anthologies I'd been wanting to read more than I wanted to read I Shudder at Your Touch, but I had read positive reviews of this one, and it was at hand, so I went for it. I have the 1991 Book Club hardcover edition which I purchased, in excellent condition, in 2017 at a book fair for $3.00 (along with several other well priced books, mostly anthologies). In fact, I set another (less than inspiring) anthology aside to focus on this one. And this one I read all the way through. It is a strong collection with a diverse group of authors and stories.

The stories collected span exactly one century, with original publication years between 1892 - 1991,  inclusive. It is heavily weighted in the 1980s, with eight stories, but given its focus on sex, we can understand the selection from earlier decades would have been less available. Six of the twenty-two authors are female, and thirteen are British (with the remaining nine, along with the editor, American). Five of the stories are original to the anthology, though one appeared in the author's collection only months earlier.

The practice of mixing previously published material along with stories written specifically for a book's theme often results an an uneven work, where amid the established, sometimes recognized work, the new stories tend to disappoint. The new stories included here, however, are quite good. While the theme of the anthology is sex, the subject is dealt with in incredibly diverse ways, and while a couple of the stories do veer close to being explicit, there is nothing pornographic within these pages. The erotic aspect is, for most stories, blended into the plot, though there are a couple of pieces that contain it as an aside, and the stories would be little altered if the sex aspect were removed.

My favourite story is Clive Barker's highly original and thought-provoking "Jacqueline Tess: Her Will and Testament (1984). I also really liked Ronald Duncan's ambiguous "Consanguinity," (1965) and Stephen R. Donaldson's "The Conqueror Worm" (1983), and the stories by Michael Blumlein, Patrick McGrath, Robert Aickman, Robert Hichens and Stephen King. My favourite of the original stories is McGrath's "Cleave the Vampire, or A Gothic Pastoral" (1991), which appears to not yet have been collected. (I do like McGrath's work in general.)

And now for the stories...


The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson by Stephen King     7/10
Rolling Stone #426/427, 19 July/2 August 1984

Neglected housewife Rebecca Paulson begins to receive visions after accidentally shooting herself in the head. An as yet uncollected story by Stephen King (outside a special 30th anniversary edition of Skeleton Crew put out by PS Publishing in 2015), it would later become a section of his novel The Tommyknockers (1987), and adapted for The Outer Limits with a wonderful performance by the versatile Catherine O'Hara. You can read my extended review here.


Sea Lovers by Valerie Martin     6/10
Black Warrior Review, Volume II, Number 2, Spring 1985

The Consolation of Nature & Other Stories. NY: Houghton Mifflen, 1988

"Sea Lovers" is a tale of a mermaid and her experiences witnessing the plights of man in an unsympathetic ocean--and by man, I mean men. The story does well in challenging sentimental notions of the naïve, child-like mermaid, fresh from the archaic world of the sea. Here she is strictly a sea creature, and the world has a distinct division between life in sea and life on land. It is not that a mermaid will find challenges on land, but more that man cannot survive atop the sea, and any battle with the sea leads to death. Our heroine is very much aware of the frailty of life and man's weakness, and that all life is at the mercy of the sea, in which she strives. Like the sea the mermaid is cold and unhindered by death. Her take on man and life is matter-of-fact, accepting it for what it is. Without spoilers, the ending is quite strong and the title is nicely ironic.

By the author of the Nebula and World Fantasy nominated Mary Reilly, which I thought was pretty good but not great.


Psychopomp by Haydn Middleton     6/10
I Shudder at Your Touch. Michele Slung, ed. NY: ROC, May 1991

A restless man returns to the town of his birth, believing he can recapture something from his youth to fill the void of his adult life. Disappointed and ready to return home, he notices at the train station a former lover, and through her he manages to return farther than he, or the reader, might anticipate. A surprisingly good story from an author I had not yet encountered. The first of the original stories in the collection.


A Glowing Future by Ruth Rendell     6/10
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, September 1977

A jilted woman watches her lover packing up his precious knickknacks as he prepares to ship them oversees to his awaiting new lover. One of the few stories in the anthology with no supernatural element. It is highly predictable and hearkens back to earlier pulp story ideas with a touch of Poe, it is nonetheless enjoyable as it is well written and brief. Another story, following "Sea Lovers," whose title by its end becomes ironic.


The Tiger Returns to the Mountain by T. L. Parkinson     6/10
I Shudder at Your Touch. Michele Slung, ed. NY: ROC, May 1991

Reports of a convict having escaped the penitentiary on the mountain atop the town spread like wildfire.

Essentially a modern re-telling of "Beauty and the Beast." The story offers nice ambiguity on the notion of the beast. The beast in this case, the tiger, is identified through reputation, gossip and rumour, not through his actions. The second of the original stories, it is taut, suspenseful and offers some fine ambiguity.


Consanguinity by Ronald Duncan     8/10
The Fourth Ghost Book. James Turner, ed. Barrie & Rockliff, 1965

Captain Maclean encounters Major Buckle on a train to Edinburgh, and after brief conversation, learns the man is alone and invites him to stay at his house with him and his sister. Angela proves to be a beautiful thirty year-old virgin, and the Major immediately desires her. Her unusual relationship with her brother, not quite incestuous but overly familiar, lies as a backdrop to Buckle's courtship of the woman. Or vice versa, as the romance is almost incidental amid the passionate relationship between siblings.

A fascinating story featuring a fascinating triangle. Well written and riveting. Not only is this an ambiguous ghost story, it is also a vignette of life amid war, of people trying to maintain some organized civilian life as war rages around them.

Keeping House by Michael Blumlein     7/10
The Brains of Rats. Scream Press, September 1990

Toying with some of the conventions of haunted house stories, this fascinating piece mirrors some of the ideas of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" to reveal the psychological decline of an intelligent and hard-working woman after she and her family move into their new home. My detailed review, written in 2018,  can be found here.


The Villa Désirée by Mary Sinclair     6/10
Hutchinson's Magazine. December 1921

Mildred was recently engaged to the wealthy Louis Carson. In preparation for their wedding he sent her to his house, the Villa Désirée, in Roquebrune, along the French Riviera. She would be not too far from her recently married friends who are on their honeymoon. The friends are concerned, however, since in the very bedroom of the villa she is to occupy, Carson's first wife died of a severe fit on their honeymoon. A good read, but the plodding and overly-detailed first half failed to elevate it beyond good. Probably Sinclair's most anthologized short story.

(There is an unfortunate typo on page 105: "There engagement had come quick...")


Cleave the Vampire, or A Gothic Pastorale by Patrick McGrath     7/10
I Shudder at Your Touch. Michele Slung, ed. NY: ROC, May 1991

This wonderful satire on class divisions features a wealthy old order lady who is convinced that one of the competing cricket players invited to play at her country home is a vampire. Her paranoia increases when she thinks he has his eyes set on her daughter. Some great humour and ambiguity tossed into the mix. I have always liked the Patrick McGrath's short stories, and recommend his collection Blood and Water and Other Tales (Poseidon Press, 1988).

The Swords by Robert Aickman     7/10
The Fifth Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories. Robert Aickman, ed. Fontana, December 1969

A young man stumbles upon a street circus act where the all-male audience members are invited to stab a woman with a sword. Our young and inexperienced protagonist is taken by this woman, and a seemingly chance meeting with her and her agent lead to a rendezvous between the two. This story is original and gripping, and nicely dark as we are transported to the more run-down areas of society. Sex in this story is essential, and presented as darkly as the neighbourhood in which the story is set. A great read.


Salon Satin by Carolyn Banks     6/10
I Shudder at Your Touch. Michele Slung, ed. NY: ROC, May 1991

An overweight woman signs up for a weight loss program through Salon Satin, who offer some unusual seductive practices and promises. An amusing tale with a requisite twist which, though not terribly shocking, I admit I did not see coming.


How Love Came to Professor Guildea by Robert Hichens     8/10
Pearson's Magazine, October 1897 (as "The Man Who Was Beloved"); Tongues of Conscience, Methuen, 1900

Stoic yet beneficent inventor Professor Frederic Guildea does not require social interaction, and mostly detests the company of others, living only for his work. Yet Guildea takes a liking to Father Murchison, his complete opposite, and the two men soon establish a friendship. One evening, Guildea reveals to Murchison that he believes a spirit of some kind has moved into his house, and has attached itself to him, adoring him. The conviction of this being's adoration sends him spiraling.

This is a re-read, and I prefer it this time over my first reading from a few of years ago. The story is well constructed, patient with its material without making the story overlong. The proof of the invisible being is well done, the character dynamics are great, and the ideas are interesting. Moreover, the story ends on an effective double-entendre.

Wings by Harriet Zinnes     6/10

New Directions 52: An International Anthology of Prose & Poetry, James Laughlin, ed., New Directions, December 1988

Following a rehearsal, a gay actor returns home to find that some objects in his apartment have been moved, and soon discovers a young woman on his bed. She wants to seduce him, and though he is disgusted, he finds that the woman has a strange power over him.

An interesting take on the succubus, told mainly through interior monologue. Well enough written, but largely forgettable.

The Basilisk by R. Murray Gilchrist     6/10

The National Observer, 23 July 1892

The male narrator professes his absolute love for Marina, who responds: "There is a creature called a Basilisk, which turns men and women into stone. In my girlhood I saw the Basilisk--I am stone!"

This is an odd and ambiguous story, which I first read about six or seven years ago, though I recalled nothing about it. I have a theory as to what actually happens, but it doesn't explain all the minute details of the text. I normally enjoy investigating stories of the period, but unfortunately this one is a little dry, though short, so I'm not sure I want to explore it too deeply.


A Quarter Past You by Jonathan Carroll     7/10
Excerpt from A Child Across the Sky. NY: Legend, 1989

A happily married couple begins experimenting with sex based on a fantasy of the woman's. Yet what begins as an experiment to help heighten the only stagnant part of an otherwise strong relationship, begins to deteriorate the relationship itself, as the man's insecurities are awakened. The subject and psychology are interesting, and the story's escalation is well developed. There is really only one direction in which the narrative can go, so the conclusion comes across with less impact than the build-up promises.


The Master Builder by Christopher Fowler     7/10
The Bureau of Lost Souls. Century, 1989

Busy New York professional Laurie Fischer purchases a decrepit old apartment and hires the eccentric though highly reputed interior designer Ray Belano to redesign the place. With its shifting plot focus, the story requires its novelette length, yet flows much like a short story. Fowler keeps the climactic scene brief, appropriately, The revelation of what is going on is the real climax, and the following action is more of the denouement.

Another story with no fantastical element, though it progresses in a way that anticipates the fantastic.


Festival by Eric McCormack     7/10

Inspecting the Vaults, Penguin/Viking, 1987

A troubled couple attend an unusual festival in a small town in the hills. Over three days, three highly unusual events occur on stage, and the couple are somehow implicated.

A highly original story, with a neat point of view switch. There is little information given about the couple, no names, no gender. The narrator, one half of the couple, is primarily an observer of events, and bits are revealed throughout. There is no motive given for why they have come to the fextival, but one can be implied. I liked this story more the second time around. Oddly, I knew I had read it before, but recalled absolutely nothing about it.

Ladies in Waiting by Hugh B. Cave     7/10

Whispers, June 1975

A young couple searching for a fix-it-up home re-visit a decrepit house they had turned down four months before. While the husband refuses to consider the purchase, the wife is oddly drawn to the place, despite their previous unpleasantness of being snowed in overnight on their initial visit.

An enjoyable pulpy read.


Death and the Single Girl by Thomas M. Disch     5/10
Getting into Death and Other Stories. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, February 1976

Wanting to end her life, a young woman phones death for an appointment. Generally speaking, I am not overly fond of comedic supernatural stories. This one is no exception, and for me it is easily the weakest in the collection.


Master by Angela Carter     7/10
Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces, London: Quartet, 1974

A rage-filled hunter finds himself in the Amazon where he purchases a young native girl and heads deep into the jungle to kill anything that crosses his path. This one is strong, very well written, and a somewhat difficult to read take on colonialism.


The Conqueror Worm by Stephen R. Donaldson     8/10
Dodd, Mead Gallery of Horror. Charles L. Grant, editor. Dodd, Mead, 1983

A young couple, home drunk after a party, get into a heated argument. As they argue, from room to room, a ten-inch centipede appears, more aggressive each time.

A strong story where the centipede acts as both a very real aggressor, and a reflection of the husband's self-destructive nature. The husband is cruel and downright awful, and the tension with the centipede, as it pursues the wife, is a great expression of tension. The story is also framed in sections, one for each room, and each section opens with a stage settings. Very well constructed.


Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament by Clive Barker     9/10

The Books of Blood, Volume II, Sphere, 1984

Following a failed attempted suicide, a young, depressed woman discovers the power to physically mold the men around her. After doing away with her selfish husband, Jacqueline Ess sets off on a journey to learn how to control her power, and leaves behind a trail of obsessive men who give up their lives to pursue her.

An excellent story that has impressed me more now than when I first read it (though I admired it then, as well). Barker has created something quite unique here. The story of a self-professed monster who is among the monsters in literature I've sympathized with the most. And that ending!

Well written, with Barker showing great empathy for the suffering woman, and thereby toward suffering women who are dominated by a male society.

Beyond Lies the Wub: The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick, Volume One (1987)

Dick, Philip K. Beyond Lies the Wub: The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick. Underwood-Miller, 1987.

Overall:     8/10

The volumes of Philip K. Dick's Collected Stories reprint his short stories and novelettes chronologically as of their time of composition, and Volume One, Beyond Lies the Wub, contains his earliest stories, most published between 1952-53. Since Dick's writing improves with experience, the latter volumes are likely better as a whole, but there are nonetheless a good number of strong stories in here. The ideas are fresh, and many of the themes that are today associated with his work are present in many of the early stories. Alongside them are experiments he abandoned early, thankfully. Such as the character Dr. Rupert Labyrinth and whatever humour Dick tried to infuse in these stories.

Though these are his early works, a few of his better and oft read stories are found here. My favourites are the standards "The Variable Man" and "Paycheck," along with the outright sci-fi horror "The Colony," and the predictable but compelling "The Skull." Really, all the stories are good, with the exception of the little humourous ones. My least favourite is the forgettable "The Short Happy Life of the Oxford Brown."

Stability     7/10

The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick Volume One: Beyond Lies the Wub, Columbia: Underwood/Miller, 1987.

In a distant future society, Robert Benton is called to see the Controller, who informs him that the invention he has submitted has been rejected, as it threatens the stability of society. Benton is confused, however, since despite confirming that it is his handwriting on the submission forms, he does not recall having submitted any invention.

According to the notes in the book, "Stability" was written around 1947, but was not published until it was included in this first volume of his collected short stories in 1987. In the story, Dick presents us with two visions of authoritarian society. In the first, Benton lives a leisurely life while many others appear to serve government, feeding machines with data cards, attempting to halt progress as it is believed humans have gone as far as they were meant to. In the other, humans are slaves to machines in a more industrial society. Little is given of this world, but we can imagine either a leisure class that benefits from what is essentially human slavery, or a world entirely controlled by machines.

Dick does not give preference to either of these worlds, presenting two dystopic visions of humanity. Though famously known for abhorring extreme forms of government, and there is much in the first society to indicate the utter control which government holds, he also wrote much about humanity's subservience to machines and technology. In both these worlds humans, or at least some classes of humans, are subservient to machines, but in the former world, protagonist Benton does live a comfortable life and appears capable of free thought, if not free action, whereas in the latter he appears entirely brainwashed.

Roog     7/10

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1953.

The world seen through the eyes of a loyal dog, who tries to guard the valuable trash bin from the invading garbage collectors. Amusing and kind of sweet.

According to the notes section from The Collected Works of PKD Volume 1, "Roog" was Dick's first sale, though not his first publication. Those same notes, written by Dick himself, indicate that it was among his personal favourite stories.

The Little Movement     7/10

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, November 1952.

A vendor manages to sell a wind-up toy soldier to a passing boy and his father. At the house, the toy soldier immediately puts his plan into motion: to conquer the world by controlling children. It turns out a number of sentient toys have been unleashed on the world seeking dominion, but many have been lost or destroyed, and the little soldier tries to rally the remaining toys in order to execute their goal.

Beyond Lies the Wub     7/10

Planet Stories, July 1952.

During a re-supply stop at a space station, crewman Peterson purchases a porcine alien known as a wub. He is ridiculed for the purchase, and Captain Franco, who is displeased with the extra weight aboard and the ship's food shortage, wants the wub served up for dinner. But the wub proves to be an intelligent, talkative creature, who quickly befriends Peterson and grows to be liked by the crew. Captain Franco, however, fears the animal, and orders it to be cooked.

A highly enjoyable story with a great ending. I've re-read this story a few times and it continues to delight. I believe this was the first Dick I read, from the anthology First Voyages, edited by  Martin H. Greenberg, Damon Knight and Joseph D. Olander, Avon, 1981.

The Gun     7/10

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1953.

In the hope of encountering intelligent life, a ship seeks the source of a distant bright light. However, when they reach the planet from which the light emanated, they are shot down. They soon discover that the inhabitants of the planet have annihilated one another, and a gun was erected over a tomb which contains the relics of their civilization. The crew stranded on the planet need to discover a way to leave the planet without again getting shot down.

A powerful anti-war piece, one of many written by Dick.

The Skull     8/10

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1953.

In the distant future, prisoner Congden is sent back in time to kill the founder of the First Church, a group that is believed to have altered the course of civilization for the worse. He is handed the founder's skull as a tool to help recognize the man.

An excellent time travel story that holds up well, despite an obvious ending.

The Defenders     6/10

Galaxy Science Fiction, January 1953.

Well into a nuclear war, humans have moved underground where they have constructed a new civilization, yet their machines of war continue to battle on the planet surface. Don Taylor is called away from his Rest Period and brought to First Level, just below the surface, where he is shown a recent discovery. A surface robot, or "leady," was brought down and appeared to be entirely free of radiation. This is the second leady to have recently been found with no traces of radiation, and after eight years living underground, the military believes it is time to send a party of men to the surface to investigate.

A good concept, more idealistic and less defeatist than much of Dick's other work. The enemy again is Russia, as the story links the move underground to the latter stages of the Cold War. Elements of this story were used in his 1964 novel, The Penultimate Truth.

Mr. Spaceship     6/10

Imagination, January 1953.

In an ongoing battle against a race near Alpha Proxima, humans are at a standstill as they cannot breach the defenses set up by thinking mines. So in order to fight against intelligent weapons, the humans develop an experimental ship controlled by a disembodied human mind.

A slow start, the story does manage to become quite interesting as it plods along. I can only imagine how great some of these earlier stories would have been had a good editor been available to help remove some of the  awkward clunkiness in Dick's writing. Yet given his financial situation throughout his life, Dick was always in a hurry to publish.

Piper in the Woods     6/10

Imagination, February 1953.

A soldier at an asteroid garrison returns believing he is a plant. A psychologist begins to investigate the belief, as more people stationed at the asteroid become infected with the same belief.

Published one month after "Mr. Spaceship" in the same publication, this one replaces the clunkiness of its predecessor with much charm.

The Infinites     6/10

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1953.

Near the end of their mission scouting for asteroids, a three-person crew lands on an odd piece of rock to investigate, but are struck by intense radiation. On their way back to Earth, they begin quickly to transform physically, then mentally.

An interesting idea, though not entirely new, on rapid evolution. Some poor characterization and awkward writing and dialogue unfortunately drag this story down. Particularly the 1950s depiction of a distant future where women continue to be characterized and emphasized by their appearance. The single female in this story, though a competent scientist, loses her competency when she loses her hair.

The Preserving Machine     6/10

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1953.

The first Dr. Rupert Labyrinth story, in which he creates a machine to help preserve music after suffering a nightmare where music is destroyed during wartime. The music, however, is stored in some unique living creatures. The creatures are neat and Dick's play with creating creatures that capture the essence of popular composers is the best part of the story.

Expendable     5/10

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1953.

A man displays intense paranoia when he believes he can listen in on the conversations of insects. Another interesting idea with much potential for horror, particularly the build-up near the end, which is lessened by some weak writing and a last line that I found to be just awkward.

The Variable Man     7/10

Space Science Fiction, September 1953.

In the year 2136, at the culmination of a century-long war between Earth and Proxima Centauri, humans wait for their machines to send predictions of who would win the war. As the prediction begins to favour Terra, and they prepare to launch a major assault, a man is brought back from 1912, and the machines can no longer give their predictions. This is the variable man. 

The Indefatigable Frog     7/10

Fantastic Story Magazine, July 1953.

A pair of college professors, Hardy and Grote, argue over Zeno's paradox of the frog and the well. This paradox proposes that a frog tries to hop out of a well, but each of its jumps is half the previous one, so  will he be able to reach the top of the well? Prof. Hardy lectures that a small margin will always remain and the frog will never reach the top of the well, whereas Prof. Grote insists that even with each jump being reduced by half its length, it would eventually make its way to the top. To settle the argument, the two create an experiment using a frog and a tube, and shrink the frog's size to half with each jump.

An interesting concept and a good story.

The Crystal Crypt     7/10

Planet Stories, January 1954.

Structured as a triptych, with the first third presenting the Martians questioning the passengers of a stalled ship to find their perpetrators, the second being the story of the trio who allegedly destroy the city, and the third being the brief denouement. My favourite is the first, as it is genuinely suspenseful and Dick does a good job at set-up. The finale is expected, because there really only is one way the story, as it is presented, can end.

The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford     5/10

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1954.

Dr. Rupert Labyrinth has built an agitator, a machine that makes inanimate objects come to life. Believing he has failed, he gives the machine to the narrator, who stores a pair of wet shoes in the machine overnight. Lo and Behold! the shoes come to life. The story is more of a joke, missing the interesting elements of the previous Dr. Labyrinth tale that made that one, at least, a little interesting. This one is, sadly, just plain bad.

The Builder     7/10

Amazing Stories, December 1953-January 1954.

An average suburban man is obsessed with building a boat in his yard, to the ridicule of his neighbours and the detriment to his marriage; even his older son mocks him. The story focuses on his obsession and mounting self-doubt.

Meddler     7/10

Future Science Fiction, October 1954.

An expert in history is brought into a secret government mission. A "digger" was sent into the future to take images in order to evaluate current government policy, and while the photos indicated prosperity for the future, soon the images changed to war and seemingly annihilation. The belief is that sending the digger to the future is what brought this on, and the historian is sent forward to investigate the root cause.

Highly suspenseful and again a wonderful idea from Dick. Yet again the ending is predictable, but this form of time travel ending (I won't spoil it) has become familiar to contemporary readers. It may have been familiar in the 1950s as well, since it was only first reprinted in Dick's 1980 collection, The Golden Man (Berkley).

Paycheck     8/10

Imagination, June 1953.

Following a two-year involvement in a secret corporate venture, Jennings awakens with no memory of those two years. This was pre-arranged between himself and his employer, all for a hefty paycheck. Yet Jennings trades in his pay for a bag of trinkets he had prepared for himself a few days prior to awakening, and with the aid of these items, he begins to piece together the events of the last two years.

An excellent concept and a great story. The piecing together seems a little too easy, though, but I guess for length it had to be simplified. With more complex plotting and wider world building, "Paycheck" could have been a novel. However, the ending, as is, works with a short piece, as it would be a let-down in book-length.

Avoid that awful John Woo adaptation.

The Great C     7/10

Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, September 1953.

The Great C is a super-computer that many generations ago grew too powerful, and wreaked nuclear wreckage on humanity, an event known as the "Smash." Since the Smash, a tribe of surviving humans must each year send one of its members to the Great C to ask it three questions. If the computer is  able to answer the questions, the tribe member will be sacrificed, whereas if it is unable to answer, it will free humanity.

A strong story, with added weight in the age of AI.

Out in the Garden     7/10

Fantasy Fiction, August 1953.

Robert Nye complains to his friend Lindquist that his wife Peggy is always in the yard with Sir Francis, her pet duck. Lindquist is reminded of Yeats's poem "Leda and the Swan," which recounts the story of Zeus impregnating Leda while in the form of a swan. When Peggy gives birth to a boy, Robert begins to question if the child is his.

A good story with a great, horrible ending.

The King of the Elves     6/10

Beyond Fantasy Fiction, September 1953.

Gas station owner Shadrach Jones is visited by elves. It appears their king has died in the old man's bed, and has commanded his subjects to make Jones their new king.

Among the weaker stories of the bunch.

Colony     8/10

Galaxy Science Fiction, June 1953.

An exploration team on the "Blue Planet" believe they have discovered paradise. However, when Major Lawrence Hall's microscope tries to strangle him and other items begin attacking the crew, they learn that this perfectly safe planet houses the most dangerous life form, one that can perfectly imitate any inanimate object.

Among my favourite stories of the collection. A great example of science-fiction horror, as well as Dick's fascination with paranoia.

Prize Ship     7/10

Thrilling Wonder Stories, Winter 1954.

Centuries in the future, inhabitants of the nine planets use "cradles" to warp to outer colonies. Aliens from Ganymede have hijacked the cradles and threaten to destroy them if the solar system alliance refuses to pay them a tax for every shipment sent out. On the cusp of giving in to the Ganys, the alliance manages to capture an experimental Gany ship, and tries to use it to get to the outer colonies. Only it is an odd vessel, and the first flight takes them to a strange world.

The build-up and complication of the plot are more complex than the denouement deserves, since the details of the alliance and the Gany's and their technology is pushed aside as focus in the latter part of the story is primarily on the strange world and a bit of PKD humour.

Nanny     7/10

Startling Stories, Spring 1955.

Tom and Mary Fields rely heavily on their robotic nanny. Nanny, though, is an older model, and gets into a scuffle with a newer model that leaves her in need of repairs. It seems it is common for robot nannies to get into scuffles, with the newer models destroying the older ones, while the industry profits, as they encourage consumers to purchase the newer ones rather than repair the damaged nannies.

There isn't much by way of story here, but the idea is excellent, and while Mr. Fields figures out the consumer aspect of the racket, he is nonetheless driven emotionally to purchase something he can barely afford, and is essentially part of a pattern, or even a pandemic or consumerism.

For more of this week's Wednesday short stories, please visit Patti Abbott's blog.

Roald Dahl, Skin and Other Stories

Dahl, Roald. Skin and Other Stories. Puffin/Penguin, 2000.

Skin and Other Stories at ISFdb

Skin and Other Stories at Goodreads

Overall rating:     6/10

Of the eleven stories in this collection, I had already read six, though none of them recently. The collection is a little uneven, as it includes stories from different aspects of Dahl's oeuvre: his short suspense and twisty stories, along with a couple of the early WWII tales and a pair of novelettes, which I really could have done without. Dahl's adult short stories are hit-and-miss, as is this collection.

Skin     8/10

The New Yorker, 17 May 1952

Tattoo artist Drioli, now an old man, notices a painting in a shop window on the rue de Rivoli, and recognizes the artist as a friend from before the war. He had met fellow Russian countryman Chaïm Soutine by chance in a bar, and the two hit it off, soon living together along with Drioli's wife. Soutine was a painter and Drioli a tattoo artist, and one drunken evening Soutine painted an image of Drioli's wife onto Drioli's back, which he then tattooed. Now, poor and miserable, Drioli discovers that there is a large fortune on the skin of his back.

At first I was mixed about this story, as I sometimes am with stories that hinge too much on their twist ending. I was immersed in the pre-wartime narrative of this trio of struggling, drinking immigrant artists, that the ending initially came off as disappointing in light of their relationship. A few days of reflection, I decided that the ending in this case enhances certain aspects of the characters and their relationships, and is arguably the darkest ending of Dahl's shorter works.

Lamb to the Slaughter     8/10

Harper's Magazine, September 1953

A very pregnant and very smitten Mary Maloney waits for her husband, Officer Patrick Maloney, to come home after work. It is Thursday night, the night they normally go out for dinner, so she hasn't prepared anything. But when Officer Maloney does come home, it is clear something is wrong, and she suggests they stay in and she will defrost some meat to prepare for dinner. Maloney finally tells her that he is leaving her for another woman. Mary is in shock, not fully comprehending, and takes a leg of lamb from the freezer, which, without premeditation, she uses to knock him dead.

A wonderful story, economically written. It is our concern for Mary that drives the narrative, and Dahl succeeds in creating a victim out of a murderer. The story is enhanced by its wonderful and faithful adaptation (adapted faithfully by Dahl himself) for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, directed by the Master of Suspense himself. It is difficult to read the story, though I've read it a few times, without seeing the wonderful Barbara Bel Geddes as Mary Maloney.

The Sound Machine     7/10

The New Yorker, 17 September 1949

Klausner has invented a machine that can pick up vibrations--sounds--at pitches far beyond what the human ear can hear. Though secretive by nature, Klausner reveals the nature of his invention to his doctor, who happened to walk by as he was working on it. The machine finally ready, Klausner soon learns that the cutting of flowers and other living organisms appears to cause a terrible reaction from the source.

An enjoyable story whose ending is focused more on the effect of the machine on its inventor, rather than some kind of twist.

An African Story     6/10

Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying, Reynal & Hitchcock, 1946

In the highlands of Kenya, an old man living isolated and alone tells the tale of his once neighbour Judson, who killed his dog, and the patient vengeance he eventually set up for the man. Well written and captures the mood and the isolation of the Kenyan plains, the last portion is expected and as a result some of the charm wears off.

The story is framed by an RAF pilot who encountered the man when his plane went down. The old man, glad for company, recounted the tale with claims he'd never told anyone. The pilot write it down as soon as he returned home, and kept it to himself until a fellow airman found it following his death. A bit of a build-up for the story, likely to fit into the collection in which it first appeared, but not too necessary for the story if it appears by itself. It would be better to let the Kenyan narrate the tale and not through the interpretation of the white, European pilot.

Galloping Foxley     6/10

Town & Country, November 1953

Perkins is a sixty-three year-old man of routine, who particularly enjoys his daily commute to work. Until one day, when a stranger appears on the platform of the train station, instilling unease in the usual travellers. When getting on the train, the stranger steps into Perkins's compartment and sits facing him. At first appalled, Perkins soon recognizes the stranger to be Bruce "Galloping" Foxley, who at their private boarding school, mercilessly bullied the younger Perkins.

Much of the story focuses on details of the bullying. My favourite section is the opening, preceding the memories, with Perkins describing the pleasure he gets from his commute, and the discomfort generated by the stranger who appears on the platform, disrupting his routine. The bullying sequence is overlong, and the twist in this one sort of negates the emotions that arose, as it aims more at the comical than the dramatic.

The Wish     7/10

uncertain original publication data, 1948

A young boy decides to walk along the extended hallway to the front door, stepping only on the yellow parts of the carpet. Make believe begins to blur reality and imagination, and a nice ambiguous ending makes the reader wonder what really happened. A nice, brief story, made interesting by its capture of childhood fun, and its ambiguous finish. Felt reminiscent of Bradbury's stories, probably in the treatment of childhood games.

Unfortunately, I can't find the original publication information for "The Wish." Many sources indicate the year as 1948, but then go onto mention its publication in Someone Like You, which first appeared in 1953. Chat GPT was unable to help me with this, but confirmed 1948 as the year based on "several sources." (Probably the same sources I looked at.)

The Surgeon     5/10

Playboy, January 1988

Dr. Robert Sandy has saved the life of a Saudi Arabian prince, and the prince offers him a gift of large, white diamond. He visits a jeweler and learns the diamond can be worth one million on the market, then heads home to share the news with his wife. They are about to drive off for the weekend, and wonder where they could hide the diamond to ensure its safety.

The shortest story in the collection is followed by the longest. "The Surgeon" is overlong, and reads as though Dahl needed to reach a minimum word count, since there are so many unnecessary details bogging down what is really a simple story. Had it been the length of "Lamb to the Slaughter," it might be ok, but the story hinges on one single idea, the clever hiding of the diamond, and what follows is just not that interesting. It is not helped that the uninteresting latter part of the story is long, and the ending is outright flat. To add to this, probably because the story appeared originally in Playboy, the (very mild) cursing in the story is awkward, as it is forced.

Dip in the Pool     7/10

The New Yorker, 19 January 1952

During a cruise, passenger William Botibol aims to win the daily pool in which bets are made as to how much distance the ship will make the following twenty-four hours. Since the ship entered a storm, Botibol bets low, but awakens in the morning to calm weather and a speeding ship. Desperate to win the six thousand dollar pool, he plans a risky maneuver to slow the ship down.

I first read this as a kid and it remains an enjoyable story. As with Dahl's most interesting work, it is short and focused on its trickery. I found the betting process more interesting than Botibol's plans and the story's climax.

The Champion of the World     5/10

The New Yorker, 31 January 1959

Two filling station employees plan to poach the pheasants on the land of the local arrogant wealthy brewer. Another overlong story, this one is more of a comedic story for younger readers, and is not terribly funny nor very interesting. Perhaps in 1959 it would've raised a couple of chuckles.

Beware of the Dog     7/10

Harper's Magazine, October 1944

A World War II British fighter pilot is flying home, disoriented as he has lost his right leg. Feeling he will lose consciousness, he bails from the plane, and later awakens in a hospital room. Halfway down his right leg is a stump, and though he is taken well care of by a nurse and doctor, he continues to feel disoriented, and cannot bury the feeling that something is just not right.

A genuinely suspenseful story, well written, nicely fusing Dahl's wartime writing with his suspense story writing.

My Lady Love, My Dove     6/10

The New Yorker, 21 June 1952

Arthur and his wife Pamela have invited the Snapes over for the weekend for bridge. While Pamela does not particularly like the Henry and Sally Snape, they play a good game so she is happy to have them. As the pair discuss the weekend the morning before their guests' arrival, domineering Pamela thinks it would be a good idea for Arthur to place a microphone in the gust bedroom, and in the evening eavesdrop on their private conversation.

An entertaining story that unfortunately falls flat. I understand what Dahl is doing in terms of characterizing Pamela and the couple's dynamic, but the focus of the buildup is pretty much discarded for the joke.