Let me take a moment and put down some of my thoughts about this great little occult detective series.
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[S]ometimes there is just nothing better than indulging your weaker side and diving into a story that you know is just going to be a lowbrow delight. You know you’re not going to come away enlightened or smarter. No wisdom is going to really be imparted to you, just the enjoyment of the experience. As I picked up my Kindle last night I found myself doing just that, seeking out a treasure trove of entertainment simply for entertainment’s sake. So let’s take a look at this little gem, shall we?
If you’re interested in this book here are the notes from the publisher:
Today the names of H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, August Derleth, and Clark Ashton Smith, all regular contributors to the pulp magazine Weird Tales during the first half of the twentieth century, are recognizable even to casual readers of the bizarre and fantastic. And yet despite being more popular than them all during the golden era of genre pulp fiction, there is another author whose name and work have fallen into obscurity: Seabury Quinn.
Quinn’s short stories were featured in well more than half of Weird Tales’s original publication run. His most famous character, the supernatural French detective Dr. Jules de Grandin, investigated cases involving monsters, devil worshippers, serial killers, and spirits from beyond the grave, often set in the small town of Harrisonville, New Jersey. In de Grandin there are familiar shades of both Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, and alongside his assistant, Dr. Samuel Trowbridge, de Grandin’s knack for solving mysteries—and his outbursts of peculiar French-isms (grand Dieu!)—captivated readers for nearly three decades.
Collected for the first time in trade editions, The Complete Tales of Jules de Grandin, edited by George Vanderburgh, presents all ninety-three published works featuring the supernatural detective. Presented in chronological order over five volumes, this is the definitive collection of an iconic pulp hero.
The first volume, The Horror on the Links, includes all of the Jules de Grandin stories from “The Horror on the Links” (1925) to “The Chapel of Mystic Horror” (1928), as well as an introduction by George Vanderburgh and Robert Weinberg.
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Collection:
The Horror On the Links
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Story Title:
The Curse of Everard Maundy
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Author:
Seabury Quinn
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Story Hook
Trowbridge and de Grandin notice that there seems to be a preponderance of suicides in Harrisonville. de Grandin, itching to sink his teeth into a new investigation starts looking into the deaths to see if there is a connection between those dead.
Interesting Elements
This story is one that has a lot more twists and turns than the usual de Grandin romp, and perhaps that is why I like it so much. The investigation into the suicides leads our heroes to a suspicious preacher, who then turns out to just be another victim in his own way. Trowbridge nearly succumbs to his own dark thoughts, empowered by an unknown evil. A beautiful ghost transforms into a malevolent hag, and we even get to see de Grandin go toe to toe with the walking dead! It definitely felt like Quinn put some more effort into making this one more action-packed, ratcheting up the tension with the ever-present and indefensible threat of suicide.
Reflection
I’m not going to say that this (or any of the other de Grandin stories) is a great work of literature. But what I will eagerly say is that this story was a lot of fun to read and I think really showcases the characters in a great way. We get to see what Trowbridge brings to the table by way of his medical know-how and local geographical knowledge. We get to see the seemingly limitless ego of de Grandin and his compulsion to wage a crusade against supernatural evils. You know, often times this is not the case which helped to make the tale feel more rounded. Additionally, we seem to have departed from Quinn’s formulaic output and veered off into a write-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of story which I think made it more fast-paced and unpredictable. The hook felt fresh and unforced, and the investigation as a whole felt more or less organic, despite de Grandin’s habit of keeping the facts to himself until the big reveal at the end of the story.
Looking back now that I have read quite a few of these little stories I have to say that this one stands out. The supernatural entity is just foreign enough, and the solution to the problem is less of a write off than in other tales. I think that Quinn’s background working in funeral homes and around death may have inspired and informed aspects of this story. de Grandin is a Mary Sue to be sure, but once you can get behind him it’s a delight to see him cut his way through the plot. If I were to recommend a Jules de Grandin story to someone, I would say to start with this one.
If you noticed this week I have posted a new short story to my site titled Animal Control. I was pretty excited to write this type of story and I thought I did a good job of capturing a colorful surrealist energy, but I’ll go into greater detail about that below. If you are interested in reading it for yourself, you can access it from the link below. Just as a reminder if you sign up for my infrequent newsletter you’ll get access to all of my short fiction early, and even have the chance to help me decide what kinds of creative projects I should try moving forward.
Animal Control began with the want to write something that was a classic adventure story at heart, but twist the world building aspect in such a way that would set it apart from a traditional swashbuckling adventure. I endeavored to throw a main character out of their normal humdrum life into one of vibrant weirdness and unexpected elements. I adhered pretty hard to Campbell’s Hero’s Journey model on purpose in order to give the whole thing the feeling of a more traditional adventure.
Did I have any particular inspirations?
I had a lot of fun dreaming up the various creatures that inhabit the story’s world. I don’t know if there is really one thing that I took inspiration from, but a thousand things that strike similar chords out there. It’s always so hard to think up a creative doorway that connects the “real world” from the bizarre foreign one that your main character plunges into. I eventually ended up on a hallow Earth model of a fantastical world with the thought that if such a place existed how hard it would be to try and segregate the natural world into its respective layers.
In the end, as always, is my work flawed? Yes. Was it fun to write and share with all of you? Also yes. If you have any creative comments for me feel free to post them below, or if you have any creative works along similar lines feel free to share the link.
I was asked the other day by a friend what my reading recommendations would be for someone looking to create a tabletop game in a Gothic horror setting. I put together the following, and thought that it might be useful for others out there so I’m going to re-post it here. It’s by no means a definitive list, but it will more than get you in the right headspace to ensure you hit all the right notes. Enjoy!
[S]o rather than give you some lengthy novels to read, I’m going to focus on my favorite short stories done in the classic Victorian Gothic style, from the period. And fortunately for you they are all going to be in the public domain, so I’ll dig up some links for them 🙂
If it’s helpful, here is what I would keep in mind building a Gothic tabletop game:
“a man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his brow, and misery in his heart, a scorner of his kind, implacable in revenge, yet capable of deep and strong affection.” – Byron
Gothic tropes:
Gloomy villain
foreboding locations
Persecuted heroines
Juxtaposition of wealth and order next to barbarism and poverty
Obsession with mourning rituals, mementos, and the degradation of morality
Extreme curiosity of what lies beyond the veil. Often roped together with the growing spiritualist movement at the time.
Recommendations:
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – The lengthiest one on the list, but one of the best. It hits all of the hallmarks of the genera and is an absolute classic. You may have already read this one so I’ll not carry on about how great it is. Stevenson does not use purple prose, so this shit moves fast.
Dracula’s Guest – For those of you who don’t have time for Dracula (which is an awesome read and probably the first thing everyone thinks of when they think about Gothic fiction) we have this little short story. First written as part of Dracula, then cast off as its own short story, its a lot of fun and uses great language the way only Stoker can.
Casting the Runes – MR James is the father of the modern ghost story. He has some great work in the realm of weird fiction, but if your looking for a more Gothic piece I remember really liking this one.
Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar – Perhaps one of Poe’s most gory pieces (I think he must have written it with an anatomy book open next to him). An easier Poe work to get through (sometimes his language can be a bit thick) that like many of his shorts is benefited from the author’s obsession with death.
The Striding Place– Gertrude Atherton (a female writer in a time dominated by men) I think captured the Gothic contemplation of the spirit/soul and the morbid thoughts of it lingering on after death. If you are looking to build a tabletop game around the ideas of death and the soul (classic tropes of the genera) then I think this would give you a good primer for what the zeitgeist was at the time.
The Phantom ‘Rickshaw – A straightforward little tale about a man being driven mad by a ghost. I liked the language used by the narrator to reveal the increasing madness and desperation.
Steer clear of:
The Mummy’s Foot – Ugh, just terrible. You’d think it would be cool with a mummy and all, but alas it really lets you down. I want to be enchanted by an Egyptian Princess as much as the next guy but sheesh.
The Vampyre – It might be sacrilege for me to say so, but I think that the Vampyre by Paolidori is really only interesting if you are want to read it for historical reasons. Or if you really want to see a Vampire Lord be a total dick. Not worth the time it would take you to get through.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Dicken’s does not deliver. There is a bit of hype around this one since he died before it could be completed. Read only if you are interested in the author IMO.
If you’ve got any additions or subtractions to this list, by all means feel free to comment below 🙂
