Joel Lane

[vegetable theories]

Joel Lane is an author worth mentioning in connection with Ligotti.
I would even go so far as saying that some of the stories in his last collection, The Lost District, succeded in out-Ligottiing Ligotti, if that makes any sense.
I think it was Wilde that said, all bad art is sincere.
Joel Lane proves that all great art is sincere.

[nomis]

Nothing about THE LOST DISTRICT reminded me of Ligotti when I read it, but that doesn't mean it isn't a stunning collection. Joel's exploration of the dark side is unique in the contemporary work, and Joel's critical abilities in regards to the genre inspire awe. A masterful collection.

Laird Barron's collection also deserves mentioning, but perhaps the board is already well-aware of his work (I regret I don't keep my eye on discussions here as often as I should).

[vegetable theories]

I agree that Joel Lane's work is quite distinct from Ligotti. While The Lost District doesn't share any stylistic simialrities with Ligotti's work, it does try to form concrete, poetic metephors for depression. The last story, You Could Have It All, is an incredible expression of a cosmic despair.
I can see the differences between the two writers, but I think there's something similar in what they are trying to achieve.

[Nemonymous]

Joel is a great writer. And one of the stories in 'Lost District' was first published in Nemonymous. Where Ligotti is about clowns and dolls and dark cities and mr cans and back alleys, Lane is more a back alley of a back alley.
Lane's human characters masquerade as clowns and dolls. Ligotti's human characters are clowns and dolls first and foremost.
I love Ligotti and Lane both!

[Nemonymous]

A poem entitled 'Nemonymity' (2004) by Joel Lane:
http://www.nightshadebooks.com/discu...tml?1078520886

Sub-Zero as a motif?

[Jezetha]

Cyril Tourneur mentioned Joel Lane to me. Now I know I have to read The Lost District.

[g]

Yes, please add my name to the list of readers who were stunned by The Lost District. No book since it has left me as stricken, though I am only partway through The Imago Sequence and it also offers sublime and creepy delights.

I cannot explain or ascertain whether the writing itself is Ligottian or not, since Ligotti's words are not actually able to be copied, but I feel that the two writers are peering into similarly dark themes. They are decadents who are exploring the horror, pain and loss of the fin de siecle nature of our days, albeit by tuning into different sensibilities and frequencies.

[Viva June]

Let me add my voice to the choir of praise for The Lost District. Stand-outs: "The Lost District", "The Bootleg Heart" and "You Could Have It All"—these exceeded all expectations. I ought to write more, but I am in a bit of a hurry. Lane arrives at a very un-Ligottian but equally bleak view of existence—in "You Could Have It All", I think—with the old man reeling outside the pub, telling the narrator not to bother calling an ambulance. Neglect seems to be a central theme, and of course neglect implies the possibility of things being better. (Which is not to say that Lane is an optimist.)

There are a few stories I did not like. Particularly the attempts at a kind of corporate horror: "Beyond the River", for instance, is marred by a forced criticism of the publishing industry (or capitalism in general). These are minor quibbles, though.

I am currently reading Head Injuries by Conrad Williams, and I have ordered Mortality by Nicholas Royle. Following these, what authors/collections should I look into?

[nomis]

Some of my other favourites from this year are Laird Barron, Richard Gavin, Mark Samuels, and Gary McMahon; all three should appeal to you based on what you've mentioned above. But don't discount fellows like Reggie Oliver and John L Probert, whose works are a bit more traditional and yet still wondrously entertaining.

[Nemonymous]

Quote Originally Posted by nomis

Some of my other favourites from this year are Laird Barron, Richard Gavin, Mark Samuels, and Gary McMahon; all three should appeal to you .

Which three?

Reggie Oliver as you later mention is also a genius. Yet, to have the pleasure of reading much John L Probert. But I shall rectify that.

I'd also add S.D. Tullis. A vastly under-rated author.