Valancourt Books
The Other Place and Other Stories by J.B. Priestley
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Trade paperback format. Introduction by John Baxendale.
J. B. Priestley (1894-1984) was a versatile and prolific novelist and playwright, but in The Other Place (1953) he shows an unexpected talent, proving himself a master of the weird tale.
In "The Grey Ones," a man visits a psychiatrist after he becomes convinced that a group of demons masquerading as people are plotting the overthrow of the human race . . . but what if he's not insane? In "Guest of Honour," a banquet speech becomes a horrifying affair when the keynote speaker realizes his audience is made up of monstrous and menacing creatures. "The Leadington Incident" recounts the disturbing experience of a Cabinet minister who suddenly perceives that though the people around him move and talk as though alive, they are all actually just animated corpses or sleepwalking zombies.
The nine tales in this collection are strange, fantastic, and often unsettling, and they represent Priestley at his best.
reviews
“These stories say something meaningful, as well as relate an anecdote. They are not only examples of narrative skill, but exhibitions of social truth.” - Saturday Review
“Priestley is one of the finest and most popular storytellers of the last hundred years. We are now aware many of his stories have a prophetic quality.” - Dame Margaret Drabble
“[H]ighly readable and provocative.” - Sunday Herald (Sydney)
‘Classic high camp.’ – Books and Bookmen
“First published in 1953, The Other Place captures this period of anxiety and menace. . . . These stories show Priestley’s skill at depicting ordinary people in everyday settings while also putting them into uncanny situations, . . . leaving the reader with the worry that something alarming is on the way, or a yearning sense of having encountered – however briefly – something wonderful. And in all cases extraordinary.” – John Howard, Wormwood, May 2014
“Priestley is one of the finest and most popular storytellers of the last hundred years. We are now aware many of his stories have a prophetic quality.” - Dame Margaret Drabble
“[H]ighly readable and provocative.” - Sunday Herald (Sydney)
‘Classic high camp.’ – Books and Bookmen
“First published in 1953, The Other Place captures this period of anxiety and menace. . . . These stories show Priestley’s skill at depicting ordinary people in everyday settings while also putting them into uncanny situations, . . . leaving the reader with the worry that something alarming is on the way, or a yearning sense of having encountered – however briefly – something wonderful. And in all cases extraordinary.” – John Howard, Wormwood, May 2014