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Post by Craig Herbertson on Feb 14, 2011 17:20:19 GMT
"Dead Loss" by Carole Johnstone. A strong contender for best story in the book, this is 'proper horror' done very right, and it's proper Lovecraftian horror at that. I've no idea where this story orginally saw print as the copyright page has missed it off, but if I hadn't met Miss Johnstone I would assume that she had spent much of her life as a rugged burly sweary deep sea fisherman. This is a great story with a very authentic feel as we follow the misadventures of a tiny fishing vessel as it dredges up some horrible things from the depths, only for them to discover there's something far more horrible lurking beneath the boat. I understand from Lady P that Ms Johnstone also wrote the Nazi theme park story in Never Again so she's definitely an author I'm going to look out for more from. "Strappado" by Laird Barron. Another from the 'Poe' anthology. A review of Mr Barron's Occultation on Amazon says his work is not so much about plot as the way the stories make you feel, which is probably why this didn't do much for me. I couldn't really tell you much about what this story's meant to be about but it seems to involve a weird art exhibition in the middle of nowhere in India. "The Lammas Worm" by Nina Allan. This is from Tartarus' Strange Tales III and is a pretty good slice of provincial mythological British horror. A travelling circus in the SouthWest comes across a young girl who, in association with the mythical giant worm / leech creature of the title, ends up causing tragedy. "Technicolor" by John Langan. I don't doubt that this in-depth literary analysis-cum-lecture-cum pseudohistory about Poe's Masque of the Red Death is very good indeed if you can keep up with it. Sadly it all got a bit much for me but anyone with more intellectual staying power will probably love it. Is the Lammas Worm as risque as 'The Lair of the White Worm' John or in any way comparable?
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Post by Johnlprobert on Feb 14, 2011 21:09:22 GMT
"Dead Loss" by Carole Johnstone. A strong contender for best story in the book, this is 'proper horror' done very right, and it's proper Lovecraftian horror at that. I've no idea where this story orginally saw print as the copyright page has missed it off, but if I hadn't met Miss Johnstone I would assume that she had spent much of her life as a rugged burly sweary deep sea fisherman. This is a great story with a very authentic feel as we follow the misadventures of a tiny fishing vessel as it dredges up some horrible things from the depths, only for them to discover there's something far more horrible lurking beneath the boat. I understand from Lady P that Ms Johnstone also wrote the Nazi theme park story in Never Again so she's definitely an author I'm going to look out for more from. My review of DEAD LOSS by Carole Johnstone from BLACK STATIC #13: ----------------------- Dead Loss - Carole Johnstone"Lachlan hated bottom-trawling. Hated the very idea of it: of a vast weighted net dragged over rock and corpse and wreck."And the story-winners keep coming, no mistake! Hugely impressed by this tale of the North Sea near Scotland and Norway (far rougher and foreboding than that part where I live on its coast in North Essex!). I am not an expert on trawler-fishing but this seems to evoke the state (emotionally and technically - otter boards, enabled cookies) of being right there in the thick of the British Shipping Forecast, and not only the weather - the things that one might trawl in distant trenches that either Innsmouth or Hodgson may blench at. 'Bottom-fishing' is a term in Investment Banking - but here Creation's pecking-order takes on a new dimension, and you won't know exactly what I mean till you read this literally reverberating story. The protagonist is not exactly in love with the sea. Nor is the sea in love with him. But there is a symbiosis and catharsis here that quite obliterates finer emotions about Fate and philosophy. Like the previous two stories it tells of giant versions of things or unseen versions that things hide within themselves. Breeds apart. And here I imagine to myself that the catch will be fish bigger than even Islington Crocodiles! Giantism-in-action. Shock and awe. But I've only skimmed the surface. (22 Oct 09 - six hours later) Ahhh - thanks Des - I really liked this one and I had assumed it must have come from Lovecraft Unbound or some similar anthology. I'm a longstanding Black Static subscriber and supporter (after all they did do a three page spread on my stuff, God bless 'em!) but I rarely get time to actually read the magazine, so that's shown me! One day I'll have to take a couple of weeks off and go through all the Black Static stories.
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Post by Johnlprobert on Feb 14, 2011 21:10:24 GMT
"Dead Loss" by Carole Johnstone. A strong contender for best story in the book, this is 'proper horror' done very right, and it's proper Lovecraftian horror at that. I've no idea where this story orginally saw print as the copyright page has missed it off, but if I hadn't met Miss Johnstone I would assume that she had spent much of her life as a rugged burly sweary deep sea fisherman. This is a great story with a very authentic feel as we follow the misadventures of a tiny fishing vessel as it dredges up some horrible things from the depths, only for them to discover there's something far more horrible lurking beneath the boat. I understand from Lady P that Ms Johnstone also wrote the Nazi theme park story in Never Again so she's definitely an author I'm going to look out for more from. "Strappado" by Laird Barron. Another from the 'Poe' anthology. A review of Mr Barron's Occultation on Amazon says his work is not so much about plot as the way the stories make you feel, which is probably why this didn't do much for me. I couldn't really tell you much about what this story's meant to be about but it seems to involve a weird art exhibition in the middle of nowhere in India. "The Lammas Worm" by Nina Allan. This is from Tartarus' Strange Tales III and is a pretty good slice of provincial mythological British horror. A travelling circus in the SouthWest comes across a young girl who, in association with the mythical giant worm / leech creature of the title, ends up causing tragedy. "Technicolor" by John Langan. I don't doubt that this in-depth literary analysis-cum-lecture-cum pseudohistory about Poe's Masque of the Red Death is very good indeed if you can keep up with it. Sadly it all got a bit much for me but anyone with more intellectual staying power will probably love it. Is the Lammas Worm as risque as 'The Lair of the White Worm' John or in any way comparable? Afraid not, Craig. But you're right - the subject matter would make one wonder if it was a considerably more lurid tale than it actually is.
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Feb 14, 2011 21:22:54 GMT
I'll put it on my 'no need to rush' list then
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