Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

On February 4th, 1998, Jon Padgett (aka Dr. Locrian) unleashed a horrific vision upon this world. THOMAS LIGOTTI ONLINE was created to champion the greatest living horror/weird fiction writer. Many thanks must be extended to Jon for his initiative and effort to bring the Ligottian world to those receptive - yet hidden within the mindless masses. He has undoubtedly introduced countless readers to Tom's work and hand laid the foundations for the community herein. A tip of the surgeon's cap to you, Jon!

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

Happy Birthday TLO!

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

Thank you for making this and everything else. Happy birthday, TLO!

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

TLO, for the asylum-seekers who truly require an asylum...

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

TLO: Clubhouse for Conspirators Against the Human Race.

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

Happy Birthday TLO!

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

Remember – you approached us. Or was it the other way around?

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

TLO, asylum from the conspiracy.

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

Greetings, everyone. Thanks as always to Brian Poe, who transformed a modest--though ambitious--Ligotti fan site into a thriving community of like minded individuals.

In the interests of time (I have little today), I offer you this revised, partial TLO history that I wrote a couple of years back:

After discovering, Ligotti’s work back in 1991, I felt like the only reader alive who felt a profound connection with his fiction. And I wanted to share that feeling. Sure, I had successfully recruited a Ligotti reader here and there over the years, but for the longest time I felt like my enthusiasm (sometimes fanatical enthusiasm) for his work wasn’t widely shared, and I longed to discuss Ligotti’s prose with other like-minded folks. As a research and later a law librarian—in the days before Netscape—I was utilizing the World Wide Web using an early version of a text only browser called lynx. From the beginning of my web use and for years of solid web presence thereafter, I tried to spread the word about Ligotti’s work as I was able but became increasingly frustrated at the relative lack of awareness about Thomas Ligotti and his fiction throughout cyberspace.

Finally, in 1997—upon receiving a job in New York City which paid me very little but gave me tons of free time to mess about on the Internet—I truly became a Ligotti advocate (some would say an annoying advocate) on the old alt.horror.cthulhu Usenet newsgroup. After some argument and semantical wrangling (see this [http://tinyurl.com/yg6tras] rather hilarious proposal thread featuring a much more uptight version of myself), I managed to get the alt.books.thomas-ligotti newsgroup created. A website, cobbled together using stolen HTML from a William Faulkner fan website, wasn’t far behind. Version 1 of TLO from early 1998 is—sadly—lost to the cyber-void as far as I know. Version 2 came out in 1999 and an archive can be found here (Horror - Thomas Ligotti Online Stories and FAQ).

In retrospect, I’m proud of these difficult, initial efforts and the even greater efforts others (e.g., Matt Cardin; Brian Poe) have made throughout the years. In version 1 and 2 of TLO, we published a number of Ligotti stories, some for the first time. TLO—for instance—was the first publisher of the Ligotti and Brandon Trenz penned, original X-Files­ screenplay, Crampton, and was the original home for Ligotti’s masterful novella, My Work Is Not Yet Done. It has also been—for over 14 years now—the source for (more or less) updated Ligotti-related news, a place for Ligotti readers to chat and share thoughts and ideas with each other, and—notably—a place in which Ligotti-inspired work may be shared. I’m proud to state that TLO published Cardin’s remarkable short story, “Teeth,” for the first time anywhere (which led to a successful and well-deserved writing career [Matt Cardin).

About five or six years into TLO’s fourteen year life to date, the website had fallen into quiescence—mainly due to my challenging job and active home life in New Orleans. Fortunately, back in 2004, Brian Poe contacted me with a plan to revive the site. And, boy, did he ever revive it. Now TLO is a thriving, vigorous community of Ligotti readers, which is what I originally intended but didn't have the know-how or time to pull off. I can never repay Brian for what he’s accomplished in the past eight years. The level of talent and intelligence on the site is sky high, and I couldn’t be happier with the state of TLO since Brian took over development and day to day operation of the site. Back in 2005, Tom wrote of TLO, “what I like the most about the site is the idea of people who appreciate my horror stories talking about stuff that has nothing to do with my horror stories and, as we used to say in the sixties, just doing their own thing.” Seriously, does any other author have a more excellent online community than this one?

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

A belated congratulation to Doctors Locrian and Bantham on the site's fourteenth birthday. While I have only been here sparingly of late, this website has long meant quite a lot to me, and I do not think that I am alone in saying that.

Let us hope that this long strange trip continues for as long as it can. Salud!

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

God Bless Dr. Locrian...

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

Thank you, shakir!

But which god will bless me, I wonder... And will what it regards as a blessing be welcome.

:eek:

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

AMEN!

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

Not even close.

Thank you for the history of TLO, Jon. And thanks, as always, to you and Brian for making this site possible. It has been my favorite site for many years. I have gained a great deal from reading the posts and seeing what other books, authors, artists, films, etc. that our members recommend.

Upon careful recent reflection (38 days in the hospital this go around) I have come to the realization that the two authors whose work has meant the most to me are Kafka and Ligotti. I feel very fortunate to be able to visit a site like TLO.

May there be many happy returns!

Best,
Ben

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

Interestingly enough, I found Ligotti to be an acquired taste. I posted a query on Goodreads about Lovecraftian writers as I couldn't seem to find any modern horror writers to my liking, and someone mentioned TL. I bought Teatro Grottesco, read a couple of stories and put it down. A few months later I was looking for something to read and picked it back up. I burned through it and TL became my favorite living author (following only Lovecraft and Poe). Anyway, After picking up just about everything I could afford and reading it all, I found TLO, and wow, what a great site. Yer right, I don't know of any writers out there who have better communities. As soon a CATHR came out I picked up a 1st edition copy and have read it literally around 10 times. It gave me such insight into TL's previous works, so many things I hadn't previously realized. Also, thanks to TL, I've picked up and read a number of pessimistic tomes which I have thoroughly enjoyed (though none as much as CATHR). Thanks to TL and everyone involved in TLO. It has been something I'll never let go of. CHG

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

happy birthday TLO: the best 'thing' on the t'internet – hats off to you

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

Happy belated birthday, TLO! And may the Quine Organization have mercy on our two great doctors, Locrian and Bantham!

I also quickly made a birthday card for TLO:

Attachment 634

It would have been nice to make a flash picture in which the hands are becoming evermore rotten... but I can barely use a basic photo manipulating program.

Oh, it seems that the picture is very small... well, at least by clicking it it will enlarge. Sorry, I'm a caveman and I can't use computers.

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

Re: Thomas Ligotti Online - Fourteenth Anniversary
 

blinded by some nameless triviality I stumbled past that beautiful line from you, Dr. Locrian. It was long ago and I was entertaining some irrelevant ailments.
The god who blesses you will be the god you shall find
and his blessing will be infinite in its meaning and mystery .
Thank you for all this, the humour, the disposition and the vigils....ligotti.net will always be the truer path to the blessings that remain uncounted.

the indebted one,
shakir