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A review by kazgriki
Dark Entries by Robert Aickman, Glen Cavaliero
4.0
‘Strange stories’ is how Robert Aickman liked to refer to his fictional works and I am inclined to agree. They don’t really fit into the ‘horror’ or ‘mystery’ genres or any others I can think of. They are truly in a genre all their own.
The six stories in ‘Dark Entries’ are extremely imaginative and largely without plot in the usual sense of the word. There is a beginning and a middle but no end to speak of, as if the author wants the reader to decide for themselves where the story goes next.
In ‘The School Friend’ we are left to ponder the fate of Sally Tessler who, returning to live in her father’s house after his death starts behaving very oddly. We never find out what happened to Gerald’s young wife Phrynne in ‘Ringing the Changes’ after an unwise choice of honeymoon destination leads to strange goings-on in the night. In ‘Choice of Weapons’ Fenville’s infatuation with an heiress proves fatal, but how and why? Edward Pendlebury survives a night in the waiting room at Casterton railway station, but at what cost? In ‘The View’ shape-shifting landscapes make Carfax’ sojourn on an island at the invitation of a stranger anything but uneventful, while the mysterious Mrs Pagani makes Clarinda Hartley’s stay with her future in-laws a weekend to remember.
After reading any of the stories in ‘Dark Entries’ you may be left thinking ‘what was all that about?’ but in my opinion, that is the beauty of these tales – their conclusions lie in the realms of your own imagination. Make of them what you will.
The six stories in ‘Dark Entries’ are extremely imaginative and largely without plot in the usual sense of the word. There is a beginning and a middle but no end to speak of, as if the author wants the reader to decide for themselves where the story goes next.
In ‘The School Friend’ we are left to ponder the fate of Sally Tessler who, returning to live in her father’s house after his death starts behaving very oddly. We never find out what happened to Gerald’s young wife Phrynne in ‘Ringing the Changes’ after an unwise choice of honeymoon destination leads to strange goings-on in the night. In ‘Choice of Weapons’ Fenville’s infatuation with an heiress proves fatal, but how and why? Edward Pendlebury survives a night in the waiting room at Casterton railway station, but at what cost? In ‘The View’ shape-shifting landscapes make Carfax’ sojourn on an island at the invitation of a stranger anything but uneventful, while the mysterious Mrs Pagani makes Clarinda Hartley’s stay with her future in-laws a weekend to remember.
After reading any of the stories in ‘Dark Entries’ you may be left thinking ‘what was all that about?’ but in my opinion, that is the beauty of these tales – their conclusions lie in the realms of your own imagination. Make of them what you will.