The Master of the Macabre (1947)
Russell Thorndike
With a new introduction by Mark Valentine
Book Description
Tayler Kent flees London in a blinding snowstorm, hoping to escape the ghosts that haunt his home. Instead, he finds things may have gone from bad to worse when he crashes his car, breaks his ankle, and is forced to take refuge at a medieval monastery now inhabited by the eccentric Charles Hogarth, known as “The Master of the Macabre.” As Kent’s ankle heals, Hogarth entertains him with fine food, brandy, and a series of gruesome stories connected with an odd assortment of old relics on display in a curio cabinet. But the terrors are not confined to Hogarth’s tales: the monastery is haunted by the evil spirit of an apostate monk and besieged by more corporeal foes, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on one of the Master’s treasures. . . .
Best known for his series of novels featuring the smuggler Dr. Syn, Russell Thorndike (1885-1972) in The Master of the Macabre (1947) delivers an irresistible mix of horror, adventure, and black humour that is certain to please fans of classic ghost stories and supernatural fiction. This first-ever republication of the novel includes the original jacket art and a new introduction by Mark Valentine.
Russell Thorndike
With a new introduction by Mark Valentine
Book Description
Tayler Kent flees London in a blinding snowstorm, hoping to escape the ghosts that haunt his home. Instead, he finds things may have gone from bad to worse when he crashes his car, breaks his ankle, and is forced to take refuge at a medieval monastery now inhabited by the eccentric Charles Hogarth, known as “The Master of the Macabre.” As Kent’s ankle heals, Hogarth entertains him with fine food, brandy, and a series of gruesome stories connected with an odd assortment of old relics on display in a curio cabinet. But the terrors are not confined to Hogarth’s tales: the monastery is haunted by the evil spirit of an apostate monk and besieged by more corporeal foes, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on one of the Master’s treasures. . . .
Best known for his series of novels featuring the smuggler Dr. Syn, Russell Thorndike (1885-1972) in The Master of the Macabre (1947) delivers an irresistible mix of horror, adventure, and black humour that is certain to please fans of classic ghost stories and supernatural fiction. This first-ever republication of the novel includes the original jacket art and a new introduction by Mark Valentine.
reviews
“It is all very good reading for a windy night, alone in front of an open fireplace.” - Winnipeg Tribune
“Dr. Syn’s creator cannot but write interestingly. . . . Some of the strange stories are horrible and not for the squeamish.” - Sydney Morning Herald
“These tales of terror and violence are quite nightmarish in their exciting conception.” - Glasgow Evening News
“Master of the Macabre is certainly macabre and provides just what you want, if you enjoy reading of ‘ghosts and ghoulies, long leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night.’” - The Star (Sheffield)
“This book is strange, thrilling and certainly macabre.” - Yorkshire Evening Press
“Dr. Syn’s creator cannot but write interestingly. . . . Some of the strange stories are horrible and not for the squeamish.” - Sydney Morning Herald
“These tales of terror and violence are quite nightmarish in their exciting conception.” - Glasgow Evening News
“Master of the Macabre is certainly macabre and provides just what you want, if you enjoy reading of ‘ghosts and ghoulies, long leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night.’” - The Star (Sheffield)
“This book is strange, thrilling and certainly macabre.” - Yorkshire Evening Press
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BOOK DETAILS
ISBN: 1939140471 ISBN-13: 978-1939140470 $17.99 US, 226 pp. Trade paper Published 2013 |
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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Arthur Russell Thorndike was born in Rochester, Kent in 1885. Although his sister, Sybil Thorndike (1882-1976), was the better-known actor, Russell Thorndike also acted both on the stage and in a number of films, though his first love was writing books, of which his Doctor Syn novels are the most famous. Thorndike finished his first novel, Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh, published in 1915, around the same time he enlisted for service in the First World War. After being severely wounded at Gallipoli, Thorndike was discharged and returned to acting. Perhaps surprised at the perennial popularity of the first Doctor Syn novel, Thorndike revisited the character several times in the 1930s and 1940s, in addition to publishing a number of other novels, of which The Slype (1927), also available from Valancourt Books, is probably the best.
In the final twenty years of his life, Thorndike wrote no further novels, but continued to act, appearing frequently as Smee in productions of Peter Pan, and made a few film appearances, including minor roles in Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955). Thorndike died in 1972.
In the final twenty years of his life, Thorndike wrote no further novels, but continued to act, appearing frequently as Smee in productions of Peter Pan, and made a few film appearances, including minor roles in Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955). Thorndike died in 1972.