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Dancing On Air
Ghosts and hauntings can take many forms, and spring from many sources; and while the conventional view of ghostly presences is that they are unwelcome visitants haunting unwilling victims, they are, on occasion, not only welcomed but embraced by people whose lives seem to cry out for something which is in short supply in the more ordinary world of mundane encounters.
The ten stories collected in Dancing on Air were written over a period of four decades, and while not all of them include ghosts, all of them concern hauntings. Some of these hauntings may or may not be projections springing from the obsessions of those being haunted; but they are no less real, or no less capable of doing good or ill, for all that. Does the much-loved childhood treasure in 'The Black Mare Midnight' exist? Do the seemingly innocent entries in 'The Visitors' Book' conceal something much more sinister? Who—or what—is the occupant of 'Cyprian's Room'? Does a group of children really manage to conjure up Something in 'The Monster Drawing'? And is there any truth behind the ghostly legend told in 'Dancing on Air'; or is it merely a tale designed to entertain tourists?
In Dancing on Air things are seldom what they seem; and all are the more terrifying for it.
The ten stories collected in Dancing on Air were written over a period of four decades, and while not all of them include ghosts, all of them concern hauntings. Some of these hauntings may or may not be projections springing from the obsessions of those being haunted; but they are no less real, or no less capable of doing good or ill, for all that. Does the much-loved childhood treasure in 'The Black Mare Midnight' exist? Do the seemingly innocent entries in 'The Visitors' Book' conceal something much more sinister? Who—or what—is the occupant of 'Cyprian's Room'? Does a group of children really manage to conjure up Something in 'The Monster Drawing'? And is there any truth behind the ghostly legend told in 'Dancing on Air'; or is it merely a tale designed to entertain tourists?
In Dancing on Air things are seldom what they seem; and all are the more terrifying for it.
157 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 30, 2019
The little-known author Frances Oliver is a graceful writer, one whose stories are seamed with wit and wisdom, and an appreciation of life's great cruelties and its little rewards. I read her wonderful Children Of Epiphany earlier this year and loved it. I will be pursuing her more ardently in the future! Her books are a challenge to find but they are out there, ready to be discovered or rediscovered. She really needs to be included more in overviews of modern weird fiction because her writing is top-notch.
This is a collection of often remarkable stories. There's just something about how she creates a world within her stories that draws me in and keeps me - an ambiguity that fascinates me, characters that I can instantly connect with, narratives that hint at disturbances just below the surface. Her clear, nuanced, and flexible style gives each of these pieces their own special flavor, from the amusingly idiosyncratic entries within "The Visitor's Book" to the mundane but inexplicable sadness that permeates the Aickman-esque "The Man in the Blue Mercedes" to the eerie feeling that the world has become a terribly different place outside the walls of "A Walk in the Forest". "Dinosaurs" lacks any sort of supernatural element, but in that story Oliver shows how she is just as comfortable detailing a pathos-ridden reality as she is with those containing fantasy or horror. Well I suppose reality contains both anyway. My favorite was the glorious children's adventure "The Monster Drawing", a sunny tale of dark things that kept me smiling from beginning to end.
"The Visitor's Book": entries in the titular object shall note a strange tapping and stranger deaths in a lovely, lonely vacation cottage...
"Cyprian's Room": the hungry incubus shall be everything your heart desires - maybe even the sickly, talented young artiste downstairs...
"The Black Mare Midnight": a secret children's book shall remind adults of how time must fly and dreams must die... or do they?
"Prester John": an idiot savant shall rant and rage in an archaic medieval style, confounding all, and then he will vanish... or did he?
"The Monster Drawing": a drawing, a spell, and a mouse create a nasty little beast that shall spook the defenseless children... or will it? Perhaps the children aren't so defenseless!
"A Walk in the Forest": in the future, an elderly man committed to an Institution shall visit the forest beyond the walls... or will he? Perhaps there is something else that lies beyond!
"The Man in the Blue Mercedes": a deep Bavarian lake and a friendly stranger shall provide escape for an unhappy wife... or will they? Perhaps this escape is but a trap! Or perhaps the wife's life is the trap.
"Dinosaurs": a suicide, some disturbing drawings, and a museum shall encourage a little girl to act out... or is she? Perhaps she is acting out because her entire world disturbs! Or perhaps it's just a phase.
"The Married Man": a woman shall prattle on about her imaginary lover... a rendezvous occurs...
"Dancing on Air": an enchanting dance shall be witnessed... a contagion is dispersed...
This is a collection of often remarkable stories. There's just something about how she creates a world within her stories that draws me in and keeps me - an ambiguity that fascinates me, characters that I can instantly connect with, narratives that hint at disturbances just below the surface. Her clear, nuanced, and flexible style gives each of these pieces their own special flavor, from the amusingly idiosyncratic entries within "The Visitor's Book" to the mundane but inexplicable sadness that permeates the Aickman-esque "The Man in the Blue Mercedes" to the eerie feeling that the world has become a terribly different place outside the walls of "A Walk in the Forest". "Dinosaurs" lacks any sort of supernatural element, but in that story Oliver shows how she is just as comfortable detailing a pathos-ridden reality as she is with those containing fantasy or horror. Well I suppose reality contains both anyway. My favorite was the glorious children's adventure "The Monster Drawing", a sunny tale of dark things that kept me smiling from beginning to end.
"The Visitor's Book": entries in the titular object shall note a strange tapping and stranger deaths in a lovely, lonely vacation cottage...
"Cyprian's Room": the hungry incubus shall be everything your heart desires - maybe even the sickly, talented young artiste downstairs...
"The Black Mare Midnight": a secret children's book shall remind adults of how time must fly and dreams must die... or do they?
"Prester John": an idiot savant shall rant and rage in an archaic medieval style, confounding all, and then he will vanish... or did he?
"The Monster Drawing": a drawing, a spell, and a mouse create a nasty little beast that shall spook the defenseless children... or will it? Perhaps the children aren't so defenseless!
"A Walk in the Forest": in the future, an elderly man committed to an Institution shall visit the forest beyond the walls... or will he? Perhaps there is something else that lies beyond!
"The Man in the Blue Mercedes": a deep Bavarian lake and a friendly stranger shall provide escape for an unhappy wife... or will they? Perhaps this escape is but a trap! Or perhaps the wife's life is the trap.
"Dinosaurs": a suicide, some disturbing drawings, and a museum shall encourage a little girl to act out... or is she? Perhaps she is acting out because her entire world disturbs! Or perhaps it's just a phase.
"The Married Man": a woman shall prattle on about her imaginary lover... a rendezvous occurs...
"Dancing on Air": an enchanting dance shall be witnessed... a contagion is dispersed...
January 13, 2021
A female protagonist — attending a weirdly framed business conference in an Austrian city — emotionally / sexually tempted and shifted by fate with implications of experiment and potential viral as well as spiritual infection. An ambiguous ending. A perfect ending to the book.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews