classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

Cant wait for Pride, 20 Oct 2008
A good sequal. You would need to have read stray first to gain a full appreciation for this book but its a good book. Faythe is an indering character if only a little annoying at times. Interresting group dynamic which makes me wish i had brothers lol. Trying to keep up with the different characters names can be challenging at times especially when reading the book at half 1 in the morning, but this book was such a page turner i couldnt tear myself away.

Better than the first, 22 Sep 2008
This was better than the first of the series, I think she's gradually improving with every book she writes. Much more thought out anf well tougth out. Still mirrors Kelley Armstrong who is by far a league ahead!

Good follow up., 29 Jun 2008
Rogue is the follow up to Stray and picks things up a few months after the events in the previous book. Faythe and Marc are together as enforcers and as a couple, and life is going on as normal in the pack. When a number of toms are found murdered in Pride territory, their necks broken, these deaths are found to be linked to the disappearance of a number of strippers. Faythe and the rest of the werecats are plunged into a race to find the killers.

This book is well plotted and the comparisons to Kelley Armstrong's Bitten and Stolen are far less evident. The action moves at a fast pace and many of the characters are interesting and well drawn. The character sketches of the minor characters are great and I love the character of Marc but I'm continually left wondering why he loves such a selfish, immature character as Faythe. Yes she does grow up a little bit in this book and she is finally taking a greater involvement in the Pride, but she's doing it under duress and with no real intention of wanting to continue long-term. For a girl of twenty-three she's about as mature as someone five years her junior and her actions continue to hurt the people around her. My one real gripe with this series is Faythe, the angsty and angry, childish heroine that I wish I could shake some sense into. I know that Faythe is probably drawn the way she is as it gives the author lots of scope for future character development, but it makes it hard to love a book when you don't like the heroine. I like this series, but I don't think I'll love it until Faythe grows up a bit more. Here's hoping the cliffhanger ending of this book will lead to this happening in the next.


One for the girls.., 20 Jun 2008
if you are interested in why a ring tone is ironic to the situation and a changeling society that has a few egotistical females and many big chunky males that have to look after them this is for you.. However if your not feeling particularly emotional and prefer action this book is certainly not for you.

I only managed to get a third of the way through before I through it away in violent rejection...



Maybe its a girl thing!!!

A winner for me , 16 Jun 2008
This series starts with the book 'Stray' and that was an excellent debut in this genre. Rogue is the next installment and it doesn't disappoint. In this volume, our heroine Faith Summers is more active within her pride as she promised at the end of the previous novel. Her relationship with Mark is intriguing and passionate but is not the entire focus of the book-this is a heroine who stands on her own 2 feet and the plot itself is a great one, with a cliff hanger ending.
Truthfully, I find Faith a wee bit annoying hence the 4 stars only but as a fan of this genre and the owner of literally 100's of books in this vein, I can truthfully say it is one of the best new series I have picked up in a while. If you are a fan of Charlaine Harris or Laurel K Hamilton (with less sex than the latter and slightly more simple in style than the former) you will agree with me.

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

Cant wait for Pride, 20 Oct 2008
A good sequal. You would need to have read stray first to gain a full appreciation for this book but its a good book. Faythe is an indering character if only a little annoying at times. Interresting group dynamic which makes me wish i had brothers lol. Trying to keep up with the different characters names can be challenging at times especially when reading the book at half 1 in the morning, but this book was such a page turner i couldnt tear myself away.

Better than the first, 22 Sep 2008
This was better than the first of the series, I think she's gradually improving with every book she writes. Much more thought out anf well tougth out. Still mirrors Kelley Armstrong who is by far a league ahead!

Good follow up., 29 Jun 2008
Rogue is the follow up to Stray and picks things up a few months after the events in the previous book. Faythe and Marc are together as enforcers and as a couple, and life is going on as normal in the pack. When a number of toms are found murdered in Pride territory, their necks broken, these deaths are found to be linked to the disappearance of a number of strippers. Faythe and the rest of the werecats are plunged into a race to find the killers.

This book is well plotted and the comparisons to Kelley Armstrong's Bitten and Stolen are far less evident. The action moves at a fast pace and many of the characters are interesting and well drawn. The character sketches of the minor characters are great and I love the character of Marc but I'm continually left wondering why he loves such a selfish, immature character as Faythe. Yes she does grow up a little bit in this book and she is finally taking a greater involvement in the Pride, but she's doing it under duress and with no real intention of wanting to continue long-term. For a girl of twenty-three she's about as mature as someone five years her junior and her actions continue to hurt the people around her. My one real gripe with this series is Faythe, the angsty and angry, childish heroine that I wish I could shake some sense into. I know that Faythe is probably drawn the way she is as it gives the author lots of scope for future character development, but it makes it hard to love a book when you don't like the heroine. I like this series, but I don't think I'll love it until Faythe grows up a bit more. Here's hoping the cliffhanger ending of this book will lead to this happening in the next.


One for the girls.., 20 Jun 2008
if you are interested in why a ring tone is ironic to the situation and a changeling society that has a few egotistical females and many big chunky males that have to look after them this is for you.. However if your not feeling particularly emotional and prefer action this book is certainly not for you.

I only managed to get a third of the way through before I through it away in violent rejection...



Maybe its a girl thing!!!

A winner for me , 16 Jun 2008
This series starts with the book 'Stray' and that was an excellent debut in this genre. Rogue is the next installment and it doesn't disappoint. In this volume, our heroine Faith Summers is more active within her pride as she promised at the end of the previous novel. Her relationship with Mark is intriguing and passionate but is not the entire focus of the book-this is a heroine who stands on her own 2 feet and the plot itself is a great one, with a cliff hanger ending.
Truthfully, I find Faith a wee bit annoying hence the 4 stars only but as a fan of this genre and the owner of literally 100's of books in this vein, I can truthfully say it is one of the best new series I have picked up in a while. If you are a fan of Charlaine Harris or Laurel K Hamilton (with less sex than the latter and slightly more simple in style than the former) you will agree with me.

The Devil Rides Out, 02 Nov 2008
Classic tale of the Occult which moves along at a cracking pace. Perhaps the book flags towards the end but this matters little overall. Excellent set pieces include the night spent in the Circle, also the confrontation between the villain and the books nominal heroine. Worth reading.

A FANTASTIC READ, 19 Oct 2008
Having got bored with the whole horror novel genre, I picked this book up by chance (and due to the fact it was really cheap as well), this really is a great book. The atmosphere created within the pages, as well as the superb charecters, I found I could not put this book down until I finished the last page. If only every horror author wrote as good as this, even if your not into horror novels, this is a must read for your book collection.

Still the Best after 70 years!, 07 Jul 2008
Having read all of Wheatley's books in my youth (I am now 64)and loved them all, this one is THE best.
I believe that it was written in the 1930's so the style is a little different from modern books but the story is excellent and has stood the test of time.
Wheatley researched deeply into all things esoteric and always gave a warning in his foreword to his books on black magic, 'not to get involved'.
Good advice, I think, as if you read this book, you will see what he means.
Read it, I know you will love it. Also, 'To the Devil a Daughter' by him is another excellent read in the same genre.

Grand adventure!, 03 Jul 2007
Being under 30, I had heard of the Devil Rides Out and Dennis Wheatley without really knowing what it was all about, so finding that such an inexpensive edition of the work was now available from Wordsworth's excellent line of supernatural stories, well I had to buy it, didn't I?

What surprised me is that once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. The tale is of the Duc de Richleau's battle for the soul of his friend Simon Aron, the fate of a young girl, and ultimately the fate of the world, as he takes on satanist Mocata and his entourage. Having read a biography of Aleister Crowley, we can see that he was the touchstone for Mocata, although it is only a surface representation as Mocata is presented as a villain, rather than as a human being. As far as I know, the representations of magic are well researched, with Wheatley representing both white and black magic and the will to power.

Because of the era it was written in, there are no shades of grey in the story, just as the magic used in the tale is black or white, so is the morality and Wheatley is clearly from the same stable as the other great British adventure writers like Buchan, Sapper and Ian Fleming. It also reminds me of the excellent Carnacki stories by Hodgson. As such you may feel that some of the views are a little dated. I didn't notice anything that I thought was necessarily objectionable as I do with Fleming. But the story is written at such a rollicking pace that it is impossible not to get swept up.

This is not a horror story, I doubt that unless you're under the age of ten and sensitive (as I once was) you will find anything chilling in the book, but there certainly is atmosphere and the midnight vigil inside the pentacle, when Mocata sends the Angel of Death to our heroes, is as tense as can be. It's a supernatural adventure - a predecessor to the X-Files and Buffy, and as good a supernatural adventure as I've read. The ending seems like a bit of a copout at first, but the final page makes it all matter again and I can't recommend it enough.

So why not five stars? Well, there are a few typographical errors in the book, errant speech marks and punctuation, but that shouldn't dissuade you from buying this book!

a classic back in print !, 21 Apr 2007
James Hilton (Goodbye Mr Chips, Lost Horizon) described "The Devil Rides Out" as "The best tale of its kind since Dracula" and I don't think he was far wrong. Many believe it to be Wheatley's finest work and it's a classic of its kind. I first read the book many years ago and on reading it again, it has lost none of its power to grip.

The book is the second, in published terms, to feature DW's hero the Duke de Richleau, and was his first ever black magic novel. It was a huge bestseller in the 1930s when it first came out, and continued to be a bestseller until he went out of fashion in the 1980s/1990s. Fortunately DW is now experiencing something of a resurgence, and well done Wordsworth for bringing this out in a cheap but elegant reprint (a good first edition would cost you several thousands of pounds !).

It's full of 1930s atmosphere, skilfully written and well researched too - although Wheatley never practiced magic himself, he met with many of the most famous occultists of his day (Aleister Crowley, Rollo Ahmed etc) in his endeavour to make the book as authentic as possible.

In The Devil Rides Out, the Duke and a friend find that one of their number (Simon) is missing from a reunion, and it turns out that he has fallen under the influence of a black magic sect. At first disbelieving the Duke, his friends soon discover that he is right when he says that magic still exists and that the powers of darkness are still alive and very real, as they fight a series of terrific earthly and occult battles to save their friend's soul.

The book was filmed in the 1960s with Christopher Lee taking the lead role as the Duke in one of his few appearances as a `goodie', and while Lee was first rate, for my money the book is superior to the film.

If you're grey haired and read it in your youth, it's worth reading again. If you're about to read it for the first time, I envy you. You're in for a treat !

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

Cant wait for Pride, 20 Oct 2008
A good sequal. You would need to have read stray first to gain a full appreciation for this book but its a good book. Faythe is an indering character if only a little annoying at times. Interresting group dynamic which makes me wish i had brothers lol. Trying to keep up with the different characters names can be challenging at times especially when reading the book at half 1 in the morning, but this book was such a page turner i couldnt tear myself away.

Better than the first, 22 Sep 2008
This was better than the first of the series, I think she's gradually improving with every book she writes. Much more thought out anf well tougth out. Still mirrors Kelley Armstrong who is by far a league ahead!

Good follow up., 29 Jun 2008
Rogue is the follow up to Stray and picks things up a few months after the events in the previous book. Faythe and Marc are together as enforcers and as a couple, and life is going on as normal in the pack. When a number of toms are found murdered in Pride territory, their necks broken, these deaths are found to be linked to the disappearance of a number of strippers. Faythe and the rest of the werecats are plunged into a race to find the killers.

This book is well plotted and the comparisons to Kelley Armstrong's Bitten and Stolen are far less evident. The action moves at a fast pace and many of the characters are interesting and well drawn. The character sketches of the minor characters are great and I love the character of Marc but I'm continually left wondering why he loves such a selfish, immature character as Faythe. Yes she does grow up a little bit in this book and she is finally taking a greater involvement in the Pride, but she's doing it under duress and with no real intention of wanting to continue long-term. For a girl of twenty-three she's about as mature as someone five years her junior and her actions continue to hurt the people around her. My one real gripe with this series is Faythe, the angsty and angry, childish heroine that I wish I could shake some sense into. I know that Faythe is probably drawn the way she is as it gives the author lots of scope for future character development, but it makes it hard to love a book when you don't like the heroine. I like this series, but I don't think I'll love it until Faythe grows up a bit more. Here's hoping the cliffhanger ending of this book will lead to this happening in the next.


One for the girls.., 20 Jun 2008
if you are interested in why a ring tone is ironic to the situation and a changeling society that has a few egotistical females and many big chunky males that have to look after them this is for you.. However if your not feeling particularly emotional and prefer action this book is certainly not for you.

I only managed to get a third of the way through before I through it away in violent rejection...



Maybe its a girl thing!!!

A winner for me , 16 Jun 2008
This series starts with the book 'Stray' and that was an excellent debut in this genre. Rogue is the next installment and it doesn't disappoint. In this volume, our heroine Faith Summers is more active within her pride as she promised at the end of the previous novel. Her relationship with Mark is intriguing and passionate but is not the entire focus of the book-this is a heroine who stands on her own 2 feet and the plot itself is a great one, with a cliff hanger ending.
Truthfully, I find Faith a wee bit annoying hence the 4 stars only but as a fan of this genre and the owner of literally 100's of books in this vein, I can truthfully say it is one of the best new series I have picked up in a while. If you are a fan of Charlaine Harris or Laurel K Hamilton (with less sex than the latter and slightly more simple in style than the former) you will agree with me.

The Devil Rides Out, 02 Nov 2008
Classic tale of the Occult which moves along at a cracking pace. Perhaps the book flags towards the end but this matters little overall. Excellent set pieces include the night spent in the Circle, also the confrontation between the villain and the books nominal heroine. Worth reading.

A FANTASTIC READ, 19 Oct 2008
Having got bored with the whole horror novel genre, I picked this book up by chance (and due to the fact it was really cheap as well), this really is a great book. The atmosphere created within the pages, as well as the superb charecters, I found I could not put this book down until I finished the last page. If only every horror author wrote as good as this, even if your not into horror novels, this is a must read for your book collection.

Still the Best after 70 years!, 07 Jul 2008
Having read all of Wheatley's books in my youth (I am now 64)and loved them all, this one is THE best.
I believe that it was written in the 1930's so the style is a little different from modern books but the story is excellent and has stood the test of time.
Wheatley researched deeply into all things esoteric and always gave a warning in his foreword to his books on black magic, 'not to get involved'.
Good advice, I think, as if you read this book, you will see what he means.
Read it, I know you will love it. Also, 'To the Devil a Daughter' by him is another excellent read in the same genre.

Grand adventure!, 03 Jul 2007
Being under 30, I had heard of the Devil Rides Out and Dennis Wheatley without really knowing what it was all about, so finding that such an inexpensive edition of the work was now available from Wordsworth's excellent line of supernatural stories, well I had to buy it, didn't I?

What surprised me is that once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. The tale is of the Duc de Richleau's battle for the soul of his friend Simon Aron, the fate of a young girl, and ultimately the fate of the world, as he takes on satanist Mocata and his entourage. Having read a biography of Aleister Crowley, we can see that he was the touchstone for Mocata, although it is only a surface representation as Mocata is presented as a villain, rather than as a human being. As far as I know, the representations of magic are well researched, with Wheatley representing both white and black magic and the will to power.

Because of the era it was written in, there are no shades of grey in the story, just as the magic used in the tale is black or white, so is the morality and Wheatley is clearly from the same stable as the other great British adventure writers like Buchan, Sapper and Ian Fleming. It also reminds me of the excellent Carnacki stories by Hodgson. As such you may feel that some of the views are a little dated. I didn't notice anything that I thought was necessarily objectionable as I do with Fleming. But the story is written at such a rollicking pace that it is impossible not to get swept up.

This is not a horror story, I doubt that unless you're under the age of ten and sensitive (as I once was) you will find anything chilling in the book, but there certainly is atmosphere and the midnight vigil inside the pentacle, when Mocata sends the Angel of Death to our heroes, is as tense as can be. It's a supernatural adventure - a predecessor to the X-Files and Buffy, and as good a supernatural adventure as I've read. The ending seems like a bit of a copout at first, but the final page makes it all matter again and I can't recommend it enough.

So why not five stars? Well, there are a few typographical errors in the book, errant speech marks and punctuation, but that shouldn't dissuade you from buying this book!

a classic back in print !, 21 Apr 2007
James Hilton (Goodbye Mr Chips, Lost Horizon) described "The Devil Rides Out" as "The best tale of its kind since Dracula" and I don't think he was far wrong. Many believe it to be Wheatley's finest work and it's a classic of its kind. I first read the book many years ago and on reading it again, it has lost none of its power to grip.

The book is the second, in published terms, to feature DW's hero the Duke de Richleau, and was his first ever black magic novel. It was a huge bestseller in the 1930s when it first came out, and continued to be a bestseller until he went out of fashion in the 1980s/1990s. Fortunately DW is now experiencing something of a resurgence, and well done Wordsworth for bringing this out in a cheap but elegant reprint (a good first edition would cost you several thousands of pounds !).

It's full of 1930s atmosphere, skilfully written and well researched too - although Wheatley never practiced magic himself, he met with many of the most famous occultists of his day (Aleister Crowley, Rollo Ahmed etc) in his endeavour to make the book as authentic as possible.

In The Devil Rides Out, the Duke and a friend find that one of their number (Simon) is missing from a reunion, and it turns out that he has fallen under the influence of a black magic sect. At first disbelieving the Duke, his friends soon discover that he is right when he says that magic still exists and that the powers of darkness are still alive and very real, as they fight a series of terrific earthly and occult battles to save their friend's soul.

The book was filmed in the 1960s with Christopher Lee taking the lead role as the Duke in one of his few appearances as a `goodie', and while Lee was first rate, for my money the book is superior to the film.

If you're grey haired and read it in your youth, it's worth reading again. If you're about to read it for the first time, I envy you. You're in for a treat !


Third in the series and the best so far...., 27 Aug 2008
Jacquelyn Frank has really made he mark with this the third in the Nightwalkers series. It is by far my favourite so far. The characters is this book are Elijah and Sienna, the Captain of the Demon army and the Queen of the Lycanthropes. While they make an unlikely pairing to begin with (seeing how he's responsible for her fathers' death) they work very well together. The trend set in the first two books in this series, to break all the Nightwalker laws and taboos, is continued in 'Elijah' with the first interspecies "Imprinting".

My favourite thing about this series is the baddies. They're not some souless species to be hated, they are Nightwalkers-gone-bad, who are acting out of twisted revenge against people they feel have wronged them. It makes for interesting battles, and engaging plot twists. The romance between Elijah and Sienna is a lot more gripping than the previous books in the series, they are more passionate, independant, and free spirited. It makes for some lengthy and fabulously hot scenes between them.

I look forward to continuing with this series and learning more about the myths and history it creates. What's different about the world of Nightwalkers to other paranormal books, is that they have lost a large portion of knowledge relating to their history, and each book brings them closer to rediscovering hidden truths about all Nightwalkers races.

For any para-mance readers looking for a new series to engage them and keep them ever ready for the next book to be released I would recommend 'Jacob', 'Gideon' and 'Elijah'. Out of the all the para-mance series' I am reading currently I would place this one at number 5, behind The Black Dagger Brotherhood (JR Ward), The Immortals After Dark (Kresley Cole), Midnight Breed (Lara Adrian), The Dark Hunters (Sherrilyn Kenyon).

After the exciting end to 'Elijah' I will be ordering 'Damien' as soon as I have finished this review.

Third in series - a cross-cultural imprinting, 02 Jan 2008
This story follows very much the style and form of the previous two in the series, "Jacob" and "Gideon". It focuses on the Demons, one of the groups of Nightwalkers (various creatures that go Bump In The Night like Vampires, Lycanthropes and the Demons, powerful supernatural beings) and in this story on the chief Warrior demon, Elijah, whose history includes being the warrior who killed the King of the Lycanthropes fourteen years ago.

Unfortunately as the story starts Elijah has been cornered by his enemies and seriously wounded. Just before he's finished off by Ruth and Mary, the former Demons who have now turned evil, those attacking him are frightened away by the call of a wild cat - a Cougar. That animal is the Queen of the Lycanthropes, Siena, whose rule for the last fourteen years since the death of her father has done a great deal to build bridges of peace with the Demons and the Vampires. Siena herself, rather in the manner of Queen Elizabeth I, has decided to stay a virgin so that she doesn't have to share her throne with a man who might drag the Pride back into war. The nature of being a Lycanthrope Queen means that if she mates with anyone that mating bond is for life.

Siena hasn't realised, however, the powerful pull of attraction she will feel when taking care of an almost-dead Elijah. She takes him to safey in a cave but they are trapped there for several days and despite the fact that they are from different species and the Demon Lore forbids any relationships between Demon and Lycanthrope, rather inevitably they find themselves unable to hold back their lusts. When they separate to go back to their individual lives there is clear evidence that there was more to this 'one off' mating than either of them imagined.

Their attempts to stay apart or to find a way of dissolving the Imprinting bond take their attention away from the fight against Mary and Ruth but soon all the Demons, as well as some of the other Nightwalkers, find themselves fighting for their lives.

As with the other books this is written in a lush style which is easy to read. However, also like the other books, the actual plot is rather thin and it seems that the characters spend quite a lot of time thinking or talking or faffing amongst themselves rather than doing anything (and the stuff they're doing doesn't really add to the sense of character for them, either). I was also a little disappointed that more wasn't made of the cross-cultural problem; for Elijah his mating with Siena breaks thousand year taboos (maybe like humans mating with chimps?) and for Siena to ally herself with a race that had been at war with hers for 300 years, not least that her mate is the man who killed her father, is a huge step and yet this all seems swept under the carpet remarkably easily. I had hoped for far more exploration of what this might mean to the individuals involved, the hostility they might face, and yet there was almost none.

Still this is a reasonable enough read in the genre with lots of input from the heroes and heroines of the previous novels as well as some likely new plot lines for future books. Those who enjoyed the others should like this one, others starting with this book should enjoy it but with some reservations.

entertaining and action oriented, 01 Jan 2008
There are many Nightwalker races, who can pass themselves off as humans including Demons, Lycanthropes, vampires, & nightwalkers. Demons only look like the monsters portrayed in books and movies. It is when they are summoned by a necromancer into a pentagram they look like the evi1 creatures of legend and are no longer capable of reasoning. For centuries the Demon and Lycanthrope races have been at war but after her father died, Siena, the Lycanthrope Queen has made peace with the demons and hopes one day lingering hatrd will fade away. Elijah, the captain of the demon warriors is in lycanthrope territory when he is attacked by hunters and necromancers led by two rogue demon women Ruth an her daughter Mary who want to destroy the demon race. He is near deth when Siena finds him and brings him into a nearby cave where she saves his life. During their time alone they Imprint, mated for life though Siena tries to fight it as she doesn't want a king to rule with her. The problem is easily resolved when he agrees to be prince consort and they are happy together until Ruth once again attacks the demon she hatees the most, Elijah. The demon king brings the war to her not realizing it will change demon-lycanthrope relations forever.

The latest book in the Nightwalkers series is entertaining and action oriented with just enough romance to keep fans of the genre very happy. Jacquelyn Frank does for Demons what Tino Georgiou did for Sparta and what Tolkien did for Hobbits. The pairing of an alpha male demon and an alpha female lycanthrope makes for an interesting battle of the s3xes as each tries to dominate. The other characters from previous Nightwalker books make appearances and play pivotal roles that give the audience a sense of continuity!! I'd also recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestseller--The Fates--if you missed this brilliant novel!

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

Cant wait for Pride, 20 Oct 2008
A good sequal. You would need to have read stray first to gain a full appreciation for this book but its a good book. Faythe is an indering character if only a little annoying at times. Interresting group dynamic which makes me wish i had brothers lol. Trying to keep up with the different characters names can be challenging at times especially when reading the book at half 1 in the morning, but this book was such a page turner i couldnt tear myself away.

Better than the first, 22 Sep 2008
This was better than the first of the series, I think she's gradually improving with every book she writes. Much more thought out anf well tougth out. Still mirrors Kelley Armstrong who is by far a league ahead!

Good follow up., 29 Jun 2008
Rogue is the follow up to Stray and picks things up a few months after the events in the previous book. Faythe and Marc are together as enforcers and as a couple, and life is going on as normal in the pack. When a number of toms are found murdered in Pride territory, their necks broken, these deaths are found to be linked to the disappearance of a number of strippers. Faythe and the rest of the werecats are plunged into a race to find the killers.

This book is well plotted and the comparisons to Kelley Armstrong's Bitten and Stolen are far less evident. The action moves at a fast pace and many of the characters are interesting and well drawn. The character sketches of the minor characters are great and I love the character of Marc but I'm continually left wondering why he loves such a selfish, immature character as Faythe. Yes she does grow up a little bit in this book and she is finally taking a greater involvement in the Pride, but she's doing it under duress and with no real intention of wanting to continue long-term. For a girl of twenty-three she's about as mature as someone five years her junior and her actions continue to hurt the people around her. My one real gripe with this series is Faythe, the angsty and angry, childish heroine that I wish I could shake some sense into. I know that Faythe is probably drawn the way she is as it gives the author lots of scope for future character development, but it makes it hard to love a book when you don't like the heroine. I like this series, but I don't think I'll love it until Faythe grows up a bit more. Here's hoping the cliffhanger ending of this book will lead to this happening in the next.


One for the girls.., 20 Jun 2008
if you are interested in why a ring tone is ironic to the situation and a changeling society that has a few egotistical females and many big chunky males that have to look after them this is for you.. However if your not feeling particularly emotional and prefer action this book is certainly not for you.

I only managed to get a third of the way through before I through it away in violent rejection...



Maybe its a girl thing!!!

A winner for me , 16 Jun 2008
This series starts with the book 'Stray' and that was an excellent debut in this genre. Rogue is the next installment and it doesn't disappoint. In this volume, our heroine Faith Summers is more active within her pride as she promised at the end of the previous novel. Her relationship with Mark is intriguing and passionate but is not the entire focus of the book-this is a heroine who stands on her own 2 feet and the plot itself is a great one, with a cliff hanger ending.
Truthfully, I find Faith a wee bit annoying hence the 4 stars only but as a fan of this genre and the owner of literally 100's of books in this vein, I can truthfully say it is one of the best new series I have picked up in a while. If you are a fan of Charlaine Harris or Laurel K Hamilton (with less sex than the latter and slightly more simple in style than the former) you will agree with me.

The Devil Rides Out, 02 Nov 2008
Classic tale of the Occult which moves along at a cracking pace. Perhaps the book flags towards the end but this matters little overall. Excellent set pieces include the night spent in the Circle, also the confrontation between the villain and the books nominal heroine. Worth reading.

A FANTASTIC READ, 19 Oct 2008
Having got bored with the whole horror novel genre, I picked this book up by chance (and due to the fact it was really cheap as well), this really is a great book. The atmosphere created within the pages, as well as the superb charecters, I found I could not put this book down until I finished the last page. If only every horror author wrote as good as this, even if your not into horror novels, this is a must read for your book collection.

Still the Best after 70 years!, 07 Jul 2008
Having read all of Wheatley's books in my youth (I am now 64)and loved them all, this one is THE best.
I believe that it was written in the 1930's so the style is a little different from modern books but the story is excellent and has stood the test of time.
Wheatley researched deeply into all things esoteric and always gave a warning in his foreword to his books on black magic, 'not to get involved'.
Good advice, I think, as if you read this book, you will see what he means.
Read it, I know you will love it. Also, 'To the Devil a Daughter' by him is another excellent read in the same genre.

Grand adventure!, 03 Jul 2007
Being under 30, I had heard of the Devil Rides Out and Dennis Wheatley without really knowing what it was all about, so finding that such an inexpensive edition of the work was now available from Wordsworth's excellent line of supernatural stories, well I had to buy it, didn't I?

What surprised me is that once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. The tale is of the Duc de Richleau's battle for the soul of his friend Simon Aron, the fate of a young girl, and ultimately the fate of the world, as he takes on satanist Mocata and his entourage. Having read a biography of Aleister Crowley, we can see that he was the touchstone for Mocata, although it is only a surface representation as Mocata is presented as a villain, rather than as a human being. As far as I know, the representations of magic are well researched, with Wheatley representing both white and black magic and the will to power.

Because of the era it was written in, there are no shades of grey in the story, just as the magic used in the tale is black or white, so is the morality and Wheatley is clearly from the same stable as the other great British adventure writers like Buchan, Sapper and Ian Fleming. It also reminds me of the excellent Carnacki stories by Hodgson. As such you may feel that some of the views are a little dated. I didn't notice anything that I thought was necessarily objectionable as I do with Fleming. But the story is written at such a rollicking pace that it is impossible not to get swept up.

This is not a horror story, I doubt that unless you're under the age of ten and sensitive (as I once was) you will find anything chilling in the book, but there certainly is atmosphere and the midnight vigil inside the pentacle, when Mocata sends the Angel of Death to our heroes, is as tense as can be. It's a supernatural adventure - a predecessor to the X-Files and Buffy, and as good a supernatural adventure as I've read. The ending seems like a bit of a copout at first, but the final page makes it all matter again and I can't recommend it enough.

So why not five stars? Well, there are a few typographical errors in the book, errant speech marks and punctuation, but that shouldn't dissuade you from buying this book!

a classic back in print !, 21 Apr 2007
James Hilton (Goodbye Mr Chips, Lost Horizon) described "The Devil Rides Out" as "The best tale of its kind since Dracula" and I don't think he was far wrong. Many believe it to be Wheatley's finest work and it's a classic of its kind. I first read the book many years ago and on reading it again, it has lost none of its power to grip.

The book is the second, in published terms, to feature DW's hero the Duke de Richleau, and was his first ever black magic novel. It was a huge bestseller in the 1930s when it first came out, and continued to be a bestseller until he went out of fashion in the 1980s/1990s. Fortunately DW is now experiencing something of a resurgence, and well done Wordsworth for bringing this out in a cheap but elegant reprint (a good first edition would cost you several thousands of pounds !).

It's full of 1930s atmosphere, skilfully written and well researched too - although Wheatley never practiced magic himself, he met with many of the most famous occultists of his day (Aleister Crowley, Rollo Ahmed etc) in his endeavour to make the book as authentic as possible.

In The Devil Rides Out, the Duke and a friend find that one of their number (Simon) is missing from a reunion, and it turns out that he has fallen under the influence of a black magic sect. At first disbelieving the Duke, his friends soon discover that he is right when he says that magic still exists and that the powers of darkness are still alive and very real, as they fight a series of terrific earthly and occult battles to save their friend's soul.

The book was filmed in the 1960s with Christopher Lee taking the lead role as the Duke in one of his few appearances as a `goodie', and while Lee was first rate, for my money the book is superior to the film.

If you're grey haired and read it in your youth, it's worth reading again. If you're about to read it for the first time, I envy you. You're in for a treat !


Third in the series and the best so far...., 27 Aug 2008
Jacquelyn Frank has really made he mark with this the third in the Nightwalkers series. It is by far my favourite so far. The characters is this book are Elijah and Sienna, the Captain of the Demon army and the Queen of the Lycanthropes. While they make an unlikely pairing to begin with (seeing how he's responsible for her fathers' death) they work very well together. The trend set in the first two books in this series, to break all the Nightwalker laws and taboos, is continued in 'Elijah' with the first interspecies "Imprinting".

My favourite thing about this series is the baddies. They're not some souless species to be hated, they are Nightwalkers-gone-bad, who are acting out of twisted revenge against people they feel have wronged them. It makes for interesting battles, and engaging plot twists. The romance between Elijah and Sienna is a lot more gripping than the previous books in the series, they are more passionate, independant, and free spirited. It makes for some lengthy and fabulously hot scenes between them.

I look forward to continuing with this series and learning more about the myths and history it creates. What's different about the world of Nightwalkers to other paranormal books, is that they have lost a large portion of knowledge relating to their history, and each book brings them closer to rediscovering hidden truths about all Nightwalkers races.

For any para-mance readers looking for a new series to engage them and keep them ever ready for the next book to be released I would recommend 'Jacob', 'Gideon' and 'Elijah'. Out of the all the para-mance series' I am reading currently I would place this one at number 5, behind The Black Dagger Brotherhood (JR Ward), The Immortals After Dark (Kresley Cole), Midnight Breed (Lara Adrian), The Dark Hunters (Sherrilyn Kenyon).

After the exciting end to 'Elijah' I will be ordering 'Damien' as soon as I have finished this review.

Third in series - a cross-cultural imprinting, 02 Jan 2008
This story follows very much the style and form of the previous two in the series, "Jacob" and "Gideon". It focuses on the Demons, one of the groups of Nightwalkers (various creatures that go Bump In The Night like Vampires, Lycanthropes and the Demons, powerful supernatural beings) and in this story on the chief Warrior demon, Elijah, whose history includes being the warrior who killed the King of the Lycanthropes fourteen years ago.

Unfortunately as the story starts Elijah has been cornered by his enemies and seriously wounded. Just before he's finished off by Ruth and Mary, the former Demons who have now turned evil, those attacking him are frightened away by the call of a wild cat - a Cougar. That animal is the Queen of the Lycanthropes, Siena, whose rule for the last fourteen years since the death of her father has done a great deal to build bridges of peace with the Demons and the Vampires. Siena herself, rather in the manner of Queen Elizabeth I, has decided to stay a virgin so that she doesn't have to share her throne with a man who might drag the Pride back into war. The nature of being a Lycanthrope Queen means that if she mates with anyone that mating bond is for life.

Siena hasn't realised, however, the powerful pull of attraction she will feel when taking care of an almost-dead Elijah. She takes him to safey in a cave but they are trapped there for several days and despite the fact that they are from different species and the Demon Lore forbids any relationships between Demon and Lycanthrope, rather inevitably they find themselves unable to hold back their lusts. When they separate to go back to their individual lives there is clear evidence that there was more to this 'one off' mating than either of them imagined.

Their attempts to stay apart or to find a way of dissolving the Imprinting bond take their attention away from the fight against Mary and Ruth but soon all the Demons, as well as some of the other Nightwalkers, find themselves fighting for their lives.

As with the other books this is written in a lush style which is easy to read. However, also like the other books, the actual plot is rather thin and it seems that the characters spend quite a lot of time thinking or talking or faffing amongst themselves rather than doing anything (and the stuff they're doing doesn't really add to the sense of character for them, either). I was also a little disappointed that more wasn't made of the cross-cultural problem; for Elijah his mating with Siena breaks thousand year taboos (maybe like humans mating with chimps?) and for Siena to ally herself with a race that had been at war with hers for 300 years, not least that her mate is the man who killed her father, is a huge step and yet this all seems swept under the carpet remarkably easily. I had hoped for far more exploration of what this might mean to the individuals involved, the hostility they might face, and yet there was almost none.

Still this is a reasonable enough read in the genre with lots of input from the heroes and heroines of the previous novels as well as some likely new plot lines for future books. Those who enjoyed the others should like this one, others starting with this book should enjoy it but with some reservations.

entertaining and action oriented, 01 Jan 2008
There are many Nightwalker races, who can pass themselves off as humans including Demons, Lycanthropes, vampires, & nightwalkers. Demons only look like the monsters portrayed in books and movies. It is when they are summoned by a necromancer into a pentagram they look like the evi1 creatures of legend and are no longer capable of reasoning. For centuries the Demon and Lycanthrope races have been at war but after her father died, Siena, the Lycanthrope Queen has made peace with the demons and hopes one day lingering hatrd will fade away. Elijah, the captain of the demon warriors is in lycanthrope territory when he is attacked by hunters and necromancers led by two rogue demon women Ruth an her daughter Mary who want to destroy the demon race. He is near deth when Siena finds him and brings him into a nearby cave where she saves his life. During their time alone they Imprint, mated for life though Siena tries to fight it as she doesn't want a king to rule with her. The problem is easily resolved when he agrees to be prince consort and they are happy together until Ruth once again attacks the demon she hatees the most, Elijah. The demon king brings the war to her not realizing it will change demon-lycanthrope relations forever.

The latest book in the Nightwalkers series is entertaining and action oriented with just enough romance to keep fans of the genre very happy. Jacquelyn Frank does for Demons what Tino Georgiou did for Sparta and what Tolkien did for Hobbits. The pairing of an alpha male demon and an alpha female lycanthrope makes for an interesting battle of the s3xes as each tries to dominate. The other characters from previous Nightwalker books make appearances and play pivotal roles that give the audience a sense of continuity!! I'd also recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestseller--The Fates--if you missed this brilliant novel!

Getting a bit samey, 27 Sep 2007
Am I the only one who is getting a bit bored by Ms freehan's "formula"

The list of overused phrases and words is long.

The formula is that the woman must be:

Tiny
hypnotically beautifull
Silky hair to the waist
narrow ribcage (is this necessary to be sexy?)
tiny waist
enormous eyes
creamy skin
pert full breasts
must resist him for 2 nanoseconds before becoming a doormat.
white hot lightnening when they kiss
the floor has to move
fire must lick her where ever he touches her

The man must be

lethal
dangerous
dark
enormous
think his soul is lost forever
must not let her see his true self
bunch his fists into her silky hair, span her narrow ribcage with his enormous hands, stroke her pulse, and melt inside.

Seriously, I'm bored. Can we have some new dialogue some new adjectives and a more challenging story. The basic principal is great. I love the Carpathian universe and the characters although basically the same, show potential.

I loved Aidan in Dark Gold and I loved Mikhail in Dark Prince.

Gregori in Dark Magic was a real dissapointment. He is a clone of all the others and Savanagh the same woman as in the other books with different coloured hair and "stars in her enormous violet eyes"

I need something new.

I'm off to read JR Ward, I hear she's good.


dark magic, 15 Aug 2007
I really love this book and would highly recommend to everyone who loves paranormal romance. If you're a beginner, please start with the first book i.e. dark prince (although dark magic can be read on its own)in order to familiarise yourself with the carpathian world.Believe me,once you start reading it, you'll be hooked! I like all the characters.However,Gregori is my favourite . He is so hot and intimidatingly sexy. No wonder, Savannah, who is the daughter of the prince, eventually fell hopelessly in love with him. Who can resist his dark charm? The love story between gregori and savannah is very intense and erotic. I think Christine Feehan has done a good job in bringing the best of the bogey man. I love the way his character has involved. He has a human friend now. Savannah has brought joy and laughter into his life and she is truly the light to his darkness!!!

p.s If you're a fan of Christine feehan, please do not hesitate to purchase the whole collection of the dark series!!!

BRILLIANT!!!, 19 Jul 2006
'Dark Magic' was excellent I couldn't put the book down. Such chemestry between Savannah and the Ancient "Dark One" Gregori.
The DARK series are absolutely brilliant. It is a must read.

out of all the carpathian novels.., 15 Nov 2005
this is one of two i have on my shelf and am proud to have. i have read all of cristines dark series and this book along with "dark melody" is worth the money, unlike any other "dark" novel.

i found the stories too simallar in all the carpathian novels. man meets girl, girl doesnt want to know him, man needs her to redeem his humanity, eventually getting together.... same old same old.

this book had more of a backbone to it. savannah is the only girl who refuses to settle dopwn with her mate for 5 years. the only girl i admire

great example of darkness and light, 31 Oct 2005
I really enjoyed this book as I think the characters were well matched. Gregori the Dark One is probably the most intimidating character ever and Savanah is a very brave woman to take him on. Both need to change certain views they have in order to understand each other and get along. They face a rough patch but they manage it perfectly. One of the best books on the brilliant Carpathian world. Reccomended.

classic Victorian ghost stories, but no surprises, 12 Aug 2008
A collection of short stories, that can be dipped in and out of. None are particularly long, so there is no need to put aside long periods to really get into it. The stories all seemed a little bit quaint to me, and not that dissimilar. The main characters tend to be middle-aged/aging bachelors, either academics or clergymen, which would be fairly unusual in modern fiction. I cannot say I found any of them particularly chilling, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

An infernal collection, 15 Feb 2007
It's surprising how many of these 30 short stories of ghosts, demons and other infernal trouble-makers seem familiar. I recognised over a dozen of them. "Casting the Runes" was the biggest surprise. It's just 18 pages long and easily recognisable as the original story that one of my favourite films from childhood (which I've been trying to get hold of on DVD for ages - my old video copy of it having worn out) is based upon. The film is called "Night of the Demon" (1957). Several of these stories have been read on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Digital Radio 7 recently and others have been made into films for television. The film of "A View from a Hill" (a mere 7 pages long in this book) was shown on one of the BBC channels only a week or so ago. The films are all excellent, but they can't improve on James's writing. It's hard to put a finger on what is so terrifying about his spooks. Some of them crawl. Anyone opening a door or turning on a light and seeing some strange, cadaverous looking thing crawling down a corridor towards them should certainly scream or faint. Some are hairy with long finger nails. After living through the hairy 60s and 70s, hair holds no fear for me - but those finger nails are a different matter. Some are more along the lines of animated skeletons held together by scraps of mouldering flesh and others are toad-like. I wonder James didn't give himself nightmares -- perhaps he did. You really need to give your imagination free-rein to properly experience the delightful tingle of fear M R James was hoping to generate for his audience. These tales are almost entirely goreless. Readers who prefer the blood and guts sort of horror probably won't enjoy this book. There are no rabid psychos leaping about with veins and gizzards dripping from their teeth. This collection is far more subtle and interesting than that.


An Invitation to the Curious..., 27 Jan 2007
Ruth Rendell once remarked that she wished she had never read M.R. James so that she might have the pleasure of reading him for the first time, and I for one understand exactly what she meant. If you have not yet come across his work either in a complete edition or in anthologies then indeed a treat awaits you. The secret of James success lies not in the portrayal of apparitions but in the consequences of an invasion of the supernatural into the cosy, cloistered academic worlds of his dons and squires who exist very happily in their erudite comfort until that moment when their neat assumptions about the world are shattered by the appearance of the irrational. Although James can create monsters as shocking as anyone, they are always implicit rather than explicit, glimpsed for a fleeting moment as much in the brain as in the eye, the consequences of their presence far more powerful than the manifestation itself. The effect of two different dimensions colliding is all the more powerful here for James was steeped in the ideas and traditions of a nineteenth century scholar's world, and spent his whole life in the kind of parsonages, churches and collegiate institutions that provide the atmospheric setting for so many of these stories. Then there is the writer's flair for evoking character in a few short lines and the humour which emerges from a pen that might seem altogether too weighty to indulge in such levity. Everyone has their own favourite M.R James stories: for excitement my pick would be Casting the Runes, others argue the merits of A Warning to the Curious or Lost Hearts but then again I have a soft spot for An Episode of Cathedral History, as it is the epitome of the virtues listed above. Television has made a number of creditable attempts to adapt these stories but nothing beats the original texts. A pleasure not to be missed.

Overall a chilling collection, 22 Dec 2006
For the most part a chilling collection of short stories based around ghostly experiences. The collection started and ended with strong stories, though I felt a few in the middle of the book were a bit hard going and took too long to get to the point. So pretty good overall.


The defintive horror, 09 Sep 2006
Modern tales of the supernatural contain inane levels of gore and attempt to terrify simply through excess blood etc. One reviewer compares one such author, Stephen King, to James, implying the Hollywood style King illicits more fear and excitement than the old scholar. But it is the very lack of obvious graphic blood letting that makes James infinitely superior. The subtlety is in the long, expertly crafted plots that build up to make James' final revelations all the more disturbing. His actual descriptions of supernatural beings are every bit as terrifying as any King invention and he has perfected the art of implying far more than he states. Sadly many of today's readers don't have the patience for James' intricate tales and need more instant gratification - it is however well worth the wait. James' is the darkest imagination in fiction, i would have been afraid even to pen such thoughts.

Cant wait for Pride, 20 Oct 2008
A good sequal. You would need to have read stray first to gain a full appreciation for this book but its a good book. Faythe is an indering character if only a little annoying at times. Interresting group dynamic which makes me wish i had brothers lol. Trying to keep up with the different characters names can be challenging at times especially when reading the book at half 1 in the morning, but this book was such a page turner i couldnt tear myself away.

Better than the first, 22 Sep 2008
This was better than the first of the series, I think she's gradually improving with every book she writes. Much more thought out anf well tougth out. Still mirrors Kelley Armstrong who is by far a league ahead!

Good follow up., 29 Jun 2008
Rogue is the follow up to Stray and picks things up a few months after the events in the previous book. Faythe and Marc are together as enforcers and as a couple, and life is going on as normal in the pack. When a number of toms are found murdered in Pride territory, their necks broken, these deaths are found to be linked to the disappearance of a number of strippers. Faythe and the rest of the werecats are plunged into a race to find the killers.

This book is well plotted and the comparisons to Kelley Armstrong's Bitten and Stolen are far less evident. The action moves at a fast pace and many of the characters are interesting and well drawn. The character sketches of the minor characters are great and I love the character of Marc but I'm continually left wondering why he loves such a selfish, immature character as Faythe. Yes she does grow up a little bit in this book and she is finally taking a greater involvement in the Pride, but she's doing it under duress and with no real intention of wanting to continue long-term. For a girl of twenty-three she's about as mature as someone five years her junior and her actions continue to hurt the people around her. My one real gripe with this series is Faythe, the angsty and angry, childish heroine that I wish I could shake some sense into. I know that Faythe is probably drawn the way she is as it gives the author lots of scope for future character development, but it makes it hard to love a book when you don't like the heroine. I like this series, but I don't think I'll love it until Faythe grows up a bit more. Here's hoping the cliffhanger ending of this book will lead to this happening in the next.


One for the girls.., 20 Jun 2008
if you are interested in why a ring tone is ironic to the situation and a changeling society that has a few egotistical females and many big chunky males that have to look after them this is for you.. However if your not feeling particularly emotional and prefer action this book is certainly not for you.

I only managed to get a third of the way through before I through it away in violent rejection...



Maybe its a girl thing!!!

A winner for me , 16 Jun 2008
This series starts with the book 'Stray' and that was an excellent debut in this genre. Rogue is the next installment and it doesn't disappoint. In this volume, our heroine Faith Summers is more active within her pride as she promised at the end of the previous novel. Her relationship with Mark is intriguing and passionate but is not the entire focus of the book-this is a heroine who stands on her own 2 feet and the plot itself is a great one, with a cliff hanger ending.
Truthfully, I find Faith a wee bit annoying hence the 4 stars only but as a fan of this genre and the owner of literally 100's of books in this vein, I can truthfully say it is one of the best new series I have picked up in a while. If you are a fan of Charlaine Harris or Laurel K Hamilton (with less sex than the latter and slightly more simple in style than the former) you will agree with me.

The Devil Rides Out, 02 Nov 2008
Classic tale of the Occult which moves along at a cracking pace. Perhaps the book flags towards the end but this matters little overall. Excellent set pieces include the night spent in the Circle, also the confrontation between the villain and the books nominal heroine. Worth reading.

A FANTASTIC READ, 19 Oct 2008
Having got bored with the whole horror novel genre, I picked this book up by chance (and due to the fact it was really cheap as well), this really is a great book. The atmosphere created within the pages, as well as the superb charecters, I found I could not put this book down until I finished the last page. If only every horror author wrote as good as this, even if your not into horror novels, this is a must read for your book collection.

Still the Best after 70 years!, 07 Jul 2008
Having read all of Wheatley's books in my youth (I am now 64)and loved them all, this one is THE best.
I believe that it was written in the 1930's so the style is a little different from modern books but the story is excellent and has stood the test of time.
Wheatley researched deeply into all things esoteric and always gave a warning in his foreword to his books on black magic, 'not to get involved'.
Good advice, I think, as if you read this book, you will see what he means.
Read it, I know you will love it. Also, 'To the Devil a Daughter' by him is another excellent read in the same genre.

Grand adventure!, 03 Jul 2007
Being under 30, I had heard of the Devil Rides Out and Dennis Wheatley without really knowing what it was all about, so finding that such an inexpensive edition of the work was now available from Wordsworth's excellent line of supernatural stories, well I had to buy it, didn't I?

What surprised me is that once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. The tale is of the Duc de Richleau's battle for the soul of his friend Simon Aron, the fate of a young girl, and ultimately the fate of the world, as he takes on satanist Mocata and his entourage. Having read a biography of Aleister Crowley, we can see that he was the touchstone for Mocata, although it is only a surface representation as Mocata is presented as a villain, rather than as a human being. As far as I know, the representations of magic are well researched, with Wheatley representing both white and black magic and the will to power.

Because of the era it was written in, there are no shades of grey in the story, just as the magic used in the tale is black or white, so is the morality and Wheatley is clearly from the same stable as the other great British adventure writers like Buchan, Sapper and Ian Fleming. It also reminds me of the excellent Carnacki stories by Hodgson. As such you may feel that some of the views are a little dated. I didn't notice anything that I thought was necessarily objectionable as I do with Fleming. But the story is written at such a rollicking pace that it is impossible not to get swept up.

This is not a horror story, I doubt that unless you're under the age of ten and sensitive (as I once was) you will find anything chilling in the book, but there certainly is atmosphere and the midnight vigil inside the pentacle, when Mocata sends the Angel of Death to our heroes, is as tense as can be. It's a supernatural adventure - a predecessor to the X-Files and Buffy, and as good a supernatural adventure as I've read. The ending seems like a bit of a copout at first, but the final page makes it all matter again and I can't recommend it enough.

So why not five stars? Well, there are a few typographical errors in the book, errant speech marks and punctuation, but that shouldn't dissuade you from buying this book!

a classic back in print !, 21 Apr 2007
James Hilton (Goodbye Mr Chips, Lost Horizon) described "The Devil Rides Out" as "The best tale of its kind since Dracula" and I don't think he was far wrong. Many believe it to be Wheatley's finest work and it's a classic of its kind. I first read the book many years ago and on reading it again, it has lost none of its power to grip.

The book is the second, in published terms, to feature DW's hero the Duke de Richleau, and was his first ever black magic novel. It was a huge bestseller in the 1930s when it first came out, and continued to be a bestseller until he went out of fashion in the 1980s/1990s. Fortunately DW is now experiencing something of a resurgence, and well done Wordsworth for bringing this out in a cheap but elegant reprint (a good first edition would cost you several thousands of pounds !).

It's full of 1930s atmosphere, skilfully written and well researched too - although Wheatley never practiced magic himself, he met with many of the most famous occultists of his day (Aleister Crowley, Rollo Ahmed etc) in his endeavour to make the book as authentic as possible.

In The Devil Rides Out, the Duke and a friend find that one of their number (Simon) is missing from a reunion, and it turns out that he has fallen under the influence of a black magic sect. At first disbelieving the Duke, his friends soon discover that he is right when he says that magic still exists and that the powers of darkness are still alive and very real, as they fight a series of terrific earthly and occult battles to save their friend's soul.

The book was filmed in the 1960s with Christopher Lee taking the lead role as the Duke in one of his few appearances as a `goodie', and while Lee was first rate, for my money the book is superior to the film.

If you're grey haired and read it in your youth, it's worth reading again. If you're about to read it for the first time, I envy you. You're in for a treat !


Third in the series and the best so far...., 27 Aug 2008
Jacquelyn Frank has really made he mark with this the third in the Nightwalkers series. It is by far my favourite so far. The characters is this book are Elijah and Sienna, the Captain of the Demon army and the Queen of the Lycanthropes. While they make an unlikely pairing to begin with (seeing how he's responsible for her fathers' death) they work very well together. The trend set in the first two books in this series, to break all the Nightwalker laws and taboos, is continued in 'Elijah' with the first interspecies "Imprinting".

My favourite thing about this series is the baddies. They're not some souless species to be hated, they are Nightwalkers-gone-bad, who are acting out of twisted revenge against people they feel have wronged them. It makes for interesting battles, and engaging plot twists. The romance between Elijah and Sienna is a lot more gripping than the previous books in the series, they are more passionate, independant, and free spirited. It makes for some lengthy and fabulously hot scenes between them. <