"THE BECKONING FAIR ONE AND OTHER STORIES includes fifteen works by famed British author George Oliver Onions. This collection includes his famous ghost story novella THE BECKONING FAIR ONE, in which a struggling writer rents a remote house, only have his sanity gradually destroyed by a mysterious feminine spirit."
"A man, a house, a ghost, and a murder. This whimsical tale that leads lyrically to a terrible undoing is consistently rated one of the best ghost stories ever written. The twist at the end is wholly unexpected and the reader is left guessing whether, Paul Oleron, a failing novelist is the victim of an evil succubus that haunts his house and his dreams, or he is guilty of a terrible betrayal."
"At first blush, Widdershins is a conventional haunted house story involving an unsuccessful writer, who moves into an empty house in hope that isolation will help his failing creativity. His sensitivity and imagination are enhanced by his seclusion, but his art, his only friend, and his sanity are all destroyed in the process …
The story can be read as narrating the gradual possession of the protagonist by a mysterious and possessive feminine spirit, or as a realistic description of a psychotic outbreak culminating in catatonia and murder, told from the psychotic subject’s point of view. The precise description of the slow disintegration of the protagonist’s mind is terrifying in either case.
Included are:“The Beckoning Fair One” read by Stefan Rudnicki“Phantas” read by Paul Boehmer“Rooum” read by Stefan Rudnicki“Benlian” read by Paul Boehmer“The Accident” read by Gabrielle de Cuir “The Lost Thyrsus” read by Rosalyn Landor “Hic Jacet” read by Stefan Rudnicki“The Cigarette Case” read by Paul Boehmer"
"Onions wrote several collections of ghost stories, of which the best known is Widdershins (1911). It includes the novella The Beckoning Fair One, widely regarded as one of the best in the genre of horror fiction, especially psychological horror. On the surface, this is a conventional haunted house story: an unsuccessful writer moves into rooms in an otherwise empty house, in the hope that isolation will help his failing creativity. His sensitivity and imagination are enhanced by his seclusion, but his art, his only friend and his sanity are all destroyed in the process. The story can be read as narrating the gradual possession of the protagonist by a mysterious and possessive feminine spirit, or as a realistic description of a psychotic outbreak culminating in catatonia and murder, told from the sufferer's point of view. The precise description of the slow disintegration of the protagonist's mind is terrifying in either case. Another theme, shared with others of Onions' stories, is a connection between creativity and insanity; in this view, the artist is in danger of withdrawing from the world altogether and losing himself in his creation. (Introduction from Wikipedia)"
"George Oliver Onions (1873 - 1961) was a British writer of story collections and over 40 novels.... Onions wrote detective fiction, social comedy, historical fiction and romance novels. This social comedy of late Victorian England is among his first published materials. Rollo Butterfield, the compleat bachelor, looks upon his family and friends with an affectionate, gently humorous eye. - Summary by Wikipedia and david wales"
