Laird Barron's Blog, page 42
November 23, 2013
Lord of Darkness
Thomas Ligotti is one of the finest horror writers alive. His imagination is a wickedly powerful engine. It rumbles with enough force to shake the bones of HPL himself. From what I understand, Ligotti is also a kind and good man. This said, I am far less enamored of his pessimist/antinatalist philosophy. His indulgences in that arena smack of sophistry. The self-obliterating darkness that works in his fiction becomes appalling in reality, moreso in the context of the sort of cultish veneration that pessimist philosophy and antinatalism enjoy.
It is interesting that for me Ligotti presents a similar dichotomy as Lovecraft. In both cases, the untenable nature of their world view is the precise element that makes their art so potent.
If you’re interested in Chambers, Smith, and Lovecraft, Ligotti should be on your list. This is a good place to start.
Courtesy of Sergiy Krykun
November 22, 2013
The Mastadon Rampages
Crows N’ Bones has come out with an amazing review of The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All. There’s a capsule review of each story, accompanied by a music video. A tip of the hat to Paul Tremblay who previously put together a playlist for my new collection.
November 21, 2013
June Spence: Missing Women
My pal John Langan got me hip to Larry Brown last year. Now it’s June Spence. Missing Women & others is a dark and deceptively stylish collection of stories. The title piece is the kind of art to put an icy lump in your gut and keep you awake nights. In fact, this book, much like Larry Brown’s own work, resonates the kind of rawness that simply has to come from experience. I’m almost despairing that I come to Missing Women two decades after its debut. There is not enough time to read the writers I should be reading.
Anyway. Read this, then go read Karen Joy Fowler, or Kelly Link, or Aimiee Bender, or Livia Llewellyn.
November 20, 2013
Listen to This: People in Planes
People in Planes. Excellent, dark, noir-ish music.
November 19, 2013
Watch This: Batman versus Superman
Because Jessica is about the most ardent Batman fan I know…
November 17, 2013
Read This: Paul Tremblay at Bourbon Penn
Paul Tremblay has a story up at Bourbon Penn. He’s at the bleeding edge of noir and the weird. In fact, when someone asks me to define the weird, Paul is among the first authors who come to mind. The guy can write the hell out of a crime story too.
November 15, 2013
The Shark
My rep, Janet Reid, will be re-opening to queries in January, 2014. Read this to see what she wants. Known by some as The Shark, Janet is a hell of an agent.
Watch This: Butterfly Wings
Don’t place faith.
