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The Face of Twilight
The Face of Twilight follows Ivan Gilman, a struggling author who moves into a cheap flat in North London after his apartment burns down. As he attempts to finish his new book, he encounters a surreal and monstrous transformation of the city around him, filled with urban creepiness and strange graffiti, leading to a compelling and apocalyptic narrative.
Short-listed for the August Derleth Award of the British Fantasy Society in 2007, this is the paperback reprint edition of Mark Samuels' highly acclaimed first weird fiction novel.
Short-listed for the August Derleth Award of the British Fantasy Society in 2007, this is the paperback reprint edition of Mark Samuels' highly acclaimed first weird fiction novel.
133 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2005
7 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Mark Samuels
82 books204 followersMark Samuels (1967-2023) was a British writer of weird and fantastic fiction in the tradition of Arthur Machen and H. P. Lovecraft. Born in deepest Clapham, South London, he was first published in 1988, and his short stories often focus on detailing a shadowy world in which his protagonists gradually discover terrifying and rapturous vistas lurking behind modernity. His work has been highly praised by the likes of Thomas Ligotti and Ramsey Campbell and has appeared in prestigious anthologies of horror and weird fiction on both sides of the Atlantic.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 4, 2020
A short novel of intense paranoia and nightmarish transformations that affect both thoughts and physical geographies. Transmissions from a tower that is ironically compared to a church steeple bestow a hideous new reality upon the human race. The dead dream as aliens create a new and decaying world through spiral sigils and festering flora. Revenants flounder about ravaged structures. The omniscient twilight keeps an open white eye over the city. Feed your dreams.
April 30, 2012
I initially put this little novella at 4 to 4.5 stars, but after marinating a bit on it and thinking over what I liked so much about this novella and much of Samuels' later work, I realized that 5 stars was entirely appropriate.
Before I launch into tying this work to Samuels' other related pieces, I figured it would be worth briefly exploring the meta theme's covered in this novella. Samuels hasn't gone so far as to create a mythos with this work and some of his other short stories, however, there is a common meta theme that appears woven into much of his writing. Samuels seems to be working from this idea that our current reality is simply unreal... nothing more than the whimsy, fantasy, and dreamscape of the already dead. Imagine that... a complete inversion of reality... we are nothing more than a figment of the imagination of a non-existent beleiver. Absolutely mind twisting.
Well, this novella masterfully delves into this very idea of unreality and runs wild with it. Our protganonist, Ivan Gilman, is the perfect anti-hero for this incredibly bizare story. We have a sad sack down-on-his-luck alcoholic writer who is stumbling through regrettable bouts of sobreity long enough to piece together his thoughts on a new piece of fiction so that the can meet a publisher's deadline. Through his explorations he begins to acquire a overt tinge of paranoia added on to his drunken state, and realizes that all is not well in the world.
Samuels does an outstanding job of handling some of the macro apocalyptic elements that pace this story to its fitting end. And of course, with this very inverted idea that our world is nothing more than a figment of someone else's imagination, we find out that Ivan is not really who he thinks he is or who we, the reader, thinks he is (I won't spoil things too much and leave this revelation be). Likewise, the atmoshphere and dread mood building are exquisitely handled by Samuels, really helping this reader feel that greenish twilight cloying about the mind. By the very end, I mercifully shut this book, took a deep breath, looked out the window to see the natural sunlight peaking through the window blinds, and thanked my stars that the story ended when it did. Or did it...
The great thing about Samuels' work, including this one, is that it really sticks with you. This very idea of our reality simply being a farce is incredibly insidious... very much like a splinter slowly driving its way to the mind's eye. And of course, much of Samuels' works utilize this theme of words, phrases, and language serving as a virus, corupting the reality of anyone that hears, sees, or reads it.
If you really like this theme, Samuels has gone on to further explore this with a number of his recently published stories in the collection "Glyphotech".
I highly recommend "The Face of Twilight" and many of his other works, particularly for those fans of mind twisting weird tale fun. This will not dissapoint.
Before I launch into tying this work to Samuels' other related pieces, I figured it would be worth briefly exploring the meta theme's covered in this novella. Samuels hasn't gone so far as to create a mythos with this work and some of his other short stories, however, there is a common meta theme that appears woven into much of his writing. Samuels seems to be working from this idea that our current reality is simply unreal... nothing more than the whimsy, fantasy, and dreamscape of the already dead. Imagine that... a complete inversion of reality... we are nothing more than a figment of the imagination of a non-existent beleiver. Absolutely mind twisting.
Well, this novella masterfully delves into this very idea of unreality and runs wild with it. Our protganonist, Ivan Gilman, is the perfect anti-hero for this incredibly bizare story. We have a sad sack down-on-his-luck alcoholic writer who is stumbling through regrettable bouts of sobreity long enough to piece together his thoughts on a new piece of fiction so that the can meet a publisher's deadline. Through his explorations he begins to acquire a overt tinge of paranoia added on to his drunken state, and realizes that all is not well in the world.
Samuels does an outstanding job of handling some of the macro apocalyptic elements that pace this story to its fitting end. And of course, with this very inverted idea that our world is nothing more than a figment of someone else's imagination, we find out that Ivan is not really who he thinks he is or who we, the reader, thinks he is (I won't spoil things too much and leave this revelation be). Likewise, the atmoshphere and dread mood building are exquisitely handled by Samuels, really helping this reader feel that greenish twilight cloying about the mind. By the very end, I mercifully shut this book, took a deep breath, looked out the window to see the natural sunlight peaking through the window blinds, and thanked my stars that the story ended when it did. Or did it...
The great thing about Samuels' work, including this one, is that it really sticks with you. This very idea of our reality simply being a farce is incredibly insidious... very much like a splinter slowly driving its way to the mind's eye. And of course, much of Samuels' works utilize this theme of words, phrases, and language serving as a virus, corupting the reality of anyone that hears, sees, or reads it.
If you really like this theme, Samuels has gone on to further explore this with a number of his recently published stories in the collection "Glyphotech".
I highly recommend "The Face of Twilight" and many of his other works, particularly for those fans of mind twisting weird tale fun. This will not dissapoint.
July 8, 2016
This is copy 134 of 300 signed and numbered copies signed by Mark Samuels and Mark Morris who wrote the introduction.
A short novella (133 pages) about a writer Ivan Gilman who gets involve with a strange neighbor who lives in the apartment beneath him named Mr. Stymm. The quite strange Stymm is involved in the disappearance (which will turn out to be a murder) of a woman occasionally met by Gilman in the bar he frequents.
Gilman learns of a terrible truth, the world is being taken over by a bunch of "necromorphs".
Mr. Samuels is a great writer with a captivating writing style.
Koodo's to PS Publishing for this book.
A short novella (133 pages) about a writer Ivan Gilman who gets involve with a strange neighbor who lives in the apartment beneath him named Mr. Stymm. The quite strange Stymm is involved in the disappearance (which will turn out to be a murder) of a woman occasionally met by Gilman in the bar he frequents.
Gilman learns of a terrible truth, the world is being taken over by a bunch of "necromorphs".
Mr. Samuels is a great writer with a captivating writing style.
Koodo's to PS Publishing for this book.
February 14, 2017
When everything turns out to be hideously wrong
The Face of Twilight popped up as one of my personalized recommendations from Amazon. I'd never heard of the book or the author, but a couple of the reviews compared it to the works of Thomas Ligotti or Roland Topor's The Tenant. I've only read a few Ligotti stories, and Topor's classic will be on my to-read list until they either reprint it or I find myself in a position to spend fifty bucks on a single paperback. I've seen the Polanski version, though. Despite my relative lack of familiarity with the comparisons, I did see striking similarities. Namely, the oppressive sense of alienation felt by Gilman, the protagonist, and forced upon the reader by the creator's tone and delivery.
The story reminded me of They Live, minus the sense of fun and the hope that our hero stands a fighting chance. Like Ligotti, Samuels paints some pretty bleak pictures with his use of language. As the wallpaper of everyday reality is peeled away around him, Gilman realizes everything he believed about the world is hideously wrong. The writing and storytelling are solid, though, so a bad time for Gilman turns out to be a good time for fans of weird, dark fiction. Go out and get some sunlight after you finish this one.
The Face of Twilight popped up as one of my personalized recommendations from Amazon. I'd never heard of the book or the author, but a couple of the reviews compared it to the works of Thomas Ligotti or Roland Topor's The Tenant. I've only read a few Ligotti stories, and Topor's classic will be on my to-read list until they either reprint it or I find myself in a position to spend fifty bucks on a single paperback. I've seen the Polanski version, though. Despite my relative lack of familiarity with the comparisons, I did see striking similarities. Namely, the oppressive sense of alienation felt by Gilman, the protagonist, and forced upon the reader by the creator's tone and delivery.
The story reminded me of They Live, minus the sense of fun and the hope that our hero stands a fighting chance. Like Ligotti, Samuels paints some pretty bleak pictures with his use of language. As the wallpaper of everyday reality is peeled away around him, Gilman realizes everything he believed about the world is hideously wrong. The writing and storytelling are solid, though, so a bad time for Gilman turns out to be a good time for fans of weird, dark fiction. Go out and get some sunlight after you finish this one.
September 4, 2024
What if all of existence is a dream dreamt by the dead? The answer to this and other important questions are to be found in the pages of this obscure novella.
October 12, 2014
I have also just finished reading this novella. I would say, judging by it, that Mark Samuels seems more at home within the short form where he is, for me, a modern master.
The novella begins well with strong ideas inflicted upon the reader fast and furious but ultimately there is not time within the book's short length in which to merge these threads into any sort of satisfying whole. It would seem that he felt something similar about The Face of Twilight in that he returned to it in order to cannibalize ideas and indeed parts of its text wholesale for some of the stories in his next work, which was the excellent collection "Glyphotech"---unless I'm wrong and it was the other way around. Good but not "top shelf" like the 3 short story collections.
The novella begins well with strong ideas inflicted upon the reader fast and furious but ultimately there is not time within the book's short length in which to merge these threads into any sort of satisfying whole. It would seem that he felt something similar about The Face of Twilight in that he returned to it in order to cannibalize ideas and indeed parts of its text wholesale for some of the stories in his next work, which was the excellent collection "Glyphotech"---unless I'm wrong and it was the other way around. Good but not "top shelf" like the 3 short story collections.
February 5, 2017
Striking, idiosyncratic little prose nightmare from Samuels. Akin to Fritz Leiber's "Our Lady of Darkness" mixed with something that I can only describe as lost 70s Dr. Who take on the "Invasion of the Body-Snatchers", infused with regular Samuelsian themes such as that of language influencing reality or being used as mean of alien intrusion, or that of dead dreamers horribly influencing our living world (think of author's stories " Vrolyck" and "White Hands"). Or, if you want, imagine psychogeographical tour of London where protagonist's wanderings through quaint locales don't take him into realms magical as in Machen, but into this world of apocalyptic madness and urban decay. At times, it very much has a quality of a genuine fever nightmare transcribed to text.
August 24, 2014
One of the bleakest books I've had the pleasure to read in awhile.
September 24, 2022
El escritor Ivan Gilman se muda forzosamente a una habitación cercana al Rochester Pub, lugar donde le gusta beber y observar a la gente. Como vecino tiene a un tipo extraño, Stymm, con cicatrices en su cabeza. Para sacar ideas para su nuevo libro, a Gilman le gusta buscar sitios abandonados de Londres, como puentes y edificios ruinosos, llenos de grafitis. Una noche de borrachera con otros compañeros escritores, tiene como resultado la muerte de una chica, y Gilman cree que Stymm está involucrado. A partir de aquí entramos en una espiral de paranoia pesadillesca, casi o directamente apocalíptica.
La novela tiene imágenes poderosas, sobre todo al final, aunque la parte central me ha gustado más. De todos modos, me gusta más el Samuels de las distancias cortas.
La novela tiene imágenes poderosas, sobre todo al final, aunque la parte central me ha gustado más. De todos modos, me gusta más el Samuels de las distancias cortas.
December 18, 2023
Brutal. Una novela de terror asfixiante, una pesadilla donde no sabes que es real o que es mentira. Gilman es un escritor cuyo último libro ha sido poco entendido debido a lo abstracto de su temática. Buscando la inspiración y después de que su piso haya quedado inhabitable por un accidente decide instalarse en otro lugar de Londres.
Allí, entre visitas al pub cercano, investigación en la dark web, reuniones con amigos del círculo literario y encontronazos con un peculiar vecino descubrirá un mundo oculto, un Londres que la gente normal ni siquiera sabe que existe y que esta planeando substituir al Londres original.
Los paseos nocturnos de Gilman y la descripción de ese Londres tétrico dan una gran ambientación y se nota que el autor vivía allí porque incluye lugares reales o hasta fotos de aquellos sitios que lo inspiraron.
En esta novela Samuels realiza algo especial que tiene trazos de Ligotti o Machen pero que definitivamente es su propio estilo y voz. Me ha gustado mucho este libro.
Allí, entre visitas al pub cercano, investigación en la dark web, reuniones con amigos del círculo literario y encontronazos con un peculiar vecino descubrirá un mundo oculto, un Londres que la gente normal ni siquiera sabe que existe y que esta planeando substituir al Londres original.
Los paseos nocturnos de Gilman y la descripción de ese Londres tétrico dan una gran ambientación y se nota que el autor vivía allí porque incluye lugares reales o hasta fotos de aquellos sitios que lo inspiraron.
En esta novela Samuels realiza algo especial que tiene trazos de Ligotti o Machen pero que definitivamente es su propio estilo y voz. Me ha gustado mucho este libro.
February 4, 2017
Relentlessly bleak and surreal urban horror novel. Shades of Ligotti, of Leiber, of Topor, but voice is ultimately Samuels' own, and novel is filled with themes explored in his shorter work. I recommend reading it alongside this http://www.megapolisomancy.org/2008/1... for the maximum enjoyment. Samuels appears to be something of a psycho-geography nut.
July 8, 2017
This is one of the darkest works by Mark Samuels. I really like the descriptions of the city. A surprising ending.
October 11, 2022
Samuels, Mark - The Face Of Twilight
Shadowy amble from the underbelly to a corrupted borderland.
Ivan, middling writer of poor selling books, is forced to relocate after his dirt cheap digs go up in flames. Typically, the replacement flat is pricier, cramped, and in worse condition.
At least the neighbors seem quiet. Or anti-social. Particularly Mr. Stymm.
Researching for a new book, Ivan prowls internet sites devoted to abandoned London. Ruined buildings, empty warehouses, shuttered subway stations. Now, following Ivan, we descend.
For readers of Samuels’ Glyphtrych, this novel resonates themes found in “Sentinels” and “The Vanishing Point.” The first burrows into the neglected subterranean world, while the second observes self negation and mental entropy caused by the glass teat.
Ivan, almost alone, recognizes a subtle overthrow, although like most horror narrators he seems completely incapable of doing anything aside from fitfully watching.
Midway, the narration downshifts and the tempo dawdles.
The “replacement” undercurrent looms larger, and those who perceive this as a real and ongoing reality will read this as worst dreams come true.
Shadowy amble from the underbelly to a corrupted borderland.
Ivan, middling writer of poor selling books, is forced to relocate after his dirt cheap digs go up in flames. Typically, the replacement flat is pricier, cramped, and in worse condition.
At least the neighbors seem quiet. Or anti-social. Particularly Mr. Stymm.
Researching for a new book, Ivan prowls internet sites devoted to abandoned London. Ruined buildings, empty warehouses, shuttered subway stations. Now, following Ivan, we descend.
For readers of Samuels’ Glyphtrych, this novel resonates themes found in “Sentinels” and “The Vanishing Point.” The first burrows into the neglected subterranean world, while the second observes self negation and mental entropy caused by the glass teat.
Ivan, almost alone, recognizes a subtle overthrow, although like most horror narrators he seems completely incapable of doing anything aside from fitfully watching.
Midway, the narration downshifts and the tempo dawdles.
The “replacement” undercurrent looms larger, and those who perceive this as a real and ongoing reality will read this as worst dreams come true.
January 11, 2021
I was wondering whether Stymm’s name synchronously derives from the sound and meaning of STIMMUNG, one of my favourite music works, where the composer also stated that he was inspired in writing it while visiting Mexico. (Was the author’s own strongest indefinable influence from Mexico around the time he wrote this novella?)
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
November 20, 2018
a good short novel,unfortunately too short.
July 6, 2023
A fun surreal descent into madness.
February 10, 2009
Long novella / short novel about a loner writer witnessing a dreamlike zombie conspiracy. Excellent sense of place, particularly as it's set around places very familiar to me: Archway Road, Highgate Hill, and the dreaded Suicide Bridge...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews