Haunting tales and 50's sci-fi

I have been ill for the last couple of months with the dreaded Covid among other things and have found myself quite unable to concentrate on writing. Instead I have spent time watching some old 1950's sci-fi movies and reading a lot of books.

I can still recommend 'This Island Earth'. It's an easy way to spend an hour or so when you are unable to concentrate on anything. I was pleasantly surprised by 'Not Of This Earth' which was much better than I expected it to be and 'Fiend Without A Face' was right up my alley with menacing tentacled brains rendered in glorious stop motion. All are available on Youtube.

I am a big fan of M R James and his haunting tales and have been reading books by many of his contemporaries. They are all collections of short stories which I can consume at an alarming rate.

In no particular order, I have been reading -

A M Burrage

W F Harvey

E F Benson

Algernon Blackwood

H R Wakefield

Margery Lawrence

W W Jacobs

Frederick Cowles

Steve Duffy (A modern writer who writes in the style of James)

All books are available on Amazon. The older ones for a pound or two, Ash Tree Press editions for around a fiver.

As with all collections, some are hit and miss. Some of the older stories suffer from outdated views which can cause much rolling of the eyes. Some of the writers just don't go deep enough and bring the stories to a satisfying conclusion.

Overall though, a pleasant enough way to spend a hour or so (or more).

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Martyn Cruise, Author

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