The Library

He does look a little like David Niven, doesn't he? Oddly enough, I'd always assumed that it was the Duke being portrayed with a knife on the cover - the book is called "Vendetta in Spain", it's the Duke who is out for revenge, and so one assumed that he'd be the one wielding the knife. Pl...

What a magnificent, insightful and informative review. A magnificent piece of work, and I think DW would have been delighted to read it. Absolutely; a really good resource for future reference. I had forgotten much of the detail of this book, although I read it for the first time not much more than...

Unfortunately, I understand that the whereabouts of the ownership of the screen rights for The Devil Rides Out, and possibly To The Devil A Daughter are current unknown. Am I right in thinking that the late Christopher Lee co-owned with Hammer Films the rights to these two books, along with those t...

Well, I for one look forward to seeing it. Since (obviously) we'll get no more "Modern Musketeer" black magic books, this will be very much a consolation. And I personally feel it's very much on topic for a black magic tale obviously influenced by DW to be discussed here in the library. I...

Richard, any chance of seeing this work, or are you one of those authors that like to keep it all under wraps until it is finished? Very happy indeed to share it, Alan, but as it's nearly finished (as in, 42 out of 50 chapters done, or c. 140,000 out of c. 180,000 words) I'll keep it under wraps fo...

SIAPW: The Duke, for obvious reasons, including the fact that he's more likely than any other DW character to know what he's doing, having demonstrated his prowess at manning a pentagram in "The Devil Rides Out". RITHW: Not Marie-Lou, lovely though she is, because she's Richard's wife, and...

Folks no doubt know about Dr Watson's various allusions, in the Sherlock Holmes stories, to other cases "for which the world is not yet prepared," etc. The DW reference that has always intrigued me is in Dangerous Inheritance , when the Duke learns, quite out of the blue, that he owns pro...

I've just heard the very sad news that Sir Christopher has passed away. A fine actor, and a true gentleman of the old school. May he rest in peace.

Likewise, many happy returns to Sir Christopher, a marvellous actor and, by all accounts, an exceptionally nice person as well, and a true gentleman. His filmography is extraordinary, a scarcely credible 207 films since 1948, and still working today. One of the most iconic Draculas ever, an excellen...

Thanks, Ian. I just one-clicked that onto my Kindle, and will enjoy checking it out. I'm writing an occult thriller of my own at the moment, as it happens, just for the fun of it (116,000 words and 36 chapters in, only 14 left to go!), also with a bit of a Crowley theme. In as much as it's set in th...

The point about DW writing out of economic necessity and using the writing process to live his feasting fantasies is interesting, and thank you for the Evelyn Waugh comparison - I didn't know that. And it is probably one of the rare occasions that those two authors are compared. I don't know if Wau...

I read this one for the first time a few months ago and I think that, for all its first-novel deficiencies, it's a very interesting book to read if one is an existing Wheatley fan, particularly for those of us who love the de Richleau series. It has many faults, and one can easily see why "The ...

I have never seen Don’t Look Now, though I am aware of the high praise it receives from anyone who has seen it – excuse me [40 seconds later] – I have just switched screens and ordered the blu-ray via amazon. A wonderfully atmospheric film - a deserted Venice in winter, with a real undercurre...

Great post, and a really interesting list. And I so agree with you about "Night of the Demon" - certainly Wheatley-esque, and with the sort of Stonehenge footage that should have found its way into "The Devil Rides Out", and directed by the great Jacques Tourneur, who also made &...

I'll just use this as an excuse to say that The Devil Rides Out is a classic novel. This is a shocking revelation, I know. It has atmosphere, suspense and a grand sense of adventure. The film version is one I would actually like to see remade, but not because the original was bad, rather because so...