Sunday, March 30, 2014

Giveaway Winner: King in Yellow Ultimate Reader Pack






A big congratulations to Thomas Broadbent for winning the big prize, with copies of both A Season in Carcosa and Grimscribe's Puppets going to runner-up winners Shaun Gavin and David Stockton.

Winners were drawn by using random.org, a true random number generator. Stay tuned for more giveaways.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Giveaway: Ultimate King in Yellow Reader Pack




Thanks to some generous publishers/editors/authors, I have put together a King in Yellow Ultimate Reader Pack for giveaway!! There will be one Grand Prize winner, and two runner-ups. Since Robert Chamber's tales are available to read free online (with two of the four included in The Hastur Cycle) what is included in the pack is the best King in Yellow fiction throughout the past several decades. Everything included was covered in the King in Yellow interview I conducted with Joseph S. Pulver Sr.

One Grand Prize: The Ultimate King in Yellow Reader Pack: The Hastur Cycle edited by Robert M. Price, A Season in Carcosa edited by Joseph S. Pulver, Rehearsals for Oblivion edited by Peter A. Worthy, The Yellow House by DJ Tyrer (Print run of 25 copies, with a few extra author copies, this is VERY RARE), Blood Will Have it's Season by Joseph S. Pulver, Sin & Ashes by Joseph S. Pulver. As a bonus we have also added a copy of The Grimscribe's Puppets by Joseph S. Pulver (This is a Stoker-nominated Ligotti tribute anthology, but is a sister volume to A Season in Carcosa. Since many are seeking King in Yellow reading material due to True Detective they will find a lot to enjoy here, as True Detective also pulls some inspiration from Ligotti's philosophy.)

Two Runner-Up Prizes: A Season in Carcosa and The Grimscribe's Puppets Double Pack: Two more names will be chosen and each will receive a copy of both of these anthologies.

Entering is easy. Send an e-mail to contest(at)arkhamdigest.com with the subject line HAIL TO THE YELLOW KING. In the body of the e-mail include your snail mail address and why you want to read about The King in Yellow. I will do a random drawing in a week or two, so don't delay in entering. 

Special thanks to:
Nicholas Nacarino & Chaosium for The Hastur Cycle
Tom Lynch & Miskatonic River Press for the copies of A Season in Carcosa and The Grimscribe's Puppets
Derrick Hussey & Hippocampus Press for Blood Will Have It's Season and Sin & Ashes
DJ Tyrer for The Yellow House
William Jones for Rehearsals of Oblivion

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Review: Lovecraft's Monsters edited by Ellen Datlow





Perhaps no one knows horror better than veteran editor Ellen Datlow.  Over the years she has racked up an impressive catalog, and took in many well deserved awards. In 2009 she did her first Lovecraft-themed anthology Lovecraft Unbound, and in 2014 her second Lovecraft themed anthology, Lovecraft's Monsters is being published by Tachyon Publications. The anthologies differ in that Lovecraft Unbound played with Lovecraft's themes and ideas, while trying to avoid mentions of tentacles, Cthulhu, the Necronomicon etc. With Lovecraft's Monsters Datlow has pulled together stories involving creatures from or based on the works of Lovecraft, and manages to give readers a multi-faceted glimpse into the physical horrors birthed from this man's imagination. As an added bonus, each story features an illustration from artist John Coulthart.

The Table of Contents is as follows:

“Only the End of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman
“Bulldozer” by Laird Barron
“Red Goat Black Goat” by Nadia Bulkin
“The Same Deep Waters as You” by Brian Hodge
“A Quarter to Three” by Kim Newman
“The Dappled Thing” by William Browning Spencer
“Inelastic Collisions” by Elizabeth Bear
“Remnants” by Fred Chappell
“Love is Forbidden, We Croak & Howl” by CaitlĂ­n R. Kiernan
“The Sect of the Idiot” by Thomas Ligotti
“Jar of Salts” by Gemma Files
“Black is the Pit From Pole to Pole” by Howard Waldrop and Steven Utley
“Waiting at the Crossroads Motel” by Steve Rasnic Tem
“I’ve Come to Talk with you Again” by Karl Edward Wagner
“The Bleeding Shadow” by Joe R. Lansdale
“That of Which We Speak When We Speak of the Unspeakable” by Nick Mamatas
“Haruspicy” by Gemma Files
“Children of the Fang” by John Langan

In the Introduction, Datlow says that she had three goals in mind when putting this anthology together. She wanted to avoid pastiche, wanted to select stories that haven't been overly reprinted, and to also showcase Lovecraft stories by authors not usually known for these types of stories. Although there are a few I have encountered elsewhere, Datlow was successful in all three of her goals. 
Some Favorite stories:

"Bulldozer" by Laird Barron: This story has so much to like; a rough Western setting, a tough and jaded Pinkerton agent, a scary Circus strongman as the antagonist, and some really awesome scenes. This was one of the earlier Laird Barron stories I've read, and it never gets stale with rereads.


"Red Goat Black Goat" by Nadia Bulkin: This was my first time reading Bulkin, and it will be far from the last. The story is a blend of Indonesian folklore/myth and Lovecraft, and makes for a particularly disturbing read. I look forward to tracking down some more of this author's work.

"The Same Deep Waters as You" by Brian Hodge: One of the many stories in this anthology that draw from Lovecraft's Innsmouth, this one deals with Stockholm Syndrome. An "animal whisperer" is brought to a military prison island in an attempt to communicate with the mutated Innsmouth residents taken in the 1920's FBI raid. Hodge also makes good use of The Bloop.

"A Quarter to Three" by Kim Newman: This is one of those short stories that I've read many times, and I never get sick of it. Newman's use of language is spot-on, and sets the scene perfectly for this amusing little story.

"The Dappled Thing" by William Browning Spencer: Another light-hearted tale, this one is a pulpy steampunk yarn about an explorer and his group of men coming to the New Land in a bizarre craft to search for a Lord's daughter. The story is fun, although ends on a creepy note.

"The Sect of The Idiot" by Thomas Ligotti: A dreamlike narrative of a man in a bizarre town who stumbles "behind the curtain" so to speak. This is the kind of story Ligotti writes best.

"Black is the Pit, From Pole to Pole" by Howard Waldrop and Steven Utley: I was lukewarm to this story at first, but it won me over rather quickly. The authors blend Frankenstein's Monster with Hollow Earth Theory and Lovecraft's Mountains of Madness into a strange sort of "epic quest" story. 

"Waiting at the Crossroads Motel" by Steve Rasnic Tem: The story follows a man who is more than what he seems as he drags his family to a motel in the middle of nowhere, as he waits for something he feels is going to happen. The man is disturbing, with sociopath tendencies (not caring about his family, only pretending to) and makes for a tense story.

"I've Come to Talk With You Again" by Karl Edward Wagner: A Wagner story riffing on The King in Yellow, what's not to like?

"The Bleeding Shadow" by Joe R. Lansdale: This is a writer who can tell a story, and never disappoints. This one follows an unlicensed PI looking into a case which involves the otherworldly.

"That of Which We Speak When We Speak of the Unspeakable" by Nick Mamatas: A trio of survivors drink booze in a cave and talk, while the world around them finishes falling apart. 

"Children of the Fang" by John Langan: When asked what monsters from Lovecraft's fiction would see resurrection in modern fiction, the reptilian creatures from "The Nameless City" would most likely not make anyone's list. Langan takes this overlooked creatures and breathes life into them in this wonderful closing story, which is also the only original piece of fiction in the anthology. 

Ellen Datlow's second editorial outing into the realm of Lovecraft proves even more fruitful than the first. Focusing on Lovecraftian monsters, Datlow offers readers sixteen stories and two poems of a variety that should please any fans of the genre. 

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

The Children of Old Leech are coming...



There are Things–terrifying Things–whispered of in darkened forests beyond the safe comfort of firelight: The Black Guide, the Broken Ouroboros, the Pageant, Belphegor, Old Leech…


These Things have always been here. They predate you. They will outlast you.


This book pays tribute to those Things.


For We are the Children of Old Leech… and we love you.





The Children of Old Leech
A Tribute to the Carnivorous Cosmos of Laird Barron



Edited by Ross E. Lockhart & Justin Steele
Cover design by Matthew Revert


Coming summer 2014 from Word Horde


TOC to be unveiled soon


Reviewer inquiries to publicity[at]wordhorde[dot]com


PS: Happy Birthday, Laird!











Sunday, March 2, 2014

Interview: Joe Pulver talks The King in Yellow








Author/Editor Joseph S. Pulver Sr. is known throughout the genre as the go-to guy for anything having to do with The King in Yellow. He has written 30+ King in Yellow stories himself, and edited A Season in Carcosa, which is the ultimate modern King in Yellow anthology. Also, next month's issue of The Lovecraft eZine will be a special King in Yellow issue, edited by Mr. Pulver.

With the recent popularity of True Detective, there has been a surge of interest in The King in Yellow. Joe and I were talking one day about how some of the big articles seemed to get some facts wrong and we thought that we could put together an interview that would not only be a good primer/introduction for the newcomer, but also serve as a source of some more in depth information. Joe covers all the King in Yellow bases, and ends with several suggestions for the interested reader.

KING IN YELLOW FICTION

The King in Yellow - Robert W. Chambers: This is what started it all. Although the book contains ten stories, only the FIRST FOUR are the King in Yellow stories.














The Hastur Cycle - ed. by Robert M. Price: Essential. This volume contains two of the original King in Yellow stories by Robert W. Chambers, as well as the two Ambrose Bierce poems that Chambers drew inspiration from. Other notable King in Yellow fiction in this volume include Karl Edward Wagner's The River of Night's Dreaming (essential!), More Light from James Blish, and Lin Carter's Tatters of the King.











A Season in Carcosa - ed. by Joseph S. Pulver Sr.: Of the two modern anthologies, this is the better one. Published in 2012, Joe Pulver pulled together a dream-team of some of the best weird fiction writers working today. Modern readers who only want to buy one book to see what the King in Yellow is about should choose this one.












Rehearsals for Oblivion Act 1 - ed. by Peter A. Worthy: Another very strong modern anthology from 2006, including Broadalbin by John Tynes. Joe Pulver was attempting to publish an anthology of King in Yellow fiction, which didn't get off the ground even though some stories had already come in. Peter Worthy was able to save these stories when he acquired them for this anthology.











Blood Will Have Its Season - Joseph Pulver Sr.: Pulver's first anthology contains a large amount of his King in Yellow fiction. The full list of King in Yellow stories that can be found in this volume is HERE.













Sin & Ashes - Joseph Pulver Sr.: Pulver's second collection also contains a good amount of King in Yellow stories. The full list of King in Yellow stories contained within can be found HERE.














Portraits of Ruin - Joseph Pulver Sr.: Pulver's latest collection contains a handful of King in Yellow stories, the list of which can be found HERE














Southern Gods - John Horner Jacobs: A fun romp through the American South, Southern Gods is a blend of the Robert Johnson legend and The King in Yellow (more of the Derlethian flavor than Chambers) resulting in a rather fun debut novel that doesn't read like debut.












The King in Yellow - Thom Ryng: This is Ryng's version of the full King in Yellow play. Quite an interesting read.















The Yellow House - DJ Tyrer: I guess it is rather cruel of me to put this one here, since this novella was printed in an extremely limited release by Jordan Krall's Dunhams Manor Press (an imprint of Dynatox Ministries), yet I truly love this book and would feel even more wrong leaving it off the list. Maybe it will be reprinted one day, or find it's way into e-book land, so keeps your eyes peeled.