# Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles Vol. 01: Lurkers at the Threshold - [Amazon link](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CL2HS28) - - - Hey Jürgen, I finished my alpha review of Lurkers at the Threshold. You asked: > Which tales were the most memorable? For me, I really enjoyed the one about the skeletons bowling with their own body parts (pp221). I also liked the one where the ghost got taken to the bridge and promised to be good and then the exorcist had to come back and haul him into the woods because he wasn’t. The story about the girl who went to rescue the guy stuck with the treasure but could herself be rescued by a chaste man was also really fun. I also liked the story about the woman in the alpine hut who just needed to be thanked for making the guy a nice meal, but was super mean about getting him there so it’s no wonder he didn’t thank her. I took notes on: p191, 193, 196, 197, 201, 203, 204, 205, 206, 212, 214, 221, 232, 237, 264, 267, 272, 274, 280, 284, 308, 318, 323, and 325, so I would keep those. “Forgetable” was harder to keep track of, sorry. But I didn’t have any where I was like “I don’t see why this is included…” > Did the structure flow well? I would probably move the explanation about beachcombers on p267 up a bit earlier so that it comes before any other mention of beachcombing, I was missing some of the context until then. The only other thing was that I would probably try to pick a different story to end on; infantcide by a family member is a bit of a tough note to leave a reader with, especially if you expect any of your readers to be parents. > What needs further explanation? I was pretty confused about what, precisely, “being in childbed” meant. On p280 (the asexual ghost) I didn't interpret it so much as blame but rather “oh, oops, I didn't realize you needed physical affection, I'll leave now so you can pursue your needs,” so I’m wondering if there’s context I’m missing. On p318 the text said “On some days, as many as a dozen alleged witches were burnt at the stake there” and I really wanted to know more about how many women died overall to better contextualize the event. Also, the logic of the paragraph about punishing the ghosts on p323 didn’t quite make sense to me. Might want to clarify what "mantle" means on p203. I understood it but others might not. On p264, you might want to clarify why only impoverished women would spin other's flax. Also I'm not sure about victim blaming being the right concept here. Stealing from oppressors, maybe, since the clients should have paid better? > Typos p196, forman should be foreman p197 had an erroneous quotation mark after miner p204 "dole" should be "sole" p206 "plucks" should be "plucky" p272 "honeyed worse" should be "words" ~ Eleanor ### p191 > in the rural villages of old, the work was not done at nightfall — in particular, the women had to spin the flax that had been harvested in the fall into twine. As heating and artificial lighting was expensive, they gathered at the hearth fire in the main chamber of a farm for these labors. Frequently, several households took turns with hosting such events. ### p201 > legal disputes over discovered treasures were common enough in the real early modern age — and the ruling noble simply confiscating the valuables once word of their existence reached his ears was one of their hazards. useful ### p205 > While some buildings might be used by the living for part of the year, they were abandoned at others. This was especially common for the huts in the high alpine meadows, which were occupied during the grazing season, but largely avoided during the colder times of the year. Frequently, imaginations ran wild about what happened at such places when no living soul was supposed to be around to witness them... Useful ### p212 > One of the more sordid "ghost origin" tales, showing that sexual abuses committed by priests were on the minds of the people long before the current age — although the (now) predominantly Protestant locals might have had some additional motivation to portray Catholic priests in a bad light. [[Backwards Mapping Fiction]]: Redemption of Althalus by David Eddings ### p214 > The reason why Henry's entourage traveled to Persenbeug in the first place was to sort out the estate of the late count. Unfortunately, on May 27th — two months after the count's death — a load-bearing pillar beneath the great hall collapsed. The king survived with minor injuries, but the countess, Bishop Bruno, and the abbot of Ebersberg Monastery were so severely injured that they soon died of their wounds. [[Civil Mage]] style #fic/storyStem ### p221 > At night, farmers regularly play bowling at the crossroads between Mettman and Lüttges. These farmers used to regularly play bowling at a nearby bowling alley while still alive. When they play, they rarely do so without strife and quarrels. The farmers use their skulls as bowling balls, and their arm and leg bones must take the place of the pins. They have often been seen by night-time wanderers in this manner. ### p232 > The bride's attendant, or "Brautführer", was a male assistant to the bride. One of his jobs was protecting the bride and the wedding guests from bandits and robbers, as well as helping with organizing the event. add to [[marriage]] fascinating how different this is from modern day. Might be usful for a collared mage flash fic spinoff ### p267 > Despite many efforts of the authorities throughout the centuries, the inhabitants of the coasts saw it as their right to take any flotsam that washed at their shores for their own. This didn't just include trade goods or money boxes — even the wood from a destroyed ship was valuable construction material, since the islands of northwestern Germany did not have many accessible forests. While "normal" beachcombing was a nonviolent crime, the temptation to kill any survivors who might have had a claim to the flotsam was often rather strong. Since they were almost always strangers to the beachcombing community, there was little fear of repercussion as long as the bodies weren't found. fascinating ### p274 > She-Ghost > The White She-Ghost [[Backwards Mapping Fiction]] Glen Cook’s Garrett, PI books. ### p280 > Let me first state that being asexual is valid, and others should respect people who experience no sexual attraction. Still, the ghostly knight could have handled this better. Sure, he discovered after many years that her relationship needs differed from his own. But I feel that he ought to have let her down gently, instead blaming her for everything — what they had for all these years was real, and was not invalidated by her blooming desires. interesting! I didn't interpret it so much as blame but rather ' 'oh, oops, I didn't realize you needed physical affection, I'll leave now so you can pursue your needs." ### p284 > But, if you want to justify the necromantic powers of a folklore-based character, I suppose "I was nursed by my undead mother" works just fine as an origin story... ### p308 > Monasteries and convents were a favorite dumping ground for excess sons and daughters of the nobility, and the actual consent of these descendants was a secondary concern. This is likely what happened to Elsbethe, and it is entirely possible that she knew Siegbert before her exile — perhaps their love affair was even the cause for her banishment academic reference for [[Eheu Isle]]