James Doig – författare

“Howchilly the night vapours were which rose from this large pool, for it wasmore like the moat from some ancient ruin than an ordinary Australianwater-hole. How ominous the shadows that gathered over this dwelling, andwhich even the great and lustrous moon, now clear of the gable end, seemedunable to dissipate.”TheAustralian landscape is one that lends itself to the uncanny: theoppressively hot, fly-infested bush, populated with abandoned shanties orrundown homesteads, slowly petering out into the empty, endless outback withits blood-red sands and emaciated myall trees. It has birthed a weirdtradition that is often quirky, disorientating and unexpected; uniquelyblending imported gothic tropes with Aboriginal folklore and colonial horror.Thesetwelve terrifying tales of bloodthirsty bunyips, displaced phantoms andstrange ancient magic, taking place in Aboriginal settlements, dusty desertcamps, remote country towns and bustling coastal cities, create chills enoughto quell the most shimmering-hot Australian summer day.

Australia has a long tradition of weird fiction, stretching back to colonial times. The stories in this anthology showcase the richness and variety of Australia horror and supernatural stories in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among the authors included are: Mary Fortune, Lionel Sparrow, Marcus Clarke, Guy Boothby, B. L. Farjeon, J. E. P. Muddock, Ernest Favenc, Hume Nisbet, Rosa ("Mrs. Campbell") Praed, Fergus Hume, James Francis Dwyer, and Dulcie Deamer. Editor James Doig has unearthed a rare and compelling collection of Australian horror classics that have remained largely undisturbed in the pages of old books and periodicals. With settings that range from the Australian Outback to Europe, India, and the South Pacific, these 23 unique and imaginative tales feature horrors and hauntings that are sure to appeal to lovers of the macabre everywhere!