THE SPECTRES OF M. R. JAMES
written and illustrated by Richard Svensson
M. R. James is one of the most famous writers of classic
British ghost stories. His tales feature academically-minded protagonists
investigating university libraries, old abbeys, and country manors where they
come across strange and malevolent supernatural entitites. His tales are
colorful, even quaint at times, but a slow, suspenseful dread gradually creeps
in until the final horror is revealed.
Richard Svensson has illustrated some of most iconic beings
from these stories. At no more than 60 pages, it’s a conveniently small book
you can keep by your bed to glance at as you’re falling asleep, or leaf through
while you’re in the waiting room at a doctor’s office.
Seeing all these stories collected together, it’s surprising
to realize just how many “monsters” were in James’ “ghost stories”. There’s the weird, tentacled horror of “The
Treasure of Abbot Thomas”, the unseen, hairy demon of “Casting the Runes”, and
the gigantic monstrous sawflies of “The Residence at Whitminster”. Even James’ more
traditional ghosts can be quite bizarre, such as the frog-man of “The Haunted
Dollhouse”, the hallucinatory pink-faced entity from “The Rose Garden”, or the
famous bed-sheet phantom of “Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad.”
You can get a copy of The Spectres of M R James at Lulu.com
