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Episode 584 - The Blood-Flower (Patreon)

Published:
2022-02-17 17:00:07
Imported:
2022-02

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Content

Drift over and join us as we waft The Blood-Flower by Seabury Quinn!

Special thanks to reader Andrew Leman of Voluminous!

Next up: Storytelling in Role-Playing with Kenneth Hite and The Wolf-Woman by Bassett Morgan.

Comments

Anonymous

I’m just starting this, but having listened to a good chunk of the Dr. Grandin stories on Audible (and what a weird fantasy kitchen sink they are), I hope you two do the entire episode in that outrageous French accent.

Jason Thompson

What a drag that the two (?) women creators on your list wrote male detectives!

Jason Thompson

Oh, my dad owns “Roads”! Yeah, it’s a ridiculous book about how Santa Claus originated as a Roman legionnaire who became immortal and teamed up with a bunch of gnomes to give people presents forever.

Anonymous

I had to grab my own volume of Quinn to get the exact quote, but in the story where the detective meets the doctor, Jules de Grandin is described as speaking in "a pleasant voice, almost devoid of accent." He then proceeds to speak in sweary (?) Franglais through every story in the book. I kind of love it.

Anonymous

Guys, your lighthearted, witty strange studies are such a reliable comfort in times such as these. I have been working in pastoral care for some years now, and my skills can't hold a flashlight (you Americans say so, right?) to the joy you bring us all!

Anonymous

I liked the Jack Reacher digression and completely agree with Chad: they are the modern pulp wish fulfillment. Reacher is the new Ascott Keane. I remember Lee Child, who writes the books, wrote somewhere (I think in an afterword to a reissue of the first novel) that he wanted to make Reacher impossibly competent. He wanted a character that never had any struggles and was never behind the villain. They shouldn't really work, but they are strangely, numbingly satisfying. I haven't seen the Amazon show, but the first Tom Cruise movie worked well with him as Reacher because his being a bit more physically normal gave some credibility and tension to his inevitable triumph. Plus Werner Herzog was the big bad!

Anonymous

Where I come from we don't say "a psychosexual stimulation from nice clothing," we just say "gender euphoria." Seriously though, based off of that very brief description of the mindswap story, the tale does sound like the kind of TF erotica a trans egg who's VERY much repressing some Feelings might write.

Anonymous

I wonder if the discrepancy between Jules de Grandin calling his magic circle "the Druid's Foot, or pentagram" and the diagram of a SIX-pointed star was a mistake by the author, or some poor overworked editor at WEIRD TALES? However, the biggest flaw in "The Blood-Flower" is definitely the fault of Seabury Quinn: Mrs. Evander, potentially the most interesting character in the story, is relegated to the role of Sexy Werewolf Lamp -- the poor woman has no dialogue (unless wordless howls count), barely has a first name, and spends most of the story drugged to the gills. Having read several Jules de Grandin stories, I think they could be adapted into a fun 1930s-style film series, like "Dr. Kildare" with a supernatural spin.

Anonymous

I love that "Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf" came up, and Chris' automatic (and fully justified) reaction was that Chad was just pulling it out of his ass. I mean, if there had only ever been ONE Howling movie, and Chad decided to make a joke about an imaginary sequel, the odds of him calling it "Your Sister Is a Werewolf" are astoundingly high.

Anonymous

Quinn's Phantom Farmhouse was in an episode of Night Gallery that featured Conrad Aiken's "Silent Snow, Secret Snow." Between the two it's worth checking out.

Anonymous
>>78098332

(In the offchance this ends up in a Comments Show and the gents are confused at "TF," it's the abbreviation for transformation art—kink art centered around bodily transformation which is, to the target audience, erotic/affirming/whatever. Transformations along the lines of gender, people transforming into their fursonas, etc."

Anonymous

I had really hoped that both Chris and Chad would like this Jules de Grandin story more (even though it's not one of the best) simply so we could get more occult detective tales on the show. I did appreciate Chad's rundown of the topic at the start, but I have to say I'm always perplexed by Chris's dismissal of this facet of the Weird Tales genre. Is this why we have never gotten a third episode of Quite & Bold? Did Chris start hating himself every time he had to adopt the persona of Randolph Bold? Are there any occult detective characters that you guys unabashedly like? What about John Constantine or Harry D'Amour? Both would seem to satisfy Chris's desire for a more morally gray occult detective. Or what about Fox Mulder? Does he count? One last thing, I was surprised that this was the first Seabury Quinn story you all have covered but upon reflection I was even more surprised you've never done a Sherlock Holmes story. I figure The Hound of the Baskervilles, at least, would meet the qualifications of a Strange Story worthy of a Strange Study.

Anonymous

When it comes to Psychic Detectives, none of them roll harder than the OG Flaxman Low by the writing team of H&E Heron, a.k.a Major Heskett Heskett-Pritchard; world explorer, professional cricketer, decorated sniper--and his his mother. You only call on Low when all other options have been exhausted, as he will probably burn your house to the ground. Seriously, in “The Story of Baelbrow" (1898) Low rids an old mansion of a mummy possessed by the ghost of a vampire by emptying a revolver into it's face, beating it's head into goo, and then giving it a Viking Funeral.

Anonymous

And here is a great primer article on Psychic Detectives from Tor.com Haunted Holidays: The Terrible Occult Detectives by Grady Hendrix https://www.tor.com/2013/12/18/haunted-holidays-the-terrible-occult-detectives/

Anonymous

Just a side note, the very first character to appear in what would become the DC shared universe, before Batman and Superman, was the Psychic Detective Dr. Occult. (More Fun Comics #6 Oct. 1935)

Anonymous
>>78118266

Thank you for bringing this article into my life, it is a thing of beauty.

Anonymous

Let's see. So that will be $10,000 for the cure - which, I'm sure you agree, was successful as advertised - minus $10,000 for the horrible, disfiguring traumatic cruelty of said cure... I'd say we come out even on this one. Anybody seen my.... How do you say? Hutch? Hitch? Hootch, no? Why do you not call it brandy as any civilized person might?

Anonymous

Good golly, Miss Molly. This story's illustration really is distracting, Chris. The werewolf in deed looks like it has the face of a witch, while also reminding me of the old, melting face man in "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Now, I really aught not be surprised that a lady werewolf would bare her breasts instead of going for the psychosexual thrill of an angora sweater. Yet, still thinking of witches, my memory went to a phase I oft heard in my Michigan childhood. "It's colder than a witch's tit outside." Well, now I question the origin of such a turn of phrase. How cold really is a witch's tit, and why would it be so cold? Perhaps it's the windchill experienced flying on a broom stick? Wait, the werewolf was a dude! ? I'm so confused. Free-drick, not Fred-rick? Eye-gor, not Eee-gor? What? I better listen to this again.

Anonymous

Haven’t listened yet but it took me a surprisingly long time to realise that the title meant flower like a plant’s sexual organs and not flow-er like menstruation.

Anonymous

Let’s not forget the occult detective, Kolchak: The Night Stalker. While not exactly literary, they did produce a number of novels for the TV character. One from 2007 is titled; The Lovecraftian Horror. I think

Anonymous

I love the Lee Child novels and hated hated Cruise's portrayal. As miscast as Scarjo playing a Japanese android. Despite some flaws the Amazon show pulls it off and Alan Ritchinson is as perfect for the role as Henry Cavill is for Geralt. Also great shoutouts to Kolchak and I'd like to toss in a bit of Harry Dresden, who I guess isn't so much an occult detective as a working class wizard like Constantine, just with fewer smokes, but got the trenchcoat.

Anonymous

How exactly does one accidentally drink out of a wolf pawprint puddle? "Gosh I'm thirsty. Should I head towards that nice babbling brook? Nah, this nice muddy identation looks like mother earth made me a little bowl to sip from. Prost! Ahrooo! "

Ben Gilbert

De Grandin seems to have been inspired by Agatha Christie’s French-speaking detective Hercule Poirot who was also rather egocentric though more likable. I’ve only read the first of these de Grandin stories Horror on the Links, a Mad Scientist/Ape story. Poirot’s second novel was Murder on the Links.

Rick Hound

I have to say when it comes to occult detective archetypes the more contemporary are probably the best kind. For instance two examples being John Taylor of the Nightside books and Oshino Meme (pronunciation being MayMay) of the Monogatari books, both being far different from each other but also compliment the evolution occurring for the archetype. With John Taylor having to grow up from his trauma, he constantly stays as an occult investigator even tho he’d do better as someone of higher responsibility. By the end he gives up occult investigation and tries to use his skills for the wider vision. Oshino being just the most unexpected kind of occult detective (with a homeless look wearing only shorts and a Hawaiian t-shirt) and who doesn’t wave all problems away, he’s not a main character but a guide for the other characters in the Monogatari books.

Anonymous

I think we're going to need an annual Psychic Detective month. Any pithy names?

Anonymous

The reference to the loup garou reminded me that the new D&D book (guide to ravenloft) fixed the weak werewolf’s of 5e. It’s CR 13 (!) and the lycanthropy can’t be removed without killing the beast. They made werewolves fun again!

Anonymous

Is the sidekick's name Trowbridge? "Trow" is Orkney for "Troll," so they guy's name is essentially Troll-bridge, as in he's just three goats shy of a fairy tale. Much better name for an occult detective, in my opinion.

Anonymous

This story has just changed an important aspect of my long running Werewolf scholarship. Research Mode: ACTIVATE!

Richard Horsman

I've toyed with the idea of starting a podcast similar to yours about the Jules de Grandin stories, as a pandemic project. I even got as far as the title: WWJDGD ("What Would Jules de Grandin Do?"), and some rough notes for an episode on "The Horror on the Links". Only two things have stopped me: a complete lack of talent, and the fact that it's a TERRIBLE idea. I'd love to hear you guys do more of these though.

Anonymous

I ‘like’ psychic detective stories as a palate cleanser. They’re light fluffy and don’t leave an aftertaste. Some of Quinn’s stuff is truly bizarre and I can see it being talked about. Lots of sexual assaults and torture both implicit and explicit

Anonymous

"Roads" would be a great story for December, though the Santa Claus element is sort of the twist ending, so that part's been spoiled. It makes a very natural and yet surprising transition from pulp adventure to heart-warming Christmas story. I read it in a collection of Weird Tales stories called "Worlds of Weird," which described how Conrad H. Ruppert, a renowned printer of science fiction fan magazines, sent a copy of the story to two hundred of his friends as a holiday gift, describing it as "the most beautiful Christmas story ever written." Conrad was friends with H.P. Lovecraft, so it's entirely possible that HPL was among those to receive this gift. I realize this post is a bit lengthy considering it has nothing to do with the story that was actually covered in this episode, but I'm a lonely man with few friends so just let me have this. ;)

Anonymous

I'm a little worried. Chad is on record as biased against necromancers, and now the French? Where is this going to end!?

Anonymous

I read a bunch of the Jules de Grandin stories when I was in college, and...they are an acquired taste that no one should take the time to acquire. "Name of ze Little Blue Pig!"

Anonymous

So the Howling 2 is streaming on Amazon. I hadn’t seen it in probably 15 or so years, and I guess I talked it up enough (as a completely idiotic movie) that my fiancé wanted to watch it. We did, it is still a terrible movie, and I man still engaged. It was for the best too- Howling 2 caliber movies are the norm, and anyone who wants to marry me should know what they’re in for.

Anonymous

Sooo... We should have called the police?