Mersennus1951
Mystic
I'd like to know your interpretation, since the Plarr one is a bit ambiguous.
Recent Reading
- Thread starter Druidic
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I've been skeptical about ESGardner in my adulthood. But "they're lazy and mentally inefficient" is speaking my language! Maybe I should reassess? That said, I could probably benefit from adjusting my expectations so as to avoid so much disappointment in this world.
TheObsceneBird
Mannikin
Finished FINGERS OF FEAR by J.U Nicholson. Much more 'comedic' than I expected.
Athammaus
Mystic
Shane Ridenour - Eaten by Birds
This fine little book came my way from TLO's very own Ironrose, who wrote and bound the book himself.
It's an interesting novelette of three linked stories. I found it an enjoyable and compelling read, with a memorable ending. Shane was good enough to offer these very limited handmade books gratis to TLO readers that messaged him wanting a copy. If it sounds interesting to you, I recommend contacting him to secure one.
This fine little book came my way from TLO's very own Ironrose, who wrote and bound the book himself.
It's an interesting novelette of three linked stories. I found it an enjoyable and compelling read, with a memorable ending. Shane was good enough to offer these very limited handmade books gratis to TLO readers that messaged him wanting a copy. If it sounds interesting to you, I recommend contacting him to secure one.
Attachments
Zaharoff
Grimscribe
I know little about Gardner aside from the titles I received from Hard Case Crime back when they offered an affordable monthly subscription service. I have enjoyed what I've read.
That said, Gardner was extraordinarily prolific, much like King, or earlier names like Asimov, Day Keene, Barbara Cartland, and numerous others. I don't know how much of Gardner's other output I would enjoy. I would imagine his Cool & Lam books from HCC are available used for a couple of dollars.
R. von Pnaklendorf
Chymist
My aunt just sent me some money, and I'm thinking of using it to pick up a Ligotti book—or maybe something by another like-minded author, since you can never have too much weird fiction. What would you recommend?
For a bit of context: what I love most is the Cthulhu Mythos. I read Grimscribe and absolutely loved it; my favorite stories were "The Night School" and "The Last Feast of the Harlequin."
I've also been considering giving Mark Samuels a try. May he rest in peace. A local publisher recently released an anthology that, according to them, contains the last pieces of writing he completed before his passing.
www.valdemar.com
For a bit of context: what I love most is the Cthulhu Mythos. I read Grimscribe and absolutely loved it; my favorite stories were "The Night School" and "The Last Feast of the Harlequin."
I've also been considering giving Mark Samuels a try. May he rest in peace. A local publisher recently released an anthology that, according to them, contains the last pieces of writing he completed before his passing.
Glamour de osario - Editorial Valdemar
Cuentos extraños y macabrosSamuels, Mark9788477029755GOT-134
www.valdemar.com
Mersennus1951
Mystic
I already gave you my recommendation: first, my work is not yed done. You'll like it. I'm sure of that.My aunt just sent me some money, and I'm thinking of using it to pick up a Ligotti book—or maybe something by another like-minded author, since you can never have too much weird fiction. What would you recommend?
For a bit of context: what I love most is the Cthulhu Mythos. I read Grimscribe and absolutely loved it; my favorite stories were "The Night School" and "The Last Feast of the Harlequin."
I've also been considering giving Mark Samuels a try. May he rest in peace. A local publisher recently released an anthology that, according to them, contains the last pieces of writing he completed before his passing.
Glamour de osario - Editorial Valdemar
Cuentos extraños y macabrosSamuels, Mark9788477029755GOT-134
As for Mark Samuels, I'd recommend saving him until you've read all of Ligotti, since he's a kind of Ligottian "evolution." Besides, if you do want to start with Samuels, a better choice would be The Age of Decayed Future.
R. von Pnaklendorf
Chymist
To be honest, when it came to Thomas Ligotti, I was leaning toward Teatro Grottesco because there are a couple of stories in it that I'm particularly interested in. But beyond that, I honestly wanted to read Wilum Pugmire—may he rest in peace—although I'm not really sold on the publishers that put out his books. You know, Valdemar's Gótica editions just have a certain appeal.
SuBlimiNalmeSsagEsFrmHeLl
Mannikin
You should absolutely get Teatro Grottesco (and Songs of a Dead Dreamer if you haven't read it) as soon as possible.
I have not yet read Noctuary and The Spectral Link so I can't say anything about those.
My personal recommendation is forget Mark Samuels. I think he is overrated. He mostly writes pastiche, and badly. If you want to read something other than Ligotti, you could do a lot worse than Caitlin Kiernan. Drowning Girl is very good, as is Agents of Dreamland. Or most all of her short fiction. Not sure what all is available in Spanish (I'm thinking you tend to read in Spanish? - please excuse if I'm mistaken), but I wouldn't necessarily recommend her early novels. I think she was trying to write mainstream novels, and that really is not her thing. The later ones are all good. S. T. Joshi has much good to say about Kiernan, as does the guy at Taskerland:My aunt just sent me some money, and I'm thinking of using it to pick up a Ligotti book—or maybe something by another like-minded author, since you can never have too much weird fiction. What would you recommend?
For a bit of context: what I love most is the Cthulhu Mythos. I read Grimscribe and absolutely loved it; my favorite stories were "The Night School" and "The Last Feast of the Harlequin."
I've also been considering giving Mark Samuels a try. May he rest in peace. A local publisher recently released an anthology that, according to them, contains the last pieces of writing he completed before his passing.
Glamour de osario - Editorial Valdemar
Cuentos extraños y macabrosSamuels, Mark9788477029755GOT-134
REVIEW: Agents of Dreamland by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Kiernan is a horror writer who denies that they write horror. They don’t just deny that they write horror… they angrily deny it and then decide to accept horror-themed literary awards and allow the…
tasker.land
Agentes de Dreamland (Tinfoil Dossier, #1)
En una calurosa mañana un agente especial del gobierno …
R. von Pnaklendorf
Chymist
The first thing I read was Noctuary. Then I read The Conspiracy Against the Human Race, and I've just finished Grimscribe. I'm going straight to Teatro Grottesco next—that seems like the safest bet. As I understand it, the last story references The Conspiracy Against the Human Race.
Mersennus1951
Mystic
I personally prefer Quentin S. Crisp. Have you read him? To me, he's better than Samuels. I think Samuels is a good writer, although it's true that the one about the terrifying mannequins feels like a Ligotti pastiche. But Vrolyck and Thyxxolqu struck me as very original, even if the latter borrows William Burroughs' premise of language as a virus.My personal recommendation is forget Mark Samuels. I think he is overrated. He mostly writes pastiche, and badly. If you want to read something other than Ligotti, you could do a lot worse than Caitlin Kiernan. Drowning Girl is very good, as is Agents of Dreamland. Or most all of her short fiction. Not sure what all is available in Spanish (I'm thinking you tend to read in Spanish? - please excuse if I'm mistaken), but I wouldn't necessarily recommend her early novels. I think she was trying to write mainstream novels, and that really is not her thing. The later ones are all good. S. T. Joshi has much good to say about Kiernan, as does the guy at Taskerland:
REVIEW: Agents of Dreamland by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Kiernan is a horror writer who denies that they write horror. They don’t just deny that they write horror… they angrily deny it and then decide to accept horror-themed literary awards and allow the…
Agentes de Dreamland (Tinfoil Dossier, #1)
En una calurosa mañana un agente especial del gobierno …www.goodreads.com
R. von Pnaklendorf
Chymist
I have a great deal of respect for Caitlín R. Kiernan. The Drowning Girl was recently translated into Japanese, and the cover is absolutely beautiful. Sadly, the Spanish edition of The Drowning Girl is out of print and is being resold for nearly $200... Maybe one day it'll be reissued—I still hold out hope.My personal recommendation is forget Mark Samuels. I think he is overrated. He mostly writes pastiche, and badly. If you want to read something other than Ligotti, you could do a lot worse than Caitlin Kiernan. Drowning Girl is very good, as is Agents of Dreamland. Or most all of her short fiction. Not sure what all is available in Spanish (I'm thinking you tend to read in Spanish? - please excuse if I'm mistaken), but I wouldn't necessarily recommend her early novels. I think she was trying to write mainstream novels, and that really is not her thing. The later ones are all good. S. T. Joshi has much good to say about Kiernan, as does the guy at Taskerland:
REVIEW: Agents of Dreamland by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Kiernan is a horror writer who denies that they write horror. They don’t just deny that they write horror… they angrily deny it and then decide to accept horror-themed literary awards and allow the…
Agentes de Dreamland (Tinfoil Dossier, #1)
En una calurosa mañana un agente especial del gobierno …
Agents of Dreamland is much easier to find. It's part of the same collection as Victor LaValle's The Ballad of Black Tom.
Here's the Japanese cover of The Drowning Girl:
I'm upvoting for Quentin S. Crisp...!
R. von Pnaklendorf
Chymist
What do you think of this?
Mersennus1951
Mystic
I don't know if you're familiar with Quentin S. Crisp, but it's very common for people to confuse him with Quentin Crisp (without the "S."), the author published by Valdemar. I used to make that mistake too.What do you think of this?
R. von Pnaklendorf
Chymist
So they’re not the same? That explains why there’s a user called qcrisp active here...
Different person? Quentin S. Crisp. I've read Graves, Shrike and Hamster Dam. Graves was maybe the heaviest. I have a few others, but haven't gotten to them yet.What do you think of this?
R. von Pnaklendorf
Chymist
Yes, I know Quentin S. Crisp, but I thought he was the same person as the deceased one... The thing is, the only anthology by him that I know was published by Aurora Dorada Ediciones, and you already know what I think about them. I don’t know if there are any other works by Quentin S. Crisp available in Spanish.
www.auroradoradaediciones.com
Cuentos mórbidos de Quentin S. Crisp | Belleza, Decadencia y Horror | Aurora Dorada Ediciones
Descubre "Cuentos mórbidos" de Quentin S. Crisp. Ocho relatos de ficción extraña que exploran la decadencia contemporánea y lo onírico. Edición en español de Aurora Dorada.
www.auroradoradaediciones.com
Mersennus1951
Mystic
Exactly. That's the author I'm referring to. At the moment, he's only been published by Aurora Dorada (yes, I know it's not the best publisher in terms of editions, but for now we don't have another option), under the title Morbid Tales.
He's a forgotten, or at least extremely marginal, weird fiction writer whom I personally place just one step below Ligotti. In fact, Ligotti praised and recommended his work in several interviews. His prose is exquisite: deeply Romantic and thoroughly Decadent. He reminds me of Oscar Wilde. Most of his protagonists are socially maladjusted men who flee the city, a kind of archetype descended from Lovecraft's Miskatonic scholar, while developing morbid, unhealthy obsessions with supernatural beings such as sirens and the like.
The first time I opened one of his books, I genuinely thought I was reading a nineteenth-century prose poet.