Now come the days of taking shelter with something booky with the heating turned up or swathed in a duvet chrysalis. Here are some of the books I like to revisit in autumn and winter.
Tag Archives: creatures
Who and What is Wonda?
Wonda is a somewhat vague, nebulous, and free spirit* with a subtle current of mystery and hidden wisdom about what lies behind the veneer of reality. (*When this author says “spirit” he means personality — Wonda is a human, not a Ghost.) This young woman lives in a secluded tower on a piece of landContinue reading “Who and What is Wonda?”
The Lapuli
The most infamous stench in the world emanates from the lapuli. Its pungent venom is extracted for use in industrial-strength vermin repellents. The aroma is enough to cause children and those of a more sensitive disposition to lose consciousness and suffer vivid nightmares. In most adult persons, prolonged exposure to the smell causes lurid hallucinations.Continue reading “The Lapuli”
What is a Forrestmuir?
The forrestmuir is a fairly rare creature that nests in mountainous or hilly regions in the north-western continent of Dal-Rhiatah, but is sometimes found hunting in wooded areas there. They are difficult to spot when amongst the trees as their plumage camouflages them in dappled light and against leaves. They have wings at least theContinue reading “What is a Forrestmuir?”
Who and What is Captain Rossa?
This young female member of the Griny-Plinth is their army’s second-in-command under General Morticum. We meet Captain Rossa during Logan‘s adventures on the magical continent of Thosea, when he and his friends are captured by the Griny-Plinth army and detained for being homo sapiens in their territory. She is a stickler for propriety and followingContinue reading “Who and What is Captain Rossa?”
Who and What is Plintheus Morticum?
Plintheus Morticum the First, otherwise referred to as General Morticum or My Lord, is the leader and guardian of a race of sentient rodent-type creatures known as the Griny-Plinth. He lives in the Griny-Plinth burrow (which was constructed around and on top of an ancient burial mound) past the river Eridanus on the magical continentContinue reading “Who and What is Plintheus Morticum?”
Selkies and How to Protect Yourself Against Lightning
Part XV of Amulets & Talismans The mythical half-human creatures known as Selkies can be found in Norse, Scottish, Irish, Icelandic, and Faroese stories. Selkies shapeshifted between human and seal form by shedding and replacing their skins. The word “Selkie” comes from the Scottish word selch, which means “grey seal.” The most common form ofContinue reading “Selkies and How to Protect Yourself Against Lightning”
Review: The Inhabitant of the Lake & Other Unwelcome Tenants by Ramsey Campbell
4 out of 5 stars One of my first thoughts, on reading “The Horror From the Bridge” (the second tale in this collection) was: who is Peabody and why is their voice drifting out of the window (on page 28)? The second story, “The Insects from Shaggai” was one of my favourites. The description ofContinue reading “Review: The Inhabitant of the Lake & Other Unwelcome Tenants by Ramsey Campbell”
Dead Cats and Lucky Cats
Part VIII of Amulets & Talismans Since at least the 16th-century in England, Scotland, North Europe, and North America, people erecting houses would hide the corpse of a cat (and sometimes other objects such as old shoes, dried dead rats, and witch bottles) in the walls of the building to repel evil spirits and protectContinue reading “Dead Cats and Lucky Cats”
Rabbit’s Feet & Frog Coffins
Part VI of Amulets & Talismans The belief in carrying a rabbit’s foot amulet for good luck is held in a lot of places including Europe, Africa, Australia, North America, and South America. In some cases, the rabbit from which the foot came must have certain attributes, for example meeting its demise in a particularContinue reading “Rabbit’s Feet & Frog Coffins”
Clara Germana Cele, the girl who hurled nuns
The Possession Diaries Part IX One day in 1906, at Marianhill mission school in Umzinto, South Africa, a man named Father Erasmus Horner received a confession from one of the young Catholic girls in the school. Her name was Clara Germana Cele and she claimed to have entered into a deal with the Devil. SheContinue reading “Clara Germana Cele, the girl who hurled nuns”
Vampires According to Calmet
In 1751, an Abbot wrote a treatise on ghosts, vampires, and revenants. Dom Calmet, or the Abbot Antoine Augustin Calmet, wrote the book in two volumes. It was called “Treatise on the Apparitions of Spirits and on Vampires or Revenants of Hungary, Moravia, et al” In it, Calmet described a vampire as a “revenant corpse”Continue reading “Vampires According to Calmet”
The Book of Dom Calmet
The Abbot Antoine Augustin Calmet, a Benedictine monk and Lorraine scholar in the 18th century, published two volumes of a book, “Treatise on the Apparitions of Spirits, and on Vampires or Revenants of Hungary, Moravia, et al.” The book was about extensive investigations into the occult, angels, demons, and other types of spiritual entities. OriginallyContinue reading “The Book of Dom Calmet”
Review: Crevasse by Clay Vermulm (a novella)
5 out of 5 stars Available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com Greg and Quinn decide to tackle a challenging climb up Mount Terror, a place where many strange disappearances have taken place. Later, Ellie the ranger is asked to carry out a search and rescue for Greg, but there is something more terrifying than the powers of nature lurkingContinue reading “Review: Crevasse by Clay Vermulm (a novella)”
Another Review: Les Femmes Grotesques by Victoria Dalpe
3.5 stars out of 5 Available from CLASH books, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.com This modern, feminist, short Gothic horror fiction collection will bring you out in goose-bumps. A CREAK IN THE FLOOR, A SLANT OF LIGHT – There were some quirky details that put me in mind of Holly Black’s work. The tale had a delightfully gory legend about three girlsContinue reading “Another Review: Les Femmes Grotesques by Victoria Dalpe”
Dracula’s Guests (curated by Dr. Chris McAuley)
Available from HellBound Books, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.com 4 out of 5 stars This collection of vampire horror tales in celebration of Dracula’s 125th birthday will sate your bloodthirst. These are the stories that stood out for me: Dracula in Recovery – Michael Zemecki: I loved this darkly humorous story featuring all the characters from the original Dracula inContinue reading “Dracula’s Guests (curated by Dr. Chris McAuley)”
Review: Bleak Midwinter: The Darkest Night
Edited by Damon Barrett Roe and Cassandra L. Thompson Available from Quill & Crow Publishing, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com 4 out of 5 stars This collection of dark Gothic horror tales will make your skin creep off your flesh and slither under the door to hide somewhere – in a GOOD way. The Utburd, Robyn Dabney – A disgraced nature photographerContinue reading “Review: Bleak Midwinter: The Darkest Night”
Review: Blood Coven (Blood Bound series Book One) by Sabrina Voerman
Available from Quill & Crow Publishing & Barnes & Noble Sabrina Voerman’s stunning novel “Blood Coven” is set in a believable world where we see the story of Red Riding Hood stretched and distorted and grown into something other, both the main characters – Red, an abused child and descendant of a witch, and Matthias, also the son ofContinue reading “Review: Blood Coven (Blood Bound series Book One) by Sabrina Voerman”
The Dark Rider part 7 (excerpt) and some good news…
“The storm rumbled on throughout the night until it was directly over the farm, coughing and bellowing and sending vibrations through the furniture. It had pelted with rain hard enough to sound like lead pellets being shot at a tin roof and hail fell in the early hours. All the family were heavy-eyed and irritable,Continue reading “The Dark Rider part 7 (excerpt) and some good news…”
All About the Plentyn-Aderyn
One of the oldest and most mysterious of the tribes of wandering, outlawed mages roaming Thosea’s Northern wastes, especially in the region of Karak (or World’s End), their favourite haunt being the shimmering, nebulous Hiraeth mountains, which tend to flicker between worlds in response to loud noises. The mages take this odd existence inContinue reading “All About the Plentyn-Aderyn”
All About the Muryans
The Muryans are an ancient race of beings who came into existence shortly after the birth of Noran’s world (the Empire of Dal-Rhiatah). They first lived in the planet-wide, sentient forest named Panko – before Homo sapiens began – and they had a symbiotic relationship with the plants and trees, and later on, withContinue reading “All About the Muryans”
What and Where are the Hiraeth Mountains?
Hiraeth is a word in the Old Tongue (and it is a Welsh word on Earth), loosely translated as “homesickness.” This name is fitting as Logan Bartholom spends most of his time wanting and wondering about a home he once had but can no longer remember. This extensive range of mountains in Karak (sometimesContinue reading “What and Where are the Hiraeth Mountains?”
WHO AND WHAT IS ULFRYD SPIRN?
A minor character in “A Dark Heritage: The Nighthunter” who goes on an almost fairytale-style quest and meets an unfortunate end. An apprentice to a travelling merchant, Ulfryd is fourteen years old and having an affair with a girl at an inn when an old song people are singing in the marketplace enters his head,Continue reading “WHO AND WHAT IS ULFRYD SPIRN?”
All About The Kendra
On the continent of Thosea, where magic and the use / teaching of it is still legal, there stands an old, ruined abbey on the banks of the river Eridan. This river is a mysterious remnant of something that poured out of the constellations, and its waters burn like acid, possibly because of its trueContinue reading “All About The Kendra”
All About the Griny-Plinth
These anthropomorphic beings first came to me in a dream. They were eccentric and fascinating, yet dangerous in a concentrated, stubborn, hive-mind sort of way, and they were galloping after me upon tiny, prehistoric horses, trying to catch me. They looked like the Leptictidiums from the non-fiction TV series “Walking with Beasts” – like kangarooContinue reading “All About the Griny-Plinth”
All About the Nephisiati
Throughout the lands of Ossyan, Thosea, and Dal-Rhiatah, stories and myths of the Nephisiati echo down the generations. No one has clapped eyes on them and lived to tell the tale, save for a select few who lost their minds and were institutionalised as a result. In some legends, they look like hideous monsters withContinue reading “All About the Nephisiati”
Nightwalks 