This Haunted Heaven: Ten Strange Stories (2024) by Reggie Oliver
Horrors ancient and modern
Readers unfamiliar with This Haunted Heaven may wish read my note below only after reading the collection.
"This Haunted Heaven"
Plot: A man recounts his experience as a young student assisting in an archaeological dig on the Greek island of Skliros. He meets a captivating American girl named Perse who invites him to the Villa Attis, where he encounters a strange group of people led by Madame Dimitriou. The story unfolds with peculiar events at the dig site, unsettling encounters at the villa, and the mysterious disappearance and death of the lead archaeologist, Dr. Frith.
Location: Skliros, a Greek island
Characters:
John: A young student assisting in an archaeological dig.
Perse: A beautiful American girl who invites John to the Villa Attis.
Madame Dimitriou: The enigmatic leader of the group at the Villa Attis.
Dr. Frith: The lead archaeologist.
Hutton: Frith's nephew and John's friend.
Themes:
The Allure of the Unknown: John's fascination with the mysteries of the island and the people he encounters.
The Power of Belief: The influence of ancient cults and rituals on the characters' actions.
The Dark Side of Paradise: The unsettling events that unfold amidst the beautiful scenery of Skiiros.
"Grey Glass"
Plot: An actor recounts a story told to him by his Uncle Herbert about a series of unsettling events during a theatrical production in the 1930s. The story revolves around a broken mirror, a missing actress, and a mysterious property man named Denson.
Location: The Grand Theatre, Barnsford (a town in the North of England)
Characters:
Uncle Herbert: An actor who recounts the story.
Henry Lionel: The leading man of the play.
Denson: The theatre's enigmatic property man.
Roland Hope: An elderly character actor.
Themes:
The Power of Superstition: The actors' belief in theatrical superstitions and their impact on events.
The Supernatural: The strange occurrences surrounding the broken mirror and Denson's actions.
The Theatre World: The dynamics and personalities within a 1930s theatre company.
"The Ninth Curtain"
Plot: A man recounts a story about his encounter with an old college friend, Alec Carson, who has become a successful writer of humorous columns under the pseudonym A.E. Carson. The story takes a dark turn as Alec's past is revealed, involving a failed novel, a mysterious inn, and a series of unsettling experiences.
Location:
A train from London to York
The Skull and Trumpet Inn, Westerham (a town in the Midlands)
Brummel's Club, St. James's, London
Characters:
The Narrator: A writer and former college friend of Alec Carson.
A.E. Carson (Alec): A successful writer with a troubled past.
The Fat Man: A grotesque figure encountered on the train and later in London.
Themes:
The Dark Side of Success: Alec's struggles with fame and his troubled past.
The Supernatural: The unsettling events at The Skull and Trumpet Inn and the mysterious fat man.
The Power of the Past: Alec's inability to escape the trauma of his past experiences.
"Limed Souls"
Plot: A young boy recounts his experience as a beater on a Boxing Day pheasant shoot. He witnesses a series of illicit encounters between the married Carmel and her lover, Snowshill, leading to a tragic accident and a cover-up orchestrated by Dr. Spicer.
Location: Swinbrook Grange, Gloucestershire, England
Characters:
The Narrator: A young boy who participates in the shoot as a beater.
Carmel: The wife of Tim Rutherson, having an affair with Snowshill.
Snowshill: Carmel's lover and a skilled shooter.
Tim Rutherson: Carmel's husband.
Dr. Spicer: A retired bishop and friend of the Ruthersons.
Themes:
Coming of Age: The young narrator's loss of innocence as he witnesses the events of the shoot.
Moral Corruption: The illicit relationships and cover-up among the upper-class characters.
The Dark Side of Tradition: The unsettling events that unfold during a traditional Boxing Day shoot.
"From the Man-Seat"
Plot: A man recounts a story told to him by his friend Fergus, an opera director, about a series of disturbing events that occurred while he was sitting in a "man-seat" at a clothing shop in Alderness. The story involves a mysterious changing room, a terrifying creature, and Fergus's sudden loss of sight.
Location:
Alderness, a seaside town
The Seahorse clothing shop
Characters:
The Narrator: A friend of Fergus who recounts the story.
Fergus: An opera director who experiences the unsettling events at the shop.
Anna: A cellist and Fergus's love interest.
Trace: The dominant shop assistant.
Themes:
The Unseen: The unsettling presence of the mysterious changing room and the creature that emerges from it.
The Fragility of Perception: Fergus's loss of sight and the blurring of reality and illusion.
Fear of Aging: Fergus's anxieties about his age and relationship with Anna.
"South Riding"
Plot: Don, an actor struggling with unemployment and a failed suicide attempt, takes a job with a summer repertory company in Disston, a peculiar seaside town in the South Riding of Yorkshire. The story follows Don's experiences with the eccentric company, the peculiar townspeople, and the unsettling realization that Disston is not what it seems.
Location: Disston, a seaside town in the fictional South Riding of Yorkshire.
Characters:
Don: An actor who takes a job in Disston.
Sharon: The leading young actress in the company.
Ralph: An elderly actor who guides Don through Disston's eccentricities.
Themes:
Isolation and Loneliness: Don's struggles with unemployment and his sense of isolation in Disston.
The Illusion of Reality: The unsettling realization that Disston is not what it seems.
The Supernatural: The peculiar events and characters in Disston that defy explanation.
"Fell Creatures"
Plot: A retired history teacher recounts the strange story of his new neighbors at Strellbrigg Hall, the Argents. The story revolves around a series of unsettling discoveries, including an antique doll's house, grotesque portraits, and a rare book, leading to a series of disturbing events involving the Argent family and their children.
Location: Strellbrigg Hall, Norfolk, England
Characters:
The Narrator: A retired history teacher living next to Strellbrigg Hall.
The Argents: The wealthy couple who move into Strellbrigg Hall.
Nicola Waley-Ruthven: The Argents' stylist and interior decorator.
Themes:
The Grotesque: The unsettling imagery of the elongated figures in the doll's house and the animal-headed portraits.
The Power of Wealth: The influence of the Argents' wealth on their lifestyle and relationships.
The Unseen: The mysterious forces at play that transform the Argent family and their children.
"Behind You!"
Plot: A man recounts his experience working with a comedy duo, Webber and Quinn, known for their Skeleton Dance. The story unfolds with unsettling events at their shared lodgings, a disturbing incident involving Quinn and a chorus girl, and the mysterious disappearance of their landlady.
Location:
Castlebury, a town in the North of England
The Palace Theatre
A boarding house run by June's great aunt.
Characters:
The Narrator: An actor who recounts his experience working with Webber and Quinn.
Webber and Quinn: A comedy duo known for their unsettling Skeleton Dance.
June: A dance teacher and choreographer who runs the boarding house.
Themes:
The Unsettling Nature of Performance: The blurring of lines between reality and illusion in Webber and Quinn's act.
The Dark Side of Comedy: The sinister undertones of the duo's act.
“The Cardinal's Ring"
Plot: A cardinal delivers a relic to his cousin, the Prince of Venosa, through a friar. The relic is a severed finger of another recently sainted cousin. The friar is asked to remain with the prince until his death. The prince is wracked with guilt over the death of his wife and her lover, whom he murdered after finding them together. He performs numerous acts of penance in the hopes of avoiding eternal damnation. He believes his wife's brothers will come to kill him as revenge for killing his wife, and when he believes they have arrived, he becomes sick and dies. Before he dies, he consumes the relic. A woman and two men on horseback are seen leaving the area.
Setting: Italy in 1613, specifically Rome and the Castello Gesualdo in Campania.
Characters:
The unnamed friar who acts as the point-of-view character for the story.
Cardinal Federico Borromeo, who gives the friar the relic and sends him to the Castello Gesualdo.
The Prince of Venosa, Don Gesualdo, a guilt-ridden man.
Beppo, the man who travels with the friar.
Point of view: First person
Weird/horror genre elements: The prince believes he is damned, and the relic is a severed finger. There is a suggestion of the supernatural at the end of the story when the prince sees his wife and her brothers.
“Chaos Regained”
Plot: Chambers, a professor, is on an archaeological dig in Israel where they find the skeletons of giants. He believes these are the Nephilim of the Bible. Before they can investigate further, they are kicked out of the area due to a war, and when they return, the evidence has been destroyed. Chambers writes a paper about the find anyway, and is ridiculed for his beliefs. Sonia, a student, asks to meet Chambers, and the two work together to incorporate the Nephilim into a play that Sonia is directing. Chambers becomes infatuated with Sonia, but she does not return his affections. He is later killed in a freak accident during a storm.
Setting: Oxford
Characters:
The unnamed narrator, a philosophy professor.
Horace Chambers, a professor of ancient history.
Sonia Gaill, a student.
Point of view: First person
Weird/horror genre elements: The story features giants and incorporates a religious story. The main character dies tragically and mysteriously.
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This Haunted Heaven is a very fine collection of horror stories. I cannot think of another writer whose collections demand immediate reading and long reflection. The worlds of these stories are close to our own, and invested with macabre richness that sustains excitement until the end.
Jay
4 December 2024
