tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post1579280657848155341..comments2024-03-18T11:01:42.459-05:00Comments on Pretty Sinister Books: FFB: The Goddess: A Demon - Richard MarshJ F Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-14820367527189108392016-10-20T12:27:46.390-05:002016-10-20T12:27:46.390-05:00I'm enjoying most of what is in THE LISTENER (...I'm enjoying most of what is in THE LISTENER (1907), especially Blackwood's little known and rarely discussed story "Max Hensig - Murderer and Bacteriologist" which is almost a template for serial killer novels of modern days. It's uncanny how much it foreshadows the entire subgenre.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-46129842308492273002016-10-20T01:00:21.774-05:002016-10-20T01:00:21.774-05:00and some stories by Algernon Blackwood to round ou...<em>and some stories by Algernon Blackwood to round out the month</em><br /><br />I adore Blackwood's stories!dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-83686325603134331382016-10-14T15:54:16.434-05:002016-10-14T15:54:16.434-05:00My SpellCheck flagged roughhousing as wrong. I'...My SpellCheck flagged roughhousing as wrong. I've fixed it to make it one word again.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-40262179826206306462016-10-14T15:52:12.160-05:002016-10-14T15:52:12.160-05:00I've nothing to add to what you've written...I've nothing to add to what you've written here, or the other comments, except I doubt this is one I'd shove another book aside in order to read it. <br /><br />off topic, sort of: is roughhousing really two words?Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-44816506580033664772016-10-14T14:49:08.998-05:002016-10-14T14:49:08.998-05:00I've known a demon or three who thought they w...I've known a demon or three who thought they were goddesses. In fact, I know one at this very moment--you'd think old farts would learn! Eventually! Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-34315387121684557722016-10-14T13:49:24.127-05:002016-10-14T13:49:24.127-05:00The Beetle is great. This one, Neer, is more enter...<i>The Beetle</i> is great. This one, Neer, is more entertaining and not as creepy. Bloody and violent, but not bizarro creepy. Try to get a copy, read it and compare the two.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-40405360188308323762016-10-14T13:36:24.233-05:002016-10-14T13:36:24.233-05:00What a coincidence John. A few weeks ago I hadn...What a coincidence John. A few weeks ago I hadn't even heard of Marsh and then when I am reading The Beetle, your entertaining review pops up. Thanks. And yes I am also very curious about the seats in the lift. First time I am hearing of such a thing.neerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01986509319841061021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-77743607435364275722016-10-14T10:50:15.102-05:002016-10-14T10:50:15.102-05:00It's a very funny book. I had an index card fu...It's a very funny book. I had an index card full of great lines. The entire inquest scene reminded me of the best of Henry Cecil's farcical courtroom sequences with their hilarious wordplay. When Ferguson's antics get the better of him he's threatened with contempt and then ejected from the court. As he leaves he sees the key in the door. So he takes it out, locks the courtroom from the outside, and casually walks down he street laughing to himself.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-63774817025249818902016-10-14T10:43:45.797-05:002016-10-14T10:43:45.797-05:00You'd like Miss Adair, Yvette. She suffers no ...You'd like Miss Adair, Yvette. She suffers no fools and can't stand men like Marsh who are so easily smitten. wish she had a larger role. Marsh really is making fun of the idea of the ubermacho male, both in the real world and the fictional one. The popular fiction of the time was overpopulated with virile and handsome action heroes. Allan Quatermain is a perfect example of this character done in the serious mode. That Ferguson keeps calling himself an idiot and stupid says a lot about how Marsh feels about these men. The Edwardian era was a time obsessed with physique even moreso than we are now. It was the period in history when bodybuilding first became a trend.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-17466904636060755392016-10-14T10:35:02.074-05:002016-10-14T10:35:02.074-05:00I agree, but The Beetle is supernatural and this i...I agree, but <i>The Beetle</i> is supernatural and this is crime. I also found this one a lot easier to read and more modern than the other. I'm on an Edwardian era kick this month because of the #1907book for "Crimes of the Century". Next, I've got an early haunted house novel lined up followed by Marsh's <i>The Joss</i> and some stories by Algernon Blackwood to round out the month.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-24261866239867943272016-10-14T10:21:05.319-05:002016-10-14T10:21:05.319-05:00Coroner at the inquest: "Witness, look at me....Coroner at the inquest: "Witness, look at me."<br />Ferguson, who has previously been evading his questions with banter: "If you desire it, with the greatest pleasure. Though there doesn't seem to be much to look at." <br /><br />HAHA!! My kind of banter.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-33569936245941186922016-10-14T10:19:36.448-05:002016-10-14T10:19:36.448-05:00These types of heroes are always gobsmacked by bea...These types of heroes are always gobsmacked by beauty. Shrug. You'd think modern day writers would have gotten over that by now, but no. It's something that many female readers had shrugged over over the years. But we are of a forgiving nature, and so we continue reading these sorts of tales. :) Sounds like an exciting yarn, John. I am always interested in the style of a character. This guy sounds like a precursor to all the bon vivant crime solvers we continue to love today. Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-79297110939870637452016-10-14T09:48:44.415-05:002016-10-14T09:48:44.415-05:00It's not as deliciously bizarre as THE BEETLE ...It's not as deliciously bizarre as THE BEETLE but I thought it was still pretty intriguing. dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-12934955637031201682016-10-14T02:38:15.918-05:002016-10-14T02:38:15.918-05:00Loved the novel, disliked the intro and most of th...Loved the novel, disliked the intro and most of the bloated appendices.<br /><br />I'll never understand so-called scholars who overlook what's obvious (the financial aspect of the plot, Marsh's lively sense of humor) and delve into the text looking for hidden profundity and invented authorial philosophy.<br /><br />Do read this one, Sergio. It's a heckuva lot of fun. And there are two brilliant twists in the final chapters, one of which caught me completely off guard. Fans of John Dickson Carr's mystery thrillers I think would enjoy this book. There's a foreshadowing of Woolrich in this too with the wrong man angle and the amnesia business.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-87810615359094444542016-10-14T02:06:36.527-05:002016-10-14T02:06:36.527-05:00Sorry to hear that the footnotes are largely spuri...Sorry to hear that the footnotes are largely spurious or redundant as I usually love that sort of thing - nice to know the book has had a decent edition though. Thanks John, sounds fascinating for good and ill!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com