(Ebook) The Collected Connoisseur by Valentine, Mark ISBN 9781905784202, 1905784201

(Ebook) The Collected Connoisseur by Valentine, Mark ISBN 9781905784202, 1905784201

Following in the footsteps of M.P. Shiel's exotic
savant Prince Zaleski and Arthur Machen's Mr Dyson, Mark Valentine and
John Howard's The Connoisseur -- aesthetical detective extraordinaire --
unravels a cornucopia of arcane mysteries in these twenty-three
tantalising tales. Collecting together all the adventures in previous
Tartarus volumes In Violet Veils and Masques and Citadels,
along with four further tales published elsewhere, this volume provides
the lover of esoteric mystery and adventure fiction with the complete
Connoisseur casebook.

Venturing from his fire-lit study in an English
cathedral city, The Connoisseur encounters, among other phenomena,
strange masquerades in country houses; a Scottish island whose Prince
may not be named; a poignant relic from the Black Sea region, sought
after by a ruthless order; a secret account of the first crossing of an
Arctic land and an Art Deco cinema which may retain resonances of its
mysterious former occupants. From your own fireside, follow The
Connoisseur into the delicate shading between this world and other
realms of wonder, tragedy and trepidation.

Contents: 'Introduction' by Mark Valentine, 'The
Effigies', 'After the Darkness', 'The Paravine Cries', 'Pale Roses', 'In
Violet Veils', 'The Lost Moon', 'Café Lucifer', 'The Craft of Arioch',
'The Secret Stars', 'The Hesperian Dragon', 'The Lighting of the Vial',
'The Nephoseum', 'Sea Citadels', 'The Prince of Barlocco', 'The Black
Eros', 'Mad Lutanist', 'The Mist on the Mere', 'The White Solander',
'The Last Archipelago', 'The Rite of Trebizond', 'The Serpent,
Unfallen', 'The Temple of Time', 'The Celestial Tobacconist', 'The
Descent of the Fire'.

Reviews of The Collected Connoisseur

'I am also in complete awe of Valentine and
Howard's visionary writing here and elsewhere. Every reader of the
weird, the fantastical, and of the occult should have The Collected Connoisseur sitting on his or her shelves.  No collection would be complete without it.' Oddly Weird Fiction

'Those for whom the supply of authentic classical
supernaturalism can never be enough, those who yearn for lost tales by
the likes of Machen, de la Mare, and Dunsany, should consider purchasing
this attractive, inexpensive trade paperback at once; unlike so much
modern imitation, it won't disappoint.' The Stars at Noonday

'I'd recommend wolfing them down, since unlike
chocolates you can return to a book a second time, and the flawless
writing here deserves a second, careful reading, free from the
consideration of what-happens-next. Very much recommended.' British Fantasy Society

'...they intrigue, they entice and they beguile; they are, simply, magical.' Wyrd Britain

'This might be as close to a perfect short story
collection as I will ever read. This is definitely becoming one of my
"chained books" (meaning I'm figuratively chaining it up so you'll have
to remove it with a bolt cutter to get it out of my library or pry it
from my cold, dead hands).' Forrest Aguirre

'Exquisite writing and tales that transport...' Matthew G. Rees, Horla

'I can’t recommend The Collected Connoisseur highly enough." Glen Cole Russell