Not Long For This World by August Derleth

 

(pb; 1948: story anthology)

From the back cover

“Turn up the lights and lock the windows. . .

“These stories are of all kinds—these are tales of psychic residue and ghostly vengeance, of witchcraft and ancient sorcery, justice and pure horror, of black magic and THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT.”

 

Overall review

The twenty-two stories in this anthology range from solid to excellent, bearing in mind that when Derleth wrote these stories (between 1931 and 1948) his moralistic, tightly plotted and neatly wrapped up style was not as familiar to readers as it is today. This is a good anthology by a master writer whose horrors lurk largely and effectively in the reader’s imagination, less spelled out than suggestive. Worth reading, this, perhaps owning if you enjoy Old School/sometimes Lovecraft-inspired short waste-no-words short works.

 

Review, story by story

“The Shadow on the Sky”: A writer (Sir Hilary James) while writinghis family history on his estate, sees—imagines?—a man hanging on a nearby tree, one that repeatedly vanishes and reappears. When two doctors (Sir Massingham Halstead and Dr. Robin Davey) try to help him, James’s situation takes on a darker, more pressing urgency.

Modern readers are likely to figure out where “Shadow” (and other stories in this collection) are going, but between Derleth’s spare prose and unsettling premise, it’s still an entertaining read.

 

“Birkett’s Twelfth Corpse”: The rivalry between two boatmen (good-natured Fred Birkett and violent Hank Room) turns deadly, with a fitting end. “Birkett’s” brevity—shared by “The Shadow on the Sky”—as well as its succinct set-up and action makes this macabre tale effectively atmospheric, spooky and moralistic.

 

“The White Moth”: Paul Blake, a widower who got away with his wife’s murder, starts seeing her mocking presence everywhere. “White” ends the way many readers might expect, but it’s a solid story.

 

“Nellie Foster”: Delight, excellent piece about two women (Mrs. Kraft and Mrs. Perkins) who take matters into their hands when a vampire begins feeding on their town’s children. Effective commentary about sexism, with a smile-inducing end-line.

 

“Wild Grapes”: A killer (Luke Adams) buries his victim (Uncle Rasta) and grows grapes over Rasta’s corpse, a clever but flawed plan. Solid work.

 

“Feigman’s Beard”: Martha Feigman, who’s had it with her vain, thieving half-brother (Eb), has a hex woman (the widow Klopp) place a death curse on him, with unexpected (for her) results. Solid work.

 

“The Drifting Snow”: Extreme winter poses a serious supernatural threat to a family, one that will likely claim one of them before the night is through. Atmospheric story with a strong terror build-up and a solid finish.

 

“The Return of Sarah Purcell”: An old woman (Emma Purcell) is haunted by her recently deceased sister (Sarah) who’s obsessed with a doll. Solid, spooky writing, meh finish.

 

“Logoda’s Heads”: Logoda, a troublesome voodoo priest for certain Englishmen, becomes more so with an additional shrunken head in his collection—one that will change everything for him and one man in particular. Good story, could see myself reading this one in illustrated form in an issue of EC Comics.

 

“The Second Print”: A young woman (Moncati) becomes increasingly disturbed by the last photo he took of his evil, murderous stepfather (Hercules Teddifer), recently killed by his own machinations. Solid story, you’ll likely see where it’s going, but otherwise well-written.

 

“Mrs. Elting Does Her Part”: Solid end-twist tale about a psychic (Elting) whose séance strikes a too-true-for-comfort chord in a scam artist (Sanders Hawk).

 

“Mrs. Bentley’s Daughter”: In Sac Prairie, a woman (Mrs. Vaile) encounters a “pert” child (Dorothy Bentley) by a well, more storied than Vaile thinks. Modern readers might immediately suss what’s going on (the case with many stories in this anthology), but—like those stories—it’s well-written, entertaining.

 

“Those Who Seek”: An ancient oceanside abbey is the site of repeated supernatural terrors—in “Those,” the most recent tale, an artist (Jason Phillips) and Arnsley Leveredge (whose father inherited the abbey ruins) spend the night there, unaware of the horrors that lurk there.

 

“Seek” is one of the best, ambitious and thick-with-effective-atmosphere entries in this collection, a gripping Lovecraftian read, more straightforward than Lovecraft’s work. Memorable, excellent.

 

“Mrs. Berbeck Had a Dream”: Sometimes-spooky, overall excellent tale about a poisoned murder victim (Mrs. Berbeck), her son (Peter), his wife, and Mrs. Berbeck’s fitting, imaginative revenge. One of the few stories in this book where I wasn’t sure where the characters were going to end up. All-around great and memorable piece, this, with a clever title.

 

“The Lilac Bush”: Two children (Ada Jones and her brother) become obsess with a bush on their family property as well as the man they see picking lilacs from it. Solid story.

 

“A Matter of Sight”: Fun, quirky and memorable work about two strangers on a train, one talking about unlikely, phantasmic visions of high-profile history, and the other (his car-mate), nettled by the man’s intrusive presence and conversation. Intriguing lead-up, great ending.

 

“Mrs. Lanisfree”: Jack, hired to be a house-cleaning live-in companion to Roger Lanisfree (an older man)( in his summer house, is drawn into a macabre mystery of nightly sea-water footprints on the kitchen floor, Lanisfree’s absent wife (Myra), and an unsettled Roger Lanisfree.

Modern readers may immediately spot the set-up, but’s it’s still a fun ride.

 

“After You, Mr. Henderson”: Two cousins (Lucas and Ellerett Henderson) engage in a disreputable financial stunt with their company after their share-holder cousin (Laetitia) dies. Humorous, entertaining piece.

 

“The Lost Day”: Excellent story about Jasper Camberveigh, who wakes up one morning and discovers that his mirror reflection, for a second, is not his own. This leads him down a troubling and destructive path, involving an occult book bound in human skin and a sinister bookseller, Max Anima.

 

“A Collector of Stones”: Elisha Merrihew, an unscrupulous collector of everyday stones, takes four perfect specimens and discovers there’s much more to them than he first thought.

Entertaining read, with a finish that delightfully and subtly sidesteps the usual moralistic-horror tropes.

 

“The Gold-Box”: An ancient decorative box, containing dangerous contents, falls into the hands of a thief (Philip Caravel), with unsurprising, ghastly results. Good read.

 

“Saunder’s Little Friend”: Raneleigh Saunder’s Aunt Agatha, an old woman he dislikes, dies, leaving him her estate—with strange, specific stipulations. Of course, he can’t help himself. . . What follows is not shocking, but it’s fun and striking, at least for this reader. Good story from a master craftsman.