Who Is This Guy??...
Who Is This Guy?
Why 'The Menace!!' well this goes way back to when I was a school kid and as my name was Dennis I was always called a menace (original or what!!), anyway the nickname stuck so I kept it going right through to the technical world of today, I was also an avid reader of 'The Beano' when I was younger and I loved following the exploits of Dennis The Menace so it was a nickname that I did not mind.
Where did Devilment come from then I hear you ask? You did ask didn't you? Well my full name, Dennis Wheatley has always created a reaction too, whenever I have to tell anybody my name I would get the following response nine times out of ten, "Not The Author?". This made me find out just who this 'author' bloke was who had nicked my name, well it turns out that this bloke wrote some really good books which all seemed to be about Black Magic (He must have loved dark chocolates I guess!!) and devil worship. Anyway I read a couple of his books and I have to admit that they were very good especially 'To The Devil A Daughter'. I also have a forty odd year passion for Manchester United - The Red Devils, whom I have followed through thick & thin, rain & shine, disappointment & celebration, so I decided to play on the word Devil for my homepage, hence Devilment (and it is copyrighted so beware!!), now was that interesting or what!!
I had a relatively illness free youth and I had worked all my life from leaving school up until illness forced me to retire prematurely in 1990. In the years since 1987 when illness struck my health has gradually deteriorated and now I have practically no grip in my hands, very painful hips, knees & ankles through the effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis, other ailments have come along probably due to the R/A, inactivity and the medication and I am now a wheelchair user as I can only walk a few steps unaided and that is with severe pain & discomfort in fact most of my time is spent in some kind of arthritic pain & breathlessness but I do not and will not let my illness get the better of me. I know that my illness will eventually take it's toll but that's life.......Shit Happens!!
Well that's a bit about myself, but what about this other Dennis Wheatley....
DENNIS WHEATLEY was one of a kind. He died in 1977 aged
eighty. He is the godfather of British supernatural fiction and Prince of thriller writers. He was a patriot, a soldier and member of the upper class without snobbery. His diversity of fiction includes THE DEVIL RIDES OUT, THE SCARLET IMPOSTOR, THE LAUNCHING OF ROGER BROOK and UNCHARTERED SEAS. His non fiction includes THE DEVIL AND ALL HIS WORKS and RED EAGLE. He also completed three volumes of an anticipated five volume autobiography shortly before his death. The last pages of the last volume are truly moving.
DENNIS WHEATLEY’S novels spanned over four decades, which makes him, not only the main supernatural author of the century, but also the longest writing. Only about a sixth of WHEATLEY’S novels are supernatural thrillers, but as each of his characters became involved in at least one supernatural story. Most of WHEATLEY’S books that I have read get a mention here.
WHEATLEY’S horror novels are from a different era and it wasn’t until the coming of HERBERT and KING that the style of horror was to change. WHEATLEY’S horror can best be described as supernatural, romantic, gentlemanly, thrillers.
Lets start with WHEATLEY’S self proclaimed four musketeers. The Duke De Richleau, Simon Aron, Rex Van Ryn and Richard Eaton. Their most famous story and WHEATLEY’S most famous book is THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1934). As far as I’m aware it is one of the few of WHEATLEY’S dozens of novels to be filmed. The movie of THE DEVIL RIDES OUT is a hammer classic with PETER CUSHING and CHRISTOPHER LEE. In the tale, Simon Aron falls under the power of a local high black priest and his three contemporaries attempt to rescue him.
THE FORBIDDEN TERRITORY (1956) sees the four in an exciting adventure behind Russia’s iron curtain. THE GOLDEN SPANIARD (1938) sees them in Spain involved in the Spanish civil war and a treasure hunt. DANGEROUS INHERITANCE (1965) is set in CEYLON (SRI LANKA) and is the last Duke De Richleau story and is one of the best.
However, after DANGEROUS INHERITANCE, GATEWAY TO HELL (1970) was published in the early seventies. In this Van Ryn is the one tempted into diabolical practices in South America.
The Gregory Sallust stories kick off with CONTRABAND (1936), an ordinary story of smuggling set, when it was written, in the thirties. Sallust next appears in BLACK AUGUST (1938), a dire, almost SF tale of anarchy on the streets of Britain. Sallust is put to best use however, in his wartime spy stories. They kick off with the impressive SCARLET IMPOSTOR (1940), where Sallust disguised as a nazi general goes into war torn Germany. FAKED PASSPORTS (1940) picks up minutes after THE SCARLET IMPOSTOR finishes and most of the adventure is set in Finland and Russia. The war series tails off well with THEY USED DARK FORCES (1964). Sallust becomes imprisoned by a high ranking magician and the book hints at Hitler’s fascination with the occult.
Roger Brook is WHEATLEY’S historical hero and the books cover him through his life from the 1780’s. THE LAUNCHING OF ROGER BROOK (1947) is an incredible, fascinating tale of a young lad who finds himself in France vying for a young noble lady’s affections. The follow up THE SHADOW OF TYBURN TREE (1948) is a relative disappointment, but the series gets back on track with the excellent, THE RISING STORM (1949). The fourth in the series THE MAN WHO KILLED THE KING (1951) is overlong and too bogged down with historical facts. However it has a superb twist at the end and really gives insight into the atrocities of the ‘regin of terror’.
WHEATLEY’S novels also use one off characters. UNCHARTERED SEAS (1938) is a good fantasy about an algae covered area of the oceans inhabited by giant crustaceans etc! MEDITERRANEAN NIGHTS (1942) is an interesting collection of short stories.
SUCH POWER IS DANGEROUS (1933) is a great tale of thirties cut throat hollywood. THE EUNUCH OF STAMBOUL (1935) is another excellent thriller set in the east, a hero with the unlikely name of Swithin Destime. In THEY FOUND ATLANTIS (1936), they do just that!
One of WHEATLEY’S last fiction books is one of his best. THE STRANGE STORY OF LINDA LEE (1972) has of all things a heroine. It is a fast paced tale of a young girl who marries her ageing benefactor and then after he dies, she makes off with his jewels.
WHEATLEY went totally SF with STAR OF ILL OMEN (1952) which ends up set on Mars. Two supernatural books are the disappointing TO THE DEVIL - A DAUGHTER (196?) (with a title like that, you have to expect great things), and the quite brilliant, THE HAUNTING OF TOBY JUGG (1948).
THE HAUNTING OF TOBY JUGG is set out as the journal of a crippled young heir to riches, who is terrorized by monsters at his bedroom window night after night. Very effective and I think unique amongst WHEATLEY’S work. This stands as one of my favourite horror novels ever.
DENNIS WHEATLEY might not have always been the best, but he was the original.
RATING (Out Of 10):
THE HAUNTING OF TOBY JUGG 10
THE LAUNCHING OF ROGER BROOK 10
THE RISING STORM 9
THE SCARLET IMPOSTOR 9
THE DEVIL RIDES OUT 8
THE GOLDEN SPANIARD 8
THEY FOUND ATLANTIS 8
THE FORBIDDEN TERRITORY 8
THE MAN WHO KILLED THE KING 8
STAR OF ILL OMEN 7
FAKED PASSPORTS 7
UNCHARTERED SEAS 7
CURTAIN OF FEAR 7
MEDITERRANEAN NIGHTS 7
TO THE DEVIL - A DAUGHTER 7
BILL FOR THE USE OF A BODY 5
BLACK AUGUST 5
Other books - The Prisoner In The Mask (1957), Three Inquisitive People (1940), Codeword - Golden Fleece (1946), The Black Baroness (1940), Come Into My Parlour (1946), V For Vegeance (1942), The Island Where Times Stands Still (1954), The White Witch Of The South Seas (1968), The Quest Of Julian Day, The Sword Of Fate (1941), Traitors Gate (1958), Vendetta In Spain (1961), The Sultans Daughter (1963), The Dark Secret Of Josephine (1955), The Rape Of Venice (1959), The Wanton Princess (1966), Evil In A Mask (1969), The Ravishing Of Lady Mary Ware (1971), The Irish Witch (1973), Desperate Measures (1974), Gunmen Gallants And Ghosts (1943), Red Eagle (1936), Old Rowley (1933), The Man Who Missed The War (1946), Unholy Crusade (1967), Strange Conflict (1941), The Satanist (1966), Mayhem In Greece (1962), The Fabulous Valley (1953), Drink and Ink (autobiog.), Officer And A Gentleman (Autobiog.) (1978), Stranger Than Fiction (1959), The Second Seal (1950), The Ka of Gifford Hillary (1956), The Secret War (1937), Sixty Days To Live (1939)
Other Books In My Library (By Not So Famous Authors!!)
I Almost Missed The Bus - Justin Tyme
The Worst Journey in the World - Helen Back
Errors & Accidents - Miss Takes And Miss Happs
Fishy Tales - Rod Enreel
Genie In A Bottle - Grant Wishes
Pain and Sorrow - Anne Guish
Crossing Roads Safely - Luke Bothways
Head In The Clouds - Jason Rainbows
House Construction - Bill Jerome Home
Sunday Prayers - Neil Downe
How I Won The Marathon - Randy Holeway
Page Three Beauties - Seymour Titt
She Was A Coward - Lily Livard
Losing Your Balance - Eileen Dover & Phil Down
Neither A Borrower - Nora Lenderbee
Old Furniture - Ann Teek
Pants Around The Ankles - Lucy Lastic
Poisonous Plants - Dudley Niteshade
Scandinavian Painting - Matt Finnish
Songs From Musicals - Sam & Janet Evening
Songs For Children - Barbara Blacksheep
Stop Harassing Me - Percy Kueshon
The Opticians Guide - Seymour Clearly
Joint Disease - Arthur Writis
Plants & Foliage - Teresa Green
Eastern Transport - Rik Shaw
Body Parts - Tony Handfoot
Last Updated: 30th May, 2008