(This is not really
horror — it is “supernatural” or “weird” fiction.)
Many of these stories of the supernatural — particularly the ones set in English village society — resemble those of M.R. James, Caldecott’s greatest influence; the [resemblences], however, are the interior works, in which rural dialects, entertaining character sketches and an ironic tone compensate in part for a loss of supernatural intensity and narrative power.
The best stories here are the ones in which Kongea — a mythical Asian country created by Caldecott out of his experiences as governor of Hong Kong and Ceylon — are prominently featured. Caldecott knows the customs and civil service politics of his part of Asia at least as well as Kipling knew India, and his Kongean stories evoke an exotic atmosphere that makes the supernatural element doubly effective.
[—Bill Kerwin, Goodreads]
============
Sir Andrew Caldecott
GCMG CBE KStJ FRAS FRSA (26 October 1884 – 14 July 1951) was a British colonial administrator. He served as governor of Hong Kong and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). In his early life, he wrote articles and books about Malayan affairs and history. In his late years, he published two collections of supernatural fiction,
Not Exactly Ghosts and
Fires Burn Blue.
============
Not Exactly Ghosts, by Sir Andrew Caldecott (1884-1951), was first published in 1946. This ebook is in the public domain where copyright is “Life+70” or less.
.
This work is assumed to be in the Life+70 public domain OR the copyright holder has given specific permission for distribution. Copyright laws differ throughout the world, and it may still be under copyright in some countries. Before downloading, please check your country's copyright laws.
If the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this work.
To report a copyright violation you can
contact us here.