Goblins

1994
Topps Comics 2: The Disemberance of Things Past Whirlwind

 WRITTEN BY

Charles L. Grant

 PUBLISHED ON

Friday October 28, 1994

 VIEWS

458

 LAST UPDATE

2024-09-13 03:54:36

 PAGE VERSION

Version 20

 LIKES

1

 TYPE

Novels

 SUMMARY

In Goblins by Charles Grant, Agents Mulder and Scully investigate a series of bizarre and terrifying incidents in a small town where residents claim to be attacked by malevolent goblins. The situation escalates as unexplained phenomena and violent occurrences plague the community. As the agents delve deeper, they discover that the goblins may be linked to an ancient curse and an old local legend that has resurfaced. Their investigation leads them to uncover the dark truth behind the goblin sightings, involving both supernatural elements and a hidden agenda that threatens the town’s safety.

 STORY

Goblins by Charles Grant, published in 1985, is a horror novel that explores the intersection of reality and folklore, blending supernatural elements with psychological horror. The novel delves into the dark undercurrents of a small American town where the line between myth and reality becomes dangerously blurred.

Setting
The story is set in Old Woodville, a small, sleepy New England town that seems quaint and ordinary on the surface. However, like many small towns in horror fiction, it harbors dark secrets. The town is surrounded by dense woods, which have a reputation for being eerie and foreboding. These woods are central to the story, both as a physical location and as a symbolic representation of the unknown, the hidden fears, and the primal instincts that lurk within the human psyche.

Main Characters
The novel features a diverse cast of characters, each with their own secrets and fears, all of which are gradually revealed as the story unfolds.

Jim Ironwood: The protagonist, Jim, is a former journalist who has recently moved to Old Woodville in search of peace and quiet after a series of personal tragedies. Jim is haunted by the death of his wife and child in a car accident, which has left him emotionally scarred. He is struggling to rebuild his life, but his efforts are complicated by the strange occurrences in the town.
Wendy Ironwood: Jim's sister, who has moved to Old Woodville with him to help him recover. Wendy is protective of Jim but is also dealing with her own unresolved issues, including guilt over not being able to help Jim more after his loss.
The Sheriff, Fred Mason: The local sheriff who is a classic small-town lawman. He is tough and pragmatic, but he is also increasingly disturbed by the strange incidents in the town. He has lived in Old Woodville all his life and has heard the old stories about the woods, but he has always dismissed them as mere folklore.
Lyle Kenton: A reclusive old man who lives on the outskirts of town, near the woods. Lyle is a local legend himself, known for his eccentric behavior and his deep knowledge of the town's history and the lore surrounding the woods. He becomes a key figure in the story as Jim begins to investigate the strange happenings in the town.
Sarah Blackwood: A young woman who works at the local diner. Sarah is perceptive and sensitive, and she becomes one of the first people to notice that something is wrong in the town. She has a mysterious past that ties her to the town in ways that are only revealed later in the story.
Plot Summary
The novel begins with Jim Ironwood trying to settle into his new life in Old Woodville, but he is immediately struck by the town's odd atmosphere. The townspeople are friendly enough, but there is an undercurrent of fear and suspicion. Jim's curiosity is piqued when he hears stories about the woods surrounding the town, which are said to be haunted by goblins—small, malevolent creatures that have been part of local legend for centuries.

At first, Jim dismisses these stories as mere superstition. However, strange things begin to happen. People in the town start to disappear, animals are found mutilated, and there are reports of shadowy figures seen lurking in the woods. Jim's journalistic instincts kick in, and he starts to investigate these occurrences, despite the warnings from the townspeople to leave well enough alone.

As Jim delves deeper into the town's history, he uncovers a pattern of disappearances and deaths that date back generations. All of these incidents are connected to the woods and the mysterious goblins that are said to dwell there. The more he learns, the more he realizes that the stories might not be just legends after all.

Lyle Kenton, the reclusive old man, becomes Jim's reluctant guide into the dark history of Old Woodville. Lyle reveals that the goblins are not just myth, but real creatures that have been living in the woods for centuries. They are malevolent beings that feed on fear and despair, and they have been preying on the town for generations. The townspeople have always known about them, but they have kept their existence a secret out of fear and a sense of fatalism.

Jim also learns that the goblins have a special interest in him. They are drawn to his pain and grief, and they begin to torment him with visions of his dead wife and child. These visions are so real that Jim starts to question his sanity. He becomes increasingly obsessed with the goblins, determined to find a way to destroy them and free the town from their influence.

As the story progresses, the tension in the town escalates. More people go missing, and the townspeople become increasingly paranoid and fearful. Jim's investigation puts him at odds with Sheriff Mason, who is trying to maintain order and keep the town's secrets buried. However, as the evidence mounts, even the skeptical sheriff is forced to confront the reality of the goblins' existence.

The climax of the novel occurs when Jim, Wendy, and a few other townspeople decide to confront the goblins directly. They venture into the woods, armed with little more than their courage and desperation. What follows is a harrowing and nightmarish encounter with the goblins, who are revealed to be even more terrifying than the legends suggest.

The final confrontation is brutal and bloody. Some of the townspeople are killed, and Jim himself is nearly driven mad by the experience. However, he manages to survive and ultimately finds a way to banish the goblins, though the cost is high. The town is left scarred and forever changed by the events, but there is a sense of closure and hope as the goblins are finally vanquished.

Themes and Analysis
Goblins explores several themes, including the nature of fear, the power of grief, and the thin line between reality and myth. The goblins in the novel are not just physical creatures, but also symbols of the darkness that exists within the human mind. They represent the fears and sorrows that people try to suppress, but which can never be fully eradicated.

Jim's journey is one of confronting his own demons as much as it is about confronting the goblins. His struggle with the grief over the loss of his family is mirrored by the town's struggle with its own dark history. The novel suggests that these inner demons can be just as destructive as any external threat and that they must be faced head-on in order to overcome them.

The novel also explores the idea of folklore as a reflection of collective fears. The goblins are part of the town's folklore, but they are also very real threats. This blurring of the lines between myth and reality is a central theme in the book, and it serves to heighten the horror by suggesting that the things we fear in our imaginations can sometimes become real.

Conclusion
Goblins is a chilling and atmospheric horror novel that combines psychological depth with supernatural terror. Charles Grant masterfully builds a sense of creeping dread throughout the story, making the reader question what is real and what is imagined. The novel is both a terrifying horror story and a poignant exploration of the human condition, dealing with themes of loss, fear, and the power of the past to shape the present.

Chapter 1:
Grady Pierce, a US Army veteran is having his last drink a bar and walks back to his apartment, drunk, only to hear a presence behind him. Suddenly, an arm appears out of a wall and slide his throat.

Chapter 2:
Whilst Mulder is grabbing his lunch on the steps of the Jefferson memorial, Special Agent Webber interrupts him to tell him that they finally caught a kidnapper, thanks to Mulder's help on the case.
Once Agent Webber leaves, a mysterious man tells Mulder the Louisiana case he knows about is important, then quickly disappears.

Chapter 3:
Carporal Frank Ulman wakes up in a military hospital after ending up in a fistfight in a bar. Not being able to sleep, he decides to go for a walk and enjoy a bottle of booze. He gets lost into the woods and sees a blade coming out of nowhere and gets killed.

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 8:

Chapter 9:

Chapter 10:

Chapter 11:

Chapter 12:

Chapter 13:

Chapter 14:

Chapter 15:

Chapter 16:

Chapter 17:

Chapter 18:

Chapter 19:

Chapter 20:

Chapter 21:

Chapter 22:

Chapter 23:

Chapter 24:

 TRIVIA

• The book takes place after season one and at least after Firewalker, since Mulder mentions that the X-Files division had already been closed one before, and since he investigates alongside Scully, which is therefore back from her abduction as well. This means also this is after Firewalker, because it's not the first case Scully works on since she came back.
• Thanks: “This is for Chris Carter, no question about it. Because, quite literally, without his wonderful and addictive show, this book wouldn’t exist, and I wouldn’t have anything to do on Friday nights but work.”
• In chapter 3, the character of Corporal Frank Ulman makes a reference to the Jersey Devil. There is actually an episode of The X-Files titled The Jersey Season, in season 1, referring to this folk tale.

 CHARACTERS

In order of appearance:

• Grady Pierce (chapter 1)
• Aaron Noel, bartender (chapter 1)
• Fox Mulder (chapter 2)
• Special Agent Hank Webber (chapter 2)
• A mysterious informant at the Jefferson memorial (chapter 2)
• Corporal Frank Ulman (chapter 3)

 QUOTES

The tavern was filled with ghosts that night.
Grady Pierce could feel them, but he didn’t much care as long as the bartender kept pouring the drinks.
(Chapter 1)

What he did these days was drink, and damned good at it he was.
(Chapter 1)

He pulled his hands out of his pockets and marched back, breathing slowly, deeply, letting his anger build by degrees instead of exploding.
(Chapter 1)

“I ain’t got time for this,” he muttered, and turned.
And saw the arm reach out of the brick wall on his right.
The arm, and the hand with the blade.
He knew what it was; God knows he had used it himself dozens of times.
He also knew how sharp it was.
He almost didn’t feel it sweep across his throat.
And he almost managed to make it to the street before his knees gave out and he fell against the wall, staring at the arm, at the hand, at the bayonet as he slid down, legs stretched out before him.
“Goddamn ghost,” he whispered.
“Not quite,” someone answered. “Not quite, old man.”
That’s when Grady felt the fire around his neck, and the warmth flowing over his chest, and the garbage beneath him, and the fog settling on his face.
That’s when he saw the face of the thing that had killed him.
(Chapter 1)

The afternoon was pleasantly warm, the sky a sharp and cloudless blue. The sounds of Thursday traffic were muted by the trees carrying their new leaves, although the cherry trees hadn’t yet sprung all their blossoms. The tourists were few at the Jefferson Memorial, mostly older people with cameras around their necks or camcorders in their hands, moving slowly, taking their time. A handful of joggers followed the Tidal Basin rim; two paddle boats glided over the water, seemingly in a clumsy, not very earnest race.
That’s why Fox Mulder preferred this place over the others when he wanted time to think. He could sit undisturbed on the steps, off to one side, without having to listen to terminally bored tour guides chattering like robots, or schoolkids laughing and horsing around, or any of the rest of the circus that Old Abe or the Washington Monument managed to attract.
(Chapter 2)

His dark blue suit jacket was folded on the marble step beside him. His tie was pulled, down and his collar unbuttoned. He looked much younger than his years, his face as yet unlined, his brown hair unruly in the light breeze that slipped over the water. Those who bothered to look in his direction figured, he supposed, that he was some kind of academic.
That was all right with him.
(Chapter 2)

But the good agents, the best ones, never forgot that on the far side of that exhilaration there was always someone else waiting in line.
It never ended.
It just never ended.
(Chapter 2)

“The fact, Mr. Mulder, that your Section has been reactivated does not mean there still aren’t those who would like to make sure you stay out of their way. Permanently.” A shift of cloth, and the voice was closer, a harsh whisper in his left ear. “You’re still not protected, Mr. Mulder, but you’re not in chains, either. Remember that. You’ll have to.”
(Chapter 2)

And for the first time in a long time, he felt that tiny rush of excitement that told him the hunt was on again.
Not the hunt for the bad guys.
The hunt for the truth.
(Chapter 2)

His first thought was Jersey Devil, and he giggled. Right. A real live monster in the middle of New Jersey. Right. Tell me another.
(Chapter 3)

Rain on his face, like the touch of spider legs.
(Chapter 3)

The rain was cold and the wind was cold and he was too cold for a spring night like this.
(Chapter 3)

He yelped and jumped back, the bottle dropping from his hand.
He aimed the flashlight unsteadily, and saw the arm reach out of the bark.
He saw the blade.
He heard himself scream.
But he could only scream once.
(Chapter 3)

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 HISTORY

2024-09-13 03:54:36 - Pike: Added the story from chapter 3.
2024-09-13 03:52:28 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-13 03:50:46 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-13 03:49:13 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-13 03:35:21 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-13 03:34:38 - Pike: Added a character and some trivia.
2024-09-09 01:32:06 - Pike: Added a character.
2024-09-09 01:25:02 - Pike: Added the story from chapter 2.
2024-09-09 01:23:36 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-09 01:23:00 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-09 01:18:48 - Pike: Added some trivia.
2024-09-09 01:08:34 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-09 01:05:07 - Pike: Added a character.
2024-09-09 01:02:48 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-08 16:19:43 - Pike: Added a character.
2024-09-08 15:15:00 - Pike: Quote modified.
2024-09-08 15:14:39 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-08 15:11:21 - Pike: Added the story from chapter 1.
2024-09-08 15:08:59 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-08 15:05:31 - Pike: Quote modified.
2024-09-08 15:05:21 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-08 14:51:16 - Pike: Added the author.
2024-09-08 14:36:29 - Pike: Added a character
2024-09-08 14:30:39 - Pike: Quote modified.
2024-09-08 14:30:28 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-08 13:26:54 - Pike: Added a character.
2024-09-08 13:11:47 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-07 21:09:59 - Pike: Updated the story.
2024-09-07 20:04:06 - Pike: Updated the cover.
2024-09-06 01:00:57 - Pike: Updated some trivia.
2024-09-06 00:59:30 - Pike: Added some trivia.