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- The Old
Knowledge
- by Rosalie Parker
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This first collection of tales by Rosalie Parker
contains eight stories that explore the uncanny in the modern world. As
Glen Cavaliero observes in his introduction, "like all good stories of the
preternatural, these in The Old Knowledge have a subversive effect." In them, "the
world of logical, predictable reality is seen to be at risk from rejected
modes of knowledge which can thwart the materialist and victimise those
innocents who stumble into another order of reality."
In "The Rain", Geraldine heads to the North for a
holiday she hopes will provide a welcome break from her busy city life,
only to suffer a complicated and enigmatic distortion of her usual
world-view. The narrator of "In the Garden" strays into new pastures while
explaining her theory of gardening. In "Chanctonbury Ring", the
well-meaning protagonist, helping a lady in distress, gets rather more
than he bargained for. The temporary schoolteacher in "The Supply-Teacher"
elicits altruism from her class, whilst, in "The Old Knowledge", a group
of archaeologists called in to excavate a prehistoric round barrow have to
negotiate local interventions. In "The Cook's Story" a Gothic country
house provides the setting for a modern tale of mystery.
Do not expect blood-and-guts, wraiths or revenants:
these stories hold a different kind of terror. "Their unostentatious magic
is of an insidious kind; and like the protagonist of the title story, is
liable to exert itself in disconcerting ways."
Contents:
Introduction by Glen Cavaliero
The Rain
Spirit Solutions
In the Garden
Chanctonbury Ring
The Supply Teacher
The Old Knowledge
The Cook's Story
The Picture
Acknowledgements First published by The Swan River Press, September 2010, it is offered here
as an ebook only. (Please note that this will be emailed to you
manually!)
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- Reviews
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- ". . . a beautifully produced collection of nine
stories by Rosalie Parker, in which themes of ancient knowledge
intrud[e] into the modern world. . . My favourite out of all
that’s on offer, there’s a delightful ambiguity to ‘The Cook’s Story’
. . . The atmosphere of a country house and the life of wealthy people
are brought to vivid life . . . with a sense of the madness and
alienation that’s bubbling away beneath the surface and just waiting
to explode." - Peter Tennant, Black
Static
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- "The Old Knowledge is perfect reading for a winter's
afternoon when the light is beginning to fail. Curl up by the fire in
your holiday cottage, open a good bottle of red, and enjoy."
Katherine Haynes,
Ghostly Company Newsletter
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- "Well crafted prose hinting in soft tones at the
darker side of reality" - Mario Guslandi at The Short Review.
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- "Parker shows considerable skill at creating
dramatic tension and moods of menace that will appeal to fans of subtly
told tales of the macabre." - Publishers Weekly
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- "This book, despite its disarmingly simple pure
prose style and traditional-seeming supernatural plots, is possibly more
intriguing than many a book with dense textured styles and ostensibly
complicated plots. An eye-opener for me." -D.F. Lewis, My
Last Balcony: Real-Time Reviews
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- "With a clear descent from the school of classic
ghost stories these tales are another branch of the evolutionary tree
for the ghostly weird tale, exploring modern relationships and feelings
in a timeless style." The Black Abyss
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Page updated 9th July 2009
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