Book Review: The Devil Rides Out by Dennis Wheatley

Being the Author of The Devil Rides Out

Dennis Wheatley, who wrote more than sixty novels (horror/black magic, thriller, SF), is mainly remembered for one spooky bestselling horror extravaganza — The Devil Rides Out. Now, that’s rather disappointing for someone who was pretty much a Stephen King of his time. Wheatley wrote a lot of first rate thrillers and black magic novels (The Shadow of Tyburn Tree and Gateway to Hell are among his bests), but the Devil Rides Out simply overshadowed the rest of his works.

A Grand Story of Light and Darkness

A young man (Simon) and a beautiful woman (Tanith) get entangled in the web of evil Satanists. As they move towards damnation, Duke de Richleau fights a compelling war against diabolic forces to save their lives. The Duke takes on the suave Devil worshipper Mocata and gets involved in a high stake, perilous game that can destroy his soul. This powerful, action packed occult thriller moves with great speed, and intriguing twists. Wheatley’s brand of Satanism is a bit over-the -top thing, but it makes a great read. The author uses pentagrams, old panelled libraries, satanic orgies, and bull’s blood to scare the shit out of you. And yes, the Devil himself rides out on the back of his steed. It’s pure and refined hokum, but splendid entertainment.

The book has some highly innovative episodes like three people being subjected to a night of demonic attacks by Mocata. You don’t get to read stuff like that anymore. Also, be prepared for a decent dose of racism, sexism, and hopelessly reactionary political views.

All About Editions

Avoid new editions like hell if you want to get a feel of things Wheatley wanted to convey. Search Amazon for a bashed, yellowish edition printed in the sixties. This old school classic is a true reflection of Wheatley’s medieval mind; the Manichaean struggle he depicts can best be enjoyed between worn out covers.

The Hammer Hit

The Hammer film of the same name has reinforced the book’s reputation. Christopher Lee as Duke de Richleau and Charles Gray as Mocata delivered grand performances as the movie went on to become one of Hammer’s most successful ventures.

If you like Duke de Richleau, check out other books in this series:

The Prisoner In The Mask
Vendetta In Spain
The Second Seal
Three Inquisitive People
The Forbidden Territory
The Devil Rides Out
The Golden Spaniard
Codeword – Golden Fleece
Strange Conflict
Gateway To Hell
Dangerous Inheritance

Also, check Gregory Sallust series for black magic novels.

Download The Devil Rides Out by Dennis Wheatley ebook:
http://www.epubbud.com/book.php?g=FYUQFURW Continue reading →

Forgotten classic: La Morte Amoureuse by Théophile Gautier

Théophile Gautier (1811-1872) was a French poet, novelist, and critic who profoundly influenced French literature of his time. He was an ardent supporter of Romanticism and was blessed with fantastic poetic imagination. This is best exhibited in Gautier’s gothic fiction — La Morte Amoureuse (Clarimonde), The Mummy’s Foot, and Avatar to name a few. He was held in high esteem by prominent literary figures like Gustave Flaubert, Baudelaire, Balzac, and Oscar Wilde. Gautier was the director of Revue de Paris from 1851-1856.

La Morte Amoureuse is a classic Gothic vampire tale with numerous references to Orientalism. It delineates the story of a priest named Romuald, who is seduced by a beautiful woman — Clarimonde. With time, it becomes clear that Romuald’s beloved is a vampire, who thrives on his blood. While alive, she was a courtesan living in Palace Concini — a place of great debauchery. Romuald, however, lives with no regrets. He ends up being a two-face: a priest during day and a lover to an undead at night. Finally, an older priest becomes aware of the situation, digs out Clarimonde from her grave, and turns her to dust with holy water. Clarimonde comes back to Romauld one last time that night and tells him he would regret this all his life, but won’t get her back. The vampire’s prophecy turns out to be true as Romuald lives with a broken heart for the rest of his life.

This novella is an established classic and is bound to leave an impression on the lovers of gothic literature.

Read La Morte Amoureuse by Théophile Gautier online::

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22661

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Book Review: Drums of the Dark Gods by W.A Ballinger

One solid reason why I hate Stephen King is that he can’t seem to write no-nonsense, straight forward, to the point, pure horror stories. King evoked an eerie atmosphere in Salem’s Lot only to spoil the mood with section titles like Prince of Ice Creams. He stretched The Dark Tower series to the crack of doom just to screw it up with a lame ending. But of course, he is the “Sartre” of horror literature and most readers of the genre devour Stephenesque brand of spooky stuff. It’s a pity because books like Cujo and Dead Zone are not really horror though they overshadow outstanding works like Drums of the Dark Gods — an out of print black magic novel written by W.A Ballinger.

A story not for the faint hearted:

You read the first few pages and sit bolt upright. You feel voodoo all around you. You sense diabolical corruption and bloodbath.

It starts with a naked girl roped to ground, violated, and gruesomely sacrificed to voodoo gods in the jungles of Haiti. Her beating heart is ripped out of her chest. The girl is actually a Scotland Yard narcotics officer investigating a drug operation in Haiti. To dig into her murder case, Richard Quintain — a fraud investigating officer having prior experience with the occult — appears on the scene with his secretary Julia Wellsley.

Richard, with the help of Julia,. desperately tries to stop a terrifying voodoo plot. They infiltrate secret cells of Satanists but get trapped and encounter supernatural forces that threaten destroy them and change the future of mankind. The story involves an international drug racket as well.

A hell ride that freaks you out:

If print can shake your fundamentals, this book will. You start believing in the nightmarish Gorga — the voodoo high priest. You end up having delusions of Richard drinking blood out of a pitcher. You fail to wipe out memories of the dreaded secret police of Haiti.

Why won’t Stephen King write something like Drums of the Dark Gods? If Ballinger can make us nervous, King can scare us shitless. We have had our share of melodrama. Let someone bring back raw, naked horror.

Long live Drums of the Dark Gods. Continue reading →

Book Review: Uncanny Tales (The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult)

In the 1960s and 70s, Hutchinson were selling a million copies of Dennis Wheatley books every year. Wheatley’s occult books (including the classic The Devil Rides Out) were also made into films by Hammer. To bank on the author’s popularity, Sphere Books came up with a series called The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult. There were total 45 books in the series; Wheatley edited and wrote introductions for each one. The titles included occult themed novels as well as non-fiction works on the subject. Among the notable works in the series were three creepy volumes — Uncanny Tales 1, 2, and 3.

Most of the stories in The Uncanny Tales series are from the first half of the 20th century. Along with some short masterpieces, it offers a few little know yet delightfully spooky stories. Here are some pieces worth mentioning:

• Clarimonde by Théophile Gautier: Romuald, a priest, falls for a beautiful and sensual woman who turns out to be a vampire.
• Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu: A gothic novella about a female vampire. It’s somewhat marked by lesbian tones.
• Ligeia by Edgar Allen Poe: A woman comes back from the realms of the dead and is transformed into her husband’s former wife.
• The Snake by Dennis Wheatley: An eerie piece on black magic and voodoo set in Africa.
• The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs: Needs no introduction.
• Witch’s Vengeance by W. B. Seabrook: A cool story about witchcraft.
• A Life for a Life by Dennis Wheatley: The author deals with Egyptian mummies and nightmares in his own signature style.

Uncanny Tales books are truly remarkable and worth hunting for.

Contents:

Uncanny Tales 1

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins
The Tapestried Chamber by Sir Walter Scott
The Open Door by Mrs Oliphant
The Spectre Bridegroom by Washington Irving
Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe
Clarimonde by Theophile Gautier.

Uncanny Tales 2

Great God Pan by Arthur Machen
Witch’s Vengeance by W B Seabrook
Gavon’s Eve by E F Benson
Feet Foremost by L P Hartley
All Hallows by Walter de la Mare
Smee by Ex-Private X (A. M. Burrage)
The Angelus by William Younger
A Life for a Life by Dennis Wheatley.

Uncanny Tales 3

Afterward by Edith Wharton
The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs
The Miracle of Stigmata by Frank Harris
Playing with Fire by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Snake by Dennis Wheatley
The Trod by Algernon Blackwood
The Canary by F. Tennyson Jesse
The Hand by Theodore Dreiser
The Call of the Hand by Louis Golding
The Snow by Hugh Walpole
Lucky’s Grove by H. R. Wakefield. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Pastel City by M John Harrison

There are certain books you want to take off the shelf couple of times a year for sheer reading pleasure. These books never get old and take you for a spin every time you read them. M. John Harrison’s epic fantasy — The Pastel City — is one such case. It’s a perfect example of the classic seventies $.75 mass-market paperback that you adore on rainy evenings.

What’s it about

The Pastel City is set in a distant future (in the city of Viriconium) and delineates the struggle of an Arthurian kingdom that has grown from the ashes of a high tech empire. This state fights against an army of brain eating androids led by a ruthless woman. Sword and sorcery is on the rise and ancient relics that cannot be controlled have been unearthed. The war threatens to destroy civilization.

Why it works

The pastel city succeeds largely due to brilliant use of diction and some incredible action. Use of archaic words for conversation and explosive colors instead of bland descriptive prose makes Harrison’s writing highly appealing and exotic. And it’s tough to think of another epic fantasy that brings so much ferocity and terror into its combat scenes. Even Battle of Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers seems pale by comparison.

The standard features of fantasy are all here — a beautiful and good-hearted queen under seize, a lonely poet warrior, a cranky dwarf, traitors, an evil queen, and weird entities. But Mr. Harrison works with a different template; he blurs the thin line between science fiction and fantasy. So we have terminator like creatures and scientists living in high towers.

What’s not so cool

This Pastel City can be categorized as a long story or a novella rather than a full length novel. The plot is epic in scope but the thin size of the book leaves you wanting for more. Certain situations and characters lack details; at times, things seem a little too rushed. In this context it can be mentioned that the The Pastel city is a preamble to the greater things that come in the sequels — but it is a fun ride and can be read on its own. It reminds you of masterpieces like Jack Vance’s Tales of the Dying Earth, which evokes the feeling of stagnation and hopelessness.

Do you know

The Pastel city is the first volume of the series Viriconium. The sequels to the novel are A Storm of Wings (volume 2) and The Floating Gods (volume 3). There is also a collection of short stories called Viriconium Nights. A single volume edition is available (fantasy masterworks edition) where you can find all the Viriconium stories and novels.

The Pastel city and this series in general, is tight and well paced fantasy worth your reading effort. Continue reading →