Author Archives: SamHirst

Everyone knows Arthur Conan Doyle for his Sherlock Holmes but, of course, he wrote a lot more widely than that! Some of his work is non-fiction defences of spiritualism, short story collections, novels, plays and war poetry. He was incredibly prolific. Among the genres that he dipped into, horror and the Gothic frequently appear. Today’sContinue reading “Day 19 of ‘A Scare a Day’ – ‘The Terror of Blue John Gap’ by Arthur Conan Doyle”

I came to Algernon Blackwood through his weird fiction, tales like ‘The Willows’ and ‘The Man Whom the Trees Loved’. Truth be told, he’s one of my favourite early weird writers. He creates an unseen, invisible or indescribable ‘weird’ without having to tell that’s what he’s doing every five minutes. His weird stories, though, whileContinue reading “Day 18 of ‘A Scare a Day’ – ‘The ‘Kit Bag’ by Algernon Blackwood”

Now, if you know me, you’ll know that I appreciate Edith Nesbit’s ghost, supernatural and horror stories. We read ‘The House of Silence’ last year (read it here) which is a claustrophobic tale of a labyrinthine house, murder and an increasing sense of desperate entrapment. This year’s story ‘The Ebony Frame’ goes in a muchContinue reading “Day 17 of #AScareADay – ‘The Ebony Frame’ by Edith Nesbit”

Mushroom horror (or more properly mycological horror) has grown increasingly popular over the last few years. Shows like The Last of Us (also, first, a video game), books like Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno Garcia, Sorrowland by Solomon Rivers and What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher, graphic novels like Fruiting Bodies by Ashley RobinContinue reading “Day 16 of #AScareADay – ‘The Voice in the Night’ by William Hope Hodgson”

I took the chance today to share one of my favourite writers and one of my favourite stories. Today, we were reading lesser known Northern author (disputed between Yorkshire and Derbyshire) Robert Murray Gilchrist and his story ‘The Crimson Weaver’. You can read the story here. It’s part of a transcription of the original sourceContinue reading “Day 15 of ‘A Scare a Day’ – ‘The Crimson Weaver’ by Robert Murray Gilchrist”

Today’s story is Marjorie Bowen’s ‘Elsie’s Lonely Afternoon’. You can read it here. I read this story first in the Bishop of Hell collection from Wordsworth Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural. Among a host of supernatural stories, most of which have faded slightly from my memory, this one stood out. I can still feelContinue reading “Day 14 of ‘A Scare a Day’ – ‘Elsie’s Lonely Afternoon’ by Marjorie Bowen”

Today’s story is one of my favourite vampire tales, ‘Manor’ by sexologist and gay rights activist Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, who wrote the story in 1884 while living in Italy. You can read it here. Many people know Ulrichs more for his work on sexuality. He wrote a number of pamphlets on ‘the riddle of male-maleContinue reading “Day 13 of ‘A Scare a Day’ – ‘Manor’ by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs”

Charlotte Riddell was an Irish author though this is a distinctly Scottish style tale of the demonic. You can read the story here. It’s a short tale but effective in that short space. I’ll leave aside the framing device of a group of people trapped in a manse by bad weather. I’ll also leave asideContinue reading “Day 12 of ‘A Scare A Day’ – ‘Sandy the Tinker’ by Charlotte Riddell”

In 1929, M. R. James’ essay ‘Some Remarks on Ghost Stories’ appeared in the special Christmas edition of The Bookman. You can read the whole thing here if you are so inclined! In it he, quite famously, claims that he does ‘not think there are better ghost stories anywhere than the best of Le Fanu’s;Continue reading “Day 11 of ‘A Scare a Day’ – ‘The Familiar’ by Sheridan Le Fanu”

Today’s story is ‘Good Lady Ducayne’ by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, who is usually talked about in relation to her sensation and particularly Lady Audley’s Secret (1862). Today’s story can be read here. It was originally published in The Strand with some wonderfully evocative illustrations. I’ll give them to you in order with a little commentary.Continue reading “Day 10 of ‘A Scare a Day’ – ‘Good Lady Ducayne’ by Mary Elizabeth Braddon”