''The Touch of Evil'' is a

fix-up A fix-up (or fixup) is a novel created from several short fiction stories that may or may not have been initially related or previously published. The stories may be edited for consistency, and sometimes new connecting material, such as a frame s ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

horror novel written by John Rackham. Its three episodic parts were originally written as short stories and published in the December 1960 and June and December 1961 issues of the British magazine '' Science Fantasy''. The book was first published in paperback by Brown, Watson in 1963 as no. R658 of its Digit Books series.''SFE: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' - entry on John T. Phillifent
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Plot

Narrated by protagonist Chapman Jones ("Chappie"), the stories involve his pulp-style adventures with colleagues Dr. Ken Wilson and others in combating menaces of supernatural horror.

*1. The Black Cat's Paw. Madame Tara, the old fortune teller living upstairs from Chappie, has been murdered, and her death is investigated by a certain Inspector Ferguson. While being questioned by Ferguson, Chappie realizes his neighbor must have been involved in something truly occult; the corpse has in hand a scrap of paper inscribed with the Solomonic seal of

Belial Belial ( he, , ''Bəlīyyaʿal'') is a term occurring in the Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament which later became personified as the devilSee the reference to "Beliar" in ''The Ascension of Isaiah'', at EarlyChristianWritings.com', specifically at ...

. He calls in his old Navy friend Dr. Ken Wilson, an authority on the supernatural and ancient Egypt. Wilson is assisted by his niece Yalna and Egyptian friend Hassim. The investigation leads the five into conflict with an evil adept. *2. Ankh. A villainous cabal seeking a magical Egyptian artifact steal and trap the souls of Dr. Wilson and Yalna in order to use their bodies to further their quest. Chappie and Hassim pursue them through London's seedy night scene in the doctor's Rolls-Royce to thwart the plot and restore their friends. *3. Out Of The Id. The country home of an old friend of Dr. Wilson is terrorized by an apelike monstrosity, which Wilson, Chappie and Yalna are called in to investigate. The villainous Beamish, dabbler in the dark arts, appears to be involved.

Notes

1963 British novels British fantasy novels British horror novels 1963 short story collections Fantasy short story collections Horror short story collections {{1960s-horror-novel-stub

Plot

Contents

Notes