The Final Reflection by John M. Ford
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book. But I can see now why it’s so highly regarded. A very interesting peek into the mind and culture of a species that is often dismissed as simplistic.
Fager, Anders - Swedish Cults
Nordic horror, Swedish horror, not necessarily based on any HPL Mythos. Fager has his own voice and is not a follower.
The opener, “The Furies From Borås” is full throttle sex, drugs and blood. An overdose of all three, swirling around the riot grrrls, barely of age, yet keepers from time immemorial of the forest entity.
Zami and Janoch are tasked with bringing the oldest relative to the new home. From Romania to Sweden. By van. Neither has driven before, neither can read maps. Both are outsiders to what he perceive as “our world”. “Grandma’s Journey” is the long trip between.
For those who view sex as a spectator sport “Miss Witt’s Great Work” will entice. Miss Witt is a porn star de jour. As with the overwhelming majority of film luminaries and popular musicians, fame is but a fleeting passage. Ours is the era of temporary celebrities. For Miss Witt, who has enacted and reproduced all manner of genital monstrosities, how can she maintain, let along top herself? For voyeurs everywhere, who prefer to watch.
Scattered between stores are tantalizing fragments, unfinished stories of promise.
Newell, Adam - Dracula’s Forgotten Brides
Onscreen, perhaps a minute. Dialogue, none.
Nevertheless, once seen among the mists of the crypt, the three “brides” are not forgotten.
Despite their insignificant roles, their images were endlessly reproduced.
Slim homage to the trio of actresses: Dorothy Tree, Geraldine Dvorak and Cornelia Thaw.
Packed with photos, this exquisite gem shines a light on the three and their mixed success in Tinseltown.
Clearly, this will appeal to film buffs, perhaps exclusively to Horror or Dracula fanatics.
Thanks to Mark Valentine for alerting all to this (https://wormwoodiana.blogspot.com/2024/02/draculas-forgotten-brides.html).
An unsolved mystery – who were the Mexican brides?
Waggoner, Tim - The Last Mile
Following the Arrival, Earth is decimated; population mostly, I suppose, eaten.
Unseen rulers came from beyond and are called Masters.
Their go-to human servants are branded and called Thralls.
Everyone else is destined to be an unhappy meal, sooner or later.
Dan is a Thrall, driving down a broken highway with tied-up Alice in his backseat.
Destination? “Here’s yer pizza, boss!”
I have a suspicion Waggoner simply arranged bits from his idea journal, but this is stitched with a twist.
As with other books I’ve read by this author, there is a misogynistic component that may disturb some.
Never could decide whether the arrivals were SciFi aliens or Lovecraftian entities.
Mills, Daniel - Moriah
1874, journalist Silas Flood travels from New York to Rutland, Vermont. There are reports of a family of spiritualists who can summon the dead. Ghostly apparitions who can speak and comfort bereaved family left behind.
A miracle? Or a fraud? Whichever truth, there is a story, and there are eager readers.
Flood is an ex-Army chaplain, faith shattered during the Civil War, where he was part of Grant’s campaign. Of ghosts, he clutches his own, as do most of the characters in this.
The narrative spills from various witnesses and players, sweeping from a decade preceding the war, to blood soaked battlefields, into a parched 1874.
The family of spiritualists are a particularly complicated tribe.
Mills’ style is rich and textured, meticulously structured. Multitask readers, steer away.
Mills reads like a wayward descendant of Faulkner, which I mean as a compliment.
I went into this one stone cold, knowing nothing, and was absorbed and immensely pleased.
Nelson, Michael - Queen Victoria And The Discovery Of The Riviera
Enjoyment might depend on how much one knows about Queen Victoria or how much one is into that period. Especially for those who know more from films.
Highland companion John Brown only accompanied her on a few French trips before his death. More controversial was her munshi attendant, Abdul Karim. In the film, he was resented owing to his skin. The book shines light on many more improprieties which antagonized the staff.
Victoria’s children, nieces, relations, kings, queens, tsars, whatnot make up the sweeping parade, along with global events.
I was familiar with the Dreyfuss Affair, and later when President Faure appears, I knew he would die soon enough owing to … bedroom activities.
Victoria stayed at numerous towns along the Riviera. Those and the citizens are well described. Also, her dining habits, how she traveled, and the costs per trip.
Masses of footnotes at the back, which I seldom dipped into. I read a chapter a day, then went back to whatever novel or short stories I was working on. Very little of the fin de siècle is evident.
As with all things pertaining to the Queen, much was redacted or burned by her daughter.
Various (Editor: Richard, Sam) - Beautiful / Grotesque
Mixed assemblage of the body poetic.
Roland Blackburn’s “God Of The Silvered Hall” occurs in the loveliest of settings, the coroner’s morgue. The torso was a shredded ruination, yet Patience spied the small tattoo that appeared to be - really - a recipe.
“Threnody” by Jo Quenell is a song of guilt by Lydia, who understands she is not responsible – this time.
“The Queen Of The Select” showcases the tourists, timid degenerates, venturing into the deep end of depravity, ignorant of the restless pit dwellers.
“Swanmord” gave me a headache. Enough.
Editor Richard’s own tale, “The Fruit Of A Barren Tree”, is an excursion into the grief that never fades, does not ebb, yet when watered, flourishes.
Mayes, Elaine - It Happened In Monterey
Essential book for any attendee, fan or collector of the 1967 Pop Festival. Perfect companion to the Pennebaker documentary, as well as a beaming contrast to the cranky collection by Joel Selvin.
Mayes was there, in the photographers pit, and this book is bristling with her photos, black and white, as well as color.
Chapters are broken up by each day, further divided into afternoon and night performances. There are shots of almost every artist, along with fairground attendees. The book is also filled with recollections from performers and audience members. Some reflect on the event, others on how things have changed – or have not.
This is a true artifact of a brief, too brief, magical moment.
As of 2024, Elaine Mayes is still selling signed copies through her website. Support the artist.
Harman, Christopher - Blood Wood
The featured story, an extended tale, rides along with Gavin, newly hired driver of the mobile library. The physical library is closed, meaning he is the book source for several rural communities. In Gavin’s background is girlfriend Jacqui and her son, an older teenager, moody – aren’t they all?
Around the library lies the forest, which few remember as Blood Wood, and fewer know why. Nonetheless, Gavin has free time, library resources, and a niggling curiosity.
One particular funhouse ride stirred nightmares. As boys, Brian and Travers had been aboard when the train came to a complete stop inside the ride. In the inked darkness of the spook house, something seemed to slither. In “Dark Ride” the train was never actually disposed of, but merely transported, tracks, rails, coaches, into a basement, where the proprietor continued making improvements.
Christmas. Hide & seek. The further one goes to hide, the less likely they are to be found. Unless, as in “The Last To Be Found” they come across the unexpected seeker.
The cancelation of a long running column in the weekly paper does not go unchallenged. The new manager wants to modernize, meaning let paying advertisers pen their own self-serving posts. And not those enigmatic prose poems by Mr. Pucklebry. “By Leaf & Thorn” indeed!
I have often found Harman’s style difficult to tune into. His word choice, descriptions, analogies, are unique to themselves. So much so, I often paused mid-paragraph to consider the word painting he had presented.
Lovecraft, HP - Little Silver Book Of Supernatural Stories
Minimalist introduction to Lovecraft is a clever one.
Nine stories here, selected and edited by HPL scholar ST Joshi.
Most are early, fledgling tales, clearly showing influences of Poe, Blackwood, Machen.
“Dagon” and “Nyarlathotep” both hint at outside forces, with perhaps cults or underlying agencies.
The backwoods lead to treasures best left undisturbed in “The Picture In The Picture In The House” as well as “The Festival”.
“He” transplants many of the same themes to Gotham, “The Hound” likewise from England.
The longest, “The Call Of Cthulhu”, Joshi saves for last, and is a tour de force. In countless collections and anthologies – rightfully so – this remains an enjoyable reread. Lovecraft masterfully weaves separate narratives, hints, whispered blasphemies, journals and ship’s logs, tightening them into a monstrous finale.
Joshi’s introduction on HPL is succinct and useful. Joshi’s editing is impeccable.