{"id":154,"date":"2015-09-04T10:22:09","date_gmt":"2015-09-04T10:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?p=154"},"modified":"2015-09-23T20:52:27","modified_gmt":"2015-09-23T20:52:27","slug":"flaxman-low-ghost-wrecker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/flaxman-low-ghost-wrecker\/","title":{"rendered":"Flaxman Low: Ghost Wrecker"},"content":{"rendered":"

I think it’s fair to say that if you are called Hesketh Vernon Hesketh-Prichard (1876-1922) and nicknamed ‘Hex’ at school, you ought to do something interesting with your life.<\/p>\n

The fascinating HVH-P did not let anyone down. He hunted for (probably) extinct giant sloths in South America, helped counter German snipers on the Great War, played a mean game of cricket and explored the world. Through Trackless Labrador<\/em> is one of his, for example, and he is supposed to have brought back some of the first reports of vodoun from the interior of Haiti. He could have been invented for the Boy’s Own Library.<\/p>\n

And he loved his mum. At least, I presume he did, because with his mother Kate O’Brien Ryall Prichard, he wrote a series of occult detective stories. She also accompanied him on some of his travels, but that’s another matter.<\/p>\n

The Flaxman Low adventures were attributed to E and H Heron, probably because the printers couldn’t fit both their full names on the covers. Published 1898-99, there were twelve stories in total, stories which brought his character onto the occult detective roll of honour. These tales are interesting, unusual and come with a twist of the new science of psychology (these are the 1890s, remember). But wait…<\/p>\n

I had intended to write my usual gentle introductory ramble. Then I re-read the Heron family this summer, and realised that this stuff is, in fact, nuts. Enjoyable, but nuts.<\/p>\n

The detective himself is \u201cone of the leading scientists of the day\u201d<\/em>, whose real name is not disclosed. He is also an accomplished sportsman, and a record-breaking hammer-thrower, strong and lean with a high forehead, long neck and thin moustache. We learn this early on, which gets us all a-quiver and ready for the horrors.<\/p>\n

And boy did I have trouble picking which horrors to feature here. So much gold in the river. I have rarely felt so dumbfounded when I put a book down. Here are two of Flaxman Low’s discoveries, to give you the idea:<\/p>\n