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Sargasso #2
Sargasso #2: The Journal of William Hope Hodgson Studies
The second issue of SARGASSO: The Journal of William Hope Hodgson Studies is now available. This issue includes more articles about Hodgson's life and work as well as fiction, poetry and art inspired by this legendary writer. Contents include: "Under the Skin: A Profile of William Hope Hodgson" by Jane Frank "Carnacki Pastiche: A Bibliography" by James Bojaciuk "Contemporary Views: Pieces on William Hope Hodgson from the Idler and the Bookman" by Phillip A. Ellis "A Home on the Borderland: William Hope Hodgson and Borth" by Mark Valentine "A Concluding Oink: An Abnormal Flight of Fancy" by James Bojaciuk "Foreshadowing Carnacki: Algernon Blackwood's 'Smith: An Episode in a Lodging House" by Joseph Hinton "Dust and Atoms: The Influence of William Hope Hodgson on Clark Ashton Smith" by Scott Connors Poetry "Dead Seamen Gone in Search of the Same Landfall" by Phillip A. Ellis "House on the Borderland I & II" by Charles Lovecraft "Come, Dream of the Ocean" by Phillip A. Ellis "Ocean Rain" by Phillip A. Ellis "The Devil Mists, What Do They Hide?" by Charles Lovecraft "Coral Seas" by Phillip A. Ellis "The Burning Ship" by Phillip A. Ellis "And the Worried Waters Laughed" by Charles Lovecraft Fiction "Low the Ascomycotan Sky" by Deborah Walker "The Flames of the Drakkar" by John B. Ford "After 'The Voice in the Night'" by Laurie Needell "The Shop on the Borderland" by Robb Borders With full color cover and back cover by Robert H. Knox. The first issue sold out quickly so demand for this second issue will be high!
176 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2014
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November 20, 2014
Lest anyone feel betrayed, let me say this now: I am a contributor to this publication and two of my own essays can be found safely tucked inside its covers. But, still, I feel justified in making this review: I received no remuneration for my submissions, and even if you were a mad billionaire ready to buy a million copies, I would not see a cent.
Therefore, we can safely begin this review.
Sam Gafford has, once again, outdone himself. The first Sargasso was one of my favorite new books of 2013, and this volume looks to continue that trend. Once again, the volume is divided between scholarship, poetry, and Hogdsonain fiction. The highlight, once again, is the scholarship: Jane Frank's psychological profile of Hodgson, contemporary reviews of Hodgson's fiction, a look into Hodgson's hometown and memories of his family, and two very good pieces on Hodgson's own influences (Blackwood), and one of the men who influenced (Clark Ashton Smith). All of the pieces were excellent, with, perhaps, the ones I'd recommend as essential being Mark Valentine's work on Hodgson's hometown, Phillip A. Ellis' contemporary reviews, and Scott Connor's examination of Hodgson's influence over Smith.
My favorite short story in the collection is Laurie Needell's "After 'The Voice in the Night,'" an excellent sequel to Hodgson's own story, which explores the further history of the island and the gastronomical fate of man-like weeds.
The poetry, as always, is excellent.
My own contributions are a then-complete bibliography of Carnacki pastiche, already out of date because of the sheer volume of stories written and published in this Hogsonian Renaissance, and a piece examining the connection between the demonic Hog faced by Carnacki, and the Hog god from The House on the Boarderland (ending with a fully non-canonical explanation of the Hog's origins in Wonderland). If you imagine the essays of Philip Jose Farmer, you are not far from the mark.
As with any collection, there are pieces that fail to strike a reader's fancy and lead to scanning, skipped pages, and groans. For me, that piece was Robb Borders' "The Shop on the Borderland." As a parody of The House on the Borderland, it's an apt piece of work, with its various recastings--but I didn't overly care for it. Perhaps you will like it better.
Room for improvement? The only fault I could find is a non-functional TOC and some formatting irregularities. If this bothers you, stick to the print edition. In the course of normal reading, this is no great matter.
Overall, an engaging and enjoyable volume. I eagerly await volume three!
Therefore, we can safely begin this review.
Sam Gafford has, once again, outdone himself. The first Sargasso was one of my favorite new books of 2013, and this volume looks to continue that trend. Once again, the volume is divided between scholarship, poetry, and Hogdsonain fiction. The highlight, once again, is the scholarship: Jane Frank's psychological profile of Hodgson, contemporary reviews of Hodgson's fiction, a look into Hodgson's hometown and memories of his family, and two very good pieces on Hodgson's own influences (Blackwood), and one of the men who influenced (Clark Ashton Smith). All of the pieces were excellent, with, perhaps, the ones I'd recommend as essential being Mark Valentine's work on Hodgson's hometown, Phillip A. Ellis' contemporary reviews, and Scott Connor's examination of Hodgson's influence over Smith.
My favorite short story in the collection is Laurie Needell's "After 'The Voice in the Night,'" an excellent sequel to Hodgson's own story, which explores the further history of the island and the gastronomical fate of man-like weeds.
The poetry, as always, is excellent.
My own contributions are a then-complete bibliography of Carnacki pastiche, already out of date because of the sheer volume of stories written and published in this Hogsonian Renaissance, and a piece examining the connection between the demonic Hog faced by Carnacki, and the Hog god from The House on the Boarderland (ending with a fully non-canonical explanation of the Hog's origins in Wonderland). If you imagine the essays of Philip Jose Farmer, you are not far from the mark.
As with any collection, there are pieces that fail to strike a reader's fancy and lead to scanning, skipped pages, and groans. For me, that piece was Robb Borders' "The Shop on the Borderland." As a parody of The House on the Borderland, it's an apt piece of work, with its various recastings--but I didn't overly care for it. Perhaps you will like it better.
Room for improvement? The only fault I could find is a non-functional TOC and some formatting irregularities. If this bothers you, stick to the print edition. In the course of normal reading, this is no great matter.
Overall, an engaging and enjoyable volume. I eagerly await volume three!
Displaying 1 of 1 review