Mark Valentine

Arthur Conan Doyle called Machen a genius; Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats and H.G. Wells admired him. His classic horror novel The Great God Pan, which both shocked and delighted contemporary readers with its dark portrayal of sexuality and its alluring villainess, has been favourably compared to Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; his The Secret Glory changed John Betjeman's life; while his masterpiece The Hill of Dreams, located in his beloved Gwent, has been called the most beautiful book in the English language. It is a testimony to his writing skill that through one short story, The Bowmen, he once made thousands believe that angels had appeared at the Battle of Mons, sparking a whole series of myths. Largely neglected by critics and biographers, Machen has remained an inspiration to those readers who have sought him out, and current admirers include cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and TV personality Barry Humphries. Mark Valentine's biography, the first in many decades, provides a much needed re-examination of Machen's varied and fascinating career.

A Sherlockiana primer / Christopher Roden -- [The doctor's case / Stephen King]-- The horror of the many faces / Tim Lebbon -- The case of the bloodless sock / Anne Perry -- The adventure of the other detective / Bradley H. Sinor -- A scandal in Montreal / Edward D. Hoch -- The adventure of the field theorems / Vonda N. McIntyre -- The adventure of the death-fetch / Darrell Schweitzer -- The shocking affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland / Mary Robinette Kowal -- The adventure of the mummy's curse / H. Paul Jeffers -- The things that shall come upon them / Barbara Roden -- Murder to music / Anthony Burgess -- The adventure of the inertial adjustor / Stephen Baxter -- Mrs. Hudson's case / Laurie R. King -- The singular habits of wasps / Geoffrey A. Landis -- The affair of the 46th birthday / Amy Myers -- The Specter of Tullyfane Abbey / Peter Tremayne -- The vale of the white horse / Sharyn McCrumb -- The adventure of the Dorset Street lodger / Michael Moorcock -- The adventure of the lost world / Dominic Green -- The adventure of the antiquarian's niece / Barbara Hambly -- Dynamics of a hanging / Tony Pi -- Merridew of abominable memory / Chris Roberson -- Commonplaces / Naomi Novik -- The adventure of the Pirates of Devil's Cape / Rob Rogers -- The adventure of the Green Skull / Mark Valentine -- The human mystery / Tanith Lee -- A study in emerald / Neil Gaiman -- You see but you do not observe / Robert J. Sawyer.