Nocturnal Products

[bendk]

I finally got around to reading this collection, and I enjoyed the stories very much. Solitary, contemplative, bleak, and atmospheric, Eddie Angerhuber writes tales of urban horror akin to Ligotti. I agree with TL that "Rinaldini's Hands" is one of the best. I also noticed the influence of Thomas Owen (that Ligotti mentioned in his blurb) in another one of my favorites, but I won't say which one. Brief with no spoilers.



Nocturnal Products

Rainfall Books 2002
Paperback: 131 pages
Front cover and six interior illustrations by Thomas Wagner



" In Monika Angerhuber's stories, one can hear the true voice of horror - not simply as a literary genre or a specialized emotion provoked by certain types of art, but as the language of that set of inescapable experiences which comprise the nightmare of being alive. This publication of the author's "nocturnal products" in English - translated, amazingly, by Angerhuber herself - will allow a new audience to hear this voice and to be reminded, as we rarely are, why Horror needed to emerge as a separate tongue among the babel that makes up the history of literary expression. Angerhuber's stories have their closest affinities, quite naturally, to the more meditative and intimate prose works of such European writers as Stefan Grabinski, Dino Buzzati, and Thomas Owen, figures whose writings form a tradition of poetic horror that looks back to the oneiric landscape of Poe and at the same time looks ahead to even darker and more delirious territories that will require who knows what combination of words and silence to describe. "Rinaldini's Hands" is especially recommended as an absolute gem of a tale."

- Thomas Ligotti



The Dedication Page reads:

To Tom
I'd like to thank John B. Ford, Thomas Wagner and Mark Samuels for their kind help. Without their support this book would not have been possible.
Eddie M. Angerhuber.



Contents


Section One: Administrative Nightmares

The Nocturnal Product
The Heart Of Darkness

Section Two: The Grey Lake Visions

The Anankastic Syndrome
The Other Staircase
The Hierophant Of Dreams

Section Three: The Second Face Of Town

Rinaldini's Hands
The Blue Star
Solo For The Queen
Mrs Drasic's Farewell Party
(Written with John B. Ford)
Alchemy Of The Abyss
Hymn To The Night
Prayers To The Void
The Colours Of Sounds




You can view a longer review with a small front cover illustration at the below link, but be careful because I did not read all of it and it may contain spoilers.

http://www.members.tripod.com/brutaldreamer/reviews/nocturnal.html

[starrysothoth]

This is one work I would desperately like to see reprinted, though I know the chances of that are slim.

I wonder whatever happened to Ms. Angerhuber? Seems like she hasn't really been on the radar since this book appeared and her German site dedicated to Ligotti went dormant.

[matt cardin]

Nocturnal Products is indeed a fine collection of weird fiction. The title story ("The Nocturnal Product") and "Rinaldini's Hands" are its standouts, in my opinion.

The last I heard from Eddie was in 2005 when she and Boris Koch edited the German horror anthology Allem Fleisch ein Greuel, which featured a translation of my story "An Abhorrence to all Flesh," which gave the book its title. Before that we carried on a correspondence for several years, until I / she / we fell out of contact when my life and schedule were disrupted by one of the several relocations to new environs that my family and I have pursued over the years.

[yellowish haze]

I have Eddie M. Angerhuber's collection DAS ANANKASTISCHE SYNDROM
The Anankastic Syndrome, which contains The Blue Star, Solo for the Queen, Hymn to the Night and 5 other stories (but I will have to check it). Unfortunately, I don't think The Nocturnal Product and Rinaldini's Hands were among its contents.

Judging by the stories I've read I can confirm that's she is a brilliant writer. I actually remember quite well the time when Eddie was still an active member at TLO. It was great having her around. I hope she will be back one day.

I've also preserved around 10 stories of hers once published online in German - now many of these sites are probably defunct. I honestly totally forgot about this. I think I will put them on my "next-to-read" list.

	TLO THOMAS LIGOTTI ONLINE

It'd be great if Dan picked up on her work for an Ex Occidente edition.

I do miss Eddie (Monika). No idea what happened to her. Btw, she translated The White Hands collection into German for the Blitz edition, and of course the Ligotti titles from the same publisher.

Mark S.

[Freyasfire]

Why am I always discovering new writers way too late to actually find a decently priced copy of their works? And why does every writer I seem to discover too late always have such tiny limited print runs of their work? Grrrr. Very frustrating!

[starrysothoth]

I wish Ex Occidente or someone similar would consider reprinting Nocturnal Products (along with any newer work from Angerhuber, if there is any). Too bad recent news about her is so sparse. It looks like her web portal (including the entrance to Art of Grimscribe) is still up here:

New Dawn Fades

[yellowish haze]

I just came across this review of "Nocturnal Products" by Mark Samuels and thought to exhume this thread:
Terror Tales Online Reviews - Nocturnal Products by Eddie M. Angerhuber

From what I hear Eddie has completely stopped writing, but it would still be great to see Nocturnal Products available again. I know that the publisher is trying to reach out to her to reprint this collection. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

[MagnusTC]

Besides Das Anankastische Syndrom, Eddie Angerhuber seems to have published another collection entitled Die darbenden Schatten (Atlantis Verlag, 2011). Has anyone read this? It looks as though some of the stories from the first collection, such as Rinaldinis Hände, have been included, but also some new ones?



EDIT: I intended to say (in my drunken state of mind) that some of the stories that weren't in Das Anankastische Syndrom are included in this new collection. Here is a list of the 19 stories:

“Sommergewitter”
“Visionen von Eden”
“Empusa Muscae”
“Sphinx Ligustri”
“Die verborgene Kammer”
“Projektionen”
“Vergeltung”
“House of Horror”
“Madame Mosca”
“Die Enthüllungen des Raupenwolfs”
“Das unverwundbare Abbild”
“Das Netz”
“Das Produkt der Nacht”
“Rinaldinis Hände”
“Die Drachentochter” (ein chinesisches Märchen)
“Das Herz der Dunkelheit”
“Der Hierophant des Traums”
“Der Schädel”
“Die zweite Treppe”
“Die darbenden Schatten”

[yellowish haze]

I have this collection (a gift from Cyril Tourneur for which I'm very grateful!). So far I've only read the first tale. I hope to find more time to read the rest soon.

For those who understand German I recommend two videos that recently appeared on YT:

Lovecraft Angerhuber Ligotti1 - YouTube

Lovecraft Angerhuber Ligotti2 - YouTube