Foreword by Gio Marron
When we speak of supernatural fiction, we often conjure names like M.R. James or Algernon Blackwood—authors whose ghosts whisper rather than wail. Among them, Denys Val Baker holds a distinct place: a chronicler not only of the spectral, but of the deeply personal and psychological threads that bind us to the unknown. The Face in the Mirror stands as one of his most unsettling and enduring works, not because of what it shows us, but because of what it dares us to see in ourselves.
Written in Val Baker’s characteristic style—elegant, restrained, and psychologically charged—this story uses the simple motif of a mirror to open a doorway not just to the uncanny, but to the self. The face that appears is not an intruder in the classic ghost story sense. It is something more ambiguous, more insidious. It may be a revenant, a hallucination, or a projection of guilt and suppressed emotion. Val Baker offers no resolution, and that is the brilliance of the tale: the horror is not closed off at the final sentence but continues to ripple through the reader’s imagination.
What also sets Val Baker apart is his rootedness in place. Many of his stories emerge from the windswept coastlines and crumbling cottages of Cornwall, where he spent most of his life. Though this particular story is more interior and abstract, it still bears his hallmark atmospheric detail—quiet rooms, reflective surfaces, and the inescapable solitude of a haunted man. His ghosts are rarely loud. They linger in corners, waiting for attention, or perhaps recognition.
For readers new to Denys Val Baker, The Face in the Mirror is a superb entry point. For longtime admirers, it serves as a reminder of his ability to turn the mundane into something menacing. In his mirror, we do not merely see a ghost; we see what we fear most—that the haunting has already begun, and it comes from within.
Gio Marron
Video by Classic Ghost Stories Podcast - Tony Walker YouTube channel*
Narrated by Tony Walker
Support Tony’s Efforts at patreon.com/barcud or buymeacoffee.com/10MN8Sk
*Not affiliated with The Elephant Island Chronicles.
Available on AMAZON: The Face in the Mirror by Denys Val Baker
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Gio, thank you for another wonderful audio book. "The Face in the Mirror" is very hard to get, so I'm going to enjoy this audio book. Have you ever read "The King in Yellow" by Robert Chambers? It's a collection of stories loosely connected with a hideous play that drives people mad. It's a collection of loosely connected stories, but the best is the first "The Yellow Sign." Here is a link to that audio book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMoJY6HgxC8