Elliott O'Donnell (1872-1965) was a prolific Irish author specializing in the supernatural and was a renowned ghost hunter.
His book on werewolves is of little value to the study of the folklore of the creatures. A true believer, O’Donnell embellishes his stories with drama and an omniscient viewpoint which calls his scholarship and objectivity into question.
However, for some surprisingly good stories on lycanthropy, the book has quite a number of them for those readers who enjoy werewolf tales mixed with dark castles and gloomy woodland cottages.
C. Alan Loewen
http://literary-equine.livejournal.com/
Published in 1886, Spring Heeled Jack: The Terror of London is a rare example of what is historically known as the "penny dreadful," a cheaply, mass produced pamphlet aimed at the lower classes for their reading pleasure.
Ironically, though there were many penny dreadfuls published, few have survived because of the cheapness of the paper.
Historically, Spring Heeled Jack was either an apparition or an urban legend (depending on your personal viewpoint) who terrorized London and its environs from 1837 to 1904, a British version of the Jersey Devil.
This story reveals Spring Heeled Jack as a young man wronged out of his inheritance and, in an attempt to get it back, dons an odd costume and a technologically advanced boot that gives him the ability to jump great distances.
Like any penny dreadful, it is full of drama and melodrama and is worth the short read for a tale that sounds reminiscent of America's Batman.
C. Alan Loewen
http://literary-equine.livejournal.com/
Written in 1861, this short book is a collection of epitaphs found in graveyards in the British Isles.
Ranging from humorous to tragic, from bearing awful puns to downright sarcastic, it is amazing what people allow on their tombstones, the most cynical epitaph being the gravestone remarking on the purity and innocence of the twelve-year-old child buried beneath, but some wiseacre added the inscription saying that she had not yet reached the age of thirteen.
As you can see by the rest of the reviews, you will either hate this book or you will love it. In spite of its flaws, this reviewer enjoyed it.
All of the famous Beat authors have a presence here: Jack Kerouac and Neal Casaday being the two main protagonists with William Burroughs jumping in later in the story.
I am hard pressed to call it a parody. I don't think anybody could read the seventh chapter and not say this novel is solidly placed in the arena of horror. I would rather call it a pastiche of Kerouac that takes place in the cosmos of H. P. Lovecraft.
This book just might be your five-star review or you may give up after the first two chapters.
Only one way to find out.
C. Alan Loewen
http://literary-equine.livejournal.com/