Good New Horror

[Randy M.]

Originally Posted by Fried Egg

[...]I haven't got around to trying Matt Cardin yet but hope to eventually. I have a few enquiries though. Has anyone read anything of Reggie Oliver, Mark Valentine, Angela Slatter and Robert Dunbar? I've been hearing some interesting things about these authors.

Years ago I critiqued a few pieces for Matt Cardin. His story "Teeth" was excellent. The other stories I read quite good.

I've read a handful of stories by Oliver in the Best of anthologies and enjoyed them all. He was allowed by the heirs of M. R. James to complete a tale left on James' desk at the time of his death, and it seemed to me a seamless transition from James to Oliver. I would certainly like to read more, myself.

Randy M.

[Symphinity]

I really enjoyed Terror by Dan Simmons. Simmons does an amazing job of researching the historical event of an expedition that gets stuck in the ice in the arctic sea for 3 years, and then creates an amazing fictional monster and story telling the demise of the crew.

[w h pugmire, esq.]

Matt Cardin has announced that he has signed a contract with Hippocampus Press, for a collection of weird fiction entitled TO ROUSE LEVIATHAN. The book will contain all of the fiction from DARK AWAKENINGS plus the entire contents of his other book of fiction, DIVINATIONS OF THE DEEP, plus some newer tales. Hippocampus will then publish a collection of Matt's non-fiction, including all of the essays from DARK AWAKENINGS! Awesome!

Anyone read Richard Gavin? He has a new collection from Hippocampus Press, AT FEAR'S ALTER, and it is dead good. I read ye book in advance and was extremely impressed.

[Randy M.]

Originally Posted by w h pugmire, esq.

Matt Cardin has announced that he has signed a contract with Hippocampus Press, for a collection of weird fiction entitled TO ROUSE LEVIATHAN. The book will contain all of the fiction from DARK AWAKENINGS plus the entire contents of his other book of fiction, DIVINATIONS OF THE DEEP, plus some newer tales. Hippocampus will then publish a collection of Matt's non-fiction, including all of the essays from DARK AWAKENINGS! Awesome!

This is great news. Thanks.

Anyone read Richard Gavin? He has a new collection from Hippocampus Press, AT FEAR'S ALTER, and it is dead good. I read ye book in advance and was extremely impressed.

I haven't read Gavin, but I've heard good things besides your own comments. So this, too, is good news. Thanks, again.


Randy M.

[Dancer]

Hey, I have a question about W.H Pugmire's Fungal Stain and Other Dreams, I've read reviews for it and it looks really interesting. I'm just wondering how much you need to be up on H.P Lovecraft, I've read some of his fiction, and I know about the themes and ideas that go into his work. But, I'm not someone with a deep knowledge of his universe. Will I get the stories in the book, as I know W.H Pugmire writes almost constantly in the mythos. Is it accessible or should I just not bother and read lots of Lovecraft first?

[j. d. worthington]

No, you really don't need to be thoroughly acquainted with HPL to read (and enjoy) Wilum's work. While the more you know, the more connections you will be able to enjoy, Wilum has long since ceased to be simply a Lovecraft pasticheur and become a complex and multilayered writer in his own right, with his own mythos set around Sesqua Valley and similar places, and his own concerns and themes. The Lovecraft connection is decidedly there, but even one who is only very minimally aware of HPL should have no problem following and relishing what Mr. Pugmire does, any more than a reader of Lovecraft would have if they had never read Robert W. Chambers or Arthur Machen....

And incidentally, The Fungal Stain is a fine collection which goes far beyond being merely "horror" fiction into something much, much richer....

[w h pugmire, esq.]

Wow, thanx J. D.! I think that you are exactly correct. And I think this applies to reading Lovecraft as well--you don't need to be well-versed in his Mythos to enjoy to ye full his weird fiction. It seems that the main thing some new readers complain about my own work is my antiquated poetic writing style. To write in such a style is, for me, one of the treasures of writing for the small press, rather than for a commercial market. Because I don't have to "sell" to the widest possible audience, I can write whatever I ache to write, and thus express utterly my Lovecraftian soul. It's a freedom that I cherish.

[Fried Egg]

Thanks for the reminder...I really should read "The Fungal Stain" soon...

[Dancer]

Awesome, thanks a lot guys, you sold me, so brought a copy of Amazon, excited to read it

[j. d. worthington]

Wilum: De nada....

F.E.: I don't think you will be disappointed, especially given your enjoyment of a rather broad spectrum of weird writing.

Dancer: We currently have a surprisingly good crop of writers in the field, such as Thomas Ligotti, Laird Barron, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Cody Goodfellow, the recently deceased Adam Niswander, and a host of others. I would put Wilum fairly high up that list, in large part because, even when not writing verse, his work is intensely poetic in approach... poetic, that is, in the sense that Poe himself meant it when using the term....

At any rate, I hope you enjoy your encounter with Wilum's strange world(s), and look forward to your thoughts....

[Fried Egg]

An interesting article in the Guardian recently about the state of modern horror:

Horror: a genre doomed to literary hell?

The status of the crime and SF genres is being raised by great modern writers. Why hasn't horror received the same treatment?

[Dancer]

Originally Posted by j. d. worthington

Wilum: De nada....

F.E.: I don't think you will be disappointed, especially given your enjoyment of a rather broad spectrum of weird writing.

Dancer: We currently have a surprisingly good crop of writers in the field, such as Thomas Ligotti, Laird Barron, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Cody Goodfellow, the recently deceased Adam Niswander, and a host of others. I would put Wilum fairly high up that list, in large part because, even when not writing verse, his work is intensely poetic in approach... poetic, that is, in the sense that Poe himself meant it when using the term....

At any rate, I hope you enjoy your encounter with Wilum's strange world(s), and look forward to your thoughts....

Yeah, I've read a lot of these passingly, I love Thomas Ligotti, and Laird Barron writes great weird fiction. Also been enjoying a lot Joseph Pulver's works. Looking forward to reading WH Pugmire annnnd Michael Cisco in the near future.

Which leads me to Fried Eggs article, I wouldn't put to much stock in what the guardian says, I doubt they've read or even looked at books from most of the above authors. I think they'd be to obscure for them to really take note off. I think they're talking about mainstream horror, (IE: people who sell Clive Barker and Stephen King) in which there isn't much left. Should of probably read the article before responding however.

Yeah, upon actually reading it, the horror he mentioned was only very main stream. There was no mention of Ramsey Campbell or TED Klein, a great portion of the article was devoted to Stephen King (who I love, but he's not the only one working in horror at the moment). I don't think the author of the article has really taken time to look for anything apart that which sells widely. I'm convinced if he had read Thomas Ligotti he'd at least have some things to say on his work.

[Fried Egg]

Well, take a look back through this thread for plenty of recommendations on new horror.

[Dancer]

Originally Posted by Fried Egg

Well, take a look back through this thread for plenty of recommendations on new horror.

Not sure if that was aimed at me, I wasn't asking for new horror, I was just saying the author of that article hadn't branched out in his search for good horror.

Also as a follow up to a query about W.H. Pugmire (which he very nicely responded to), I was worried that I wouldn't get his work without a great deal of knowledge about Lovecraft, while I've read two of his collections, the ones edited by S.T. Joshi, I wouldn't say I have a great depth of knowledge about the mythos. Anyway, I loved his book The Fungal Stain, the dream like prose, the bizarre character of Simon, and just the weirdness of the stories. I really enjoyed it, I got a lot of the Lovecraft references while I'm sure some passed over my head. A really recommended read.

EDIT: Oh as for complaining about the antiquarian prose style, that was one of the big pluses for me, I really get tired by workman like prose, when someone expresses ideas in their own style it really gets me to fall in love with the book.