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rosekk's review
4.0
The stories gave a clear impression that the writer really knew what it was like to be out on the sea - the tales suggested the writer understood not just the technical side of it, but also the experience of being out on the water with a small group of people for a long period of time.
While I noted a few jarring uses of phrases along the lines of 'and then a really bad thing happened...' at the end of a section, mostly the tension in the horror stories came about naturally, and it paid off at the end. As for the more comical tale towards the end of the collection, it was equally good, with a likeable pair of protagonists, a distinctly unlikable pair of antagonists, and a pleasing outcome overall.
While I noted a few jarring uses of phrases along the lines of 'and then a really bad thing happened...' at the end of a section, mostly the tension in the horror stories came about naturally, and it paid off at the end. As for the more comical tale towards the end of the collection, it was equally good, with a likeable pair of protagonists, a distinctly unlikable pair of antagonists, and a pleasing outcome overall.
joecam79's review against another edition
4.0
In Malta we say that "the sea is soft-bellied but hard-headed." English author William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918) spent several years serving aboard merchant ships and learnt the hard way about the dangers and mysteries of the vast oceans. These themes keep resurfacing in his fantastical "sea stories", particularly his "Sargasso Sea" cycle.
One of Hodgson's best works is his novella "The Ghost Pirates", the title piece in this wide-ranging anthology of the author's short fiction published by Night Shade Books. A tale of a vessel haunted by strange shadows and phantom ships, its horrors are initially understated, rarely straying beyond an odd light here and there and strange mists which might or might not be otherworldly. When, however, the body count starts to rise, it becomes increasingly apparent that there is more than the crew's imagination at work. "The Ghost Pirates" neatly combines the nautical fiction and fantasy genres and is a gripping yarn with an authentic feel to it, although at times I found the overly technical descriptions offputting.
Hodgson's array of nautical terrors is surprisingly varied and is well-represented in this collection. We get to meet sea monsters (A Tropical Horror), islands taken over by deadly tropical plants (The Voice in the Night) and demon pirates (Out of the Storm). There are also some very human horrors (the bullying of the "revenge tale" We Two and Billy Dunkan). But Hodgson is at his most effective when seemingly natural events are described in a quasi-mystical fashion, redolent of the ending of Poe's [b:The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket|766869|The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket |Edgar Allan Poe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341387331s/766869.jpg|44915222] (Out of the Storm, The Shamraken).
Not all of Hodgson's weird tales are set on ships. This volume includes a story featuring one of his regular characters, the "paranormal investigator" Thomas Carnacki (The Searcher of the End House) who recounts a "haunted house" episode of his youth. It is not one of the best Carnacki tales - the "rational" explanation at the end undermining its effectiveness.
Then there is Machen-esque "Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachtani", which I found the most disturbing of all the stories. A pious chemist tries to recreate the darkness of the Golgotha with unintended and unexpected consequences - this is a terrifying cautionary tale for all dabblers in the occult, however well-intended.
3.5*
One of Hodgson's best works is his novella "The Ghost Pirates", the title piece in this wide-ranging anthology of the author's short fiction published by Night Shade Books. A tale of a vessel haunted by strange shadows and phantom ships, its horrors are initially understated, rarely straying beyond an odd light here and there and strange mists which might or might not be otherworldly. When, however, the body count starts to rise, it becomes increasingly apparent that there is more than the crew's imagination at work. "The Ghost Pirates" neatly combines the nautical fiction and fantasy genres and is a gripping yarn with an authentic feel to it, although at times I found the overly technical descriptions offputting.
Hodgson's array of nautical terrors is surprisingly varied and is well-represented in this collection. We get to meet sea monsters (A Tropical Horror), islands taken over by deadly tropical plants (The Voice in the Night) and demon pirates (Out of the Storm). There are also some very human horrors (the bullying of the "revenge tale" We Two and Billy Dunkan). But Hodgson is at his most effective when seemingly natural events are described in a quasi-mystical fashion, redolent of the ending of Poe's [b:The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket|766869|The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket |Edgar Allan Poe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341387331s/766869.jpg|44915222] (Out of the Storm, The Shamraken).
Not all of Hodgson's weird tales are set on ships. This volume includes a story featuring one of his regular characters, the "paranormal investigator" Thomas Carnacki (The Searcher of the End House) who recounts a "haunted house" episode of his youth. It is not one of the best Carnacki tales - the "rational" explanation at the end undermining its effectiveness.
Then there is Machen-esque "Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachtani", which I found the most disturbing of all the stories. A pious chemist tries to recreate the darkness of the Golgotha with unintended and unexpected consequences - this is a terrifying cautionary tale for all dabblers in the occult, however well-intended.
3.5*
joecam79's review against another edition
4.0
In Malta we say that "the sea is soft-bellied but hard-headed." English author William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918) spent several years serving aboard merchant ships and learnt the hard way about the dangers and mysteries of the vast oceans. These themes keep resurfacing in his fantastical "sea stories", particularly his "Sargasso Sea" cycle.
One of Hodgson's best works is his novella "The Ghost Pirates", the title piece in this wide-ranging anthology of the author's short fiction published by Night Shade Books. A tale of a vessel haunted by strange shadows and phantom ships, its horrors are initially understated, rarely straying beyond an odd light here and there and strange mists which might or might not be otherworldly. When, however, the body count starts to rise, it becomes increasingly apparent that there is more than the crew's imagination at work. "The Ghost Pirates" neatly combines the nautical fiction and fantasy genres and is a gripping yarn with an authentic feel to it, although at times I found the overly technical descriptions offputting.
Hodgson's array of nautical terrors is surprisingly varied and is well-represented in this collection. We get to meet sea monsters (A Tropical Horror), islands taken over by deadly tropical plants (The Voice in the Night) and demon pirates (Out of the Storm). There are also some very human horrors (the bullying of the "revenge tale" We Two and Billy Dunkan). But Hodgson is at his most effective when seemingly natural events are described in a quasi-mystical fashion, redolent of the ending of Poe's [b:The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket|766869|The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket |Edgar Allan Poe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341387331s/766869.jpg|44915222] (Out of the Storm, The Shamraken).
Not all of Hodgson's weird tales are set on ships. This volume includes a story featuring one of his regular characters, the "paranormal investigator" Thomas Carnacki (The Searcher of the End House) who recounts a "haunted house" episode of his youth. It is not one of the best Carnacki tales - the "rational" explanation at the end undermining its effectiveness.
Then there is Machen-esque "Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachtani", which I found the most disturbing of all the stories. A pious chemist tries to recreate the darkness of the Golgotha with unintended and unexpected consequences - this is a terrifying cautionary tale for all dabblers in the occult, however well-intended.
3.5*
One of Hodgson's best works is his novella "The Ghost Pirates", the title piece in this wide-ranging anthology of the author's short fiction published by Night Shade Books. A tale of a vessel haunted by strange shadows and phantom ships, its horrors are initially understated, rarely straying beyond an odd light here and there and strange mists which might or might not be otherworldly. When, however, the body count starts to rise, it becomes increasingly apparent that there is more than the crew's imagination at work. "The Ghost Pirates" neatly combines the nautical fiction and fantasy genres and is a gripping yarn with an authentic feel to it, although at times I found the overly technical descriptions offputting.
Hodgson's array of nautical terrors is surprisingly varied and is well-represented in this collection. We get to meet sea monsters (A Tropical Horror), islands taken over by deadly tropical plants (The Voice in the Night) and demon pirates (Out of the Storm). There are also some very human horrors (the bullying of the "revenge tale" We Two and Billy Dunkan). But Hodgson is at his most effective when seemingly natural events are described in a quasi-mystical fashion, redolent of the ending of Poe's [b:The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket|766869|The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket |Edgar Allan Poe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341387331s/766869.jpg|44915222] (Out of the Storm, The Shamraken).
Not all of Hodgson's weird tales are set on ships. This volume includes a story featuring one of his regular characters, the "paranormal investigator" Thomas Carnacki (The Searcher of the End House) who recounts a "haunted house" episode of his youth. It is not one of the best Carnacki tales - the "rational" explanation at the end undermining its effectiveness.
Then there is Machen-esque "Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachtani", which I found the most disturbing of all the stories. A pious chemist tries to recreate the darkness of the Golgotha with unintended and unexpected consequences - this is a terrifying cautionary tale for all dabblers in the occult, however well-intended.
3.5*
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