Rumbullion (The Molly Tanzer Collection)

Rashomon  as told through letters: after a party ends in a fit of necromancy, murder, and madness, Julian Bretwynde gropes blindly for the truth as he puts collects the different accounts of the attendees. While lightly told, Molly Tanzer flourishes the story with details and attitudes appropriate to the Georgian setting, with all the little flashes of shock to remind readers in love with Gothic novels how bad the good old days really were, similar to her novels  The Pleasure Merchant  and  A Pretty Mouth . The book follows the form of the novel-told-in-letters, but amounts to an investigation - or perhaps initiation - with the reader following along, forced to consider what is both said and goes unsaid, or which can only be alluded to. A comparison to Arthur Machen's "The Great God Pan" is not quite apt; while the shadow of the Bacchanal hovers both stories, the form of the Georgian story rides high, all the mundane complex of relationships and social status, persiflage and politesse, while the awe and the horror are the diamonds in the rough - by design. This is a story for readers that like to worry their bones, and perhaps for the one or two that like to crack them open and feast on the marrow...

This is delightful. I haven’t been able to focus on any books since pandemic started, taking two months to even get through a slim 300 pages, but I tore right through this. It’s just so captivating. The world, the tantalizing reveal, the balance of questions answered and unanswered. I loved every minute.

This is great gothic horror in the vein of Machen's "The Great God Pan," and a gripping read in spite of (or maybe because of) the flowery language of the period in which it takes place. It's a short read, and well worth it. (Note: I purchased this at a convention.)

This is a great book. I literally couldn't put it down. Read it way past my bedtime. Part mystery, part mysterious. If you love good literature, this book is for you.