We are doing The Ghost of the Valley, because it was one we had hoped to put in Volume 3. Fortunately, just before setting type for this story, Mike found it had already appeared in The Ghosts Of The Heaviside Layer and Other Fantasms.
Although we were disappointed to lose such a wonderful story, we were grateful that Mike discovered it before investing the time to typeset, and even more importantly, before it became part of the book.
It's such a great story that we wanted to do a reading for our PeganaPress StoryCast series. We have a copy of the typewritten manuscript and found as we were reading from both the book and the manuscript that there were one or two variances.
If you don't already have a copy of The Ghosts Of The Heaviside Layer, then find a copy. And if you do have one, read along with us. Headphones are highly recommended as the ghost voice may be hard to distinguish on laptop/computer speakers.
We hope you enjoy our newest StoryCast, The Ghost of the Valley.
Dear Mike and Rita,
ReplyDeleteVery well done.
I hadn't read this uniquely haunting tale since "The Ghosts of the Heavyside Layer" [Owlswick Press] was published in 1980 (and I agree that this and all the Owlswick Press Dunsany editions are essential for any Dunsany collector).
"The Ghost of the Valley" combines both Dunsany's Wordsworthian love of nature and his dismay at the loss of its beauty and magic by callous (yet inevitable) industrialism and modernism. The tale evokes regret and a wistful nostalgia for simpler agrarian times when all of creation was self-aware and Man was less self-absorbed, when the wind and mist and rivers had voices, and we could converse with them in the quiet of the evening.
The quality of your podcast production is top-notch. The background of the crunch of gravel underfoot as the story's protagonist walks along the forested vale, the wind rustling the leaves, the cry of passing birds, provides a richer experience than the typical voice recording of a reading. You've created a synthesis of the audiobook and the audio drama.
As for suggestions for future story-casts, it is admittedly hard to choose; and I need trust your judgment on what lends itself best to your delightful style of audio production. I love the prose poems of CA Smith, but would they transition well to audio? Nearly anything by Lord Dunsany would be a treat (based on how well this production turned out)...I will admit to one short Dunsany tale that has haunted me for decades: "The Field" from "A Dreamer's Tales", which is also available in the stunning Owlswick edition from 1979, but was first published in 1910. Yes. I'll offer it as a suggestion.
Looking forward both to "Lost Tales: Vol. 3" and "Poseidonis Vol. 2".
Respectfully,
Bob
I have been remiss and neglectful in my social media obligations to Pegana Press, because I have been trying to stay caught up with our inventory, and binding books like mad.
DeleteI love your comment: "...when the wind and mist and rivers had voices, and we could converse with them in the quiet..." It is a way of observation and interaction that I relate strongly to, which is why I tend to favor the descriptive tales of Lord D.
I wanted to also add Mike's comments here, even though you read them in his email, because they add to the conversation.
"We are so glad you liked it, thank you for the great comments and thoughtful words on the blog you posted. Dunsany was such a visionary and his work is easy to dramatize. "The Field" is a great story and well worth considering, Rita sensed the end that was coming before she read it. You should reread "The Unhappy Body" from Dreamer's Tales if you haven't lately." --Mike
I had not read The Field, so I got out a Dreamer's Tales, and read it aloud to Mike. Beautiful story. The end is powerful.
Thank you for the feed back on the storycast, it is greatly appreciated as we can never be certain who is listening, and feedback is helpful. It's a lot of fun for us. We do it because we love to read stories. And I think Mike has a knack for production.
As for Volume 3...it won't be long, now.
Warm Regards,
Rita