Daniel McGachey

They That Dwell in Dark Places and other Ghost Stories by Daniel McGachey is a collection of tales that describe the horrors one can experience when the seemingly normal shifts to an increasing unease and of the mundane that may quickly become menace. Most of the stories take place in the past, a time of horse-drawn carriages and of the telegraph with a couple taking place in contemporary or at least more modern times.
I liked this collection for the most part. Some stories were better written than others and one was rather disappointing. Overall, an enjoyable read.… (més)

Like a 3.8, rounded up. Before I post my thoughts, let me say that with a few exceptions here and there, I much prefer old-school horror and supernatural tales to more modern fare; the more gothic in tone the better. I was delighted to run across this particular group of stories of things that go bump in the night and sometimes even in the day. Story anthologies in general are tricky -- you find a story or two or three that you love, a couple here and there that are good, and then there are the odd "meh" stories that you could take or leave. That's pretty much the case here:

1) "The Shadow in the Stacks," which introduces the recurring character of Dr. Lawrence, a "folklorist" who spends a lot of time and energy collecting the "fables and folktales of antiquity."
2) "The Mound," where a man who knows every inch of his garden notices something new and obsesses over it until it's too late;
3) "The Beacon" finds a familiar theme in ghost lore set in an offshore lighthouse;
4) "Shalt Thou Know My Name?" finds Dr. Lawrence on the receiving end of an eerie tale involving a plagiarist and a confession from the 18th century;
5) "The Wager," one of my favorites, where a gambler is told about some action at the "astonishing" Club Tenebrosa with very high stakes;
6) "The Crimson Picture," one of the better stories in this book, where an artist discovers he has a hidden ability where it comes to painting, but it's not such a good thing, as it turns out;
7) "Rags," another good one, where a traveler separated from his party passes by a tree adorned with rags before he understands its significance;
8) "The Travelling Companion," in which a traveling salesman buys a book, refuses to part with it, and suffers the consequences ... another one I really liked;
9) "A Ravelled Tress:" actually, this one was probably my least favorite, where a "thick tress of black hair" with a bizarre history is found in a rotting pile of books in an old house as a precursor to ensuing mayhem;
10) "And Still Those Screams Resound" is my favorite story in the book, dealing with one man's unchecked obsession. This is probably one of the more frightening tales in the book, not so much for the supernatural content, but because of the subject;
11) "An Unwise Purchase," a tale as written by Dr. H.S. Grace, a graduate of St. Montague's, Master of Rhodes House College, then Head Master of St. James's School. Another one of my favorites in this book, a strange brass carving of the three wise monkeys turns out to be the "unwise purchase" of the title.
12) "The Unmasking: An Evening of Revels and Revelations," adds a touch of the surreal as Dr. Lawrence and two other guests at a masqued party are forced to put on borrowed masks; not everyone is left to tell the tale of what happened afterwards. I liked this one as well; and finally
13) "They That Dwell in Dark Places," another one I don't count as a personal favorite,but it's still a fun little story that starts with a gathering on Halloween.

At the end the author adds notes on each of his stories, revealing his inspirations and his own thoughts as well.

The author is really good at creating and sustaining the dark, creepy atmosphere that pervades this book, although sometimes in trying to capture period speech patterns, the narrative comes across as a bit clunky and it can become a little off-putting -- in a couple of instances, I had to go back and parse a few sentences/paragraphs. The stories in this book will probably seem pretty tame to contemporary readers, so if antiquarians digging through old tomes or strange goings on in old houses don't appeal, then you may want to move along. However, if you enjoy this sort of thing, definitely pick up a copy.… (més)