Cold Hand in Mine by Robert Aickman
Eight of the stories in Aickman’s best collection, Cold Hand in Mine, which is more ambiguous than typical ghost stories and features some of his best “weird story” writing, are found here. The reader meets a wide range of characters throughout the chapters, including a man who spends the night in a hospice, a German aristocracy, and a lady who sees a picture of her own soul. The classic vampire narrative gets a reference as well (in “Pages from a Young Girl’s Journal”), but otherwise, all the tales are unorthodox and leave room for interpretation, which may make them all the more surprising and enticing.
Cold Hand in Mine by Robert Aickman
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Aickman has a talent for inducing the most savoury level of discomfort among his audience. He is adept at getting the ideal image into your thoughts. no graphic imagery. Not in the style of Lovecraftian horror. Nevertheless disturbing images. His tales keep coming back to mind again and time again. These stories contain an unspoken, powerful, and incomprehensible theme. His grotesqueries are subtle and unsettling. He frequently leaves the conclusion or the meaning of his terrifying scenario up to the readers’ speculation. His prose and pace are excellent. He creates realistic characters. His locations are commonplace English homes, cities, and vacation places, but they all have a menacing air to them.
