The William Hope Hodgson thread

[Hidden X]

For what it's worth, I actually really liked "Awake..." (original novella) too, and I think that I recommended it to Robert in some other thread. It flows like a Greek tragedy, and stylistically it is much closer to Gene Wolfe than to Hodgson (which is a good thing).

It's a shame that Wright is the way he is, since he's probably the only genuine talent among the sad/rabid puppy crowd.

[Nemonymous]

The Avalon Brantley is brilliant and compulsory reading for any Hodgson fan.

[Hidden X]

I definitely plan to check her novel out. Wish that rest of her work was more easily available, but I suppose there is no sense in hoping for something like that given her tragic passing.

BTW, nobody answered my earlier inquiry about John B. Ford's Hodgsonian stories. Some of them can be found online, like this one:
http://talestoterrify.com/tales-to-t...d-rick-kennet/

[Gnosticangel]

Hidden X wrote: "For what it's worth, I actually really liked "Awake..." (original novella) too, and I think that I recommended it to Robert in some other thread. It flows like a Greek tragedy, and stylistically it is much closer to Gene Wolfe than to Hodgson (which is a good thing)."

That is an excellent comparison, it does have a Wolfe-esque quality (even down to the unreliable narrator)!

[Gnosticangel]

Hidden X wrote, "BTW, nobody answered my earlier inquiry about John B. Ford's Hodgsonian stories. Some of them can be found online, like this one:
http://talestoterrify.com/tales-to-t...d-rick-kennet/"

Ford's Hodgsonian stories are excellent. "The Haunted Ocean" is a particularly terrifying Sargasso Sea sequence.

[Gnosticangel]

Nemonymous wrote, "The Avalon Brantley is brilliant and compulsory reading for any Hodgson fan."

I've just started this work and am already deeply immersed in a wonderful writing style. Can't wait to see where this goes!

Been eyeing it for a while. Looks like something I might enjoy.

The House of Silence has haunted my mind since I first encountered its mention in The Night Land.

[Hidden X]

So, erm... looks like Wright felt like doing some Ligotti-bashing.
An Error as Old as Epicurus s Journal

[Mr. Veech]

Quote Originally Posted by Hidden X

So, erm... looks like Wright felt like doing some Ligotti-bashing. An Error as Old as Epicurus s Journal

As if the pain and misery experienced by the human heart can be alleviated by acknowledging a simple logical proposition. In other words, the argument is impotent. The man is a Christian, which I respect. But any Christian worth their salt will not conjure superficial explanations accompanied by elementary logic regarding why their son or daughter is dying of cancer, or why evil is triumphant.

I'm sure the author has insightful things to say about a wide variety of topics, but this kind of shallow scholasticism is to be avoided, and it hardly refutes the basic worldview espoused by Ligotti.

EDIT: Not only that, Ligotti made it quite clear that even the act of writing fatalistic, pessimistic literature is an act of affirmation. If we hold that against him, then we must accuse Christians of contradicting themselves whenever they sin. Of course, both contradict themselves. But these are contradictions pertaining to existence, not contradictions happening in the mind.

The blog post itself was inspired by a comment made by someone there who openly as well as humbly admits that they have not read CATHR in toto.

	CATHR The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

Quote Originally Posted by Hidden X

So, erm... looks like Wright felt like doing some Ligotti-bashing. An Error as Old as Epicurus s Journal

I'm not sure I agree with all of Ligotti's conclusions, but every refutation I have read, even from people I admire, has appeared to be intellectually lazy and glib compared to how meticulously crafted Ligotti's argument is. I don't have any issue with John C. Wright or Laird Barron, but they don't do themselves any favours by trying to appear smarter than Ligotti. This goes for every criticism of Ligotti's belief system I have read.