Occultation and Other Stories

Oct 12, 2011 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Horror/weird fiction readers

Shelves: october-scare-fest-2011, short-story-collection, weird-tale-weird-fiction, horror, owned-copy, 2011-reading

Laird Barron clearly knows how to unsettle his readers. If there was a universal theme of the various stories in this book, it would be that every single story was unsettling, albeit in different ways.

Mr. Barron evokes memories of reading Caitlín R. Kiernan, HP Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, and even Algernon Blackwood in his tales in this volume. He finds the fearsome in such diverse subjects as the entities from beyond, the power of guilt, the overwhelming and uncomprehensible enormity of the natur...more Laird Barron clearly knows how to unsettle his readers. If there was a universal theme of the various stories in this book, it would be that every single story was unsettling, albeit in different ways.

Mr. Barron evokes memories of reading Caitlín R. Kiernan, HP Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, and even Algernon Blackwood in his tales in this volume. He finds the fearsome in such diverse subjects as the entities from beyond, the power of guilt, the overwhelming and uncomprehensible enormity of the natural world, and lets not forget, the darkness of the human heart. He even has shades of black magic and the diabolical in his stories. I would hesitate to compare him to the comparatively gentle horror stylings of M.R. James, other than the subtle nod to MR James in the antiquarian/bookish leanings of some of his characters. He's a bit more overt in his horror methodology than Mr. James. For all that, he never steps over the line into 'gruesome' and 'debauched.' Indeed, there are moments when sex and violence intertwine closely until they are hard to separate. Fortunately, this is done adeptly and with a subtlety that one such as I (who is admittedly quite squeamish of the combination of the two) didn't feel that she'd stepped into a no-woman's land where she felt she could no longer keep her feet traversing on the path into the dark world of horror that he creates in his stories.

This is a volume best not attempted at night. Even in the cloudless, startlingly bright, azure-skied and sun-washed landscape in which I read, I still felt those stirrings of unease that a good horror work should birth in its reader. This book is equally successful as weird fiction. I had that feeling that I didn't quite get what was going on--that there were questions unanswered, and the 'fearful unknown' was hinted at, and maybe I didn't want to go through that door that Barron leaves barely cracked.

Occultation and Other Stories exists in that gray area between modern-styled horror and the old-fashioned gothic horror that I prefer. And this was successful. I was not alienated in that I found the subject matter too extreme, too shocking, too overtly unpalatable for my tastes. Instead, this caused that shuddery feeling that I can appreciate, although some of the stories made me feel like I needed a sponge bath to remove the miasma of the dark, unfriendly organic, and somewhat visceral arena I had ventured into. But that is horror, my friends. Admittedly, I prefer my horror with an emphasis on the atmosphere, the shivers, and less on the repellent. But horror does have to take us out of our comfort zones, to make us feel unsafe, and Mr. Barron knows how to do that.

Recommended to readers who want to go to that dark, uncertain place for a few hours. (less)

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Mar 14, 2013 Bill Kerwin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: weird-fiction

Laird Barron is not just a "horror writer," he is a “writer,” someone whose gifts extend beyond the customary limits of the genre. As a consequence, he must be held to a higher standard, and, when he is, I believe he falls short of the mark.

Although Barron’s style is filled with memorable images, the sonority and rhythms of his prose are severely limited--surprising for a poet!--and particularly impoverished in their musical effects. His characters, no matter how painstakingly fashioned, have l...more
Laird Barron is not just a "horror writer," he is a “writer,” someone whose gifts extend beyond the customary limits of the genre. As a consequence, he must be held to a higher standard, and, when he is, I believe he falls short of the mark.

Although Barron’s style is filled with memorable images, the sonority and rhythms of his prose are severely limited--surprising for a poet!--and particularly impoverished in their musical effects. His characters, no matter how painstakingly fashioned, have little inner reality: even his most lifelike creations--the he-man protagonists--are difficult to distinguish from one another, and the rest--the damaged women, the uneasy gay men, the affluent euro-trash--are little more than masks, mere engines to propel his plots in motion. He is much better at setting than he is at character, but even here he is limited, excellent at evoking the outdoors (wilderness areas, small isolated forests, a half-built hotel in the middle of a jungle) but mediocre at interiors. ("The Broadsword," featuring an aging apartment building, is a remarkable--and impressive—exception.)

He is good at suspense, superb with visceral horror (eyes turned to jelly, flesh ripped from flesh) and excels at disconcerting the reader, particularly in those eternal seconds when the rift in reality occurs, when life as we know it begins to buckle, right before it completely implodes. It seems to me, however, that the disorienting details Barron chooses in order to evoke such moments are often so fragmentary, so elliptical, that the resulting perturbation of the psyche does not lead to genuine metaphysical terror, but instead brings us immediately back to visceral horror, as flesh begins separating from agonized flesh once again.

I may be too harsh, for Barron uses his defects--as all true artists should--in the service of a consistent vision. Our world is a harsh, unmusical wilderness--Barron seems to say--and human personality is a mere fiction, a mask concealing a frail body and a frailer consciousness, both equally powerless over pain. When pain becomes intense, however, it may suggest another reality beyond this sham and suffering, but it is a reality that is chaotic, merciless and malevolent, a reality that relishes--and feeds upon--our most visceral pain.

Perhaps it is this “vision” that bothers me most about Barron. One of the reasons I read fantasy and weird fiction is that they expand my metaphysical horizon, making my world richer and more varied than before. When I read Barron, however, my horizon contracts. There is a lot of horror, and it is very well done, but it is a small enclosed space, and there is not much room for terror here.

Still, all these stories are good, and a few of them are unforgettable. I think the short piece “Strappado” is the finest, perhaps because it concentrates on absolute horror, not even aspiring to metaphysical terror, but the novella-length “Mysterium Tremendum” and “The Broadsword” are both artfully sustained and extremely powerful.
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May 04, 2013 Ben Loory rated it 3 of 5 stars

barron is a masterful writer with a distinctively flowing and hallucinatory style and i really loved this collection in the beginning. after a while, though, the hopelessness of the universe became not just overpowering but sort of silly. well, let's see how these poor schmucks get fucked over i started to say at the beginning of each story. which, okay, maybe i should've spaced them apart... but every single one was just "bad to worse." i need a little hope to feel the horror of hope's ruin.

but...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Heidi Ward rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, short-stories, cosmic-horror, 21st-century, own, kindle, weird-fiction, pacific-northwest, very-disturbing, new-lovecraftian, 4-and-a-half-stars

Barron’s second book of short stories absolutely delivers on the promise of The Imago Sequence, and is in fact an even more accomplished and various collection, one in which his writerly scope, symbols, thematic preoccupations and chilling mythos all find room to grow. It's also deeply, deeply disturbing.

In my review of TIS I noted that, in keeping with the noir vibe of the collection, most of Barron’s protagonists were “tough-guy” types. Occultation , in contrast, offers a number of stories whi...more Barron’s second book of short stories absolutely delivers on the promise of The Imago Sequence, and is in fact an even more accomplished and various collection, one in which his writerly scope, symbols, thematic preoccupations and chilling mythos all find room to grow. It's also deeply, deeply disturbing.

In my review of TIS I noted that, in keeping with the noir vibe of the collection, most of Barron’s protagonists were “tough-guy” types. Occultation , in contrast, offers a number of stories which prominently feature women, and the female voices and tragedies feel true . . . make what you will of the fact that each is batshit insane. (Hell, most of Barron’s characters end up that way, or worse.) Here, we meet Danni, a recent widow with an intermittent fugue state and a persistent urge to rejoin her dead husband in “The Lagerstatte”; and in the Machen-esque “Catch Hell," grieving mother Katherine accompanies her anthropologist husband on a visit to The Black Ram, an inn with an unsavory history and a reputation for black magic, to which they have come to enact an unspeakable ritual.

Barron shows a real flair for the dialogue of couples, the petty jibes and secret histories they share lurking just beneath the surface. In the title story two lovers in a motel room speculate about a seriously freaky spot on the wall while passing a bottle; in "--30--" (which feels like an hommage to "Who Goes There?"), two naturalists, former lovers, are thrown together in isolation on a three-month wilderness project. Their repartee is quick and clever, until strange things start happening and the discovery of an ancient artifact tips them over into insanity and fatal paranoia.

Barron’s developing mythos also gains steam in Occultation. From the heartbreaking first story, "The Forest," in which we meet the mysterious Dr. Toshi Ryoko, who seems to have a line on the horrors in store for the human race; to “Mysterium Tremendum,” in which Barron's cthonic cult sprouts a text of its own – The Black Guide, a rare guidebook through the more unpleasant nether regions of Washington State. Following its lead, a group of weekend outdoorsmen stumble into a special kind of hell, one which contains revenants from their own troubled histories.

My favorite in the collection is the masterful haunted house story “The Broadsword.” This was the one that made me leave the lights on. Set in a Victorian apartment building which has seen better days, this is where we finally learn the name of the horror haunting Barron’s mythic landscape: the "children of Old Leech" have come out to play, and you will not forget them anytime soon. And once you have met, they will not forget you, either. Prepare to see a good deal more of them.

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Feb 12, 2012 Pearce Hansen rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first thing that struck me about Occultation was that, after having read it and the Imago Sequence – Laird’s debut anthology – for the first time, I immediately turned around and read them both all over again. That’s never happened to me before with any other book – not sure what it means, just taking note.

Laird is often spoken of in the same breath with Thomas Ligotti, but they could not be more different. While I am in awe of Ligotti’s work, his universe is one of futility – of clockwork h...more The first thing that struck me about Occultation was that, after having read it and the Imago Sequence – Laird’s debut anthology – for the first time, I immediately turned around and read them both all over again. That’s never happened to me before with any other book – not sure what it means, just taking note.

Laird is often spoken of in the same breath with Thomas Ligotti, but they could not be more different. While I am in awe of Ligotti’s work, his universe is one of futility – of clockwork horrors that don’t even afford their victims the grace of personal animosity. Laird’s horrors are intimately personal, with a predator/prey relationship oft-times fraught with gleeful malice – while his protagonists are doomed, they oppose their fate with a frontiersman’s fatalism and stoic refusal to submit – this, I assume a result of Laird’s upbringing in rural Alaska. While the characters in both Ligotti’s and Barron’s tales wind up as no more than peristaltic grist for the maw of Lovecraftian horrors intent on provender, Laird’s protags at least have the decency to kick and struggle on their way down the gullet, rather than succumbing to the numb despair exhibited by Ligotti’s people.

Then there is craft. Laird leaves so much unsaid that the majority of his stories unfold puzzle-like behind your unconsciousness after you’re done with them, ultimately looming several times their original size back in your oh-so-vulnerable lizard brain. His wording, phrasing, and editing are flawless – literally among the best wordsmithing I have encountered among writers active today. I am reminded of Joyce Carol Oates’ very best in some of Laird’s work, or Ramsey Campbell at his most hallucinogenic – Laird’s characters are often face to face with facts and realities they refuse to recognize or acknowledge. Allusion is especially strong in all of Barron’s work.

This is strong stuff – not because of its often graphic violence, or its bleak Lovecraftian cosmological mindset – but more for Laird’s unrelenting insinuation. With Laird Barron, resistance is futile – if anyone reads a hundred years from now, he’ll still be in print.

Occultation has an introduction by WFA winner Michael Shea of Nifft the Lean fame, with a beautiful opening sentence: "Laird Barron's carnivorous cosmos . . ." which says much. All the stories are excellent, but a few stood out for me. 'The Forest' is one of those tales that you just can't stop thinking about when you're done. The title piece is one that would have reduced Kafka and his cronies to stitches if Laird somehow traveled back in time and read it out loud to them at one of their writer's gatherings. 'The Broadsword' almost qualifies as science fiction (though technically ANYTHING smacking of Lovecraft's oeuvre could qualify as such) with a masterfully open ending that makes you ask yourself (***potential partial plot spoiler***) whether it would be preferable for the whole story to a delusion on the part of the narrator -- trust me on this, if it IS delusion, the seconds after the end of the story can only be ugly indeed.

Deserving its own paragraph, ghost story Six Six Six is IMHO one of the finest short horror pieces I've ever read, on par with Poe, HPL, Machen or Ramsey. I foresee this tale being anthologized a lot in the future, it may even earn a position as a 'saw,' alongside such classics as William Hope Hodgson's 'A Voice In The Night,' or Saki's 'Svredni Vashtar.' It's THAT good, and it disturbed/infuriated me. Read it and weep.(less)

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Dec 20, 2012 Brian Steele rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-fantasy, horror

This review was written for The Imago Sequence AND Occulations, as they were read back to back.

I write dark things and dream darker. I feel like I'd been immersed in the horror culture for a decade now, and that I'd grown immune to anything presented to me. Simply put, the short stories of Laird Barron are the first thing IN YEARS to have sufficiently creeped me out.

Barron is the missing link between Clive Barker and H.P. Lovecraft, his cosmic nightmares still visceral and intimate, his unknown...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Jody rated it 5 of 5 stars

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OCCULTATION by LAIRD BARRON

Horror diehards have reason to celebrate.

Laird Barron does not write “happily ever after.” If you are looking
for pretty stories with happy endings, or even creepy stories with happy
endings, look elsewhere, because there’s nothing pretty nor happy in Laird Barron’s OCCULTATION, his second collection of dark fiction following the success of his first, THE IMAGO SEQUENCE AND OTHER STORIES.

That Barron does not write “happily ever after” is not to say th...more

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Jul 22, 2010 Laurie rated it 5 of 5 stars

It takes a lot to creep me out. Horror so frequently disappoints me- that hyena laughing two rows behind you at the horror movie showing? That’s me, I’m afraid. That makes me sad, because I love that delicious chill of a well crafted horror story, and it’s just so rare.

Barron managed to raise the hair on the back of my neck several times with these stories. Sure, there were some predictable moments – those times when you want to scream “Don’t go in there!!!!” because you know there is a monster...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, horror

Laird Barron is, to my mind, the best writer of horror fiction today. I realize that’s a strong statement, and one subject to what kind of horror fiction one prefers. For myself, I like horror to be dark and well-crafted. Literary even, but not afraid to rip your face off when the rubber hits the road. Barron supplies that, and more. The vehicles of choice, short story, novella, may not make him rich, but is respectful of where the genre works best. I’d much rather read a short, chiseled piece o...more

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May 27, 2012 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Since I actually DID finish the book, I'm redoing my review. I originally put this book down three stories in. I wasn't impressed with the "horror" or creepiness of what I had read so far. After some soul searching, and re-reading all the reviews that say what a fantastic master of horror the author is, I picked it back up again in the hopes that it would get better.

Several of the stories deal with the same theme, the same- oh, creatures if you will- who give the tales their creepy edge. These...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Seregil of Rhiminee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Occultation and Other Stories is an amazing collection of different kind of modern horror stories. The stories in this collection range from dark fantasy to horror (or perhaps the best way to describe these stories is to say that they're modern horror stories, which contain dark fantasy elements).

Laird Barron's prose is beautiful, intelligent and sharp. His stories are original, fresh, weird, horrifying, a bit perverse and – above all – extremely fascinating. He writes fluently about different t...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Andy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. I got it as a Free Fridays book a few months ago; a lot of FF books are pretty lightweight but this one contains some very good writing. Barron is very good at writing believable characters in the short story format and building up tension. It's classified as "horror" but honestly there's not much here that's truly horrific; the stories are more suspenseful and creepy with a common grounding in the occult. That last part shouldn't be too shock...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Jake Gest rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jake by: Mike

Shelves: new-weird, fiction, horror, fantasy, science-fiction, short-stories, supernatural

I often look for fiction that I find actually frightening. I'm not easily scarred, and although I don't consider fright to be the only thing I look for in horror, I am pleased when I can find something scary. Several stories in this collection were downright terrifying. "Lagerstӓtte" was haunting and unsettling, "Mysterium Tremendum" had moments that were quite disturbing and left me a bit chilled as did "Catch Hell". The one that left me curled up in my living room recliner, slowly pushing the...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Katrina rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 12, 2013 Geoffrey Webster rated it 5 of 5 stars

Where to begin with this incredible collection of stories written by a modern day master of the craft. I deeply respect and admire Barron for his ability to construct cohesive, relevant stories while simultaneously concocting another story hidden in the pages. He has the unique ability to write stories which are dazzlingly confusing and beautifully told. Long after you finish the story, you will continue thinking about what you read, and the more you think about it the bigger and more amazing yo...more Where to begin with this incredible collection of stories written by a modern day master of the craft. I deeply respect and admire Barron for his ability to construct cohesive, relevant stories while simultaneously concocting another story hidden in the pages. He has the unique ability to write stories which are dazzlingly confusing and beautifully told. Long after you finish the story, you will continue thinking about what you read, and the more you think about it the bigger and more amazing your comprehension becomes. They make more and more sense the more you think about it.

Laird has a mastery of descriptive writing, and some of his methods of describing things jump out at you. You think to yourself "wow, I would never have thought to describe something that way". It makes perfect sense when you do read it.

I cant even begin to describe how much each story has to offer. However, here is a synopsis of my four favorite stories and why I like them so much.

1. The Lagerstatte - This is the story of a newly widowed woman, who lost her husband and only son in an accident. We follow this poor woman through her mental breakdown and through her sense of incredible sorrow. The story is powerful, and dark. It resonates on a level deep within all people, and it shows us an alternative world where the sorrowful and the suicidal enter when they lose something they love.

2. Occultation - A very short story of a couple who notice a strange blotchy stain on the wall of their motel room. I cant explain anything without spoiling the story for you, but I'll give you this: this story will confuse you. I sat back after reading it and said to myself "what did I just read?" You will think about this one for a while.

3. Mysterium Tremendum- This is the longest story in the book, and is exclusive to this compilation. It follows a group of gay men who go out on a road trip together, and find a strange black book in a souvenir shop on their travel. It's a book that details various places in the country where occult rituals and other dark arts are participated in and performed. The group of guys decide to explore one of the dolmens detailed in the book, and from there on, the story unfolds. This is my favorite of the stories in the book, and I've read it several times now. The pacing in the book is great, and has one of the most bizarre endings that I've ever read. It's terrifying, mesmerizing, and beautiful all at the same time. This story will make you search feverishly for more of Barron's works.

4. Catch Hell - Of all the stories in this compilation, this one makes the most sense upon reading it through the first time. It follows a married couple who travel to a remote inn for a vacation. Upon arrival to the lodge, they hear strange rumors from the guests about a local legend of an old man who walks the woods behind the lodge. Some say he's the devil, some say he's something more. This story also unfolds brilliantly and has a truly terrible and disturbing ending to it. It is a thrilling read.

I'd like to echo what Michael Shea says in the opening pages of the book. Laird Barron possesses a truly metaphysical heart. His stories are brilliant and confusing, and the plots of these stories sort of bloom in your brain. It's like the stories are seeds that are planted within your brain and grow more and more roots within your brain. Barron has truly studied the occult and has heard the echos of its vastness.(less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Nancy Oakes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Nancy by: cosmic horror enthusiasts looking to go beyond Lovecraft and the usual fare

Shelves: horror

If you want the longer version, it's here; otherwise, read on.

Laird Barron is probably the only recent author I've read who can put together a compilation of his stories and keep me totally involved, off balance and maximally creeped out through the entire book without any exceptions. He's also one of the few horror writers in my experience who writes his stories with prose to equal pretty much any literary author, and he does not rely on cheap thrills, hack-em/slash-em gratuitous gore or gross...more If you want the longer version, it's here; otherwise, read on.

Laird Barron is probably the only recent author I've read who can put together a compilation of his stories and keep me totally involved, off balance and maximally creeped out through the entire book without any exceptions. He's also one of the few horror writers in my experience who writes his stories with prose to equal pretty much any literary author, and he does not rely on cheap thrills, hack-em/slash-em gratuitous gore or gross shockers to strike a genuine chord of fear that continues to resonate long after the last page has been read. The dark atmosphere that envelops the book as a whole hits you the minute you open to the first story and then never lets up. Obviously I really liked Occultation; there's absolutely nothing like a few excellently-terrifying stories to get the adrenaline pumping. I just wonder where this guy gets his inspiration -- oh, strike that...I don't think I want to know.

As in Barron's The Imago Sequence, there is a focus here on the cracks in our "earthly architecture" allowing the unearthly inhabitants of the cosmos who lurk there to peek in or wander on into our landscape; more importantly, they also allow for the more earthbound to catch an unwanted glimpse of what's out there waiting in the shadows. Occultation also continues Imago's themes of absorption and transformation, although this time there is a bit more focus on the occult and the workings of madness than in the previous work, with more than a hint of our own mortal insignificance as aligned with the greater powers that lurk. Here's a quick rundown of these frightening little tales:

1. “The Forest,” a brief tale that in hindsight serves as a thematic preview to the following stories. A cinematographer, Richard Partridge, is invited to what will become both a reunion and a goodbye in the New England woods. His host is a world-famous filmmaker fascinated with "untangling the enigmas of evolutionary origins and ultimate destination," whose newest work offers Partridge a glimpse into Earth's future, along with the present means of communication with those who are destined to inherit the earth. Elements of "The Forest" will reappear later.
2. “Occultation," a story that takes place in a run down old motel along the desert highway. While a sleep-deprived couple boozes it up in their room, playing "Something Scary," getting high on X and stopping to have sex every now and then, a strange stain on the wall captures their attention. The light in the room doesn't work and the shadow continues to grow; in the meantime, while they partying and the shadow attract their attention, outside the room, "the world had descended into a primeval well."
3. "The Lagerstätte," which details a woman's decline into madness from her grief at losing her husband and son simultaneously in a plane crash. Or does it? Related in a manner that leaps around time in a nonlinear sort of way, the story has several jarring, discordant reflected directly from her mind, a place where the line is blurred and often shattered between hauntings, hallucinations, and reality.
4. “Mysterium Tremendum,” an offering about two couples who take a brief camping vacation into the woods of the Pacific Northwest guided by a strange antiquarian book called the "Moderor de Caliginis" found quite by chance. The story starts out slowly, but builds into one of the creepiest stories in this volume, as the group slowly realizes the truth of an earlier warning that "The Crack that runs through everything stares into you." Definitely one of the best stories in the book. The descriptions of the woods in this part of Washington are not only spot on, but downright chilling, as is the creepy ending.
5. “Catch Hell, ”which has much more of an occultish-type touch than Barron's normal fare, although it is one of the stories that definitely embodies his themes of transformation and the "dread of aloneness." A couple who've recently and mysteriously lost a baby come to the Black Ram Lodge, a former trading post in the 19th century which became a mansion before becoming a tourist spot. Just 40 miles east of Seattle in the hill country, it's a whole different world, as they will soon discover.
6. “Strappado.” Now we've come to my favorite story of the entire collection, one which absolutely necessitated a reread. Moving out of the woods, even out of the country, "Strappado" takes place in India, where two former lovers are reunited and eventually find their way to an exhibition of the work of an outlaw artist. To say more would kill it, but I came away from this story both times absolutely stunned at the sheer portrayal of the insignificance of human lives. Much like "The Procession of the Black Sloth," my favorite story in Barron's The Imago Sequence, "Strappado" is highly reminiscent of an Asian horror film. If they ever did make this story into a movie, leaving nothing to the imagination, I'd probably have to pass. It's that creepy, and the final few lines of this story really did a number on me in terms of its ramifications. The title is sort of a double entendre -- you just have to think about it for a while to figure out why.
7. “The Broadsword” features a retired field surveyor who has a secret that will ultimately return to bite him. A long-term resident of the old, arte deco apartment building known as The Broadsword, Pershing Dennard lives alone. His story starts with voices heard through a vent -- and an acknowledgement that someone knows he's listening. Once again, Barron starts the action very slowly and builds it to a horrifying climax that's still resonating in my head, and once again, there is a crossing of the "axis of time and space by means of technologies that were old when your kind oozed in brine," and a hapless human being caught in "the black forest of cosmic night."
8. “–30–" After just a minute of time on Wikipedia, I learned that " –30–" is a way journalists signal the end of a story. And indeed, an finish is captured in the beginning of this tale with the lines "You know how this is going to end." Two biologists who have past history but haven't been together for a long time are stationed together in a module within a hemisphere out in the desert of Washington state. Their work is scheduled to last for six months; the only relief is the occasional helicopter re-supply. They are situated in the former base of cult-like group called "The Family" whose killing exploits are legendary, much like the group under Charlie Manson in the 1960s. The Family is gone now, but there may be something lurking out there still. Or not.
9. “Six Six Six.” This is another story I had to reread. A young man and his wife inherit a big house in the forest, where events of the past continue to reverberate in the present and evil lurks within the very walls. Along with "Catch Hell," "Six Six Six" takes on more of a pure occult style; of the two, this one has much more of a haunted, claustrophobic atmosphere that oozes through the pages. I always wonder about the people in stories or in movies who come across a door bolted shut by every possible means and decide they absolutely must open it. Never a good idea.

I thought that after Imago the act would be so difficult to follow that it couldn't possibly be as good. Well, I was wrong. There are so many elements at work here -- human isolation, trauma, a new look at old ruins, the insignificance of humanity in a grander cosmic scheme, and more. The backdrop of the forest is absolutely perfect with its covering mists and darkness where anything is bound to jump out or worse...where things lurk just waiting to be stumbled upon.

Highly recommended -- darkness is definitely not needed for the hair on the back of your neck to stand on end. (less)

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Jun 19, 2010 Dave Roberts rated it 5 of 5 stars

More detailed review coming soon, Some quick notes:

Barron is an outstanding writer. If I could, I'd give this one 4 1/2 stars. However, nothing in the first few stories grabbed me that way the opening stories of The Imago Sequence and Other Stories did. The second half is where the collection really shines, especially in the stories that are previously unpublished. Barron's characters are always well rendered -- speaking of which, there are a couple of characters that pop up in more than one sto...more

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Jun 12, 2010 Jesse Bullington rated it 5 of 5 stars

My introduction to Barron came fairly recently with Ellen Datlow's anthology Lovecraft Unbound. His entry "Catch Hell" was a very tidy piece that evoked Machen nearly as much as Lovecraft for me, only with considerably...stronger content. Occultation, which also contains that story, is one of the best horror collections I've read since Barker's Books of Blood.

It's hard to find a review of Barron's work that doesn't use the word "Lovecraftian," but unlike many authors who have that term tacked on...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Henryschauman rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm conflicted about how to rate this book. I want to give parts of it 5 starts, but I would also give other parts 2 stars. The real problem is that these parts are often in the same story. I think Barron creates great settings and believable characters. I was impressed by his ability to evoke an atmosphere or a character's mindset, giving a clear impression of the setting and action in the stories. So that's the 5 star part. As for the 2 star part . . . I often thought the endings were a disapp...more

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Jun 25, 2011 Daniel Powell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Occultation is a downright frightening collection of short stories. It's not often that I get to write that, and I haven't read a collection that was this vibrantly unsettling since Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts.

Barron's prose style is crisp and keenly observational, guiding the reader through landscapes rich with horrific imagery. He introduces us to three-dimensional characters--some courageous and some filled with treachery, but always believable. He dabbles with form a little here, writing...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Tim Wake rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's terribly difficult to find really high quality horror fiction, making Barron's occultation a wonderful surprise. I'm going to be following Laird Barron's career closely.

He's writing "cosmic horror", in a literary vein: the universe is populated by poorly understood things that predate us, are hideously potent, and whose notice we should pray we escape.

Compare his elegant and surreal prose to the clunky mock-archaism of lovecraft (our other go-to for cosmic horror), and be thankful.

This is...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Orrin Grey rated it 5 of 5 stars

OK, I doubt if anyone following my reviews is a stranger to Laird Barron. The Imago Sequence and Other Stories established him as one of the most major new forces in weird horror, and Occultation is, in my opinion, the delivery of that book's promise. Not that Imago Sequence wasn't great--it was--this one's just that much better.

There's not a bad story to be found in Occultation, though there are ones I like more than others. I think my favorites are probably the title story, "Catch Hell," "Myst...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Simon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, short-story-collections

Wow, what a bleak, horrific universe that Barron presents in this collection. An array of veiled glimpses into the crawling chaos are collected here with these superbly well written stories.

There seems to be a strong if somewhat nebulous theme running through his work not too dissimilar from Lovecraft's in that there is a harsh, terrifying universe out there lying just beyond the bounds of our everyday perception but that occasionally people stray beyond that veil of ignorance and find out more...more

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Jun 16, 2012 David Cain rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I had never heard of Laird Barron before I downloaded this as a free e-book from B&N. I am glad I gave it a chance - this is a collection of masterful short stories that are all more or less in the horror genre. Some involve demons or devil worship, some aliens and monsters, and others highlight terror of the human-caused variety. They are all quite eerie and a few are genuinely scary! If you are a fan of the genre, or of well-crafted short stories in general, then take a look. I will be rea...more

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Mar 29, 2013 M. C. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well, in spite of my deep affection for Stephen King, I don't read a lot of horror. This one popped up as a Kindle deal and I thought it sounded interesting. I have to admit, it creeped the bejeesus out of me. A couple of stories in particular -- the title story and "Lagerstatte" -- bothered me for days. I wanted to finish it, because the writing is very good -- part of the effectiveness is its restraint and odd tone -- but I also wanted to finish it so I could think about something else.

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Sep 17, 2012 Mitch Rapp rated it 1 of 5 stars

This has to be one of the worst books I've ever read. I knew from the title what I was getting (thankfully, this was a free offering from Barnes & Noble for the Nook) but was expecting something better. I can honestly say that I did not like one story in this collection. I like horror books (Stephen King, Peter Straub, Robert McCammon) but this was on a level with very bad "B" movies I watched as a kid. I won't read another book by this author. Don't waste your time.

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Aug 02, 2012 Cathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, kindle

Really creepy, intelligent stories. Sometimes Barron errs a little too far on the side of ambiguity to the point where I had no idea what actually happened in the story, but these are loving takes on classic horror tropes -- the forbidden book, the whispering voice in the walls of a spooky apartment house, the legacy of a Satanist -- and manages to make them absolutely horrifying again. I found the opening story to be perhaps the least impressive, but especially loved Mysterium Tremendum (a weir...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read The Croning (which I liked better) before this book of short stories. I noticed a similar type of situation in all of them. First of all I started to get a bit tired of all the alcohol consumption. I mean really. It's in all as best I can recall. I enjoy a beer or wine myself so it's not that have a problem with normal and responsible use of alcohol. It just began to get tedious to me when people were constantly consuming ridiculous quantities to the point of blackouts and vomiting. Eh, m...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Imajicaman rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the second collection of Laird Barron stories that I have had the pleasure to read. The first being the brilliant Imago Sequence. This second collection actually on the whole, tops the Imago Sequence collection. The stories in Occultation are in my opinion more accessible to take in as Laird can be quite challenging at times. They are gripping, mysterious, creepy and sometimes weird and horrific but they all share one think in common, they are superb pieces of fictional work. I highly re...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Fred rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, short-stories

This book started off a little slow with the first story giving me the perception of it being a weak writer and/or story. Totally wrong. That story was hokey in my opinion although it turned out alright by the end. The truth is, this book was awesome. One of the best books that has been honored in the Barnes and Noble Free Nookbook Fridays hands down.

Barron has a quirky writing style that appeals to me greatly although I can see how some others would find it irritating. The ending of the stories...more

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