The Imago Sequence and Other Stories

[Char]

A group of us decided to read the short stories of Laird Barron, in order of publication. We've agreed to read one story per week. Please preface your post with the title of the story you're talking about, and then place your post between spoiler tags.

We are starting on April 1st, but you can join in at any time.

Here who's in so far:
Char
Addy
Ken
Andy
Eleven
Ctgt
Jon Recluse
Nick
Bill
Paula
Jill
Latasha
Clay
Kate
Clarissa
Maxine

Week of March 30-"Old Virginia"
Week beginning April 6-"Shiva Open Your Eye"
Week beginning April 13-"Procession of the Black Sloth"
Week beginning April 20-"Bulldozer"
Week beginning April 27-"Proboscis"
Week beginning May 4-"Hallucigenia"
Week beginning May 11-Parallax"
Week beginning May 18-"The Royal Zoo is Closed"
Week beginning May 25-"The Imago Sequence"

[Nickronomicon]

So first up will be Old Virginia? It's one of my favorites from this collection. I look forward to reading it again and seeing what I missed!

[Paula]

That's fine with me. It's a wonderful story, very well written and really, really weird!

[Latasha]

ok, I bought this and will start on it this week.

[[deleted user]]

Excellent. I'll read Old Virginia (again) and jump right in on the 1st.

[[deleted user]]

One a week. I should be able to keep up with that. :)

[Char]

Most excellent! This should be fun. :)

[[deleted user]]

So we said April 1st we would be starting right? I went ahead and read Old Virginia (the first story) yesterday.

This is my second time reading this collection, the first time being only a few months ago so it is all pretty fresh in my mind. Normally I wouldn't want to re-read something so soon, but I really loved the collection and I love the idea of reading a short story collection at this one-story-per-week pace.

As far as my impressions of this story: (contains mild spoilers from The Croning also) (view spoiler)[it was creepier than I remembered! I remember liking the story well enough the first time around, but not being overly impressed and thinking it was maybe a weak story to choose to open a collection. It was my introduction to Laird Barron and didn't completely match my expectations of what I thought his stories would be like. Now I'm thinking wow - if I considered this story one of the weaker ones the first time around, I can't wait to see how much better I like the others too!

I had pointed out in The Croning discussion thread that this story featured a character from that book: Herman Strauss. I'm still not finished with The Croning so I don't know if that character plays a larger role toward the end of that book or if he's only mentioned in passing, but he plays a large role in this story. Apparently many of Barron's stories contain similar commonalities, like references to "The Black Guide". I'm curious to see if there are other elements of this collection that also popped up in The Croning - I don't recall any others so far.

My favorite part of the story: "'Cap! Help Me!' His face was alabaster, glowing in the dusk.

I began a shout, but was interrupted by an ominous thump of displaced weight behind me. My heart sank.

'Yes Cap. Help him.' Virginia crooned.

I turned and beheld her. Her naked skull scraped the ceiling. A wizened child, grinning and drooling. She towered because she sat upon Dox's broad back, her yellow nails digging at his ears. Her expression was flaccid and bore down on me.

The shotgun jumped in my hands and made its terrible racket. The Dox's fingers closed over my throat and night fell."

Some other favorite quotes:

"It was an offering. Mother is pleased. He will be rewarded with a pretty."

"Mother wants to meet you. Such a vital existence you have pursued! Not often does She entertain provender as seasoned as yourself."

"Oh God! She rode us all night - oh Christ!" (hide spoiler)]

[Char]

Yes we did, Andy! It's our official start day! I'm not peeking at your spoiler yet. :)

[Char]

"Old Virginia"

Holy shit.

[Esteban]

Count me in! I like the idea of one per week very much

[Latasha]

Old Virginia

There is so much pleasure to be had."

Some of his lines remind me so much of the sinobites.

[Char]

The last line of Old Virginia chilled me to the bone.
(view spoiler)[ Quote: I got as far as CRO before Virginia came and rode me into the woods to meet her mother. *shudder* (hide spoiler)]

[Clarissa]

I want to do it too! It's the first time I've joined a group that actually reads awesome books. I'll catch up!

[Char]

Clarissa wrote: "I want to do it too! It's the first time I've joined a group that actually reads awesome books. I'll catch up!

Welcome, Clarissa! I'll officially add you at the top. Jump in at any time. :)
Please preface your posts here with the title of the story and then place your post within spoiler tags. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Welcome to HA, where we read awesome books all the time. :)

[Canavan]

Charlene said (in part):

The last line of Old Virginia chilled me to the bone.

It’s been a while since I read “Old Virginia”, a nice mixture of modern tropes with older, Lovecraftian ones. But, yes, I still remember the power of the last line. (view spoiler)[The final moments of the story touch on a sort of quasi-Christian idea — one that pops up here and there in horror fiction and, more specifically, in Barron’s work — that there are things more to be feared than physical death. (hide spoiler)]

✭✭✭✭✭

[Char]

Canavan wrote: "It’s been a while since I read “Old Virginia”, a nice mixture of modern tropes with older, Lovecraftian ones. But, yes, I still remember the power of the last line. (view spoiler)
..."

And that is the truth. 5 stars from me too!

[Kate]

I really enjoyed the first story but I feel as though I would have enjoyed and connected with it more if I'd read some of his other work first.

[Char]

.Kate wrote: "I really enjoyed the first story but I feel as though I would have enjoyed and connected with it more if I'd read some of his other work first."

I don't see any connection other than the character of Strauss. Did I miss any other connection to Barron's work? (I've only read The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All: Stories and The Croning.)

[Kate]

Charlene wrote: ".Kate wrote: "I really enjoyed the first story but I feel as though I would have enjoyed and connected with it more if I'd read some of his other work first."

I don't see any connection other than..."

I was looking at an earlier post and thought someone had posted how it tied in with The Croning.(view spoiler)[ I probably just took this too literally and felt I was missing something with the mythology of the story. (hide spoiler)]

[Ctgt]

Kate wrote: "Charlene wrote: ".Kate wrote: "I really enjoyed the first story but I feel as though I would have enjoyed and connected with it more if I'd read some of his other work first."

I don't see any conn..."

I think it's just a shared world or worlds with some characters that appear in several stories. Maybe there will be an overall thread through all the stories but I haven't deciphered that as of yet.

[Ctgt]

After ransacking the house the other night looking for my copy I figured out that I had loaned it to friend and I'm still waiting for him to return it. In other words I may be a bit behind for the next week or so. Although I think this first story is online somewhere so I'll try to track it down that way.

[Ctgt]

BTW this website gives a nice rundown of his work with dates

isfdb-Laird Barron

[Canavan]

Ctgt said (in part):

Although I think this first story is online somewhere so I'll try to track it down that way.

See here for links to some of Barron’s freely available stories including “Old Virginia”.

[Char]

Sweet! Thanks for the links you two!

[Bill]

I concur that was a chilling last line. Laird is very good at throwing out little tidbits (usually just a sentence or two in length) that really paint something dark on the imagination. A very good opening story.

[Char]

Bill wrote: "I concur that was a chilling last line. Laird is very good at throwing out little tidbits (usually just a sentence or two in length) that really paint something dark on the imagination. A very good..."

Yes, he is very good at that.

[Ctgt]

Thanks Canavan.
A couple of thoughts on "Old Virginia"
(view spoiler)[ I loved how he took some historical items, lost Colony of Roanoke, world war/cold war mind control and even "Virginia" the first English baby born in the New World and throws these what-ifs at you.

Also still a bit disturbed by the crone "riding" the guys. Of course when it was first mentioned my mind went right to the sexual connotations but the reality was more chilling. What exactly were those three holes in their backs from? Toes and fingers? (hide spoiler)]

[Char]

Ctgt wrote: "Thanks Canavan.
A couple of thoughts on "Old Virginia"

(view spoiler)[ I was picturing those holes as being made by some type of cables and/or siphons, by which she sucked them dry of life and used that life as fuel to fly. (hide spoiler)]

[Latasha]

that was freaky Ctgt!

[Ctgt]

Charlene wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Could be Charlene. I also thought of some type of saddle but then the idea of her jamming her toes and the thumb from one hand into their backs kinda creeped me out and I can't get that out of my head. That's why I enjoy this type of writing where things are left a bit vague just so I can add my own twisted ideas in to the mix. (hide spoiler)]

[Jon Recluse]

(view spoiler)[ The unthinkable made flesh. The answer to what made the holes and why is beyond words.....and beyond comprehension. This is pure cosmic body horror. (hide spoiler)]

[Char]

Jon Recluse wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

It's freaking good is what it is. This story has certainly spurred discussion. I like when that happens.

[Ctgt]

Jon Recluse wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

True, but it's so much fun to speculate.

[Jon Recluse]

Ctgt wrote: "Jon Recluse wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

True, but it's so much fun to speculate."

I know, but it makes me throw up.

[Nickronomicon]

This is a great story. If this one has sparked this much discussion and speculation I can't wait to read everyone's comments for the rest of the stories! Old Virginia is the most straightforward story in this collection.

[Char]

Nick wrote: "This is a great story. If this one has sparked this much discussion and speculation I can't wait to read everyone's comments for the rest of the stories! Old Virginia is the most straightforward st..."

Are you serious? This is going to be even more fun than I thought. :)

[Maxine Marsh]

I can't believe I missed this thread! I'm in, will try to tag along, still finishing up The Croning.

[Char]

Maxine wrote: "I can't believe I missed this thread! I'm in, will try to tag along, still finishing up The Croning."

That would be awesome, Maxine!

We are starting the second story today: Shiva Open Your Eye.

[11811 (Eleven)]

I just finished Old Virginia but I'll try to be more punctual for the rest.

[Char]

So what did you think? Wanna be ridden?

[11811 (Eleven)]

Charlene wrote: "So what did you think? Wanna be ridden?"

I thought I wanted to be but now I'm scared. I bought some self help books to read in between these stories so I could change my mind, or lose it; we'll see.

[Char]

LOL You're too much! :)

[Nickronomicon]

So what did you think? Wanna be ridden?

Haha - NO!!!
I don't think she's worth it.....

[Char]

Nick wrote: "So what did you think? Wanna be ridden?

Haha - NO!!!
I don't she's worth it....."

I know, right? Talk about a woman who's high maintenance!

[[deleted user]]

Oh myyyyy.
(view spoiler)[She's Virgina Dare from Roanoke. That's some creepy stuff. As a North American historian, Roanoke is my favorite story from English colonization. I love the tie to it. Great jumping off point for horror. (hide spoiler)] Loved the outcome, but I thought it took too long to get there, which is okay. I don't mind a slow burn, but the burn needs to be interesting. This one was only moderately interesting. I love the premise and subject matter. Love the payoff. Meh, regarding the buildup. C+++

[Jill]

Regarding Old Virginia:

I. Clayton wrote: "Oh myyyyy.
[spoilers removed]..."

(view spoiler)[Thank you for pointing this out! I was not aware of Virginia Dare before reading this, and didn’t realize the historical connection to a real person. It makes the story that much spookier.

I like how the title itself can be interpreted in different ways: as a reference to Virginia herself, or to the lost colony maybe.

Any theories on the significance of the name TALLHAT?

And one thing I’m confused about: Who disabled the truck? Or the generator? The doctors did not yet seem to be under Virginia’s influence when either of these events occurred. Was she able to do this on her own somehow, even while still bound? Or was there another force at play also? (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Jill wrote: "Regarding Old Virginia:


(view spoiler)[Roanoke colony was on an island off the coast of what would become North Carolina, not Virginia, if that changes what you were thinking, Jill. (hide spoiler)]

[Jill]

I. Clayton wrote: "Jill wrote: "Regarding Old Virginia:


[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yes, but wasn't the area first called Virginia? I think my post was unclear, I meant the title could be a reference to the area where the colony was located. I could easily be wrong about this, because I admit my knowledge of this history is lacking. But I thought of it as *old* Virginia vs *new* North Carolina. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Jill wrote: "Regarding Old Virginia:


[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[It is true that the colony of Virginia encompassed Roanoke Island from an expansion in 1609 until the Carolina colony in 1663, but Roanoke was 1584. There was not yet a Virginia at the time. However, the idea of Virginia was being conceived by the queen and Sir Walter Raleigh, who was the founder of Roanoke. So, I suppose you could interpret it that even though Roanoke colony was gone before the founding of Jamestown, the land where it currently exists was at one time Virginia, therefore that part of North Carolina could be Old Virginia. :) (hide spoiler)]