doom planned for Dunning subsequently claims its
author.
Effective horror stories must usually include at
least two conditions. First, the protagonist must
have a chance to survive, although that is not nec-
essarily what happens. Second, the supernatural el-
ement should conform to a set of rules. Vampires
must recoil from a cross, for example, unless the
reader is specifically told in advance that this par-
ticular rule is invalid. James was cognizant of this
fact, and his efforts to ensure that the reader un-
derstand the nature of the problem to be solved
makes the story a more effective one. This inter-
pretation of the manner in which runes can be
used to impose a curse was later used to great ef-
fect in Rune(1990) by Christopher FOWLERand
the amusing 1991 film Cast a Deadly Spell.
The Castle of Otranto Horace Walpole
(1765)
Horace Walpole virtually invented the genre of
Gothic fantasy and supernatural fiction with this
very early novel, which, although poorly con-
structed and archaically written by modern stan-
dards, remains of interest because the author
originated many conventions imitators would em-
brace and develop in subsequent years. Although
Walpole wrote other fiction, none of his other
work was rooted in the supernatural, and it is
largely unknown and unavailable today.
The story is set in Otranto, Italy, in an undeter-
mined time but probably the 11th or 12th century.
Manfred, the local ruler, is a cruel and bitter man
who hopes to forge an alliance between his ailing
son and the daughter of a powerful rival. Before the
marriage ceremony can be completed, the son is
killed by the fall of an oversized helmet that resem-
bles that found on a statue of an earlier benevolent
ruler named Alfonso. When one of the guests com-
ments on that fact, he is promptly seized and
thrown into the dungeon. Manfred proposes to take
his son’s place, even though his own wife is still
alive. A succession of supernatural events takes
place before Manfred is thwarted, though not killed,
and much of the castle is destroyed by a supernatu-
rally projected giant who anoints the imprisoned
house guest as Manfred’s successor. Further revela-
tions include the murder of Alfonso by Manfred, the
death of Manfred’s daughter, and the eventual mar-
riage of the new ruler.
When originally published the novel purported
to be a translation of an existing manuscript, a de-
vice still used in some modern fiction. Walpole’s
imitators, particularly Anne Radcliffe, produced
much more coherent and entertaining tales along
similar lines, but their debt to Walpole is clear. The
Castle of Otrantohas been reprinted many times
since, most recently in 2002, but because of its un-
familiar prose style it is of interest chiefly as a liter-
ary milestone.The Castle SeriesJohn DeChancie
(1988–1994)
John DeChancie began his writing career with some
quite innovative science fiction novels that con-
tained elements of sharp humor that became much
more appropriate and effective in this series of eight
fantasy novels, starting with Castle Perilous(1988).
Humorous fantasy was quite popular at the time, and
authors such as Craig Shaw GARDNER, Esther FRIES-
NER, J. Calvin Pierce, and other American writers
joined DeChancie to produce a steady supply of
light-hearted fantasy novels. DeChancie’s madcap
adventures are set inside a magical castle fitted with
144,000 doors, each of which opens onto another re-
ality. In Castle Perilous,a frustrated academic stum-
bles into the castle and meets a variety of odd
people, not all of them human. This set the premise
and the tone for the subsequent books, which varied
widely in their actual plots and settings.
The frantic pace was turned up a notch in
Castle for Rent(1989). The ruling king is stranded
temporarily in contemporary New York City, while
Castle Perilous is infested by a horde of blue
demons. Castle Kidnapped (1989), which is the
weakest in the series, consists of various episodic
adventures that ensue when many of the residents
of the castle are dumped unceremoniously into a
variety of weird worlds, including one dominated
by dinosaurs who play golf. Castle War!(1990) was
a decided improvement. The residents of the castle
are menaced by the structure’s evil twin, an alter-
nate version of the castle inhabited by a host of vil-
lains drawn from multiple realities.50 The Castle of Otranto