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Shadows Over New England
David Goudsward & Scott T. Goudsward
Foreword by Christopher Golden


 "[T]his book is a terrific guide for the lover of weird fiction and New England’s own uncanny heritage. Both fictitious destinations and the real world inspirations for them are listed, which should please history buffs such as myself to no end." Michelle Souliere, Strange Maine Gazette

"...These are the kinds of fun details that make the book really unique. Shadows Over New England is the sort of work you crack open for a quick peek and, two hours later, realize you’re still reading. One little tidbit leads to the next, and you keep thinking I’ll just read one more until your eyes begin to blur and you realize it’s 3 am. In  short, for any fan of horror it’s loads of fun."  Nate Kenyon, Horror World

"A must-have title for libraries and for anyone who is a fan of horror or who is looking for some unusual stops for their next trip to New England. I cannot recommend this book highly enough."
Bob Freeman, Monster Librarian

 "The Witch's Dungeon is proud to be included in this comprehensive
work, a must for any fan of the genre." Cortlandt Hull, Witch's Dungeon

"Shadows is not only a great resource to have upon one’s shelf,
but is a truly enjoyable romp..." Norm Rubenstein, Horror-Mall
 


Traditional New England was in decline after the Civil War. The war had decimated the male population. Farms were being abandoned in favor of the mills. This environment of change and instability gave birth to a new milieu of isolated villages, declining blue-bloods and hidden scandals that were ripe for inspiring horror and dark writers. Literary critic Van Wyck Brooks, in his 1940 study of New England literary trends, New England: Indian Summer 1865-1915, described it thusly:
"There were colonies of savages near Lenox, queer, degenerate clans that lived "on the mountain," the descendants of prosperous farmers. There were old poisoners in lonely houses. There were Lizzie Bordens in the village, heroines in reverse who served the devil. There were Draculas in the northern hills and witch-women who lived in sheds, lunatics in attics.”

This was the golden age of ghost and horror tales in New England, culminating in H.P. Lovecraft, whose influence carried over into modern writers such as Robert Bloch, Ramsay Campbell and Stephen King. Shadows Over New England is a guide to geographical locations, real and fictional, utilized in horror tales set in New England. It is hard to say which is more disquieting, terror amidst staid Yankees in a familiar setting or horror in obscure, forgotten corners of New England. Both have their uses as weapons in the battle to scare you out of your wits.

 And the line blurs. To a fan of horror, there are fictional towns that are as real as any found in an atlas: Castle Rock, Maine, Arkham, Massachusetts or Oxrun Station, Connecticut. Even those who don’t follow the genre have heard of the nonexistent Connecticut town that is home to the Stepford Wives or Collinsport, Maine with more Dark Shadows, witches, vampires and werewolves per capita than any colonial seaport really needs.

 

INDEX - Titles
INDEX - Authors
 

Shadows Over New England is a guide to geographical locations in New England made popular by historical and contemporary horror (print, television and movies). Additional material of peripheral interest to horror aficionados is included, such as burial sites of horror-related celebrities, filming locations and places of notoriety used as inspiration.  

                                   

Table of Contents
Foreword by Christopher Golden
Introduction
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
Massachusetts, Arkham
Massachusetts, Boston
Massachusetts, Salem
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Rhode Island, Providence
Vermont

Publisher: BearManor Media
 (April 27, 2008)
Language: English

Paperback: 412 pages ($29.95)
ISBN: 1-59393-139-5 

"The darkness has been malingering over New England since the birth of American literature, but we've had to wait until the 21st Century and the Brothers Goudsward for the first map of the shadowlands. We've been blessed with two personable cartographers, thorough and meticulous in their labors, and this -- their first regional overview of the geographic lay of the land in dark fantasy and horror in all media -- is the finest imaginable roadmap."
--Stephen R. Bissette, Swamp Thing, Taboo, Tyrant

"Move over, Weird New England...there's a new gun in town and it's loaded for bear!  If you thought you knew a lot about spooky goings-on in the states that gave us maple syrup, Maine lobster, and the Boston Tea Party -- not to mention the minds of writers like Lovecraft and  Stephen King -- think again.  Packed with fun information that will have you revisiting your bookshelf again and again..."
--Jack Ketchum, author of The Girl Next Door and Off Season
 

"Shadows Over New England is an invaluable and engrossing resource for any reader or writer, whether horror or otherwise: there's a whole universe of facts-becoming-imagination here, so snuggle up with this book and hang on tight--you're in for a memorable ride."
--T.M. Wright, author of  Blue Canoe,  forthcoming from PS Publications
 

"What a fun book! I was born in Providence and as a young boy I was always fascinated with the genre. At Brown University I wrote and performed a 20 minute version of Poe's The Tell Tale Heart, and it was a great success. And then, of course, several years later along came The Fly!"
--David Hedison, star of The Fly and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

 

 

The authors filming an episode of Shilling Shockers at Mystery Hill with the TV hostess with the mostest ghostess, Penny Dreadful. The episode is airing as part of the most hexcellent season 6. Check Penny's website for a station near you!