by H. Koenig
Collecting weird and fantastic stories is a fascinating pursuit.
Locating first editions of some of our well-known authors affords
considerable thrill, but the real kick comes when one discovers a
comparatively little-known author of weird stories or re-discovers an
old and forgotten one. I experienced such a thrill when I first came
across one of the books written by a young Englishman named Charles
Williams, and I didn't rest content until I had obtained all five of
his novels. Williams appears to be practically unknown over here and a
few lines regarding him and his books may prove of interest to other
readers and collectors.
Sooner or later, the inveterate reader of weird fiction becomes
surfeited with stories of one pattern and falls into a rut. A year or
so ago one of the magazines devoted to books recommended to readers who
found themselves in such a predicament a sure cure--_the intellectual
shocker_. It is the type of story the average fiction reader will
overlook and even the habitual reader of weird and fantasy stories is
apt to ignore it.
Bulwer-Lytton's "Zononi" and "Phra, the Phoenician" have long been out
of date. Rider Haqgard is not being read by the present generation and
yet his immortal "She" is the pure type of the intellectual horror
tale. All weird fans have read Merritt's "Burn Witch, Burn" but how
many read "The Moon Pool" when it was first published? Guy Endore's
"The Werewolf of Paris" received plenty of publicity but his "The Man
from Limbo," a good example of the intellectual shocker, slipped by
practically unnoticed.
Charles Williams is one of the modern writers of the intellectual
horror story. Born in England in 1886, Williams was educated at
St. Albans and University College, London. He is an authority on
Shakespearean literature, poetry, etc. and has written a fairly long
list of books, most of them dealing with poetical subjects. In 1930,
however, he wrote his first novel, "War in Heaven," and it proved to
be one of the finest high-brow horror stories written in recent years.
It concerns a struggle for the "Graal," a battle between the forces of
good and evil. It has all the elements of a real mystery story combined
with the horror and thrill of the supernatural and the occult.
To date, Mr. Williams has written five books of this type:
"War in Heaven" (1930)
"Many Dimensions" (1931)
"Greater Trumps" (1932)
"Place of the Lion" (1932)
"Shadows of Ecstasy" (1933)
The average fiction reader would probably be bewildered by Williams,
but most of his plots are original and his ideas unusual and somewhat
startling. He has the happy faculty of being able to combine the occult
adventures with present-day people and scenes and, as one reviewer
stated, "he succeeds in making the improbable likely and the impossible
credible." To the readers who want their intellect stirred as well as
their emotions, I highly recommend some of the books listed above. Try
"War in Heaven" first, followed by the "Place of the Lion." They will
prove to be a welcome relief from the stereotyped and often tiresome
stories now appearing in the pulp magazines.
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