Sargasso #2

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Sargasso #2 Page 3

by Gafford, Sam


  These help us paint a fuller portrait of the man and point to some interesting conjectures, but can we do more? One avenue for future research that might prove useful for profiling Hodgson’s personality—and one that has not yet been pursued, so far as I know—would be an application of textual analysis techniques to Hodgson’s writings. Such linguistic techniques have proven useful for author identification, as well as for predicting an author’s personality from statistical features of their writings. Psychological profiling through textual analysis has demonstrated the existence of lexical predictors of personality type and might prove very useful in gaining insight into Hodgson’s writings. (See: John Noecker Jr., Michael Ryan, and Patrick Juola. “Psychological Profiling through Textual Analysis,” Lit Linguist Computing 28, No. 3 [2013]: 382–87, first published online January 8, 2013 doi:10.1093/llc/fqs070.) Literary and linguistic computing is not my specialty, but there undoubtedly are Hodgson devotees out there with the scholarly expertise to give this a try. Certainly quantitative applications like CATPAC and INTEXT have been used for more than a decade in the social sciences to extract meaning or stylistic patterns for psychological profiling, and there are other, newer techniques for sentiment analysis (extracting various forms of attitudinal information: sentiment, opinion, mood, and emotion). I, for one, am intrigued by the thought that text analysis software might be just the breakthrough needed to better get inside Hope’s virtual skin!

  Carnacki Pastiche: A Bibliography

  By James Bojaciuk

  If you can’t keep a bad ghost in the grave, you can’t keep a good ghost-finder out of the public eye. In recent years, Carnacki has gone from an unloved, underappreciated character who in ninety years only appeared in two parodies and was mentioned, as an afterthought, in four serious stories to one who suddenly exploded out as a viable character. Only Chico Kidd and Rick Kennett could have predicted it; before the Carnacki pastiche boom, they produced a slim, thirty-two page booklet of Carnacki pastiche.

  Since 2002 (coincidentally or uncoincidentally the year Kidd and Kennett published the expanded version of their booklet) Carnacki has exploded upon the world. Prominent weird fiction authors reference him repeatedly (Kim Newman, Simon R. Green, Win Scott Eckert), and other authors delight in pulling Carnacki directly into their world (Josh Reynolds, notably, has built a universe of occultists and wizards around our Carnacki). William Meikle writes exceptional pastiches.

  Since 2007 it has become rare for less than five new Carnacki pastiches to be released in any given year. 2012 is, thus far, the record year: twelve new pastiches published.

  Thus this bibliography. With the sheer number of Carnacki pastiches released (fifty-eight by my count, not including the related fiction that this bibliography also includes), it has become a bit hard to keep track of it all. I hope I aid your collection in some small way.

  Because Carnacki parodies are so rare a breed—I am only aware of four—I have listed them, without identification, on the list below. I have also included self-published material. While some readers may find those illegitimate, I’ve included them for the sake of comprehensiveness.

  This bibliography could not have been completed without the assistance of Robert E. Wronski. He allowed me to view the manuscript of his upcoming reference guide, The Horror Crossover Universe. Many, many thanks.

  Stories that prominently feature Carnacki are in plain text. Stories that only mention Carnacki, or shuffle him off to the sidelines, are cited in italics.

  The Casebook of Solar Pons (1965)

  “The Adventure of the Haunted Library” by August Derleth

  The Dragonhiker’s Guide to Battlefield Covenant at Dune’s Edge: Odyssey Two (1988)

  “The Thing in the Bedroom” by David Langford

  This book was revised and expanded as He Do the Time Police in Different Voices (2003)

  The Lost Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1989)

  “The Adventure of the Headless Monk” by Ken Greenwald

  Anno Dracula (1992) by Kim Newman

  Dark Detectives (1999)

  “Seven Stars” by Kim Newman

  The Goblin Muse (April 2000)

  “The Sniffing Room” by Rick Kennett

  Planetary #13 (2001)

  “Century” by Warren Ellis, John Cassaday, Laura Martin, and Bill O’Neil

  No 472 Cheyne Walk: Carnacki, the Untold Stories (2002; greatly expanded from the 1992 version) by A. F. (Chico) Kidd and Rick Kennett

  “The Darkness”

  “Matheson’s Influence”

  “The Silent Garden”

  “The Steeple Monster”

  “The Case of the Grey Dog”

  “The Witch’s Room”

  “The Roaring Paddocks”

  “The Psychic Doorway”

  “The Sigsand Codex”

  “The Keeper of the Minter Light”

  “Arkright’s Tale”

  “The Gnarly Ship”

  Doctor Who: Foreign Devils (2002) by Andrew Cartmel

  Shadows over Baker Street (2003)

  “The Adventure of the Antiquarian’s Niece” by Barbara Hambly

  Les Spectres de Cheyne Walk (2005) by Gérard Dôle

  The Fair Folk (2005)

  “The Gypsies in the Wood” by Kim Newman

  Tales of the Shadowmen: The Modern Babylon (2005)

  “The Werewolf of Rutherford Grange” by G. L. Glick (Part One)

  Tales of the Shadowmen Volume 2: Gentlemen of the Night (2006)

  “The Werewolf of Rutherford Grange” by G. L. Glick (Part Two)

  The Man from the Diogenes Club (2006)

  “The Man Who Got Off the Ghost Train” by Kim Newman

  “Swellhead” by Kim Newman

  The Katrina Protocol (2007) by Jean-Mark and Randy Lofficier

  Farmerphile #8 (April 2007)

  “The Shades of Pemberley” by Win Scott Eckert

  Farmerphile #9 (July 2007)

  “The Shades of Pemberley, Part 2” by Win Scott Eckert

  The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier (2007)

  “What Ho, Elder Gods of the Abyss” by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill

  Los Espectros Conjurados (2007)

  “Un Olvidado Episodio Caudetano” by Alberto López Aroca

  Sherlock Holmes y lo Outré (2007)

  “Algunos Derivados del Alquitrán” by Alberto López Aroca

  Secret Files of the Diogenes Club (2007)

  “Cold Snap” by Kim Newman

  The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls (2008) by John King

  Gaslight Grimoire: Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes (2008)

  “The Grantchester Grimoire” by Rick Kennett & A. F. (Chico) Kidd

  Le Livre des Monstres—Chroniques du Monde Noir (2008) by Fabrice Colin and André-François Ruaud

  Carnacki is a supporting character; his nephew, William, is the protagonist.

  The Book of Wizards (2008)

  “Sorcerer Conjurer Wizard Witch” by Kim Newman

  Black Magic Woman (2008) by Justin Gustainis

  Hellboy: Oddest Jobs (2008)

  “Feet of Sciron” by Rhys Hughes

  Carnacki himself is only mentioned; the story primarily concerns Carnacki’s family.

  The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century: 1910 (2009) by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill

  Gravel, Volume 1: Bloody Liars (2009) by Warren Ellis, Mike Wolfer, Raulo Caceres, and Oscar Jimenez

  Gravel, Volume 2: The Major Seven (2009) by Warren Ellis and Mike Wolfer

  Tales of the Shadowmen Volume 5: The Vampires of Paris (2009)

  “All Predators Great and Small” by Rick Lai

  The Evil in Pemberley House (2009) by Philip José Farmer and Win Scott Eckert

  Eckert’s “The Shades of Pemberley” is reprinted in a slightly different form.

  Ghost of a Chance: A Ghost-Finders Novel (2010) by Simon R. Green

  The Phantom Chronicles: Volume 2 (2010)
/>   “No Ghosts Need Apply” by Win Scott Eckert

  Gravel, Volume 3: The Last King of England (2010)

  Ghost of a Smile: A Ghost-Finders Novel (2011) by Simon R. Green

  Sherlock Holmes: The Breath of God (2011) by Guy Adams

  Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D’Urbervilles (2011)

  “The Greek Invertebrate” by Kim Newman

  “Carnacki” plays a significant role in the story, but he is revealed to be an impostor.

  Horror for the Holidays (2011)

  “Treason and Plot” by William Meikle

  “Krampusnacht” by Josh Reynolds

  Iris Rides Out (2012) (audio drama by Big Finish)

  Eyam: The Plague Village UFO Mystery (2012) by Craig Daley

  Pro Se Presents (August 2012)

  “The Unwrapping Party” by Josh Reynolds

  Carnacki: Heaven and Hell (2012) by William Meikle

  “The Blooded Iklwa”

  “The Larkhill Barrow”

  “The Sisters of Mercy”

  “The Hellfire Mirror”

  “The Beast of Glamis”

  “The Tomb of Pygea”

  “The Lusitania”

  “The Haunted Oak”

  “The Shoreditch Worm”

  “The Dark Island”

  Nightland Magazine #4 (2012)

  “The Sisters of Mercy” by William Meikle

  13 Ghosts of Xmas (2012)

  “A Cold Christmas in Chelsea” by William Meikle

  The Host: A Thomas Carnacki Short Story (2012) by Barry Graham

  Lovecraft Ezine #18 (October 2012)

  “Carnacki: The Parliament of Owls” by William Meikle

  “The Gotterdammerung Gavotte” by Josh Reynolds

  Necronomicón Z (2012) by Alberto López Aroca

  Psychopomp Christmas Special (2012)

  “Merry John Mock” by Josh Reynolds

  “Wendy-Smyth’s Worm” (2012) by Josh Reynolds

  Live and Let Drood (2012) by Simon R. Green

  Ghost of a Dream: A Ghost-Finders Novel (2012) by Simon R. Green

  Spirits from Beyond: A Ghost-Finders Novel (2013) by Simon R. Green

  The Gateway of the Monster (2013) by Kyle Harabedian

  Sargasso 1, No. 1 (2013)

  “The Blue Egg” by William Meikle

  Audience with the Ghost-Finder (2013) by M. J. Starling

  This play would be reprinted in Carnacki: The New Adventures (2013).

  Carnacki: The New Adventures (2013) edited by Sam Gafford

  “Carnacki: Captain Gault’s Nemesis” by William Meikle

  “Monmouth’s Giants” by Josh Reymolds

  “A Gaslight Horror” by P. V. Ross

  “Carnacki and the President’s Vampire” by Robert Pohle

  “The Spar: A Story of Carnacki” by Fred Blosser

  “The Braes of the Blackstarr” by Robert Jefferson

  “The Magician’s Study” by Buck Weiss

  “How They Met Themselves” by Charles R. Rutledge

  “The Haunting of the Tranquil House” by Jim Beard

  “The Ghosts of Kuskulang” by Amy K. Marshall

  “A Job for Carnacki” by Robert M. Price

  Audience with the Ghost-Finder by M. J. Starling

  The Whitechapel Demon (2013) by Josh Reynolds

  Tales of the Shadowmen Volume 10: Esprit de Corps (2013)

  “The Swine of Gerasene” by Josh Reynolds

  Steampunk Cthulhu: Mythos Terror in the Age of Steam (2014)

  “The Island of Dr. Monroe” by William Meikle

  Undated

  The Adventures of Carnacki the Ghost-Finder: Christmas at Weatherbridge by Richard Amari

  The Adventures of Carnacki the Ghost-Finder: The Haunting at Coach Inn by Richard Amari

  The Adventures of Carnacki the Ghost-Finder: The Witch of Bannerman Castle by Richard Amari

  The Adventures of Carnacki the Ghost-Finder: The Night Visitor by Richard Amari

  The Adventures of Carnacki the Ghost-Finder: The Pirate Ghost by Richard Amari

  House on the Borderland

  By Charles Lovecraft

  (For William Hope Hodgson)

  I.

  Skin-crawling hints in mangled manuscript,

  Blackly express in sheaf of disbelief,

  The toppled house lives on, without relief,

  In dark related scenes in cursive script.

  The trip begins with crimson candles dipped

  Into a growing, living darkness, rife

  With vast chaotic things that spill a grief

  And spiral to Earth’s end, in cosmos tipped.

  Pig monsters raise on window sills their vile

  Malevolent phizogs, then chase the soul

  Through amphitheatres preternatural,

  To climax in Earth swallowed by our Sol.

  Yet who shall disbelieve such vivid fare,

  Such focused line? Well do so, if you dare.

  II.

  (With admiration)

  My memories flare. The ancient night befalls

  Again like cloaks of cloud that thickly choke,

  And tattered pages once again evoke

  The milieu of that mind that still now calls.

  And I see then, in splendour of a fear,

  The dog turned to strange dust, the crimson room,

  The scratching at the panes, a plague of doom

  Of nightmare creatures surging, pig-like, there.

  Then space, the brooding and incessant night,

  The sun and moon that flared high overhead

  In cosmic fracture speeding up. The bed

  Of nightshades was awoken from to fright

  And awe, and life was never more the same,

  Since reading of that house of borderland fame.

  Low the Ascomycotan Sky

  By Deborah Walker

  Tazim shoved her way past the secretary who was trying to bar the door.

  Arabesque Fintrar, the vanguard master, continued to write as Tazim stormed into the room, as if her entry were of no large consequence.

  “What were you thinking?” Tazim slammed a pamphlet onto his desk. The secretary, who had followed her into the room, tugged at her arm. But Tazim, fresh from six months of agoge training, couldn’t be moved.

  Fintrar took a few more moments to finish writing. He rolled the paper into a tube, placed it in a cylinder, and added it to the pneumatic comm tube attached to his desk. He looked up and smiled. “Ah, Driver Hari. I didn’t realize you had an appointment.” He picked up the pamphlet. “News travels fast in the Five Cities. Faster than the official channels, I see.”

  “I’m sorry sir,” said the secretary. “Shall I call for security?”

  Fintrar shook his head. “No, thank you, Cyrus. I think I can handle this.”

  Tazim reached for a chair. She took a seat and glared at Fintrar.

  “You were to get the official assignment this afternoon,” he said. Behind Fintrar wooden shelves displayed obscure antiques, mechanical artefacts from centuries of human culture, their purpose long forgotten. It was a display meant to impress, to remind the visitor of Fintrar’s importance.

  Tazim was not impressed. “What were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking that you’re the best driver I have, Hari. I was thinking that you’d be honored to be among the ten per cent of your graduating class who was assigned active duty.”

  “On the Lady Bug? I don’t think so. You need to reassign me.”

  “You, Hari,” said Fintrar, punctuating his words with a jab of his long index finger, “are in no position to demand anything. You will serve the vanguards as I see fit. You are young,” he said. “You are attractive.”

  Tazim laughed. “Who told you that?” Fintrar was well known for his disdain of sex. Mocking songs were sung about him in the recreation hangars of the Five Cities. It was said that his years exploring the valley wall had sucked all passion out of him.


  “I’ll ignore that, Hari. But that’s the last piece of insubordination I’ll tolerate.”

  “I am not a joke.”

  “The crew of the Lady Bug isn’t a joke. I find it insulting to their service that you suggest such a thing. The Lady Bug is one of the seven land ironclads patrolling the valleys. I’ve studied history, Hari. Currently we are a democratic society. It’s inconvenient, but it is a workable system—if you know how to appeal to the popular vote. There are factions within the Five Cities who would reduce the vanguard’s budget. You know that. The isolationists. People are weary after the long descent down the West Valley. They say we’re safe here. And perhaps we are, for now. But I take the long view in such matters. The Lady Bug with its all-female crew may be a novelty, but it does important work. And it has the popular vote behind it. You will go where you’re needed. This is an honor for you.”

 

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