Favorite Ligotti Story
 

So, what is it? Personally, my top ten (or more...) are:

"Doctor Locrian's Asylum"-Think the first time I read it, I wasn't that intruiged, but the second, I loved it and was actually creeped out.
"The Frolic"-Very satisfying.
"The Spectacles in the Drawer"-Gruesome, yet tasteful.
"The Troubles of Doctor Thoss"-Extermely creepy.
"The Cocoons"-Need to re-read this; Great stuff.
"The Lost Art of Twilight"-The one Ligotti that really unsettled me.
My Work is Not Yet Done-Sweet revenge.
Notebook of the Night-On the whole, very disturbing.
"Our Temporary Supervisor"-Inspired me to create a dystopian nation; The voice part is pretty damn scary.
"The Tsalal"-Just plain good story.
"Teatro Grottesco"-Beautiful.
"Nethescurial"-Made me question reality.
Etcetera.
What's yours?

Re: Favorite Ligotti Story
 

My favorite Ligotti story is "Dr. Voke and Mr. Veech." It blew me away when I first read it, and I have probably read it more than half a dozen times since then, and my opinion of it hasn't diminished one jot. It is not only my favorite Ligotti story, but one of my favorite short stories period. TL uses some great sardonic humor in this tale as well. He cracks me up. In his interview in Subterranean Magazine, I actually had to put the magazine down for awhile, because I was laughing so hard my side hurt. That cornfield question....lol.

When I read anthologies I have a habit of assigning a letter grade to each story on the table of contents page -always lightly in pencil as not to ruin the book- to remind myself which stories I liked the best. Then if I ever go back to a book, I will likely read these stories again. This isn't always a good system. Some stories, like "The Greater Festival of Masks," I only 'liked' on my initial reading of Songs.(I gave it a 'B') When I reread this story years later, I absolutely loved it, and I would rank it among my favorite Ligotti stories. I reread this story after reading THE COMPLETE FICTION OF BRUNO SCHULZ and I think I gained a greater appreciation for it, as I think it was influenced by his writings.

Some of TL's stories have always lingered with me since their initial reading: "Dr. Locrian's Asylum," "The Frolic," "The Bungalow House," "Gas Station Carnivals," "The Shadow at the Bottom of the World," and "Drink to Me Only With Labyrinthine Eyes," to name a few. "My Work is Not Yet Done" is a classic, but I always put this into a separate category, because I feel it is a novella. I don't compare his prose poems to his short stories either.

Looking over the table of contents pages of my books, I assigned the highest marks in GRIMSCRIBE to " The Dreaming in Nortown," and in NOCTUARY to "Mad Night of Atonement." It is hard to believe that I have read most of these stories only once when they first came out more than 10 years ago! Well, there is so much to read and there is so much to do besides read. But I am determined to read THE NIGHTMARE FACTORY from cover to cover in the new year. I look forward to it. TL's work is both entertaining and enlightening - or as someone else (I can't remember who) more aptly put it, "endarkening."

Drink To Me Only with Labyrinthine Eyes - this was probably the first Ligotti story that really hit me. The twist at the end is what sealed the deal

Teatro Grottesco - I wished that this company actually existed

The Red Tower - same reason

My Work Is Not Yet Done - well...we all know why

The Shadow at the Bottom of the World - this piece didn't connect with me at first, but upon later readings, I found that this was an essential piece of horror literature. Definitely one of my top favorites ever.

The Tsalal - Again, the ending!

The Clown Puppet - this actually produced rather disturbing mental images in my mind and was difficult to fathom

Re: Favorite Ligotti Story
 

I'm torn between "The Last Feast of Harlequin" and "The Bungalow House." "Gas Station Carnivals," "The Shadow, The Darkness," and "The Shadow at the Bottom of the World" are runners-up. A few others that I can't resist are "Drink to Me Only with Labyrinthine Eyes," "A Soft Voice Whispers Nothing," and "Mad Night of Atonement." Can The Best of Thomas Ligotti be far behind?

Re: Favorite Ligotti Story
 

Forgot "Drink To Me Only...". Love it!

Re: Favorite Ligotti Story
 

My favorites are, in no particular order :

The shadow at the bottom of the world
Nethescurial
The bungalow house tapes (most favored)
The red tower
Masquerade of a dead sword
The shadow, the darkness

please excuse if ive made any spelling errors! lol.

Re: Favorite Ligotti Story
 

To round out a true Top Ten list, I'll cite "The Medusa" and "Dream of a Mannikin." These two stories refuse to stop playing games with my mind....

"Purity", along with "The Bungalow House", "Trick or Treat" (one I find strangely neglected among more casual readers) "The Shadow At The Bottom of the World" and "The Red Tower" has taken a new place in my person Ligottian lexicon. He shows a new maturity and a willingness to go places he never really has before in that particular piece.

Re: Favorite Ligotti Story
 

After considering a possible dozen worthy personal choices, I would have to say that my favorite Thomas Ligotti story is "The Clown Puppet." The story is stunning in its unforgettably visual imagery and thorough strangeness. Also, I enjoy reading about food. As a carnivorous canine, I salivate uncontrollably when I contemplate notions such as meat nonsense.

Re: Favorite Ligotti Story
 

"Conversations in a Dead Language"? Very odd one. Eerie for different reasons than most of Ligotti's body of work.