Not Exactly Ghosts/Fires Burn Blue (Tales of Mystery & the Supernatural) [Paperback]

Andrew Caldecott (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tales of Mystery & the Supernatural | Publication Date: September 2007

Here together for the first time in one volume are the twenty five spooky stories created by Sir Andrew Caldecott in two collections the 1940s: "Not Exactly Ghosts" and "Fires Burn Blue". Caldecott, who only turned to fiction after retiring from the civil service, allowed his lifelong fascination with the supernatural full reign in these simple yet remarkably disturbing stories. Taking his inspiration from the master of the ghost story, M. R. James, who chilled by implication rather than by gory description, Caldecott created believable but unsettling scenarios which effectively produce a sense of unease in the reader. The mundane becomes horrific; the everyday is unnerving; and the commonplace is frightening. At last these rare forgotten gems are available once more to stir the imagination and chill the blood.

Product Details

• Paperback: 305 pages
• Publisher: Wordsworth Editions (September 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840225491
• ISBN-13: 978-1840225495
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Jamesian stories, February 20, 2009

By 

Richard Kukan "rkukan" (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Not Exactly Ghosts/Fires Burn Blue (Tales of Mystery & the Supernatural) (Paperback)

This collection of weird tales, written in his retirement by a former colonial Governor of Hong Kong and Ceylon, are highly entertaining without attaining the level of the author's model, M.R. James. Fans of the latter will know what to expect: understatement, preference for suggestion over the explicit, an blandly urbane tone which renders sudden intrusions of horror all the more effective--all those things the modern Gore Masters neither appreciate nor understand.

If Caldecott's horrors tend to be a little tame alongside those of James, he nevertheless produced some effective stories. "Christmas Re-Union" is apparently the best known, but I find myself leaning to those which are set in the fictional British colony of Kongea, where Caldecott is able to draw on his own background for local colour: "Grey Brothers" is particularly fine, with its portrait of an Englishman gone native, who acquires some very ghastly allies among the jungle fauna; the story is at first almost humorous, and finally disturbing, in the best Jamesian manner. "Light in the Darkness" (a nicely ironic title) is also very good, as it tells of the unpleasant consequences of attempting to debunk a native cult.

Of the non-Kongea stories, I'd perhaps pick "His Name was Legion": structurally the story is a bit of a mess, but some very nasty moments, and some even nastier *verse* make up for that. All in all, a very worthwhile (and very inexpensive) treat for fans of sophisticated supernatural fiction.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars But Quite Frightening, October 19, 2009

By 

Katherine G. Wilkins (New Orleans) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Not Exactly Ghosts/Fires Burn Blue (Tales of Mystery & the Supernatural) (Paperback)

As someone who has been reading and re-reading Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories for thirty years, mid-20th century writer Andrew Caldecott was quite a discovery. Admittedly, he has the descriptive formal style of much older writers, but once he had set the scene, he usually gets up to an intense encounter.

I had difficulty starting the first story in the collection because it begins with such a detailed picture of a garden, but found that by the end of the story, I was hooked. Caldecott's stories are set in rural England or a far east English colony. Some seem formulaic, but probably from being copied by less talented writers in the sixty years since the books were first published. There is a good deal of variety in length and point of view in the stories. Don't overlook the dry British humor when it occurs.

Several stories are set in one village in England, and same characters returns in several re-castings as he gently skewers village stereotypes.
The fact that Andrew Caldecott was a shining star of the colonial machine makes one want to read and re-read his stories about the colonies for political implications. In several stories, he suggests that Europeans who disregard local taboos are bound to become victims.

Autoepitaphy is a fascinating story, and is an example of stories in which Caldecott includes verses, often prefacing them with a reason why the poems are so bad. Several stories deal with writers, writing, and the identification of "true" authors.

Yes, they are not exactly ghosts, but his characters are haunted and you will be drawn in.

I hope that the book, which is temporarily unavailable, stays in print for a good while. Wordsworth's edition is a relative bargan, since it includes the collected stories of Andrew Caldecott.

If I had to describe him quickly I would say that he is the son of Kipling and brother of Mary Stewart.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unnerving tales from a distinguished diplomat, November 25, 2010

By 

Patto (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Not Exactly Ghosts/Fires Burn Blue (Tales of Mystery & the Supernatural) (Paperback)

These insidiously creepy stories first appeared in two volumes in 1947 and 1948.

The narration has the dry tone of an intelligent, responsible civil servant, which is what Sir Caldecott was. After holding various diplomatic positions in Malay, he became governor of Hong Kong and finally Ceylon. His charm, wit and cleverness are wonderfully present in these weird stories, which he probably wrote for relaxation.

There are no ghosts with clanking chains or headless horsemen. Characters are haunted, but subtly so - by vile influences, trickery or a bad conscience. Evildoers pay for their crimes in shocking and unexpected ways. Angry native gods and Christian devils wreak havoc on human sanity, or so it seems. Sir Caldecott is a rather deep psychologist with an understated sense of humor.

Some stories take place in a fictional country of the Far East full of noxious jungles and dark superstitions. Other tales transpire in England - in rectories, churches and comfortable (or uncomfortable) country homes. Every story is uniquely nightmarish, and the variety of settings shows a remarkable inventiveness.

There are fabulous characters, like the neighbor with a grim hobby of raising poisonous herbs, the amateur clairvoyant obsessed with jellyfish and the artist who paints a fatal picture. One of my favorite characters is a menacing praying mantis.

The cover design, by the way, is pretty cheesy. But don't be put off. This is a classic collection.

Although influenced by M.R. James, Sir Andrew Caldecott was an original. I heartily recommend this volume, which contains all his stories. I read them with an obsessive fascination that made me feel like one of his characters.