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The Dreamer in Fire and Other Stories
For a decade or more, Sam Gafford has been quietly developing a reputation as a writer willing and able to fuse supernatural horror with psychological suspense, resulting in tales of grim power and penetrating insight into aberrant states of mind.
H. P. Lovecraft is the focus of many of the stories in this book, Gafford’s first collection of short stories. With rare poignancy and delicacy, Gafford puts the figure of Lovecraft himself—either real or imagined—on stage in such stories as “Passing Spirits,” where the Providence writer’s terminal cancer is addressed; "'The Dreamer in Fire,'" where a mysterious writer very much in the Lovecraft mold is the focus of a pseudo-scholarly analysis; "Casting Fractals," in which Lovecraft’s work serves as an uncannily accurate prophecy of the cataclysmic events that followed after his death; and "Weltschermz," where a character takes Lovecraft’s dark vision of the world a bit too seriously.
Other stories show the diversity of Gafford’s inspirations. "The Adventure of the Prometheus Calculation" is a new Sherlock Holmes tale—one that does not end well for that famous detective. In "'How Does That Make You Feel?'" a patient undergoing psychiatric analysis imagines himself a pulp superhero from the 1940s—but is it only his imagination? And "The Land of Lonesomeness" evokes the final days of William Hope Hodgson on the bloody fields of Flanders.
H. P. Lovecraft is the focus of many of the stories in this book, Gafford’s first collection of short stories. With rare poignancy and delicacy, Gafford puts the figure of Lovecraft himself—either real or imagined—on stage in such stories as “Passing Spirits,” where the Providence writer’s terminal cancer is addressed; "'The Dreamer in Fire,'" where a mysterious writer very much in the Lovecraft mold is the focus of a pseudo-scholarly analysis; "Casting Fractals," in which Lovecraft’s work serves as an uncannily accurate prophecy of the cataclysmic events that followed after his death; and "Weltschermz," where a character takes Lovecraft’s dark vision of the world a bit too seriously.
Other stories show the diversity of Gafford’s inspirations. "The Adventure of the Prometheus Calculation" is a new Sherlock Holmes tale—one that does not end well for that famous detective. In "'How Does That Make You Feel?'" a patient undergoing psychiatric analysis imagines himself a pulp superhero from the 1940s—but is it only his imagination? And "The Land of Lonesomeness" evokes the final days of William Hope Hodgson on the bloody fields of Flanders.
- GenresHorror
244 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 17, 2018
Rounded up from 3.5 stars.
Gafford came to my attention through his inclusion in the Black Wings anthologies, both of which were memorable. This collection, however, is a strange mix. While everything is well-written some of the stories are almost laughably dull. Gafford leans a little too heavily on jokey horror, which doesn’t really do anything for me. The Sherlock Holmes story, in particular, is the low point of the book (at least for me).
When he’s good, though, Gafford is exceptionally good, utilizing the horrors and fears of Lovecraft in truly original ways. I would count the last four stories here as some of the finest Lovecraft (and Hodgson) inspired horror I’ve ever read.
So yes, this is recommended - but you may have to really push through parts of it.
Gafford came to my attention through his inclusion in the Black Wings anthologies, both of which were memorable. This collection, however, is a strange mix. While everything is well-written some of the stories are almost laughably dull. Gafford leans a little too heavily on jokey horror, which doesn’t really do anything for me. The Sherlock Holmes story, in particular, is the low point of the book (at least for me).
When he’s good, though, Gafford is exceptionally good, utilizing the horrors and fears of Lovecraft in truly original ways. I would count the last four stories here as some of the finest Lovecraft (and Hodgson) inspired horror I’ve ever read.
So yes, this is recommended - but you may have to really push through parts of it.
April 21, 2021
This book contains seventeen stories published at different times. They are~
1. Casting Fractals
2. Showtime
3. The Adventure of the Prometheus Calculation
4. Homecoming
5. The Gathering Daemonica
6. Static
7. Sunspots
8. My Brother's Keeper
9. "How Does That Make You Feel?"
10. What Was That?
11. "The Dreamer in Fire": Notes on Robert Winslow's "Sutter's Corners"
12. He Whose Feet Trod the Lost Aeons
13. "Good Morning, Innsmouth!"
14. Weltschmerz
15. Hellhounds on the Trail
16. The Land of Lonesomeness
17. Passing Spirits
Some of them were based in a steampunk world of transformed Victorian London. Sometimes they were concerned with a meta-retelling of a fictional work. But overall, they present a hauntingly lyrical landscape peopled by characters who are familiar, yet unknown.
Although the plot and crisis-points differed, I found almost all of them to be immersed in Lovecraftian mythos. However, the horrors invoked were reminiscent of Hodgson.
If you are an admirer of well-written stories where one's inner fears get projected across space and time, then you may like this collection.
Recommended.
1. Casting Fractals
2. Showtime
3. The Adventure of the Prometheus Calculation
4. Homecoming
5. The Gathering Daemonica
6. Static
7. Sunspots
8. My Brother's Keeper
9. "How Does That Make You Feel?"
10. What Was That?
11. "The Dreamer in Fire": Notes on Robert Winslow's "Sutter's Corners"
12. He Whose Feet Trod the Lost Aeons
13. "Good Morning, Innsmouth!"
14. Weltschmerz
15. Hellhounds on the Trail
16. The Land of Lonesomeness
17. Passing Spirits
Some of them were based in a steampunk world of transformed Victorian London. Sometimes they were concerned with a meta-retelling of a fictional work. But overall, they present a hauntingly lyrical landscape peopled by characters who are familiar, yet unknown.
Although the plot and crisis-points differed, I found almost all of them to be immersed in Lovecraftian mythos. However, the horrors invoked were reminiscent of Hodgson.
If you are an admirer of well-written stories where one's inner fears get projected across space and time, then you may like this collection.
Recommended.
February 27, 2018
Firstly, yay for Jared Boggess cover art! I will admit that his cover is what ultimately pushed me over the edge to buy the book.
I enjoyed this collection of Lovecraftually inspired short fiction. Gafford is very savvy of his source material and spins it in new and unique ways throughout.
Particular favorites were:
Casting Fractals - What if newspapermen in the mold of Woodward and Bernstein stumbled onto a global conspiracy of sanity shattering proportions? This theme is visited in several other stories, but I thought this presentation was my favorite.
Showtime - A children's TV show gains national attention, much to the horror of people who know what is really going on.
The Dreamer in Fire - Definitely my favorite in the collection. Written as part confessional and part research paper, the author delves into the source materials for an obscure Weird Tales author most acclaimed story.
I enjoyed this collection of Lovecraftually inspired short fiction. Gafford is very savvy of his source material and spins it in new and unique ways throughout.
Particular favorites were:
Casting Fractals - What if newspapermen in the mold of Woodward and Bernstein stumbled onto a global conspiracy of sanity shattering proportions? This theme is visited in several other stories, but I thought this presentation was my favorite.
Showtime - A children's TV show gains national attention, much to the horror of people who know what is really going on.
The Dreamer in Fire - Definitely my favorite in the collection. Written as part confessional and part research paper, the author delves into the source materials for an obscure Weird Tales author most acclaimed story.
September 1, 2019
I knew Sam Gafford, years ago, and I wish it hadn’t taken his recent untimely death to read this gem of a collection. The stories are haunted by Lovecraft and weird fiction filtered through the modern world and most are what I’d call cracking good yarns. The best stories are the longer ones where his ideas get room to stretch out like ‘Passing Spirits’ where a dying man is haunted by the ghost of Lovecraft or ‘The Dreamer In Fire’ which hunts for the legacy of a lost writer. A good read and I wish I’d gotten to tell Sam how much I enjoyed it while he was alive.
July 21, 2019
Rather decent Lovecraftian homage / pastiche
While a few are immature attempts at stuffing in HPL references into a stereotype horror story, a fair number of the stories are engaging and well-thought out respectful homage to the spirit of Lovecraft's work.
While a few are immature attempts at stuffing in HPL references into a stereotype horror story, a fair number of the stories are engaging and well-thought out respectful homage to the spirit of Lovecraft's work.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews