Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} A Quiet Night of Fear by Charles L. Grant Tor.com. Science fiction. Fantasy. The universe. And related subjects. Summer of Sleaze: The Universal Horrors of Charles L. Grant. Summer of Sleaze is 2014’s turbo-charged trash safari where Will Errickson of Too Much Horror Fiction and Grady Hendrix of The Great Stephen King Reread plunge into the bowels of vintage paperback horror fiction, unearthing treasures and trauma in equal measure. Moonlight over a lonely town. Fog swirls. Whispering shadows. Footsteps in the forest. A voice from the darkness. A movement seen from the corner of the eye. A slowly spreading stain of red. New Jersey-born writer and editor Charles L. Grant ( 1942–2006) championed these hallmarks of old-fashioned horror tales, even in spite of their simplicity, their overuse, indeed, their corniness, because he knew in the right hands such subtle details would build up to an overall mood of dis-ease and weirdness. Evoking fear of the unknown, not the graphic revelation of a psychopath with a gore-flecked axe or an unimaginable, insane Lovecraftian nightmare, is what a truly successful horror writer (or, for that matter, filmmaker) should do. And especially during the 1980s, when he published dozens of titles through Tor Books’ horror line, Grant did precisely that. Grant was a prolific, well-respected, and award-winning horror novelist, short story writer, lecturer, and editor throughout the late 1970s until his death in 2006. He was perhaps the most vocal progenitor of what came to be known as “quiet horror.” In cinematic terms, Grant had more in common with the horror film classics of Val Lewton and Roman Polanski than he did with the writings of Stephen King or Clive Barker: suggestion, suggestion, suggestion. Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, and Shirley Jackson were forebears, while Ramsey Campbell, T.E.D. Klein, and Dennis Etchison were fellow travelers in this sub-sub-genre, as were many of the writers to appear in Grant’s long-running horror anthology series entitled Shadows (1978—1991). These were tales, like Grant’s own, of subtle chills, crafted prose, and sometimes overly hushed climaxes that might leave readers looking for stronger stuff a bit perplexed. But when quiet horror worked (which was quite often) you felt a satisfactory bit of frisson knowing you were in the hands of a master teller of terror tales. Like many horror writers of the ’70s and ’80s, Grant had grown up in the 1940s and ’50s and therefore was a great lover of the classic monster movies from Universal Studios, whose stars have become legend. The lesser-known works of producer Val Lewton also made a huge impression on Grant, and in an interview with Stanley Wiater in the book Dark Dreamers , he expressed his admiration for Lewton’s style of light and dark, sound and shadow, and only mere hints of madness and violence. In 1981 Grant spoke with specialty publisher Donald M. Grant (no relation), ruefully noting that the classic monsters like Dracula, the Mummy, and the Wolfman had become objects of fun and affection (and breakfast cereal) rather than the figures of terror they had been intended. As a lark, the two Grants decided to produce new novels featuring the iconic creatures, although still in a 19th century setting. They all take place in Grant’s own fictional Connecticut town of Oxrun Station—the setting for about a dozen of his novels and many of his short stories—these books “would be blatantly old-fashioned. No so-called new ground would be broken. No new insights. No new creatures,” according to Grant. Setting out to recreate the moonlit mood, graveyard ambience, and cinematic stylings of those old monster movies, Grant delivered three short (all around 150 pages) novels for those hardcore fans of black-and-white horror. The first title, issued in hardcover in 1982, was The Soft Whisper of the Dead . Here you see the October 1987 Berkley paperback featuring a kinda-sorta Dracula (one presumes Universal wouldn’t allow the use of Lugosi’s image) in classic pose. In the intro Grant also expresses a fondness for Hammer horror, so I threw on a mix of James Bernard’s Dracula scores as I began reading. I recommend it! Like lots of Hammer horrors, you get upper-crust polite society and regular folks and then the help, and does Count Brastov like the help! Pity the poor. Anyway he wants Oxrun Station all to himself, along with the help of Goth gal-pal Saundra Chambers, who can get him invited into all the best parties. Lots of description of weather and damp stone and a black wolf prowling about, some bloody fang-action, couple drained bodies turning up, lots of Brastov’s speaking imperiously and a chilly climax make Soft Whisper more a novel of “classic terror” than the other way ’round. The next volume followed only a month or two later. Although we see Chaney’s Wolf Man about to pounce on the cover of The Dark Cry of the Moon , the werewolf that appears in the novel is actually a white-furred creature of much greater viciousness than we remember from the 1944 movie. I’m not a great fan of werewolf fiction (I prefer something like Whitley Strieber’s wonderful Wolfen ) because the appeal of them lies in seeing the transformation . The emerging snout and sprouting hair and teeth becoming fangs simply don’t have the same gasp-inducing awe in cold print, but Grant does a brief bit of attempting it: A baying while the figure began to writhe without moving, began to shimmer without reflecting, began to transform itself from shadow black to a deadly flat white. The baying, the howling, a frenzied call of demonic triumph. Last is The Long Dark Night of the Grave , and here we get the Mummy. Mummy fiction, huh, I dunno. The Mummy was never really all that scary, was he? Perhaps it’s his implacable sense of vengeance and not his speed that’s supposed to terrify; he won’t stop, not ever, like an undead Anton Chigurh, I suppose. There’s no reasoning, there’s nothing behind those shadowed sunken eye sockets (remember the ancient Egyptians took out the brain through the nasal cavity). This mummy goes after unscrupulous Oxrun Station fellows dealing in Egyptian artifacts, creeping up on them and then when they turn around he’s got ’em by the throat. Never saw it coming. Well, maybe a shadow and a scent of sawdust and spice… Overall, these three novels are very light, minor entries in Grant’s Oxrun Station series; maybe imagine scary 1940s flicks never made. I think it’s obvious he wrote them more to satisfy his own nostalgia than anything else; his other fiction is more astute and focuses on modern fears than these simple, sincere, cobwebby tales. They certainly won’t appeal to readers who like their horror cheap and nasty. Those looking for Grant in top form would be best served by his Shadows anthologies and his own short fiction (collected in A Glow of Candles and Tales from the Nightside ). While nicely written and offering some mild, Halloween-y spookiness and old-timey charm, Charles Grant’s Universal novels are probably more collectible for their cover art (artist unknown, alas) than for what’s between the covers. Will Errickson covers horror from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s on his blog Too Much Horror Fiction. A Quiet Night of Fear. 1. Four people are dead. 2. You are next. 3. The murderer isn't human. 4. Night is falling. Category: Fiction » Mystery & detective » General Category: Fiction » Science fiction » General Published by Crossroad Press Published: Jan. 28, 2017 Words: 51,300 Language: English ISBN: 9781370764747. Charles L. Grant (1942-2006) won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award-winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Al Sarrantonio, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association. His story "Temperature Days on Hawthorne Street" was adapted into an episode of Tales from the Darkside entitled "The Milkman Cometh" in 1987. He also served eight years as an officer of the Science Fiction Writers of America, served ten years on the Board of Directors of the World Fantasy Awards, is past-president of the Horror Writers of America, served five years as President of the Board of Trustees of HWA, and is on the board of advisors for The Burry Man's Writers Center. In 1987 he received the British Fantasy Society's Special Award, for life achievement. In May of 2000, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from HWA. In addition, he has received two Nebula Awards and three World Fantasy Awards for his writing and editing. He is sorely missed. A Quiet Night of Fear by Charles L. Grant. Hooray! You've discovered a title that's missing from our library. Can you help donate a copy? If you own this book, you can mail it to our address below. You can also purchase this book from a vendor and ship it to our address: Better World Books Amazon $7.58 More Bookshop.org. When you buy books using these links the Internet Archive may earn a small commission. Benefits of donating. When you donate a physical book to the Internet Archive, your book will enjoy: Beautiful high-fidelity digitization Long-term archival preservation Free controlled digital library access by the print-disabled and public † Open Library is a project of the Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Quiet Horror, Still the Darling of the Horror Genre. September 15 is the anniversary of the death of author Charles L. Grant, who most will agree was the best-selling modern-day master of quiet horror novels. A rigorous talent, a legend to many of us, Grant had hundreds of books, novels, short stories and anthologies published and won three World Fantasy Awards and two Nebula Awards. Grant wholeheartedly believed in the atmospheric quiet horror story as a serious fiction form. Descriptions of Grant’s riveting prose and pace are phrases like lulls you into the dark , subtle thrills , literary prowess, creates a luring suspense . Well-crafted, horror fiction is an art. Read a Grant story and you’ll see why. Because we remember the loss of this treasured author (and because I admire the craft of quiet horror novels, love to read them and write them), it seems appropriate to revisit this enduring genre for September. Horror is defined as painful and intense fear, something that horrifies . So when you think of reading a horror novel or story, what do you desire? Horror that is raw, explicit, and loud like pulp slasher shock? That would be the assault of splatterpunk. How about all-powerful monsters? Super- intelligent aliens? Sexy vampires that no one can resist? Are you curious about a shuttered gray house with a man skulking on the front porch, eyes searching every child who walks by? What a shudder that story might bring. Or maybe you love the Lovecraftian style with demigods from ages past like Cthulhu, written in deep prose and pessimistic themes. Psychological horror is a grabber, especially if you’re battling demonic possession, the ultimate evil challenge. Stephen King is well known for saying that horror arouses our “phobic pressure points.” And maybe it’s true that triggering these fears becomes very personal for horror fans, provoking a response from the physical to the emotional to the psychological. When did society decide that reading tales of the supernatural and terror would be entertaining? Maybe it’s the fight or flight response we still crave. Maybe reading horror is a catharsis. One of the very first horror novels was The Castle of Otranto written by Horace Walpole in 1764. Then we quickly move into the Gothic horror era with Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Poe, Hawthorne, Henry James and you know the rest of them, all the way to Grant, King, Koontz, and Rice. But let’s get back to the power in quiet horror. What is it exactly? Quiet horror stories do not feed you blunt visceral violence: no gore-is-more philosophy; no bloody slasher meisters, no cheap thrills. Quiet horror hits a high key when it stimulates the intellect (sometimes even to the point of being a tad cerebral). It evokes dark emotions and conjures imagery, artistically hitting your fear buttons, teasing you with clues, and employing the suggestive-then-cut-away Hitchcockian style of suspense. Delicious! And often, this quiet darkness will hold a message that is not only cleverly hidden but also symbolic. That “Ah-ha” moment is one we all love to experience. Look at the success of John Harwood’s chilling The Séance ; Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black ; Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s enduring short story The Yellow Wallpaper . If you’ve ever read W.W. Jacob’s The Monkey’s Paw, you can experience this understated but powerful dark message of regret. Charles Grant said in an interview that the most powerful books are the ones who force the reader to use the imagination . He saw the reader’s imagination as a highly effective tool. If we look to Lovecraft about horror, he advised writers never to state a specific horror element when it can be suggested . So, are writers who spell out every bloody and violent detail cheating readers from creating their own pleasurable visualizations? In Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator says that he worked hastily and in silence to cut off the head, arms and legs of his victim. He uses the word “blood” only once … There was nothing to wash out—no stain of any kind—no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all! Any reader with half an imagination can see the blood inside that tub and imagine the dismembered parts with a ghastly effect. Maybe Strunk & White are right when they said, “It is seldom advisable to tell all.” When you read horror, do the words on the page manipulate your thinking or stimulate your imagination? How deep is your well? A search on Amazon.com for quiet horror novels offers four of Grant’s novels: The Sound of Midnight The Bloodwind The Last Call of Mourning The Grave. Search Barnes & Noble and you’ll find more traditional titles like Northanger Abby by Jane Austin, The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Amazon lists these as their top FIVE selling quiet horror novels: In the Night Room , Peter Straub The Fall of Never, Ronald Damien Malfi The Snowman’s Children, Glen Hirshberg Nightmare House , Douglas Clegg Atmosphere , Michael Laimo. Of course there’s lots more quiet horror out there, but it’s not so easy to identify these novels. Right now on the New York Times best sellers list, two novels that fit quiet horror are Night Film by Marisha Pessi (pitched as occult horror, literary thriller, and mystery thriller) and Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane . Sometimes these authors are known as dark fantasy authors. Writers like Joyce Carol Oates, Ramsey Campbell, James Herbert, Arthur Machen, Elizabeth Massie. My favorite authors of quiet horror are the classic masters: Nathaniel Hawthorne, M.R. James, Poe, Henry James and too many more to list here. I loved The Dead Zone by Stephen King. What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson , The Grave by Charles L. Grant, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper, Seduction by M.J. Rose. So, what horror stories spark your imagination? Is there a horror novel that has awakened your heart and soul? I leave you with one last thought … “Where there is no imagination, there is no horror.” Arthur Conan Doyle. Whether you are a reader, author, publishing pro, or literary hound, I invite you to post your thoughts here. Are you a fan of Charles Grant? Do you prefer splatterpunk or bizarro and tell us why. What is your favorite horror novel? I see this post as a running commentary about horror—quiet or loud, gothic, splatterpunk, dark fantasy, supernatural, ghosts, mystery, fabulist, Lovecraftian, satanic, or bizarro. If you are new to this blog, I am a novelist and short story writer, living in New York, posting classic Tales of Terror every week, most of which are quiet horror, supernatural, and lots of ghost stories because … I am a haunted writer. Not only do I believe in ghosts, but I’ve got one sitting next to me right now. He’s a writer, of course, about ghosts and witches—and he is my mentor. The number seven has particular significance to his greatest known work. If you know this house in Salem, Massachusetts pictured below, you know this author. You can view my novels, Night Sea Journey, A Tale of the Supernatural and The Dazzling Darkness in the above tabs on this site, but I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically suggest you experience the novels of Charles L. Grant and the other fine authors mentioned here if you really want to walk on the dark side with the best of literary artists. Here are a few worthy web sites in your search for horror and the supernatural. A Quiet Night of Fear by Charles L. Grant. Hooray! You've discovered a title that's missing from our library. Can you help donate a copy? If you own this book, you can mail it to our address below. You can also purchase this book from a vendor and ship it to our address: Better World Books Amazon $7.58 More Bookshop.org. When you buy books using these links the Internet Archive may earn a small commission. Benefits of donating. When you donate a physical book to the Internet Archive, your book will enjoy: Beautiful high-fidelity digitization Long-term archival preservation Free controlled digital library access by the print-disabled and public † Open Library is a project of the Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit.