rbadac
To find out how much this man touched a group of people, none of whom he had ever met, please visit his Memorial Page at Violetbooks.com. Here are testimonials from newsgroup regulars and lurkers, and true friends from Memphis. Here are also a few photographs that just may break your heart.Thirty-four reviews, originally posted to the group, are online at The Weird Review. May we suggest Stella Benson's Fantasy Classic LIVING ALONE?You can do an 'advanced search' for rbadac's posts at Google.com. Their archives include the entire history of the group. rbadac's review of Wicker Man was recently found online here, and he has a listing on Locusmag.com.
A volume of rbadac's fiction, reviews, and pastiches is planned. It will probably be published under his *real* name: John Eatman.
An Introduction
On February 11, 2001, Jim Rockhill posted rbadac's 10 Best.
A Selection
rbadac's first post - for the completistsrbadac's notebook - if anyone can locate further parts of this, please let us know
"The West Window" - This is a serious and sober piece of fiction, and made us feel sad when we read it. It may be the finest story written by rbadac.
"Two For His Heels" - a work of fiction by "A.A. McBraid"
"A.A. McBraid" - the poor man's work is torn apart by "Daria Combato"
A Christmas Trio - Part One - "Another One For Virginia" by L. P. Hardly
A Christmas Trio - Part Two - "Balder's Bane" by A. A. McBraid
A Christmas Trio - Part Three - "Randolf's Return" by I. C. Shivers (this may be the last post of rbadac)
"The Saga of Alwyn and the Wurm" - and thus began the saga of rbadac's wonderfully perverse fiction
Ghostly Could-Have-Been - a lost bit from Hemingway's "Death in the Afternoon"
The Creeps Series - rbadac has something further to add in regard to an essay he has online at The Weird Review
"The Good Ghost Film" - this actually points to an interesting childhood we know nothing about
"Rara Avis" - something turned on its head
The Wild Hunt - a scholarly effort, with responses
"On Egghead Commentary" - perhaps this is unkind
"The Blair Witch Project" - a fine review (there was lengthy discussion about this on the newsgroup)
"The Evening Local" - L. P. Hardly - a pastiche
"The Excursion" - "a literary discussion [on Gogol] masquerading as a travelogue" (and included in Jim Rockhill's 10 Best)
"Overheard" - this nasty item was probably in honor of Hallowe'en
"The Unexamined Writer" - part of an acrimonious discussion of Robert Aickman
"Mother of Us All" - this was presented as a story for Mother's Day
The Second Ghost Book - elegant spot reviews of the stories
M. R. James - three stories dealt with in three different ways
"The Red Room" - H.G. Wells - Wells' attempts at a ghost story
A Gashlycrumb Eulogy - rbadac's tribute to Edward Gorey
rbadac on Mencken on Machen - includes an article by H. L. Mencken on Arthur Machen
Vernon Lee's A PHANTOM LOVER - Reconsidered - a discussion with Jim Rockhill, prompted by Jim's review; see also, Jim Rockhill and rbadac's collaborative piece: "Cruel Love, Cruel Death: Vernon Lee's 'Amour Dure' "
rbadac and Robert Suggs
Keeping those books fresh - With kind permission from Robert Suggs, we open a new section of this page. There are many delightful exchanges between these two cyber-friends.The Lurker at the Thread Board - here's a treat! - a pre-abg-f tribute to one then known as "cadabr"
Tales of the Contranatural - includes an excerpt from Everett Bleiler
"Rose Rose" - Barry Pain - with help from Robert Kunath, this discussion winds around to include a story by Fredric Brown
May Sinclair's "The Victim" - rbadac has problems with this one
Rob's Weird Shorts - "The Spectral Burp" (well, that's the *short* title) and "An Elusive Ghost" written (and copyrighted!) by Robert Suggs
Hugh Walpole's "Mrs. Lunt" - rbadac's review and a wee response from Robert Suggs
Aickman's Three Bears - OK, technically this should be in the Aickman section [this was also published in All Hallows 20] - NEWLY ADDED: an excerpt from "The Real Road to Grandma's"
Gahan Wilson's "Nuts" - the guys wax nostalgic
More Than Enough Quizzes - the guys are making quizzes (but for some reason, a couple of the original posts cannot be found)
Ten Least Collectible Ghostly Books - Rob's bookshelf
Mostly Edith and Mary- "In the Dark" by Edith Nesbit is discussed
Wag the Tentacle - a modern film synopsis
Other Titles by Robert Suggs - very good therapy for whatever ails you
De la Mare's Demon Dame Double-Dip - two stories by Walter De la Mare
"We Have Always Lived in the Castle" - can one word really critique Shirley Jackson?
Rob's 1st - congratulations all around!
Long Absence and Sad Return - or, was it with a laugh?
Robert Aickman (of course!)
Here are the archived Aickman story discussions which owe so much to rbadac's wit and charm:Re: “The Hospice”We were also pleased to be able to preserve this little gem: The Ninth Fontana: Second-Guessing Aickman. In rbadac's words, this is “the imagined correspondence dealing with Aickman's involvement as anthologist for Fontana's Great Ghost Stories.”
Re: “The Visiting Star”
Re: “Wood”
Re: “The Trains”
Re: Putting On “The Same Dog”The Unappreciated Aickman - what happened when rbadac gave everybody an Aickman book for Christmas (all extracted from a long meandering Aickman thread, which, well . . . you don't really want to revisit that thing, do you?)
Here is a wonderful exchange between rbadac and Robert Kunath, comparing E. V. Lucas' "The One Left" with RA's "Your Tiny Hand is Frozen". As rbadac titles it, it is Lucas and Aickman On The Telephone.
An Aspect of Houses was inspired by Jim Rockhill's comment about "The Houses of the Russians".
Here rbadac waxes lyrical with a little ditty about "Aickman's Army".
alt.books.ghost-fiction
Argue this one - here's a discussion involving the whole group, with a special project by rbadacGhost Stories and Their Sources - question about the religious/metaphysical underpinnings of the ghost story
Four Days in the Life of alt.books.ghost-fiction - four days picked at random
A Timid Hello - the whole group welcomes someone named Dranaan
Some gracious responses to assorted newby questions
How I Missed A Blackwood Bargain - yes, confession *is* good for the soul
rbadac's nephew - and then there was the time rbadac's nephew visited the newsgroup
Christmas Ghosts - in four parts, rbadac compiles a list of Christmas stories, and everyone joins in
Arthur Machen's "The White People" - is there something about the Christmas season that prompts remembrance of this story?
'Look Up There' - H. R. Wakefield - this does not include some of the bibliographic and story-rating stuff from the thread, but does settle once and forever the question of the beginning of the new Millennium
"The First Sheaf" and "Lucky Grove" by Wakefield - two stories, and some Norwegians
Mammoth Book of Short Horror Novels - Bill Barnett started this one
"The Haunting" - reviews of the 1963 film by Robert Wise (and Shirley Jackson), with added commentary from the earlier thread: "The Haunting (new movie)"
Gerald Durrell's "The Entrance" - group discussion
"A Visitor From Down Under" - L. P. Hartley - group discussion
The Beckoning Fairly Long - Oliver Onions' story, with especial help from Bill Barnett
Some Meanderings - a handful of crooked threads; re: ghost stories, re: Aickman's "Swords" adaptation (on Showtime)
Peelings - various shavings of WIDDERSHINS, Henry James, and Faulkner, with especial help from Bill Barnett again, and Randy Money; NEWLY ADDED are some comments on "Hic Jacet" and "The Rocker"
'The X-Files' and 'Thrawn Janet' - somehow a television show and the Robert Louis Stevenson story get thrown together here
John or Thomas Burke - oh, God, now *I'm* confused (includes early morning commentary by Bill Barnett)
John Metcalfe - discussions of "The Bad Lands", "Not There", "Mr Meldrum's Mania", and "The Double Admiral"; NEWLY ADDED is the beginning of rbadac's glossary
"Bewitched" - Edith Wharton - other stories of hers are touched on here as well, also the discussion leads directly into rbadac's post on 'The Good Ghost Film' above
Bernard Capes and a couple of questions - like how does an innocent question get turned into a caper, and what does the word 'dow' mean?
'Schalken the Painter' - J. S. LeFanu - another fine discussion
Pearls in Darkness - considers selections from AND THE DARKNESS FALLS, officially edited by Boris Karloff
'Mr Justice Harbottle' by J. S. LeFanu - a discussion started by Bill Allison
The Porch Chop - yes, some typos *are* funnier than others
May Sinclair - a biography, and discussion of "La Villa Desiree"
M. P. Shiel's "House of Sounds" - rbadac compares the two versions of this story
A Footnote in History - yes, rbadac has a legacy in cyberspace, in Memphis, and in all our hearts. . . and he also has. . .
Where would 'alt.books.ghost-fiction' be without Bill Allison of The Haunted Bibliophile? He was largely responsible for creating this newsgroup (in September 1997), and writing the FAQ. He also figured out a way for rbadac to post from his local library.
*****
More to Come - rbadac/alt.book.ghost-fiction section at the Aickman Appreciation siteEmail - feedback; suggestions, complaints, accolades, additions?