Foreign Devils
Dr. Who
By Andrew Cartmel

     I've always had a great fondness for the startlingly imaginative works of William Hope Hodgson, a largely forgotten writer who perished in the First World War, and here is a brand new story that features his most enduring creation, Carnacki the Ghost Finder, as an investigator. It also features Dr. Who, and this is another sparkling novella from Telos, this time featuring his second incarnation. When he arrives in China, with his TARDIS assistants Jamie and Zoe, it is December 1800 and opium trader Roderick Upcott has just had a nasty brush with the Royal Astrologer. Then Jamie disappears through an arch, and it is up to the Doctor and Zoe to go look for him and the action switches to a typical English country house party in 1900 (where dwell the descendents of Roderick), which has Carnacki as a guest. Of course, Jamie isn't there, but people keep being murdered in grand old Agatha Christie tradition. Can the investigators find out whodunit in time and stop the countryside around the house from vanishing into the abyss in the bargain?

     This one is a lot of fun and just the thing to read during the long dark evenings. It is a shorter-than-the-other novellas, and the way in which the characters of the participants are established with a few deft strokes of a pen is rather like Chinese calligraphy. Thrilling things happen on every page and if they had filmed this story, I imagine it might have become a firm favorite with fans - imaginative and enjoyable, in keeping with the existing adventures of Carnacki as well as those of Dr. Who. Also in the book is Hodgson's most enduring tale "The Whistling Room", which has been tirelessly anthologized and so any fans of the supernatural short story reading this book will probably have already encountered it. Personally, I would have preferred a different and less well-known story as an example of Hodgson's work and since everything he wrote is officially acknowledged as being "good stuff" this would not be a hard task. But perhaps for the quintessence of Hodgson, this story is the best choice. If you opt for the deluxe edition, it has a wonderfully tactile cover which feels like Chinese brocade complete with embossed dragon (and a masterly introduction by Mike Ashley) so all in all, a treat to give (if you can bear to part with it) or keep.