other reflecting surfaces and eventually solve the
mystery of her identity. Hautala has also written a
considerable number of short stories, many of
which are collected in Bedbugs(2000). Among his
best are “Getting the Job Done” (1989), “The
Back of My Hands” (1995), and “Knocking”
(1999).
Hawke, Simon(1951– )
Simon Hawke was born Nicholas Yermakov and
used that name for his early science fiction, al-
though he had changed to Simon Hawke by the
time he turned to fantasy. His horror fiction is lim-
ited to several movie novelizations during the late
1980s, but he also began writing fantasy during
that period, primarily humorous adventures with a
more or less contemporary setting. The first of
these was The Wizard of Fourth Street (1987),
which evolved into an extended series about an
inept wizard who has various adventures in a world
that closely resembles our own, except that magic
is a part of everyday life apparently as a conse-
quence of an apocalyptic transformation sometime
in the near future.
Eight sequels followed, varying from humor to
high adventure and each taking the wizard protag-
onist into another setting. He travels to England to
rescue the last survivor of Camelot in The Wizard
of Whitechapel(1988), tracks down a serial killer
who may be Satan himself in The Wizard of Sunset
Strip(1989), defeats a supernatural army beneath
Paris in The Wizard of the Rue Morgue(1990), fights
a Japanese sorceress in The Samurai Wizard(1991),
makes friends with an intelligent cat in The Wizard
of Santa Fe(1991), and has further adventures in
The Wizard of Lovecraft’s Cafe(1993) and The Last
Wizard(1997). The Wizard of Camelot(1993) is ac-
tually a prequel dealing with the catastrophe that
returned magic to the world. The Nine Lives of Cat-
seye Gomez(1991) is set in the same universe and
features the intelligent cat who appears in The
Wizard of Santa Fe.
The Martin Brewster series is much more de-
pendent on its humorous content. Brewster was
introduced in The Reluctant Sorcerer(1992), cata-
pulted into an alternate world where magic works.
In the superior sequel, The Inadequate Adept(1993),
Brewster realizes that he is a character in a story
and decides to try to influence the author. The Am-
bivalent Magician(1996) is the disappointing con-
clusion. Hawke has also written a number of more
serious, game-related fantasy adventures, of which
the best are The Iron Throne(1995) and its sequel,
Wa r(1996). He has written very few short stories,
mostly early in his career, but they are generally of
very high quality, particularly “Melponeme, Cal-
liope, and Fred” (1980) and “Far Removed from
the Scene of the Crime” (1980). Hawke’s most re-
cent work has been outside the fantasy field, but his
return would be widely welcomed.“He Cometh and He Passeth By”
H. R. Wakefield(1928)
The ghost and horror stories of Herbert Russell
WAKEFIELDare often compared to those of M. R.
JAMES, which they strongly resemble, although
Wakefield’s plots are less original and his prose
sometimes less effective. This particular story is an
excellent example of the influence James had on his
work, because it is structured very much like that of
James’s classic story “CASTING THE RUNES” (1911).
The device by which a magical curse is conveyed in
the earlier story is a slip of paper inscribed with cer-
tain runes, while in Wakefield’s version a drawing
of an inhuman creature is substituted.
The protagonist is Edward Bellamy, a barrister
who finds an old friend in dire straits. Philip Fran-
ton had fallen under the influence of a charis-
matic but villainous man named Oscar Clinton.
Although they parted at last under apparently
civil terms, Franton subsequently does Clinton a
slight disservice, after which he receives a letter
with the drawing of a menacing figure. In the days
that follow he sees fragments of a shadow that
grow progressively larger and more coherent until
finally the creature itself emerges from the dark-
ness and embraces him. Franton is dead, appar-
ently of heart failure, but Bellamy knows that an
occult force was used.
He tracks down Clinton and learns that the
man is totally amoral, acting on impulse and with-
out conscience and aided by a wealth of dangerous
occult knowledge. Bellamy consults another ex-
pert, who provides the means by which he can“He Cometh and He Passeth By” 159