What do you think?
Rate this book
Revenants & Maledictions
A graveyard in the Outer Hebrides. The leafy suburbs of Oxford. The Black Cuillin ridge. A strange museum in Iceland. A Manx fairy glen. A deserted Scottish isle. A Welsh woodland mansion. A haunted cottage on Skye. A pagan site on the Wirral Peninsula. A forbidden estate on Mull. These are the settings for excursions into the uncanny. They are largely inspired by real places where the author has felt a nuance of, in that inimitable German word, the Unheimlich.
A fabulous new collection of ten tales (six previously unpublished) from the author of A Certain Slant of Light and Phantasms (both Sarob Press) and Strange Epiphanies (The Swan River Press) is sure to hit the right note with aficionados of the supernatural tale. And the previously published “The Executioner”, “The Island” & “Sithean” have been substantially re-written for this volume.
Foreword by the Author and a superbly atmospheric wrap jacket painting by the ever brilliant Paul Lowe.
Stories: Apotheosis, The House, The Executioner, Many Shades of Red, The Virgin Mary Well, The Island, Wild Wales, Sithean, Blackberry Time & The Robing of the Bride
A fabulous new collection of ten tales (six previously unpublished) from the author of A Certain Slant of Light and Phantasms (both Sarob Press) and Strange Epiphanies (The Swan River Press) is sure to hit the right note with aficionados of the supernatural tale. And the previously published “The Executioner”, “The Island” & “Sithean” have been substantially re-written for this volume.
Foreword by the Author and a superbly atmospheric wrap jacket painting by the ever brilliant Paul Lowe.
Stories: Apotheosis, The House, The Executioner, Many Shades of Red, The Virgin Mary Well, The Island, Wild Wales, Sithean, Blackberry Time & The Robing of the Bride
115 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2018
91 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 23, 2026
This collection of stories reminded me how strong prose can fascinate in and of itself, despite lacks elsewhere. Many of these rather slight tales did not end in a way that gave me chills or much food for thought, yet each was an entrancing experience while reading. The writing is exquisite: deeply atmospheric at all times, whether describing haunted nature or an eerie manse or even a disturbing drawing, flirting with purple prose but never going over the top, suffused with an intangible strangeness and a moody feeling of melancholy. Peter Bell has enviable skills in depicting how a place feels. His cold isles and forbidding wildernesses and unsettling, sometimes abandoned houses were all extraordinary places to visit. Dreamy, haunting stuff.
I had a number of favorites. The House has three erudite gents finding ill fortune while paying visits to a deceased author's former home; it takes place in prosaic Oxford amidst cafes and pubs, which made its unexplainable trap all the more unnerving. Wild Wales features an agent of the National Trust visiting the wrong mansion, one locked in an exotic past. A strange flirtation ensues. The Robing of the Bride describes the unfortunate visit of a photographer to another strange mansion locked in a sinister past; an unjust desert is served. This is one of the few stories that ends on a note of pure horror. I admired The Island most of all. An abandoned Scottish village on a bleak rock of an island; a hobbyist who explores that village and misses his boat ride back; a sleepless night spent on his lonesome, in one of those now-uninhabited homes; a terrible and terribly sad history revealed. The places I want to visit most are the places I only want to visit on the page.
"Apotheosis": Our nemesis is time, against which we have a single ally, memory, and even it betrays us.
"The House": And though circuitous and obscure/ The feet of Nemesis how sure!
"The Executioner": Restlessness is my nemesis/ It's hard to just chill and sit still.
"Many Shades of Red": Nemesis is one of God's handmaids.
"The Virgin Mary Well": My nemesis - my downfall, if you will - was relationships, and trying to fulfill them.
"The Island": The society in which each man lives is at once the basis for, and the nemesis of, that fullness of life which each man seeks.
"Wild Wales": And still I persist in wondering whether folly must always be our nemesis.
"Sithean": 'One of my names,' she said, 'is Nemesis.' 'Nemesis? And what does that mean?' 'I think you know...'
"Blackberry Time": The Fates are just: they give us but our own; Nemesis ripens what our hands have sown.
"The Robing of the Bride": What is Providence for you may be Nemesis for me.
I had a number of favorites. The House has three erudite gents finding ill fortune while paying visits to a deceased author's former home; it takes place in prosaic Oxford amidst cafes and pubs, which made its unexplainable trap all the more unnerving. Wild Wales features an agent of the National Trust visiting the wrong mansion, one locked in an exotic past. A strange flirtation ensues. The Robing of the Bride describes the unfortunate visit of a photographer to another strange mansion locked in a sinister past; an unjust desert is served. This is one of the few stories that ends on a note of pure horror. I admired The Island most of all. An abandoned Scottish village on a bleak rock of an island; a hobbyist who explores that village and misses his boat ride back; a sleepless night spent on his lonesome, in one of those now-uninhabited homes; a terrible and terribly sad history revealed. The places I want to visit most are the places I only want to visit on the page.
"Apotheosis": Our nemesis is time, against which we have a single ally, memory, and even it betrays us.
"The House": And though circuitous and obscure/ The feet of Nemesis how sure!
"The Executioner": Restlessness is my nemesis/ It's hard to just chill and sit still.
"Many Shades of Red": Nemesis is one of God's handmaids.
"The Virgin Mary Well": My nemesis - my downfall, if you will - was relationships, and trying to fulfill them.
"The Island": The society in which each man lives is at once the basis for, and the nemesis of, that fullness of life which each man seeks.
"Wild Wales": And still I persist in wondering whether folly must always be our nemesis.
"Sithean": 'One of my names,' she said, 'is Nemesis.' 'Nemesis? And what does that mean?' 'I think you know...'
"Blackberry Time": The Fates are just: they give us but our own; Nemesis ripens what our hands have sown.
"The Robing of the Bride": What is Providence for you may be Nemesis for me.
August 22, 2019
Last month, my wife and I took a holiday to Europe – England, Wales, Germany, and Austria. We had a fabulous trip, and I hope, someday, to make it back again. As with any vacation, choices had to be made, and potential destinations had to be dropped. If we go back again, Scotland, Ireland, and more of Germany are on the list. Alas, I had to take my trips to Scotland and Ireland via Bell’s book. Or maybe “alas” isn’t quite the right word. And maybe it’s best to leave well-enough alone, to specifically not travel to the areas that he’s written about so as to preserve my imaginary view of these ancient, strange places. Bell paints an evocative series of pictures of the British Isles (and one of Iceland). Let’s explore:
Our first stop is "Apotheosis,” a somber, moody piece about a visit to a Hebridean isle. The narrator finds that he is or was an unknowing stranger visiting strange shores. I can't say it was "heavy handed", but the fingers fell just a touch too bluntly on the "X" of the plot map, and I like more subtlety in my reading material. Still, a four-star story and well worth the read.
"The House" is clever, with the perfect amount of creepy. Much is left to the imagination in this self-referential mobius-strip of a meta-story, pulled off to perfection! The story is a trap for the characters, but not one the reader can anticipate. Five stars to this excellent tale, a primer on how to creep your reader out! Fantastic!
Having been lost, alone, on an unfamiliar mountain at night, I had a strong reaction to "The Executioner". While not everything correlated internally, I know the sense of fear that comes with that situation. California or the Outer Hebrides, that fear is the same! This story is a horror of nature, along the lines of some of William Hope Hodgson's work. Respect nature, because it won't respect you, haunted or not! Four stars.
"Many Shades of Red" is a prettily written story set across a stretch of sea, in Iceland, but it was not very effective at pulling an emotional reaction from me. Three stars.
"The Virgin Mary Well" gave me shivers. Stories don't often do that to me. Reality maps on phantom reality in spite of efforts to contain or banish malevolent spirits. Not precisely the ending I expected, but a nice (that is, nasty) bit of a surprise. Bell caught me off-guard with this one. I shall not look at wells in quite the same way now, especially when young ladies are present. Five twisted stars.
"The Island" was well-written, but standard fair for an English-isles ghost story. Bell did well, James did it better. Three stars.
"Wild Wales," with an introductory quote by Aickman, is on the border of what I might call "Aikman-esque," but not quite up to the same standard. Still, what struck me is the strength of the voice in the story. The narration itself heralded the predilections and preferences of the narrator himself: His likes, his comforts, his dislikes, his fears. It was a view into the soul, through a glass, darkly. For this, and a story well-told, four stars.
Maybe "Sithean" wasn't the right story for me to read on the same day I had browsed travel information on the Isle of Skye and just returned from holiday in the UK AND the same night my wife is flying home from having visited her mother. Now I'm spooked. Five annoying stars. Thanks a lot, Bell. (P.S. She made it back here safe and sound. Still . . .)
Anyone who fell deeply in love in the summers of their youth will feel the sweet tugging of old joy and the profound sadness of loss upon reading "Blackberry Time". I can't tell if the ending was too abrupt or exactly terse enough. I'm leaning far enough toward the latter to call this a five-star story. Uncanny and melancholy, this story might set its hooks (in the form of blackberry thorns) into you, too.
Here, in "The Robing of the Bride," all my expectations for what I was anticipating when I bought this book are met - gothic atmosphere, a revelation of hidden things that ought not to be, an unholy masquerade un-veiled. Or, rather, veiled. To quote the sound advice of one character "it is best you do not see". Also, the history here correlates closely with what I am currently reading in Robert Grave's The White Goddess, which has added some verisimilitude for this particular reader/ing. This story, previously unpublished, shows that often in collections, the new works are the best. Five stars
Not a bad trip at all. Outside of a couple of flat spots that seemed all-too familiar, the scenery here is (darkly) beautiful. Stamp your passport and take the trip!
Our first stop is "Apotheosis,” a somber, moody piece about a visit to a Hebridean isle. The narrator finds that he is or was an unknowing stranger visiting strange shores. I can't say it was "heavy handed", but the fingers fell just a touch too bluntly on the "X" of the plot map, and I like more subtlety in my reading material. Still, a four-star story and well worth the read.
"The House" is clever, with the perfect amount of creepy. Much is left to the imagination in this self-referential mobius-strip of a meta-story, pulled off to perfection! The story is a trap for the characters, but not one the reader can anticipate. Five stars to this excellent tale, a primer on how to creep your reader out! Fantastic!
Having been lost, alone, on an unfamiliar mountain at night, I had a strong reaction to "The Executioner". While not everything correlated internally, I know the sense of fear that comes with that situation. California or the Outer Hebrides, that fear is the same! This story is a horror of nature, along the lines of some of William Hope Hodgson's work. Respect nature, because it won't respect you, haunted or not! Four stars.
"Many Shades of Red" is a prettily written story set across a stretch of sea, in Iceland, but it was not very effective at pulling an emotional reaction from me. Three stars.
"The Virgin Mary Well" gave me shivers. Stories don't often do that to me. Reality maps on phantom reality in spite of efforts to contain or banish malevolent spirits. Not precisely the ending I expected, but a nice (that is, nasty) bit of a surprise. Bell caught me off-guard with this one. I shall not look at wells in quite the same way now, especially when young ladies are present. Five twisted stars.
"The Island" was well-written, but standard fair for an English-isles ghost story. Bell did well, James did it better. Three stars.
"Wild Wales," with an introductory quote by Aickman, is on the border of what I might call "Aikman-esque," but not quite up to the same standard. Still, what struck me is the strength of the voice in the story. The narration itself heralded the predilections and preferences of the narrator himself: His likes, his comforts, his dislikes, his fears. It was a view into the soul, through a glass, darkly. For this, and a story well-told, four stars.
Maybe "Sithean" wasn't the right story for me to read on the same day I had browsed travel information on the Isle of Skye and just returned from holiday in the UK AND the same night my wife is flying home from having visited her mother. Now I'm spooked. Five annoying stars. Thanks a lot, Bell. (P.S. She made it back here safe and sound. Still . . .)
Anyone who fell deeply in love in the summers of their youth will feel the sweet tugging of old joy and the profound sadness of loss upon reading "Blackberry Time". I can't tell if the ending was too abrupt or exactly terse enough. I'm leaning far enough toward the latter to call this a five-star story. Uncanny and melancholy, this story might set its hooks (in the form of blackberry thorns) into you, too.
Here, in "The Robing of the Bride," all my expectations for what I was anticipating when I bought this book are met - gothic atmosphere, a revelation of hidden things that ought not to be, an unholy masquerade un-veiled. Or, rather, veiled. To quote the sound advice of one character "it is best you do not see". Also, the history here correlates closely with what I am currently reading in Robert Grave's The White Goddess, which has added some verisimilitude for this particular reader/ing. This story, previously unpublished, shows that often in collections, the new works are the best. Five stars
Not a bad trip at all. Outside of a couple of flat spots that seemed all-too familiar, the scenery here is (darkly) beautiful. Stamp your passport and take the trip!
March 15, 2020
Pale, ghostly strands from the past reach into the present. Half remembered authors, fairy wells and forgotten islands around the Scottish coast provide the uncanny backdrop for the stories in Revenants & Maledictions. Again, as in his other collection Strange Epiphanies, there is a wonderful combination of place and history in Bell's tales.
Standout stories in the collection for me was:
The House – A forgotten author is discussed by a band of bibliophiles, who goes in search of her abode during a convention, only to find the uncanny truth about her last tale. In this tale, Bell’s love of obscure authors, book hunting and history are all evident and work together into a delightfully strange tale.
The Executioner – A tale set in the strange Hebrides isles; it tells the tale of a German tourist on a climbing expedition who ignores the rapidly changing weather of the isles as well as the uncanny portents of the mountain crags. The strangeness of the mountains, the mist haunted crags and strange shapes in the landscapes are the true terrifying presence here. A prime example of the mastery of place and landscape that Bell has in his stories.
Wild Wales – A man working for the national trust to acquire property travels to the remote countryside and finds an eccentric recluse locked away with her Egyptian antiques and a terrible secret. A wonderfully written tale, with heavy shades of Robert Aickman, breaks out of its homage with a truly memorable conclusion.
Bell wears the inspiration of his former ghostly peers proudly on his sleeves and the subtle references from Robert Aickman to M.R. James and others work their way into his fiction, the tales in this collection are firmly rooted in the more traditional ghostly tradition, but they read as wholly original and eerie. Unfortunately, Bells collections are out of print and rather expensive and hard to come by, but if you have an opportunity to pick them up, do not hesitate.
Standout stories in the collection for me was:
The House – A forgotten author is discussed by a band of bibliophiles, who goes in search of her abode during a convention, only to find the uncanny truth about her last tale. In this tale, Bell’s love of obscure authors, book hunting and history are all evident and work together into a delightfully strange tale.
The Executioner – A tale set in the strange Hebrides isles; it tells the tale of a German tourist on a climbing expedition who ignores the rapidly changing weather of the isles as well as the uncanny portents of the mountain crags. The strangeness of the mountains, the mist haunted crags and strange shapes in the landscapes are the true terrifying presence here. A prime example of the mastery of place and landscape that Bell has in his stories.
Wild Wales – A man working for the national trust to acquire property travels to the remote countryside and finds an eccentric recluse locked away with her Egyptian antiques and a terrible secret. A wonderfully written tale, with heavy shades of Robert Aickman, breaks out of its homage with a truly memorable conclusion.
Bell wears the inspiration of his former ghostly peers proudly on his sleeves and the subtle references from Robert Aickman to M.R. James and others work their way into his fiction, the tales in this collection are firmly rooted in the more traditional ghostly tradition, but they read as wholly original and eerie. Unfortunately, Bells collections are out of print and rather expensive and hard to come by, but if you have an opportunity to pick them up, do not hesitate.
November 30, 2021
between 4 and 4.5 --
full post here:
http://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/2021...
In his Foreword to Revenants and Maledictions, the author refers to the tales in this book as "excursions into the uncanny." He also lists a number of "artistes whose voice and vision echo through these stories," including Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, John Cooper Powys, MR James, Vernon Lee, Robert Aickman and many, many more; Bell also notes that the stories in this volume are presented "in tribute" to these people and all he has learned from them. "In tribute" they may be, but Bell's voice is original enough that someday, perhaps, his work will in turn inspire an entirely new generation of writers of the strange.
Bell's stories take place in a number of different locales which are "largely inspired by real places" where he'd felt "a nuance of, in that inimitable German word, the Unheimlich." These include
"A graveyard in the Outer Hebrides. The leafy suburbs of Oxford. The Black Cullin ridge. A strange museum in Iceland. A Manx fairy glen. A deserted Scottish isle. A Welsh woodland mansion. A haunted cottage on Skye. A pagan site on the Wirral Peninsula. A forbidden estate on Mull"
which together would make for a great travel destination in terms of a "weird stories" sort of tour. Until someone actually dreams one up, this book is a great substitute.
When a book begins with an epigraph from Arthur Machen, I just know it's going to be good, and I wasn't wrong here. I love the gothic tone, the interweaving of Celtic lore and mythology, and, above all, as Ari alludes to in " The Robing of the Bride," the "strange interaction between the psyche and the landscape" that the author invokes in each and every one of these stories. Do what you need to to snag a copy, because this is a book that is just perfect for those readers who love to find themselves falling down the rabbit hole of the weird and the strange.
very highly recommended
full post here:
http://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/2021...
In his Foreword to Revenants and Maledictions, the author refers to the tales in this book as "excursions into the uncanny." He also lists a number of "artistes whose voice and vision echo through these stories," including Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, John Cooper Powys, MR James, Vernon Lee, Robert Aickman and many, many more; Bell also notes that the stories in this volume are presented "in tribute" to these people and all he has learned from them. "In tribute" they may be, but Bell's voice is original enough that someday, perhaps, his work will in turn inspire an entirely new generation of writers of the strange.
Bell's stories take place in a number of different locales which are "largely inspired by real places" where he'd felt "a nuance of, in that inimitable German word, the Unheimlich." These include
"A graveyard in the Outer Hebrides. The leafy suburbs of Oxford. The Black Cullin ridge. A strange museum in Iceland. A Manx fairy glen. A deserted Scottish isle. A Welsh woodland mansion. A haunted cottage on Skye. A pagan site on the Wirral Peninsula. A forbidden estate on Mull"
which together would make for a great travel destination in terms of a "weird stories" sort of tour. Until someone actually dreams one up, this book is a great substitute.
When a book begins with an epigraph from Arthur Machen, I just know it's going to be good, and I wasn't wrong here. I love the gothic tone, the interweaving of Celtic lore and mythology, and, above all, as Ari alludes to in " The Robing of the Bride," the "strange interaction between the psyche and the landscape" that the author invokes in each and every one of these stories. Do what you need to to snag a copy, because this is a book that is just perfect for those readers who love to find themselves falling down the rabbit hole of the weird and the strange.
very highly recommended
August 9, 2018
An excellent collection of supernatural tales, where the sense of place is as much a character as any of the humans involved. The settings are magnificent and wild - I particularly enjoyed the Hebridean stories, having lived for a large part of my childhood on the Isle of Skye. Much unease, a richness of folklore, and one or two genuine chills. Recommended.
January 14, 2020
✭✭✭½
“Apotheosis” (2018) ✭✭✭
“The House” (2018) ✭✭✭✭½
“The Executioner” (2015/2018 rev.) ✭✭✭½
“Many Shades of Red” (2018) ✭✭✭½
“The Island” (alternate title: “The Historian’s Tale”) (2016/2018 rev.) ✭✭✭
“Wild Wales” (2018) ✭✭✭½
“Sithean” (alternate title: “The True Edge of the World”) (2013/2018 rev.) ✭✭✭½
“Blackberry Time” (2016) ✭✭✭✭½
“The Robing of the Bride” (2018) ✭✭✭
“Apotheosis” (2018) ✭✭✭
“The House” (2018) ✭✭✭✭½
“The Executioner” (2015/2018 rev.) ✭✭✭½
“Many Shades of Red” (2018) ✭✭✭½
“The Island” (alternate title: “The Historian’s Tale”) (2016/2018 rev.) ✭✭✭
“Wild Wales” (2018) ✭✭✭½
“Sithean” (alternate title: “The True Edge of the World”) (2013/2018 rev.) ✭✭✭½
“Blackberry Time” (2016) ✭✭✭✭½
“The Robing of the Bride” (2018) ✭✭✭
August 24, 2018
Just sublime.
I will post a full review of this and Peter Bell's 'On the Apparitions at Gray's Court' when I have (re)read it.
I will post a full review of this and Peter Bell's 'On the Apparitions at Gray's Court' when I have (re)read it.
June 14, 2023
Bell, Peter - Revenants And Maledictions
As anticipated, an excellent mix of stories in a variety of locales.
Indeed, this was somewhat of a travelogue.
"Many Shades of Red" felt a little unfinished to me, and “Blackberry Time” I had read previously in 2016's Ghosts & Scholars, Vol 3. Very fine tale, though I would have rather Mr Bell substituted something outside his Sarob works.
The evocative “The Robing of the Bride” concluded the book.
This resonated with me on a couple of levels.
One: My wife and I, when traveling, do have a tendency to "trespass" now and then. We have climbed fences and try doors - and we have been chased out by security.
Two: The character in this, a photographer, notices with frustration that several photos do not develop properly. That happened to me. Highgate Cemetery, drizzling October. Zelda even warned me, "Don't bother, that one won't take." Her prediction was correct. One grave site was utterly fogged over in the print.
Bell fans already have this. For others, this may depend on where you live, and the price including S/H.
As anticipated, an excellent mix of stories in a variety of locales.
Indeed, this was somewhat of a travelogue.
"Many Shades of Red" felt a little unfinished to me, and “Blackberry Time” I had read previously in 2016's Ghosts & Scholars, Vol 3. Very fine tale, though I would have rather Mr Bell substituted something outside his Sarob works.
The evocative “The Robing of the Bride” concluded the book.
This resonated with me on a couple of levels.
One: My wife and I, when traveling, do have a tendency to "trespass" now and then. We have climbed fences and try doors - and we have been chased out by security.
Two: The character in this, a photographer, notices with frustration that several photos do not develop properly. That happened to me. Highgate Cemetery, drizzling October. Zelda even warned me, "Don't bother, that one won't take." Her prediction was correct. One grave site was utterly fogged over in the print.
Bell fans already have this. For others, this may depend on where you live, and the price including S/H.
September 25, 2019
perfect as all i read by this author!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews