Strange Attractor

by Mark Pilkington (Editor)

The eagerly awaited fourth edition of the acclaimed anthology series. From Haiti and Hong Kong to the fourth dimension and discover the secrets of madness in animals; voodoo soul and dub music; ancient peacock deities; Chinese poisoning cults; the history of spider silk weaving; heathen mugwort magic; sentient lightning; Jesuit conspiracy theories; junkie explorers; Dali's Atlantis; the resurgence of Pan (in London's Crouch End); anarchist pirates on Madagascar; an ancient Greek Rip Van Winkle; French anatomical waxworks; Arthur Machen's forgotten tales and the full text of Alan Moore's unfinished John Dee opera. Contributors
Richard Barnett, Mark Blacklock, John Cussans, Erik Davis, Paul Devereux, Roger Dobson, Joanna Ebenstein, Stephen Grasso, Gyrus, Ken Hollings, Mike Jay, Phil Legard, David Luke, Eleanor Morgan, Alan Moore, Steve Moore, Michael Neve, Andy Sharp, Robert Wallis, Sean Walsh Artwork by Joel Biroco, Julian House, Phil Legard, Eleanor Morgan, Arik Roper & Nathalie Tayton.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2011

Reviews

[Jessica Elam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been the kind of person that loved learning. I'm the friend that enjoys sharing random "fun facts." I'm also the friend that would rather launch into heady topics, leaping past small talk altogether.

I found "Strange Attractor Journal Four" sitting all by itself at a used book store. I'll admit that I was drawn in by the name and the cover. I had no idea what it was about yet, except that it was an anthology of sorts, and I wanted it.

What I discovered were essays and anecdotes, which left me questioning the line between fact and fiction. Some essays pulled me in more than others. My advice is to press through the ones you don't connect with and keep reading.

Even the ones that didn't interest me were windows into the unknown. I learned about topics that I had never considered adding to my curriculum. Alternately, I found a few of the subjects so interesting that I ended up down an internet rabbit hole, eager to learn more.

The stories, while often focused on fantastic subjects, are scholarly in tone. Sometimes, I felt like it was required reading for a class that I never had the privilege of attending. And like most writing, they sometimes reveal more about the authors than the tales themselves. Opinions, cultural perspectives, and history weaving together in interesting ways.

[Gabriel Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming anthology of essays on the esoteric, culturally anomalous, liminal or plain weird. I particularly liked entheogenic exploration of the uses of mugwort and the ‘secret’ history of the Jesuits. Erik Davies’ ramble through the symbolism of the Peacock Angel of the Yezidis has since taken on an extra, unintended pathos.