Tag: William Meikle

A Night in the Lonesome October —
All is not what it seems…

In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world. And all manner of Players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate.

Some have come to open the gates. Some have come to slam them shut.

And now the dread night approaches – so let the Game begin.

Author: Roger Zelazny
Illustrator: Gahan Wilson
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Gaslamp
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: September 1, 1994
Pages: 280

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October 14th

Snuff and Greymalk have a conversation that serves as an infodump bringing us up to speed on the current situation. The vicar has been taking potshots at the players with his crossbow, the Great Detective is prowling in the area and we discover that the players not only have familiars, but each is in possession of at least one magic item; Jack’s blade, Jill’s broom, the mad monk’s icon ( stolen from a Mad Arab…I think I can guess what that must be), the Count’s ring, the Druid’s scythe and so on. The conversation doesn’t just provide us with more depth on the game though, it moves the plot along to the next level when Greymalk announces she has found a body.

We discover that Snuff’s mental map is more magical than we thought, in that in some cases it might allow him to track backwards in time along the lines to find out what was going on in the past. Not this time though; the body Greymalk takes him to see is that of a policeman up from the city. His throat has been cut, his eyes pecked out by crows. Snuff cannot allow it to be discovered so close to Jack’s house and resolves to drag the body to the river and drop in it where it can be carried far away. It’s going to take him a while though, and at the end of the day he has to hide the body in a copse and return home for some well earned sleep. He’s only got halfway to the river.

We’ve had a lot of info given to us in that chapter, all skillfully woven into snappy dialogue to make it palatable. And the death of the policeman means that the stakes have just got that much higher for everyone; the players have, up till now, been mostly minding their own business. I suspect that’s all about to change. We’re into the meat of it now; the chapters are getting longer, the cast are moving about more frantically and interacting more often. I expect some mayhem soon.

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Boo-graphy:
William Meikle is a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with more than thirty novels published in the genre press and over 300 short story credits in thirteen countries.

He has books available from a variety of publishers including Dark Regions Press, Crossroad Press and Severed Press, and his work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and magazines.

He lives in Newfoundland with whales, bald eagles and icebergs for company.

When he’s not writing he drinks beer, plays guitar, and dreams of fortune and glory.

Website

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• 

The Green & the Black —
A small group of industrial archaeologists head into the center of Newfoundland, investigating a rumor of a lost prospecting team of Irish miners in the late Nineteenth century.

They find the remains of a mining operation, and a journal and papers detailing the extent of the miners’ activities. But there is something else on the site, something older than the miners, as old as the rock itself.

Soon the archaeologists are coming under assault, from a strange infection that spreads like wildfire through mind and body, one that doctors seem powerless to define let alone control.

The survivors only have one option. They must return to the mine, and face what waits for them, down in the deep dark places, where the green meets the black.

William’s Halloween Giveaway

A Night in the Lonesome October —
All is not what it seems…

In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world. And all manner of Players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate.

Some have come to open the gates. Some have come to slam them shut.

And now the dread night approaches – so let the Game begin.

Author: Roger Zelazny
Illustrator: Gahan Wilson
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Gaslamp
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: September 1, 1994
Pages: 280

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October 13th

Snuff is disturbed by something at the window. It is the Count’s bat familiar, in some distress. The cause soon becomes clear. The local vicar, having had a ‘vision’ of evildoers preparing for a terrifying ritual at Halloween, and aware of strange blood losses among his parishioners, has gone on the rampage with a crossbow and stakes. The vicar tries to force an entry to Jack’s house but is easily rebuffed.

Snuff and the bat form a pact to tell the other familiars in the game, friend or foe, to be wary of this new menace.

The idea of the big ritual is now coming more to the fore, and it seems the players, no matter which side they are on, are also, in some cases, willing to protect each other. Zelazny’s tightly woven plot, much like Snuff’s mental map of the players’ positions, is coming together nicely now. There’s a definite rhythm to this story, one that is building in tempo with each passing chapter. Things seem to be pointing towards some big event coming along soon even before the final ritual. It took some mental strength today not to rush on to the next page.

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Boo-graphy:
William Meikle is a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with more than thirty novels published in the genre press and over 300 short story credits in thirteen countries.

He has books available from a variety of publishers including Dark Regions Press, Crossroad Press and Severed Press, and his work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and magazines.

He lives in Newfoundland with whales, bald eagles and icebergs for company.

When he’s not writing he drinks beer, plays guitar, and dreams of fortune and glory.

Website

• 

• 

The Green & the Black —
A small group of industrial archaeologists head into the center of Newfoundland, investigating a rumor of a lost prospecting team of Irish miners in the late Nineteenth century.

They find the remains of a mining operation, and a journal and papers detailing the extent of the miners’ activities. But there is something else on the site, something older than the miners, as old as the rock itself.

Soon the archaeologists are coming under assault, from a strange infection that spreads like wildfire through mind and body, one that doctors seem powerless to define let alone control.

The survivors only have one option. They must return to the mine, and face what waits for them, down in the deep dark places, where the green meets the black.

William’s Halloween Giveaway

A Night in the Lonesome October —
All is not what it seems…

In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world. And all manner of Players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate.

Some have come to open the gates. Some have come to slam them shut.

And now the dread night approaches – so let the Game begin.

Author: Roger Zelazny
Illustrator: Gahan Wilson
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Gaslamp
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: September 1, 1994
Pages: 280

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October 12th

A very short, single page chapter today. Jack is at home, preparing ‘materials’ but not yet ready to use them. The ‘things’ in their various traps are under control. Snuff is happy to have a ‘domestic’ day. The only thing of note is news that the owl and the snake have had a falling out and that the owl transported the snake out of the game, leaving it a long slither back to its master. So the familiars, like their masters, seem to be getting slightly tetchy.

The month is drawing on and preparations are well underway, yet we still don’t know what the players are preparing for, and Zelazny is more than happy to keep us in the dark at this stage. There’s longer, more pertinent passages of action coming up soon I’m sure. But for now, we’ll allow Snuff a quiet day. He’s a good boy. He deserves it.

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Boo-graphy:
William Meikle is a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with more than thirty novels published in the genre press and over 300 short story credits in thirteen countries.

He has books available from a variety of publishers including Dark Regions Press, Crossroad Press and Severed Press, and his work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and magazines.

He lives in Newfoundland with whales, bald eagles and icebergs for company.

When he’s not writing he drinks beer, plays guitar, and dreams of fortune and glory.

Website

• 

• 

The Green & the Black —
A small group of industrial archaeologists head into the center of Newfoundland, investigating a rumor of a lost prospecting team of Irish miners in the late Nineteenth century.

They find the remains of a mining operation, and a journal and papers detailing the extent of the miners’ activities. But there is something else on the site, something older than the miners, as old as the rock itself.

Soon the archaeologists are coming under assault, from a strange infection that spreads like wildfire through mind and body, one that doctors seem powerless to define let alone control.

The survivors only have one option. They must return to the mine, and face what waits for them, down in the deep dark places, where the green meets the black.

William’s Halloween Giveaway

A Night in the Lonesome October —
All is not what it seems…

In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world. And all manner of Players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate.

Some have come to open the gates. Some have come to slam them shut.

And now the dread night approaches – so let the Game begin.

Author: Roger Zelazny
Illustrator: Gahan Wilson
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Gaslamp
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: September 1, 1994
Pages: 280

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October 11th

A short but pertinent chapter today. Snuff is out on his rounds and meets the Dour Detective and his companion near the Good Doctor’s place. They recognize him from their meeting in London, and make some sweeping generalizations about Snuff based on his appearance. Snuff does his ‘good dog’ shtick then leads them astray when they ask him to lead them to his home. Instead he takes them to the occultists’ place and leaves them there.

While travelling between the occultists’ and the Count’s residences Snuff notes something interesting happening in his mental map, something that gets more interesting when he adds in a trip back to where the Good Doctor works. We’re not told what exactly is interesting but we can surmise it’s something to do with Snuff’s ‘magic tracking’ system and the finding of the center where the events of Halloween will take place.

Snuff is showing himself to be a doughty companion, and possibly even a player in the game in his own right? I’ve read this book before of course, but following it on a day by day experience like this gives me more time to mull over the questions of each day as they come up before proceeding. It’s less of a headlong rush this time through, and more of a growing respect for how Zelazny has put this extravaganza together so seamlessly and entertainingly.

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Boo-graphy:
William Meikle is a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with more than thirty novels published in the genre press and over 300 short story credits in thirteen countries.

He has books available from a variety of publishers including Dark Regions Press, Crossroad Press and Severed Press, and his work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and magazines.

He lives in Newfoundland with whales, bald eagles and icebergs for company.

When he’s not writing he drinks beer, plays guitar, and dreams of fortune and glory.

Website

• 

• 

The Green & the Black —
A small group of industrial archaeologists head into the center of Newfoundland, investigating a rumor of a lost prospecting team of Irish miners in the late Nineteenth century.

They find the remains of a mining operation, and a journal and papers detailing the extent of the miners’ activities. But there is something else on the site, something older than the miners, as old as the rock itself.

Soon the archaeologists are coming under assault, from a strange infection that spreads like wildfire through mind and body, one that doctors seem powerless to define let alone control.

The survivors only have one option. They must return to the mine, and face what waits for them, down in the deep dark places, where the green meets the black.

William’s Halloween Giveaway

A Night in the Lonesome October —
All is not what it seems…

In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world. And all manner of Players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate.

Some have come to open the gates. Some have come to slam them shut.

And now the dread night approaches – so let the Game begin.

Author: Roger Zelazny
Illustrator: Gahan Wilson
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Gaslamp
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: September 1, 1994
Pages: 280

---

October 10th

A rainy day means that Snuff’s exterior rounds are delayed, but that proves to be a blessing in disguise as a leak threatens to break the seals that hold the ‘thing’ in the basement. Snuff saves the day by the simple expedient of rolling in the leaking water to soak it up, much to the disgust of the ‘thing’.

It is night before the rain stops and Snuff is able to be about his rounds. He visits Owen, the druid, who has been busy making many wicker baskets, and the Good Doctor who is busy creating lightning in a laboratory where something big twitches under a sheet. Larry Talbot is tending, most intently, to strange plants in a hothouse and at the same place Snuff finds another strange paw print. The last visit of the night is to check on the Count, where Snuff is discovered as a great bat returns from its own nightly forays…and turns into a caped, aristocratic, man with a heavy foreign accent. Snuff gives him his best lost puppy act then flees, disconcerted by the Count’s shapeshifting abilities.

So the players all seem to be busy in one way or another, busy preparing in their own ways. There’s a pattern, of sorts, here. We’re just not seeing the whole picture yet as Zelazny skillfully moves the pieces around and around a slowly forming center.

---

Boo-graphy:
William Meikle is a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with more than thirty novels published in the genre press and over 300 short story credits in thirteen countries.

He has books available from a variety of publishers including Dark Regions Press, Crossroad Press and Severed Press, and his work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and magazines.

He lives in Newfoundland with whales, bald eagles and icebergs for company.

When he’s not writing he drinks beer, plays guitar, and dreams of fortune and glory.

Website

• 

• 

The Green & the Black —
A small group of industrial archaeologists head into the center of Newfoundland, investigating a rumor of a lost prospecting team of Irish miners in the late Nineteenth century.

They find the remains of a mining operation, and a journal and papers detailing the extent of the miners’ activities. But there is something else on the site, something older than the miners, as old as the rock itself.

Soon the archaeologists are coming under assault, from a strange infection that spreads like wildfire through mind and body, one that doctors seem powerless to define let alone control.

The survivors only have one option. They must return to the mine, and face what waits for them, down in the deep dark places, where the green meets the black.

William’s Halloween Giveaway