Creating Monsters II: The Birds
What Daphne du Maurier does in “The Birds” was not new. H. G. Wells was her mentor, I believe, for he wrote several stories about Read More
Category: Horror Fiction
The Science Fiction of Clark Ashton Smith
Usually when you mention Clark Ashton Smith you get a nod towards H. P. Lovecraft or Weird Tales. Certainly Smith did make his reputation in Read More
The Gods of East & West
In a previous article I showed how “The Tomb of Sarah” was the inspiration for one of Seabury Quinn’s Jules de Grandin stories. Quinn wrote Read More
Creating Monsters: The Morlocks
This is the first in a series of articles on writing Monster Stories. It is only fitting that the first author we should focus on Read More
The False Monster Tradition
The notion that a monster should prove to be a fraud is a fairly recent idea. The warriors gathered around the scop reciting Beowulf would Read More
Ramsey Campbell’s Sword & Sorcery Hero – Ryre
Writers often experiment early in their careers, trying different styles, genres or publishing opportunities. Until success pulls them in a certain direction the scribbler is Read More
Weird Wednesdays: Malcolm M. Ferguson (1919-2011)
I began this piece with one goal in mind, to find a latter day Lovecraftian tribute, preferably one that others had missed. That’s not what Read More
The Ghosts of an Antiquary
M. R. James (1862-1936) is in my mind the greatest of all the ghost story writers. Nobody else can deliver a true shudder of grim Read More
William Hope Hodgson: The Bottleneck
Horror writers use many techniques to heighten the terror in their work. One of my favorites is the bottleneck. As with traffic jams, the bottleneck Read More
The Case of the Coptic Priest
How do you create an Occult Detective in the last half of the 20th century? Edward D. Hoch found an old solution to a new Read More