Tuesday 1 May 2018

Voodoo Tales; The Ghost Stories Of Henry S Whitehead.

What a find. This lovely mammoth collection of stories by a writer one hears so little about these days. Something this fine collection might in time go some way in correcting. There are some fantastic wee gems buried between its covers. Not just explorations of Voodoo and the faith and terror it inspires. There are haunted paintings and places, treasures guarded by entities which would give MR James or HP Lovecraft creations a run for their money. Your own tastes may run to the thoroughly modern and feel such period tales are not for you but you would be robbing your imagination of some fiery examples of golden period of swarthy Gothic tales. Isolated plantations replete with shameful secrets and cruel histories of slavery are just some of the locations you will traipse through. I found echoes of Robert E Howard among others(particularly Pigeons From Hell.) and even touches of Truman Capote with fey southern gothic touch, quite lovely.
             Some of these Wordsworth Editions are just fantastic, nicely bound with tasteful covers.
             You could do worse than treat yourself to a few.