Richard Gavin's Blog, page 15

Michael Dirda on SYLVAN DREAD

Sylvan Dread has received very humbling praise from renowned literary critic and writer Michael Dirda:

"In medieval times scholars spoke of 'Natura naturans' --- Nature naturing, Nature reveling in her sheer fecundity and pagan vitality. Like Blackwood and Machen before him, Richard Gavin knows the inhuman yet seductive rapture of the deep woods; he has heard the ancient music on the hills. In his stories of 'sylvan dread,' his protagonists explore uncanny ravines and hillside clefts, take part in sacrilegious rites, encounter maenads and goatbrides and Lovecraftian horrors. Gavin’s prose is always quietly controlled, carefully crafted, but it inexorably leads his men and women into realms of terrifying otherness, where they are changed, changed utterly."

--- Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, author of The Great Age of Storytelling 

SYLVAN DREAD may now be pre-ordered!

Although they were not slated to begin until next week, due to demand Three Hands Press are now accepting pre-orders for Sylvan Dread: Tales of Pastoral Darkness.

The collection is being offered in three different editions: a Deluxe, a standard hardcover with dustjacket, and a trade paperback.

Orders can be placed by clicking here. I want to thank the readers of my work for giving this book such a wonderful reception. If you could help spread the word about the book's availability, it would be greatly appreciated.

SYLVAN DREAD Table of Contents

As promised, Sylvan Dread's Table of Contents:

 1. Thistle Latch
2. Primeval Wood
3. A Cavern of Redbrick
4. Tending the Mists
5. Fume
6. Goatsbride
7. Weaned on Blood
8. Tinder Row
9. Wormwood Votaries
10. The Old Pageant
11. The Stiles of Palemarsh
12. Mare's Nest


Of the book's twelve stories, eleven are being collected for the first time and three have never before been published.


More information on SYLVAN DREAD can be found on the Three Hands Press website:


http://www.threehandspress.com/


Public pre-orders are set to begin very soon...

Announcing SYLVAN DREAD

It is with extreme pleasure that I officially announce the release of Sylvan Dread: Tales of Pastoral Darkness. This is my fifth collection of supernatural fiction and it will be released in June 2016 by the prestigious Three Hands Press. The book's superb cover art, created by Jim Dunk, can be seen above.

Public pre-orders for the book will begin next week. The book's full Table of Contents will be revealed on this website in the coming days. This is my first full-length book of stories in four years. I am very proud to be working with Three Hands Press on its realization.

BENIGHTED PATH updates

Theion Publishing have offered the above glimpse at the Auric Edition of The Benighted Path. This image alone was enough to leave me speechless.

As previously reported, the Auric Editions are bound in night primeval black leather with silver adornment on the front cover. Each copy contains my handwritten Seal and Chant of the Mara as well as my signature and each copy comes in a slipcase. This edition is sold out. Pre-ordered copies are now being dispatched to their respective owners.

In related news, American author and poet Christopher Ropes has written a beautiful and deeply insightful review of The Benighted Path, which may be read here. My thanks to Christopher for sharing his powerful impressions.

Standard Editions of this book are still available (but are also limited in number). Theion Publishing's site may be accessed here.

THE BENIGHTED PATH Auric Edition - Update

Those who were among the seventy to reserve one of the Auric Editions of The Benighted Path: Primeval Gnosis and the Monstrous Soul will be pleased to learn that these copies are now in the final stages of production are expected to begin shipping on March 22nd.

Theion tells me that this edition has surpassed their expectations in terms of its beauty and talismanic power.

"Fume" reviewed at The Conqueror Weird

Brian O'Connell has posted a very nice review of "Fume" over at The Conqueror Weird. It can be viewed here.

Treadwell's

I was delighted to learn that The Benighted Path has been selected as the Pick of the Week at the wonderful Treadwell's bookshop in London. Copies of the book can be found both in the store and may also be ordered through their website.

My thanks to the staff at Treadwell's for their support.

Auric Edition

Inscribing the chant and seal of the Mara by candlelight with bottled ash and Tibetan dorje (thunderbolt). These hand-fashioned sheets will be included in the Auric Edition of The Benighted Path.
While the Auric is in preparation at Theion Publishing, Munich, copies of the Standard Edition are now in stock and shipping. Orders may be placed here. 

THE BENIGHTED PATH: Now Shipping

I am extremely pleased to report that the Standard Edition of my non-fiction esoteric book The Benighted Path: Primeval Gnosis and the Monstrous Soul is now shipping via Theion Publishing.

Copies may be obtained by clicking here.

North American residents may also order copies via JD Holmes - Bookseller. For this website click here.

The Deluxe Auric Editions, which will be signed by me, bound in Night Primeval black leather and will also feature a handwritten Chant and Seal, are due to ship in the next few weeks. The Aurics require more preparation time as they involve handcrafted elements.