Looming Low Available for Pre-order

[Ucasuni]

Oh boy, will someone please take away this man's shovel?

Literally nothing he says contradicts the underlying facts of Keene's story: Barron had a story selected for an anthology. He asked for more money than the editor was prepared to pay for reprinting rights. The 2nd edition was printed without Barron's story.

Calling Barron a liar is completely insane given that a) the anecdote is Keene's, not Barron's, and b) Joshi essentially confirms all the underlying facts.

Moreover, all the interstitial details just make Joshi look worse, as James had noted. I mean the argument that he selected Barron's story out of purely financial motivations only undermines his editorial integrity.

Whether this episode is what's motivating Joshi's criticism or not is virtually moot at this point. He just sounds increasingly unhinged and irrational.

[Hidden X]

Yeah, his attempt to "defend" himself only confirmed some of my suspicions. He actually came off better while he was consciously avoiding to tackle that particular part of Keene's write-up.

Also, it really is ufnny how he coolly admitted that he has engaged in the exact same practice that he has attacked editors like Datlow for in the past, ie including stories in you Lovecraftian anthologies based on author's current fame rather than on said stories being actually good or remotely "lovecraftian".

[Malachi_Constant]

Quote Originally Posted by Nemonymous

I have now finished my review of each story in real-time - https://dflewisreviews.wordpress.com...1/looming-low/

Thanks, Des. Very flattered you took the time to read and real-time review the book.

[Hidden X]

Quote Originally Posted by Ucasuni

Oh boy, will someone please take away this man's shovel?

He saw fit to relinquish it himself... by exchanging it for industrial dynamite, which is quite a bit more effective at that hole-digging business. From the latest update:

Quote

Meanwhile, the antics of my enemies continue to provide rich amusement. Their staggering inferiority to me, in intellect and achievements, is becoming more and more apparent with each passing day; but what is now becoming increasingly obvious is that they are really not very nice people. Stupidity is one thing—a condition that is perhaps unalterable, and one that is more deserving of pity than anger; but duplicity, mendacity, hypocrisy, petty vindictiveness, and a host of other moral failings—well, I suppose these can only be attributed to bad upbringing and an insufficient exposure to civilised values. It is particularly amusing to note that, while many of these worthies loudly protest their political liberalism, their actual behaviour is strikingly in accord with that of timorous and enraged right-wingers. They exhibit the same dogmatism, intolerance, and touchiness as evangelical Christians of the Roy S. Moore sort; they cultivate the same sense of grievance and victimisation as rural folk resentful of their more prosperous compatriots in the cities; they congregate in a self-congratulatory echo chamber (just like the viewers of Fake—er, that is, Fox—News) in a desperate attempt to plug their ears against honest criticism; and, like our Twitter-obsessed “president,” they lash out hysterically at their opponents with abuse and insults, in the grotesque belief that such puerile taunts could actually wound their enemies instead of merely provoking derisive laughter at their own expense. Well, there is not much one can do with these deplorables. One can, I suppose, hope against hope that they would simply shut up. But they won’t, because it is not in their nature to do so. Dogs will bark—at anything and at nothing.

[Evans]

*Sigh* What, pray tell, did the deplorables do to warrant this latest portion of pungent wit?

Quote

Meanwhile, the antics of my enemies continue to provide rich amusement. Their staggering inferiority to me, in intellect and achievements, is becoming more and more apparent with each passing day; but what is now becoming increasingly obvious is that they are really not very nice people. S

Sideshow bob-truth teller - YouTube

Quote

It is particularly amusing to note that, while many of these worthies loudly protest their political liberalism, their actual behaviour is strikingly in accord with that of timorous and enraged right-wingers. They exhibit the same dogmatism, intolerance, and touchiness as evangelical Christians of the Roy S. Moore sort; they cultivate the same sense of grievance and victimisation as rural folk resentful of their more prosperous compatriots in the cities; they congregate in a self-congratulatory echo chamber (just like the viewers of Fake—er, that is, Fox—News) in a desperate attempt to plug their ears against honest criticism; and, like our Twitter-obsessed “president,” they lash out hysterically at their opponents with abuse and insults, in the grotesque belief that such puerile taunts could actually wound their enemies instead of merely provoking derisive laughter at their own expense. Well, there is not much one can do with these deplorables.

Anyone spot the problem with the following?

Right-wing people are bad people
My critics are bad people
Therefore my critics are like Right-wing people
?????
Profit

On a personal note one of the reasons Joshi's cosmic-indifferentism-atheist-lulz irritates me whilst Lovecraft's doesn't is because the former manages to combine 'indifference' with squealing hysteria over the latest tip-bit of US culture wars gossip. I had no idea what a 'Roy S Moore' was until I looked it up (will people be surprised that it wasn't worth the ten seconds of reading it took?).

[cannibal cop]

On a forum where threads can suddenly be whisked away for no clear reason before posters have a chance to catch up on replies, I find it odd that a thread which essentially boils down to a few people "snarking" on somebody's opinion elsewhere online is allowed to run seemingly without end in a pointless gossip session that contributes nothing of value to the site.

Here's an idea. If you have a beef with someone, take it up with him, directly. Prattling about it to strangers in a public forum just makes you look as petty and vindictive as you make him look.

Better yet, tell him to his face.

[Evans]

Quote Originally Posted by cannibal cop

Here's an idea. If you have a beef with someone, take it up with him, directly. Prattling about it to strangers in a public forum just makes you look as petty and vindictive as you make him look.

The difference is that none of us have claimed to be critical wardens of Weird Fiction or of Lovecraft's legacy. Joshi has set himself up as a public intellectual and as such has his statements are held up to a scrutiny 'that someone else's opinions elsewhere online' are not. In addition it's not that people even need disagree with Joshi's opinion, only express surprise and awkwardness at the belligerent and arrogant statements he uses to express it. The experience will be painful to Joshi's fans as they see him embarrassing himself.

I couldn't finish reading the latest blog post. I gave up when he started coarsely boasting. Too embarrassing. The asides about Trump seemed ironic to me seeing as the article contained:

Quote Originally Posted by S. T. Joshi

Meanwhile, the antics of my enemies continue to provide rich amusement. Their staggering inferiority to me, in intellect and achievements, is becoming more and more apparent with each passing day; but what is now becoming increasingly obvious is that they are really not very nice people.

..which could easily pass for a Trump quote.

I think the big boom in Lovecraft's popularity has made some of the Lovecraft intelligentsia feel like literary celebrities. Some have handled this well. Some haven't, and Joshi is one of those people. He is just a guy who likes Lovecraft a lot and knows more about it than the average fan, so he should try to keep a bit more perspective in the future if he doesn't want to completely piss away his reputation and become Lovecraft fandom's Ian Levine.

[Justin Isis]

Quote Originally Posted by James

if he doesn't want to completely piss away his reputation and become Lovecraft fandom's Ian Levine.

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK READ!!!!!!!!

[Nemonymous]

“Because of all the cruel and vindictive attacks on me of late, which have truly hurt my feelings (*sniff sniff*), I am giving up all literary work for the foreseeable future.”
— from STJ’s blog 27.11.17

Unless this is a joke, it’s a damned shame that someone not brought up all his life with the cut and thrust of a cyber-world’s potential misunderstanding and battle is inveigled into such a self-destructive stance as this possible posture or deep sincerity.