Sargasso #2 Page 3
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)
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.”