#Review The Monk of Horror by Anonymous

SHORT STORY: The Monk of Horror

AUTHOR: Anonymous

This short story should not be confused with the famous Gothic horror novel ‘The Monk’ written by M.G.Lewis. Infact, this is a different horror story written I believe around the same time when Lewis’ book became popular.

This short story has yet another name – ‘The Conclave of Corpses’. It is an intriguing fact to note that the short story has two titles while the author himself is unknown. However, considering the controversial nature of his work of literature during his day & age, it may have ultimately been a rather wise decision to let ones identity be as mysterious as the subject matter of the creation. The story is written in a simple style but with a few hidden messages which at first are not easy to analyse. Many Latin phrases are used which is common to the present day Catholic Church teachings as well as the Canon Law of the Catholic church, especially with regard to a monk’s way of life. These laws & phrases also existed before the Renaissance as well as the Reformation. The tone of the story is that of a warning which if not heeded will ultimately lead to an unmentionable dreadful afterlife. It is a horror story which reflects a sort of spiritual redefinition that began long before the Renaissance (the story is set 300 years before the year 1798) & by the quality of the sentences chosen by the author, is still taking place even to this day.

The basic idea that one derives from the narrative is that one must do ones duty with all ones heart & not oppress another person but to alleviate their suffering. This is true holy obedience which according to the author stands as a testament after our death…….whether we have done our duty on the basis of truth & righteousness with all our heart, or we have adulterated our duties like the way the corrupt milkman adulterates pure cow’s milk with water ? The question asked by the author is, whether a religious or any person for that matter should be obedient in doing good out of his own free will…….or will being forced to do ones duty & to obey even if ones heart is not in sync with ones actions be 'obedience?'.......are we good because we genuinely want to be good or, do we hide our true feelings behind a thick curtain of false eyewash of good actions?

The protagonist in this story is a curious monk, who just like all of us wishes to ascertain or deduce what happens to a human being after he or she dies. He represents not only the common man but also a religious in search of truth. The only way he can find out, being a monk, is by investigating the convent vaults & its dead occupant monks in their coffins. The protagonist belongs to the fictional convent of Kreutzberg suggesting a German atmosphere. He visits the vaults with the sacristan very often. He knows the vaults well including the faces of the dead monks in their coffins. One night he enters the vault at the dead of night & is shocked to see that everything in the vault is altered. There is an unearthly glow in the vault & all the dead corpses of the monks seem a bit ‘alive’ & they sit erect in their coffins. The protagonist’s attention however is taken up by three of the oldest corpses in the vault who are seated at a sort of ‘coffin table’ & they are engrossed in a book which has been kept open in front of them.

Now, the book here plays a very important role in helping us to understand what the unknown author is trying to convey. If we lose this vital clue, the story seems meaningless. The protagonist it seems does not get a really good look at the book…….but from the title inscribed on the top of each page, he comes to know the title of the book:

‘Liber Obedientiae’

Obvious to the reader, it is in Latin. The translation would either indicate ‘free obedience’ or ‘book of obedience’. For those of us who are well aware of certain Christian (& today Catholic preferably) rules & doctrines, obedience holds a very prominent place in the life of every Christian especially every Christian religious. In the case of the Christian religious, it is imperative that he or she should adopt willingly the sacred vows of holy chastity, holy poverty & HOLY OBEDIENCE; the person who adopts these vows cannot have any intimate relationship with anyone, the person cannot possess any private wealth or property & most importantly……such a person must be obedient to the elders of the church & their wishes.

The above stated obedience however does not go as deep as ‘Liber Obedientiae’. ‘FREE OBEDIENCE’ means according to church Canon law to be an obedience which one accepts with one’s whole heart & soul……NOT BY COMPULSION OR FOR SELF GLORY OR TO OPPRESS ANOTHER BUT TO DO GOOD.

Mentioning that the oldest corpses were reading the book indicates that maybe they failed to obey such a standard of moral living. Furthermore, the narrative conveys to us that because of their behaviour in life (most probably against holy free obedience) they were to have no peace in their afterlife:

‘Hic non pax’ (Here is no peace)

They were also unaware of who they were. Their whole sense of being as a living soul was taken away from them. They were with fear & apprehension simply awaiting the Last Judgement, which for Christians indicates the re-appearance of the Christ to administer justice to the righteous as well as on the wicked, at the end of time.

The horrific climax to the story comes in the form of graves from under the vault’s ground simply yawning out skeletons. The oldest corpse with the book states that those skeletons were their victims whom they persecuted. Now this was a sort of a riddle which can be interpreted in many ways. After all, the author did not seem to wait to explain to us the role of the multitudes of gory skeletons literally coming out of the earth, except for writing that they were victims of the monks. 

Technically speaking, all these people were victims of the false & corrupt monks of that age. However, people learn from their mistakes…………. & so does the protagonist learn from the mistakes of his elders. He lives the rest of his life as the narrative shows bringing true glory to the church & witnessing to the truth.

Whoever the anonymous author of this work may be, he surely taught an indirect moral which can be accepted today, but perhaps in his day & age, it would not have gone down well. May his work always continue to shine forth his true personality, a seeker of truth.

#shortanalysis The Ensouled Violin by Madame Blavatsky

SHORT STORY: The Ensouled Violin

AUTHOR: Madame Blavatsky

This story by revered Madame Blavatsky is certainly a masterpiece in all aspects be it philosophy, literature, history, psychology, mysticism, religion & above all, music. It seems that this short story stemmed from one of the Madame’s nightmares. There are many themes, personalities & topics that consist of this masterpiece of literature which does not in the least stagnate the horror story, but only accentuates it to a crescendo, quite in keeping with the musical theme of the narrative. More than anything else however, the main theme of this story is ‘passion’….passion that makes a person either rise to the summits of the highest mountains of heaven, or sink into the cauldron of hell itself. It is passion that makes Franz Stenio the young violinist to rival with the great musician Paganini ; it is passion for the beauty of the sound of the violin that makes Franz play to the imaginary onlookers he terms as the very gods & goddesses of Greece ; it is passion that makes Franz believe that he can rival the music of Orpheus’ lyre (Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth) ; it is passion for fame & brilliance that makes Franz challenge Paganini to a sort of violin duel ; it is the passion for mortal acclaim that Franz in desperation uses the intestines of his beloved adopted father Samuel Klaus to string up his violin BUT most of all, it is the passion for music itself that leads Franz Stenio to his ultimate doom for as the story rightfully shows, love always comes before perfection & adulation. Indeed it was strangely the holy & righteous love of Samuel Klaus which lead to the ultimate end of Franz Stenio, the main character of this story.

The story by Madame begins with the arrival of Franz & his adopted father & teacher Samuel Klaus to the city of Paris. They start living in humble quarters & Samuel tries to bring up the career of his adopted son. Unknown to the devoted father of course is the past history & psychology of his pupil. The pupil, Franz Stenio is of a disposition most rare. He was brought up the narrative shows as a typical Styrian of those days (alluding to the years before 1828) surrounded with superstitious lore concerning ghouls, vampires etc. as well as being a dabbler in ceremonial magic, sorcery, occult arts & alchemy. The student however has little to do with these practices, his time, energy & soul being totally devoted to music, especially his violin.

The ‘violin’ itself to me seems like a real life character in this story. There have been many demonic stories & legends concerning the violin in general which are also mentioned in the story. Madame has mentioned rightly, the legend of the famous Tartini & his famous ‘Sonate du Diable’ which according to folklore was actually played on the violin by the devil himself to Tartini while the latter was asleep. The composition till date as Madame mentions remains a most unusual one which people consider to be the consequence of Tartini’s bargain with the devil. Paganini who is also a main character in this short story of horror is also mentioned to have strung his violin with the intestines of a very dear friend who loved him very much, thus his playing drove people into a sort of musical ecstasy or frenzy. Black magic plays a very important role here in this narrative indicating how through the black arts, human organs are used as powerful magical agents.

Franz Stenio however is unawares of this aspect of the black art & continues to play his violin. When his money runs short, he returns to his mother who is a firm Christian & is appalled with the knowledge that her son does not go to church. She unfortunately as the story goes dies in bed of a chill while trying to supplicate heaven to bring back her son to the church. After this, Franz lives a Bohemian lifestyle only playing to the Greek gods until his tutor finds him. This tutor is none other than Samuel Klaus who beseeches his pupil to give up his current state of life & become his son.

It is at this point of time something very important takes place. For a long period of time, Franz was not really interested in worldly glory for his playing………it is Samuel Klaus his teacher who reawakened in his pupil this desire which ultimately leads to his doom, just the way the love for fame & glory without humility always leads to one’s doom.

Note that though during Franz’s three month lifestyle after his mother’s death he spent his life like a bohemian, he was genuinely happy. He infact as the narrative states was leading a life full of bliss……until the greed of fame entered into his mind. The evil of greed therefore is highlighted in this most extraordinary story.

The story goes on to show how adopted father & adopted son travel through several German cities & earned praise but when they reached Paris, they were hindered in their course of work by a musician of unparalleled excellence, Niccolo Paganini.

The arrival of this rival sets the tone of despair in the hearts & minds of Samuel & Franz who were the worshippers of fame. They realize for themselves at a concert after pawning their watches to buy tickets that it was true…….Paganini was a much better player than Franz Stenio. However, Samuel Klaus makes his fatal mistake by stating that Paganini’s talent was not of this world & that he had made a pact with the devil to play so well. Furthermore, Samuel also informed Franz of the theory of human intestines being used as strings for Paganini’s violin. Possibly, the tutor was only trying to make Franz feel better & not to let his wounded pride fester indicating to him indirectly that at least Franz was not a devil worshipper. However, instead of making Franz feel better……..it literally drove Franz insane. A sinister look immediately came upon his face as it does on someone who is desperate. Franz immediately declares to his adopted father that to gain human adulation, he too would be willing to sell himself, body & soul to the evil one.

Here, Madame shows us how the craving for human glory can derange a person’s mind & indirectly recalls to our mind how only humility & simple day to day living can only make us true free citizens away from devilish & evil bondage.

Franz immediately goes into a sort of brain fever & is cared for by his loving tutor Samuel Klaus. During this time, Franz starts to rave aloud, indicating that he would only become a great musician if he managed to string his violin with the intestines of his beloved tutor for human intestines was not all that was important as legend goes…….it is important also that those intestines should have belonged to someone who had loved the violinist with an unselfish & holy love. We do however realize that Franz does not want to kill Samuel that’s why he feels like a prisoner. In the narrative, Franz describes himself as Prometheus (the Titan god of forethought and crafty counsel who was entrusted with the task of moulding mankind out of clay) whose arms & legs are bound with the four strings of the violin…made of intestines. All this & much more is heard by Samuel which brings out two other aspects of this story that surpasses pride, self-glory & fame……these are love & sacrifice.

Samuel Klaus being the person he was devoted as a mother to his adopted son & self-sacrificing as a Christian martyr….kills himself for the sake of Franz, so that the young man could use his intestines to string his violin. It is Samuel’s holy & perfect love for Franz that makes him do this. I quote here from the narrative itself which forms part of the last letter which Samuel hands over to Franz:

“Take your instrument with you & dog the steps of him (Paganini) who filled our lives with bitterness & despair…………then only wilt thou hear with what a magic power the full notes of unselfish love will issue forth from thy violin. Perchance, with a last caressing touch of its chords, thou wilt remember that they once formed a portion of thine old teacher.”

Madame shows here how unselfish true love can be & one cannot ignore the choke in ones throat after reading the above immortal line. Yet, fooling with the devil is not wise & this leads to the untimely & horrific death of Franz.

Indeed Franz strings his instrument with the intestines of his beloved teacher & even challenges Paganini to a violin duel. However, before the duel, Franz grows restless & queer. The devil seems to be acting up & tries to force Franz in the voice of his teacher FROM THE VIOLIN BOX to unstring the intestines. Franz refuses to do so forgetting the legend of Tartini who apparently according to his teacher died one fine Sabbath night, strangled by his familiar demon who had taught him how to endow his violin with a human voice (Tartini died on February 26, 1770 after a long illness it is officially recorded).

During the duel, it is true….Franz seems to be out beating Paganini but at the last moment….from the sounding board of the violin comes out squeaking, jarring tones which ruins the whole performance & makes Franz a laughing stock. To add to this….a voice is actually heard from the sounding board saying:

“Art thou satisfied, Franz, my boy?......Have not Gloriously kept my promise, eh?”

Whether it is really the sarcastic voice of Samuel’s spirit or a devil, no one would know for immediately Franz is killed on stage after being surrounded by a grey mist.

This story is full of meaning & has a lot of moral depth. It shows us how one simply can lose oneself in one’s own ambition. It also shows us how great literature can really be written. I salute Madame.

#Review Mama Gone by Jane Yolen

SHORT STORY: Mama Gone

AUTHOR: Jane Yolen

This short story according to me can stand as a testimonial that, not all vampire stories are the same. This story by Jane Yolen has brought out emotions & feelings that are beyond the life in the grave or the life of the walking dead. The story has infact spoken about the everlasting relationship between a mother & a child……..as well as the everlasting tale of the vampire. The narrative tries to ask the reader of vampire fiction a question, whether a mother who has changed into a vampire can forget about everything? Including her children? The author also tries to question the idea of whether being a vampire is more powerful than being a loving mother. In the end however, it is certainly proven that a mother’s feelings for her children always triumphs in the end.

Emotions are a main ingredient in this story, each & every character in this story emotes. However, the emotions that are prevailing in the story are not that of hate, fear, horror, terror etc. that one would normally associate with vampire stories. Infact the emotions expressed in the narrative are that of grief, pity, sorrow & of course love. In the story on the death of ‘mama’ the mother of the narrator, the only emotions that are expressed are the emotions of grief & sorrow typical & normal of anyone who loses their wife or their mother……..however, these emotions were expressed even though it was known that the woman who died was from a family lineage of vampires.

After the mother dies during child birth, the second child Bubba cries out his emotions in his simple babble ‘Mama Gone’ while the husband is in the depths of sorrow on seeing the blood stained bed.

Although the husband of the woman is advised to take the necessary precautions in the grave by cutting off the woman’s hands & feet & filling her mouth with garlic, the husband flatly refuses. However, superstition turns to reality when the woman leaves her grave & tries to get into her own home first to prey upon her own family. She is however prevented from doing so by the narrator who has already smeared the window panes with garlic & who holds up a Christian cross infront of her mother. The woman later kills an infant in the crib after which the husband realizes his mistake.

The narrator of the story was the eldest of the mother’s children called Mandy Jane. She seems also to be not only more in control of her emotions than her father but also is the only person who has complete faith & trust in the love her mother had for her. It is she who risks the night to remind her vampire mother about all the good times they have had as a family. Mandy Jane’s recalling of old memories aloud to the mother makes the mother remember the goodness in her that cleanses away the stigma of the walking dead.

This story reeks not with the stench of blood but with the fragrance of love which as Jane Yolen has put it, has conquered even the impenetrable barrier of the vampire. One cannot help but get a choke in ones throat when the poor Mandy Jane tries to sing a lullaby to her vampire mother while she lies face down on her grave of red clay so that the vampire may not arise & terrorize the surrounding area. The love of Mandy Jane overpowered her fear of the evil forces present in her undead mother.

Many references to the Bible are made in the narrative speaking about what the ‘Good Book’ feels about death. One important line which the father narrates to Mandy Jane from the Bible after he realizes that he needs to drive a stake into his undead wife is a quotation from Ecclesiastes 9:5 : ‘For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything’. However, this is not the complete line of Ecclesiastes 9:5, the full quotation is:

‘For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten'

This line was proven by Mandy Jane to be false as in the end, she made her mother REMEMBER LOVE & therefore saved her mother from eternal damnation just the way, the love of the Messiah Jesus Christ saves all the living & the ‘dead’ who believe in him. In the bargain, Jane Yolen gives the reader a moral to comprehend in her narrative ‘Mama Gone’.

In the last part of the short story, the mother who is now free from her slavery to blood tells her daughter that she is ‘here & gone’ which can be interpreted as that she has now come to her senses but will soon leave her child & this world & enter her heavenly realm.

Jane Yolen with this Vampire story in a simple narrative style has brought out a wonderful moral.

#Review The Horror At Chilton Castle by Joseph Payne Brennan

The author of this short story has really understood the meaning & the technique of how to create a really terrifying story. What is marvellous about the author is that, he comes straight to the point without using any unwanted descriptions, psychological rigmarole theories or anything that distracts the reader from the main core of the story. That is why Joseph Payne Brennan is successful in creating a horrifying story which can be marked of as a real classic.

Anticipation & fear of the unknown are the main ingredients of his plot which is accentuated with fine narration. In this story, one can actually try to delve into the mind of a person so evil…..that she made a pact with the devil, just so that she may not die. The story does not therefore only terrify the reader but also makes the reader contemplate indirectly about what exactly separates one from being evil & good……& exactly how evil can a human being really become if given an opportunity to do so ?

The title of the short story is apt, for it is only ‘horror’ that a person encounters inside the worn down walls of Chilton castle. This horror is however far from a usual ‘scare’ as one might put it to a lay man. Infact, it is a horror right from the abyss of all evil & hate…….we sometimes refer to it as hell while certain psychologists refer to it as……the human mind.

The story begins with the author himself out on a leisurely vacation in Europe concentrating on his studies on his family’s genealogy. His father’s roots are well accounted for whereas his mother’s show a few gaps. He decides then to go suddenly north towards the vicinity of the Chilton Castle. He states at the beginning of the narrative itself that he is a sort of ‘distant relative’ of the Chilton’s. The frightful part of the story is when I noticed that the author’s middle name (Payne) coincides with the Earls of Chilton castle as well, making me wonder for a minute whether I was reading a story or a real persons account of what happened to him at a place called ‘Chilton Castle’. While the author resides at the inn of the Red Goose, he meets the actual factor of Chilton castle who looks 70 years of age & who is restless. This factor apparently states that a week ago the 12^th Earl of Chilton Castle was laid to rest & that night was the night for the 13^th Earl to take his father’s place…..& to begin with, the young man had to be shown a secret room in the depths of the castle. The factor implores the author to accompany him with the 13th weak & wan Earl to the secret room as the author was the only somewhat ‘near’ relation in the vicinity & the act had to be carried out on that dreadful night itself.

The atmosphere during the whole narrative plays a great role in what happens at Chilton castle. The incessant rain, the lightening & thunder adds to the restlessness of all three men namely the factor William Cowath, the 13^th Earl Frederick & the author himself. However, as it is noted in the short story, no one is left without blemish after they observe what lies within the secret room in Chilton Castle. All three men dive in deeper & deeper into the bowels of the castle until they come across a rather modern brick wall which is immediately broken down by the factor to reveal……….the room that had such a terrible impact on the weak & frail 13^th Earl that he lost his mind that very night. The nerve of the factor was shaken on seeing what was in the room while the author himself the very next day literally runs away from the castle & Europe to get back to America. All three men were shaken by what they saw…..but what indeed did they see ???

The author himself before he meets the factor was contemplating in the inn of the Red Goose about what exactly was contained in the secret room of the Chilton’s.  On the basis of his research, he narrows down the following possibilities:

1.       In the room there exists the skeletal remains of the Gowers who were left to starve to death by the Chilton’s & who in desperation resorted finally to cannibalism

2.       The medieval torture tools were present in that secret room with the last of their victims’ bodies still attached to them in a grotesque fashion

3.       A female ancestor of the Chilton’s, a Lady Susan Glanville who was supposedly a witch & was saved from the stake had something to do with the secret room.

The author keeps us in the dark till the very end…..when however the truth is known, it seems most horrible & absolutely demonic in every term of the word which makes the story a wonderful piece of literature. The author has remarkably enchanted us with the truth & yet has frightened us to the extreme.

The short story is a fantastic work of art which must be read with due reverence to its creator. I shall not divulge the ending for obvious reasons.

#review The Vampire of Kaldenstein by Frederick Cowles

Being an ardent reader of books in the horror genre, I was very pleased on coming across this incredible short story written by Cowles. The author according to me has surpassed himself in this absolutely grotesque story of the unearthly Count Of Kaldenstein who as the title amply suggests is a vampire who continues living by feasting on the blood of innocent victims. Many of my fellow readers on reading this enchanting story would presume it to be a sort of a similar recounting of the classic novel ‘Dracula’ penned by Bram Stoker specially the first part of the narrative where Johnathan Harker visits Count Dracula’s castle inspite of the many warnings he had encountered by the locals. To such readers I would like to clarify that this masterpiece has no connection whatsoever to the Gothic story of ‘Dracula’. The story of Cowles is an ingenious work of art which creates a very horrific atmosphere that any reader of the fantastic would be thrilled by. His storyline is different as well as the way he presents his protagonist. One cannot deny Cowles the credit of being a very extraordinary writer of terror.

The story is divided into four parts very systematically & very professionally by the author. The protagonist who is on a walking tour across Germany in the year 1933 as the story goes, loses his way somewhat & manages to find himself in a very rural & primitive looking village called Kaldenstein.The people there are simple but friendly & the innkeeper there offers him food & boarding. The descriptions used by the author are not tiresome but infact enhance the whole effect of the story upon the reader’s mind. Many times in the story, the descriptions are the tools with which the author is able to create a scene of horror which mystifies us & also scandalises us. This is seen very well when the protagonist observes castle Kaldenstein blocking the full moon across a starless sky indicating an image of foreboding. The author also masterfully portrays how in a simple village setting….there lays an evil most powerful & ancient. In the story this is clearly shown when the villagers in the inn refuse to speak about the undead Count of Kaldenstein & also when the innkeeper himself bolts his door shut before he informs the author about the number of years the count had been residing alone in the castle (300 years). The descriptions enliven the narrative & creates in the reader a fear which only a great story-teller can do. 

The characters are portrayed very well in the narrative, even though it is a short story. The characters are brought alive with the use of a minimal amount of introductory statements which are sufficient to inform us about the character’s traits & to go on with the story. Be it the head strong protagonist, the devilish Count Of Kaldenstein, the mysterious & half blind servant of castle Kaldenstein or even the thin Christian priest who ultimately saves the protagonist from a very gruesome death……all the characters are wholesome & very well described. 

Scepticism is portrayed very well in the protagonist. His scepticism however turns to defiance when he challenges the warnings of the locals as well as of the priest & visits the castle of Kaldenstein twice, once in the morning where he returns safely & the second time at night to meet the Count …..where he does not emerge until he is saved by the priest & the innkeeper. Scepticism is degraded in the narrative whereas a belief in the unknown is questioned leaving the reader at the end of the story in a questioning frame of mind.

The character of the Count of Kaldenstein himself is definitely different to that of Bram Stoker’s ‘Count Dracula’. Unlike ‘Count Dracula’ the Count of Kaldenstein is uncivil & is not in control of his basic instincts. This is portrayed very well when the Count licks up the pool of blood dripping out from the protagonist’s cut hand. He also delves in Black magic which has made him immune to death altogether according to the Kaldenstein priest. Otherwise, The Count Of Kaldenstein possess similar characteristics of regular vampires. He is quite unusually pale with sharp pointed teeth & also is extremely strong. His strength is observed when he lifts the protagonist off his bed from the waist as if the protagonist was just a mere child.

The most gruesome part of the short story however, is when the helpless protagonist is placed upon the dining table ready to be feasted upon by three vampires, two who were technically supposed to be dead while one was technically immune to death. The idea of each of them feasting upon the blood of the victim first from throat then the breast & then the neck is revolting yet, the author has managed to make the story very much the stuff of high-brow classic literature which prompts the reader of the fantastic to go on towards the climax. The protagonist however is saved by the priest & the innkeeper who forces the Count Of Kaldenstein to open his castle door with the aid of the Catholic Blessed Sacrament.

The story ends with a mystery & a feeling of wonder at the reality of it all. On another note, the atmosphere created by the author is tantalizing & yet, highly peaceful just like the remote village where the story takes place.

All in all, a must read for all horror genre readers especially those who prefer their vampires devilishly evil.

#Review The Road To Madness by H.P.Lovecraft

I must admit that this was the first time I actually came across the author H. P. Lovecraft. This book I found at the Strand Bookstall in town after it fell on my head as I was rummaging through a bookshelf containing some other great books on philosophy.

I was taken aback when I read on the back cover of the book that Lovecraft had inspired many of my own favourite authors of the macabre like Anne Rice, Stephen King & Clive Barker. As I poured over the stories at night UNDER my study table with the table lamp on, I was transported to a realm quite different from my own understanding of terror & fantasy. Lovecraft’s ideas were not only macabre but also quite morbid & blood chilling. True that his works are steeped in grand descriptions which normally puts a casual reader of, but a true lover of literature & horror will certainly realize after reading Lovecraft’s works like ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’, ‘Reanimator’, ‘Imprisoned With The Pharaohs’ etc that, the descriptions are all meaningful to completely realize the actual horror behind it all.

As Barbara Hambly stated, H.P. Lovecraft struggles to bring out his ideas to the reader….it is his idea that is powerful & extraordinary. His pseudo – Poe short stories take on another turn as they get more original & more bizzare as the years go by. Lovecraft’s characters too keep on undergoing transformations & at times reappear in other stories. He in the bargain creates a niche for himself in the horror & fantasy genre which no one can rob.

He is excellent as I have observed in first person accounts of the story, making the reader grip the book tightly in a cold sweat as he administers the opiate of fear into our system….almost like his warped character Herbert West does by administering a special powder into the veins of dead bodies or organs to bring them to life in the ‘Reanimator’(this was better than Frankenstein). Most of Lovecraft’s protagonists I have observed are men (its always men !!!) who are :

1] Well educated

2] Intelligent

3] Believe in the dark forces & works of very sinister personalities (eg., the constant repition of the book  Necronomicon by the Arab Abdul Alhazred who was a genius par excellance)

4] Have this constant habit of getting into trouble inspite of their intelligence

No doubt that at times his stories have a certain amount of Racism present in it, never the less, Lovecraft still pens his stories with a masterstroke of a true wizard of the terrible. Most of his main characters as I have stated before are common scholars or scientists except for ‘Imprisoned With The Pharoahs’ where the poor person imprisoned is the world famous escape artist (got to love him) Harry Houdini. 

My personal favourites in this book were ;

1) The Transition Of Juan Romero

2) The Temple

3) The Terrible Old Man

4) Reanimator (lots of gross descriptions & lots of blood….too good !)

5) Imprisoned With The Pharaohs (I love Houdini)

6) The Horror At Red Hook (out of this world !) &

7) In The Walls Of Eryx (he co -authored this with Kenneth Sterling)

Lovecraft refers a lot to Edgar Allen Poe in most of his early works especially in ‘The Shunned House’ where it looks like he really was enamoured by the original creator of the macabre. 

All in all…….a thumbs up for Lovecraft & his ‘madness’. Now I am going to check out all the movies that have been based on this stories. Indeed, many movies have found their genesis in the works of this master of ghastly descriptions. 

I shall post some more information & links after I finish my research.

http://pathanfiza.blogspot.in/2013/03/review-hound-by-hplovecraft.html

#Review Dracula By Bram Stoker

I have got a very close bonding with Bram Stoker’s book Dracula because….it was the first book that I ever read, on my own. 

I was at that time in the 3rd grade. I was at school during the summer vacations because mother (who was a teacher in the same school) had got a lot of paper work to do with the other teachers & she could not leave me at home all alone. Without any children around to play with, I was bored stiff & somehow in desperation to find some company, dragged my tiny chubby feet up to our library. I did not find anyone there but the librarian….but I found somebody that would lure me into the paradise of literature forever….stumbling over the long & high shelves…..I found Dracula.

” What's this all about ?” I asked the librarian.

“Why child its a horror book”, she answered with a start.

“May I borrow this one ?” I timidly asked.

“As you wish, don’t blame me if it scares you”, she stated quite matter of factually as she stamped the card I gave her (my mothers) & carrying the fat book to my chest went into an empty classroom to read….& the librarian was right, the book did scare me, it scared me right out of my wits…..but I liked it. I devoured an unabridged classic at the age of seven for over five hours…FINISHING it…UNDERSTANDING every part of it & then returned it to the librarian that very same day before mother was to take me home.

“Scared you ?” asked the librarian in a sarcastic tone.

“Yes indeed, the evil was very bad but the good was very good”, said I meekly with a twinkle in my raven black eyes, for I knew at once that hence forward, I had new friends better than the ones I used to play hide & seek with…..they were books…mountains of them…millions of them…..but who brought me to them…..Dracula, & I had entered out of my own free will.

Well, that was my little history with the monster & seducer Dracula, now to the literary part of the whole matter. Dracula it is said when it was published did not give any profits to his creator who we all know as Bram Stoker but from the onset of cinema & television, the vampire who stalks the innocent for their life saving blood became an instant success bring the classic out into the limelight. Each movie or drama based on Dracula colour him in different ways but my concern is with the vampire…or the undead creature that Bram Stoker tried to put forward in his novel.

The real Dracula as Stoker put it was once a royal figure of great intrigue during the middle ages known for his intellect & soldier blood but who lived or survived after his supposed ‘death’ as a vampire who is more spirit & blood than really human. We all are well aware that Bram Stoker in his research for a real life character to play the role of his vampire took the personage of the infamous Vlad Dracula who was a great warrior but had some rather nasty habits of impaling people & dining where he could see this happening. There was a lot of speculation as to his death (whether he really died or did not). Facts are that when his casket was removed from the earth & checked, well…..he wasn’t there. This was it for Stoker, now his vampire would be this very same impaler king who returned to drink the red blood of the human race…Stoker even recorded the history of this king in his novel & gave his vampire that king’s very own name – DRACULA.

Thus now backed by historical evidence, Dracula started to unleash his spell of evil on all & sundry.

But coming to the theme of Stoker, it is evident that in his time (the Victorian Period) a vampire was still considered as a thing of evil & something which was ugly & ghastly. Stoker’s Dracula however is a learned & very dignified count who lives in a castle & dresses rather well. Although he has all the physical features of a vampire (hair on palms, no reflection, pale skin, canine teeth etc) he can yet pass of as a regular human being to an ignorant person. He is also a master seducer of women which was exaggerated to a great extent by modern film makers. But, Stoker was Victorian & for him, Dracula was evil incarnate someone who was damned by God (unlike the modern day teenage vampire’s who somehow have warped the idea of vampirism completely) even though he looked very human to the eye. 

Stoker was clear cut in his analysis of his own vampire, Dracula was different but he was still evil maybe more evil than the vampire’s of his predecessors (Varney & Carmilla to name a few). 

While Dracula is evil incarnate…the person who is all good & wanting the death of Dracula is Dr.Van Helsing a medical man who like Dracula is also learned…but has deep faith in the living & especially God. It is he who realizes the presence of a vampire in the tragic case of Lucy & he is shrewd enough to know when he should shift from the objective world to the world of superstition. He attributes this to his experience & age. He saw what the others could not see (except poor Mr. Harker who almost got killed in Dracula’s castle) & knew what science was not willing to believe. Undoubtedly the true hero of the story is Dr. Van Helsing, but since humans are more fascinated with evil…we all regard Dracula as the real hero of this story although after the draining of Lucy’s blood, her really does not appear that much in the narrative.

The narrative itself is unique written in the form of journals, ship logs, diaries etc not only of one person but many individuals put together. All events fall into place & this style of telling a story has affected most of my writings. 

Some of the folklore behind the origin of vampires is made accurately by the writer however, some parts are exaggerated. It is scary ,no doubt about that & it also shocks. Catholic customs & traditions are intricately used against the vampires & with a mad house in the story, the novel exceeds itself in generating a new (at that time) kind of horror which was & is still imitated by many authors today.

The best part of the story is the mystery itself & how Biblical terms can be changed to mean something absolutely horrid (the blood is the life). 

This was about the 20th time I was reading Dracula, & yet I felt a shiver rum up my spine but now I have got an extra amount of literary backing not to be shocked out of my wits. Dracula introduced me to literature & the beauty of books….I thank the count a thousand times today for doing at least one good turn…in his all so cruel life.