The Nameless Dark - A Collection

[Frater_Tsalal]

Well, everyone invents different fictions to help them get through life, some more flamboyantly than others (hell, look at Emperor Joshua Norton). As a lifelong denizen of Rhode Island, I can attest that the state is a pretty depressing place to exist in at times... I imagine it must have been even worse in Lovecraft's day, so that he would create some sort of inflated self-image of himself as a way to escape from reality is something I don't hold against him (I suppose it mustn't have helped matters that his own mother often pointed out his physical unattractiveness, which probably didn't help with his self-esteem, ha ha). But as Mr. Veech says, better to not derail the thread's focus, so I'll terminate my digressions on the subject here.

Quote Originally Posted by T.E. Grau

Fair point. I was speaking more about his views of himself personally, living as some exiled, high born English aristocrat, forced to live in a land of savages and jabbering trash. Quote Originally Posted by Frater_Tsalal In all fairness to Lovecraft, in his personal correspondence with friends, he almost always displayed great humility and downplayed his own artistic efforts.

[T.E. Grau]

No worries.

Although, I must admit that I was hoping it wouldn't descending into yet another discussion of HPL the man, which is always a dicey topic with no good outcomes.

I have always found Lovecraft eminently relatable if I simply replace a dislike/fear of 'ethnic people' with a general dislike/fear of people. The Shadow Over Innsmouth obviously has a xenophobic element, but it also works as a startling portrait of social anxiety if you're the sort of person who sees all people as monsters and feels alienated wherever you go.

I just slammed Grau's book on my Kindle.

[T.E. Grau]

I certainly have very little problem with those who despise all people equally, than those who despise specific ethnic groups considered "inferior" or "bad" while venerating others (often their own).

One is non-specific misanthropy (which makes sense, as humanity is pretty monstrous). The other is racial bigotry and _____ supremacy.

I hope your last sentence is a positive thing!

The 'this book is like Lovecraft, Howard and Smith pulp stories without the racism' introduction made me want to die, but I enjoyed the impressions of childhood and strange melancholy of the first story well enough. It reminded me of Saki's Sredni Vashtar.

Will continue.

[Mr. Veech]

Quote Originally Posted by James

The 'this book is like Lovecraft, Howard and Smith pulp stories without the racism' introduction made me want to die, but I enjoyed the impressions of childhood and strange melancholy of the first story well enough. It reminded me of Saki's Sredni Vashtar. Will continue.

Visceral and energetic are words I would use to describe a lot of the stories, which fits with my earlier comment regarding the Fincher/Barker aesthetic. If I were you, I would read "The Truffle Pig" as well as "Mr. Lupus" first.

[Mr. Veech]

Do it for yourself | T.E. Grau | Interview | Soft Disturbances

"Clive Barker certainly isn’t an influence, as I had never read any Barker until the stories for The Nameless Dark were either finished and published in other places, or already plotted out. I didn’t read Baker during his heyday in the 80s, as I was still geeking out over high fantasy and sword & sorcery. The closest I came to horror was Conan books."

I guess I was mistaken about the Barker influence(s).

[T.E. Grau]

Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Veech

Do it for yourself | T.E. Grau | Interview | Soft Disturbances "Clive Barker certainly isn’t an influence, as I had never read any Barker until the stories for The Nameless Dark were either finished and published in other places, or already plotted out. I didn’t read Baker during his heyday in the 80s, as I was still geeking out over high fantasy and sword & sorcery. The closest I came to horror was Conan books." I guess I was mistaken about the Barker influence(s).

I take it as a compliment.

The only horror author who has really influenced my short story work is Lovecraft, and that's mainly thematic. Laird Barron a bit, too.

My "style," such as it is (or isn't), when I started writing prose, could only be influenced by mainstream high fantasy authors from the 70s and 80s, HST, and maybe the Beats. After college, I went years and years (while writing music journalism and "humor" columns, then screenwriting) without reading much fiction, returning to it in 2010 with a vengeance, catching up for so many lost years spent "living" rather than reading.

I've seen such authors as Bradbury, Barker, Lansdale, McCarthy, even Ligotti cited as probable influences on my work, but none of that is true. Not for the stuff currently published, anyway.

[Mr. Veech]

Quote Originally Posted by T.E. Grau

Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Veech Do it for yourself | T.E. Grau | Interview | Soft Disturbances "Clive Barker certainly isn’t an influence, as I had never read any Barker until the stories for The Nameless Dark were either finished and published in other places, or already plotted out. I didn’t read Baker during his heyday in the 80s, as I was still geeking out over high fantasy and sword & sorcery. The closest I came to horror was Conan books." I guess I was mistaken about the Barker influence(s). I take it as a compliment. The only horror author who has really influenced my short story work is Lovecraft, and that's mainly thematic. Laird Barron a bit, too. My "style," such as it is (or isn't), when I started writing prose, could only be influenced by mainstream high fantasy authors from the 70s and 80s, HST, and maybe the Beats. After college, I went years and years (while writing music journalism and "humor" columns, then screenwriting) without reading much fiction, returning to it in 2010 with a vengeance, catching up for so many lost years spent "living" rather than reading. I've seen such authors as Bradbury, Barker, Lansdale, McCarthy, even Ligotti cited as probable influences on my work, but none of that is true. Not for the stuff currently published, anyway.

Living is just as beneficial as reading. As a matter of fact, the former is absolutely necessary, while the latter is in some cases optional, although it certainly helps to read a lot. Wittgenstein didn't read a great deal of philosophy except for Schopenhauer. Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from being one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century.

[dr. locrian]

Jon's review of The Nameless Dark: A Collection

I've been hearing about the excellence of Grau's fiction for years, and--when I finally dived into his debut collection last month--I was not disappointed (to say the least).

I'll highlight some of my favorites, though I enjoyed and admired all the contents:

"Tubby’s Big Swim"
This one was a beautifully hilarious and poignant opening act -- the tale of a lonely, bullied outsider-kid who receives help in setting his life straight from a most unusual and memorable source. I was pleased and amused that both Grau and I presented a story early on in our separate collections that could be described as a childhood revenge tale. Surely one of the best in the book.

"Return of the Prodigy"
My hands down favorite of the bunch. I never knew I needed this tale: an aging boomer couple (a cheap, taciturn Vietnam vet and a zesty woman with a taste for the extravagant) travel to a remote, south Pacific island and spend a memorable late-honeymoon of a most Lovecraftian kind. Again, Grau's black sense of humor is on full display but, as the story continues, he evokes a remarkable atmosphere of shabby, tacky tourist-life combined with a legitimate sense of the kind of dread that would make Laird Barron proud. Really singular.

"Mr. Lupus"
A twisted, contemporary fairy tale that had remarkably intriguing, iconic characters and a breathlessly thrilling twist-ending. I loved it and hope Grau writes more in this speculative vein.

"The Mission"
This has to be one of the best, most successful weird western stories I've read. Grau juggles an impressive number of memorable characters in this one, all the while threading together a story that has razor sharp teeth and perfect pacing.

Yep, Grau is just as great as everyone I know and trust says he is, and I can't wait to read more by him. Weird fiction of the highest order.