Two Reviews: The Great Nocturne and Circles of Dread by Jean Ray

It's always fun to read Jean Ray's work. Ray's writing is generally complex and elegant. As usual, these short stories have a drab old-world feel to them. Modern technology is anathema to Ray's work. He also displays a sardonic sense of humor that shows up on occasion. Wakefield Press is publishing his books in the order in which they originally appeared which makes these Books 3 and 4. Book 5 will be released in April and is Ray's most famous book Malpertuis (which became a movie starring Orson Welles).

The Great Nocturne is a short book and didn't deliver as well as the others but it's still worth reading and buying. In "The Phantom in the Hold", a rogue stows away on a ship and falls prey to maddening phantasmagoria. In "The 7 Castles of the Sea King", a man draws strange symbols which hint at a secret worth killing for. My favorite of the bunch is the title story, a novella in which a man finds a tome on necromancy, makes a deal with dark powers to rekindle an old love, and murder follows. Overall, I think this one ranks a B+.

Circles of Dread: a stronger collection in my opinion. A murderous mechanical hand takes action in "The Hand of Gotz Von Berlichingen". "Marlyweck Cemetary" is a strange and menacing tale about a burial ground that keeps changing it's own location and landscape. "The Man Who Dared" is a zinger about a man who cleanses a swamp of an evil presence with horrid results. "The Inn of the Spectres" may be easy pickings for some burglars. . .if not for the trap in place. In "The Black Mirror", a man steals a object once owned by historical sorcerer John Dee and several deaths ensue. This book was a joy to read. A-.

Written by Nicholas Montelongo