Customer Reviews

The Casebook of Carnacki the Ghost Finder (Wordsworth Mystery & Supernatural) (Tales of Mystery & the Supernatural)

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As a 13-year-old, I stumbled across one of Hodgson's Carnacki stories ("The Whistling Room") in a collection of horror/fantasy/mystery stories, and was immediately enthralled: it was the first time I had ever read anything that sent chills up and down my spine, and I was amazed by his ability to create atmosphere that seemed to bring the supernatural realm into terrifying reality. Afterwards, I looked for anything I could find by him, but his stories were hard to come by. Consequently I was thrilled to find this book, which collects the tales of Carnacki, a man who has spent a great deal of time studying various arcane texts pertaining to the supernatural, and is therefor called upon to investigate situations which escape natural explanation. The strength of these stories is the mood Hodgson creates: Carnacki is always fully aware of the weirdness and danger of the situations he finds himself in, and, because his own fear and loathing is expertly conveyed by Hodgson's writing, it transfers directly to the reader. At their best, these stories are wonderfully creepy and even stand up to repeated reading. Highly recommended for the fans of M.R. James and J.S. Lefanu, or anyone who enjoys a good, old-fashioned scary story.

WHAT A GREAT CHARACTER ! CARNAKI THE GHOST FINDER IS RICHLY DESERVING OF RE-DISCOVERY . . I WAS ACTUALLY HESITANT TO ROAM THE HOUSE AT NIGHT, AFTER READING THESE "GEMS" . . ALL WERE EXCELLENT STORIES, "THE HOG" I FOUND ESPECIALLY UN-NERVING. THESE STORIES WOULD LEND THEMSELVES WELL TO BEING MADE INTO FILMS . . AN EXCELLENT READ ! GET IT.

Hodgsen's career as a novelist of the supernatural include at least one story that invokes existential trauma - The House on the Borderland. I'm pleased to say there is nothing of that style in this collection, though his allusion to a great hog in the final story provides some connection. This is, instead, a rather routine bedside book, the stories resting on the simple plot device of one Carnacki, professional ghost finder, recounting his adventures. There is suspense, drama, and uncertainty -- some of Carnacki's adversaries enact their hauntings from realms beyond, others are merely human scalliwags and cut-throats weaving webs of deception. Carnacki, of course, does not tell us which until the end of his adventures.

Overall, a fun read and brief enough that his standard plot device, the recounted story, does not wear too thin.

This book prints all the Thomas Carnacki stories written by W.H. Hodgson. Carnacki was a detective who investigated "supernatural" cases. Some of the cases turned out to be hoaxes, but as often as not, he really encountered a ghost or a demon or some other kind of monster. These stories are entertaining if you enjoy old fashioned "ghost stories".

"Ripping tales" is how someone else characterized Carnacki and that is absolutely how it struck me. Carnacki tackles hauntings with his mannnuscript, his electric pentacle, and his glass-legged table and door seals. What makes the stories even more exciting is that some of the ghosts are de-bunked and some are real demons. Depending on how much of this you can take, he does always attempt to attach science to the other-worldly beings. Some of the hauntings he doesn't resolve. I think that reading them all together is not the best way to approach the book. Hodgson also does that charming thing that Conan Doyle did in Sherlock Holmes--he refers to other cases and their startling outcomes--cases we never get to read.

I do think that several of the stories would do really well as movies or say, Twilight Zone episodes. With today's special effects, you could show Carnacki's devices and the complicated ways that the entities appear or sound.

Thomas Carnacki, the Edwardian supernatural detective that can give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money any day. These tales of supernatural investigation were a joy to read and it is only a shame that W.H. Hodgson was killed at the end of the First World War. Without a doubt he could have written more had he lived on. It is a wonder why no one has turned any of these short stories into a film as well since, in my opinion, they would be perfect for the big screen. If you enjoy mystery, horror, gothic literature, with a dash of the supernatural then this is the book for you.

-John :)

All but a couple of Carnacki's cases have been long neglected by publishers and once again it's Wordsworth to the rescue with this collection. Most of the tales are of the supernatural variety, though one or two have somewhat logical explanations just to keep the reader off balance. "The Hog" and "The Whistling Room" are the best known tales, but "Gateway of the Monster" and "Horse of the Invisible" are just as good. The others aren't bad either. There are faults the stories, one being Carnacki doing the narration himself, which lessens the suspense since we know he escaped the dangers. Another is his "penatcle of light" used to ward off evil, which doesn't work half the time and comes off as a silly gimmick. At least, despite his ego, Carnacki is willing to confess being just as terrified of what's going on as the people he's trying to help.
As ghost hunters go, Carnacki is not on the level of Blackwood's John Silence, but he deserves to be rediscovered. Now that Wordsworth has done that let's hope they bring out stories of Jules DeGrandin, Flaxman Low, Barnabas Hildreth and more of the once popular but now forgotten occult detectives.

Perhaps limited in scope, these stories are little gems of descriptive writing, and clearly influenced Lovecraft.