The Barrens and Others

The Secret History of the World #10

by F. Paul Wilson

In "The Barren and Others", Wilson lets his fertile imagination run wild, traveling from the Old West of Doc Holliday to the Pine Barrens of present-day New Jersey and encountering many strange, suspect, and supernatural happenings along the way. From urban mercenary Repairman Jack to the obese and food-obsessed Topsy, Wilson's wild array of characters get caught up in adventures both fascinating and horrifying.

A collection of tales, ranging from Lovecraftian to Western supernatural, with many mysterious combinations in between.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Collections, Science Fiction, Thriller

477 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Francis Paul Wilson is an author, born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He writes novels and short stories primarily in the science fiction and horror genres. His debut novel was Healer (1976). Wilson is also a part-time practicing family physician. He made his first sales in 1970 to Analog and continued to write science fiction throughout the seventies. In 1981 he ventured into the horror genre with the international bestseller, The Keep, and helped define the field throughout the rest of the decade. In the 1990s he became a true genre hopper, moving from science fiction to horror to medical thrillers and branching into interactive scripting for Disney Interactive and other multimedia companies. He, along with Matthew J. Costello, created and scripted FTL Newsfeed which ran daily on the Sci-Fi Channel from 1992-1996.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/fpaulw...

Reviews

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
Above average but short stories, anthologies, and short story collections just aren't my thing and they rarely satisfy me unless they feature characters or settings that I am already a fan of.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great collection of F Paul Wilson short fiction, including a Repairman Jack story. The majority of the stories are really good, although the Dick Tracy story (Rockabilly) was the weakest of the bunch in my opinion. Favorites include The Barrens (a wonderful homage to HP Lovecraft), Definitive Therapy and A Day In The Life. I also particularly enjoy the autobiographical and story origin tidbits between stories.

[Evans Light]

An anthology of short stories by F. Paul Wilson. I've never read his novels, but his short stories have never disappointed.

Going to update review as I go through it:

FEELINGS - *** Three Stars

Fun short story, if a bit silly, about a curse placed on a lawyer to teach him empathy. Well-written, but could've taken the concept a bit further.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, not as good of a short story collection as this author's "Aftershock and Others". The strongest stories are the Monroe Triptych, which includes Faces, Feelings and Pelts, all scary and suspenseful stories around Monroe, NJ, which is essentially Wilson's equivalent to Stephen King's Derry, Maine. While not great, still a good read.

[Brian Sammons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish F. Paul Wilson wrote more short stories. This amazing book is why.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been awhile since I've read F. Paul Wilson, and this collection reminded me how much I enjoy his writing. Most of the short stories are pretty great, especially the Repairman Jack novella. The added stage script for Pelts and teleplay for Glim-Glim made for a different feature in short story collection, although I'm not a huge fan of reading scripts, so they were my least favorite part of the book.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. Its a great jumping off point for someone like me who has never read F. Paul Wilson before. I got to see the mans range, and he does have quite a bit of that. We go from voodoo revenge story to Post-Lovecraft to a story about the Joker, while covering all points between and beyond. Weird West, tables being twisted on a grieving father, a man who can't stop eating, mutant serial-killers, even gnomes (or some kind of little fay folk) with strong feelings about home security.

The three crown jewels of this collection for me were "A Day in the Life", "The Barrens", and "Definitive Therapy". "A Day in the Life" is a short story about Wilson's most popular character, Repairman Jack. He is an urban mercenary of sorts who you call when proper channels can't help you. Think 1980's "The Equalizer" but this man gets paid (he's got to live too) and as often as not deals with underworld scum as well as problems with a paranormal twist. The story is not art. It is a great piece of action/adventure asskicking fun.

"The Barrens" is a creepy journey into the unknown and uncivilized that is right next door. It takes you into the Jersey Pine barrens, and a more isolated spot I can't imagine. Yet its right next door to one of the most populace urban centers in the world, especially the U.S.A. Add to that mix, a sense of mystery and cosmic horror, and you have a pretty strange and delicious cocktail. Check it out if you are a fan of Lovecraft and Post-Lovecraft.

And last but certainly not least, is "Definitive Therapy". Its a story Wilson did to contribute to a collection of stories about villains from DC comics' own Gotham City. This was brilliant. Coming on the heals of the new Dark Knight movie and its brilliantly demented and sadistic Joker, this was excellent. We get to see The Joker inside Arkham Asylum, and really see him more as a psychopath than as a Batman villain. This involves a kind of "devil made me do it" twist that is great. For a die hard Batman fan like myself, this story was almost custom made for me.

So go check this book out if you like anything I've described above. And if not, give it a try anyways. Broadening your horizons is always a good thing (unless you broaden them into romance, cause then you've just gone too far..:P).

[Andrew Reeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is very good (the author is best known for his Repairman Jack series and The Keep), but for me highpoint of the collection is the often reprinted novella, The Barrens, one of the best written horror stories of the last 25 years. The story first appeared in Weinberg & Greenberg’s Lovecraft’s Legacy (Nov 1990, ed. Martin H. Greenberg, Robert E. Weinberg, published by Tor Books, 0-312-85091-3, $18.95, 334pp, hardcover, anthology) with cover art by Duncan Eagleson. However, I did not discover the story until I purchased Cthulhu 2000: A Lovecraftian Anthology, (Dec 1995, ed. Jim Turner, published by Arkham House, 0-87054-169-2, xvi+413pp, hardcover, anthology) with creepy cover art by Bob Eggleton. The title could be describing the writing style itself, which is told as a first-person narrative from the female protagonist’s point of view. There is an immediate intimacy to this writing foil that draws the reader into the story quickly and with an economy of verse. This is a mythos story, but the prose is pure Wilson with only one eldritch tome in sight. The Mythos is inferred, but is never the focus of the tale. The characterization is superb, and the storyline of a lover from the past sweeping the two central characters into an ethereal conflict before either can judge the danger is taught and believable. The story succeeds because of what is not there . . . no gory, blood and guts or three headed beasts-- but primal nothingness and a veil to be lifted. I have read this story a dozen times and I can't put it down. And, the story continues as I Just picked up a small signed leather version, only 102 pages, and limited to 250 signed and 26 lettered copies (Jan 1992, F. Paul Wilson, publ. Wildside Press, 102pp, hardcover). This is not a gut-wrenching horror story, but rather a stylized weird tale of ordinary people who take a wrong turn in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, Relayed books worth pursuing are John McPhee’s The Pine Barrens (1978, John McPhee, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 1–157. ISBN 978-0374514426) and the horror novel The Pines by Robert Dunbar (2006, Robert Dunbar published by Delirium Books, 411pp, Deluxe Lettered Hardcover of 246 numbered and 26 lettered editions).

[Isabel (kittiwake) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot of this novella is driven by Jonathan Creighton, a man who has never been satisfied with the course his life has taken and has begun to investigate things better left undisturbed. His ex-girlfriend Kathleen was born and brought up in the Pine Barrens, a huge almost deserted area existing on the heavily populated East coast of America, and he asks her to take him into the Pine Barrens, introduce him to the locals and persuade them to open up to him, claiming that he is researching a book on New Jersey folklore including the Jersey devil.

The story is narrated by Kathleen, and although she becomes more and more worried about Creighton's mental state, it is a long time before she realises that there is anything uncanny happening, which means that the story is not as frightening as many stories of the Cthulhu Mythos. But on the other hand, I was impressed by the descriptions of the Pine Barrens, and found that the Pine Barrens and its inhabitants really came to life.

So 4 stars for the setting but only 2 for the story equals 3 stars overall.

[Tim Healy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty good stuff, overall. It's a collection of short stories that, for the most part, were written to be included in other anthologies. There is a Repairman Jack story in here that's worth reading. And several of the stories tie in to "The Secret History of the World". I'm trying, more or less, to follow through Wilson's chronology for whatever that might be worth. At this point, that called for "Faces", which is kind of a creepy little story of death and destruction. The best story in the collection is the title story, "The Barrens". It's a nice Lovecraftian story. It manages to bring you Lovecraft without having to beat you over the head with it. It's creepy, and very effective. The Joker and Dick Tracy stories didn't work very well for me, but others may find them to be more to their taste.

[M.J.]

Again, I didn't read every short story in the book so I didn't give it a rating. The stories I read were good and if you're a Batman fan, there's a story about the Joker that was interesting. The author wrote it for a Joker anthology. I felt that made this book stand out.

There were also more stories relating to Wilson's Secret History of the World which is why I picked it up. Pelts ended up being far more interesting and creepy than I thought it would.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the different stories, and it was cool to get the author's notes about why he wrote the story, how he felt about it, etc.

[Guillermo Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

-LOS BARRENS-

Un relato de F. Paul Wilson

Mac (Kathleen McKelston) se reencuentra años después con un antiguo amante universitario, Jon Creighton, quien la visita solicitando su ayuda, porque está realizando una investigación sobre el demonio de Jersey como historia del flocklore de aquella región, una criatura pseudocriptida, de la cual ha habido avistamientos en los barrens, una impresionante área de bosque que no ha sido explorada ni mapeada en su totalidad.

Mac decide ayudarlo y se dirigen hacia los barrens, lugar de dónde es originaria y que conoce en cierta medida y hasta cierto punto.

Jon Creighton comienza entrevistando a viejos lugareños que Mac conoce, pero pronto ella se dará cuenta que las intenciones de su ex-amante no son realmente conocer sobre el Demonio de Jersey, sino otra distinta y más aterradora

Que aquello que busca Jon se encuentra ahí, en los barrens, y que los escasos habitantes de esas tierras saben de ello, pero que, ante lo desconocido es mejor no hablar y no acudir a lo más recóndito del bosque.

Un relato de horror cósmico, que deja al descubierto esas fuerzas sobrenaturales, inconmensurables que el ser humano no pude controlar, que están más allá de nuestra comprensión y que, más sin embargo nos atraen como moscas a la miel.

Aún a costa de nuestras vidas siempre estará la curiosidad, la ganas de saber que hay más allá de nuestra realidad, ¿es real o ficción lo que vivimos? Dónde estamos, que hay más allá del velo.

Preguntas existenciales surgen a lo largo del relato, aún y cuando Jon no lo ve de esa manera, en el fondo es así, el ansia y el deseo desmedido por conocer la verdadera realidad hace que éste hombre llegué a puntos insospechados de atrevimiento y locura, todo en aras de resolver su conflicto existencial.

Un relato entretenido que vale la pena.

Título: Los Barrens
Autor: F. Paul Wilson
Colección: Cthulhu 2000
Editorial: Factoría de Ideas

[Ricardo Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amongst all the stories that seem to be gathered in this specific volume, I have only read The Barrens, collected in a rather different context via an extraordinary collection of Lovecraft-like short-stories. I have to tell that I am pleasingly surprised by the literary quality of Wilson's story (enough at least to encourage me to write this review).

At first it seems to be just another weird imitation of Lovecraft style; another reliefless set of clichés and commonplaces (the rest of the stories of the book it was included in do not help by any means to change this initial perception, I have to say) but as I kept on moving through the barrens, the pines, that isolated atmosphere of the hills in the middle of nowhere, and, of course, the progressive discovery of new facts, interests and concerns about the caracthers —intentionally scattered as dribs and drabs by Wilson—; I realized the great and coherent approach that Wilson has made in the aim of recover the nihilistic ways of the original works made by the Lovecraft Circle.

Bearing in mind how scarce is the medium/high level Lovecraft-like literature nowadays, just let me sum up everything by topping it all off with a final and loud: Please, If you like cosmic horror, don't miss the opportunity of reading The Barrens.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson's collections are laced with personal interludes. In this book, his receollections are wittier and more charming than being his usual font of "so I was approached to contribute to this anthology by so & so" stuff. That's the first bright spot.
The stories are not bad by any means. While there are too many overlong tales and other merely readable stuff, there were a few jewells as well. In my opinion, they were~
1. Tennants— tad longer than justified, but very-very good;
2. The Barrens— brilliant Lovecraftian novella;
3. The Tenth Toe— a hilarious tale involving curses and Doc Holliday;
4. Definitive Therapy— Joker in one of the vilest, sharpest iterations that has ever been conceived.
5. A Day in the Life— Repairman Jack having one of those days, and it's the best tale of the book.
Overall, this was a good read. However, henceforth I would do well to stick to Jack, giving Wilson's other creations a miss, if you don't mind.

[John Michael Strubhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fine collection of shorts from an amazing writer of horror (and other) fiction. F. Paul Wilson never fails to deliver a page turner (and yes - you can turn pages in an eBook). Wilson's introduction to short is a special touch that is often as entertaining as the story itself. It's too hard to pick a favorite from this collection as they are all engaging and entertaining. If you like any of Wilson's stuff, you'll like it all. Full disclosure - Wilson is my current favorite author.

[Jamie Zaccaria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun and varied compilation of well-written horror and speculative fiction. 'The Barrens' was the obvious stand-out and I loved it to bits. I wanna throw a shout-out to 'Pelts' and 'Slasher' as well.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short stories from Wilson including a couple linked in to the Secret History thread

[H3yd00 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually read short story and novella collections, but, well, it's F. Paul Wilson. And there is a Repairman Jack story in here. =] Seriously, there isn't a stinker in the bunch, I really enjoyed reading these short stories. And it was perfect to read the week of Christmas, since I didn't have time to read more than a few pages a day.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of tales and two plays by F. Paul Wilson. My favorites are highlighted. It includes:
Feelings
Tenants
Faces
A Day in the Life
The Tenth Toe
Slasher
The Barrens
Definitive Therapy
Topsy
Rockabilly
Bob Dylan, Troy Johnson, and the Speed Queen
Pelts
Pelts (the stage play)
Glim Glim (the stage play)

[Brian Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm... perhaps I grabbed the wrong collection to start out on with Wilson. There are some remarkable tales here, while others are somewhat boring. His horror is "quiet" but atmosperic, something difficult to do, but I suppose I'm just not a fan of that style. While I have no real desire to check out his Repairman Jack novels, I will definitely check out more by Wilson.

[Chelsea Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good collection of short stories. I liked just about all of them. Even those that weren't my favorites were still entertaining. Wilson has a great talent at story telling. All of the stories draw one in, and are spun in such a way that one is compelled to find out what is going to happen. I will seek out and read more F. Paul Wilson in the future.

[Vít · Rating 4 out of 5]

Povedená a nápaditá sbírka hororových povídek všeho druhu, doporučuji všem fanouškům žánru.
Výborné jsou zejména Pustiny, to je prostě Lovecraft jako vyšitý. Ale užijete si i třeba i Tváře, Kožešiny, Nájemníky i další. Jsou tam samozřejmě i slabší kousky (jako v každé sbírce), nudit se ale určitě nebudete - celkově to za ty čtyři hvězdy stojí.

[Lisa Look · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book of short stories but I expected nothing less from this author. And the stories varies from one genre to the next, one is a horror, next a Dick Tracey. I love the variety something for everyone. Great book probably will read it again!

[A~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories.
The second that Wilson has published.
Along with the stories is a semi biography of each year of his life while these stories were written. Quite like a few of Asimov's personal collections the early Asimov, vol 1-3.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories are good - most are just OK. They are full of the supernatural and visions of horror.

[Tom O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

First collection of short fiction that I've read by Wilson(I've read almost all the novels) and I really enjoyed it

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really an excellent short story collection that genre hops in quite a dizzying way...the title story is an excellent addition to the secret history of the world

[Nicola Montague · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel sorry for Glim-Glim :(

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a bad story among them. If you like Matheson or King's short fiction, you will love F. Paul Wilson.