The Ghost Pirates

Rating:
Summary: pretty good ghost story
Review: a ghost story of the classical style. strange things starts happening on a ship. is it haunted? are there ghost pirates trying to take over? it is well written. well worked. but somehow, the real horror escapes.

Rating:
Summary: Creepy and Effective
Review: A profoundly effective horror tale. Hodgson writes with a command of the language and has a seemingly thorough understanding of what it takes to raise the reader's gooseflesh. It surpassed my expectations, in terms of the thematic implications of the story that there are dark forces lurking below our perceptions of reality, forces that can and will strike without notice. Well-written and very effective in terms of the scares it provides, it will resonate with you long after you've read it, despite the fact it's an old fashioned ghost story. Those of us who are familiar with Lovecraft will readily detect the influence that Hodgson had on Lovecraft. Highly-recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Lovecraft meets Joseph Conrad - only Hodgson could do it
Review: Hodgson's preface to this novel is important to understanding his viewpoint:

"This book forms the last of three. The first published was "The Boats of the 'Glen Carrig'" ; the second, "The House on the Borderland" ; this, the third, completes what, perhaps, may be termed a trilogy; for, though very different in scope, each of the three books deals with certain conceptions that have an elemental kinship. With this book, the author believes that he closes the door, so far as he is concerned, on a particular phase of constructive thought."

The unifying theme seems to be the dreadful forces that lurk just beneath the veneer of what we, in immense folly, believe to be "reality". Malign forces may surface at any moment to drag us to destruction or worse.

Hodgson's early career at sea allows him to write with total authority and create an atmosphere of such authenticity that when the malignant forces begin to intrude, they are all the more convincing because of the setting into which they are introduced. As with "The Boats of the Glen carrig", Hodgson wastes NO time in getting right to it - the book's first sentence is, "He began without any circumlocution", and the narrator takes us immediately to the ship "Mortzestus", an unlucky ship haunted by "too many shadows". The palpable sense of creeping fear grows into climactic scenes, each one leaving the reader wondering how anyone will survive.

This novel, along with "The House on the Borderland", is spared the weak second half that spoils "The Night Land" and "The Boats of the Glen carrig". Totally engrossing, a cross between an old-fashioned sea story and the cosmic horrors of Lovecraft - you will not be disappointed in this one. Seek it out - be prepared for a wild ride!

Rating:
Summary: The haunted packet-ship Mortzestus
Review: I first became interested in William Hope Hodgson when I heard that he was an influence on HP Lovecraft, one of my favorite writers. The ideal of maritime ghosts and haunted ships has always had an appeal as well, so I decided to check out "The Ghost Pirates" as my first voyage on Hodgson's shadow-haunted seas.

Hodgson leaves no doubt that a sailing ship is an ideal setting for a weird tale, being entirely bound in the confines of the vessel, and literally no where to run to when things become rough. The hardy breed of the seamen is a strong contrast to Lovecraft's academics and dilettantes, and there is a much firmer hand guiding the story. The sailors on the packet-ship Mortzestus are brave and skilled, yet not warriors by any means, rather tradesmen cast into unknowable circumstances. Jessop is an excellent spokesperson for the book, being a bridge between the upper-class ship's officers and the lower laborers, each with their own ideas and solutions. Hodgson clearly knows his way around a true sailing ship, as the relationships and terminology on board have the ring of authenticity.

Hodgson plays carefully with his cosmic horrors, lifting the veil only enough for a frightening glimpse but not enough to reveal all mysteries. Although called "The Ghost Pirates," these are no departed spirits of men that haunt the Mortzestus but rather something from beyond the realm of rational thought. The inevitiablity of the situation is tense, as the sailors sense the approaching doom while being unable to fathom or prevent it.

After "The Ghost Pirates," I will definitely seek out more of William Hope Hodgson's books, specifically the remainder in this loose trilogy, "The Boats of the 'Glen Carrig' " and "The House on the Borderland."


Rating:
Summary: The Devil in the Deep Blue Sea
Review: Seaman Jessop doesn't believe the stories about the Mortzestus being haunted, attributing them to the usual superstitions sailors develop. But from the time he signs on board the merchant vessel and departs from port in San Francisco, nothing aboard the ship seems right. Shadows appear to board from beneath the sea at night, and leave the same way, without a trace. Indistinct figures stalk the masts, and sails inexplicably come loose to knock men to their death on the deck. Voices are faintly heard, whispering conspiratorially. And eventually, ships even seem to be sighted - beneath the surface of the water. No one believes Jessop, at first. But one by one, as occurrences aboard the haunted Mortzestus become more difficult to explain away, the doomed crew start experiencing the apparitions themselves - and fearing for their very lives.

This book is a masterpiece of maritime menace. Nothing is ever overtly seen, but always hinted-at and suggested. There is the constant feeling of something malignant always just out of sight, ready to pounce on the unwary bystander when he least expects it. Author William Hope Hodgson was a merchant marine himself, between the ages of 14-22, at the turn of the last century, and his characters and dialogue are fully authentic as a result - he makes the reader feel the salt spray, and the roughness of the rigging as sails are secured. H. P. Lovecraft was heavily influenced by Hodgson's works, and it shows.

It's wonderful to see this long-neglected horror classic back in print. There is another edition out as well, combining this excellent (though short) novel with Hodgson's "Carnacki the Ghost Finder" stories.

Rating:
Summary: The Devil in the Deep Blue Sea
Review: Seaman Jessop doesn't believe the stories about the Mortzestus being haunted, attributing them to the usual superstitions sailors develop. But from the time he signs on board the merchant vessel and departs from port in San Francisco, nothing aboard the ship seems right. Shadows appear to board from beneath the sea at night, and leave the same way, without a trace. Indistinct figures stalk the masts, and sails inexplicably come loose to knock men to their death on the deck. Voices are faintly heard, whispering conspiratorially. And eventually, ships even seem to be sighted - beneath the surface of the water. No one believes Jessop, at first. But one by one, as occurrences aboard the haunted Mortzestus become more difficult to explain away, the doomed crew start experiencing the apparitions themselves - and fearing for their very lives.

This book is a masterpiece of maritime menace. Nothing is ever overtly seen, but always hinted-at and suggested. There is the constant feeling of something malignant always just out of sight, ready to pounce on the unwary bystander when he least expects it. Author William Hope Hodgson was a merchant marine himself, between the ages of 14-22, at the turn of the last century, and his characters and dialogue are fully authentic as a result - he makes the reader feel the salt spray, and the roughness of the rigging as sails are secured. H. P. Lovecraft was heavily influenced by Hodgson's works, and it shows.

It's wonderful to see this long-neglected horror classic back in print. There is another edition out as well, combining this excellent (though short) novel with Hodgson's "Carnacki the Ghost Finder" stories.