Spectral Press has acquired a dedicated
following (including yours truly) in recent past. Last Christmas, it undertook
an ambitious ‘project’: reviving the Christmas annuals, primarily dealing with
ghost stories, in ‘Dickensian’ fashion. Although the book (a very nice
hardcover) arrived in the week during which I was trying to decide which
resolutions can be allowed to be broken, I read it over 4 nights, sticking to
at least one resolution of savouring good things in small sips. And now, I
would like to share my thoughts about the book.
To avoid the structure of formal reviews, I
would desist from trying to summarise the stories as well, and would like to
mention the contents only:
·
Introduction
by Johnny Mains
1.
“An
Odd Number at Table” by John Costello
2.
“Concerning
Events at Leinster Gardens” by Jan Edwards
3.
“Carnacki:
A Cold Christmas in Chelsea” by William Meikle
4.
“A
Taste of Almonds” by Raven Dane
5.
“Where
the Stones Lie” by Richard Farren Barber
6.
“All
That is Living” by Nicholas Martin
7.
“And
May All Your Christmases” by Thana Niveau
8.
“Now
and Then” by Martin Roberts
9.
“December”
by Paul Finch
10.
“Ritualism”
by Gary McMahon
11.
“We
Are a Shadow” by Neil Williams
12.
“The
Green Clearing” by John Forth
13.
“Lost
Soldiers” by Adrian Tchaikovsky
·
Publisher’s
Acknowledgements by Simon Marshall-Jones
·
Bonus:
“Whitstable” novella (by Stephen Volk) preview
Except the last story by Adrian Tchaikovsky,
not a single one contained a spot of humour or positive (happy?) ending. John
Forth’s story was brilliant in dealing with coming-of-age angst and combining
it with old legends. Gary McMahon’s story, despite being non-supernatural, was
one of the most accomplished & chillingly bleak pieces that I have read in
recent times. William Meikle continued giving a refreshingly fresh spin to
Carnacki. But everybody else followed the easy way out of depicting imploding
families, tragedies rearing their heads at the most festive times, and despair.
It was astonishing (at least from my perspective, to whom Christmas has neither
religious nor societal appeal) that so many English authors could view
Christmas as something so totally dark! Perhaps something to do with present
Tory-Lib administration?!
