'Primeval Wood' by Richard Gavin

[Dr. Valzer]

Greetings, all,

I am pleased to announce that my novelette of supernatural terror, Primeval Wood, will be released on May 29th, 2009, courtesy of Burning Effigy Press: http://www.burningeffigy.com/

At some 14,000 words, this chapbook is my longest narrative to date. Primeval Wood is a tale of loss and wonderment, of fear and of the great Mysteries that conceal themselves in dim, secluded woodlands.

A teaser...

"When Neil Keller noticed the pale set of eyes staring out at him from the shaded tangles of hawthorn, he experienced what he believed to be a wholly new form of elation, one that crackled and thrummed well beyond the accepted human spectrum. He soon realized that what blinked at him were not eyes at all, but tiny white blossoms; flowers that nonetheless seemed to glare out from some ecstatic mask. Neil exhaled a blend of laughter and a sigh. Nature would never allow a thicket to sprout the perfectly-formed fetish of some leering daemonic child.Yet that was what Neil was seeing, truly seeing."

Thank you to all TLO members who have expressed interest in my work. I hope you enjoy Primeval Wood.

[nomis]

I am indeed looking forward to this, Richard. Thank you for sharing the news with TLO.

[Dr. Valzer]

Hello, all,

I am happy to announce that my newest chapbook, Primeval Wood, is now available through the Burning Effigy Press Online Store, which you can find here (http://www.burningeffigy.com/store.shtml). Copies can be had for a mere $8 each.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone on TLO for supporting my work.

Best,
Richard

[The New Nonsense]

Congrats, Richard. I've just placed my order. Looking forward to it!

[Dr. Valzer]

Thank you very much, New Nonsense. Your support is greatly appreciated. I have an inkling that Primeval Wood will be just your kind of horror story.

Best,
Richard

[hypnogeist]

Excellent teaser text. Just placed my order at Burning Effigy. Be looking forward to reading this one.

[nomis]

In about two hours, the launch party begins in downtown Toronto. If any of the TLOers live close by, I shall see you there.

[nomis]

Just finished "Primeval Wood" today. Marvellous. I don't know how familiar everyone here is with Richard's work in the past, but he's been known (to me at least) as writing a style a bit more Baroque than most of his peers. A bit antiquated at times. This style is one I love reading, as I know many in the TLO do, but I've always worried it was a bit of an acquired taste. I suspect Richard may have worried about this as well as this novella represents (I think) the first sojourn into a different style, a style similar on the surface to what many people are comfortable with, yet still retaining some of the striking prose, imagery, and themes of his previous work. It's not often I get jealous of my peers while reading their work but I feel jealous reading Richard's work. If I felt his fiction hasn't been given exposure enough before, I certainly feel double about it now. There is a Machenesque sense of mysticism in the work, but unlike that of others (like me, for instance) the mystical world operating in Richard's fiction seems wholly formed and complete, even if it's only hinted at. There is a strange beauty in what he writes, in the messages he conveys, that floors me. Richard's going to explode, I think, in the coming year, and this is the first sign of it. If you haven't, I urge you to buy "Primeval Wood" now.

[The New Nonsense]

I just finished "Primeval Wood" too. Fantastic job, Richard. I particularly liked the theme of psychogeography or tapping into the "spirit of a place". In fact, there are many themes within "Primeval Wood" for which I have more than a passing interest, making it a delightful read.

As Simon pointed out, it's very Machenesque; shades of Blackwood too, I might add.

[nomis]

<slaps head>

Of course! Blackwood! I should have noted that. The theme of nature being more than is right there.

[Dr. Valzer]

Thank you. I'm thrilled that you found Primeval Wood delightful. I certainly felt the ghosts of both Machen and Blackwood echoing through my contemporary narrative, but even stronger than this were the ancient notions of Spirits of Place and the sentience of Nature; an area that I know both you and I share an interest in, New Nonsense.

Best,
Richard

[nomis]

It is certainly a good time to be a fan of weird fiction. There's a real renaissance going on, I believe. It's the most exciting time in years.

[The New Nonsense]

It is certainly a good time to be a fan of weird fiction. There's a real renaissance going on, I believe. It's the most exciting time in years.

I couldn't agree more, Simon. There seems to be a certain classiness or respectability returning to the horror/weird fiction genre. Perhaps it's becoming more intellectual too, as opposed to the ever-so-popular blood and guts horror of last few decades. While there are still plenty of Splatter-punk writers, there seems to be a movement afoot including writers who choose to focus on altered perception, atmosphere and mood -- even philosophy -- over violence and gore.

[nomis]

As I suggested in my interview here, I attribute this squarely to the small presses of the late 90's like Ash Tree, Tartarus, and Ghost Story Press who helped bring neglected writing back into the limelight so we "new" writers could be newly inspired.

[Nemonymous]

http://www.burningeffigy.com/pics/PrimevalWood-coverweb.jpg


A DFL real-time review in one sitting, upon the 40th anniversary of Neil's visit to the Moon.

Primeval Wood
by Richard Gavin
(Burning Effigy Press 2009)

Having real-time reviewed Richard Gavin's collection OMENS HERE (http://weirdmonger.blog-city.com/omens_by_richard_gavin.htm), I couldn't wait till I entered that 'often parish' again ... so the arrival of my purchase of this novelette in my bungalow-house today was timely in order to quench such cravings.

As well as being a fan of Gavinostic fiction, I am a lover of Proustian works, too... and here we have a concept of Proustian weekends, whereby the protagonist, Neil, spent self-indulgent decadent periods insulated within his bed pigging, tripping and reading...

No wonder that another point-of-view (his girl friend Kate) left him for yet another point-of-view (Darren) - and Neil goes to the holiday cottage alone instead of with Kate. So, Neil, upon this voyage of discovery towards consciousness (as tutored by a believable discussion forum on the internet) ... to become what? A spoiler in himself for other points-of-view to suffer? A muse that is the actual author rather than an external force? An Aickmanesque 'fetish' of textured Wood? He is all these these things and more. Leaving the reader himself literally growing out of Primeval Wood or even, perhaps, being sodomised by the wooden soul within its pages' paper?

[Kate left Neil a note early on saying 'We're Done' on the medicine chest mirror. NightSun on the internet forum may also notice that the holiday cottage had a note faded out into: WE___ME.]

=====================================

My previous real-time reviews are linked from HERE (http://weirdmonger.blog-city.com/recent_reviews_of_books_by_dfl.htm).

[Ascrobius]

I have to get off my ass and get a copy of that book. Omens was outstanding, and I'm expecting more of the same here. It's on my long, short-list. so to speak.
Tim

[Dr. Valzer]

Thank you very much for the review, Des. I'm glad that Primeval Wood left a mark on your psyche. I will never tire of the term "Gavinostic."

Ascrobius: Your kind words on Omens are appreciated. I think you'll enjoy Primeval Wood. And of course my next full-length collection, The Darkly Splendid Realm is due this November from Dark Regions Press.

Best,
Richard

[Nemonymous]

Thank you very much for the review, Des. I'm glad that Primeval Wood left a mark on your psyche. I will never tire of the term "Gavinostic."



A pleasure, Richard. Really enjoyed it. There is stuff in it, even I couldn't find!

Re 'Gavinostic' - thanks.
Reverberates aptly with 'Gnostic'.