One of the problems – or, perhaps, the best things – about Gothic Horror is that it does tend to be sad. Usually, there are at least one or two characters who don’t 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. James’s writing is perhaps a constant reiteration of the old proverb, “curiosity killed the cat”, but curiosity in itself isn’t a bad thing; while Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s 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...
Be honest, who does not love the stories of Atlantis or Brigadoon or any other disappearing and disappeared world? World mysteries have always fascinated me, wondering what people imagined from these lost communities and - even more so - what they wanted them to be and represent.
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| The Destruction of Ravenser Odd |
I stumbled across the history of Ravenser Odd entirely by chance. But what a chance! Here was a setting for a story, one which was almost Biblical in its existence and destruction. Unlike Dunwich, which gradually succumbed to the sea, Ravenser Odd was swallowed in a very short space of time, the final straw coming in The Great Drowning of Men on Saint Marcellus' Day 1362. As well as this, the town was in the Humber, an area with which I was very familiar, having lived in Barrow-upon-Humber for ten years and being an alumnus of Hull University.
Could there be a better setting for a historical fiction tale which was to be laced with horror? Well, I didn't think so.
The product was an 8,000 word story which tells the imagined truth behind the destruction of this town, who was to blame, and what was at stake. For saying this story was rather well received by readers, it has had a frustrating journey so far. I self-published it in a collection of short stories, then had it accepted for another publication on the condition I removed it from the collection... I'm still waiting on this... Any day now, that collection should be published!
Here's the first few lines to whet your appetite...
The end of Ravenser Odd came at a time when there were great changes beginning to grow across Europe. Those who had survived the plague were looking to rebuild lives and communities. Ravenser Odd now belonged to the past.
That symbolism is immense!
There is one more wonderfully enticing aspect of lost landscapes. Anything - anything at all - could have happened in them. And, as a writer, that is one of the most appealing and inspiring prospects!
If you would like to know more, have a look at Hull History Centre, who are currently holding an exhibition about Ravenser Odd.
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