Jacobi, Carl - Revelations In Black
Jacobi’s first Arkham House collection is a doozy. One can see how he was held in high regard by fellow writers in the “weird” sphere.
The title story is a dreamlike echo of “Carmilla”, as our narrator is drawn to a rare set of autobiographical journals, and from there toward the dark eyed pearl.
Mr Grenning somehow acquires a cursed walking stick in “The Cane”. It exerts a sinister influence over him, while the history of the previous owner quietly unfolds.
“Canal” is a change of pace, set on the somewhat colonized Mars, where a desperate thief escapes through one of the forbidden waterways, where others have entered, and disappeared.
One collects books, to the other weapons, both obsessives, yet in different fields, so they are not rivals. The common link in “The Spectral Pistol” is that their remote village is best by a ravening wolf
‘The Tombs From Beyond” dives deep into HPL territory. A Polynesian temple has been transported, block by block, to the explorer’s country lake, in hopes of a museum or tourist draw. The wealthy adventurer failed to consider that something unspeakable might accompany the tomb.
Royalton Manor has been crumbling for decades. Repairs were beyond the last of the line, so he lives with memories and rising dust. And a tenant, Classilda, charity case, a crone of foul aspect. A wall that has stood for centuries needs restoration, despite warnings to leave well enough alone. In “The Face In The Wind” the wall is, indeed, reworked and forces are unleashed. A classic supernatural story, steeped in old myths.
Three cheers to Valencourt Press for reissuing this long OP book.