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Burnt Black Suns
In this fourth collection of stories, Simon Strantzas establishes himself as one of the most dynamic figures in contemporary weird fiction. The nine stories in this volume exhibit Strantzas’s wide range in theme and subject matter, from the Lovecraftian “Thistle’s Find” to the Robert W. Chambers homage “Beyond the Banks of the River Seine.” But Strantzas’s imagination, while drawing upon the best weird fiction of the past, ventures into new territory in such works as “On Ice,” a grim novella of arctic horror; “One Last Bloom,” a grisly account of a scientific experiment gone hideously awry; and the title story, an emotionally wrenching account of terror and loss in the baked Mexican desert. With this volume, Strantzas lays claim to be discussed in the company of Caitlín R. Kiernan and Laird Barron as one of the premier weird fictionists of our time.
Contents
Introduction “Dig My Grave,” by Laird Barron
“On Ice”
“Dwelling on the Past”
“Strong as a Rock By Invisible Hands”
“One Last Bloom”
“Thistle’s Find”
“Beyond the Banks of the River Seine”
“Emotional Dues”
“Burnt Black Suns”
Cover artwork by Santiago Caruso
Contents
Introduction “Dig My Grave,” by Laird Barron
“On Ice”
“Dwelling on the Past”
“Strong as a Rock By Invisible Hands”
“One Last Bloom”
“Thistle’s Find”
“Beyond the Banks of the River Seine”
“Emotional Dues”
“Burnt Black Suns”
Cover artwork by Santiago Caruso
308 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2014
61 people are currently reading
1893 people want to read
About the author
Simon Strantzas
96 books284 followersSimon Strantzas is the author of Nothing is Everything, Burnt Black Suns, Nightingale Songs, Cold to the Touch and Beneath the Surface and has been nominated for the British Fantasy and Shirley Jackson Awards. His work has been appeared in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror (ed. Stephen Jones), The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror (ed. by Paula Guran), Best Horror of the Year (ed. by Ellen Datlow), Cemetery Dance, and Nightmare. He lives in Toronto, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
July 1, 2016
I'm all about the creepy, not so much about the gory. Give me
The Twilight Zone
and
X-Files
over "Saw" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" any day of the week. It's not about the blood or guts, necessarily, but about the feeling. I'm not a fan of being grossed out, but am a fan of that lingering feeling in the back of my head that things just aren't right. Perhaps this has to do with my love of existentialism, the thrilling notion that terror and death loom just around the corner, but aren't quite in your face . . . yet.
So when I tell people I like to read horror . . . well, I've been given some recommendations that I really, really hated. Part of it is that, all told, the quality of horror writing in general is . . . well, not that great. There are a number of reason for this, not the least of which was a sort of nepotism which Paula Guran referred to as "tribalism" at one point - the incestuous practice of editors who were also authors and authors who were also editors patting each other on the back and frankly looking the other way when bad writing came through from someone they liked.
Those days may be behind us. At least I hope so. But because I had seen this happen first hand back in the early 2000's, I approached Strantzas' collection Burnt Black Suns with a touch of caution. Not because I though Strantzas had been caught up in all of that, but because I hadn't, frankly, read a Strantzas story before, at least not to my recollection. Plus there was the possibility that this was not the kind of dark fiction I most enjoy. But I read some very positive reviews and I positively loved the cover, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
I'm so glad I did!
Let's start with the first story, "On Ice," because no one reads intros, even when they are written by the talented Laird Barron. Okay, I admit it, I read the introduction. But like most other introductions it was forgettable. "On Ice," though, was not as forgettable. I had expected something along the lines of Lovecraft, but was pleasantly surprised (though I like Lovecraft's work a great deal) that Strantzas didn't just fall into the tropes that one might expect in an arctic horror story. Yes, there is a sense of desperation and fear like you might expect, but it's a slow burn, like holding your hand on the frozen juice freezer at the grocery store too long; mesmerizing and painful, but not so scary as to make you simply close the cover. "This," I thought, "is a solid four star story".
I was not quite as impressed with "Dwelling on the Past," which I felt didn't really get off the ground and, once it did, meandered around a bit too much. Not a terrible story, but not terribly impressive, either. I felt that this might have been one of the "filler" stories in the volume.
I was, however, very impressed with the third story, "Strong as a Rock". I liked everything about "Strong As a Rock". It seethes with the dread of that-which-is-not-seen. The evocative character reactions to "off camera" events carry the horror in this, yes, I'll say it, "Ligotti-esque" tale. This story of two brothers, one full of confidence, one utterly lacking in it, starts blue and clear as the sky, and ends saturated in darkness. You may never look at rock climbing or hospitals in the same way again. Five stars!
"By Invisible Hands" was the weakest story so far, which surprised me, since it appeared in a Ligotti tribute anthology. Maybe it was just trying too hard. The right words were there, but the cadence was not, like a singer off beat. It also missed the emotional "oomph" I get from Ligotti, et al. Still not a bad story. Three stars. No more. No less.
"One Last Bloom" is an interesting title for that story. It took a little while to "grow," to be honest, but once it flowered . . . well, it was really gross and horrific. I was surprised by how well I accepted that fact. Maybe I've become desensitized? Extreme social awkwardness, combined with narcissism, make for some very uncomfortable moments. Strantzas has captured this perfectly, and, boy, is it painful to read! Painful in a way that drew me, begrudgingly, into the story. For a while, the main character's lack of touch with reality had me wondering who was real and who was not. It's an insane fugue of a story, as a result, and in the end, I liked the effect it had on me.
Furthermore, there was a phrase in "One Last Bloom" that caught my attention: "[I] knew the way one knows things in the middle of the night . . ." I love that turn of phrase. In the context of the story it totally makes sense and is one of the most clever articulations I've ever heard of that strange phenomenon of certainty at three in the morning. I've felt that. I know that feeling.
I wish I had thought of that seemingly simple phrase myself. You've earned yourself another star, mister Strantzas! Four total, in this case.
"Thistle's Find" is a good story, well told, of science gone wrong. Not spectacular or groundbreaking, but it still makes it into four-star territory.
Take Carcosa, The King in Yellow, a mysterious bookstore containing an even more mysterious manuscript, a restrained rivalry between two brilliant musicians, and the revelation of the "lesser" musician's grand opus, all wrapped in an emotionally-satisfying tale, and you've got yourself a five-star story in "Beyond the Banks of the River Seine". This one resonated in my mind for a long time afterward. I could see this being made into an indie movie by the same people who did the silent movie version of "Call of Cthulhu". It would definitely not work as a silent movie, per-se . . . well, maybe it would . . . hmm . . . interesting . . .
"Emotional Dues" is more hit than miss, but I thought that it slipped from its emotional footing at the end, favoring monster-horror, when it could have delivered a more compelling punch in the form of leveraged angst. Still the central conceit of the monster was interesting and "new," sort of a twist on Dorian Gray. Four stars, but just barely. Oh, and this is another one that would make a good silent movie. I think I'm sensing a pattern here. I wonder what Strantzas thinks of Nosferatu? He seems to stage some things in a theatrical way. Or maybe that's just my brain setting things up that way in my theater of the mind.
The titular story was as bizarre and horrifying as I like. Surreal and creepy. Though I found the protagonist annoying and narcissistic, I see why Strantzas made him so. This story was all the more horrific because I have a friend who was in a very nasty custody case who idealized his son in the same way Noah did in the story. Kinda hits home. This one also stuck with me, all five stars of it.
Overall, then, four stars, when each story is looked at individually. I felt, however, that the sum was greater than the parts. This really was an exceptional collection of short dark fiction with a weird bent to it. So I'm bumping it up to five. It looks like Dark Regions press has seen the genius, too and is doing a signed, limited, leather-bound edition. Hey, my birthday is next month. Anyone feeling generous?
So when I tell people I like to read horror . . . well, I've been given some recommendations that I really, really hated. Part of it is that, all told, the quality of horror writing in general is . . . well, not that great. There are a number of reason for this, not the least of which was a sort of nepotism which Paula Guran referred to as "tribalism" at one point - the incestuous practice of editors who were also authors and authors who were also editors patting each other on the back and frankly looking the other way when bad writing came through from someone they liked.
Those days may be behind us. At least I hope so. But because I had seen this happen first hand back in the early 2000's, I approached Strantzas' collection Burnt Black Suns with a touch of caution. Not because I though Strantzas had been caught up in all of that, but because I hadn't, frankly, read a Strantzas story before, at least not to my recollection. Plus there was the possibility that this was not the kind of dark fiction I most enjoy. But I read some very positive reviews and I positively loved the cover, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
I'm so glad I did!
Let's start with the first story, "On Ice," because no one reads intros, even when they are written by the talented Laird Barron. Okay, I admit it, I read the introduction. But like most other introductions it was forgettable. "On Ice," though, was not as forgettable. I had expected something along the lines of Lovecraft, but was pleasantly surprised (though I like Lovecraft's work a great deal) that Strantzas didn't just fall into the tropes that one might expect in an arctic horror story. Yes, there is a sense of desperation and fear like you might expect, but it's a slow burn, like holding your hand on the frozen juice freezer at the grocery store too long; mesmerizing and painful, but not so scary as to make you simply close the cover. "This," I thought, "is a solid four star story".
I was not quite as impressed with "Dwelling on the Past," which I felt didn't really get off the ground and, once it did, meandered around a bit too much. Not a terrible story, but not terribly impressive, either. I felt that this might have been one of the "filler" stories in the volume.
I was, however, very impressed with the third story, "Strong as a Rock". I liked everything about "Strong As a Rock". It seethes with the dread of that-which-is-not-seen. The evocative character reactions to "off camera" events carry the horror in this, yes, I'll say it, "Ligotti-esque" tale. This story of two brothers, one full of confidence, one utterly lacking in it, starts blue and clear as the sky, and ends saturated in darkness. You may never look at rock climbing or hospitals in the same way again. Five stars!
"By Invisible Hands" was the weakest story so far, which surprised me, since it appeared in a Ligotti tribute anthology. Maybe it was just trying too hard. The right words were there, but the cadence was not, like a singer off beat. It also missed the emotional "oomph" I get from Ligotti, et al. Still not a bad story. Three stars. No more. No less.
"One Last Bloom" is an interesting title for that story. It took a little while to "grow," to be honest, but once it flowered . . . well, it was really gross and horrific. I was surprised by how well I accepted that fact. Maybe I've become desensitized? Extreme social awkwardness, combined with narcissism, make for some very uncomfortable moments. Strantzas has captured this perfectly, and, boy, is it painful to read! Painful in a way that drew me, begrudgingly, into the story. For a while, the main character's lack of touch with reality had me wondering who was real and who was not. It's an insane fugue of a story, as a result, and in the end, I liked the effect it had on me.
Furthermore, there was a phrase in "One Last Bloom" that caught my attention: "[I] knew the way one knows things in the middle of the night . . ." I love that turn of phrase. In the context of the story it totally makes sense and is one of the most clever articulations I've ever heard of that strange phenomenon of certainty at three in the morning. I've felt that. I know that feeling.
I wish I had thought of that seemingly simple phrase myself. You've earned yourself another star, mister Strantzas! Four total, in this case.
"Thistle's Find" is a good story, well told, of science gone wrong. Not spectacular or groundbreaking, but it still makes it into four-star territory.
Take Carcosa, The King in Yellow, a mysterious bookstore containing an even more mysterious manuscript, a restrained rivalry between two brilliant musicians, and the revelation of the "lesser" musician's grand opus, all wrapped in an emotionally-satisfying tale, and you've got yourself a five-star story in "Beyond the Banks of the River Seine". This one resonated in my mind for a long time afterward. I could see this being made into an indie movie by the same people who did the silent movie version of "Call of Cthulhu". It would definitely not work as a silent movie, per-se . . . well, maybe it would . . . hmm . . . interesting . . .
"Emotional Dues" is more hit than miss, but I thought that it slipped from its emotional footing at the end, favoring monster-horror, when it could have delivered a more compelling punch in the form of leveraged angst. Still the central conceit of the monster was interesting and "new," sort of a twist on Dorian Gray. Four stars, but just barely. Oh, and this is another one that would make a good silent movie. I think I'm sensing a pattern here. I wonder what Strantzas thinks of Nosferatu? He seems to stage some things in a theatrical way. Or maybe that's just my brain setting things up that way in my theater of the mind.
The titular story was as bizarre and horrifying as I like. Surreal and creepy. Though I found the protagonist annoying and narcissistic, I see why Strantzas made him so. This story was all the more horrific because I have a friend who was in a very nasty custody case who idealized his son in the same way Noah did in the story. Kinda hits home. This one also stuck with me, all five stars of it.
Overall, then, four stars, when each story is looked at individually. I felt, however, that the sum was greater than the parts. This really was an exceptional collection of short dark fiction with a weird bent to it. So I'm bumping it up to five. It looks like Dark Regions press has seen the genius, too and is doing a signed, limited, leather-bound edition. Hey, my birthday is next month. Anyone feeling generous?
April 20, 2014
Originally published at Risingshadow.
Simon Strantzas' Burnt Black Suns is a collection of weird stories. It's the author's fourth short story collection (his previous collections are Beneath the Surface, Cold to the Touch and Nightingale Songs).
Burnt Black Suns is an excellent short story collection. It contains weird fiction stories that range from the modern Lovecraftian Thistle's Find to One Last Bloom that's pure scientific horror at its best and most effective.
I can honestly say that it's been a while since I've been this impressed by a weird fiction collection. I've read lots of weird fiction collections and I've enjoyed reading all of them, but collections like this one are rare, because all the stories in it are excellent and worth reading. There are no weak stories in this collection.
Burnt Black Suns contains the following nine stories (it also contains a foreword by Laird Barron):
- On Ice
- Dwelling on the Past
- Strong as a Rock
- By Invisible Hands
- One Last Bloom
- Thistle's Find
- Beyond the Banks of the River Seine
- Emotional Dues
- Burnt Black Suns
Simon Strantzas uses several classic weird fiction elements in a modern way in these stories. He writes creepy, disturbing and unsettling stories that can be categorized as weird fiction, horror and dark fantasy. He easily conjures up nightmarish images and visions that are difficult to forget, and shows his readers how the characters in his stories come face to face with unnatural and supernatural threats.
These stories are just like good old-fashioned weird fiction stories, because they're weird and unsettling stories. Some of them are creepy while others are disturbing - there's originality, creepiness and disturbing elements in them.
Here's a bit more information about the stories:
On Ice: A story about men who travel to Melville Island to explore fossils. The oil companies did a research there, but they weren't looking for rocks and didn't notice certain things. Some of the men feel that they're confined there. Soon they notice that something strange is going on there...
Dwelling on the Past: Harvey has lost his daughter, Emily, and works for the Henco Industries (his sorrow for Emily is handled well by the author). The Henco Industries have problems with the Six Nations protestors. The Six Nations have been digging for something that looks almost like a dwelling...
Strong as a Rock: Garrison and Rex are brothers who have lost their mother. Rex takes Garrison to climb rocks, because he loves rock climbing. When Garrison injures himself, they begin to search for a hospital...
By Invisible Hands: An old puppetmaker has sacrificed all for his puppets. He wishes that the end would come for him. Dr. Toth contacts him and he finds out that Dr. Toth has needs of his services...
One Last Bloom: A story about Randal and Olivia who work with Dr. Markowitz at the Microbiology Department. Randal and Olivia are worried about the missing Dr. Markowitz and Linden. Dr. Markowitz and Linden have supposedly died while doing underwater research. Soon things escalate into a scientific nightmare as Randal and Olivia begin to investigate what Dr. Markowitz sent them...
Thistle's Find: Owen is acquainted with Dr. Thistle and visits him when he's in trouble. The doctor shows Owen something that he's built...
Beyond the Banks of the River Seine: A story about Valise and Henri who are composers and friends. Valise is more successful than Henri. When Henri becomes obsessed with a project, Valise begins to worry about his friend...
Emotional Dues: An intriguing story about Girder and his paintings. Girder decides to approach Mr. Rasp directly and not throught the gallery, so he visits Mr. Rasp and shows him one of his paintings. When Mr. Rasp invites Girder to stay with him, things become weirder...
Burnt Black Suns: Noah and pregnant Rachel travel on the bus to Astilla de la Cruz. They're trying to find Noah's ex-wife, Sonia, and his son, Eli. When they arrive to their destination, the weather is hot. Noah and Rachel meet a priest who tells them of old gods and a cult, the Tletliztlii...
It's nice that Simon Strantzas has a talent for keeping the readers interested in his stories. He gradually builds tension and then shocks his readers with horrifying revelations. For example, the journey towards the end in the final story, Burnt Black Suns, is amazing and when the ending is reached, it's a brilliant and unforgettable ending.
Simon Strantzas writes fluently about love, loss, sorrow, melancholy and life in general. His descriptions of love, loss and sorrow portray skillfully how the characters feel about their loved ones and objects of affection. For example, in One Last Bloom the author writes well about Randal and how he feels about Olivia. In Beyond the Banks of River Seine the author writes longingly about Valise's feelings towards Elyse, and in Burnt Black Suns he writes about Noah's longing and desperate search for his son.
Simon Strantzas writes about relationships and difficult choices in a realistic and unflinching way. For example, in Burnt Black Suns the author writes perfectly about what kind of a strain Noah's search for his son causes on his relationship with Rachel. When Rachel asks Noah to make a choice between her and Eli, Noah acts in a desperate, but realistic way that reflects his feelings.
On Ice and Thistle's Find deserve a special mention, because they're wonderfully Lovecraftian stories. As a big fan of Lovecraftian stories (and stories containing Lovecraftian elements) I was delighted to read these stories, because they were excellent and unsettling stories. These stories differ greatly from each other, but they're both well written stories. On Ice is a perfectly written story about Arctic nightmare and what happens to the exploration team when they travel across the Arctic and find out that something's following them. Thistle's Find is a weird and disturbing story about Dr. Thistle and what he has built and brought into his house. Both of these stories are among the best Lovecraftian stories ever written.
I love the way Simon Strantzas writes about wilderness and nature. The characters in his stories travel across a harsh icy and snowy landscape, go mountain climbing and wander in the scorching desert where the sun burns relentlessly. His way of looking at nature and its forces feels both natural and threatening, because nature can be cruel and unforgiving and nobody can do anything to change that. People just have to be prepared to accept the harsh realities that come with travelling in the wilderness.
I find it interesting that the author writes about culture (music and paintings) in an intriguing way in two of his stories:
- Music plays an important role in Beyond the Banks of River Seine. It was interesting to read about Valise's success and how his friend wasn't as lucky as him when it came to music and composing. Reading about Henri's sudden change and obsession with his project was fascinating, because the project turned out to be a big surprise for Valise and others.
- Paintings play an important role in Emotional Dues, because it's a story about a painter called Girder and how he becomes acquainted with Mr. Rasp. Art is a way for Girder to address his emotions, so he paints what he feels. Mr. Rasp's pleasure in his paintings makes him happy, because nobody has ever called his works perfect. The author writes interestingly about the relationship between Girder and Mr. Rasp and the sudden turn it takes.
In the foreword Laird Barron mentions body horror. I agree with him on what he says about the foray into the realm of body horror, because body horror is strongly present in this collection. If there are readers who aren't familiar with body horror, I can mention that body horror is a subgenre of horror fiction in which horror is principally derived from the graphic destruction or degeneration of the body (decay, disease, mutation etc). There are a few scenes in these stories that reminded me of Clive Barker's bold descriptions of body horror and certain films directed by David Cronenberg.
It's great that Simon Strantzas writes unflinchingly about body horror and uses it effectively and in moderation, because there are authors who tend to use body horror elements too much and lose sight of what's important when they begin to describe the changes in human bodies. As an example of Simon Strantzas' ability to write body horror I can mention that it was fascinating to read what happened to Olivia in One Last Bloom.
Although the stories in this collection are modern stories, it's easy to see that the author has been greatly influenced by classic weird fiction and old horror stories. These stories owe a debt to the works of such authors as H. P. Lovecraft, Robert Aickmann and Robert W. Chambers. It's possible to see that Thomas Ligotti and Ramsey Campbell have also affected the author's writing style.
There are many readers and a few authors who have said that this is the new golden age of dark fiction and weird fiction. I agree with this statement, because there are many authors who have published excellent horror and weird fiction stories during the last couple of years. This collection is a proof of this statement and its accuracy, because it's full of excellent stories.
Based on this collection I can say that Simon Strantzas is one of the best modern weird fiction authors. In my opinion he's equal to Laird Barron, Richard Gavin, Livia Llewellyn and Caitlín R. Kiernan, because his stories rival their stories. He's a master storyteller and deserves more recognition among horror and dark fantasy readers.
I have to mention that the cover art by Santiago Caruso looks great. It's one of the best cover images I've ever seen on weird fiction book covers.
Everybody who loves weird stories and weird fiction, should take a look at this collection and put it on their reading list. It's an excellent collection to dip into, because the creepy and weird stories offer both chills and thrills in equal measures to the readers. If you're looking for new weird fiction to read, please read this collection - you'll love it.
Highly recommended!
Simon Strantzas' Burnt Black Suns is a collection of weird stories. It's the author's fourth short story collection (his previous collections are Beneath the Surface, Cold to the Touch and Nightingale Songs).
Burnt Black Suns is an excellent short story collection. It contains weird fiction stories that range from the modern Lovecraftian Thistle's Find to One Last Bloom that's pure scientific horror at its best and most effective.
I can honestly say that it's been a while since I've been this impressed by a weird fiction collection. I've read lots of weird fiction collections and I've enjoyed reading all of them, but collections like this one are rare, because all the stories in it are excellent and worth reading. There are no weak stories in this collection.
Burnt Black Suns contains the following nine stories (it also contains a foreword by Laird Barron):
- On Ice
- Dwelling on the Past
- Strong as a Rock
- By Invisible Hands
- One Last Bloom
- Thistle's Find
- Beyond the Banks of the River Seine
- Emotional Dues
- Burnt Black Suns
Simon Strantzas uses several classic weird fiction elements in a modern way in these stories. He writes creepy, disturbing and unsettling stories that can be categorized as weird fiction, horror and dark fantasy. He easily conjures up nightmarish images and visions that are difficult to forget, and shows his readers how the characters in his stories come face to face with unnatural and supernatural threats.
These stories are just like good old-fashioned weird fiction stories, because they're weird and unsettling stories. Some of them are creepy while others are disturbing - there's originality, creepiness and disturbing elements in them.
Here's a bit more information about the stories:
On Ice: A story about men who travel to Melville Island to explore fossils. The oil companies did a research there, but they weren't looking for rocks and didn't notice certain things. Some of the men feel that they're confined there. Soon they notice that something strange is going on there...
Dwelling on the Past: Harvey has lost his daughter, Emily, and works for the Henco Industries (his sorrow for Emily is handled well by the author). The Henco Industries have problems with the Six Nations protestors. The Six Nations have been digging for something that looks almost like a dwelling...
Strong as a Rock: Garrison and Rex are brothers who have lost their mother. Rex takes Garrison to climb rocks, because he loves rock climbing. When Garrison injures himself, they begin to search for a hospital...
By Invisible Hands: An old puppetmaker has sacrificed all for his puppets. He wishes that the end would come for him. Dr. Toth contacts him and he finds out that Dr. Toth has needs of his services...
One Last Bloom: A story about Randal and Olivia who work with Dr. Markowitz at the Microbiology Department. Randal and Olivia are worried about the missing Dr. Markowitz and Linden. Dr. Markowitz and Linden have supposedly died while doing underwater research. Soon things escalate into a scientific nightmare as Randal and Olivia begin to investigate what Dr. Markowitz sent them...
Thistle's Find: Owen is acquainted with Dr. Thistle and visits him when he's in trouble. The doctor shows Owen something that he's built...
Beyond the Banks of the River Seine: A story about Valise and Henri who are composers and friends. Valise is more successful than Henri. When Henri becomes obsessed with a project, Valise begins to worry about his friend...
Emotional Dues: An intriguing story about Girder and his paintings. Girder decides to approach Mr. Rasp directly and not throught the gallery, so he visits Mr. Rasp and shows him one of his paintings. When Mr. Rasp invites Girder to stay with him, things become weirder...
Burnt Black Suns: Noah and pregnant Rachel travel on the bus to Astilla de la Cruz. They're trying to find Noah's ex-wife, Sonia, and his son, Eli. When they arrive to their destination, the weather is hot. Noah and Rachel meet a priest who tells them of old gods and a cult, the Tletliztlii...
It's nice that Simon Strantzas has a talent for keeping the readers interested in his stories. He gradually builds tension and then shocks his readers with horrifying revelations. For example, the journey towards the end in the final story, Burnt Black Suns, is amazing and when the ending is reached, it's a brilliant and unforgettable ending.
Simon Strantzas writes fluently about love, loss, sorrow, melancholy and life in general. His descriptions of love, loss and sorrow portray skillfully how the characters feel about their loved ones and objects of affection. For example, in One Last Bloom the author writes well about Randal and how he feels about Olivia. In Beyond the Banks of River Seine the author writes longingly about Valise's feelings towards Elyse, and in Burnt Black Suns he writes about Noah's longing and desperate search for his son.
Simon Strantzas writes about relationships and difficult choices in a realistic and unflinching way. For example, in Burnt Black Suns the author writes perfectly about what kind of a strain Noah's search for his son causes on his relationship with Rachel. When Rachel asks Noah to make a choice between her and Eli, Noah acts in a desperate, but realistic way that reflects his feelings.
On Ice and Thistle's Find deserve a special mention, because they're wonderfully Lovecraftian stories. As a big fan of Lovecraftian stories (and stories containing Lovecraftian elements) I was delighted to read these stories, because they were excellent and unsettling stories. These stories differ greatly from each other, but they're both well written stories. On Ice is a perfectly written story about Arctic nightmare and what happens to the exploration team when they travel across the Arctic and find out that something's following them. Thistle's Find is a weird and disturbing story about Dr. Thistle and what he has built and brought into his house. Both of these stories are among the best Lovecraftian stories ever written.
I love the way Simon Strantzas writes about wilderness and nature. The characters in his stories travel across a harsh icy and snowy landscape, go mountain climbing and wander in the scorching desert where the sun burns relentlessly. His way of looking at nature and its forces feels both natural and threatening, because nature can be cruel and unforgiving and nobody can do anything to change that. People just have to be prepared to accept the harsh realities that come with travelling in the wilderness.
I find it interesting that the author writes about culture (music and paintings) in an intriguing way in two of his stories:
- Music plays an important role in Beyond the Banks of River Seine. It was interesting to read about Valise's success and how his friend wasn't as lucky as him when it came to music and composing. Reading about Henri's sudden change and obsession with his project was fascinating, because the project turned out to be a big surprise for Valise and others.
- Paintings play an important role in Emotional Dues, because it's a story about a painter called Girder and how he becomes acquainted with Mr. Rasp. Art is a way for Girder to address his emotions, so he paints what he feels. Mr. Rasp's pleasure in his paintings makes him happy, because nobody has ever called his works perfect. The author writes interestingly about the relationship between Girder and Mr. Rasp and the sudden turn it takes.
In the foreword Laird Barron mentions body horror. I agree with him on what he says about the foray into the realm of body horror, because body horror is strongly present in this collection. If there are readers who aren't familiar with body horror, I can mention that body horror is a subgenre of horror fiction in which horror is principally derived from the graphic destruction or degeneration of the body (decay, disease, mutation etc). There are a few scenes in these stories that reminded me of Clive Barker's bold descriptions of body horror and certain films directed by David Cronenberg.
It's great that Simon Strantzas writes unflinchingly about body horror and uses it effectively and in moderation, because there are authors who tend to use body horror elements too much and lose sight of what's important when they begin to describe the changes in human bodies. As an example of Simon Strantzas' ability to write body horror I can mention that it was fascinating to read what happened to Olivia in One Last Bloom.
Although the stories in this collection are modern stories, it's easy to see that the author has been greatly influenced by classic weird fiction and old horror stories. These stories owe a debt to the works of such authors as H. P. Lovecraft, Robert Aickmann and Robert W. Chambers. It's possible to see that Thomas Ligotti and Ramsey Campbell have also affected the author's writing style.
There are many readers and a few authors who have said that this is the new golden age of dark fiction and weird fiction. I agree with this statement, because there are many authors who have published excellent horror and weird fiction stories during the last couple of years. This collection is a proof of this statement and its accuracy, because it's full of excellent stories.
Based on this collection I can say that Simon Strantzas is one of the best modern weird fiction authors. In my opinion he's equal to Laird Barron, Richard Gavin, Livia Llewellyn and Caitlín R. Kiernan, because his stories rival their stories. He's a master storyteller and deserves more recognition among horror and dark fantasy readers.
I have to mention that the cover art by Santiago Caruso looks great. It's one of the best cover images I've ever seen on weird fiction book covers.
Everybody who loves weird stories and weird fiction, should take a look at this collection and put it on their reading list. It's an excellent collection to dip into, because the creepy and weird stories offer both chills and thrills in equal measures to the readers. If you're looking for new weird fiction to read, please read this collection - you'll love it.
Highly recommended!
October 15, 2020
The 3 star rating is really not Simon Strantzas’ fault. This collection of weird/horror short stories are inventive, and even if they clearly carry the mark of his love for Ligotti, Chambers and Lovecraft, he has made them entirely his own. The only reason he got 3 stars instead of 4 is because of what I keep comparing him to.
Strantzas got on my radar like Nathan Ballingrud (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) did: because of Laird Barron’s praise, and I am basically one of his minions now and I’ll read everything he recommends. The problem is that while Strantzas’ stuff was unique and interesting, Ballingrud’s stories were devastating and haunting. And since I read them very close together, it was impossible not to compare.
I’m sorry Simon, I really am (you’re Canadian too, you get the urge to apologize incessantly). It’s really bad timing. I know this isn’t much of a review, but trust me, fans of good horror and weird fiction should definitely check this book out, but maybe not just after a work in a similar genre destroyed them. Give yourself time to recover first.
Strantzas got on my radar like Nathan Ballingrud (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) did: because of Laird Barron’s praise, and I am basically one of his minions now and I’ll read everything he recommends. The problem is that while Strantzas’ stuff was unique and interesting, Ballingrud’s stories were devastating and haunting. And since I read them very close together, it was impossible not to compare.
I’m sorry Simon, I really am (you’re Canadian too, you get the urge to apologize incessantly). It’s really bad timing. I know this isn’t much of a review, but trust me, fans of good horror and weird fiction should definitely check this book out, but maybe not just after a work in a similar genre destroyed them. Give yourself time to recover first.
Read
February 16, 2020In this fourth collection of his short fiction, Simon Strantzas' style has certainly evolved from that which characterizes his first collection, Beneath the Surface, though not in a way I found appealing. In general here the stories are longer, more polished, and more developed in their narrative conventions (though not necessarily in their concepts). It's more a matter of an additional layering of exposition prior to the inevitable horrific reveal at the end. It's interesting that Laird Barron introduces this collection, as I noticed some similarity to his style in a few of these newer Strantzas stories, something which I didn't see in his first collection. The stories in that collection are more fragmentary and rougher around the edges—often hallmarks of a less mature writer, though in this case more in line with my own narrative predilections.
I won't go through all the stories here, but will highlight a few of them. Some of these were previously published in themed anthologies. 'By Invisible Hands' first appeared in the Ligotti tribute collection The Grimscribe's Puppets. It's a serviceable tribute joining obvious Ligottian style and ideas with Strantzas' own flourishes. 'Beyond the Banks of the River Seine' appeared in the King in Yellow collection A Season in Carcosa. Again, this was a well-crafted story, if a bit formulaic. Finally, 'Thistle's Find' had been published in Black Wings III, though I found the Lovecraftian connection to be tenuous (admittedly, however, I am no Lovecraft expert). I also found nothing to like in this story, but will refrain from cataloging my myriad objections.
In many ways I found the longest stories of the collection to be the most disappointing, as I thought the endings to all of them were sub-par, especially after the time investment required to get there. I also think that in these longer stories Strantzas' weakness in character development and dialogue becomes more obvious. Often the longer I spend with his major characters the less I like them due to their woodenness and predictability, while in some cases the minor characters seem more compelling but rarely come to the forefront. All of this was perhaps most frustrating in the final story, the titular 'Burnt Black Suns'. Ironically, though, this ended up being my favorite story, chiefly for its well-developed concept, steady pacing, and satisfactory ending. However, the two main characters are one-dimensional, the dialogue frequently cringeworthy, the situational details often implausible (in a distracting way, not in a surreal or absurd way), and the entire story in dire need of a copyedit, plagued as it is by continuity errors, missing words, and repetitious phrasing (in a sloppily written way, not as a purposeful style). Still, the story really did have its moments, and once again I'm left pondering the higher 'blasted heath' Strantzas could yet reach someday.
I won't go through all the stories here, but will highlight a few of them. Some of these were previously published in themed anthologies. 'By Invisible Hands' first appeared in the Ligotti tribute collection The Grimscribe's Puppets. It's a serviceable tribute joining obvious Ligottian style and ideas with Strantzas' own flourishes. 'Beyond the Banks of the River Seine' appeared in the King in Yellow collection A Season in Carcosa. Again, this was a well-crafted story, if a bit formulaic. Finally, 'Thistle's Find' had been published in Black Wings III, though I found the Lovecraftian connection to be tenuous (admittedly, however, I am no Lovecraft expert). I also found nothing to like in this story, but will refrain from cataloging my myriad objections.
In many ways I found the longest stories of the collection to be the most disappointing, as I thought the endings to all of them were sub-par, especially after the time investment required to get there. I also think that in these longer stories Strantzas' weakness in character development and dialogue becomes more obvious. Often the longer I spend with his major characters the less I like them due to their woodenness and predictability, while in some cases the minor characters seem more compelling but rarely come to the forefront. All of this was perhaps most frustrating in the final story, the titular 'Burnt Black Suns'. Ironically, though, this ended up being my favorite story, chiefly for its well-developed concept, steady pacing, and satisfactory ending. However, the two main characters are one-dimensional, the dialogue frequently cringeworthy, the situational details often implausible (in a distracting way, not in a surreal or absurd way), and the entire story in dire need of a copyedit, plagued as it is by continuity errors, missing words, and repetitious phrasing (in a sloppily written way, not as a purposeful style). Still, the story really did have its moments, and once again I'm left pondering the higher 'blasted heath' Strantzas could yet reach someday.
August 17, 2022
2.5 This is a frustrating rate because I can’t help but feel like the writer is ALMOST there to something good. The stories all have a solid idea behind them and the title story has a creative South American old gods thing. But they’re all just too drawn-out. Everything feels like it has a lot of pointless back-and-forth and running around and the characters were generally pretty flat. Which is a shame because the weird fiction qualities are good and there a couple of cool monster stories. A lot of people seemed to love this one but I saw it more as a struggle that periodically showed signs of life. Seems to me like B tier John Langan, it’s not bad and shows a lot of potential, but overly wordy and unsympathetic.
January 16, 2024
Il termine lovecraftiano è diventato di uso talmente comune (e usato il 99.99% delle volte a sproposito) da aver pressoché perso qualsiasi connotazione più specifica di horror con qualcosa di soprannaturale che non riusciamo a comprendere.
Senza voler attribuire per forza a questo libro tale aggettivo, ho trovato che le storie di Strantzas siano fra quelle che più si avvicinano alle sensazioni e alle suggestioni che mi avevano colpito (ormai parecchio tempo fa) durante le prime letture con il Solitario di Providence. Disagio, straniamento, alienazione. Protagonisti che si ritrovano di fronte a un sovvertimento della realtà come la conoscevano e che si ritrovano inermi di fronte all’incommensurabile vastità dello sconosciuto.
In questi racconti si trova tutto questo, ma l’autore non si limita (come abbastanza spesso accade) a ricalcare gli stilemi che hanno reso grande Lovecraft e donato una dimensione cosmica all’orrore letterario.
Strantzas ha una voce e uno stile personali, chiari e assolutamente adeguati a ciò che vogliono narrare. Anzi, una scrittura così “diretta”, e che solo dove richiesto dosa sapientemente una maggiore emotività, contribuisce in maniera efficace a creare i climax orrorifici in grado di dare personalità a ognuno di questi racconti. I grandi del genere, come Ligotti, Chambers, appunto Lovecraft e altri, vengono omaggiati, ma con una impronta che riesce a creare una propria identità, per certi versi forse anche ad adeguarsi a un gusto e un sentire più “contemporanei”.
Si tratta di storie molto variegate, come tematiche, ambientazione e suggestioni, ma la mano di Strantzas è ben riconoscibile e abile a creare un filo conduttore che garantisce coesione e forza alla voce dell’autore e all’inquietudine che si vuole trasmettere.
Ho letto questo libro ormai diverso tempo fa, ma è rimasto decisamente impresso nella mia memoria, con una persistenza che forse nemmeno all’epoca avrei potuto immaginare (per quanto avessi già allora amato quest’opera). Strantzas non è un autore molto conosciuto alle nostre latitudini, ma se a qualche appassionato di fantastico, weird e horror dovesse capitare sotto mano, consiglio con tutto il cuore di provarlo. Per me è stato una rivelazione.
I miei voti ai singoli racconti:
- Tra i ghiacci ★★★★ ½
- Soffermarsi sul passato ★★★★
- Forte come una roccia ★★★★ ½
- Con mani invisibili ★★★★ ½
- L’ultima fioritura ★★★★★
- La scoperta di Thistle ★★★★
- Oltre le rive della Senna ★★★★
- Debiti emotivi ★★★★
- Soli carbonizzati ★★★★★
Senza voler attribuire per forza a questo libro tale aggettivo, ho trovato che le storie di Strantzas siano fra quelle che più si avvicinano alle sensazioni e alle suggestioni che mi avevano colpito (ormai parecchio tempo fa) durante le prime letture con il Solitario di Providence. Disagio, straniamento, alienazione. Protagonisti che si ritrovano di fronte a un sovvertimento della realtà come la conoscevano e che si ritrovano inermi di fronte all’incommensurabile vastità dello sconosciuto.
In questi racconti si trova tutto questo, ma l’autore non si limita (come abbastanza spesso accade) a ricalcare gli stilemi che hanno reso grande Lovecraft e donato una dimensione cosmica all’orrore letterario.
Strantzas ha una voce e uno stile personali, chiari e assolutamente adeguati a ciò che vogliono narrare. Anzi, una scrittura così “diretta”, e che solo dove richiesto dosa sapientemente una maggiore emotività, contribuisce in maniera efficace a creare i climax orrorifici in grado di dare personalità a ognuno di questi racconti. I grandi del genere, come Ligotti, Chambers, appunto Lovecraft e altri, vengono omaggiati, ma con una impronta che riesce a creare una propria identità, per certi versi forse anche ad adeguarsi a un gusto e un sentire più “contemporanei”.
Si tratta di storie molto variegate, come tematiche, ambientazione e suggestioni, ma la mano di Strantzas è ben riconoscibile e abile a creare un filo conduttore che garantisce coesione e forza alla voce dell’autore e all’inquietudine che si vuole trasmettere.
Ho letto questo libro ormai diverso tempo fa, ma è rimasto decisamente impresso nella mia memoria, con una persistenza che forse nemmeno all’epoca avrei potuto immaginare (per quanto avessi già allora amato quest’opera). Strantzas non è un autore molto conosciuto alle nostre latitudini, ma se a qualche appassionato di fantastico, weird e horror dovesse capitare sotto mano, consiglio con tutto il cuore di provarlo. Per me è stato una rivelazione.
I miei voti ai singoli racconti:
- Tra i ghiacci ★★★★ ½
- Soffermarsi sul passato ★★★★
- Forte come una roccia ★★★★ ½
- Con mani invisibili ★★★★ ½
- L’ultima fioritura ★★★★★
- La scoperta di Thistle ★★★★
- Oltre le rive della Senna ★★★★
- Debiti emotivi ★★★★
- Soli carbonizzati ★★★★★
December 9, 2014
I greatly enjoyed this book, was genuinely surprised by it (I’d expected more of Strantzas’s previous quietness and allusions), and – most importantly of all – I was, in at least three significant passages, really rattled by it. Hey, some writers don’t do that even once in a career. Here's some notes on the stories.
- On Ice
A solid opener, with a mounting sense of unease as researchers come a cropper one by one in an icy climate. I find tales, particularly relatively short ones, in which lots of characters are present from the opening sometimes hard to get into, but by focusing closely on one guy, this story just about got around that structural difficulty. There were some nice time-honoured methods used here – footprints outside camps, body-parts found in disturbing isolation from their owners, etc – and the conclusion was satisfying, even if [SPOILERS FROM HERE] the monster was presented (to my tastes) a little too explicitly. I’d have preferred a little blur and confusion during the beast’s description, maybe a snowstorm distorting perception of it – something maybe to render it more elusive. But the Lovecraftian “reveal” is always a hard trick to pull off, and Strantzas does a nice enough job here, so don’t let me be churlish. Good opener.
- Dwelling on the Past
A solidly handled story, with – not the final time Strantzas will use this device in the book – a tragic backstory, from which all the narrated events gain resonance. The guy’s [SPOILER] descent into the pit towards the end was effective, as was the fur thing creeping upon him. I liked this layered story a good deal.
- Strong as a Rock
One of my favourites of the shorter pieces, this tale of two halves – first a climbing trip involving an accident, and then a rush for medical support – simply darkens and darkens, with its protracted, subterranean conclusion building to a great last scene, fully playing on psychologies established earlier. I particularly enjoyed the feel of the old hospital, with all its decay and ineradicable stains. Aickman is all over this piece, but so is Lovecraft, and that’s a fine combination in anyone’s book.
- By Invisible Hands
This was one of the two tales with which I didn’t get on very well. I suspect that’s because I’m not steeped in, nor drawn to, the kind of fictional landscape it seeks to explore – Ligottian, I’m guessing. I’m not the best person to judge, so I’ll remain relatively quiet about this puppet-based story.
- One Last Bloom
As the most overtly Lovecraftian piece in a Mythos-infused book, this story, the first of two novellas, is most remarkable for its characterisation, with the lead guy a particularly unsympathetic (though not uninteresting) person: self-regarding, privately ambitious, romantically fickle. This sour human backdrop forms a suitable framework for a journal-based side-story, involving a second narrator detailing the events of an ocean-based research trip. And what comes back from there is not pleasant at all – in fact, it’s genuinely mysterious, insidious and gruesome. I loved this tale, which includes a genuinely frightening scene (hint: it involves a visit to a flat) – one of those moments of terror that hold us all in the genre, reading story after story until someone does the same business again. Strantzas certainly manages that here. Fantastic tale.
- Thistle’s Find
I really enjoyed this snappy, pungent story of a rather alluring creature plucked from an alternative realm. It had the cosy framework of an old-fashioned crazy-scientist tale, but with a risqué sequence of events. I liked the narrator’s “street” voice, as well as the manic scramble for safety at the end. A solid tale.
- Beyond the Banks of the River Seine
Another tale that didn’t really push my buttons, but I enjoyed it more than the puppet story above, maybe because I’m interested in all that “old music”. An enjoyable, lyrical story.
- Emotional Dues
Along with “Solid as a Rock”, this was my favourite of the shorter pieces, with its slightly surreal events clearly functioning as a metaphor for artistic expression and what this demands and then takes from the artist. The ending is brilliantly orchestrated, and [SPOILER] the image of that thing entering the room still burns in me now, days after completion. As in “One Last Bloom”, Strantzas is excellent at stage-managing visually vivid horrors, to such a degree that frantic characterisation and firm, rhythmic, precise use of language conspire to drive the scenes home powerfully. Great tale.
- Burnt Black Suns
For a book that starts in ice, where else to end but in baking sunshine? This novella, along with “One Last Bloom” is the collection’s most outstanding work, a brilliantly brooding, painful study of familial obsession and divided loyalties. Whereas I sometimes thought “On Ice” might have benefitted from a more laboured depiction of the icy landscape, there are no problems here (possibly because of the extra space available): far-flung Mexico is depicted in all its perspiring, poverty-ridden, semi-neglected, fly-blighted dereliction, with the central character’s childless desperation perfectly represented by such a carefully wrought sense of place. (Strantzas must have visited somewhere similar, surely.) Anyway, the plot is quite straightforward, involving the search for a decamped wife and son, but the horrors it involves, including strange dreams, dark suns, untrustworthy clergy, etc, builds to a brilliantly intense conclusion, one worthy of the rise of a Great Old One. This is latter-day Lovecraftian fiction at its finest, all rendered in a Graham Greene-ish, Sergio Leone-esque manner. The characterisation reminded me of Patricia Highsmith and the prose of Emile Zola. But maybe that’s just me. Whatever the facts are, this was, in my opinion, the best story in the book.
- On Ice
A solid opener, with a mounting sense of unease as researchers come a cropper one by one in an icy climate. I find tales, particularly relatively short ones, in which lots of characters are present from the opening sometimes hard to get into, but by focusing closely on one guy, this story just about got around that structural difficulty. There were some nice time-honoured methods used here – footprints outside camps, body-parts found in disturbing isolation from their owners, etc – and the conclusion was satisfying, even if [SPOILERS FROM HERE] the monster was presented (to my tastes) a little too explicitly. I’d have preferred a little blur and confusion during the beast’s description, maybe a snowstorm distorting perception of it – something maybe to render it more elusive. But the Lovecraftian “reveal” is always a hard trick to pull off, and Strantzas does a nice enough job here, so don’t let me be churlish. Good opener.
- Dwelling on the Past
A solidly handled story, with – not the final time Strantzas will use this device in the book – a tragic backstory, from which all the narrated events gain resonance. The guy’s [SPOILER] descent into the pit towards the end was effective, as was the fur thing creeping upon him. I liked this layered story a good deal.
- Strong as a Rock
One of my favourites of the shorter pieces, this tale of two halves – first a climbing trip involving an accident, and then a rush for medical support – simply darkens and darkens, with its protracted, subterranean conclusion building to a great last scene, fully playing on psychologies established earlier. I particularly enjoyed the feel of the old hospital, with all its decay and ineradicable stains. Aickman is all over this piece, but so is Lovecraft, and that’s a fine combination in anyone’s book.
- By Invisible Hands
This was one of the two tales with which I didn’t get on very well. I suspect that’s because I’m not steeped in, nor drawn to, the kind of fictional landscape it seeks to explore – Ligottian, I’m guessing. I’m not the best person to judge, so I’ll remain relatively quiet about this puppet-based story.
- One Last Bloom
As the most overtly Lovecraftian piece in a Mythos-infused book, this story, the first of two novellas, is most remarkable for its characterisation, with the lead guy a particularly unsympathetic (though not uninteresting) person: self-regarding, privately ambitious, romantically fickle. This sour human backdrop forms a suitable framework for a journal-based side-story, involving a second narrator detailing the events of an ocean-based research trip. And what comes back from there is not pleasant at all – in fact, it’s genuinely mysterious, insidious and gruesome. I loved this tale, which includes a genuinely frightening scene (hint: it involves a visit to a flat) – one of those moments of terror that hold us all in the genre, reading story after story until someone does the same business again. Strantzas certainly manages that here. Fantastic tale.
- Thistle’s Find
I really enjoyed this snappy, pungent story of a rather alluring creature plucked from an alternative realm. It had the cosy framework of an old-fashioned crazy-scientist tale, but with a risqué sequence of events. I liked the narrator’s “street” voice, as well as the manic scramble for safety at the end. A solid tale.
- Beyond the Banks of the River Seine
Another tale that didn’t really push my buttons, but I enjoyed it more than the puppet story above, maybe because I’m interested in all that “old music”. An enjoyable, lyrical story.
- Emotional Dues
Along with “Solid as a Rock”, this was my favourite of the shorter pieces, with its slightly surreal events clearly functioning as a metaphor for artistic expression and what this demands and then takes from the artist. The ending is brilliantly orchestrated, and [SPOILER] the image of that thing entering the room still burns in me now, days after completion. As in “One Last Bloom”, Strantzas is excellent at stage-managing visually vivid horrors, to such a degree that frantic characterisation and firm, rhythmic, precise use of language conspire to drive the scenes home powerfully. Great tale.
- Burnt Black Suns
For a book that starts in ice, where else to end but in baking sunshine? This novella, along with “One Last Bloom” is the collection’s most outstanding work, a brilliantly brooding, painful study of familial obsession and divided loyalties. Whereas I sometimes thought “On Ice” might have benefitted from a more laboured depiction of the icy landscape, there are no problems here (possibly because of the extra space available): far-flung Mexico is depicted in all its perspiring, poverty-ridden, semi-neglected, fly-blighted dereliction, with the central character’s childless desperation perfectly represented by such a carefully wrought sense of place. (Strantzas must have visited somewhere similar, surely.) Anyway, the plot is quite straightforward, involving the search for a decamped wife and son, but the horrors it involves, including strange dreams, dark suns, untrustworthy clergy, etc, builds to a brilliantly intense conclusion, one worthy of the rise of a Great Old One. This is latter-day Lovecraftian fiction at its finest, all rendered in a Graham Greene-ish, Sergio Leone-esque manner. The characterisation reminded me of Patricia Highsmith and the prose of Emile Zola. But maybe that’s just me. Whatever the facts are, this was, in my opinion, the best story in the book.
October 27, 2015
After four collections, weird fiction author Simon Strantzas is still going strong. Maybe even better than ever. Strantzas's brand of weird fiction draws from numerous sources -- Lovecraft, Chambers, Ligotti, Aickman, Barron -- but thematically they are unmistakably his own. His protagonists are deeply flawed people, usually fragile men who have suffered some terrible emotional blow and are making the wrong choices to set it right, and who uncover unknowable and relentless occult secrets that shatter what's left of them. Of the nine stories present in BURNT BLACK SUNS, the ones I liked the most are "By Invisible Hands," about a senile old puppet maker who is charged with creating a new and terrible puppet by a secretive client; "Emotional Dues," which follows a struggling artist as he falls into the hands of an eccentric benefactor; and my favorite of them all, the centerpiece novella "One Last Bloom," which is a stunning piece of scientific horror with an ending that packs a wallop. Any of Strantzas's collections are a good jumping-in point, but BURNT BLACK SUNS presents the author at his most confident. Highly recommended.
July 8, 2014
After I read Nightingale Songs, the prior collection of restrained and disquieting stories by Simon Strantzas, I found myself wondering what kind of work this author might creat with a more direct, less elliptical approach. His follow-up, Burnt Black Suns, answers that question.
Whether this change in direction arose from a natural drift in the author’s motivation, or a desire to prove he can successfully master new and different tricks, the stories here seem clearly designed to take a more straightforward approach than Strantzas has used previously. In particular, pieces like the opener “On Ice” and the titular closing novella hit so much harder as to seem almost the work of a different writer.
Not one story in the book is anything less than excellent, and the novella “Burnt Black Suns” is my single favorite thing Strantzas has written. This collection is a work of real excellence, which deserves to be read by everyone interested in intelligently crafted horror fiction.
Whether this change in direction arose from a natural drift in the author’s motivation, or a desire to prove he can successfully master new and different tricks, the stories here seem clearly designed to take a more straightforward approach than Strantzas has used previously. In particular, pieces like the opener “On Ice” and the titular closing novella hit so much harder as to seem almost the work of a different writer.
Not one story in the book is anything less than excellent, and the novella “Burnt Black Suns” is my single favorite thing Strantzas has written. This collection is a work of real excellence, which deserves to be read by everyone interested in intelligently crafted horror fiction.
January 10, 2015
I bought this in search of the New Weird.
The stories are not bad, but more straight horror or sci-fi...they don't have the emotional texture I associate with New Weird.
They might be considered a little weird, but not really.
It's a good enough collection, but tempered by my expectations, did not seem outstanding.
The stories are not bad, but more straight horror or sci-fi...they don't have the emotional texture I associate with New Weird.
They might be considered a little weird, but not really.
It's a good enough collection, but tempered by my expectations, did not seem outstanding.
September 9, 2022
The titular novella properly got under my skin.
June 3, 2014
New old-school horror. And by "old-school" I mean Aickman, Ligotti, Chambers, Lovecraft... but Simon certainly puts his own stamp on the weird proceedings. There is a wonderful accumulation of voice, atmosphere, and dread as you wind through the collection, which ends with an emotionally authentic novella about grief and loss.
November 9, 2014
I carried on my October horror reading into November, moving on to Burnt Black Suns. This is the first full-length collection by horror writer Simon Stranztas that I've read. Previously I've listened to "Fading Light", read by the Pseudopod podcast (one of the essential audio horror projects).
Burnt Black Suns is a satisfying mix of tales. Most unfold in an understated prose, quietly building up scenes of stress, catastrophe, and decay. The collection also offers a wide range of settings and subgenres, from tributes (to Ligotti and Chambers) to Mexico and Arctic Canada.
We can find themes repeated across these short stories. One is the damaged, self-pitying, and ultimately unlikable male narrator. Their desires are central to the plot, but the men tend to fail in their realization. This may put off readers looking for more convivial or robust protagonists. Another is the doom of scientists, sometimes mad, otherwise unlucky. A third is a general tendency towards entropy, as plots move towards tragedy, decay, collapse, and ruin.
The sense of horror here stems from that powerful entropic force. It's often based on cosmic, Lovecraftian forces, although not always named or explained.
A word about style: Strantzas is no lyricist. His prose is very basic, not relying on unusual vocabulary or complex sentence structure. He reminds me somewhat of Tim Lebbon or T.E.D. Klein in this way. This isn't the lush prose of, say, Lovecraft or Clark Ashton Smith, nor the knotted, slippery, incantatory styles of Ligotti or Michael Cisco. Strantzas is direct. Which lets him slip in the occasional joke or surprise line to good effect:
“Beyond the Banks of the River Seine” is a tribute to Robert Chambers and The King in Yellow, and appeared in a collection dedicated to that author's work. The story captures much of Chambers' feel, both the sense of fantasy and also the centrality of romance.
"Burnt Black Suns" is the best story of the book, not least for its ambition. We follow a Canadian couple traveling to a small Mexican town in search of an abducted child. Our point of view character's mind unravels under stress and heat, the pressures of which also erode his very pregnant partner's support and health. Strantzas evokes the locale brilliantly, and ratchets up tension solidly. The climax, ah, .
"By Invisible Hands" is a nice homage to Thomas Ligotti, and appeared in the tribute collection Grimscribe's Puppets (my review)
"Dwelling on the Past" follows a security agent assigned to infiltrate a First Nation protest. A personal tragedy and something supernatural combine to undermine his mind. Nice pun in the title.
"Emotional Dues" concerns a desperate artist who lands a very generous benefactor, but things aren't what they seem. Some excellent characters names here: Rasp, Girder, and Nadir. Kudos to Strantzas for creating .
“On Ice” takes us to the arctic horror subgenre via a scientific expedition to a far northern island that rapidly disintegrates. I'm not sure if I like the ending, because
In “One Last Bloom” a grad student works hard to win both professional success and a fellow grad student's love, but runs into mysterious horror when his mentor's scientific expedition goes awry. This is another case of the unlikeable protagonist, who at least improves himself somewhat by the end, when I enjoyed the cruel academic satire.
"Strong as a Rock" tracks two brothers as they react to their mother's death. The point of view man begins in near-collapse, barely existing, while his brother turns to vigorous rock-climbing. (With names like Garrison and Rex you might expect a pair of he-man) What could have been a simple story of outdoor adventure as psychological cartharsis becomes something strange, as
“Thistle’s Find” gives us a gleefully mad scientist, who introduces our point of view character to his latest finds. Things do not go well. One deadpan line ("Sometimes I get put in strange situations", Kindle location 2548) is well placed.
Overall, an impressive work. I look forward to reading more Strantzas. Any recommendations?
Burnt Black Suns is a satisfying mix of tales. Most unfold in an understated prose, quietly building up scenes of stress, catastrophe, and decay. The collection also offers a wide range of settings and subgenres, from tributes (to Ligotti and Chambers) to Mexico and Arctic Canada.
We can find themes repeated across these short stories. One is the damaged, self-pitying, and ultimately unlikable male narrator. Their desires are central to the plot, but the men tend to fail in their realization. This may put off readers looking for more convivial or robust protagonists. Another is the doom of scientists, sometimes mad, otherwise unlucky. A third is a general tendency towards entropy, as plots move towards tragedy, decay, collapse, and ruin.
The sense of horror here stems from that powerful entropic force. It's often based on cosmic, Lovecraftian forces, although not always named or explained.
A word about style: Strantzas is no lyricist. His prose is very basic, not relying on unusual vocabulary or complex sentence structure. He reminds me somewhat of Tim Lebbon or T.E.D. Klein in this way. This isn't the lush prose of, say, Lovecraft or Clark Ashton Smith, nor the knotted, slippery, incantatory styles of Ligotti or Michael Cisco. Strantzas is direct. Which lets him slip in the occasional joke or surprise line to good effect:
"I love this place Sometimes, when it's windy, the howls sound like people screaming." The idea overjoyed Rex for some reason. Then he paused and looked down at his brother. "How are you doing down there?" ("Strong as a Rock", Kindle location 877)
“Beyond the Banks of the River Seine” is a tribute to Robert Chambers and The King in Yellow, and appeared in a collection dedicated to that author's work. The story captures much of Chambers' feel, both the sense of fantasy and also the centrality of romance.
"Burnt Black Suns" is the best story of the book, not least for its ambition. We follow a Canadian couple traveling to a small Mexican town in search of an abducted child. Our point of view character's mind unravels under stress and heat, the pressures of which also erode his very pregnant partner's support and health. Strantzas evokes the locale brilliantly, and ratchets up tension solidly. The climax, ah, .
"By Invisible Hands" is a nice homage to Thomas Ligotti, and appeared in the tribute collection Grimscribe's Puppets (my review)
"Dwelling on the Past" follows a security agent assigned to infiltrate a First Nation protest. A personal tragedy and something supernatural combine to undermine his mind. Nice pun in the title.
"Emotional Dues" concerns a desperate artist who lands a very generous benefactor, but things aren't what they seem. Some excellent characters names here: Rasp, Girder, and Nadir. Kudos to Strantzas for creating .
“On Ice” takes us to the arctic horror subgenre via a scientific expedition to a far northern island that rapidly disintegrates. I'm not sure if I like the ending, because
In “One Last Bloom” a grad student works hard to win both professional success and a fellow grad student's love, but runs into mysterious horror when his mentor's scientific expedition goes awry. This is another case of the unlikeable protagonist, who at least improves himself somewhat by the end, when I enjoyed the cruel academic satire.
"Strong as a Rock" tracks two brothers as they react to their mother's death. The point of view man begins in near-collapse, barely existing, while his brother turns to vigorous rock-climbing. (With names like Garrison and Rex you might expect a pair of he-man) What could have been a simple story of outdoor adventure as psychological cartharsis becomes something strange, as
“Thistle’s Find” gives us a gleefully mad scientist, who introduces our point of view character to his latest finds. Things do not go well. One deadpan line ("Sometimes I get put in strange situations", Kindle location 2548) is well placed.
Overall, an impressive work. I look forward to reading more Strantzas. Any recommendations?
February 15, 2015
This is a wonderful, often bizarre collection of "New Weird" fiction which often hark back to weird fiction's past. Different tales nod to particular authors; "On Ice" to Lovecraft, "By Invisible Hands" to Ligotti, "Beyond the Banks of the River Seine" to Chambers. But these stories are still very original in style, and some of them feel like a mixture of various influences like the sci-fi/horror "One Last Bloom" or the vaguely Lovecraftian/Ligottian "Strong as a Rock."
On Ice is just good horror, told in a pretty straight-forward way. It starts with just a few unsettling details here and there before it turns quite violent and grim. A group of scientists exploring an arctic region for fossils finds they are being followed, their food is stolen, and all around are humanoid footprints in the snow.
Dwelling on the Past is a grim story, focused around a man haunted by guilt and shame associated with a personal tragedy, yet it's also got a noir/hard-boiled flavor to it. The end is a bit unclear, intentionally confused, and perhaps creepier that way. A man is hired by a company to investigate some native American protesters who seem to be excavating something from the earth.
Strong as a Rock This was creepy, well-written, very "visual" writing, movie-like, turning ever more surreal. As with the previous story, this is left a bit open-ended, maybe even more so, yet this was more satisfying by hitting the right balance. I feel some definite Lovecraft influence, but the second half of it brought Ligotti to mind as reality itself continues to fall apart. Rex forces his brother Garrison to go rock climbing to get over the death of their mother, but something attacks Garrison on the rock, and they go seek help, definitely in the wrong place.
By Invisible Hands is a really weird entry in this collection, very Ligotti; moody, vague, surreal, dream-like. I could see where some might not like this particular type of storytelling, but I do and the end impressed me because it didn't take the direction I expected. An old puppet maker is summoned to the home of a Dr Toth to create something horrible, but the reason for it he will discover later is far more horrifying.
One Last Bloom wasn't my #1 favorite here, but I think this could be considered a classic story. I wouldn't say it's my favorite sort of weird fiction, but it's so effective and well-written. The horror it's centered around about isn't entirely original, but feels fresh anyway. A greedy young professor tries to piece together what happened to the undersea expedition his boss went on, during which he mysteriously disappeared. Before he did however he managed to send home a crate of specimens which prove to be extraordinarily, and insidiously dangerous.
Thistle’s Find is a pretty good story, very weird and has a stomach-churning sexual element. It's a play on the theme of opening a window to another world which Ramsey Campbell and Lovecraft did to some extent. A weird hermit has created a window into another world, taken a dangerous thing from it and believes those who rape it (as he has done) will improve their health.
Beyond the Banks of the River Seine, Ah this is a solid play on the King in Yellow theme which I often find a bit "played out." This feels like Robert W Chambers too with the inclusion of a little romance. I wouldn't put this one HIGH in the collection, but it's not bad. A man becomes concerned about his friend who is obsessed with composing a concerto after reading "The King in Yellow."
Emotional Dues this might not be the best story here, but it's my favorite and WOW it's a wonderfully weird story. Full of slow-building atmosphere, and then POW what an action-packed, squirmy, horrific ending! A poor struggling artist of macabre works decides to cut out the middle man and go see a mysterious rich buyer himself. The man is strange, but it's only after moving in with the guy does he get an idea of exactly how strange.
Burnt Black Suns has a lot going for it, the author put a lot into this final tale. I love the setting and it certainly establishes a solid mood, but it feels like too little story covering too much ground, like a paintbrush loaded without enough paint. The beginning is a bit too slow and while it certainly ends with a bang, it's maybe a bit over-the-top (?). A man and his pregnant girlfriend travel to a small Mexican village find his missing son who his ex-wife has kidnapped. The inhabitants are all sullen and mysterious -- and cult members too!
On Ice is just good horror, told in a pretty straight-forward way. It starts with just a few unsettling details here and there before it turns quite violent and grim. A group of scientists exploring an arctic region for fossils finds they are being followed, their food is stolen, and all around are humanoid footprints in the snow.
Dwelling on the Past is a grim story, focused around a man haunted by guilt and shame associated with a personal tragedy, yet it's also got a noir/hard-boiled flavor to it. The end is a bit unclear, intentionally confused, and perhaps creepier that way. A man is hired by a company to investigate some native American protesters who seem to be excavating something from the earth.
Strong as a Rock This was creepy, well-written, very "visual" writing, movie-like, turning ever more surreal. As with the previous story, this is left a bit open-ended, maybe even more so, yet this was more satisfying by hitting the right balance. I feel some definite Lovecraft influence, but the second half of it brought Ligotti to mind as reality itself continues to fall apart. Rex forces his brother Garrison to go rock climbing to get over the death of their mother, but something attacks Garrison on the rock, and they go seek help, definitely in the wrong place.
By Invisible Hands is a really weird entry in this collection, very Ligotti; moody, vague, surreal, dream-like. I could see where some might not like this particular type of storytelling, but I do and the end impressed me because it didn't take the direction I expected. An old puppet maker is summoned to the home of a Dr Toth to create something horrible, but the reason for it he will discover later is far more horrifying.
One Last Bloom wasn't my #1 favorite here, but I think this could be considered a classic story. I wouldn't say it's my favorite sort of weird fiction, but it's so effective and well-written. The horror it's centered around about isn't entirely original, but feels fresh anyway. A greedy young professor tries to piece together what happened to the undersea expedition his boss went on, during which he mysteriously disappeared. Before he did however he managed to send home a crate of specimens which prove to be extraordinarily, and insidiously dangerous.
Thistle’s Find is a pretty good story, very weird and has a stomach-churning sexual element. It's a play on the theme of opening a window to another world which Ramsey Campbell and Lovecraft did to some extent. A weird hermit has created a window into another world, taken a dangerous thing from it and believes those who rape it (as he has done) will improve their health.
Beyond the Banks of the River Seine, Ah this is a solid play on the King in Yellow theme which I often find a bit "played out." This feels like Robert W Chambers too with the inclusion of a little romance. I wouldn't put this one HIGH in the collection, but it's not bad. A man becomes concerned about his friend who is obsessed with composing a concerto after reading "The King in Yellow."
Emotional Dues this might not be the best story here, but it's my favorite and WOW it's a wonderfully weird story. Full of slow-building atmosphere, and then POW what an action-packed, squirmy, horrific ending! A poor struggling artist of macabre works decides to cut out the middle man and go see a mysterious rich buyer himself. The man is strange, but it's only after moving in with the guy does he get an idea of exactly how strange.
Burnt Black Suns has a lot going for it, the author put a lot into this final tale. I love the setting and it certainly establishes a solid mood, but it feels like too little story covering too much ground, like a paintbrush loaded without enough paint. The beginning is a bit too slow and while it certainly ends with a bang, it's maybe a bit over-the-top (?). A man and his pregnant girlfriend travel to a small Mexican village find his missing son who his ex-wife has kidnapped. The inhabitants are all sullen and mysterious -- and cult members too!
August 30, 2016
I am sure I must be missing something here. Too dull, too mundane to even consider it a pleasant reading experience. Is this an example of brilliant mainstream weird / fantastic literature?
April 1, 2021
Simon Strantzas explores complexities, anxieties, and the real with psychological suspense through the transcending transmutation of the weird, evoking and delivering the reader amidst the surreal and horrors to a certain individual deciphering of chaos through an uncanny valley door, the author the key.
Reviews of the ones that worked for me follow, mostly all, expect one or two.
On Ice
Place, Melville Island.
The people, Dr. Hanson, Dogan, Wendell, Isaacs, and pilot Gauthier.
Searching for evidence of ichthyosaurs in the Arctic Ocean and Mesozoic migration patterns.
An Island and shrouded secret?
There will be mystery, terror and suspense on ice awaiting, a group of five and then there was ..
They well soon be racing back to civilization and safety, away from terror on ice.
A solid chiller thriller done only the way Simon Strantzas can.
“They fell back into a single line quickly: Dr. Hanson leading the way, then Dogan, Wendell, Isaacs, and finally the pilot, Gauthier. Wendell made a concerted effort to keep close to the front so he might hear anything Dogan and Dr. Hanson discussed, but the sound of their footsteps on the snow had a deafening and delirious effect—at times he hallucinated more sounds than could be possible. The constant crunch made him lightheaded, a problem exacerbated by the cold that worked at his temples.
But it was Isaacs who suffered the worst. Periodically, Wendell checked to see how far behind his fellow student had fallen, and to ensure he hadn’t vanished altogether. Yet Isaacs was always there, only a few feet back, fidgeting and scanning the landscape. Gauthier likely kept him in place. The two made quite a sight, and Wendell was amused by how little Gauthier did to conceal his contempt. Isaacs was a frightened rabbit in a cage. Gauthier, the snarling wolf beyond the lock.”
“Wendell took a breath to speak and tasted the most noxious air. Dogan shook his twisted face, but it was no use; the fetid odor filled their lungs. Wendell covered his nose and mouth with his gloved hand. Whatever it was, it was sickly and bitter and smelled not unlike dead fish.
Outside there was a long sorrowful howl that sounded so near their shelter that Wendell prayed desperately it was only the wind echoing between the stones.”
Dwelling on the Past
This be a tale that vividly evokes the atmosphere, mystery and impeding trouble with the unfolding scenes in psychologically gripping pace, with matters gone wrong in the past re-emerging, the grief of lost daughter to a tragedy, the author unraveling the hows slowly and colliding with threats in the forest and his immediate periphery with new discoveries, a possible beast of destruction.
He was to investigate protestors for possible trouble at a site, they where against land being used and possibly something planned that night, with gun in pocket he wasn’t really ready yet to face work and troubles with loss, terror and guilt plaguing him.
“His head swam with thoughts long held at bay, concealed beneath a sea of Scotch and gin and whiskey, but no matter how he tried, he could not drown the knowledge of what happened, of poor Emily’s broken face as she lay unmoving in the hospital bed, machines filling her lungs, pumping her blood. The sight haunted him, and he cursed himself for not being in the car with her and Donna.”
“The Six Nations wanted something, and their anger pushed them forward like animals. Anger fueled by hate and revenge, anger that wanted restitution and reparations for all that Henco had done. Anger that wanted the company to pay. The Six Nations of the Grand River wanted vengeance against those who had robbed them, and those who refused to relinquish their land. All this weighed heavy in the air, so much so that Harvey could almost see it in the dark, the emotions coalescing, suffocating the world beneath. But it was all for naught. Had they simply asked him, he would have explained it. Their mistake was looking for justice. Justice has no balance. If it did, Harvey would carry nothing in his pockets.”
Strong as a Rock
Rex was to have a break and rock climb with brother, but things took a bad turn and injury land them in a hospital.
There are more bad turns, round corners, through doors and terrors awaiting in this hospital with fresh revival of images of his dead mothers face.
"But Rex was right. He needed to start his life again. Emerge from his darkened basement into the world. He just wasn’t sure rock climbing was the answer."
"It was unclear what happened next. Without warning he found himself floating, the world spinning vertiginously. Images of deep unyielding sky and solid red rock flickered before him. But there were other images, images that moved too fast to comprehend, images of dark flesh and multitudinous eyes, all staring outward. He felt a thousand touches brush his face, and as everything flashed his already tenuous grasp slipped. Then in an instant it was over, and he was upside down, dangling, his right arm caught behind his back and filled with intense paresthesia. He was disoriented and nauseated, and wasn’t sure if he was going to pass out or simply cease to be."
"Rex carried his brother forward down the halls, past unmoving patients who simply stared. Garrison looked at each, and each had that same impossibly wide and vacant gaze, like a menagerie of soulless fish. Did they see something in him? Some sign that his wound was worse than he imagined? His shivering returned, yet if Rex noticed he said nothing."
By Invisible Hands
“The puppet maker had forgotten far more about the art of creation than most had ever known, the slow leak of memories over the course of years. Some days, he no longer recognized himself in the mirror.?No one came for the puppet maker. No one cared for him. The only children he had ever bore hung on the wall of his basement, those ugly vessels for his love, with their large round heads and wrongly numbered wooden arms. He had sacrificed it all for them, sacrificed so he might bring wonderment to a public whose eyes grew increasingly duller the longer he performed for them, and at the end when no one seemed to notice or care about the art of bringing life to the lifeless, those bedeviled creations on his workshop wall did nothing but stare back at him unblinkingly, waiting for him to pass on. Unnoticed and alone.”
One feels for him, a great affinity, two souls joined, I have seen the same misery at times during pandemic in the mirror.
“Mr. L——:?I have need of your services. Please come at once.?—Toth”
Got one yesterday on my way!
There to be a summons to the great puppet maker Mr L, out of his hibernation he goes forth to the mysterious Dr. Toth, in his old age and demise maybe a lifeline extended, a calling answered, a metamorphosis ensuing, a trepidation mounting.?He becomes driven by a sourced hallucinogenea from nightmares.
Real and surreal collide hooking the reader forward into nightmarish realms with a crafted poise of words and the author’s wondrous imagination.
“The puppet maker’s hands were wizened. He stared at them, at the gnarled knuckles like cherry galls on goldenrod, at the wrinkled leather skin stretched and folded in on itself so many times it sagged. Those hands were filled with pain and loss and regret that radiated outward like an unbearable heat. His hands were all he had left. His hands, and his memories. But those memories faded from his mind, slipped into the dark of the misty quiet town like the sound of an automobile in the distance. He swallowed another handful of pills and hoped that this day might finally be his last.”
“And yet, its lifelessness was its beauty, its emptiness its perfection.”
Thistle’s Find
Owen has got himself into another fine mess.
Fuelled with curiosity and sentiments of nostalgia and need for money leading him back to his old friend Dr Thistle.
A search for comforts but at what price.
A short amalgamation of sci-fi and horror like little bit of Twilight Zone and Stephen King.
Concise and intriguingly done little short of strangeness.
Beyond the Banks of the River Seine
The sense of atmosphere of a Paris of old with two unique composers in the narrative succumbed by something, his craft and calling to another, rivalry, obsession and ones descent into something masterful, with Carcoas and the King in Yellow behind the curtain, its promises to be something transformative for the artist and the audience, a performance that yet graced their eyes, strange conjuring and changing afoot, reader and artist consumed, reeling you forward with an alluring tale.
Burnt Black Suns
Starts with visceral telling and one with anxiety in a bus upon a journey to finding a lost son Eli in a scorching landscape where things to be unraveled, bright burning realities in a prism of ritual and a cult awaiting.
The complexities, the need for reuniting, the rage and anger of the taking of his son by ex, and the finding of the cult, all brought alive through the crucible of this journey with Noah with another finely crafted short to end the collection.
"Sonia and Eli were there, somewhere, in the small village, and he knew it. Knew he was so close."
"Noah had sworn a vow to protect his son at all costs, and would not fail again. No matter how much everything else in his life was falling apart, he would not fail again."
"The heat in the middle of night remained oppressive, and sitting beside the open window proved futile—the air from outside was no cooler. Still, Noah could look out from his perch at the tiny village streets lit by moonlight, and past the broken spire of the church toward the rough-edged horizon. He stared out and wondered where in all that emptiness Sonia was hiding. Sonia, and the son she had stolen from him. He boiled with impotent rage."
“Yes, one in the same. This is how a small number reconciled the new god the Spaniards brought with them. They believed this god, named Ometéotlitztl, to be the true supreme being, one which our God was only an aspect of. The cult has grown and persists, but they remain secret, unwilling to reveal their hidden selves to the world. Astilla de la Cruz is their home, and it’s everything I can do to keep the true God alive here in the face of that.”
“Once this all used to be jungle. Right here where we’re standing. When the Aztecs built this temple to Ometéotlitztl, it was hidden from the prying eyes of neighboring tribes. They called it ‘the lost temple’ because of how secret the Tletliztlii kept its true location.”
Review @ https://www.more2read.com/review/burn...
Reviews of the ones that worked for me follow, mostly all, expect one or two.
On Ice
Place, Melville Island.
The people, Dr. Hanson, Dogan, Wendell, Isaacs, and pilot Gauthier.
Searching for evidence of ichthyosaurs in the Arctic Ocean and Mesozoic migration patterns.
An Island and shrouded secret?
There will be mystery, terror and suspense on ice awaiting, a group of five and then there was ..
They well soon be racing back to civilization and safety, away from terror on ice.
A solid chiller thriller done only the way Simon Strantzas can.
“They fell back into a single line quickly: Dr. Hanson leading the way, then Dogan, Wendell, Isaacs, and finally the pilot, Gauthier. Wendell made a concerted effort to keep close to the front so he might hear anything Dogan and Dr. Hanson discussed, but the sound of their footsteps on the snow had a deafening and delirious effect—at times he hallucinated more sounds than could be possible. The constant crunch made him lightheaded, a problem exacerbated by the cold that worked at his temples.
But it was Isaacs who suffered the worst. Periodically, Wendell checked to see how far behind his fellow student had fallen, and to ensure he hadn’t vanished altogether. Yet Isaacs was always there, only a few feet back, fidgeting and scanning the landscape. Gauthier likely kept him in place. The two made quite a sight, and Wendell was amused by how little Gauthier did to conceal his contempt. Isaacs was a frightened rabbit in a cage. Gauthier, the snarling wolf beyond the lock.”
“Wendell took a breath to speak and tasted the most noxious air. Dogan shook his twisted face, but it was no use; the fetid odor filled their lungs. Wendell covered his nose and mouth with his gloved hand. Whatever it was, it was sickly and bitter and smelled not unlike dead fish.
Outside there was a long sorrowful howl that sounded so near their shelter that Wendell prayed desperately it was only the wind echoing between the stones.”
Dwelling on the Past
This be a tale that vividly evokes the atmosphere, mystery and impeding trouble with the unfolding scenes in psychologically gripping pace, with matters gone wrong in the past re-emerging, the grief of lost daughter to a tragedy, the author unraveling the hows slowly and colliding with threats in the forest and his immediate periphery with new discoveries, a possible beast of destruction.
He was to investigate protestors for possible trouble at a site, they where against land being used and possibly something planned that night, with gun in pocket he wasn’t really ready yet to face work and troubles with loss, terror and guilt plaguing him.
“His head swam with thoughts long held at bay, concealed beneath a sea of Scotch and gin and whiskey, but no matter how he tried, he could not drown the knowledge of what happened, of poor Emily’s broken face as she lay unmoving in the hospital bed, machines filling her lungs, pumping her blood. The sight haunted him, and he cursed himself for not being in the car with her and Donna.”
“The Six Nations wanted something, and their anger pushed them forward like animals. Anger fueled by hate and revenge, anger that wanted restitution and reparations for all that Henco had done. Anger that wanted the company to pay. The Six Nations of the Grand River wanted vengeance against those who had robbed them, and those who refused to relinquish their land. All this weighed heavy in the air, so much so that Harvey could almost see it in the dark, the emotions coalescing, suffocating the world beneath. But it was all for naught. Had they simply asked him, he would have explained it. Their mistake was looking for justice. Justice has no balance. If it did, Harvey would carry nothing in his pockets.”
Strong as a Rock
Rex was to have a break and rock climb with brother, but things took a bad turn and injury land them in a hospital.
There are more bad turns, round corners, through doors and terrors awaiting in this hospital with fresh revival of images of his dead mothers face.
"But Rex was right. He needed to start his life again. Emerge from his darkened basement into the world. He just wasn’t sure rock climbing was the answer."
"It was unclear what happened next. Without warning he found himself floating, the world spinning vertiginously. Images of deep unyielding sky and solid red rock flickered before him. But there were other images, images that moved too fast to comprehend, images of dark flesh and multitudinous eyes, all staring outward. He felt a thousand touches brush his face, and as everything flashed his already tenuous grasp slipped. Then in an instant it was over, and he was upside down, dangling, his right arm caught behind his back and filled with intense paresthesia. He was disoriented and nauseated, and wasn’t sure if he was going to pass out or simply cease to be."
"Rex carried his brother forward down the halls, past unmoving patients who simply stared. Garrison looked at each, and each had that same impossibly wide and vacant gaze, like a menagerie of soulless fish. Did they see something in him? Some sign that his wound was worse than he imagined? His shivering returned, yet if Rex noticed he said nothing."
By Invisible Hands
“The puppet maker had forgotten far more about the art of creation than most had ever known, the slow leak of memories over the course of years. Some days, he no longer recognized himself in the mirror.?No one came for the puppet maker. No one cared for him. The only children he had ever bore hung on the wall of his basement, those ugly vessels for his love, with their large round heads and wrongly numbered wooden arms. He had sacrificed it all for them, sacrificed so he might bring wonderment to a public whose eyes grew increasingly duller the longer he performed for them, and at the end when no one seemed to notice or care about the art of bringing life to the lifeless, those bedeviled creations on his workshop wall did nothing but stare back at him unblinkingly, waiting for him to pass on. Unnoticed and alone.”
One feels for him, a great affinity, two souls joined, I have seen the same misery at times during pandemic in the mirror.
“Mr. L——:?I have need of your services. Please come at once.?—Toth”
Got one yesterday on my way!
There to be a summons to the great puppet maker Mr L, out of his hibernation he goes forth to the mysterious Dr. Toth, in his old age and demise maybe a lifeline extended, a calling answered, a metamorphosis ensuing, a trepidation mounting.?He becomes driven by a sourced hallucinogenea from nightmares.
Real and surreal collide hooking the reader forward into nightmarish realms with a crafted poise of words and the author’s wondrous imagination.
“The puppet maker’s hands were wizened. He stared at them, at the gnarled knuckles like cherry galls on goldenrod, at the wrinkled leather skin stretched and folded in on itself so many times it sagged. Those hands were filled with pain and loss and regret that radiated outward like an unbearable heat. His hands were all he had left. His hands, and his memories. But those memories faded from his mind, slipped into the dark of the misty quiet town like the sound of an automobile in the distance. He swallowed another handful of pills and hoped that this day might finally be his last.”
“And yet, its lifelessness was its beauty, its emptiness its perfection.”
Thistle’s Find
Owen has got himself into another fine mess.
Fuelled with curiosity and sentiments of nostalgia and need for money leading him back to his old friend Dr Thistle.
A search for comforts but at what price.
A short amalgamation of sci-fi and horror like little bit of Twilight Zone and Stephen King.
Concise and intriguingly done little short of strangeness.
Beyond the Banks of the River Seine
The sense of atmosphere of a Paris of old with two unique composers in the narrative succumbed by something, his craft and calling to another, rivalry, obsession and ones descent into something masterful, with Carcoas and the King in Yellow behind the curtain, its promises to be something transformative for the artist and the audience, a performance that yet graced their eyes, strange conjuring and changing afoot, reader and artist consumed, reeling you forward with an alluring tale.
Burnt Black Suns
Starts with visceral telling and one with anxiety in a bus upon a journey to finding a lost son Eli in a scorching landscape where things to be unraveled, bright burning realities in a prism of ritual and a cult awaiting.
The complexities, the need for reuniting, the rage and anger of the taking of his son by ex, and the finding of the cult, all brought alive through the crucible of this journey with Noah with another finely crafted short to end the collection.
"Sonia and Eli were there, somewhere, in the small village, and he knew it. Knew he was so close."
"Noah had sworn a vow to protect his son at all costs, and would not fail again. No matter how much everything else in his life was falling apart, he would not fail again."
"The heat in the middle of night remained oppressive, and sitting beside the open window proved futile—the air from outside was no cooler. Still, Noah could look out from his perch at the tiny village streets lit by moonlight, and past the broken spire of the church toward the rough-edged horizon. He stared out and wondered where in all that emptiness Sonia was hiding. Sonia, and the son she had stolen from him. He boiled with impotent rage."
“Yes, one in the same. This is how a small number reconciled the new god the Spaniards brought with them. They believed this god, named Ometéotlitztl, to be the true supreme being, one which our God was only an aspect of. The cult has grown and persists, but they remain secret, unwilling to reveal their hidden selves to the world. Astilla de la Cruz is their home, and it’s everything I can do to keep the true God alive here in the face of that.”
“Once this all used to be jungle. Right here where we’re standing. When the Aztecs built this temple to Ometéotlitztl, it was hidden from the prying eyes of neighboring tribes. They called it ‘the lost temple’ because of how secret the Tletliztlii kept its true location.”
Review @ https://www.more2read.com/review/burn...
June 1, 2015
I struggled for a moment or two before rating this collection; it was very close to three rather than four stars for me, but I settled with four because, aside from the issues I'll get to in a moment, it's a solid collection of genuinely creepy Weird short fiction. Most of the stories have great atmosphere and a few promote that "feeling of dread" that I look for (and simultaneously love and hate) in the Horror fiction that I enjoy. The first story, "On Ice" is great, Mythos-inspired fun and is full of those sorts of "ice-locked" moments of dread, even if the reveal of the creatures was a disappointment ...for me, at least.There are numerous allusions to the Mythos in this collection but they are interwoven in a very light-handed way so that it avoids the cheesy, Lovecraft-inspired "pulp effect" that some Mythos stories can have. Strantzas does a nice job of varying writing style and tone to suit the spirit of each story, and there are some really interesting "takes" on concepts/tropes from Lovecraft's work, e.g., the "door" created by Dr. Thistle as it relates to the Resonator; the variation on the ghoul he offers; the combination of Innsmouth folk and the ice-locked setting of At the Mountains of Madness.
All of that good aside, I just want to mention a couple of concerns that I had in case anyone is using my opinion as any sort of guide or suggestion, etc. (thanks for reading, if you are) or if they want to discuss the reading.
The first is related to self-awareness/consciousness observable in the writing. I love Horror; I don't think much is off limits when it comes to content, either--it just needs proper treatment. However, weaving-in certain ideas/concepts requires, for my enjoyment, a sort of observable awareness from the writer--even if they are presenting the entire tale through the p.o.v. of a horrible human being. It's tricky, I know, and maybe I'm making too much of it, but "Thistle's Find" was extraordinarily frustrating for me and almost compelled me to stop reading--and that would have been a shame. I loved the "door" device in the story. I loved the setting, and Thistle is as disgusting of a character as you'll find (he brought to mind "The Picture in the House," as well). I was simply disappointed, though, by the truly strange--and not in the good way--direction the story took. I did not expect to encounter ghoul-raping; although, to be fair, we don't "see" the act but are made very aware of Thistle's seemingly long-term practice of it with the poor creature he's captured. I didn't see any of the details related to it as necessary at all to the Horror at play or to the progression of the story. It was just so distracting and odd. And why in the world would it make sense for a character to automatically jump to sex-trafficking if they've discovered a race of humanoid creatures accessible through a dimensional gateway? I didn't get enough character development on the two men to make head or tails of that sort of bizarre leap. I mean, am I to just assume it's logical that men, if given access to a girl-like creature who isn't quite human but still sexually disarable, will want to rape it/her? It just seemed to fall apart for me at that point, and that frustrated me.
I think the story took the most un-Lovecraftian turn I've ever encountered in a story whose roots were clearly (and thoughtfully) Lovecraftian when the protagonist destroyed the machine. I can't imagine anyone who loves Lovecraft advocating the destruction of the portal/door device--even if it meant suicide. (You could see other worlds, for god's sake!)
I won't harp any longer on that story, but--again--I think it bothered/s me so much due to what felt like its wasted potential. What's observable in large amounts in that story, with regards to what I call "problems in awareness," is observable to a much smaller degree in many of the other stories, as well.
Other than the issues with Thistle and unnecessary plot-props, I just want to mention an issue that I had with race in the collection. A prime example of it comes with "Dwelling on the Past." I understand the need to establish setting and context--this situation into which to thrust the struggling protagonist relied upon an excavation site, high-tension, etc. I didn't "get," however, the use of the Six Nations as (what seemed to me) "mysterious" props for the tale. It smacked too much of the "magical/murderous Native" trope that goes too far back in Literature to even begin to discuss. I like the qualities of that tale that make it Weird, of course--the resistance to "show the monster/horror," the dread the progression of the tale inspires, and connections to something "bigger" at play; I just wonder, as I do with the treatment of the ghoul/girl in Thistle, if the author is consciously interweaving some of these ideas and intentionally avoiding a nod towards awareness of what effect they might have or is simply not aware of what he's doing. It happened to a lesser degree in a few other spots, as well. I'd rather it be clear that an author is intentionally posturing a character as racist, see a purpose for the racism as an integral part of the story (so that it's brought under a critical lens, etc.) or have it be clear that s/he shares those perspectives than have it appear to be thoughtlessly accidental or just a carelessly undeveloped aspect of the tale (if that makes sense).
Again, I may be picky with this collection, but it's only because I did get a lot of enjoyment from it, on whole. It's good Weird fiction. It's when I find the good stuff, though, that I tend to knit-pick, I guess. I do recommend it, and I would love to chat-through a few of the stories with anyone who reads it--just to get a better grasp on my own issues with some of the stories.
All of that good aside, I just want to mention a couple of concerns that I had in case anyone is using my opinion as any sort of guide or suggestion, etc. (thanks for reading, if you are) or if they want to discuss the reading.
The first is related to self-awareness/consciousness observable in the writing. I love Horror; I don't think much is off limits when it comes to content, either--it just needs proper treatment. However, weaving-in certain ideas/concepts requires, for my enjoyment, a sort of observable awareness from the writer--even if they are presenting the entire tale through the p.o.v. of a horrible human being. It's tricky, I know, and maybe I'm making too much of it, but "Thistle's Find" was extraordinarily frustrating for me and almost compelled me to stop reading--and that would have been a shame. I loved the "door" device in the story. I loved the setting, and Thistle is as disgusting of a character as you'll find (he brought to mind "The Picture in the House," as well). I was simply disappointed, though, by the truly strange--and not in the good way--direction the story took. I did not expect to encounter ghoul-raping; although, to be fair, we don't "see" the act but are made very aware of Thistle's seemingly long-term practice of it with the poor creature he's captured. I didn't see any of the details related to it as necessary at all to the Horror at play or to the progression of the story. It was just so distracting and odd. And why in the world would it make sense for a character to automatically jump to sex-trafficking if they've discovered a race of humanoid creatures accessible through a dimensional gateway? I didn't get enough character development on the two men to make head or tails of that sort of bizarre leap. I mean, am I to just assume it's logical that men, if given access to a girl-like creature who isn't quite human but still sexually disarable, will want to rape it/her? It just seemed to fall apart for me at that point, and that frustrated me.
I think the story took the most un-Lovecraftian turn I've ever encountered in a story whose roots were clearly (and thoughtfully) Lovecraftian when the protagonist destroyed the machine. I can't imagine anyone who loves Lovecraft advocating the destruction of the portal/door device--even if it meant suicide. (You could see other worlds, for god's sake!)
I won't harp any longer on that story, but--again--I think it bothered/s me so much due to what felt like its wasted potential. What's observable in large amounts in that story, with regards to what I call "problems in awareness," is observable to a much smaller degree in many of the other stories, as well.
Other than the issues with Thistle and unnecessary plot-props, I just want to mention an issue that I had with race in the collection. A prime example of it comes with "Dwelling on the Past." I understand the need to establish setting and context--this situation into which to thrust the struggling protagonist relied upon an excavation site, high-tension, etc. I didn't "get," however, the use of the Six Nations as (what seemed to me) "mysterious" props for the tale. It smacked too much of the "magical/murderous Native" trope that goes too far back in Literature to even begin to discuss. I like the qualities of that tale that make it Weird, of course--the resistance to "show the monster/horror," the dread the progression of the tale inspires, and connections to something "bigger" at play; I just wonder, as I do with the treatment of the ghoul/girl in Thistle, if the author is consciously interweaving some of these ideas and intentionally avoiding a nod towards awareness of what effect they might have or is simply not aware of what he's doing. It happened to a lesser degree in a few other spots, as well. I'd rather it be clear that an author is intentionally posturing a character as racist, see a purpose for the racism as an integral part of the story (so that it's brought under a critical lens, etc.) or have it be clear that s/he shares those perspectives than have it appear to be thoughtlessly accidental or just a carelessly undeveloped aspect of the tale (if that makes sense).
Again, I may be picky with this collection, but it's only because I did get a lot of enjoyment from it, on whole. It's good Weird fiction. It's when I find the good stuff, though, that I tend to knit-pick, I guess. I do recommend it, and I would love to chat-through a few of the stories with anyone who reads it--just to get a better grasp on my own issues with some of the stories.
October 21, 2015
This book carries the subtitle "A Collection of Weird Tales", and it's Simon Strantzas' fourth. And really, it's actually a collection of 9 pure, undiluted, no-BS contemporary weird yarn. Harkening, of course, to the masters of the past: R. W. Chambers, H. P. Lovecraft, ...
So far, Strantzas' stories were subtler and vaguer, with the end - and sometimes the plot itself - being very open to interpretation. This was especially evident in his previous collection, "Nightingale Songs". "Burnt Black Suns" does away with ambiguity. In the fashion of classic weird literature, the horror may be unseen and its nature only hinted at, but the story is always clear as day.
I would say "Burnt Black Suns" lacks distinctiveness; this is run-of-the-mill weird from start to finish. Strantzas has proven himself as an author of the genre, but he's playing it very safe here. Each tale is serviceable in the least: while being without a complete dud, some pieces are utterly unremarkable in both idea and execution (Strong as a Rock, Thistle's Find).
The rest is rock-solid weird that should not be missed by any fans of the genre.
Favorite stories: By Invisible Hands, Beyond the Banks of River Seine, Emotional Dues, Burnt Black Suns.
So far, Strantzas' stories were subtler and vaguer, with the end - and sometimes the plot itself - being very open to interpretation. This was especially evident in his previous collection, "Nightingale Songs". "Burnt Black Suns" does away with ambiguity. In the fashion of classic weird literature, the horror may be unseen and its nature only hinted at, but the story is always clear as day.
I would say "Burnt Black Suns" lacks distinctiveness; this is run-of-the-mill weird from start to finish. Strantzas has proven himself as an author of the genre, but he's playing it very safe here. Each tale is serviceable in the least: while being without a complete dud, some pieces are utterly unremarkable in both idea and execution (Strong as a Rock, Thistle's Find).
The rest is rock-solid weird that should not be missed by any fans of the genre.
Favorite stories: By Invisible Hands, Beyond the Banks of River Seine, Emotional Dues, Burnt Black Suns.
March 26, 2015
Wow. This is the first I’ve read of Simon Strantzas, and what an epic collection of weird fiction it is. The stories here inspired by Ligotti or Lovecraft or Chambers are all fantastic and unsettling, but it’s the more distinctly Strantzasian (if this isn’t already a word, I’m coining it; it really rolls off the tongue) narratives that really made my skin crawl and my eyes widen and kept me reading till the early hours. Strong as a Rock reminded me of playing one of the early Silent Hill games and had a brilliant, understated ending. Emotional Dues was a very raw, desperate, beautiful story that made my skin crawl from start to finish — plus all the characters had awesome names. The title story, Burnt Black Suns, is a gruelling, sweaty nightmare of a thing that chokingly conveys the nauseating heat and hostility of the setting, and the protagonist’s monomaniacal search for his lost son. It builds slowly and with an increasing sense of queasy unease until the climax that leaves you breathless and in awe. So yeah, overall a brilliant collection – and with fantastic cover art by Santiago Caruso.
March 6, 2016
Not what I expected. Based on some reviews and recommendations, I had in mind something more subtle and complex than these straight up weird tales. I don't mind a bit of tentacles and that sort of thing, but I felt like these stories aspired to be more, and failed. The protagonists (well, main characters at least) are all men, tortured and conflicted and going through some crisis or other. There are some female casualties, but mostly it's an orgy of male suffering. As it turns out, this reader is finally all out of sympathy for tormented fictional men. Even though they are meant to be unsympathetic, it's no good when you can't wait for them to be devoured by some ancient beast. Nor did I find the stories scary. It was fairly obvious where they were going from the beginning, and most of them were dragged out for so long the final denoument was pretty anticlimactic.
This didn't do it for me at all, but I seem to be in the minority. Perhaps I'll give the author another go if I come across his other stories.
This didn't do it for me at all, but I seem to be in the minority. Perhaps I'll give the author another go if I come across his other stories.
Read
October 4, 2021Idk, I kind of wish I'd liked this more than I did? Gotta think about it a bit. I'll try something else by this writer though because his style is really engaging
June 9, 2014
One of the books I was really excited about this year was Burnt Black Suns by Simon Strantzas. BBS is a fantastic collection by a weird fiction author who is at the top of his game. It has a nice mix of short stories and novellas. I waited quite a long time for this work and when I finally read it, it did not disappoint.
Simon Strantzas is a master of pace and does an excellent job of balancing that slow and subtle strange feeling with developing excellent settings and complex characters. Many of the longer works in this collection feel much shorter because of this. Also, it’s a very diverse collection, which made for easy reading for the two or three days it took to complete.
The book starts with a story called “On Ice” about an Arctic expedition that goes bad. The group finds the tracks of a small hominid that seems to be following them through the snow. The subtle fear in this story builds over time and ends with a horrifying conclusion.
Then came a shorter story, “Dwelling on the Past” about a man who suffered a great loss. He infiltrates a group and comes across a terrifying find. This was probably my least favorite story; it was good but not amazing or memorable.
“Strong as a Rock” is about two brothers who go mountain climbing. Strantzas does a good job portraying the relationship between brothers and the place that they end up is very unnerving. It reminded me of “The Hospice” by Aickman in some ways and the story finished with a very sudden and disturbing ending.
“By Invisible Hands” originally appeared in The Grimscribe's Puppets and thus is reminiscent of Ligotti. It’s about a puppet maker that gets a request from a mysterious Dr. Toth. I find puppets in general to be creepy so this story was especially frightening.
The novella, “One Last Bloom”, was about a couple of PhD students who get a crate of samples. Their teacher who collected the samples though is missing. It’s a great tale and has sort of a scifi slant which I thought was interesting.
“Thistle’s Find” was a short story that was packed with weirdness and horror in the vein of Ligotti and Lovecraft. The narrator visits an old, eccentric neighbor (Dr. Thistle) who has made a terrible discovery. Not sure what disturbed me more though–Thistle’s discovery or Thistle.
“Emotional Dues” was another great piece about an artist who gets tasked by an old man to create a painting. It’s a longer story that does an excellent job of building a sense of strange until the climax where all hell breaks loose.
“Beyond the Banks of the River Seine” is a tale that originally appeared in the King in Yellow tribute, A Season in Carcosa. This story is about a rivalry between two musicians and is very reminiscent of Chambers' works.
“Burnt Black Suns” was probably one of my favorite stories in this collection. It’s about a father who is searching for his son. It starts kind of slow but then in the second chapter, it starts to build an excellent storyline starting with their visit to the heath. It reminded me of William Peter Blatty in some ways.
I’d recommend Burnt Black Suns to any horror or weird fiction fans. It’s probably and quite likely the best single author collection of 2014.
Simon Strantzas is a master of pace and does an excellent job of balancing that slow and subtle strange feeling with developing excellent settings and complex characters. Many of the longer works in this collection feel much shorter because of this. Also, it’s a very diverse collection, which made for easy reading for the two or three days it took to complete.
The book starts with a story called “On Ice” about an Arctic expedition that goes bad. The group finds the tracks of a small hominid that seems to be following them through the snow. The subtle fear in this story builds over time and ends with a horrifying conclusion.
Then came a shorter story, “Dwelling on the Past” about a man who suffered a great loss. He infiltrates a group and comes across a terrifying find. This was probably my least favorite story; it was good but not amazing or memorable.
“Strong as a Rock” is about two brothers who go mountain climbing. Strantzas does a good job portraying the relationship between brothers and the place that they end up is very unnerving. It reminded me of “The Hospice” by Aickman in some ways and the story finished with a very sudden and disturbing ending.
“By Invisible Hands” originally appeared in The Grimscribe's Puppets and thus is reminiscent of Ligotti. It’s about a puppet maker that gets a request from a mysterious Dr. Toth. I find puppets in general to be creepy so this story was especially frightening.
The novella, “One Last Bloom”, was about a couple of PhD students who get a crate of samples. Their teacher who collected the samples though is missing. It’s a great tale and has sort of a scifi slant which I thought was interesting.
“Thistle’s Find” was a short story that was packed with weirdness and horror in the vein of Ligotti and Lovecraft. The narrator visits an old, eccentric neighbor (Dr. Thistle) who has made a terrible discovery. Not sure what disturbed me more though–Thistle’s discovery or Thistle.
“Emotional Dues” was another great piece about an artist who gets tasked by an old man to create a painting. It’s a longer story that does an excellent job of building a sense of strange until the climax where all hell breaks loose.
“Beyond the Banks of the River Seine” is a tale that originally appeared in the King in Yellow tribute, A Season in Carcosa. This story is about a rivalry between two musicians and is very reminiscent of Chambers' works.
“Burnt Black Suns” was probably one of my favorite stories in this collection. It’s about a father who is searching for his son. It starts kind of slow but then in the second chapter, it starts to build an excellent storyline starting with their visit to the heath. It reminded me of William Peter Blatty in some ways.
I’d recommend Burnt Black Suns to any horror or weird fiction fans. It’s probably and quite likely the best single author collection of 2014.
December 22, 2015
In these stories, bad things happen to invariably unlikeable (and also most of the time very sad) characters. That’s a shame because the subjects are among my favourites: mysteries of the frozen north or of the deep seas, portals to other worlds, etc. For me, this lack of likeability cushions the impact that the stories might have had on me if I had cared more about the characters. Unless this insufferableness is meant to be one of the facets of the horror… Even if that’s the case, that’s not quite the weird fiction that I like and seek.
I’m also asking myself what kind of cosmic, creature or other type of horror can still be effective when added to the real horror of having lost a child, a parent, one’s memory or physical abilities, etc. And is it necessary? For me it pales in comparison and maybe it’s in fact to be welcomed as the final relief from the worldly pain. And I suspect, the characters, or at least some of them, do welcome it. Certainly, they don’t do much to avoid it.
Actually, the plot of some of the stories seems a lot just like a vehicle meant to take us to the ending. “On Ice” made me feel that in a way (maybe because I had recently read the amazing “The Thing from —Outside” by George Allan England). In “Strong as a Rock”, the story of two brothers on a rock climbing trip —one of them morally paralyzed by the recent death of their mother, Garrison Even “One Last Bloom” has the characters do certain things that don’t feel quite logical to me. Is it fatalism? Is it the influence that ? Or just negligence?
“By Invisible Hands” is a gem (a very sad one, but still a gem). I think I liked most “Emotional Dues” while the story that gives this collection its title, “Burnt Black Suns” is pure, gruesome horror. There too I got the feeling I was mentioning before, that characters acted in a certain way because they were meant to act like that. Rachel from “Burnt Black Suns” was my favourite character in the whole collection.
Yet Mr. Strantzas appears to be a very talented writer. I think he excels at creating atmosphere and at delving into the minds of his troubled characters. His language is elegant and elaborate, and some scenes are really cinematographic. But his gloom is just too thick for me. I had to put the book down often (I needed my dose of Garfield humour to go through these stories…) though I always picked it up again…
I wasn’t sure how many stars to give this. Five for the author’s talent. Three (perhaps less) for the enjoyment. That makes a four.
I’m also asking myself what kind of cosmic, creature or other type of horror can still be effective when added to the real horror of having lost a child, a parent, one’s memory or physical abilities, etc. And is it necessary? For me it pales in comparison and maybe it’s in fact to be welcomed as the final relief from the worldly pain. And I suspect, the characters, or at least some of them, do welcome it. Certainly, they don’t do much to avoid it.
Actually, the plot of some of the stories seems a lot just like a vehicle meant to take us to the ending. “On Ice” made me feel that in a way (maybe because I had recently read the amazing “The Thing from —Outside” by George Allan England). In “Strong as a Rock”, the story of two brothers on a rock climbing trip —one of them morally paralyzed by the recent death of their mother, Garrison Even “One Last Bloom” has the characters do certain things that don’t feel quite logical to me. Is it fatalism? Is it the influence that ? Or just negligence?
“By Invisible Hands” is a gem (a very sad one, but still a gem). I think I liked most “Emotional Dues” while the story that gives this collection its title, “Burnt Black Suns” is pure, gruesome horror. There too I got the feeling I was mentioning before, that characters acted in a certain way because they were meant to act like that. Rachel from “Burnt Black Suns” was my favourite character in the whole collection.
Yet Mr. Strantzas appears to be a very talented writer. I think he excels at creating atmosphere and at delving into the minds of his troubled characters. His language is elegant and elaborate, and some scenes are really cinematographic. But his gloom is just too thick for me. I had to put the book down often (I needed my dose of Garfield humour to go through these stories…) though I always picked it up again…
I wasn’t sure how many stars to give this. Five for the author’s talent. Three (perhaps less) for the enjoyment. That makes a four.
June 23, 2014
This book is a collection of short to medium length fiction by Simon Strantzas, some of which appeared previously, others are original to this volume, with an Introduction by Laird Barron.
One thing I want to mention before I forget, is that Strantzas has one of the superior prose styles.
Strantzas states as influences the great masters of literary horror: Robert Aickman, Ramsey Campbell, Robert W. Chambers, Thomas Ligotti, and H.P. Lovecraft. Some stories are science fiction-horror, such as "On Ice" and "One Last Bloom." The story "By Invisible Hands" was originally published in a book of stories honoring Thomas Ligotti. While the story shows a stylistic similarity to Ligotti's prose, Strantzas own approach can be seen too.
I previously reviewed at goodreads another story collection by Strantzas, and I said then that it was interesting to see what direction the plot took; while reading a story, I did not have a good idea where it was heading, which for me is a Good Thing. The fiction in this book is like that.
This book will likely be nominated for awards.
One thing I want to mention before I forget, is that Strantzas has one of the superior prose styles.
Strantzas states as influences the great masters of literary horror: Robert Aickman, Ramsey Campbell, Robert W. Chambers, Thomas Ligotti, and H.P. Lovecraft. Some stories are science fiction-horror, such as "On Ice" and "One Last Bloom." The story "By Invisible Hands" was originally published in a book of stories honoring Thomas Ligotti. While the story shows a stylistic similarity to Ligotti's prose, Strantzas own approach can be seen too.
I previously reviewed at goodreads another story collection by Strantzas, and I said then that it was interesting to see what direction the plot took; while reading a story, I did not have a good idea where it was heading, which for me is a Good Thing. The fiction in this book is like that.
This book will likely be nominated for awards.
October 9, 2014
With his fourth collection of stories, Simon Strantzas combines a considerable talent for etching dreamlike landscapes, an appreciation for the tropes of cosmic horror, and a talent for pacing psychological suspense. The stories in this volume are perhaps his most immediately engrossing and accessible, without losing the poetic sensibility that distinguished his earlier work.
Most cosmic horror implies no safe places. The universe is slipping sideways and will swallow you here, now, or in another place, at another time. Strantzas' characters appear to have a slim chance at escape or redemption. They must interact with a dangerous world or retreat into themselves, and there's always the tantalizing possibility that retreat might make them safe. Yet the pain the characters have already endured spurs a desperate need for contact, understanding, or at least emotional release. More than physical annihilation itself, their tragedy is an intelligent and sensitive awareness of a terrible fate.
Highly recommended.
Most cosmic horror implies no safe places. The universe is slipping sideways and will swallow you here, now, or in another place, at another time. Strantzas' characters appear to have a slim chance at escape or redemption. They must interact with a dangerous world or retreat into themselves, and there's always the tantalizing possibility that retreat might make them safe. Yet the pain the characters have already endured spurs a desperate need for contact, understanding, or at least emotional release. More than physical annihilation itself, their tragedy is an intelligent and sensitive awareness of a terrible fate.
Highly recommended.
February 4, 2015
Fantastic. This is as dark and menacing as I love. Laird Barron provides the introduction, and this is worthy of that piece. It takes a lot to unsettle me, and this collection pulled that off several times.
December 27, 2015
Two stars for the first story, "On Ice." All the rest were weird fiction by-the-numbers. A thoroughly unenjoyable read.
December 11, 2022
Felt like a reread, still a fantastic collection!
March 8, 2022
A readable collection of dark tales that doesn't wear its influences on its sleeve so much as wave them about on a placard. It turns out that some of them were written for tribute anthologies, so I guess that explains it. Still, other writers manage to make such stories their own. A lot of this felt derivative.
"On Ice" uses the well-worn but effective scenario of an Arctic expedition. Ominous things begin to happen to the group of explorers, but when the antagonists are finally revealed, it is disappointing.
In "Dwelling in the Past," a man who has lost his young daughter is caught in a standoff between indigenous people and the corporation that built on their land.
Two siblings go rock climbing in "Strong as a Rock," but when one of them is injured, the hospital they find isn't one that is on any map.
In "By Invisible Hands," an elderly puppet maker is compelled to utilize his craft by mysterious forces. Even before I saw the source in the acknowledgments, the theme of marionettes and the twilight world in which it takes place screamed Ligotti to me. Despite the obvious connection, this was my favorite story in the collection, and the only one that truly achieved the quality of weird that I was hoping for.
Research into bizarre organisms living in deep sea vents is the subject of "One Last Bloom." While enjoyable, it is basically "The Color Out of Space" moved to a university lab setting.
Likewise, "Thistle's Find" recalls "From Beyond," albeit in a perverse way Lovecraft would never have explored. A mad scientist opens a doorway to another dimension and captures one of its inhabitants for his own deviant purposes.
In "Beyond the Banks of the River Seine," an inferior musician finds a book with a peculiar yellow sigil in an antique shop, and trades something precious for the ability to create his magnum opus.
In "Emotional Dues," a painter finds a patron who is a very different sort of art lover.
And in the title story, a man travels to Mexico in search of his ex-wife and abducted son, and runs afoul of an ancient cult.
At least I can say I was never bored by any of these. Had I not been aware of the authors and works that came before, I might have thought more highly of them.
"On Ice" uses the well-worn but effective scenario of an Arctic expedition. Ominous things begin to happen to the group of explorers, but when the antagonists are finally revealed, it is disappointing.
In "Dwelling in the Past," a man who has lost his young daughter is caught in a standoff between indigenous people and the corporation that built on their land.
Two siblings go rock climbing in "Strong as a Rock," but when one of them is injured, the hospital they find isn't one that is on any map.
In "By Invisible Hands," an elderly puppet maker is compelled to utilize his craft by mysterious forces. Even before I saw the source in the acknowledgments, the theme of marionettes and the twilight world in which it takes place screamed Ligotti to me. Despite the obvious connection, this was my favorite story in the collection, and the only one that truly achieved the quality of weird that I was hoping for.
Research into bizarre organisms living in deep sea vents is the subject of "One Last Bloom." While enjoyable, it is basically "The Color Out of Space" moved to a university lab setting.
Likewise, "Thistle's Find" recalls "From Beyond," albeit in a perverse way Lovecraft would never have explored. A mad scientist opens a doorway to another dimension and captures one of its inhabitants for his own deviant purposes.
In "Beyond the Banks of the River Seine," an inferior musician finds a book with a peculiar yellow sigil in an antique shop, and trades something precious for the ability to create his magnum opus.
In "Emotional Dues," a painter finds a patron who is a very different sort of art lover.
And in the title story, a man travels to Mexico in search of his ex-wife and abducted son, and runs afoul of an ancient cult.
At least I can say I was never bored by any of these. Had I not been aware of the authors and works that came before, I might have thought more highly of them.
October 20, 2020
4 AND 1/2 STARS
Simon Strantzas continues to get better with every collection and is my favorite living weird fiction author working today. Every story in this collection is nearly incredible, with "On Ice" and "Thistle's End" being my favorites. Runners up include "Dwelling on the Past", "One Last Bloom", "Emotional Dues", and the collection's title, "Burnt Black Suns". Strantzas can write subtle horror as well as more violent, intense work, and this is the book I would recommend to readers interested in checking him out.
His obvious strengths are the atmosphere he creates and the unique settings in which he skillfully manages to infuse a palpable sense of dread and danger. He has a talent for getting characters into situations in which they have no safe way to get out of. I really love these stories and, while not for the fans of gore and extreme violence - like Edward Lee or Wrath James White, should easily satisfy the more mature, refined taste of most genre readers (authors like Ramsey Campbell, T.M. Wright, or Charles L. Grant come to mind) or fans of H.P. Lovecraft, as Strantzas' writing gives the same feeling of overwhelming cosmic evil. I can't wait for the next collection!
Simon Strantzas continues to get better with every collection and is my favorite living weird fiction author working today. Every story in this collection is nearly incredible, with "On Ice" and "Thistle's End" being my favorites. Runners up include "Dwelling on the Past", "One Last Bloom", "Emotional Dues", and the collection's title, "Burnt Black Suns". Strantzas can write subtle horror as well as more violent, intense work, and this is the book I would recommend to readers interested in checking him out.
His obvious strengths are the atmosphere he creates and the unique settings in which he skillfully manages to infuse a palpable sense of dread and danger. He has a talent for getting characters into situations in which they have no safe way to get out of. I really love these stories and, while not for the fans of gore and extreme violence - like Edward Lee or Wrath James White, should easily satisfy the more mature, refined taste of most genre readers (authors like Ramsey Campbell, T.M. Wright, or Charles L. Grant come to mind) or fans of H.P. Lovecraft, as Strantzas' writing gives the same feeling of overwhelming cosmic evil. I can't wait for the next collection!
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