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How Grim Was My Valley

door John Llewellyn Probert

Andere auteurs: Elena Betti (Illustrator), Ramsey Campbell (Voorwoord)

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872,148,081 (4.33)2
Robert wakes up on the Welsh side of the Severn Bridge with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Determined to reclaim his identity, he embarks on an odyssey through the country of Wales, bearing witness to the stories both the people and the land itself feel moved to tell him. Every new tale brings him one step closer to learning the truth about himself. John Llewellyn Probert has written a gripping romp of a book, a portmanteau novel steeped in the myths and secret tales of his native Wales. A compendium of the sinister that draws the reader inexorably forward, as we share in Robert's quest to discover the truth, wherever that may lead. The novel features an introduction by master of horror Ramsey Campbell. "Well done to it and its author! He brings a feast of wonders and horrors and I'm just the greeter at the door. Welcome and be seated, if you aren't already. Here comes the first course, and before long you'll be replete with imagination." - Ramsey Campbell in his introduction. How Grim Was My Valley features several full page internal illustrations by cover artist Elena Betti.… (meer)
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1-5 van 7 worden getoond (volgende | toon alle)
Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten.


I really enjoyed these stories, even stayed up past my bedtime reading them, which was probably unwise given the horror genre.
Now, I’m fairly new to horror, so the foreword was a bit over my head and I have to admit I skimmed a lot of it to get to the actual stories faster.
Once I got there, the book took the form of a frame story about amnesiac Robert, who travels through Wales trying to find a way to regain his memory, while being told stories at every turn. I was invested in Robert, as well as the various protagonists of the stories within the story. I think my favourite of these was ‘The Church With Bleeding Windows’, which combined a bit of gore with humour. I also loved the deliciously creepy “By Any Other Name”. I’d recommend this to any horror fan. ( )
  Twynnie | Feb 4, 2023 |
Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten.
First of all, the introduction by Ramsay Campbell doesn't do the book a favor.
I thought it annoying, very patronizing & condescending in tone and even a bit spoiler-y. So much so it nearly put me off reading the book, which would have been a pity. If it must be included, it would fit much better at the end of the book as an afterword; when it doesn't spoil you anymore and you've come to your own feelings and insights.

That being said, the novel itself is a portmanteau book. In the story which forms the framework we meet Robert, who seems to suffer from amnesia, at the Welsh border and follow him on his increasingly strange journey/road trip through Wales as he searches for his lost memory, identity and purpose.
Most of the book consists of previously published short stories, woven together by the background story and their common topics of Welsh heritage, ancient wisdom of the land, religion, surrealism, horror, pulp, terror and a sense of dread.

I must say I liked the first stories of the book, where the horror was more abstract and psychological, more than the later ones that became more gruesome and explicit in terms of torture and pulp. The framework narrative I felt was also stronger at the beginning between the first chapters and got more vague towards the ending. The conclusion of the book which tied all the stories together, however, was very satisfying again.
And the short stories which make up the main part of the book? Regardless of whether I enjoyed them a lot (the more psychological ones) or not as much (torture and body horror just isn't my jam); they are well-written myth-steeped pieces full of terror and suspense, very Lovecraftian in style. They are going to stick with you. Even if you are an avid reader of stories dark and grim, I bet you won't forget about most of the stories anytime soon.
I can also honestly say I never before read a book of such Welshness. 'wink'...
If you like myths, pulp, surrealism, road trips, Wales, suspense, folktales and/or classic horror, this is good stuff.

I received this eARC via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program - Thanks, LT! - in exchange for an honest review. ( )
  Yuki-Onna | Jan 13, 2023 |
Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten.
This was a great, spooky read! I wasn't sure what to expect going in so watching this book unfold was a fun and bone-chilling experience. I loved the framework of the book - short stories that were tied together by an overarching plot. Some of these stories are going to stick with me for a very long time! The Welsh backdrop really added to the mood of the book and I found Robert to be a character that I was rooting for, even as he descended deeper into the strangeness of what was happening to him. The payoff at the end of the book was perfect - I really couldn't think how things were going to come together but the author managed an ending that was so satisfying and yet still left the door open for the future. I would absolutely read another of these if it ever became a series!
( )
  breakfastatholly | Jan 10, 2023 |
Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten.
An interesting read, despite being a bit on the sclock side of horror fiction for my tastes. I really prefer horror to be psychological rather than anatomical (the latter being too much like a former job of mine). Still, the grimdark Welsh setting moved it from the butcher’s shop and into Gothick territory, especially the decaying mansions used as settings for some of the stories. The portmanteau structure meant it was easy to drop in and out; I think as a single novel this would have been a ‘did not finish’. The stories were quite Bensonian in places with Lovecraftian overtones. Recommended if you like your horror on the cerebral side.
  Maddz | Dec 26, 2022 |
Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten.
How Grim Was My Valley by John Llewellyn Probert.

I got an e-book copy of this thanks to LibraryThing, in exchange for a honest review. I thought I would like it and it would fit my style when I requested it from the Early Reviewers List, and I was not wrong, it delivers what it promises. It even has an introduction by the great Ramsey Campbell praising it, and that must mean something. Also, the author is from Wales through and through and it shows, as it should in a book like this.

Moreover, the title caught my eye with its game of words... Very adequate and to the point.

This work does not hide its influences: Lovecraft, mostly, Machen... Which I have read often and with pleasure.

The form is a series of tales, united by a common thread, which is discovered at the end. This way of narrating and this ending (i don't want to give spoilers here) is not exactly original, but it is adequate.

Every story is more or less unique, imitating a style, and leading towards the conclusion. And there could easily be a second series of stories, now that we know what it is really about. It would lose the surprise element if you hadn't guessed it, but it would allow other things for the development. ( )
1 stem mrshudson | Dec 3, 2022 |
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» Andere auteurs toevoegen

AuteursnaamRolType auteurWerk?Status
John Llewellyn Probertprimaire auteuralle editiesberekend
Betti, ElenaIllustratorSecundaire auteuralle editiesbevestigd
Campbell, RamseyVoorwoordSecundaire auteuralle editiesbevestigd
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Robert wakes up on the Welsh side of the Severn Bridge with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Determined to reclaim his identity, he embarks on an odyssey through the country of Wales, bearing witness to the stories both the people and the land itself feel moved to tell him. Every new tale brings him one step closer to learning the truth about himself. John Llewellyn Probert has written a gripping romp of a book, a portmanteau novel steeped in the myths and secret tales of his native Wales. A compendium of the sinister that draws the reader inexorably forward, as we share in Robert's quest to discover the truth, wherever that may lead. The novel features an introduction by master of horror Ramsey Campbell. "Well done to it and its author! He brings a feast of wonders and horrors and I'm just the greeter at the door. Welcome and be seated, if you aren't already. Here comes the first course, and before long you'll be replete with imagination." - Ramsey Campbell in his introduction. How Grim Was My Valley features several full page internal illustrations by cover artist Elena Betti.

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John Llewellyn Probert's boek How Grim Was My Valley was beschikbaar via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

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