Rule Dementia!

by Quentin S. Crisp

Back in print after a long hiatus, Quentin S. Crisp’s third collection of fiction, Rule Dementia! , sees the author start to experiment with the form and content of the macabre tale. ‘The Haunted Bicycle’ is his first attempt to use Japanese I-novel techniques with supernatural subject matter and tales such as ‘The Waiting’ and ‘Unimaginable Joys’ are a fusion of cosmic vision and the fey, shoe-gazing miserablism of Generation X. Throughout, the collection forms a symbolic, whimsical bestiary of the modern soul as brimming with unexpected, irreducible and oddly specific imagery as a Hieronymus Bosch painting. Informed by a surreal, apocalyptic paranoia, yet rooted in child-like imagination and sheltered in the lee of unschooled mysticism, these early tales together make up a playful scrapbook of despair and hope at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first.

Genres: Short Stories, Weird Fiction

358 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Forrest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit it: sometimes I will take an author's introduction as a challenge to see if they live up to their own assessment of their work. But given that Crisp has here included two introductions: one from 2004 - a somewhat trite and generous assessment of his own work, and one from 2016 - an apologia, of sorts, for the former; I am stuck between the two Crisps. At times, the work in this volume seems naive (as hinted at in his 2016 forward), but I believe that this naivete is intentional, that Crisp wants at least some of his protagonists to be so full of innocence that their loss of the same is all the more tragic. The feelings that I felt the strongest while reading this volume were sympathy, pathos, sadness, and pity. All of this, of course, was set against the foil of "happiness", and by that I mean "self satisfaction" of the characters, some of whom are unwholesome chaps.

"Jellyfish Joe" is a beautifully-written story of a messiah, of sorts, who forms a cult based on the metaphysical philosophies of the jellyfish. It is an interesting meditation on the interface between naivete and faith and the reactions to the ultimate test of one's deeply held beliefs and spiritual experiences. What if miracles happen in spite of the miracle-worker, where the Messiah considers himself a complete fraud, but his followers do not? This story digs deeply at the very nature of faith. It gets in your heart and brain and is extremely poignant, especially for those of us who have equal doses of religious faith and incredulity warring within us. Four stars.

Remember those episodes of the X-Files that were intentionally self-effacing, goofy as heck and, yet, somehow sinister? That's what "The Haunted Bicyle" "feels" like. And more on the goofy side, with an intellectually-clumsy narrator and some weird characters and situations he encounters. I'm having a hard time describing this story, and that's good! There is one little self-referential slip regarding surrealism. Nothing is less surreal than saying you're surreal. And I don't know that the character meant it in jest.

Despite this slip, Crisp is very good at portraying whimsical awkwardness. Or is it awkward whimsy? In either case, it is strange and playful and I like it in a twisted sort of way.

"The Haunted Bicycle" has one foot in Bizarro-land, one foot in the old English ghost story, and one foot firmly planted ankle-deep in William S. Burroughs' grave. Lurking behind it is a veil (eventually rent) of cosmic horror and more than a touch of insanity. And, yes, the story is about a haunted bicycle. Five crazed stars to this unclassifiable, yet utterly delightful story.

"Zugzwang" is one of the most effective stories of paranoia I've ever read. A relative of mine (through marriage) was once clinically diagnosed with paranoia. I've spoken with him about it a couple of times, and it's a scary, helpless twisting of reality. This story is a fair fictional approximation of the disorder, with a touch of cosmic horror, which makes it truly disturbing. Four stars, only because of the unlikelihood of the relationship that begins it all, which is rather jarring and requires a self-conscious suspension of disbelief.

"The Tao of Petite Beige" is an esoteric story about pornography addiction, if nothing else. The occult journey, a sort of sublimation from banality to heaven to hell, portrayed therein is compelling, the ending predictable. It is a beautifully written story, as evidenced here in the paragraph before the very final moments of the story:

Paul floated, seemingly without volition, closer to the mouth of the alley, the two celebrants still holding his arms. The crowd slowed in its approach, like backed-up water, the trickle that passed through picking up speed again. As Paul observed the movement of bodies at this bottleneck, a word rose inexplicably to the surface of his mind to describe it - 'fulfilment'. His life was narrowing down to this single channel. Soon he would be sucked in. All the wide, glittering detail he had come to think of as his very life would be jettisoned as redundant. When he thought about 'life' becoming 'fulfilment', about an aimless ocean becoming a stream, he could not suppress a sharp sense of loss, something like the dizzying panic he had been feeling of late just walking the streets of the wide world. Here in the eddying before the final entrance to that fulfilment, the sad waters of the ocean he was to leave forever seemed to toss and pitch, like water about to run away through a crack in the earth's surface. In those waters he saw so much, he never realised his life had contained such heartbreaking detail - his long years of failure, Mother, drunken conversations with friends that had to end somewhere and yet still seemed to be going on, relationships that never started, loves and lusts never told (just count them), studies that were never made use of, clothes worn and thrown away, music listened to and tired o, places seen from the window of a moving train and never visited, letters lost or gathering dust, days wasted - all this was running away down a crack in the ocean floor. And though there was panic and sadness attached to this wide world, that too was running away. Paul was feeling more and more detached. Fulfilment!

Four stars, with a warning that this story is for adults only!

"The Waiting" is the kind of story that you read and the bottom drops right out from under you. A cosmic conspiracy on a grand scale. There are strong echoes of Thomas Ligotti here, but Crisp's own peculiar voice is always in the background. Four stars

Crisp certainly knows how to tug at the heartstrings, then rip them clean out. "Unimaginable Joy" is an ironic title, a double-entendre. You cannot imagine joy, and there is a conspiracy afoot to ensure that this is the case. It is beyond you. Any joy you think you might have grasped was only a hazy mirage. Only those who embrace the void know true joy, but it is not joy as you think of it! A heart-rending story of innocence lost and the victory of debauchery. Don't read this on a down day. It will not help your mood. Five depressing stars.

When you hear the name Quentin S. Crisp associated regularly with the names Reggie Oliver and Mark Valentine, you can bet that the work is going to be of excellent quality. And so it is. It's not as dignified as Oliver or as intellectually suave as Valentine's work, but Crisp does fit in with them like the somewhat awkward kid at the back of the smart-kid crowd, the one who laughs a bit more than the rest, but you know has a wicked brain brewing up schemes in there that no one else will - or ought to - see in public.

[Sirensongs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time to give this book another chance in this lovely new Snuggly Books hardcover edition. Quentin is one of my favourite authors, after all, and I have a feeling I will get more from this collection upon my second reading.

And now that I have spent the last week lost within the dark wonders of these pages, I can't help but question what twisted state of mind I was in the last time I read these tales, to give this sublime book a mere three star rating. I am sorry this current reading experience is over, and can only look forward to savouring these scintillatingly original stories again after several years have passed. Not only do I question my own lack of appreciation upon my first reading, I also can't understand why Quentin himself is so hard on these stories in his introduction, and seems slightly embarrassed of the younger self that penned them. He really shouldn't be; while to be sure his writings have developed and matured over the years, this book still has universes of splendour to offer. He truly is one of the greatest writers of this generation, I find, and expresses facets of reality and dream as I experience them so succinctly that the emotions his words evince in me slice me to the core. At points I truly feel that we have walked the same inner worlds; at different times, definitely, but I have visited them too, only can never describe these visions with even a fraction of the lingual dexterity that he exhibits. I am in a swoon that I hope will linger for as long as possible. I often find that reading Quentin's work has similar effects on me as are brought upon by the imbibing of certain drugs, only with less serious side effects. But my synapses are still rewired, and will most likely never straighten themselves out again. Thank you Quentin.

I fervently hope that one day Quentin S. Crisp receives the widespread literary acclaim that he deserves. That he hasn't yet sets my soul to aching.

[Patrick.G.P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of stories by Quentin S. Crisp, his prose is a delight to read, and his characters quirky and interesting. I really like the fact that he doesn’t box himself into one specific genre, and the result reads like a mix of William Burroughs, Thomas Ligotti and even a bit of Clive Barker. Sometimes funny, bizarre, horrifying and creepy at the same time. My favorite story was The Haunted Bicycle, just the bizarre friendship between the two protagonists and the laugh out loud absurdity of the tale was just fantastic. I’m certainly looking forward to reading more of Crisp’s work. Recommended for fans of the strange and outrè!

[Seregil of Rhiminee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Risingshadow.

Quentin S. Crisp's Rule Dementia! is the author's third collection. It's great that Snuggly Books has re-published it, because it deserves to made available to a wider readership. This collection was originally published in 2005 and has been out of print until now. It will be of special interest to readers of literary strange fiction and weird fiction, because it sees the author experimenting with fresh material and macabre themes in an original and exciting way.

Before I begin to analyse and review this collection, I'll say a few words about Quentin S. Crisp, because it's possible that he may be a bit unknown author to many readers. Quentin S. Crisp's fiction has been published by several small presses and he is currently an editor for Chômu Press. He is a talented author whose stories range from literary fiction to speculative fiction. He writes excellent prose and dares to experiment with various themes and issues that many authors tend to overlook and discard in their works.

I was impressed by Rule Dementia! and its originality. It was interesting for me read what kind of stories Quentin S. Crisp wrote over a decade ago, because until now I had only read his new stories. Although he nowadays has a more mature literary voice and his writing style has changed a bit, nobody can deny the fact that he has always been an exciting and talented author who dares to experiment with several things. This early collection is a fine example of his writing skills and imagination.

Rule Dementia! is a collection that is filled with strange beauty, creepy horror and sparkling originality. It's a rewarding reading experience for those who love literary speculative fiction and appreciate nuanced and thought-provoking storytelling.

This collection contains the following six stories:

- Jellyfish Joe
- The Haunted Bicycle
- Zugzwang
- The Tao of Petite Beige
- The Waiting
- Unimaginable Joys

These six stories combine fantasy, horror and weird fiction elements in such a bizarre and powerful way that I was wholly mesmerised by them and their eerie atmosphere. There's sophisticated strangeness and subtle complexity in each of them. They will amuse, impress, surprise and shock readers, because their contents range from the absurd to the unsettling.

Here's a bit of information about the stories and my thoughts about them:

Jellyfish Joe:

- A story about a suicide cult survivor called Joe who creates his own religion that is founded on the obscure image of a jellyfish. Joe finds disciples and creates his own Bible.
- The author writes well about the protagonist and his disciples. It was interesting to read about Joe's religion.
- An excellent and deeply Lovecraftian story.

The Haunted Bicycle:

- A novella about Les who thinks that his bicycle is haunted, because it seems to steer itself. Soon Les and the narrator become a couple of amateur psychic investigators.
- I liked the way the author wrote about the narrator's friendship with Les, how they became friends and what they did together.
- In this novella, the author exhibits signs of Rhys Hughes-like absurdity that has been coupled with gothic and menacing elements.
- A satisfyingly strange and atmospheric story with slightly experimental structure.

Zugzwang:

- A story about a cello-playing man who is possibly paranoid or even schizophrenic, because he hears eerie and unnatural voices.
- There was something in this story that slightly reminded me of Lovecraft's 'The Music of Erich Zann' (this story is different from Lovecraft's story, but has a few things in common with it).
- This story is excellent and well written weird fiction.

The Tao of Petite Beige:

- A story about Paul who has come to Taiwan. He tries to control his sexuality by withholding his essence and becomes entangled with something strange.
- This is one of the most intriguing and thought-provoking weird fiction stories I've read in a while.
- There was something slightly Machenesque and Blackwoodian about this story that I found thrilling.

The Waiting:

- In this story, Brendan, who works at the bank, gets a new manager, Stephen. Soon Brendan learns unsettling things about Stephen as he visits the Outside.
- This is an excellent and atmospherically written Lovecraftian story in which the author adds a couple of his own deities (Yxthahl and Qioxtl) to the Cthulhu Mythos.
- This is one of the best modern Lovecraftian stories I've ever read.

Unimaginable Joys:

- An interesting story featuring Rebecca, Gawaine, the land of Missing and its great capital city Me.
- When I read this story, I noticed faint echoes of Lovecraft's 'The Quest of Iranon' and certain stories written by Clark Ashton Smith.
- This is an excellent and well written final story for this collection, because it's something a bit different. I won't go into details about its contents, but I urge readers to read it, because it's very atmospheric and the ending is good.

'Jellyfish Joe' is one of the most original Lovecraftian stories I've ever had the pleasure of reading, because the author blends religious elements with Lovecraftian elements in a fascinating way. I enjoyed reading about the Sect of the Jellyfish and how Joe travelled to an unnamed island to find his destiny. The ending was excellent and sharp.

'The Haunted Bicycle' is an excellent novella that combines absurbity and weird fiction elements in a stunning way. It features exceptionally nuanced characterisation that gradually deepens the story. The conversations between the narrator and Les are often amusing, because they have private jokes about earwigs and other matters.

'Zugzwang' is difficult to forget once you've read it, because the author creates a stunning sense of hopelessness and suspicion. This story is one of the finest depictions of paranoia and hopelessness I've ever read, because it has an intense atmosphere. The author writes well about what happens between the protagonist and his girlfriend.

'The Tao of Petite Beige' features a fascinating exploration of human sexuality. The author explores such things as eroticism, masturbation and celibacy in his own unique and direct way. It's great that he writes fluently about sexuality and doesn't shy away from it. This story also features interesting references to popular culture (e.g. Petite Beige has clearly been based on the famous model Bettie Page).

I was very impressed by 'The Waiting', because it's been a while since I've had the pleasure of reading such a powerfully Lovecraftian story. Everything about this story exudes Lovecraftian menace, isolation and helplessness (it unfolds in a Lovecraftian manner, but is wholly original and has a faint touch of Thomas Ligotti). The protagonist's visits to the Outside were amazing, because the Outside consisted of dark and endless passageways.

The characterisation is excellent, because the author writes well about the characters. It's nice that the characters range from suicide cult survivors to bank managers, because it adds diversity to the stories.

The characters are humane, flawed and have come to expect little from life (their relationships with others are often intriguingly delicate and vulnerable). There's a kind of a cosmic bleakness that surrounds them and affects their daily lives and feelings.

Some of these stories are heavily influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. I consider this to be an extremely good thing, because one can never read too many Lovecraftian weird fiction stories. Because I'm a big fan of Lovecraftian weird fiction, I found this collection immensely satisfying.

I respect the author for writing his own kind of Lovecraftian weird fiction and boldly venturing into areas that many other authors tend to avoid. His vision of isolation and hopelessness feels deeply Lovecraftian and lacks all the typical clichés that are associated with Lovecraftian weird fiction.

The author's prose is excellent, evocative and descriptive. He succeeds in creating a strange and unsettling atmosphere that exudes menace, because he understands what it is needed to write atmospheric weird fiction. His atmospheric storytelling works perfectly.

I think that Rule Dementia! will appeal to readers who are familiar with the works of Thomas Ligotti, H.P. Lovecraft, Rhys Hughes, Algernon Blackwood, Douglas Thompson, Brendan Connell, David Rix, Allen Ashley and Nina Allan. It will also be of interest to readers who have Laird Barron, Livia Llewellyn and Richard Gavin. I sincerely wish that readers will invest a bit of time into reading this collection, because it's one of the best and most original horror story collections published during the recent years.

If you're a newcomer to Quentin S. Crisp's fiction, Rule Dementia! serves as an excellent entry point into his fiction. It will also please readers who are already familiar with his new stories, but have never had an opportunity to read his early stories.

I consider this collection to be a prime example of what modern weird fiction can be at its best and most imaginative. If you're fed up with bland and stale horror fiction and want to read something extraordinary and unique that is worth reading, you'll be thrilled to delve into Quentin S. Crisp's Rule Dementia!, because it differs a lot from normal horror fiction. The stories in this collection are not simple mainstream horror stories, but something much more meaningful, intriguing and unsettling. They're filled with depth, emotion and dark atmosphere that gradually seeps into your soul.

Quentin S. Crisp's Rule Dementia! is an excellent contribution to the ever-growing genre of modern weird fiction and should not be missed by quality-oriented speculative fiction readers. It's a satisfyingly original collection that beckons readers to explore its strange beauty and mesmerising weirdness.

Highly recommended!

[Karl]

Hardcover limited edition of 60 copies, of which 55 will be made available to the public.

[Des Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole experience for the reader, as I imagine it, is like this novella’s own ‘pulse starting in the neck’ – the initial evidence that I am not dead, as it wakes me…and “I was not sure if it were my vision or if I were its.”

The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.