Orpheus on the Underground is the new Rhys Hughes collection from Tartarus, containing fifteen previously unpublished stories ('The Concise Picaresque Adventures of the Wanderlust Bridge' first appeared in Strange Tales II). Rang ing from the ghostly, through horror to the entirely fantastic, Hughes' marvellously inven tive tales steer the reader through the bizarre labyrinths of his unique talent for the strange.
In 'The Upper Reaches', two pilots discover a world beyond their mission, while the eponymous hero of 'Orpheus on the Underground' attempts to shoe-horn classical myth into the transport system of a modern metropolis. 'Behind Every Ghost' takes a conventional aphorism to its illogical limit, while 'The Phantom Festival' explores the history of music on various levels. In the 'The Quixote Candidate', a would-be film director is persuaded to give what may turn out to be an overly comprehensive interview.
In the years since the publication of his first collection (Worming the Harpy, Tartarus Press, 1995), Rhys Hughes has become one of the eminence grises of the strange tale. He wears his reputation lightly, and it is the sheer fun and individuality of Orpheus on the Underground that make the stories so memorable.
Genre: Horror
In 'The Upper Reaches', two pilots discover a world beyond their mission, while the eponymous hero of 'Orpheus on the Underground' attempts to shoe-horn classical myth into the transport system of a modern metropolis. 'Behind Every Ghost' takes a conventional aphorism to its illogical limit, while 'The Phantom Festival' explores the history of music on various levels. In the 'The Quixote Candidate', a would-be film director is persuaded to give what may turn out to be an overly comprehensive interview.
In the years since the publication of his first collection (Worming the Harpy, Tartarus Press, 1995), Rhys Hughes has become one of the eminence grises of the strange tale. He wears his reputation lightly, and it is the sheer fun and individuality of Orpheus on the Underground that make the stories so memorable.
Genre: Horror
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