{"id":1035,"date":"2016-01-26T12:49:36","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T12:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?p=1035"},"modified":"2023-02-06T23:05:41","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T23:05:41","slug":"twelve-tales-which-linger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/","title":{"rendered":"Twelve Tales Which Linger"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Which stories stay with you, years after you first read them? That&#8217;s the <em>greydogtales<\/em> question for today. We return to our love of early strange and supernatural stories, in a way which might entertain and vex in equal measure. Whilst rummaging through piles of books for a particular ghost story (which still hasn&#8217;t turned up), we drifted into thinking about those tales which never quite go away. So we thought we&#8217;d share a handful of them here.<\/p>\n<p>The stories picked had to be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>supernatural or unnatural to some certain degree (no pretend hauntings, let-downs or mundane explanations)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>memorable for their themes, key elements or imagery<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>different from the usual fare in some way, either in style, approach or resolution<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>free of the standard vampires, werewolves, witches, zombies and cthulhoids for a change<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Of course, each had to be a weird tale which remained in memory long after the book was closed.<\/p>\n<p>We make no excuses for the fact that many of these stories are well-known. They are well-known for a reason, and we weren&#8217;t trying to find obscure oddities so we could sound clever. We could do that if we wanted, you know. Honestly we could.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The stories<\/strong> are given order of the author&#8217;s year of birth, for no particular reason. <strong>The rating system<\/strong> is badly-thought out, unreliable and of no real value whatsoever. We understand that lists do that sort of thing, and didn&#8217;t want it to look like we hadn&#8217;t tried.<\/p>\n<h4>1) Sredni Vashtar<br \/>\n<em>H H Munro (1862-1916)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>A masterpiece in its simplicity, as so often with Saki (H H Munro). A disturbing glimpse into a boy&#8217;s life and his frustrations, one of the most inventive &#8216;weird&#8217; tales ever written. As to what Sredni Vashtar is, and what it does, we can say no more without spoiling the story.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 8\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Style rating: 9\/10<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1038\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/attachment\/3401\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg?fit=260%2C396&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"260,396\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"3401\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg?fit=197%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg?fit=260%2C396&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1038\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg?resize=197%2C300\" alt=\"3401\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg?resize=197%2C300&amp;ssl=1 197w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg?w=260&amp;ssl=1 260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>2) The Malice of Inanimate Objects<br \/>\n<em>M R James (1862-1936)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>A very short story which stands out because it doesn&#8217;t follow the antiquarian Jamesian trope, having a more contemporary feel to it. It has some of his best understated prose towards the end, and the line about shaving in the penultimate paragraph is one of the finest descriptions of a rather nasty event ever written.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 4\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>3) Where Their Fire is not Quenched<br \/>\n<em>May Sinclair (1863-1946)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>A piece of horror concerning love and relationships which avoids every clich\u00e9. Truly chilling if you let yourself absorb its analysis of people and what they do to each other. To her credit Sinclair takes an entirely humanistic approach where a good old-fashioned ghost, witch or cursed object would have come as light relief for the reader.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 7\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/maysinclairuncanny.jpgoriginal.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1040\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/maysinclairuncanny-jpgoriginal\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/maysinclairuncanny.jpgoriginal.jpg?fit=380%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"380,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"maysinclairuncanny.jpgoriginal\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/maysinclairuncanny.jpgoriginal.jpg?fit=190%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/maysinclairuncanny.jpgoriginal.jpg?fit=380%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1040\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/maysinclairuncanny.jpgoriginal.jpg?resize=190%2C300\" alt=\"maysinclairuncanny.jpgoriginal\" width=\"190\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/maysinclairuncanny.jpgoriginal.jpg?resize=190%2C300&amp;ssl=1 190w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/maysinclairuncanny.jpgoriginal.jpg?w=380&amp;ssl=1 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>4) The Yellow Sign<br \/>\n<em>Robert W Chambers (1865-1933)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>The quintessential introduction to the concept of the King in Yellow and the Yellow Sign, this story evokes things beyond the natural order, and a genuine sense of madness pressing on the human mind. <em>\u201c&#8230;but still we murmured to each other of the King and the Pallid Mask, and midnight sounded from the misty spires in the fog-wrapped city.\u201d<\/em> The concept is fascinating enough, but with the churchyard watchman Chambers also adds suggestions of more tangible horror to his questioning of sanity.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 9\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/King-in-Yellow.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1037\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/king-in-yellow\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/King-in-Yellow.jpg?fit=359%2C565&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"359,565\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"King in Yellow\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/King-in-Yellow.jpg?fit=191%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/King-in-Yellow.jpg?fit=359%2C565&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1037\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/King-in-Yellow.jpg?resize=191%2C300\" alt=\"King in Yellow\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/King-in-Yellow.jpg?resize=191%2C300&amp;ssl=1 191w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/King-in-Yellow.jpg?w=359&amp;ssl=1 359w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>5) Lord Beden&#8217;s Motor<br \/>\n<em>J B Harris-Burland (1870-1926)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>Written in 1901, this story should already be of note because of its central use of the motor car. In fact, it&#8217;s a weird story anyway, with a wonderful sense of speed and danger as Lord Beden burns through the night in his 12 horsepower Napier, in pursuit of something far stranger and darker than his own automobile. Innovative and enjoyable.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 7\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 6\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>6) Bone to his Bone<br \/>\n<em>E G Swain (1871-1938)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>A marvellous Mr Batchel story. This is the epitome of Swain&#8217;s gentle humour and everyday approach, which opens up the natural presence of ghosts around us for various perfectly good reasons. It shows how a master can handle a haunting without cheap terror and trickery. Also notable for its unusual approach to bibliomancy, which is a delight.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 1\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/147989.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"98\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/of-gods-and-garden-rollers\/attachment\/147989\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/147989.jpg?fit=600%2C869&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"600,869\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"147989\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/147989.jpg?fit=207%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/147989.jpg?fit=474%2C687&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-98\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/147989.jpg?resize=207%2C300\" alt=\"147989\" width=\"207\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/147989.jpg?resize=207%2C300&amp;ssl=1 207w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/147989.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>7) The Whistling Room<br \/>\n<em>William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>Not the best of Hodgson, but an introduction to two of his themes &#8211; scientific ghost hunting and the possibility of true abominations rather than merely scary spirits. His portrayal of a sense of danger and imminent, utter destruction stands out, as does the source of it. As has been said, quite unfilmable because of its unique imagery, but Hodgson carries it off on paper.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 8\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>8) Hill Drums<br \/>\n<em>Henry S Whitehead (1882-1932)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>A new consul-general arrives on the island of St Thomas, and does not &#8216;fit in&#8217;. An unusual story which reflects on the nature of culture in the West Indies and relies on a remarkably simple theme to achieve its effect. It would be easy to choose one of Whitehead&#8217;s more directly frightening and equally well-handled stories, but this one has perhaps more in common with James \u2013 and Swain &#8211; than usual. <em>\u201cHim go back to Trebizond\u201d<\/em> is a refrain which somehow doesn&#8217;t go away. <em>NOTE: This also includes Whitehead&#8217;s variable take on racial issues (he veered between sympathetic handling and stereotyping), but we include it for the unusual concept.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 1\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15955889.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"89\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/vodun-child\/attachment\/15955889\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15955889.jpg?fit=307%2C475&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"307,475\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"15955889\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15955889.jpg?fit=194%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15955889.jpg?fit=307%2C475&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-89\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15955889.jpg?resize=194%2C300\" alt=\"15955889\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15955889.jpg?resize=194%2C300&amp;ssl=1 194w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15955889.jpg?w=307&amp;ssl=1 307w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>9) Branch Line to Benceston<br \/>\n<em>Sir Andrew Caldecott (1884-1951)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>Another unusual story, even for its author, which pursues possibilities of alternate or co-existing worlds \u2013 or does it? As with much of Caldecott&#8217;s work, the exact explanation is elusive, but the concept of a man seeing his life play out in Benceston even as it deteriorates in &#8216;reality&#8217; is a striking one, with a worrying conclusion.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 5\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>10) The Crown Derby Plate<br \/>\n<em>Marjorie Bowen (1885-1952)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>A woman who deals in antiques has one plate missing from a Crown Derby service which she bought at auction thirty years before. So she tries to get hold of the missing plate. Possibly one of the most wonderfully simple and prosaic starts to a deceptive story which grows as it develops. Another one which definitely stays with you, enough so that you re-read it to check it really said what you thought. Clever and quietly scary.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Scary rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/the-crown-derby-plate-marjorie-bowen.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1041\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/the-crown-derby-plate-marjorie-bowen\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/the-crown-derby-plate-marjorie-bowen.jpg?fit=358%2C476&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"358,476\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"the-crown-derby-plate-marjorie-bowen\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/the-crown-derby-plate-marjorie-bowen.jpg?fit=226%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/the-crown-derby-plate-marjorie-bowen.jpg?fit=358%2C476&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1041\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/the-crown-derby-plate-marjorie-bowen.jpg?resize=226%2C300\" alt=\"the-crown-derby-plate-marjorie-bowen\" width=\"226\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/the-crown-derby-plate-marjorie-bowen.jpg?resize=226%2C300&amp;ssl=1 226w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/the-crown-derby-plate-marjorie-bowen.jpg?w=358&amp;ssl=1 358w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>11) The Outsider<br \/>\n<em>H P Lovecraft (1890-1937)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>Rather than pick a Mythos or Dream-Lands story, it seemed more appropriate for this list to go with one of Lovecraft&#8217;s most unsettling pieces, which seems modest enough until you get to the last lines, and reflect on what has gone before. All the better for having no strange gods or fancy names in it, employing instead a most Gothic feel. Also notable for the empathy which Lovecraft evokes, in a tale which at times seems almost autobiographical (if you prefer psychoanalysis to a good yarn).<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 8\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 6\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/561416723.0.l.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1039\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/561416723-0-l\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/561416723.0.l.jpg?fit=400%2C586&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"400,586\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"561416723.0.l\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/561416723.0.l.jpg?fit=205%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/561416723.0.l.jpg?fit=400%2C586&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1039\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/561416723.0.l.jpg?resize=205%2C300\" alt=\"561416723.0.l\" width=\"205\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/561416723.0.l.jpg?resize=205%2C300&amp;ssl=1 205w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/561416723.0.l.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>12) The Colossus of Ylourgne<br \/>\n<em>Clark Ashton Smith (1893-1961)<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>A late entry, but one that stuck with us. Shedding that florid, sometimes over-written fantasy style which falls between Lord Dunsany and Jack Vance, Smith returns to Averoigne, a place which is more haunting because of its closeness to reality than its divergence from it. Except for the central activities of an insane necromancer, and the graphic nature of those activities. Memorable for both the ghastly techniques involved in what the madman constructs, and the horrors which come after.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Scary rating: 7\/10<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Style rating: 6\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>At the end of this week \u2013 a major illustrated interview with the talented Andy Paciorek, artist and originator of the whole Folk Horror Revival movement. Harrumble!<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Which stories stay with you, years after you first read them? That&#8217;s the greydogtales question for today. We return to our love of early strange and supernatural stories, in a way which might entertain and vex in equal measure. Whilst rummaging through piles of books for a particular ghost story (which still hasn&#8217;t turned up), &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Twelve Tales Which Linger<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":8,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[84,49],"class_list":["post-1035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ghost-stories","tag-supernatural"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Twelve Tales Which Linger - greydogtales<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Twelve Tales Which Linger - greydogtales\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Which stories stay with you, years after you first read them? That&#8217;s the greydogtales question for today. We return to our love of early strange and supernatural stories, in a way which might entertain and vex in equal measure. Whilst rummaging through piles of books for a particular ghost story (which still hasn&#8217;t turned up), &hellip; Continue reading Twelve Tales Which Linger &rarr;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"greydogtales\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-01-26T12:49:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-06T23:05:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401-197x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"greydogtales\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"greydogtales\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/\",\"name\":\"Twelve Tales Which Linger - greydogtales\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401-197x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-01-26T12:49:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-06T23:05:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c2413a29a9d04fbc9280c12fdf7b151\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg?fit=260%2C396&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg?fit=260%2C396&ssl=1\",\"width\":260,\"height\":396},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Twelve Tales Which Linger\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"greydogtales\",\"description\":\"Literature, lurchers and life\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c2413a29a9d04fbc9280c12fdf7b151\",\"name\":\"greydogtales\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33b1544bc8676700f4c33c9ed5475632?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33b1544bc8676700f4c33c9ed5475632?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"greydogtales\"},\"description\":\"John Linwood Grant writes occult detective and dark fantasy stories, in between running his beloved lurchers and baking far too many kinds of bread. Apart from that, he enjoys growing unusual fruit and reading rejection slips. He is six foot tall, ageing at an alarming rate, and has his own beard.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/author\/greydogtales\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Twelve Tales Which Linger - greydogtales","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Twelve Tales Which Linger - greydogtales","og_description":"Which stories stay with you, years after you first read them? That&#8217;s the greydogtales question for today. We return to our love of early strange and supernatural stories, in a way which might entertain and vex in equal measure. Whilst rummaging through piles of books for a particular ghost story (which still hasn&#8217;t turned up), &hellip; Continue reading Twelve Tales Which Linger &rarr;","og_url":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/","og_site_name":"greydogtales","article_published_time":"2016-01-26T12:49:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-02-06T23:05:41+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401-197x300.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"greydogtales","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"greydogtales","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/","url":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/","name":"Twelve Tales Which Linger - greydogtales","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401-197x300.jpg","datePublished":"2016-01-26T12:49:36+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-06T23:05:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c2413a29a9d04fbc9280c12fdf7b151"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg?fit=260%2C396&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3401.jpg?fit=260%2C396&ssl=1","width":260,"height":396},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/twelve-tales-which-linger\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Twelve Tales Which Linger"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#website","url":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/","name":"greydogtales","description":"Literature, lurchers and life","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c2413a29a9d04fbc9280c12fdf7b151","name":"greydogtales","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33b1544bc8676700f4c33c9ed5475632?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33b1544bc8676700f4c33c9ed5475632?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"greydogtales"},"description":"John Linwood Grant writes occult detective and dark fantasy stories, in between running his beloved lurchers and baking far too many kinds of bread. Apart from that, he enjoys growing unusual fruit and reading rejection slips. He is six foot tall, ageing at an alarming rate, and has his own beard.","sameAs":["http:\/\/greydogtales.com"],"url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/author\/greydogtales\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6sRRV-gH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2610,"url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/shades-of-sherlock-holmes-pastiche-paranormal-or-piffle\/","url_meta":{"origin":1035,"position":0},"title":"Shades of Sherlock Holmes: Pastiche, Paranormal or Piffle?","author":"greydogtales","date":"August 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In which we consider the Holmes pastiche, for better or for worse... Holmes forced more of the vile Turkish tobacco into his pipe, wincing as he realised that yet again he was smoking the damnable stuff in order to keep up appearances. \u201cDespite the fact that you are secretly my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"sherlock holmes\"","block_context":{"text":"sherlock holmes","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/tag\/sherlock-holmes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Huty1913428","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/sherlock-holmes-basil-rathbone-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4232,"url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/shiela-crerar-clay-corpses-psychic-investigation-girls\/","url_meta":{"origin":1035,"position":1},"title":"Shiela Crerar, Clay-Corpses &#038; Psychic Investigation for Girls","author":"greydogtales","date":"July 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cOh, you modern women! You dabble in science and medicine, you dabble in politics and law, and now you dabble in the occult. What else is there left for mere man?\u201d Today we get lost in Scotland and its folklore with Shiela Crerar, follow a plucky young woman's psychic endeavours,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"classic horror\"","block_context":{"text":"classic horror","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/tag\/classic-horror\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"shiela crerar","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/doll-626790_960_720-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4071,"url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/fables-disappearances-untethered-tales-gwendolyn-kiste\/","url_meta":{"origin":1035,"position":2},"title":"Fables and Disappearances: The Untethered Tales of Gwendolyn Kiste","author":"greydogtales","date":"May 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, dear listener, we have loss and identity; clarity and hope; the core of writing, style, Angela Carter and some dark, magical stories. When we thought about interviewing author Gwendolyn Kiste, we realised we wanted to burrow behind her work a bit, so we went there.\u00a0 Though we centre on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"interviews\"","block_context":{"text":"interviews","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/tag\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SONY DSC","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/And-Her-Smile-Will-Untether-the-Universe-Gwendolyn-300x201.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7318,"url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/scotland-the-strange-the-eyes-of-doom\/","url_meta":{"origin":1035,"position":3},"title":"SCOTLAND THE STRANGE: THE EYES OF DOOM","author":"greydogtales","date":"January 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This week, in honour of Burns Night, which celebrates Scottish poet Robert Burns (25 January 1759 \u2013 21 July 1796), our greydogtales site begins a ramble through the subject of Scottish supernatural\/horror and related cultural stuff. We\u2019ll have some classic tales, new material, guest reviews of some really bad films\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"SCOTLAND THE STRANGE","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ben_Lomond_from_Beinn_Narnain-300x163.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1035"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7170,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1035\/revisions\/7170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}