Count Magnus
‘I heard one cry in the night, and I heard one laugh afterwards. If I cannot forget that, I shall not be able to sleep again.’
Count Magnus – M. R. James
Welcome to the M. R. James countdown to Halloween. We’re off to Sweden for the splendidly gothic tale of Count Magnus. Before I reread this story, I had a dim memory this was a terrifying tale that had something about being followed home by something nasty.
How right I was.
This is another I-found-a-box-of-papers-and-their-author-came-to-a-nasty-end job combined with a classic deal with the devil for perpetual life we came across the Stalls of Barchester Cathedral and Number 13 with one important difference: this time you feel sorry for the poor hero Mr Wraxhall. This is a harsh lesson in keeping your mouth shut around mysterious mausoleums. All the poor man said was “I should dearly like to see you” and he got a pair of demonic stalkers. Count Magnus is seriously clingy. Also, is it me or did M. R. James think that everyone in central Europe had a rolling data plan with Satan?
I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone who hasn’t read it (what are you still doing here? Go!) so all I’ll say is that M. R. James does a lovely job building up a supernatural atmosphere while adding the threat of extreme violence.
Also, there’s a tentacle.
He gets an extra star for the tentacle.
Next up it’s Lost Hearts.
Verdict
**** (4 screaming nightmares out of 5)
Shhhhh! You’ll never want to invite dead Swedish Counts to tea again.
M. R. James bingo
Ditching friends or offers of company on holiday- Getting into trouble on holiday
Book abuse- Ignoring the blindingly obvious facts/hints of others
GolfInterfering with an archaeological site19th century snobbery
The Story
The story can be found in James’s anthology Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904) and is included in most later collections of his stories. Depending on your country and copyright restrictions, you may be able to access the book legally and for free via Project Gutenberg.
The dedicated people at literature wiki have put together an excellent synopsis here.
K.M. Cooke 