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Sargasso #1
Sargasso: The Journal of William Hope Hodgson Studies
SARGASSO: The Journal of William Hope Hodgson Studies Issue #1 is here! Includes an outstanding selection of essays, fiction, poetry and art all devoted to the life and work of William Hope Hodgson. Contents include: Essays "Shadow Out of Hodgson" by John D. Haefele "A Reassessment of William Hope Hodgson's Poetry" by Phillip A. Ellis "William Hope Hodgson's Sales Log: The Pleasure and Consequences of Collecting" by Jane Frank "The 'Wonder Unlimited'-The Tales of Captain Gault" by Mark Valentine "Always Sea and Sea: The Night Land as Sea-Scape" by Emily Alder "The Long Apocalypse: The Experimental Eschatologies of H. G. Wells and William Hope Hodgson" by Brett Davidson "Ab-Reality: The Metaphysical Vision of William Hope Hodgson" by Neal Alan Spurlock "Things Invisible: Human and Ab-Human in Two of Hodgson's Carnacki Stories" by Leigh Blackmore Poetry "In Memory of Hope" by Phillip A. Ellis "Beyond the Deaths of Worlds" by Phillip A. Ellis Fiction "A Question of Meaning" by Pierre V. Comtois "The Blue Egg" by William Meikle Artwork from Andrea Bonazzi Steve Lines Pete Von Sholly Nick Gucker Allen Koszowki
204 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2013
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 6, 2014
Sherlock Holmes remains famous the world over. The name Charles Dickens remains a name to summon with. They hold sway, even now. But other popular and semi-popular authors of the pre-war era have slipped away, far away, until their names mean nothing and their most famous characters are hardly recalled.
William Hope Hodgson is forgotten. Carnacki and Captain Gualt, his creations, rank passing mentions in genre nonfiction. This seemed to be their permanent fate.
Sargasso: The Journal of William Hope Hodgson Studies has taken a great step toward changing that.
The first thing that strikes you upon piking up the book is that it’s stark raving gorgeous. In person, the front cover refuses to relinquish your attention; the back cover, featuring one of M.S. Corley’s stunning portraits of Thomas Carnacki, will hardly allow you to take the time to turn past it. A friend who came upon my overturned copy sat, picked up the book, and spent several minutes admiring it.
Every essay is a delight. It’s difficult, in a review, to analyze such pieces without this review becoming its own essay. But I especially enjoyed Jane Frank’s piece on Hodgson’s poorly-penned, often contradictory sales log–and Mark Valentine’s analysis of the Captain Gault stories has made me long for a collected volume of those tales. Some of the other essays fall prey to a great cloud of scholarly prose. They, however, still remain accessible to popular readers. All the better, their analyses are great.
The two stories were, for me, uneven. William Meikle’s tale “The Blue Egg,” enthralled me. He effortlessly brings together two of Hodgson’s heroes. It’s a delight from end to end. Pierre V. Comtois’ “A Question of Meaning” perhaps will appeal more to other readers. It left me cold–and wishing the story had a stronger infusion of Hodgson.
Overall, Sargasso is a fantastic effort to raise scholarly interest in Hodgson. I applaud Sam Gafford for this book. It’s truly wonderful–and truly a step forward.
William Hope Hodgson is forgotten. Carnacki and Captain Gualt, his creations, rank passing mentions in genre nonfiction. This seemed to be their permanent fate.
Sargasso: The Journal of William Hope Hodgson Studies has taken a great step toward changing that.
The first thing that strikes you upon piking up the book is that it’s stark raving gorgeous. In person, the front cover refuses to relinquish your attention; the back cover, featuring one of M.S. Corley’s stunning portraits of Thomas Carnacki, will hardly allow you to take the time to turn past it. A friend who came upon my overturned copy sat, picked up the book, and spent several minutes admiring it.
Every essay is a delight. It’s difficult, in a review, to analyze such pieces without this review becoming its own essay. But I especially enjoyed Jane Frank’s piece on Hodgson’s poorly-penned, often contradictory sales log–and Mark Valentine’s analysis of the Captain Gault stories has made me long for a collected volume of those tales. Some of the other essays fall prey to a great cloud of scholarly prose. They, however, still remain accessible to popular readers. All the better, their analyses are great.
The two stories were, for me, uneven. William Meikle’s tale “The Blue Egg,” enthralled me. He effortlessly brings together two of Hodgson’s heroes. It’s a delight from end to end. Pierre V. Comtois’ “A Question of Meaning” perhaps will appeal more to other readers. It left me cold–and wishing the story had a stronger infusion of Hodgson.
Overall, Sargasso is a fantastic effort to raise scholarly interest in Hodgson. I applaud Sam Gafford for this book. It’s truly wonderful–and truly a step forward.
Displaying 1 of 1 review