Bloody Good Horror discussion
2016 Readings
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Bkclb May '16: The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All, Laird Barron
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I've been having really good luck finding our books (this one too) at the local library. Go Valparaiso!
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1. Do you think that the hunting excursion of Blackwood's Baby was a planned sacrifice to the Other of those lands, by the Lords, or was it just a coincidence that the land and entity needed blood and the hunters were there?
2. In The Redfield Girls, do you think it was ever possible for Bernice to have saved her niece from the lake, or was she just destined to end up there?
3. If Bernice would have been able to answer the phone the night the girls crashed, what would she have learned,if anything?
Sorry was on vacation of course I'm now behind on my reading lol.1.) I think to me at least the fact that the annual hunting excursion was a way to offer tribute to the powers in the forest is a given. The things I question most are how much of the legend was true or exaggerated, and basically everything about Luke Honey period.
As always Barron paints a picture using the tropes those who have come before have laid out for him and does so wonderfully. Telling an old school two fisted tale with a healthy dose of existentialism.
2.) Having read some other Barron works I think this story is a decent departure from his usual but it stays within his style in this way ( the inescapable fate existential style angle I mean). The realization that she was being haunted by not a ghost but her own precognitive senses makes this awesome and that is what makes this a Barron story. The fact is that the outcome was immutable and she didn't know what she was seeing until after it happened.
Aka no nothing could have changed this. It was fate.
3.) This is intriguing to contemplate. The call could have been otherworldly or a legit call for help... It could have even been her niece calling to confirm their visions and her fate before giving in to it. Either way I doubt she would have learned anything.
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So how're you guys digging Barron so far? And more specifically these first two stories?
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2. When I read the story, I took it as more of her clairvoyant/precognitive sense being represented in a physical way, although she thought she was being haunted by a ghost. I suppose she was, but, a future ghost.
3. I'm still not sure if the phone call was supernatural in nature or a last minute panicked call--if it was a real call, why wouldn't Lourdes have called 911 or something? I suppose, however, that when you're in a submerged car you don't exactly think clearly. I don't think answering the phone would have made a difference in the end.
CC wrote: "Section 1 - Discussion1. Do you think that the hunting excursion of Blackwood's Baby was a planned sacrifice to the Other of those lands, by the Lords, or was it just a coincidence that the land ..."
1. Given the context of past deaths on the hunt that were mentioned by multiple characters, it seems that the woods and the great beast always took at least one or more souls to sustain their dark aura. It seems rather fitting as the hunters were essentially the hunted if you believe in that scenario. I think that everyone on the excursion was affected in some way, even if they weren't consumed by the beast; more specifically, we see instances of hallucinations from the narrator and the bad luck that befalls most of the hunting party.
2. To me it is unclear if Bernice would have been able to prevent her niece's death. She did note in the story she had a "touch of the vision" (or something along those lines), but simply seemed to misinterpret her nightmares, which eventually led to her niece's demise. Perhaps the unfortunate fate that befell some of her relatives turned into a curse of sorts and the dreams were a way to stop the cycle, but, given the bad mojo experienced by most at the lake, the powers of evil were far too powerful and again claimed a soul. It is interesting that these two stories pair up in the front half of the book as they both seem to revolve around doomed fates and inevitability.
3. I feel the message would have been a panicked cry for help or a mess of screams and crying. I wasn't completely clear on how the reader was to interpret that part, but I think that is what makes Barron's writing so intriguing. While there is some obvious mystery to some of these tales, he also seems to present things in his writing very blatantly, which makes me believe there was a larger intended meaning behind the voicemail. Maybe it was Bernice simply not wanting to believe that her lineage was doomed to suffer from generation to generation, and deleting the voicemail made that physical affirmation of sorrow and despair disappear as another layer of torment.
I am really into this book so far and am still playing catch up this week. I just got through "Hand of Glory" and loved it. Barron has a great imagination and really paints the scene in each of his stories.
Well, at about the 2/3-rds point through the book, here's where I am: for pretty much each story, the writing is fabulous, the stories start off interesting, but I eventually drift out and start skimming more than reading deeply. I don't know why I become detached from the stories, but I eventually do. I've always enjoyed Lovecraft and Ligotti, and Barron's stories seem similar in the way that characters encounter and eventually are doomed by something awful. But eh, I'll finish the last 4 stories and maybe something will click!
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1. What do you think happened to Cope's father's hand in Hand of Glory?
2. In The Carrion Gods in Their Heads -do you think Miranda made a "pact" when she found the pelt, or do you think it just spellbindingly influential- that she felt the urge to take it?
2.1 Was Miranda posessed by the beast upon wearing it's skin or did it just amplify what was already there within her?
3. In Jaws of Saturn - what did the Magician gain, if anything, by opening Franco and Carol's eyes to the projection they were living?
3.1 What's more terrifying, knowing that your life is a projection or seeing what's behind the projection?
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There have been 1 or 2 stories that just havent been able to keep my attnetion - but for most of it I'm really digging it. I wish I wasnt trying to read so fast so I could really enjoy it.
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1. Do you think that the hunting excursion of Blackwood's Baby was a planned sacrifice to the Other of those lands, by the Lords, or was it just a coincidence tha..."
I'm really liking the slight connections too - I've always appreciated that in books or stories from the same author.
I've heard messed up stories of "ghost" phone calls from accidents and it's always interested me - that story really stuck with me. As did Blackwood's Baby.
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Hahha very true - it's interesting to think of them just being drawn to the property despite the literal blood on the ground.
And being haunted by a future ghost is seemingly more terrifying than a past ghost. Forever heading it's way and it just waiting....
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1.) I think to me at least the fact that the annual hunting excursion was a way to offer tribute to the powers in the forest is a ..."
I really really enjoyed Blackwood's Baby - I like the existentialism of Honey's character and the underlying lore of black occult magic. The Redfield Girls was really good for me too - I like what Alyssa wrote, about being haunted by a meta physical representation of her psychic abilities and how terrifying that is to think about just slowly moving towards something without being able to stop.
It's my first time reading Barron - but I'm really digging it. The Siphon was a bit too wandering for my taste, but I was also not in the best mood while reading so that might have been my fault.
CC wrote: "Section 2 - Discussion1. What do you think happened to Cope's father's hand in Hand of Glory?
2. In The Carrion Gods in Their Heads -do you think Miranda made a "pact" when she found the pelt, or..."
1. It's possible the group caught up to him and reclaimed the hand under the behest of Helios, despite the fact he had been shot (and presumably killed); however, given their murderous intent, that is pretty doubtful. Maybe it just happened to be lost in the wreck and there was no point in the narrator dwelling on it or trying to justify what happened since his cronies were there to experience it as well. Given that it was a demonic charm of sorts, is it possible it disappeared once it left the area of the giant pentagram/source of evil power?
2. I'm not totally sure (even after skimming back through), but I thought Miranda knew or stated as such that the land the cabin sat on had been inhabited by beasts for centuries and that certain members of the family allowed the grounds to stay that way and that the cabin be passed along to those who understood the power of becoming, for lack of a better word, a werewolf. I thought she did everything for her lover because of the danger her ex posed to her and their relationship. That being said, I think she knew the pelts were there and she was slowly trying to persuade her lover to see what power they held and how it could end all of their troubles.
2.1. I think this is a little of both. I think she did not fully understand the power the pelt held, but she was also vengeful and passionate about ridding her and her lover of the problems that faced them. She was also written (to me anyways) as an animalistic person (i.e., her extreme sexual prowess) and a predator (i.e., having the gun and being prepared to kill).
3. This story confused the shit out of me for the most part. I think Mr. Wary just enjoyed torturing the pair, especially after he was confronted and assaulted by Franco. He decided to torture these two and use his powers to show how weak humankind is, namely mentally. You note that they were given insight to the projection they were living, and I think I just missed that completely. The ending of their part of the story seems to match that theory, but it is still tough for me to determine what was hallucination and what was reality.
3.1. I think seeing behind the projection is what makes the terror real. Ignorance is bliss, so being shown what you truly are and what you think is reality is a farce would be damning on several fronts.
I really enjoy this book so far, but the latter stories are starting to lose me here and there, especially "Vastation." I am hoping it ends on a strong note.
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2. I think it's a mixture of both--I think that she was compelled to take it and then realized its power, making a pact of sorts to utilize it.
2.1 I'd say it amplified what was in her already. My favorite quote is from Ramsay Campbell: "When we come face to face with the monsters, we may find ourselves not looking at a mask but at a mirror." The most horrifying aspects of any story are the evils within ourselves, and wearing the pelt may have let those evils rise to the surface, as they seem to have also done with Lorna.
3. I'm still not sure, but I think it's probably something like having a secret and needing to tell just one person. And then another person. But that secret is something that will unravel them.
3.1 To me, not knowing what was behind the projection but having to live it would drive me crazy. I know I'm contradicting myself by saying that in regards to my first question's answer, but in that situation, I would need to know as much as possible, even if it killed me.
I just finished this up and, for anyone who struggled through some of the more abstract tales in the back half of the book, it finishes strong and has a few fun, creepy stories toward the very end. I really like Barron's writing and want to seek out a few more of his novels/collections. I'm interested to discuss the last part of this with you guys/gals.
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1. Do you think that speaking of particular things give them power? Does not speaking of them lessen or obliterate them all together?
2. What do you think the common themes were between Barrons stories?
3.Which one(s) was your favorite story and why?
4. Was this your first time reading Barron? Either way, were you impressed with the collection?
Joe wrote: ... it finishes strong and has a few fun, creepy stories toward the very end...."Agreed, my three favorite stories were the very first one, and two of the last three. The very last story started great, but seemed to devolve into a bit more of an exercise in name dropping and showing nod-nod-wink-wink knowledge of the horror lit scene. (I've already returned the book to the library so I can't look up all the titles anymore ... I mean, sure, I'm on the internet, but I'm too lazy to open a new tab :-) )
To answer CC's last question, this was my first time reading Barron, and while I would not go out of my way to avoid reading him again, I don't think I'll make it a deliberate point to do so, either. The stories were very impressive from a technical point of view, but overall they did not grip me at the fundamental storytelling level. However, I do now have an urge to go re-read some Lovecraft!
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2. A lot of demons/wizardry and I definitely saw the Lovecraft influences.
3. My favorite was probably The Carrion Gods In Their Heaven, purely for my love of werewolves and werewolf stories. It was very interesting to me, and I liked thinking about the primal instincts of the characters coming to light.
4. It was my first time even HEARING of Barron. I'd be open to reading his other stuff, but the last few stories really lost me--I straight up stopped reading one of them because it bored me. It wasn't great but it wasn't terrible either. It was worth reading something new and it was a nice first BGH book club experience!
CC wrote: "Final Discussion:1. Do you think that speaking of particular things give them power? Does not speaking of them lessen or obliterate them all together?
2. What do you think the common themes were..."
1. I believe that speaking of things can help encourage your mind to heighten your other senses to the point where something can be imagined so greatly that it seems as though it will manifest or has manifested. In these tales, it is obvious these horrors have befallen the characters, but certain tales seem to find the characters in a a particularly bad state by the time the shit hits the fan because they have dwelled on certain activities around them or that have affected others around them. If these things had not been spoken of, perhaps the mental state of some characters would have been stronger, but I feel like the bad things were going to happen either way.
2. I think each story showed a character or characters that each had their own struggles in life. Sometimes these struggles were self-inflicted and other times they were brought about by forces greater than them. I did notice too that Barron had a tendency to mention certain places, people, objects, etc. from tale to tale that beckoned a previous passage in an earlier story. None of these seemed major to me, but they were cool little nods to his other writing.
3. "The Men From Porlock" was a really great story. Great pacing, good character development, more action (fight scene) than the other stories and a creepy antagonist. I liked that the fates of each logger seemed to have possible positive outcomes, but then it slowly crept in that doom awaited them all. "More Dark" had a cool pace too, but it did get a little convoluted with nods to authors. I think it spoke to Barron's own personal concerns and critical analysis of his own work, and it helped to drive the narrative, but there were a few spots where the story veered and began to make little sense.
4. This was my first time and I really enjoyed his stuff. Some better than others, but a great collection compared to others in the genre that I have read. These, for the most part, seemed well thought out and imaginative. I think Barron really tried to broaden his take on horror and provide a new twist on a genre that has been duplicated and replicated by lots of other authors.
Laird Barron has arisen as one of the strongest and most original literary voices in modern horror and the dark fantastic. Barron melds supernatural horror with hardboiled noir, espionage, and a scientific backbone.
The schedule is as follows: Reading Schedule:
1) Week of 5/1: Chapters: Intro - thru- "The Redfield Girls"
-Discussion of Section 1: 5/8, questions posted after 12pm/EST
2) Week of 5/8: Story "Hand of Glory"- thru -"Jaws of Saturn"
-Discussion of Section 2: 5/15, questions posted after 12pm/EST
3) Week of 3/15: Stories "Vastation" -thru - "More Dark"
-Discussion of Section 3: 5/22, questions posted after 12pm/EST