One of the problems ā or, perhaps, the best things ā about Gothic Horror is that it does tend to be sad. Usually, there are at least one or two characters who donāt deserve whatever is happening to them, or who have done something which is being punished in a way which does not in any way fit the crime. M.R. Jamesās writing is perhaps a constant reiteration of the old proverb, ācuriosity killed the catā, but curiosity in itself isnāt a bad thing; while Jonathan Harker in Bram Stokerās Dracula finds himself in the initial dangerous situation through no fault of his own. Perhaps the saddest story in this anthology is The Lady Who Dances in the Ashes , which was first published by Sley House in Tales of Sley House 2022 . Here is the story of a man who is facing professional and financial ruin as a result of suggesting that mental health patients can be treated in the community rather than institutionalised. He is one of the most sympathetic narrators you will find in the book, but he bad...
Written by Michael Wray Illustrations by Anne Marshall Edited by Chris Firth āāā I was born in Orkney, but I grew up in Lincolnshire. I went to primary school there and only moved back to Scotland after I had started at John Leggott College. As a result, I feel a certain connection with the place. Growing up in a village on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, I was very aware of the ghost stories around where I lived. My mum grew up in Epworth, so I was well accustomed to the tale of Old Jeffery that is featured in this book. Our house, itself, was very old and I'm pretty sure it was haunted. It talked - creepy floorboards when no-one was there, doors closing when I couldn't feel a draught - that sort of thing. Close to our house there used to be a wood where apparently someone hanged themselves. We were also down the road from Thornton Abbey with its headless ghost who sometimes runs across the road. (The story, as I heard it, was that someone was fishi...