Black wings : new tales of Lovecraftian horror

From Publishers Weekly The best of the 22 stories that H.P. Lovecraft scholar Joshi (_The Rise and Fall of the Cthulhu Mythos_) has selected for this all-original anthology take their cue from the 20th-century horror master without slavishly imitating him. High points include Laird Barron's The Broadsword and William Browning Spencer's Usurped, cumulatively creepy studies of Lovecraft-style locales where inexplicable supernatural phenomena suggest an otherworldly dimension intersecting our own. Both Caitl?n R. Kiernan's Pickman's Other Model (1929) and Brian Stableford's The Truth About Pickman riff neatly on Lovecraft's ghoulish classic Pickman's Model. Ramsey Campbell's unsettling The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash encapsulates the entirety of Lovecraft's unique ambitions as a horror writer in the rambling letters of one of his unbalanced (fictional) correspondents. A few tales are too insular to be appreciated by any but hardcore Lovecraft fans. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist In introducing this exceptional set of original horror tales, editor Joshi places a little extra emphasis on the term Lovecraftian to describe its contents. Instead of simply mimicking Lovecraft’s distinctive gothic style or spinning stock variations on his famous Cthulhu Mythos, the contributors use Lovecraft as their inspiration for a breathtaking range of colorful new ideas and literary styles. Laird Barron and Philip Haldeman abandon Lovecraft’s New England to put their Lovecraftian monsters in the Pacific Northwest, while William Browning Spencer and Donald R. Burleson place theirs in the Southwest. A hard-boiled crime story is followed by stories of psychological terror and some in which Lovecraft himself is a character. Standouts include Caitlin R. Kiernan’s “Pickman’s Other Model,” wherein sketches by Lovecraft’s eccentric painter are discovered depicting a disgraced actress’ true, bestial nature; and Stanley C. Sargent’s “Black Brat of Dunwich,” which cleverly deconstructs Lovecraft’s classic “The Dunwich Horror,” about a half-human creature lurking in rural New England. The high level of craftsmanship throughout will delight even horror fans completely unfamiliar with Lovecraft. --Carl Hays From the depths of R'lyeh come twenty-one brand-new, utterlyterrifying, and thoroughly entertaining short stories of horror and the macabre! Taking their inspiration from works by Lovecraft himself, prominent writers such as Caitlin R. Kiernan, BrianStableford, Ramsey Campbell, Michael Shea, Darrell Schweitzer, Donald R. Burleson, and David J. Schowdelve deep into the psyche, expanding on concepts H.P. Lovecraft created and taking them in new directions. The resultis stories that are wholly original, some even featuring Lovecraft himself as a character. Black Wings editor S.T. Joshi is the recognized authority on all things Lovecraftian, and is famous for hisrestorations of Lovecraft's original works. He has assembled a star-studded line-up in a book that is essentialfor every horror library. Including: Pickman's Other Model - Caitln R. Kiernan Desert Dreams - Donald R. Burleson Engravings - Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. Copping Squid - Michael Shea Passing Spirits - Sam Gafford The Broadsword - Laird Barron Usurped - William Browning Spencer Denker's Book - Davd J. Schow Inhabitants of Wraithwood - W.H Pugmire The Dome - Mollie L. Burleson Rotterdam - Nicholas Royle Tempting Providence - Jonathan Thomas Howling in the Dark - Darrell Schweitzer The Truth About Pickman - Brian Stableford Tunnells - Philip Haldeman The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash - Annotated by Ramsey Campbell Violence, Child of Trust - Michael Cisco Lesser Demons - Norman Partridge An Eldritch Matter - Adam Niswander Substitutions - Michael Marshall Smith Susie - Jason Van Hollander Introduction / S.t. Joshi -- Pickman's Other Model (1929) / Caitlín R. Kiernan -- Desert Dreams / Donald R. Burleson -- Engravings / Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. -- Copping Squid / Michael Shea -- Passing Spirits / Sam Gafford -- The Broadsword / Laird Barron -- Usurped / William Browning Spencer -- Denker's Book / David J. Schow -- Inhabitants Of Wraithwood / W.h. Pugmire -- The Dome / Mollie L. Burleson -- Rotterdam / Nicholas Royle -- Tempting Providence / Jonathan Thomas -- Howling In The Dark / Darrell Schweitzer -- The Truth About Pickman / Brian Stableford -- Tunnels / Philip Haldeman -- The Correspondence Of Cameron Thaddeus Nash / Annotated By Ramsey Campbell -- Violence, Child Of Trust / Michael Cisco -- Lesser Demons / Norman Partridge -- An Eldritch Matter / Adam Niswander -- Substitutions / Michael Marshall Smith -- Susie / Jason Van Hollander. Edited By S.t. Joshi. Includes Bibliographical References.