Very good story, I enjoyed it much more than the earlier one ("The Hairy Ghost") which was also very good, but suffered in a subtle area. I appreciate that the narrator in the first one was a callous prig, oblivious to his racism, sexism, etc, but when dealing with ethnic stereotypes it is perhaps worthwhile to remember that you want to pull off the tough writing act with them being treated as if they were stereotypes without them actually acting in story as same, unless we're to assume that the narrator is coloring the tale, at which point it drifts into that area of "I know racism is bad but I'm writing a character who's racist and telling a story, so I can indulge my desire to use racist stereotypes safely" - just bite the writing bullet and do the subtle stuff.
This one was a treat, having the same level of blind offensiveness, while running along in a nice, breezy pulp style. I laughed out loud at the "did you die?" question.
I'm torn on the ending. I'm completely in agreement with its point, but do feel that it somewhat undermines the tone of the preceding material. I have no problem with idea of occult investigators crossed with racist upper-crust types as humor/horror story point (In fact, I think its brilliant!) as long as the writing walks the tightrope I noted above (think George MacDonald Fraser's FLASHMAN series of books, for a better example - in fact, as Fraser has recently died, I'd suggest Grady Hendrix as the obvious successor to continue writing the series!), but I do feel that this sudden twinge of conscience on the part of the main character seemed at odds with the promise of the story's tone - kind of like wanting to have your cake and eat it to. Better to have just ended on that horrible image for a really black comedy punchline. We know they're monsters, unless we happen to have not been paying attention all this time. But the writing of the ending itself was simply lovely, so I can see how it's a tough call.
I'm kind of confused as the the time setting of these stories, what with stock tickers and all. Anyone?
I was lucky enough to be in England when the season finale of BLACKADDER GOES FOURTH was premiered. I can still remember how a young woman in the room started crying when George realized that all his school chums were now dead (including "Strangely Brown"), and how deathly silent the room became as the final moments rolled out.
Thanks For Listening
“You’re like a lighthouse shining beside the sea of humanity, motionless: all you can see is your own reflection in the water. You’re alone, so you think it’s a vast, magnificent panorama. You haven’t sounded the depths. You simply believe in the beauty of God’s creation. But I have spent all this time in the water, diving deep into the howling ocean of life, deeper than anyone. While you were admiring the surface, I saw the shipwrecks, the drowned bodies, the monsters of the deep.”
Lorenzo Medici in Alfred DeMusset’s “Lorenzaccio”