Autumn in the Abyss

by John Claude Smith

When enigmatic poet Henry Coronado disappears six months after the New Year’s Eve, 1959, Welcoming Chaos event, he takes with him a profound secret wrapped within the words of his poem, Autumn In The Abyss. Fifty years later, an ill man’s research into Coronado’s work and life reveals that poetry can indeed change the world, or leave it in ruins.

The Word is a living thing...and often with lethal intentions.

Reality is the strangest mirror...

“The stories in John Claude Smith's new collection take their characters to the limits of human experience, the places where our bodies come asunder in the face of the abyss. Positioning his stories in the seams of our cultural history, Smith chronicles the efforts of artists of all stripes--poets, musicians, sculptors, filmmakers--to break through our common experience to another, more essential one that is painted in blood. It's a quest that draws these artists into proximity with the serial-killer in the book's single and singular tale of a police detective's obsessive manhunt. Whether with pen or carving knife, Smith's characters will not stop until they have gone too far, into a space where revelation and terror are part of the same, vast thing." —John Langan, author of The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies

“These five emotionally complex tales ask, above all, what it means to be human in a tempestuous universe. What part of ourselves do we owe to the pursuit of goodness, especially if there's no apparent advantage to being good? How can we define ourselves in the absence of moral authority? Blurred lines of identity, the role of the artist, and the nature of temptation are explored in these stories of sacrifice and self-destruction. Autumn in the Abyss is another dark and captivating collection from a writer who isn't afraid to plumb the depths of our greatest and most dangerous desires." —S.P. Miskowski, Shirley Jackson Award nominated author of The Skillute Cycle

”The best compliment for any artist is leaving the audience desperately wanting more. And that’s exactly what John Claude Smith accomplishes with the tour de force of Autumn in the Abyss. The title novelette is a breathtaking exercise in dark fantasy—a surreal, unabashedly literary, horrific mystery with a surprising, heartrending truth at its end. It’s a tough act to follow, and yet the next four tales not only hold their own, but occasionally even up the ante. The novelette “Becoming Human” is a chilling mix of the serial killer genre and… something much more frightening. And three shorter tales all share a common gatekeeping character, as Smith explores some “Night Gallery” style places that are… just beyond the pale. Smart, creepy, unexpected … these are stories from that nightmare zone that will stick with you long after midnight. Hell, these are stories that will haunt you beneath the bright sun at noon. This is one of the best collections I’ve read in years!" —John Everson, Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of NightWhere and Violet Eyes

”The Rhythmic flow of John's words instantly absorbs you into his world, bringing not only his words to life but the story as well." —Joe Mynhardt, Crystal Lake Publishing

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Weird Fiction, Lovecraftian, Fantasy, Fiction

130 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

John Claude Smith has published three collections (The Dark is Light Enough for Me [OOP], Autumn in the Abyss, and Occasional Beasts: Tales), along with two novels. His debut novel, Riding the Centipede, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. His second novel, The Wilderness Within, was published by Trepidatio/JournalStone.
He is presently shopping four novels and two collections.
Busy is good.

He splits his time between the East Bay of northern California, across from San Francisco, and Rome, Italy, where his heart resides always.

Words Matter!

Reviews

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

Balance in the world and in the universe is a recurring theme in this collection of five stories. What does it take to achieve balance? And who, or what, gets to decide what constitutes balance? The tales in this volume address these questions in a highly entertaining way.

The Autumn in the Abyss - Can words change the world? Not just your world, but the entire world? Sprinkled with quotes like "The Word is a living thing" and "Language is a virus from outer space", this is a beautifully written tale that is hard to describe. Can words summon things, things not of this world, things that thrive on human suffering? Can words twist things around so much that you hardly even know yourself anymore? You will have to read this to find out.

"All paths are paved with the carcasses of experience."

Broken Teacup -This was a short, nasty little tale, reminiscent of the bizarro genre or of hardcore horror authors like Edward Lee. In this story, Mr. Liu makes his first appearance. Think of Mr. Liu as a warped ambassador of the cosmic. Always trying to achieve balance at the behest of his superiors. I believe balance was achieved here.

La mia immortalita - Involved in his latest art project, Samuel's dismissive and arrogant personality is on display here. The more frustrated he gets with his work, the more unlikable he becomes. Mr. Liu makes yet another appearance after Samuel proves once and for all that he is a most despicable human being. As Mr. Liu himself states: "Those who require balance within the universe have a perverse sense of humor, Mr. Nisi. I am their liaison here on earth." We'll just say that Samuel's art sculpture did not come out as he'd originally planned.

"People-what a pitiable race to be associated with."

Becoming Human -I think this was my favorite story of the bunch-deep, dark and wicked, but with a sense of hope (against ALL odds), that shines through and in the end, wins.

Where the Light Won't Find You -This was a relatively short story that showcased a scary insect-like thing in a movie theater. In the dark. In the chair behind you. Yeah, it was good.

Overall, this collection was well above average. It features cosmic horror with undertones of Barker and Lee-a combination not often found. It showcases outstanding prose with fantastic ideas hiding within the words. I have no reservations highly recommending this collection to fans of horror, most especially fans of cosmic and/or literary horror.

I was provided a free copy of this book to honestly review for Horror After Dark.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Liu lives in the shadows. His employers are responsible for keeping the balance amidst the chaos of the universe. When Mr. Liu comes calling you can bet that the universe is about to be adjusted. Adjusted…Hard.

While our friend does not show up in person in all of these stories, the suggestion of him and the Guardians he works for are most surely present. You can feel them lurking in the shadows of these stories. Dark and sinister shadows. Judging and violent.

What we end up with are 5 stories with interconnecting themes that John Claude Smith manages to weave together to create a deeply disturbing and original vision of a world on the precipice of the abyss. Separately, these tales are very good. But together, they are great. 4.5 Stars! Highly Recommended!

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first story in this collection is “Autumn in the Abyss”. It is also the longest story. Mr. Smith gives us an amazingly creative “quest story”. The quest is to find Henry Coronado, one of the 50’s Beat Poets akin to Burroughs, Kerouac, Ginsberg etc. The quest quickly becomes bizarre and grotesque. You believe unknown and unidentified animals are trying to dig through your roof so they can rip your flesh and drink your blood. Imagine the paranoia that is onset after consuming a few squares of blotter acid. Imagine to then having to delve out into the desolate and deserted world that has somehow changes since you last saw it, to begin your quest. Imagine projectile vomiting when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. Disgust , depravity and self loathing abound throughout this immensely well written story about how reality can be altered by our own words.

The second story “Broken Teacup” begins with a couple of guys in an Industrial Band. They are not really being successful. So they decide to start recording/filming snuff/sex tapes on consignment - for fun and profit and a great deal of enthusiasm. For a while one thinks this is an Edward Lee story, when things shift. Enter Mr. Liu offering the boys a project they just can’t turn down. Now we have entered the twilight zone, only Rod Serling is not there to rescue us.

The Third story is a somewhat tamer story about a sculpture who wants to create his immortal creation with his newly commissioned work – commissioned by Mr. Liu, the cosmic fixer.

And there are two further stories, “Becoming Human” about a warn out detective.

The last story is another Mr. Liu story entitled “Where The Lights Won’t Find You”

The stories definitely take you somewhere strange and leave you there. Masterfully written, artistically told with style and creativity.

Highly Recommended

[Brian Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Advanced Reader Copy)

It’s rare that you can finish a book and find that it has left you altered on multiple levels. Beyond just themes and concepts presented, it’s how the book makes you feel. Smith does this with Autumn in the Abyss, and the results are brilliant.

A short collection of only five tales, no more are really needed for what Smith is trying to say. They are a loosely intertwined menagerie of human depravity as examined from a Lovecraftian point-of-view. All manner of unspeakable atrocities are spoken of and acted out, but never in a “gore porn” fashion. Instead, it is done only to strengthen Smith’s argument for humanity’s place in the universe, something he tempers with his fascination in art. Amidst all the carnage and obscenity, we are treated to details on poetry, music, sculpture, and film. It’s part of a message of balance Smith seeks to impart to us.

In that same message, the enigmatic Mr. Liu appears in a number of the tales. He is a more literal representation of how the stories are bound together, but they all carrying a singular theme. The title tale “Autumn in the Abyss” follows a shut-in’s quest to discover the truth about lost beat poet, while “Broken Teacup” is concerned with two purveyors of filth and their big score. “La mia immortalita” shows how far an artist will go to be remembered, “Becoming Human” details a cop chasing after a copycat serial killer, and “Where the Light Won’t Find You” tells of an average young man seeing behind the curtain of everything.

While each individual tale is excellent on its own merit, this truly is a collection meant to be absorbed as a singular experience. Much like an artist’s particular gallery show or a band’s album with no true single, it flows as a collective work. Make no mistake, much of the darkness here is tactile, Smith painting us a view of ourselves in hues both bleak and abhorrent. However, the visceral evil has nothing in regards to the transcendental, where one finds little more than indifference with the faint coloring of authority. Can such things as hope exist? According to Smith’s message, that’s not the point.

There is good, there is evil, and there is purpose. There is definitely purpose in Autumn in the Abyss, and not just to tell a handful of grotesque horror stories. Fables on the extreme, Smith shows us the opposite ends that humanity can fall to, and how small we can still seem to those gods and monsters dwelling high above.

[Paul Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is an argument to be be made that John Claude Smith is at the sharpest end of the violenza fantasia concerning modern practitioners of the current dark renaissance. Many have championed his story, “Autumn in the Abyss”, and while that tale is a deft achievement, I find “Broken Teacup” to be the most crushing story here. A fantastic idea served by the courage of its creator. Perfect for those darkest October nights. 4.5/5

[T.E. Grau · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the past few years, I and many of my colleagues have written and spoken at length about the Weird Fiction Renaissance currently taking place amid the long and twisting halls of genre fiction. More writers are doing more work in speculative fiction than any other time in the recent past. And while the double edged sword of self publishing services, POD, and electronic media platforms have provided easier access to that once elusive - and now often murky - label of "published work," removing necessary gatekeepers and truncated the time it takes to move from amateur to legit, some strong grain is being sifted to the surface amid all of that overeager chaff.

One of these Renaissance Men is certainly John Claude Smith, who proves his weird fic mettle in his second collection Autumn in the Abyss, published by Omnium Gatherum, a book of five bleak, well crafted tales just as liable to punch you in the gut as twist some dark corner of your mind, tied together with the sinewy connective tissue of recurring characters and familiar thematic overtones. This is cosmic horror, but this is also body horror and gore, with several of the stories plumbing the cruelest pits and most deviant acts perpetrated by humankind, much of it playing out in front of an audience of curious eyes not native to this planet. To Smith, we are not the center of the universe, nor are we alone in it, and that is a very unfortunate thing, for a variety of reasons that become viscerally evident as each story unfolds. Dark forces have found our planet, and have reached out to it - to us - to study, to absorb, to form unholy alliances, embodied by the mysterious Mr. Liu, who shows up in several of the stories like a jaundiced tether, tying the collection together. Smith is a fetching stylist with an unflinching eye and a thoughtful take on modern horror fiction, showing us the beauty, the barbarity, the abyss that lies inside all there is.

The title tale kicks off the book, and serves as its longest and possibly its strongest piece. Admittedly, as a hopelessly romantic fan of the Beats, I'm probably biased toward "Autumn in the Abyss," but even without the callbacks to (and cameos by) a variety of Beatnik nouns, this story stands tall as a huge and engrossing work of uncanny fiction. While researching the public disappearance of "visionary poet Henry Coronado" - think a Ginsberg/Kerouac/Burroughs amalgam meets Thomas Ligotti - an agoraphobic investigative writer uncovers various clues, recollections, and interview fragments that begin to unravel the mystery that abruptly ended the career of a Beatnik star immediately after his first public reading - albeit a reading that ended with the death of nearly everyone in attendance. Smith shows a familiarity with the subject matter that blends the druggy jazz of the Beats with the dark yearnings of those intellectually and spiritually curious seekers who came well before them. It is also - at its heart - a rumination on the power of of the spoken word, in which what qualifies as a "poem" and what can be classified as a "spell" or "incantation" or even "summoning" is often nonexistent, and only differentiated by what words are actually spoken, and in what order. "Autumn in the Abyss" is a fascinating work, worthy of the title (which is fantastic), and a perfect anchor tale to launch the collection.

"Broken Teacup" is a leering stare into the nauseating depths of human depravity, and the male lust for sex and death, often not in that order nor separated from one another. Smith's background in music journalism makes itself felt here through a confident handling of the sonic underworld where it crosses over with snuff erotica. This was a hard story to read, mostly because I know that such people are living and doing their business right this very second all around me. "Broken Teacup" marks Mr. Liu's first arrival in the book, but certainly not the last, and with each arrival, we see further into the mythos of Smith's dark universe, and the ties that bind our reality to what swirls just outside it.

The "wealthy Chinese gentleman" returns for a consecutive appearance in "La mia immortalita," John Claude Smith's requisite tale of a tortured (torturing?) artist, as it seems every writer of horror/supernatural fiction has one inside their pen, struggling to get out much like the waiting shape inside the slab of uncut marble. What will one sacrifice to achieve immortality through their art? I guess it depends on who is asking, and what they can offer.

Similar in graphic rendering to "Broken Teacup," the story "Becoming Human" takes on the tropes of the charismatic serial killer, a frustrated detective, and the copycat phenomenon that sometimes follows in the wake of a high profile murder spree of spectacular savagery. But, instead of treading the old familiar ground played out so often in film, television, and dog-eared paperback, Smith leads us in a new direction, elevating the story into the realms of not quite cosmic horror, but certainly cosmicism, as the horror elements are undeniably and concretely of this earth, buoyed by the atmospherics of the outer dark. "Becoming Human" is certainly my second favorite story in the collection (just behind "Autumn in the Abyss"), as it is both brutal and poetic, including some beautiful, thoughtful prose on prison, humanity, and on the tragic squandering of love. It could be just a coincidence that both this story and "Autumn..." are also the book's longest works. Regardless, I'd love to see Smith work more in the longer form, be it novella or novel, allowing his graceful style room to roam and dance with his feet while unlocking new monstrosities further up the body.

"Where the Light Won't Find You" is - relatively speaking - probably the weakest piece of the bunch, closing out the collection on not quite as strong a note as the start. But, it does give us another piece of the Mr. Liu puzzle, who returns for his third and final bow. The story takes place almost entirely inside an unremarkable movie theater, and is plotted like a modern pulp rendering of fantastical fiction from an age gone by. And while I certainly enjoyed it (I'm a sucker for the pulps), I didn't think it quite lived up to the lofty bar set by the other stories of Autumn in the Abyss. No matter, though, as it is a minor quibble and probably a bit of nitpicking, as the collection is so strong overall.

Admittedly, I have not read Smith's debut collection, The Dark is Light Enough For Me, but I have read and published his fiction in the past ("Beautiful," which appeared in the acclaimed Strange Aeons Issue #13), and based on everything I have seen so far from John Claude Smith, he is major talent with a firm place at the table of contemporary weird fiction writers currently carrying the smoky torch of supernatural literature. The Renaissance continues...

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With one exception, the stories in this too-short collection delve into the depths of human depravity and degradation, but the agenda is a thoughtful, probing ethical, even moral quest, rather than a prurient gutter-trawl.

The exception is the title track, which traces a shut-in researcher's quest to unravel the fate of cult poet Henry Coronado, who vanished from sight soon after his only reading, an event which resulted in a fire and several suicides. Several literary figures are alluded to and Kerouac, or something that looks like Kerouac, gets a surreal walk-on. The story creates a queasy sense of unease around Coronado and his universe-bending verse, parlaying William Burroughs' concept of the word as virus into a medley of unsettling revelations which leave the story circling back to its own opening as Coronado's Sisyphean fate is revealed.

With 'Broken Teacup' and 'Becoming Human', we're plunged into the world of visceral, gory horror. The former story follows a shady power electronics duo who move from simulating sexually charged atrocities in their music to perpetrating the real thing for the benefit of a shadowy clientele of extreme voyeurs. But nothing prepares them for what happens when they accept a commission from the mysterious Mr. Liu and pick up a new piece of fresh meat - an oddly naive woman whom the narrator nicknames 'broken teacup'. The story is not just about gore and comeuppance - the shadowy forces Liu represents are more interested in a kind of balance, each of the perpetrators meeting a doom or a twisted redemption that matches their transgressions. 'Becoming Human' brings us face to face with a serial killer who makes Hannibal seem like Dr. Kervorkian in comparison - and then it brings us face to face with an alien entity's attempt to learn what it is to be human in one of the most creative twists on this theme I have read in a while.

The remaining stories in the collection all feature Mr. Liu, intervening on behalf of his shadowy backers, dealing out a particular brand of redemptive justice that seems to transcend vengeance or reward; the key seems to be some kind of cosmic balance. Liu is an interesting character, and I would like to see more of him, learn more about his weird 100-bullets style mission.

As I've mentioned, this collection felt a bit short. I don't always feel that way after reading a collection, and a couple more stories would probably have brought this book into the Goldilocks zone. While there is no shortage of extreme body horror in these stories, as well as more subtle forms of terror, the unifying thread of much of this material is a nuanced moral imagination which raises the stories above exploitation material. It is not a collection for the squeamish, but neither is it one for the schlock-hound.

[Ian Welke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this last week, and I’m still blown away by it.

The title story in this collection is phenomenal. It’s worth the price of admission, everything else is almost just a bonus. In some ways it kind of reminds me of a modern day King In Yellow; a lost piece of literature that drives people literally wild and the way the story plays with identity. The plotting is perfect. The storytelling is right up there with many of my current favorites: Laird Barron, Caitlin Kiernan, John Langan.

The second story, “Broken Teacup” is savage. So much so, that it nearly turned me off. I nearly stopped and skipped to the third story. I’m glad I didn’t because a) the way it worked out was incredible and b) I have to give it credit, I thought I was pretty jaded, but this disturbed me. Not a lot of fiction manages to accomplish that.

“La Mia Immortalia” and “Becoming Human” got me thinking again about comparisons between this and the King In Yellow collection. The way that both stories played with identity and art, and the way that Smith bends story tropes to work this theme throughout the collection is amazing.

“Where the Light Won’t Find You” is one of those noirish stories where the actions of the main character, rather his mistakes, are so understandable that it’s all too uncomfortably easy to empathize with him. It felt like what a Jim Thompson character would be doing in the modern world.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a free reader copy, in pdf form, from the author. Later, I went ahead and bought a copy for my ereader.

This is a collection of dark, speculative fiction. If you like that approach to fiction, I think you will like this book. (I have seen reviewers here at goodreads saysthat they don't like fiction in the short form. My response to them: Really? So you don't like Edgar Allan Poe? How about Borges? How about J.G. Ballard? I'd rather read one story by them than any bloated novel, anytime.)

Of the fiction in the book, the stories I liked are "Autumn in the Abyss" where the main character researches an obscure, Beatnik poet who, when he read one of his poems, caused madness and mayhem. Quite entertaining. Robert W. Chambers and H.P. Lovecraft would approve.

While reading "Becoming Human" I was worried that the story was going into a splatterpunk direction, a style of horror which I dislike tremendously. But stay with it--the story goes into a creative direction and I was moved by it.

The story "Where the Light Won't Find You" mainly takes place in a movie theater. I wonder if the author read the anthology of cinema themed fiction _Silver Scream_, which I read last year. Cinema themed fiction can be interesting.

[M Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for the mind-blowing title novella, more like four stars for the other stories, none of which is less than compelling. John Claude Smith writes stories packed full of darkness, nightmare and delusion in a style that's always energetic and razor sharp. I really like what he's doing here, and at his best, Smith is truly impressive. Can't wait to see what he does next! Give me more along the lines of "Autumn in the Abyss," the title novella, and I'll be very happy indeed. Recommended for any reader of horror, and highly recommended for those who prefer stories with a transgressive edge.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is some hardcore strangeness at best. Smith has takes on horror in a different way. Not the typical scare from a haunting, or vampires (you know the normal clique madness) He gives shorts with powerful story telling such as;

Autumn in the Abyss: (Title novella) In the search of an ugly man during the Beatnik days with (Burroughs, Ginsberg, & Bowels) and turns it in too an hallucination of weird horror.

Broken Teacup: Thinking with your **other brain** can lead to eternal death, you better show her love when she crosses your path. Read this and find out who "SHE" is.

Becoming Human: Evil has a new name. Krell is a mad man and needs to be laid to rest....or something to make him suffer.

Those are my top favorites the title novella I had a huge interest in, since I have gotten into the Beatnik writings. I have a list of authors from the genre to checkout one day. This collection needs to be read by all!!

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of sickening tales regarding themes of decay, depravity, obsession and the rotting of the human psyche. Each story features a morally questionable character that suffers some kind of major flaw that drives them to the lowest possible state of mental wellness. Feelings of claustrophobia, agoraphobia and maniacal sickness pervade every page with vivid prose and grotesque imagery to smother the reader in grime and bleak perversity. Brilliant.

[Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this short story collection even though it surprisingly took me a while to read. Every story was very good except the third, Le Mia Immortalia.

All in all, I liked it and thought it was pretty hard to put down when you pick it up. I guess I was just savoring the stories as I read them and didn't want to rush it. The first two, and fourth stories were the best.

4.5 out of 5

[Joe Zanetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The impossible scenario witnessed by eyes wide with panic and ears praying for silence suggested truths the mad display confirmed. Everything he thought he knew was false or at least altered."


My first experience with the writing of John Claude Smith was his chapbook, "Vox Terrae," published by Dunhams Manor Press. It contained classic elements of Weird fiction but written with a fresh voice that took readers on a nightmarish journey through horrifying realms that no human being had any business knowing. In his collection, "Autumn in the Abyss", I think Smith took the formula of "Vox Terrae", mixed it with some black and abyssal ingredients from the tenebrous depths of places that even angels won't set foot in, and created a new mutant strain of Horror that deftly balances characterization, plot, pacing, and narrative, culminating in an experience that will fill you with disgust, sadness, and even a hint of both optimism and hope.

Published by Omnium Gatherum, "Autumn in the Abyss" is a collection of five grotesque and disturbing stories that explore a variety themes, such as obsession, desire, humanity, redemption, hope, identity, insignificance, and the power of words, all while traversing through places that make us uncomfortable; places that we tend to stay away from and turn a blind eye to. Smith's writing in this collection possesses a grimy and corrosive quality; it slowly eats away at you, digested by the dregs of life. The atmosphere Smith creates is like a haze of thick smog that chokes and disorients you; it weighs you down and slows your pace, so that you have no choice but to take in Smith's unsettling and horrifying imagery. You have no choice but to witness the worst that life has to offer; a side of humanity that is so revolting, it makes your stomach turn and inevitably numbs you.

Some of the protagonists in Smith's stories are at the bottom of the barrel of humanity. They are people who are detached from the rest of the world; they are plagued by obsessions and desires and will stop at nothing to pursue and achieve them; they prey on others who they deem as being less than human, but fail to see their own inhumanity. Some of them are so far gone, there is no hope for them; they are beyond reach. Others, though, are still inside the circle of redemption and will take the necessary steps to make things right for not just themselves, but for those they hurt as well.

In the story, "La mia immortalità", Samuel Nisi is an artist who has been successful in photography, oil paintings, and now in sculpting, a profession he took up several years ago. Despite his success, however, he is searching for everlasting fame. He wants to create something that will be remembered and revered long after he is gone. He wants immortality, no matter the cost.

"His aspirations had grown cunning. He would attain his goals at any cost, which had cost him friends, colleagues, personal relationships- not that they mattered to him. Anything that got in the way of his life's purpose, as whittled to spear sharp intensity as the years tolled, was easily discarded."

Nisi cares not for his current girlfriend Claire. She wants to talk to him but he cannot be bothered. He cannot stand the fact that he is associated with the human race; he sees himself above everyone else. Claire tells him she's pregnant and all he can say to her is to get an abortion; he wants nothing to do with Claire or the baby. So much, in fact, that he's willing to murder Claire and his unborn child. All that matters to Nisi is his quest for immortality; he cares only for himself and what he wants. The story, "Broken Teacup", also explores this theme of detachment and viewing other people as being less than human. The story explores the depraved lives of Mr. Rickart, Lemmy, and Elvis. Mr. Rickart and Lemmy prowl the bowels of small towns in Texas, looking for the "lowest of the low" hookers and propositioning them to perform "the most disgusting encounters imaginable". They record their encounters and responses form the hookers and use the footage and sound bits for their sleazy noise band, Texas Chainsaw Erection.

Lemmy and Mr. Rickart's deplorable acts were turning heads but not bringing in the money. Their particular venture, however, draws a unique fan base and brings them cringe-worthy, nauseating requests, which eventually leads them into the realm of murder. Being offered a lot of money, coupled with this sick idea of taking your act to a whole new level of depravity and inhumanity, is something that cannot be passed up by them.

"The killing was odd in the beginning. No problem for Lemmy, but I only did a couple girls before I realized that wasn't my thing. That said, most of these girls, hell, they haven't been living for a while, so it's not like they was missing anything important. It was not like their missing would be noticed."

Once they decide that these women have nothing to live for; that they have no family that miss them and are looking for them; that they are somehow less than human... it is they who crossed over into the realm of inhumanity. It's almost as if there is this sort of predatory hierarchy. This is how genocide begins: the moment you begin to view the other as being beneath you; as being sub-human and not worthy of life. "Broken Teacup" is not an easy read, but Smith is exploring a side of our existence that is all too real and horrifying. "Becoming Human" is also in the same vein. In this story, we have two men who are on opposite sides of the human spectrum, but both have lost touch with humanity and the world around them.

Before his years of spiraling into physical and emotional decline chasing Corbin Andrew Krell--also known as Krell the Destroyer, Krell the Creator--Detective Roberto Vera was an idealist. He was strong in both motivation and spirit.

"He'd believed in justice, in right and wrong. Black and white. Rather patented and predictable and sounding like the spiel from some cigar chewing TV detective, yet he believed it to his core. He knew and understood there would be many sullied signposts along the way, showing him scenes and situations that measured darkness in blood and power, in minds gone to rot and obsessions mired in immortality. His resolve was stalwart."

Many of us are like Vera, or have been Vera, or even want to be Vera. Yet, we all have that one encounter; that one experience that tips the scales and changes us for the worse. For Vera, his tipping point was his experience with Krell. Krell is the Joker to Vera's Batman. Krell is viewed by Vera as being an evil monster who represents the worst of our kind. What started as killing his victims soon turned to rape, torture, and mutilation. Krell saw himself as changing, and he was changing his victims, too, reducing them in nature, humanity, and identity, while he saw himself as ascending. Through his crimes, he's transforming. He wants to "not be". In his self-perceived transformation, Krell is moving beyond evil. In a face-to-face with Vera, Krell says this:

"I strive for something else, beyond evil's claustrophobic clutches. I strive to transcend evil by becoming pure nothing. I strive as my followers strived. I am, yet I strive to not be."

Krell and his ultimate goal are beyond Vera's comprehension. Yet, Krell is Vera's whole life. Vera is consumed by his obsession to try and understand Krell, along with putting him away for life. Vera's partner, Derek Sommers, ended up taking his own life because of the horrible things committed by Krell. Derek witnesses true evil and cannot bear to live. Vera loses his marriage, his ideals, humanity... everything. Smith does a rather skillful job of reflecting the horrors we experience in real life and on an almost daily basis. Many of us cannot help but wonder why some people do the things they do. Why would someone leave a helpless baby out in the cold to die? Why would one group of people commit genocide against another group? We try to comprehend why we commit such horrifying acts against one another. We ourselves are consumed by these thoughts, and sometimes are reduced to Vera's state: we are left numb.

There is an interesting twist to Becoming Human, though; a twist that adds tremendous depth, power, and emotion. In the present parts of the story, Krell is in prison, and Vera is tracking down a Krell copycat killer. Once Vera is face-to-face with the copycat, he discovers that it's Krell. How can that be?? Vera's next discovery is that the copycat Krell is, in fact, an alien from the darkest depths of the cosmos. Vera asks it, "What are you?" The alien responds with:

"I am nothing, in search of something. In search of... being. I... I and my others, fragments splintered off the deep shroud... out there. We fled to the farthest reaches of... infinity. We are connected by thoughts. We hear each other's thoughts. Our aim is to fit in. To... assimilate into the society of those whose planet we choose to... be on. To be. We find a random figure of the primary race of the planet we've chosen and follow it, learning the ways of the beings we wish to... live with. It takes time to get all the nuances... precise. From nothing to something takes time."

This is what makes "Becoming Human" easily the most powerful, gut-punching story in the collection. Here is an alien being that is nothing, but wants to become something. Of all the people it chooses to help with its assimilation, it chooses Krell, a monster who is something, but wants to become nothing. The irony is so palpable. The innocence of the alien makes the story even more effective. It knows nothing about right or wrong, or what is good and what is evil. It simply wanted to fit in with humanity, but it ended up choosing the worst example of humanity and continued Krell's awful crimes. It is through this experience, though, that Vera rediscovers his own humanity, as he explains to the alien the kind of human Krell is, and goes on to explain the other side of humanity, the side that works together for the betterment of mankind; the side that is capable of displaying compassion and empathy; the side that is capable of love and kindness.

After much discussion between the two, the alien wants Vera to take it to Krell. It wants to give Krell what he most desires: to become nothing. I think Vera is somewhat baffled as to why the alien wants to do this for Krell, but I believe the alien is displaying a small amount of compassion for Krell, despite his monstrous nature, and, perhaps, as a way of saying, "After all I've done through copying Krell, let me make it right by doing this." It also clicks in Vera's mind that Krell will cease to exist; the alien would be doing the entire human race a favor by "taking out the garbage". It's the scene between Krell, Vera, and the alien that makes the title of the story so appropriate. After all of his philosophical talk of transcending evil and becoming nothing, when Krell discovers what is happening, he experiences a common human emotion: fear. He breaks down and becomes the very human he doesn't want to be. He's granted his wish but is scared to death, reduced to a child being left alone in the dark and calling for help. As for Vera, he realizes there is still hope for himself; he can turn his life around for the better, and he starts by reconnecting with his wife.

Smith's stories also explore themes of balance and insignificance. Four out of the five stories have one thing in common: Mr. Liu, an enigmatic figure who traverses a realm between humanity and something other. This also creates something of a shared universe, adding an element of connectivity. The characters in the tales exist together but in different places, yet they all have doomed and unpleasant encounters with Mr. Liu. He acts as a messenger for what he calls "caretakers of the universe", and all we know is that they, according to Mr. Liu, maintain balance.

In the case of Lemmy, Mr. Rickart, and Elvis, they are commissioned to do a rape, torture, mutilation and murder piece; however, it's a means to set them up and make them pay for swinging the pendulum too far in one direction. They have a woman they call "Broken Teacup" and are ready to perform their end of the deal, when Mr. Liu appears and Broken Teacup makes short work of Lemmy and Elvis. Believing that some people are salvageable, Mr. Liu offers Mr. Rickart and opportunity "attain a kind of dignity amidst the chaos, within what is left of your existence". Broken Teacup wants to be shown love. It's an opportunity that cannot be fulfilled though. You see, how can a person like Mr. Rickart possibly know what love is? He's so far gone from humanity, considering the horrible things he has done with his now dead cohorts, he's never felt, let alone shown, love. Not wanting to end up like Lemmy and Elvis, he better learn fast.

Samuel Nisi also encounters Mr. Liu. Not knowing who Liu is, he accepts a commission from him to sculpt a piece that he is given free reign over; however, it's all a ruse, as Nisi must not be allowed to end the life of Julie and the baby inside her, for the baby is to have, according to Mr. Liu, an incredible future, and Nisi is just to awful to exist, so he inevitably experiences the horrors of the caretakers. In the case of Derek Jenner in the story, Where the Light Won't Find You, his curiosity causes him to encounter Mr. Liu purely by accident. Liu set the stage for another person to be disposed of; someone who outlived their usefulness, and Jenner was there to see the whole thing, much to the dismay of Mr. Liu, who sees no choice but to dispose of Jenner as well. After much discussion with Jenner and the higher beings, Mr. Liu agrees to let Jenner go, but makes him swear that he is never to speak of this event. It's an ending that is similar to how Becoming Human ends. Jenner isn't quite in the same boat as Vera, but he's not perfect. After what he witnesses, though, he decides to try and live a better life, starting with his girlfriend Daisy. He promises himself that he's going to love her right. These two endings help highlight that it's possible for us to turn things around in our lives. Sometimes, we are not beyond hope and redemption; we have a chance to makes things better for ourselves and the ones we love. We no longer take certain things for granted. They're not happy endings, but, rather, nice reminders of the kind of people we can be, and of what we have and should appreciate and be thankful for.

The first story, "Autumn in the Abyss", is the longest out of the five and also explores themes of identity, balance, obsession, and how words have the power to change the world around us, for better or for worse. Mr. Liu appears only briefly, but the caretakers are in full effect. The story revolves around a man who is obsessed with finding a poet named Henry Coronado and a poem he read, called Autumn in the Abyss He suffers from a rather severe case of agoraphobia, coupled with a weight problem. His days are spent eating Ramen noodles and looking under every rock and in every nook and cranny searching for Coronado. The man eventually learns the truth about Coronado, himself, and his place in the hierarchy of the universe.

Smith's collection is packed with grotesque imagery and disturbing situations that, on the surface, makes you want to turn your head, but the stories do well in addressing how people let themselves be consumed by their obsessions and desires, and the terrible consequences that often follow. These stories emphasize that to be human is to be flawed. We are not perfect. We are capable of doing good things, and we are also capable of doing bad things. We can be selfish one day, and altruistic the next. Sometimes, however, we find ourselves crossing over that line of no return, and the farther we walk, the more difficult it is to come back. We can be afforded opportunities to make things right, though; we can turn around and walk in the other direction and back over the line. Then, there are some who walk so far they can never return. Smith's stories have a duel effect of painting a gruesome picture of how awful our kind can be. And they also make you thankful for what you have; appreciate the things we take for granted.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUTUMN IN THE ABYSS is a fantastic collection by author John Claude Smith. Though I had heard positive buzz regarding him, this book was my first exposure to his work. And I was not disappointed.

The titular story, "Autumn in the Abyss," is also hands down the best one -- a labyrinthine, intricately constructed piece of metafiction which fuses literary research with a first person journey into intimate, horrific, Ligottian self-revelation. It's one of those stories that I wish I had written myself, even if it's clear that only Smith could have written it (and it is) .

The other stories are uniformly good to excellent ones -- standouts being "Broken Teacup," a vicious tale from the perspective of a truly despicable, depraved protagonist -- and "Becoming Human," which takes the detective/serial killer trope into an entirely unexpected (and welcome) direction. These stories put me in mind of some of Laird Barron's early work, but with an angle and a voice which seems to be peculiar to Smith.

Smith has all the goods -- crystalline, superb prose on the sentence level, intriguing concepts, stellar imagination and beautifully rendered characters. I can't wait to delve further into his oeuvre.

[Nicola Fantom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a free eBook of this by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is compendium of sorts with 5 stories that are all cleverly interwoven together. The first story is genuinely eerie, however I did not see that twist coming, always good when a story surprises you. Its about a reclusive man who seems lost in the pits of despair, depression, loneliness, however character is immediately interesting for his knowledge of the famous poets, especially beat poets. Although I would say this tale is more of a dark psychological mystery, the other stories definitely fit into the horror/psychological thriller genres.

I don't want to give too much away of how the stories are cleverly put together, each character is disturbing, questions of mental health, dark subjects, drugs, an even outright morally wrong subjects are covered.

I will admit the first story is very weird, but certainly sets the tone for the other stories, overall I found them to be very well imagined, descriptive and not stories that you would forget easily.

I think any Stephen King fan would love this short story compendium.

[Gerry Huntman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reviewing John Claude Smith’s earlier collection, The Dark is Light Enough for Me. I was suitably impressed with Smith’s work, and so I embarked on my new reading journey with Autumn in the Abyss with some excitement.

I was not disappointed. In fact, I can see a maturing of Smith’s style and subject matter/themes. Deeper insights and sophistication; greater complexity—and yet a well balanced structure. Additionally, Dark is Light Enough for Me was a heterogeneous collection of short fiction, without an obvious thematic context of the whole (albeit, it was a good collection of individual stories), while Autumn in the Abyss is, on several levels, a case where the stories, together, have strong collective impact, more so than the individual components. More on that later.

Smith is a visceral writer—he does not feel the need to be limited in subject matter and description to get to the guts of a tale, and yet he is also an artist, choosing from his expansive palette to achieve the right hues, proportions, texture. Squeamish readers should carefully consider reading his work.

Smith’s five stories have two major themes or threads running in a zigzag fashion through them, both distinctly Lovecraftian in influence, and clearly delivered in a unique voice.

Firstly, and most notably conveyed in the first story, ‘Autumn in the Abyss’, the author deliberately eases the reader into a creeping and growing sense of cosmic horror. There’s nasty shit out there and humanity features rather insignificantly. While this sense runs through all the other stories to some degree or another, ‘La mia immortalita’ certainly oozes this sense as well. Smith’s style—and again, particularly in ‘Autumn in the Abyss’—pays homage to Lovecraft’s style, particularly with the use of first person in ‘Autumn in the Abyss’.

The second thread is more interesting and effective, and saturates the last four of the five tales: the depths of depravity and evil that humans can attain, without the aid of the supernormal. By intertwining the cosmic-layered horror with the human-layer, Smith etches a greater clarity in each, but the human side of the equation is the most disturbing, and insightful.

The first story, ‘Autumn in the Abyss’, was a pleasant surprise and sowed the seed of my view of Smith’s growing sophistication. On the surface the short story is a surrealistic tale of a man obsessed with writing a biography of a long dead Beat-period poet. I won’t spoil the ending by detailing much more of the plot. As stated above, it decidedly invokes HPL’s style and allusions to the Mythos. Smith slowly and cleverly reveals horrifying powers linked with the poet that the narrator is obsessed with, where words have multidimensional powers that parallel Lovecraft’s depiction of the terrifying dimensions associated with angles in space and time, as per the ‘The Whisperer in Darkness’ (which in turn was influenced by Frank Belknap Long/August Derleth). Ultimately, the most Lovecraftian element of Smith’s story is the sense, at the end of the tale, of the utter futility of humankind, in the face of horrifying powers that dwell on the edge of perception. This is a highly recommended piece, for the reasons outlined above, as well as being a great horror tale in itself, and its thorough research into the poetry movements in the US in the 1950s and 60s.

‘Broken Teacup’ is probably the most disturbing of Smith’s short stories, where he explores in jagged, clawing depth the depravity of humanity. Nothing can easily come near the heartless horror of men who choose to torture and destroy people for the sake of entertainment—including their own. In terms of tapping into a dark, bleak underbelly of America, this story is somewhat reminiscent of ‘I Want To Take You Higher’ in The Dark is Light Enough for Me, although without the brief moments of humor. This story, however, is plainly intense. Where one of the dimensions of horror that comes out of Lovecraft’s ancient, alien gods is the sheer detachment of these cosmic entities, in this tale Smith presents a very different, vivid detachment from a pair of snuff moviemakers. Not for the faint-hearted, this is a well-constructed story.

‘La mia immortalita’ moves away from the physical horrors that can be perpetrated by humanity, to the psychological. Again we have indifference in an individual—in this case a self-obsessed artist blind and deaf to the feelings of other human beings, even those who are close to him. A strong piece, adding another dimension to the impact of the anthology as a whole, and drawing from Smith’s exposure to art, and in particular, sculpture.

‘Becoming Human’ seems, perhaps coincidentally, to draw the physical and psychological together. This story has the least tie-in with the Lovecraftian theme, but certainly stabs deep into human depravity. Two detectives’ lives were scarred for life by their exposure to a sadistic serial killer, leading to the suicide of one. The other is an emotional husk and must contend with a copycat killer and his own humanity at the same time. This story contributes the least to the two-theme effect of the anthology as a whole, but doesn’t lack quality, and certainly does provide another insight into the indifference of evil—with a twist.

‘Where The Light Won’t Find You’ is the last story and rounds the anthology nicely. Mr. Liu and representation of his ‘patrons’ make another appearance, and, most interestingly, draws a little back from the visceral horror well executed in most of Smith’s previous stories. Yes, there’s some nasty stuff, but it’s at an arm’s length, where the focus is on a young man, following an argument with his girl friend, enters a movie theatre with dire consequences. This story isn’t as deep as the previous tales, but it adds information about Mr. Liu and his patrons, and contributes granularity to what evil is (and isn’t) at the supernormal level.

I had a lot to say that’s good about John Claude Smith’s ‘Autumn in the Abyss’, and it is deserved. The allusions to the sinister, indifferent powers that exist beyond most of humanity’s perception is well crafted and multi-dimensional when the anthology is read as a whole. The evil that exists in human beings are more tangibly described, and are more horrifying by far. So much so that even the mysterious Mr. Liu and his patrons must sit up and take notice.

I recommend this anthology to any serious reader of horror.

[Avanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, my initial thoughts (from before): this book definitely needs some trigger warnings (rape victims). And it is probably the darkest book I've ever read (and I'm quite glad to have it done). Nevertheless, it is well written. More later...

And my review:
**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review**

It's dark. For the majority of readers out there who don't think it gets *much* darker than Stephen King, I think it's important to stress that. It's darker than Stephen King. I haven't yet put my finger yet on what the difference is... I think it's like.. reading Stephen King is like reading a magazine, it's glossy. And reading this book was like reading a horrendous transcript of real life events, it's gritty.

Terrible people do terrible things to other people. BUT there's a sort-of moral response in each. In each? yes, it's a series (short series) of short stories.

Overall, the writing was really good, some of the ideas were great (the title story) and unique (though you don't know why until it's over), and some of the stories were deeply disturbing. The pacing was ok -- better in some place than in others. A little slow from time-to-time. But the short of it is this: if you are into reading books about the horrible, violent things that some people do to others, regardless of whether there are any repercussions, then this is probably the book for you. It is well done, in that. Conversely, if that doesn't appeal to you? This one won't sit well with you. Also, as mentioned, TRIGGER WARNINGS should be apparent on this one. If you are triggered by discussions of/scenes of/insinuations of rape, particularly the violent kind, best to stay far away.

I also note that, although many seem to think only the 3 shorter stories are linked... to me, they are all quite linked (though not all feature Mr. Liu). Importantly, there is a common theme that runs through each of the stories, which becomes apparent when you finish and take a step back to consider.

All in all, FOUR of five stars because it is well written and, for those who don't mind the DARK stuff, it is probably quite good. For me, it was hard to read and I was glad to be done, but I can recognize the talent therein.

Individually:
Autumn in the Abyss is the best of the stories. It also does not have any trigger issues. To describe it, I think would spoil it. Just the most basic, then: The narrator is a several decade shut-in agoraphobe who has spent the past several decades eating, researching the poet Coronado, eating, not cleaning himself often, not cleaning his digs often, and eating. He is obsessed with the poet Coronado and how/why he disappeared, decades ago. Coronado was a poet in the time of the beat poets (Keroac), but with a dark style, completely his own. One day, his car is discovered on the side of the road, the driver's door open, and Coronado is never seen again. As the narrator delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, he starts to receive warnings and hear disturbing "creature" noises from on his roof. To say more would be to spoil it, but I will say that this was interesting, unique, well done. Definitely the highlight piece.

Broken Teacup, La mia immortalita, and Where the Light Won't Find You are all clearly related, shorter pieces. In each, a Mr. Liu appears, rendering the experiences of the otherwise-protagonist(s) more unique. In Broken Teacup, it is two porn-movie makers who begin to make more and more disturbing and horrific films, when Mr. Liu appears. In La mia immortalita, it is an artist seeking immortality, who is historically cruel and indifferent to his lovers. And in Where the Light Won't Find You, it is your average, everyday Joe, just out for a movie on a free afternoon. Of the 3, I think La mia immortalita might be trigger-free (though I would not guarantee that), and Where the Light Won't Find you is pretty light, relatively speaking. However, Broken Teacup does describe in some detail some of the darker projects, and I would recommend staying away to anyone w/ trigger issues.

Finally, Becoming Human... This one is the most important one to note w/ a TRIGGER warning. It is a dark piece, from the perspective of a detective who has become obsessed in his life with finding and punishing this truly horrific serial murderer/ETC.'er and, as relevant to this story, his copycat. This one takes a very interesting turn and has a satisfying ending, but, again, to say more is to spoil. IF you like the darkest, sickest, most disturbing, this will be fine for you and perhaps even enjoyable -- esp. in consideration of the potential consequences for actions.... Otherwise, despite the good that is in this story, the detail renders is the most problematic, as far as triggers are concerned.

[Martin Cosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following on from this author's excellent collection The Dark is Light Enough For Me, Autumn in the Abyss provides the lucky reader with five more darkly perceptive tales, including the substantial title story.

First up is Autumn in the Abyss itself, and it sets the scene perfectly. Obscure poet Henry Coronado disappeared mysteriously in 1959, along with the truth about his poem, Autumn in the Abyss; and our agoraphobic protagonist has become obsessed with finding out the truth. However, the more he discovers, the further he strays from his comfort zone, and the closer he gets to his own oblivion. "Coronado not only confronted these monsters, his demons, he brought them into play with his words. I thought they weren't real. Coronado proved I was wrong." The idea that words themselves can change the world is taken to its literal conclusion in this memorable opening story.

Broken Teacup is next, and it came as a bit of a shock. It's a rough ride, but among the wreckage, Smith manages to keep enough focus on the mental side of the situation to keep the tension well and truly up. We also get to meet the enigmatic Mr. Liu, to whom there seems to be more than meets the eye. In fact, Mr. Liu makes an appearance through most of the stories here, providing a neat link to tie them together. In La Mia Immortalità, Mr. Liu commissions a sculpture from Samuel, an artist who is obsessed with his work to the exclusion of all else – and his influence ensures the work of art is not quite what Samuel envisaged.

Becoming Human takes the reader on a crazy, dark ride with Detective Roberto "Bobby" Vera, who is confronted with an impossible dilemma; a copycat serial killer who is more than he seems. It's bitter, twisted, compelling, and strangely up-beat; a real accomplishment. My favourite story here must be the final one, Where the Light Won't Find You. A slighter tale, perhaps, but set so atmospherically in a down-at-heel multiplex theatre, it instantly struck a chord. Derek Jenner manages to steal into a bizarre showing of a strange film, Where the Light Won't Find You. While the film runs, he notices there is only one other patron, who has a surprise in store for him... and the strange Mr Liu has an alternative for Derek. Whether he can keep his side of the bargain, though, is yet to be seen. This tale reminded me of Mark Fuller-Dillon's superb Lamia Dance.

These are deep, visceral tales, sometimes of a challenging nature, yet Smith's skill is in the juxtaposition of the humane and the horrific; the reader is persuaded they exist so close together that they are almost one and the same thing. In summary, these are powerful, original stories, written with vivid prose that jumps off the page. John Claude Smith has given us one of the best collection of dark fiction I've read this year, and I look forward to his next journey into the shadows!

[Mercedes Yardley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dark and intricate book of cleverly linked short stories. The first story was mind-bending, with the author referencing himself and spinning the story cleverly around in circles. By far the most intricate of the tales, it was difficult to follow and forced me to really concentrate on what I was reading. I especially loved that aspect! The language was poetic and John Claude Smith's poetic background was on full display. Quite beautiful. The rest of the stories were easier to follow and identify with, and I found this to be a solid collection that I enjoyed. At times grotesque, at times clever, and always written with skill, I'd recommend this for those who want something a bit different and who want their stories linked together deftly but not blatantly. I'll definitely pick up more of the author's work

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing that must be said about this book is don't open the cover or turn the first page if you don't like or understand dark horror or dark writing of any kind.

This book does not disappoint in the stories it brings us. Each tale, from the extremely surreal and bizarre opening story to the closing shorter tale that is equally strange, brings horror to the forefront and focus with nightmare inducing imagery. Each and every word combines to create the vivid backdrop that is our imagination at its very worst and most warped. The powerful writing of this author opens our minds and instills pictures in such graphic detail that the reader can see, hear, taste and feel each distinct movement and is then left reeling as the finale draws the curtains over the mind leaving the last image to burn on long after closing the book.

Definitely NOT for the faint hearted!

[Ingrid Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words like provocative, compelling and darkly entertaining come to mind when I think about this collection.

John Claude Smith never ceases to amaze, delight and shock me as he pushes the limits of both his ingenuity and his ability to see the world through unique eyes. Autumn in the Abyss, John Claude Smith’s newest collection of dark stories, is a perfect example. I found each of the five stories compelling and entertaining though in ways truly as unique as the stories themselves.

More on my blog, ingridfostersworld.blogspot.com/2014/...

[Mark Kirkbride · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the William Burroughs epigraph to the closing story that’ll make you rethink confronting the person knocking the back of your seat in a cinema, this is a collection of distinction, told in a rich, bold style with unifying themes, images and characters. It would be worth the price of admission for the title story alone, about the disappearance of poet Henry Coronado after a public reading turns into an invocation, of evil. The narrator, researching the poet’s life for a possible biography, becomes drawn into the literary mystery. Like him, you’ll be checking over your shoulder as you read.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this collection of stories and the style that the author JCS brings to bear. Of the five, I was most taken by the title story: a dark claustrophobic tale akin to Ignatius J Riley being kicked half to death by Jorge Luis Borges, HP Lovecraft and J G Ballard. The author's voice and thematic drives through the rest of the stories and are great set pieces. A writer brimming with ideas, I hope to herre from him in future.

[Johnny Worthen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great dark fiction collection of terror and madness, strange balancing beings, redemptions and damnings. The title story lures you in with conventional tropes and forwarded research into a hellish spiral. Spiced liberally with literary allusions and power, it traces the final echoes of the Beats receding into a shared past of inspiration and destruction. A stellar story to start a stellar collection. Highly recommended. John Claude Smith is a real talent. Don't miss this one.

[Peter Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very disturbing set of cosmic horror stories, set in the contemporary world. This should come with a major trigger warning, there is a LOT of sexual violence in some of the stories.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should preface the review by saying that I had decided a few years back not to review short story collections because I'm not all that fair to the format. I'd changed my mind by reading some flash fiction collections, and I found certain books that I enjoyed quite a bit. But I can't say I enjoyed much of this collection, and I admit my issues with it are more about my biases than anything wrong with the writing.

I did enjoy the first story in the collection, which bears the same name as the book. But the reason why Autumn In the Abyss worked for me is in its length, being a novelette that builds on a mystery slowly to reveal the fate of a poet who went missing in the sixties, Henry Coronado. The narrator is an agoraphobic shut-in who has become obsessed with solving this mystery, which is surrounded by names of many writers from the same era. This is another reason why the story works for me, because it wraps itself in history in such a way that I can almost imagine that this is something that really happened. It wasn't until close to the reveal that I guessed the ending, and by then, I was so invested in the story that I didn't mind finding out why Henry vanished, and why his works slipped so rapidly out of the public eye. There's also some interesting concepts about the power and purpose of words that tickles at my brain with possible inspiration for stories, and so yes, I really did enjoy this story. If I were giving a score based on this one story alone, Autumn In the Abyss would be a 5 star book.

Then comes Broken Teacup, and I didn't like it at all. It's fairly short, and the plot follows men who make snuff porn films. This is the kind of horror story where one should hate the characters and root for the monster which we know is coming for them. But this kind of story rarely has the right impact on me. I think it's because on any given day, I see similar real news stories about the worst humanity has to offer, and there's no shock value in seeing these kinds of people starring as the main characters. Similarly, I feel no satisfaction at these characters meeting their demise. To truly horrify me, you have to give me someone to feel invested in, and to feel afraid for in the face of danger. That doesn't have to be a good person, either. It just has to be someone compelling enough to make me see the threat through their eyes. But Broken Teacup doesn't give me any time to understand the characters. It's too short to allow for emotional investment of any kind. There's these guys, and they torture and kill women for custom porn videos. Then they meet a monster, and that's the end of the story. This really doesn't work for me.

The third story, La mia immortalita, starts off with steps in the right direction by introducing me to an artist who is desperate to create a work of art that will gain him a place in history. This is something I can understand, wanting to achieve fame powerful enough to ensure that the world will not forget him after he's gone. But shortly after weakly building this connection to me, the character reveals a nasty side that almost matches the empty callousness of the snuff pornographers from the previous story. His evil side is barely revealed when the monster appears for another episode of divine justice, and it's as much the brevity of the story as the empty shallowness of the character that keeps me from enjoying it.

The fourth story, Becoming Human tries to shift gears, following a detective mentally broken and scarred after solving the case the defined his career. Here, while it's possible to feel something for Detective Roberto Vera, the story of the psychopath he tracked and arrested feels pretty far-fetched, and the story of Vera hunting down a copycat killer and making a shocking discovery is just as out there. Which I don't suppose I would have minded if the whole thing didn't feel so rushed. The story ends in such a way that Roberto has closure and possible redemption, but I can't say I felt anything more for him than I did for the doomed snuff crew. Which is a shame, because I suspect in a longer story, I might feel more invested in a mentally broken but basically good character like Roberto.

Last in the collection is Where the Light Won't Find You, and it diverts the most wildly from the others in the story while still sharing certain themes and characters. In this story, Derek Jenner is a guy who's just had a fight with his girlfriend and decides to go to the movies to give her time to calm down. Once at the movie theater, he sees a movie title ominously flickering and asks about it, only to be told it is sold out...in a theater that's mostly empty. He buys a ticket to another movie, and then goes to the movie anyway, where he sees something he was not meant to. It's just as brief as the four previous stories, but where this one helps build some investment, and thus a real sense of horror, is that Derek is an okay guy. He's not beating his girlfriend, they just had an argument and he already feels bad about it. Who hasn't been there before? So when there's a threat to his safety, it's easier to feel worried for him, and to want him to escape.

I kind of wish the other stories had been bumpered with more offerings like this one as a way to balance out all the shallow cruelty. But even then, I don't think I would feel anything for the second and third stories. They're sliver thin slices of nastiness where cosmic justice steps in to "redress the balance," or Karma taking on a monstrous physical form. The same theme is present in the final tale, but it's the act of changing focus to a more relatable character that helped give me a genuine scare.

So that's two stories out of five that I enjoyed, two that I felt nothing for, and one that I wanted to feel something if only the antagonist hadn't broken my ability to suspend disbelief. I feel I should say that all are written well, artfully, even. This is consistent with the previous short stories I've read from Smith, but those single stories, found in various online publications, were longer and allowed more time to the development of their characters and themes. So I feel like what's missing here in two of the three tales is time to develop any feelings for the characters, even if the intended emotion that should be invoked is revulsion.

As a whole I give Autumn In the Abyss 3 stars, and I admit my problems with the some of the stories lies more in their brevity than in their tone. I'm sure this will have more appeal to fans of gritty horror, but aside from the first and last story, the lack of space to roam and explore leaves me wanting more.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rather slim volume, but it makes an impact, mostly because these are some very dark stories. Some of them are genuinely disturbing, even disgusting. I don't say this to put anyone off of it, but it is some of the most shocking dark/weird fiction I've read.

There's recurring characters and themes throughout these stories, I can certainly see fertile ground for a cosmic horror mythos which could be exploited further. Also the utterly grim flavor of the first few stories in the collection is offset by the later ones taking on a somewhat more optimistic tone, if you can call it that. But one thing we learn in the stories -- it's important to have balance in the world!

I would probably rate this collection higher if it was longer. Some of the description got a little overly indulgent at times for my liking.

Autumn in the Abyss - This is a wild, transgressive and deeply hallucinogenic story. It takes up nearly half of the collection and is very gritty, grimy and dark. A shut-in's obsession with an obscure Beat poet leads him to some very dangerous revelations some people don't want exposed.

Broken Teacup - Phew! Need a shower after this one! This is another pretty nasty tale, but also intelligently and imaginatively written like the previous one. Two buddies who make snuff films are looking to make a big score, but encounter a vengeance of cosmic proportions instead.

La mia immortalità - A good story, but a simpler one, coming in at less than 4,000 words. The language used to describe the cosmic horror here is quite...elaborate. An artist who wants to make an immortal mark on the art world gets his chance when a mysterious man asks him to make a sculpture.

Becoming Human - Very creative plot twist in this one, and it's a ray of sunshine in the darkness as well! A private detective is convinced he has a copycat serial killer on the loose, trying to imitate a man who engaged in the most horrible acts to "become Nothing" -- but the truth is far stranger.

Where the Light Won’t Find You - This story is full of imaginative touches and some creepy moments, but it was probably my least favorite. A man sneaks into a horror film he's told is "sold out" and becomes the witness to some real life horror his mind can hardly comprehend.

[Harry Allagree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book, the first of John Claude Smith's I've read, because I was asked to write a review of it. I'll confess up front: this isn't the sort of book toward which I naturally gravitate. Nevertheless, I've learned, growing older, that it's sometimes good to get out of the comfort zone, because there's always something new to learn. I rated the book as "It was OK" simply because I can't say I really "enjoyed" it. It captured my curiosity rather than my interest. That being said, I applaud Smith for a high quality of writing. It's very descriptive, especially the first of the five stories, "Autumn In the Abyss".

The description at the end of the book, for me, captures what the author is aiming at. "John Claude Smith originally wanted to be a horror writer; now he's not sure what it is he writes, he just knows it is dark, and he's the one holding a flashlight, shining light on those places most people would want to avoid, scribbling notes." I "felt" that darkness as I read, yet it wasn't totally a hopeless darkness, in at least a few of the selections, especially the final one. Smith's writing challenges us to look into the face of evil & somehow to look beyond it. God knows there are plenty of occasions in our day-to-day experience to do that!

I'm grateful to Kate Jonez for inviting me to share this adventure.

[Amberle Husbands · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this collection in exchange for a review. My rating: It was okay. I'm glad to have read it.
The cover was simply fascinating, and the first story -- for which the book is named -- really impressed me. The writing is fantastic and the idea chilling and intriguing.
But after that first story, I think shock-value began to displace literary cleverness, bit by bit. And that lost me a little bit; thus the two-star review. Nothing really negative to say about the collection -- and the first story presented alone would probably have drawn a fourth or fifth star from me. But as short story collections go, this one was simply 'okay' to me.