A kaleidoscope of greed angers the deities of destruction,
the wrath of Hindu goddesses, Kali and Durga, have the power to inspire their
followers to carry out their vengeful judgements.
Thrown from the heights of the of the Taj Mahal in
India, and spiraling toward a certain death, before your spattered on the
marbled floor of the luxurious structure.
A quarter of million dollars was serious loot in 1965,
especially if it's divided only one way. James Holding’s 1960s “Career Man” is a
timeless tale of a heist for the ages. The quest for a huge payday will never
die out, especially in the genre of crime and suspense writing.
“Tales of Terror” was released in 1986 and contains 58
shorts stories chosen by Alfred Hitchcock, the so-called master of suspense. This
book is great, because most of the stories are really good, and if you get
bored, you can go onto another story that captures the imagination.
Writer, Nedra Tyre’s 1963s “Killed by Kindness” is
difficult to talk about without revealing the plot. It’s very clever tale of a
husband and wife who after years of marriage tire of one another and plot an odious
means to end their marriage. The ending is anything but predictable.
The cobblestone roads in Whitechapel, London in the
late 1880s is where the serial killer Jack the Ripper slayed ladies of the
night. Annie, as she called herself, decided to take the law into her own hands.
Annie with her wolf whistle figure and scantily clad dress walked the late-night
London streets alone with a large knife in her purse. Her goal was to meet Jack
the Ripper, and lure him into a cheap motel, and instead of being another one
of his victims, she’d be the one to slay the nefarious Ripper.
The sound of her heels echoed sharply against the
cobbles, but it didn’t matter now, it was too late to end her quest to lure in
Jack the Knife. The 1976 short story by Vincent McConnor, “The Whitechapel
Wantons” was one of many great reads from this novel.
Jack Ritchie’s “ Kid Cardula” was the most original
vampire story I’ve ever read. The story adheres to the basic stereotypes of a
vampire, they indeed feed on the blood of the living, they cannot be out in the
sunlight and are extraordinarily strong. Most of the time, vampires also do not
reveal what they really are to humans unless they are killing or converting them.
“Kid Cardula” is the story of a small-time boxing manager
eager and desperate to be the sole manager of top prize fighter. The manager
does not freak out, nor get scared when he learns Kid Cardula is a vampire. Cardula,
with his great strength easily defeats his opponents in the ring to earn money
for him and his manager.
Cardula, the vampire boxer is not nearly as greedy as
his manager and things begin to go astray, and the ending was very fitting to
the story.
A solid three star read for “Tales of Terror.”
Mark Izzy Schurr
The evil escapades of damable debaucheries and the
diabolical ecstasy of certain folks are document in “Weird Tales; 32 Unearthed
Terrors.”
The slash of the grim reapers scythe is welcoming under
the reading lamps of sleeping suburba. “Weird Tales” is a book with a bizarre
barrage of sinister and sometimes funny tales which enlightens the imagination,
and feeds upon an addiction to reading.
The holy sepulcher of the mind omits the fear of death,
and ignites infinite intrigue about vampires, the occult and a limitless array
of dark vapors which seeps into the minds of writers and fans of horror fiction.
This 1988 book contains 32 short stories of terror,
sorcery, fantasy, comedy, devil worship and sexual perversion that would make a
porn star cringe. “Weird Tales” is a deranged delight to those who enjoy
reading.
Some of the 32 stories in this book, I found absolutely
boring, but the ones that seized my senses made this a 4.5 star read.
1942s “Masquerade” by Henry Kuttner started out to
what I thought was going to be your typical story of a newlywed couple killed
by vampires.
Rain comes down in torrents as forked lightning
crackles across the sky as the young honeymooners head toward what looks like a
deserted lunatic asylum, Kuttner wrote on the first page of his story
“Masquerade.”
“Masquerade” is a humorous view of the supernatural. Honeymooners
via great writing end up spending their first night of marriage in a hotel
managed by a family that is more scary then welcoming. The grandfather of this
family is the first one to greet the wedding couple, Rosamond, and Charlie.
Charlie immediately begins ribbing the old man by
jokingly asking him if he and his family kill and eat their guests. The old man
replies, “We are not cannibals, we just kill our guests and take their possessions.
Stranded in a small town rumored to have vampires, the ominous hotel, and its
employees, all from the same family offer little if any comfort to Charlie and
Rosamond.
“Masquerade” was both spooky and funny, and I had a
vivid picture of each and every character from this story while I was reading
it. While turning the pages of this story, it felt as if I was watching a
movie.
“Call Not Their Names,” a 1954 fable written by Everil
Worrell captured my imagination simple by referring to karmatic debts and
rewards ala Hindu style.
She feared the intrusion of her dreams and the
swelling tide of her subconscious. She angered Kali, the Hindu goddess of death
because she had incurred a mortal debt, and it was time to pay.
“Weird
Tales” has embedded itself into my subconscious and I’m grateful for that.
Long after the sun has been swallowed by the night, an off the wall story may
strike fear in your heart, yet the weirdness of unexplored thoughts may fuel your
aspirations.
A child latches onto to a teddy bear, a move from
total dependence from the parents to independent selfhood. Eventually the child
disregards the toy unless the toy has other plans! 1948s “The Professors Teddy
Bear” by Theodore Sturgeon has stood the test of time.
Dolls and toys that come
to life and wreak havoc upon their owners is still flourishing in Hollywood in
case you haven’t noticed. The Childs Play movies and Annabelle films come to
mind right off the top of my head.
The novel “Weird
Tales; the Magazine That Never Dies” contains more than 40 stories and makes
for great reading for individuals who enjoy peculiar horror.
Out of body experiences hurl one mans soul into the
paraffin flame of evil, and a morbid journey into the dark spheres of an
uncharted existence. H.G. Wells 1925s “A Stolen Body” is one of many “Weird
Tales” that begets a cool combination of words and has inspired me to write
more.
Mark Izzy Schurr
