Ebook Date: Apr. 2017
File size/Pages: 1109KB / 512pp
First Published: 2017 (original tales 1925-28)
Seabury Quinn was born in Washington, USA in 1889 and died in 1969. After graduating from law school he attained the bar in the District of Columbia. Serving in World War One, he subsequently became the editor for trade papers in New York, started teaching medical jurisprudence, wrote technical articles and began submitting pulp magazine fiction stories. He continued to write for the pulps despite still remaining an active lawyer. His most famous creation was Dr Jules de Grandin.
De Grandin is a French doctor who has a particluar expertise in all matters of the paranormal and supernatural. His is a flamboyant character, wearing immaculate clothing, and always recongnisable due to his white hair and waxed moustache. His manners are also, at various times, brusque; demure; excitable; unforgiving, and ingratiating. But underneath there is a vicious hatred of evil in all its forms. It's sometimes quite surprising how ruthless de Grandin can be when dispatching his enemies - death befalls most of them.
Accompanying the French investigator is the loyal and level-headed partner, Dr Samuel Trowbridge. A Physician based in Harrisonville, New Jersey, he assists de Grandin in a succession of cases due to accidental meetings in America and abroad (The Isle of Missing Ships is a wonderful example, see below). These meetings soon dissapear as de Grandin seemingly moves to Harrisonville permanently.
One of the refreshing aspects of these tales is that not every single one is necessarily bound around a mythical beast or supernatural phenomenon. There is always the potential that the cycle of characters hiring the assistance of the two medical men are the culprit of confidence tricksters. This adds a little uncertainty at the start of each story.
You certainly get your money's worth with The Horror on the Links. In terms of the number and variety of nasty beasties and supernatural beings, you can count among them (in no particular order); Giant Snakes, Poltergeists, Vampires, Ghosts, Indian Gods, Egyptian Mummies, The Devil, Evil Mediums, Werewolves, Evil Surgeons, Cannibals, Floating Hands and many more. Terrific.
There are a number of things you need to take into account when considering reading these tales. Because of their age, there is bound to be some elements of the writing which might not be deemed as politically correct in this day and age. In addition, the writing style of the twenties does lend itself to a more verbose style, so don't expect short, sharp and snappy dialouge - its going to be overly eloquent, especially as the character of de Grandin expresses himself in that manner more so than any of the supporting cast.
I've picked out a few stories below that were my personal favourites;
The Jewel of Seven Stones (1928)
De Grandin and Trowbridge are invited to attend the opening of two Egyptian coffins by young archeologist, Ellsworth Bennett. He has been able to obtain the rare items whilst travelling and has had them transported back from Alexandria to Harrisonville. Noone is expecting the astonishing revelation that confronts them when they expose the contents. A great tale wrapped in Egyptian creepiness.
A truly horrifying spectacle awaits the occult investigators when they venture deep into the cellar of Marston Hall. Lost in a rainstorm, they come across a house and seek shelter. Their arrival is welcomed by the host who asks them to attend his daughter. De Grandin's suspicions are aroused quickly. My favourite story of Volume One; images Quinn portrays will live long in the memory.
The White Lady of the Orphanage (1927)
Children are disappearing from the Springville Orphan's Home, so superintendant Howard Gervaise approaches de Grandin to assist in solving the mystery. Posing as two doctors on a routine visit to provide medical check-ups to the children, they uncover strange happenings and the children tell tales of the night-time appearance of a spectral 'white lady' in their dormitory. A very unsettling finale, which again contains a blood-curdling scene of terror.
The Isle of Missing Ships (1926)
An early tale before Quinn had decided on Harrisonville for the regular setting of many of the stories. This time Dr. Trowbridge comes across de Grandin on a boat bound for Sumatra. The Frenchman has been employed by insurance company Lloyds of London to investigate the plight of several missing ships. A Vernian story unfolds involving shipwrecking, opulant undersea hideouts, Papua New Guinea blowpipe assassins and a giant octupus. Barmy but brilliant!
The Grinning Mummy (1926)
Another story wrapped in Egyptian loveliness involving deadly curses and murdering Mummies. Professor Frank Butterbaugh storms into Trowbridges practice to tell his friend of the outrage he feels following a bill he has just received. It seems that a local stonemason company believe Butterbaugh requested that they prepare a tombstone in his own name with the date of his death as that of that very evening. De Grandin's interest is piqued, and the Professor invites them to dine the following evening at his house - he wants to show them the Mummy he has procured recently... the one he is planning on unwrapping tonight...
I had just a couple of issues with this collection, minor ones you might think, but its only fair to mention them. Quinn has a tendancy to overdo the vernacular languages of some of his figures. For instance anyone remotely Irish, or Italian, or German with a speaking part will mean you have to put in a mighty effort to untangle the heavily truncated text. In one story, the chatter between Dr. Trowbridge's Irish housekeeper, Nora McGinnis and her neice Katy Rooney will have you struggling to fill in all the missing vowels in order to understand what it is they are gossiping about.
Secondly, and slightly more annoying to me personally, Quinn never seems to allow Trowbridge to develop. He remains completely shocked and baffled by all of the events that surround his occult detective friend - despite the numerous escapades that he finds himself thrust into the centre of. I completely understand that Trowbridge, like Conan Doyles' Dr Watson, is the eye of the reader, but even Holmes' companion was allowed to observe and sometimes attempt his own deductions. Quinn never gives his narrator this opportunity (at least not in this collection of early stories). There is even a story where Trowbridge witnesses the resurrection of a five thousand year old corpse from an ancient coffin into a living breathing young woman once again - makes no comment whatsoever - and yet later, in the same story, refuses to believe his eyes when a ghost makes an appearance? A little more intelligence given to the poor Dr. would have improved the stories I felt.
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