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A review by btecbobdylan
Dark Entries by Robert Aickman, Glen Cavaliero
An interesting, bizarre and sometimes confusing collection of 'strange tales'. From the cover and the blurb, I was expecting ghost stories or more conventional horror fiction, but 'strange tales', the author's preferred term, is far more apt: these are, quite literally, very strange stories. They take place in England in the first half of the twentieth century, and feature all of the emotional repression, obsession with class & behaviour, and peculiar anxiety that comes with that. I had some trouble understanding what was going on, but the stories are definitely well-constructed; it's just Aickman prefers to keep the reader in the dark where a more conventional horror author would allow the reader more insight into how his monsters work. Like the characters, we stumble into the strangeness without much idea of what’s really going on. Or maybe it’s just me. The collection feels more like dry, tragic literary fiction than horror. Except this dry, tragic literary fiction happens to involve supernatural elements, and what is horror if not tragic literary fiction with supernatural elements? (Deep breath.)
The School Friend started out interestingly, and slowly built a sense of foreboding, only for not much to happen. What did happen wasn’t explained at all. I wasn’t used to Aickman’s technique at this point, so the story didn’t draw me in.
Ringing the Changes was generally more conventional; I can see why it’s one of the author’s most famous tales. It’s a decent zombie story with some nicely creepy moments.
Choice of Weapons is, for me, the most memorable tale. Like The School Friend I didn’t have a clue what the fuck was going on—maybe even less so, here—but the characters and this particular slow build of anxiety were enough to make me like it. Even though, in this instance, I think Aickman could and should have done more to explain the strange happenings.
The Waiting Room is a lovely well-crafted ghost story. I felt absolutely drawn into the nighttime world here. It’s the most conventional story in Dark Entries, definitely the sort of thing I was expecting when I picked up the collection, although the mention of a burial ground has since been turned into a horror cliche. Anyway, the point is, this story hits all the right notes.
The View isn’t a horror story at all. It’s more of a tragedy, a heartbreaking one, which defies the laws of nature. The only horror element besides this is the unease you feel at all points. It’s a superb construction of love and anxiety, and while I wasn’t expecting the ending to be so quiet, I enjoyed it and will definitely reread.
Finally, Bind Your Hair is a nicely written and exceedingly weird story, and like The Waiting Room was generally more conventional in its horror setup. However, unlike that story, it didn’t feel cliched at all. Like all the other stories, though, Aickman leaves a lot unexplained. I didn’t mind so much this time.
The School Friend started out interestingly, and slowly built a sense of foreboding, only for not much to happen. What did happen wasn’t explained at all. I wasn’t used to Aickman’s technique at this point, so the story didn’t draw me in.
Ringing the Changes was generally more conventional; I can see why it’s one of the author’s most famous tales. It’s a decent zombie story with some nicely creepy moments.
Choice of Weapons is, for me, the most memorable tale. Like The School Friend I didn’t have a clue what the fuck was going on—maybe even less so, here—but the characters and this particular slow build of anxiety were enough to make me like it. Even though, in this instance, I think Aickman could and should have done more to explain the strange happenings.
The Waiting Room is a lovely well-crafted ghost story. I felt absolutely drawn into the nighttime world here. It’s the most conventional story in Dark Entries, definitely the sort of thing I was expecting when I picked up the collection, although the mention of a burial ground has since been turned into a horror cliche. Anyway, the point is, this story hits all the right notes.
The View isn’t a horror story at all. It’s more of a tragedy, a heartbreaking one, which defies the laws of nature. The only horror element besides this is the unease you feel at all points. It’s a superb construction of love and anxiety, and while I wasn’t expecting the ending to be so quiet, I enjoyed it and will definitely reread.
Finally, Bind Your Hair is a nicely written and exceedingly weird story, and like The Waiting Room was generally more conventional in its horror setup. However, unlike that story, it didn’t feel cliched at all. Like all the other stories, though, Aickman leaves a lot unexplained. I didn’t mind so much this time.