Status Updates From The Weird: A Compendium of ...

I think Flat Diane is the first story in a long span that made me uncomfortable, I suppose all weird fiction tried to elicit some variation of that, but I found one of my lines. Still an interesting read, but rough. Incidentally written by half the pseudonymous author James SA Corey of The Expanse fame.

The White Hands was the first piece of mega-weird fiction I’ve come across in a long while. Thoroughly enjoyed that one.

Halfway through the The Brotherhood of Mutilation, which is so far both a wild ride and also exactly what it says on the tin.

Amazing book to leave on the coffee table, full of amazing stories to pass short periods of time. The cat likes to lay on it, it makes him feel like he’s cool I think

"Sandkings" - Really good! More creepy and horrifying Sci-fi than genuinely Weird, but I still really liked it.

"The Beak Doctor" - DNF. Was intrigued by the atmosphere at first, but the prose lost me quickly. I'll sound like a philistine saying this, but it seemed more and more like an exercise in style. Which isn't inherently a problem, but it wasn't a style I was interested in.

"Sredni Vashtar" (1912) by Saki
Perfect intersection between plausible childish imaginative speculation married with the macabre vs. potential supernatural horror. Fun satirical narrative voice in depicting a sickly boy put-upon by his coddling elder cousin/guardian. Hilariously dark ending. Reads somewhat like a Dahl story.

"The Willows" (1907) by Algernon Blackwood
Nicely chilling tale that slowly creeps up on you, mostly through pathetic fallacy transformed into fictional reality. It does drag on a bit after the middle and before the final movement though.

Micheal Cisco’s Genius of Assassins was maybe a bit too untethered and dreamlike for me, though the horror came through loud and clear. The Gaiman selection, Feeders and Eaters was excellent and punchy. The China Mièville story, Details was quite effective too.