Forrest > Recent Status Updates

Great. That's half a dozen Czech horror movies that I now feel compelled to watch. Svanmajer is included, as to be expected. His "Faust" was brilliant!

Would love to see an essay on "A Field in England," though the essay on "Kill List" will have to do for now, I suppose.

"THE INTERCEDER OF ALL EXPERIMENTAL WORKS" - this phrase, given in a prayer of self-destruction, resonates. The borderline between violent, erotic psychosis and creativity is obliterated in this book. It is a grand experiment, but is it artistic or psychological, both or neither?

Visceral, magic, tragic.

So far, this is the kind of experimental work that I love. Great stuff.

"Hell's Angel Blake" is not an essay, it's a gateway and a time machine . . .

Darkly-beautiful verse, wallowing in despair. This should be a Goth primer.

"The Star of Gnosia" is three rituals in one: an act of rebellion, a recounting of strictest discipline, and the winsome gambol of a trickster goddess. It is a vision of possibilities tailored to the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the practitioner, their particular foibles, needs, and desires. it is yet another labyrinth where one stumbles from the banal to the sublime. A sort of awkward meditation.

Very much looking forward to reading this next section, Phil Legard's essay "The Haunted Fields of England: Diabolical Landscapes and the Genii Locorum". I mean, that title alone . . .

John Harrigan's "The Sacred Theatre of Summerisle" is a profound look into ritual itself based upon the Wicker Man celebration. It is an incredibly insightful piece and lends some reassurance to those of us who do believe that ritual itself carries power to infuse life with meaning. Fabulous essay!

Now I have hours and hours of spooky kids shows to watch. I need to finish "Children of the Stones," of which I've seen a few episodes (and greatly enjoyed). How did British television make such awesome shows with such a small budget, while American TV sucked/sucks, by and large? I guess they had to actually write good plots and hire good actors . . .

Since I really dig Mount Vernon Arts Lab music, it's cool to read an interview with the composer, who sounds like a very interesting person, indeed.

Jim Moon's essay on M.R. James is excellent. He makes a compelling case for James being not-merely-a-teller-of-ghost-stories. Incidentally, if you'd like to see an excellent adaption of one of James' more famous tales, here it is. Enjoy!

I am particularly enjoying this essay on the interface between the work of M.R. James and the Folk Horror subgenre.

Reading "The Hour of the Minotaur" was a truly transcendent experience. The prose initiates the reader into deep mysteries, the story strips the veil between reader and narrator, between subject and object. One becomes the mystic journey. Astounding.

The essay on folk horror movies being analogies for social upheaval is interesting. I am wary, though, that historical recusivity can sometimes be imposed as an idea on evidence, rather than arising from evidence. We'll see where this goes. I wonder if this has something to do with Fisher's ruminations on the slow cancellation of the future. Huh. "Folk Horror Historiography" is now A Thing.

"A Perilous Ordeal" is not so much a story as it is an initiation or the ripples of an initiation through the surface fiction. This piece should be read and read again and again, as there is and will be something to gain, something to learn, with every repetition, as with every effective ritual.

This piece on haunted places and traditional British folk music is amazeballs. There are some fantastic essays in this collection.

Hmm. Homo florensiensis as "little people". My skeptical mind doesn't buy it, but having done some research as a graduate student on the autochthonous inhabitants of central Africa, one wonders . . . Maybe. Maybe. Hmm.

Listening to Stone Angel, reading about modern fairy sightings. Yeah, I'm ready for that trip to England. Only 1 month away!

The Ligotti interview was fantastic. And I am really digging this piece on Grey Malkin. This is what I came for!

Very curious about people's thoughts regarding Raphus Press, for those who have bought any of their editions. They look great on their website, but what is the quality like "in person"?

"The Apostatical Ascetic" is a foray into the frustrations of reaching out to the beyond, wrestling with the banal and with our lackadaisical acceptance of the everyday grind. Enlightenment comes on its own time, of its own accord. Our attempts at reaching are really only concentrated attempts at waiting for the ineffable to work itself into us. This is as much an occultic primer of yearning as it is a story.

Somehow I missed that there was a lengthy interview with Thomas Ligotti in here. It's excellent! And, yes, depressing, as one would guess. But enlightening.

"The Imperishable Sacraments" is itself a ritual journey, but not without heart and light. i caught myself wanting to rush forward, but trained myself to stop and examine the details in this tale, soon becoming unaware of time, lost in the sacrifice of my sense of urgency to the rewards of attention (even if fought for against the weariness of the preceding day).

I don't think I can review this book like others.

Folk Horror elements of Doctor Who - how very, very British!

I'm done, but no time to write a full review now. Summation: Best large-scale sword and sorcery book ever. Best.

Ballard, Delany, Dick - who else fits firmly with this trio, I wonder? Any recommendations?

I love Erikson's sense of humor. Kalam describing Salk as "breathtakingly sardonic" and the merchants' excuse to leave Tremorlor "Now we must flee - ah, a rude bluntness - I mean 'depart' of course. We must depart."

I laughed out loud, which I don't often do while reading. Well done, Erikson.