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Painted Devils: Strange Stories
Aickman lures us into eerie psychic realms where the commonplace becomes horrific, where fantasy and reality interweave, where the innocent are unwitting prey. And we too become victims of the unknown forces he conjures. Against a wide variety of settings, Aickman's chilling stories unravel with the psychological subtlety and uncanny vision of a true master of the genre.
243 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Robert Aickman
147 books504 followersAuthor of: close to 50 "strange stories" in the weird-tale and ghost-story traditions, two novels (The Late Breakfasters and The Model), two volumes of memoir (The Attempted Rescue and The River Runs Uphill), and two books on the canals of England (Know Your Waterways and The Story of Our Inland Waterways).
Co-founder and longtime president of the Inland Waterways Association, an organization that in the middle of the 20th century restored a great part of England's deteriorating system of canals, now a major draw for recreation nationally and for tourism internationally.
Grandson of author Richard Marsh.
Co-founder and longtime president of the Inland Waterways Association, an organization that in the middle of the 20th century restored a great part of England's deteriorating system of canals, now a major draw for recreation nationally and for tourism internationally.
Grandson of author Richard Marsh.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 22, 2016
My average rating for the stories in _Painted Devils_ comes out to 3.38. My three star goodreads rating for this short story collection by Robert Aickman might surprise some people. The poet W.H. Auden made the point that not everything by Shakespeare is outstanding. Similarly, I judge that some of Aickman's lesser stories are in this book.
"Ravissante" is about a symbolist painter whose checked sensuality is awakened by a visit to the widow of a famous painter. The widow urges him to rifle through the shrine-like wardrobe of her adopted daughter, to kneel and tread on the “complex silky nebula” of her dresses. 3 stars
"The House of the Russians" Another story told in a frame structure. A character is almost run over in the street. He might have been saved because he holds a religious item that he received from Russian ghosts on an island. 3 stars
"The View" A supernatural tragic romance story. A man travels to an island and becomes romantically involved with a woman. The time-dilation that occurs on the island tragically ends the relationship. 4 stars
"Ringing the Changes" One of Aickman's better known stories. A newly-wed couple is in the town of Holihaven. There are strange, disturbing details in the story, such as the late night ringing of the bells. I won't reveal the climax. 4 stars
"The School Friend" It's been said that Aickman leaves his stories open to interpretation. The narration stays on the surface, as it were, but I interpret that, beneath the surface, there was a supernatural evil. My full interpretation of this story can be found elsewhere on goodreads. 4 stars
'The Waiting Room" A man stays overnight at a train station. Ghosts around him reenact events.
These ghosts are not a menace. I much prefer evil spirit stories. 3 stars
"Marriage" 1. Laming Gatestead is in a relationship with two women.
2. There is a lot of talk about the theater.
3. The relationships get complicated.
4. One of Laming Gateshead's girlfriends runs after him, falls down, and seriously injures
herself.
5. Laming Gateshead goes to his mother.
2.5 stars
"Larger Than Oneself" A humorous story. At a social gathering, individuals propound assorted religious, and sometimes non-mainstream, beliefs. Then an incredible event makes me wonder, "Did God appear in the story?" This event also seems similar to some UFO reports. 3.5
"My Poor Friend" The narrator is employed by an organization which advocates the use of rivers and streams for the generation of local electricity. The narrator finds someone in Parliament, named Enright, who support's our narrator's cause. At the end of the story, the MP who supported our narrator's cause is horribly killed.
There are curious things related in the story. For example, another MP tells our narrator, "Well, you'll do no good with Enright...I advise you to make a change..." . Another curious thing is a comment made by Enright about his children.
I think there is something beneath the surface of this story.
Robert Aickman, who co-founded the Inland Waterways Association, must have had experience dealing with the government and the media. Aickman probably drew upon his experience in writing this story. Also, being in contact with the government and media, Aickman might have heard rumors about child sexual abuse by media and government officials.
http://www.newsweek.com/extensive-uk-...
Perhaps what happened to Enright in the story is something that Aickman would have liked to see happen to the pederasts he heard about. 3.5 stars
"Ravissante" is about a symbolist painter whose checked sensuality is awakened by a visit to the widow of a famous painter. The widow urges him to rifle through the shrine-like wardrobe of her adopted daughter, to kneel and tread on the “complex silky nebula” of her dresses. 3 stars
"The House of the Russians" Another story told in a frame structure. A character is almost run over in the street. He might have been saved because he holds a religious item that he received from Russian ghosts on an island. 3 stars
"The View" A supernatural tragic romance story. A man travels to an island and becomes romantically involved with a woman. The time-dilation that occurs on the island tragically ends the relationship. 4 stars
"Ringing the Changes" One of Aickman's better known stories. A newly-wed couple is in the town of Holihaven. There are strange, disturbing details in the story, such as the late night ringing of the bells. I won't reveal the climax. 4 stars
"The School Friend" It's been said that Aickman leaves his stories open to interpretation. The narration stays on the surface, as it were, but I interpret that, beneath the surface, there was a supernatural evil. My full interpretation of this story can be found elsewhere on goodreads. 4 stars
'The Waiting Room" A man stays overnight at a train station. Ghosts around him reenact events.
These ghosts are not a menace. I much prefer evil spirit stories. 3 stars
"Marriage" 1. Laming Gatestead is in a relationship with two women.
2. There is a lot of talk about the theater.
3. The relationships get complicated.
4. One of Laming Gateshead's girlfriends runs after him, falls down, and seriously injures
herself.
5. Laming Gateshead goes to his mother.
2.5 stars
"Larger Than Oneself" A humorous story. At a social gathering, individuals propound assorted religious, and sometimes non-mainstream, beliefs. Then an incredible event makes me wonder, "Did God appear in the story?" This event also seems similar to some UFO reports. 3.5
"My Poor Friend" The narrator is employed by an organization which advocates the use of rivers and streams for the generation of local electricity. The narrator finds someone in Parliament, named Enright, who support's our narrator's cause. At the end of the story, the MP who supported our narrator's cause is horribly killed.
There are curious things related in the story. For example, another MP tells our narrator, "Well, you'll do no good with Enright...I advise you to make a change..." . Another curious thing is a comment made by Enright about his children.
I think there is something beneath the surface of this story.
Robert Aickman, who co-founded the Inland Waterways Association, must have had experience dealing with the government and the media. Aickman probably drew upon his experience in writing this story. Also, being in contact with the government and media, Aickman might have heard rumors about child sexual abuse by media and government officials.
http://www.newsweek.com/extensive-uk-...
Perhaps what happened to Enright in the story is something that Aickman would have liked to see happen to the pederasts he heard about. 3.5 stars
March 23, 2022
Aickman's open, slippery narratives take one on uneasy journeys through bewildering situations.
"Ravissante" is inspirational. I'm not the only one who thinks so:
https://themenaceofobjects.wordpress....
I also enjoyed "The View" and "The School Friend". The rest are hit-and-miss.
Update 3/2022:
Revisiting this. My favorites still pack a punch, "Ravissante" in particular. "The Houses of the Russians" is probably at a less exalted level, the (overly) leisurely setup leading to the cryptic and uncomfortable later events. I really enjoyed "The School Friend" the second time around. At the center of the story is the narrator's unspoken infatuation with the school friend, which drives most of her dubious decisions and (perhaps) misperceptions. The narrative darkens through several shifts, disturbing and tantalizing hints sprinkled throughout as we change our minds on what's going on; then that lovely, unexplained ending. "The View" is driven by one of Aickman's charismatic and (mostly) unattainable female characters; his sometimes problematic pontifications on women are (mostly, thankfully) kept in the background. The uncanny view from the window is a beautifully minimalistic disruption; lots of hints, few explanations.
I'm surprised how the lesser pieces seem so slight and longwinded. "Marriage" is a kind of skewed period rom com, where what seem to be Aickman's problematic relationships with women are on full display. I'm not sure what to make of the rapture that closes "Larger than Oneself". And "My Poor Friend" is choked with Aickman's rants about politics:
And if you haven't nodded off, this goes on for another page and half, before:
Wow. Some of the caricatures are pretty funny (what's with all the weak men living with their mothers into adulthood???) But there's quite a lot of slogging to be worked through, in the lesser pieces.
"The Waiting Room" has its admirers. I'd found it to be a disappointingly conventional ghost story, and a second reading did not change my view. Similarly, "Ringing the Changes" is a pretty straight folk horror piece.
"Ravissante" is inspirational. I'm not the only one who thinks so:
https://themenaceofobjects.wordpress....
I also enjoyed "The View" and "The School Friend". The rest are hit-and-miss.
Update 3/2022:
Revisiting this. My favorites still pack a punch, "Ravissante" in particular. "The Houses of the Russians" is probably at a less exalted level, the (overly) leisurely setup leading to the cryptic and uncomfortable later events. I really enjoyed "The School Friend" the second time around. At the center of the story is the narrator's unspoken infatuation with the school friend, which drives most of her dubious decisions and (perhaps) misperceptions. The narrative darkens through several shifts, disturbing and tantalizing hints sprinkled throughout as we change our minds on what's going on; then that lovely, unexplained ending. "The View" is driven by one of Aickman's charismatic and (mostly) unattainable female characters; his sometimes problematic pontifications on women are (mostly, thankfully) kept in the background. The uncanny view from the window is a beautifully minimalistic disruption; lots of hints, few explanations.
I'm surprised how the lesser pieces seem so slight and longwinded. "Marriage" is a kind of skewed period rom com, where what seem to be Aickman's problematic relationships with women are on full display. I'm not sure what to make of the rapture that closes "Larger than Oneself". And "My Poor Friend" is choked with Aickman's rants about politics:
Everybody nowadays thinks it is a bad joke that the Member of Parliament can almost never decide how he will vote, but is compelled, nonetheless to spend most of his parliamentary life attending "debates" based fundamentally. upon the premise that he can decide and is, therefore, accessible to argument. A smaller, better informed number thinks it a bad joke that the "debates" are, in the event, for the most part hardly attended at all, though almost all M.P.s in default of special personal arrangements have to hang about while they are going on...
And if you haven't nodded off, this goes on for another page and half, before:
Yes, of course I speak with some bitterness...
Wow. Some of the caricatures are pretty funny (what's with all the weak men living with their mothers into adulthood???) But there's quite a lot of slogging to be worked through, in the lesser pieces.
"The Waiting Room" has its admirers. I'd found it to be a disappointingly conventional ghost story, and a second reading did not change my view. Similarly, "Ringing the Changes" is a pretty straight folk horror piece.
November 11, 2013
Eerie, atmospheric, almost Victorian, Aickman's stories are all about hints and omens, tension and suspense. Very few of the mysteries in these stories are solved; instead one is left with an uneasy sense that there are some Very Nasty Things out there. Just around the corner or down the alley. In the dark.
I think my favorite was "The View," in which a man recovering from some unspecified illness goes on holiday, on his doctor's recommendation. On the boat over to the island that is his destination he meets a young woman who invites him to stay with her in her huge estate; he accepts and, although initially installed in a guest room, they are soon sleeping together. However, the ony fly in the ointment is that the view from his window keeps...changing. Between one day and the next things appear and disappear, or move from on place to another...
This collection also includes a classic "undead" story ("Ringing the Changes"); a ghost story ("The Houses of the Russians"); one, or possibly two, "monster children" stories; the title story, an unnerving tale of a painter, an old woman and her daughter; and several more.
Aickman's stories share with those of H.P. Lovecraft a delicate balance between too much information and not enough -- too much and you get gore/splatter with nothing left to the imagination, too little and you get ho-hum, a story that doesn't compel or intrigue. There is a difference between horror and terror; Aickman is a master of the latter. He takes you by the hand and leads you to the very doorstep of seeing what's lurking out there in the dark...and then turns out the light.
(Bonus: The dust jacket is illustrated by Edward Gorey!)
I think my favorite was "The View," in which a man recovering from some unspecified illness goes on holiday, on his doctor's recommendation. On the boat over to the island that is his destination he meets a young woman who invites him to stay with her in her huge estate; he accepts and, although initially installed in a guest room, they are soon sleeping together. However, the ony fly in the ointment is that the view from his window keeps...changing. Between one day and the next things appear and disappear, or move from on place to another...
This collection also includes a classic "undead" story ("Ringing the Changes"); a ghost story ("The Houses of the Russians"); one, or possibly two, "monster children" stories; the title story, an unnerving tale of a painter, an old woman and her daughter; and several more.
Aickman's stories share with those of H.P. Lovecraft a delicate balance between too much information and not enough -- too much and you get gore/splatter with nothing left to the imagination, too little and you get ho-hum, a story that doesn't compel or intrigue. There is a difference between horror and terror; Aickman is a master of the latter. He takes you by the hand and leads you to the very doorstep of seeing what's lurking out there in the dark...and then turns out the light.
(Bonus: The dust jacket is illustrated by Edward Gorey!)
June 25, 2008
Robert Aickman is one of my favorite writers. He's a great supernatural fiction writer and pretty much everything he wrote can be put under that genre but at the same time you could also put him up there with Kafka, in terms of bizzare and unsettling little stories which poke at bigger questions.
I have to say, that everything I read about him talks about his vagueness as a writer, which could be true but I feel it is more that he chooses not to reveal information that could undermine his story. I think this is why his stories are so effectively creepy. If you show everything then there's very little room for imagination.
Also I don't believe that his vagueness is purposeless,that is to say, in only a few of his stories would I say that the mysterious atmosphere conceals nothing, for the most part after re-reading many of his stories, they no longer seem completely bizzare but instead begin to seem like tortured allegories.
I have to say, that everything I read about him talks about his vagueness as a writer, which could be true but I feel it is more that he chooses not to reveal information that could undermine his story. I think this is why his stories are so effectively creepy. If you show everything then there's very little room for imagination.
Also I don't believe that his vagueness is purposeless,that is to say, in only a few of his stories would I say that the mysterious atmosphere conceals nothing, for the most part after re-reading many of his stories, they no longer seem completely bizzare but instead begin to seem like tortured allegories.
September 2, 2017
Respected this more than I enjoyed it. I'm not sure if I've read Aickman before, but he's good--great prose, terrific sense of mood, willingness to let the creeps settle in without ever overselling. But about half the stories in this collection, I felt like I was missing some crucial piece of information that would've made them really click in my mind. I assume that's more my fault than the author's, but it meant I felt at a remove throughout. That might be the intended effect, but it also meant I spent a good deal of the time enjoying the trees but being vaguely frustrated by the forest.
September 5, 2021
This was a mostly mediocre collection that I had a hard time finishing. The stories were either overly obscure or boring.
Ravissante - 3 stars
The Houses of the Russians - 3 stars, but unclear on the symbolism being used, especially the orthodox feast day.
The View- 2 stars
Ringing the Changes - 4 stars, great atmosphere
The School Friend- 3 stars, somewhat intriguing yet also bewildering
The Waiting Room - 1 star, very pedestrian
Marriage - 4 stars, the best of the collection
Larger than Oneself - 1 star, way too long for what seems like a joke story
My Poor Friend - 1 star, could barely finish.
Ravissante - 3 stars
The Houses of the Russians - 3 stars, but unclear on the symbolism being used, especially the orthodox feast day.
The View- 2 stars
Ringing the Changes - 4 stars, great atmosphere
The School Friend- 3 stars, somewhat intriguing yet also bewildering
The Waiting Room - 1 star, very pedestrian
Marriage - 4 stars, the best of the collection
Larger than Oneself - 1 star, way too long for what seems like a joke story
My Poor Friend - 1 star, could barely finish.
December 22, 2014
Robert Aickman was an expert at spinning strange, uncanny stories full of symbolism that touch on the horrors of daily life. They're so multi-layered that they almost require several readings; even then, I wasn't sure I had picked up on everything. Even when he's writing a standard ghost story ("The Waiting Room"), he's better and more interesting than pretty much any other writer who attempts it. Unfortunately, Aickman is still relatively unknown in the U.S., and a good chunk of his stories are still hard to find in reasonably-priced books. Faber reprinted several collections as paperbacks in the UK, but they're reissues of the easier-to-find books that fans will have already tracked down. I recommend the '70s American prints of "Painted Devils" and "Cold Hand in Mine" with their Edward Gorey art.
April 27, 2019
There's creepiness, but these stories haven't aged well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2022
"Ravissante": 9
- A meandering -- structurally, if not narratively -- little story of strange happenings and the queer manifestation of sublimated pyschological desire. STORY: a lawyer who's met an off painter becomes his executor after death, and leaves us with an autobiographical snippet from the man's youth, when, during a trip to see Symobolist painting in Belgium, It is, on one hand, the slow burn of the story and one or two sly and small asides that make the story (in story terms), namely his admission that agreeing to see her "daughter's" wardrobe was the last conscious choice he made, and the realization that her imperatives are more and more compulsory for him, he has no assent here at all--a nicely ambiguous sort of malevolence. And the other strength--precisely that Character Trait made manifest, namely his confused attitude toward women, and then the enforced humiliation and obeisance and groveling forced upon him by an aged, decrepit woman. A lot going on, to say the least.
"The Houses of the Russian": 7.25
- A languid monologue, with little to it beyond the hints at fog and figures in the distance and whatever eerie stupor can arise out of a lone stranger at a bar narrating a strange experience over an uninterrupted half hour, which is exactly what the story purports to be. In that case, successful, I guess. I did like, however, how we never truly learn the nature of the inciting incident (the near-accident our storyteller miraculously survives with the help of his Magic Coin). STORY: man tells story of coming across a mist-shrouded island in Finland as young man, seeing
"The View": 4.25
- The decline continues apace. Worth it for the stationary, burly man in black keeping eerie watch over the proceedings. And little else.
- A meandering -- structurally, if not narratively -- little story of strange happenings and the queer manifestation of sublimated pyschological desire. STORY: a lawyer who's met an off painter becomes his executor after death, and leaves us with an autobiographical snippet from the man's youth, when, during a trip to see Symobolist painting in Belgium, It is, on one hand, the slow burn of the story and one or two sly and small asides that make the story (in story terms), namely his admission that agreeing to see her "daughter's" wardrobe was the last conscious choice he made, and the realization that her imperatives are more and more compulsory for him, he has no assent here at all--a nicely ambiguous sort of malevolence. And the other strength--precisely that Character Trait made manifest, namely his confused attitude toward women, and then the enforced humiliation and obeisance and groveling forced upon him by an aged, decrepit woman. A lot going on, to say the least.
"The Houses of the Russian": 7.25
- A languid monologue, with little to it beyond the hints at fog and figures in the distance and whatever eerie stupor can arise out of a lone stranger at a bar narrating a strange experience over an uninterrupted half hour, which is exactly what the story purports to be. In that case, successful, I guess. I did like, however, how we never truly learn the nature of the inciting incident (the near-accident our storyteller miraculously survives with the help of his Magic Coin). STORY: man tells story of coming across a mist-shrouded island in Finland as young man, seeing
"The View": 4.25
- The decline continues apace. Worth it for the stationary, burly man in black keeping eerie watch over the proceedings. And little else.
July 1, 2018
Their love was like a magnifying glass between them.
I picked this up along with Cold Hand in Mine because both sport a very nice cover by Edward Gorey.
Most of these are about the haunting that wasn’t quite there, but a few involve an explicit twisting of reality, a secluded manor, or the hand of god. Even then, though, we see them obliquely, through the eyes of one who does not understand, and partly for this reason survives to tell their story.
July 21, 2020
I love Robert Aickman and this book doesn't disappoint. James Scott Bell writes that every short story needs to have a "shattering event." Aickman's genius is in leaving you in no doubt that you've vicariously experienced one, even if you can't quite put your finger on exactly what it was...
Aickman is to strange stories what Wodehouse is to humour.
Aickman is to strange stories what Wodehouse is to humour.
October 6, 2017
Painted Devils by Robert Aickmam is a collection of his modern British ghost stories.This rarely happens to me, but when reading the ending of Marriage, it actually got to me and I almost dropped the book. Perfect stories for Halloween and October or a scary Summer read.
September 5, 2020
Drops off significantly for the last 3 stories, but solid otherwise.
October 3, 2020
Stand-outs for me:
-Ringing the Changes
-The School Friend
-Marriage
-The View
-Ringing the Changes
-The School Friend
-Marriage
-The View
July 28, 2023
Collection of mostly excellent Aickman tales. None of my favorites on this one, and yet, not a single bad story. His lesser great stuff worth a second reading.
Want to read
July 16, 2011Stephen King recommended author and book. Noted as "important to the genre we have been discussing" from Danse Macabre, published in 1981. Author discussed in chapter 9.
April 13, 2017
Right from the first story I read in here, ("The Waiting Room") I thought, 'That hits the spot--thanks, Mr. Aickman!' The stories are at turns melancholy and fervently horrifying, an odd combination for any fiction collection. Not for those with short attention spans, but recommended for readers looking for frights that don't involve blood and gore. Mr. Aickman was a gentleman, he didn't need more than his wits to scare us. Bonus points for a cover illustration by Edward Gorey.
February 15, 2018
Nine classically eerie Aickman stories in which ordinary settings reveal extraordinary things. These are not horror stories nor necessarily ghost stories, but, as the book's subtitle has it, strange stories. If you like to feel your skin prickle, and you like fluent prose, Aickman is for you.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews