Vastarien: Vol. 1, Issue 1

Vastarien #1

by Dagny Paul (Editor)

VASTARIEN is a source of critical study and creative response to the corpus of Thomas Ligotti as well as associated authors and ideas. The journal includes nonfiction, literary horror fiction, poetry, artwork and non-classifiable hybrid pieces.

Vol. 1, Issue 1 Contents:

• Foreword to Teatro Grottesco
essay by Thomas Ligotti
•The Nightmare of His Art: The Horrific Power of the Imagination in "The Troubles of Dr. Thoss and "Gas Station Carnivals"
essay by W. Silverwood
•The Gods in Their Seats, Unblinking
short fiction by Kurt Fawver
• Affirmation of the Spirit: Consciousness, Transformation, and the Fourth World in Film
short fiction by Christopher Slatsky
•Try the Veal
poem by Robert Beveridge
•How to Construct a Gun from Your Own Flesh
short fiction by Michael Uhall
•Notes on a Horror
essay by Dr. Raymond Thoss
•"Eccentric to the Healthy Social Order" : Inversions of Family, Community, and Religion in Thomas Ligotti's "The Last Feast of Harlequin"
essau by Michael J. Abolafia
•Wraiths
poem by Wade German
•Eraserhead as Antinatalist Allegory
essay by Colby Smith
•The Alienation of the Self: Marx, Polanyi, and Ligottian Horror
essay by S. L. Edwards
•The Theatre of Ovid
short fiction by Aaron Worth
•Infinite Light, Infinite Darkness short fiction by Martin Rose
•Night Walks: The Films of Val Lewton
essay by Michael Penkas
• Solar Flare
short fiction by Paul L. Bates
•Strange Bird
poem by Ian Mullins
•Nervous Wares & Abnormal Stares
short fiction by Devin Goff
•My Time at the Drake Clinic
short fiction by Jordan Krall
•Singing the Song of My Unmaking
short fiction by Christopher Ropes
•"They say I should kill myself and not try to spoil their enjoyment in being alive": An Interview with Thomas Ligotti
interview by Wojciech Gunia

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Nonfiction, Weird Fiction, Anthologies, Lovecraftian, Poetry

285 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 20, 2018

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all “Vastarien: A Literary Journal” (Vol. 1, Issue 1) is, I believe the first publication of TLO (Thomas Ligutti Online) under their imprint of Grimscribe Press, and HIGH marks are to be doled out to editor-in-Chief Matt Cardin and Senior Editors Jon Padgett, Brian Poe, and Kevin Moquin. They have achieved a great feat in the annals of publishing.

The journals name is drawn from the Thomas Ligotti’s story of the same title. If not familiar with that story you need to fix that, and purchase this journal. It’s not necessary to be a Ligotti fan to enjoy this journal, it contains art, poetry and fiction by some great contributors. At best you will become a fan of Mr. Ligotti and his world view. He was born July 9, 1953, His writings have been noted as being rooted in several literary genres, most prominently weird fiction.

In 2014, the HBO television series “True Detective” attracted attention from some of Ligotti's fans because of the philosophy espoused in the first few episodes by one of the characters. The television series' writer, Nic Pizzolatto, confirmed in The Wall Street Journal that Ligotti, along with several other writers and texts in the weird supernatural horror genre, had indeed influenced him.

So if not failure with Mr. Lugotti or his work fix that, if just curious than read this.

Cover by Dave Felton
Contents :

i - Acknowledgements
001 - "Foreword to the Polish edition of Teatro Grottesco" (Okultura, 2014) by Thomas Ligotti
007 - "The Gods in Their Seats, Unblinking" by Kurt Fawver
031 - "The Nightmare of His Art: The Horrific Power of the Imagination in “The Troubles of Dr. Thoss” and “Gas Station Carnivals”" by W. Silverwood
049 - "Affirmation of the Spirit: Consciousness, Transformation, and the Fourth World in Film" by
Christopher Slatsky
063 - "Try the Veal" by Robert Beveridge
065 - "How to Construct a Gun from Your Own Flesh" by Michael Uhall
071 - "“Eccentric to the Healthy Social Order”: Inversions of Family, Community, and Religion in Thomas Ligotti’s “The Last Feast of Harlequin” " by Michael J. Abolafia
083 - "“They say I should kill myself and not try to spoil their enjoyment in being alive” ": An Interview with Thomas Ligotti by Wojciech Gunia
091 - "Wraiths" by Wade German
093 - "Eraserhead as Antinatalist Allegory" by Colby Smith
107 - "The Theatre of Ovid" Aaron Worth
129 - "The Alienation of the Self: Marx, Polanyi, and Ligottian Horror" by S. L. Edwards
139 - "Strange Bird" by Ian Mullins
141 - "Solar Flare" by Paul L. Bates
149 - "Night Walks: The Films of Val Lewton" by Michael Penkas
169 - "Infinite Light, Infinite Darkness" by Martin Rose
187 - "Nervous Wares & Abnormal Stares" by Devin Goff
203 - "My Time at the Drake Clinic" by Jordan Krall
217 - "Notes on a Horror" by Dr. Raymond Thoss
241 - "Singing the Song of My Unmaking" by Christopher Ropes
259 - Contributers

[Rodney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This high quality journal has been the highlight of my days lately. Some great fiction pieces and poetry are balanced with thorough and stimulating analyses. I felt very much like the skeleton in the cover illustration as I tried to fit reading time into any part of my day I could. Grimscribe press has really done a great job with this issue, and I cannot wait to get to the others.
I am awake.

[Kai Szulborski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vastarien is an astounding and difficult read for me. In the best way. Especially Notes on a Horror and Singing the Song of my Unmaking. I love Ligotti (like we all do) but he tends towards the ghoulish and the ghoulishly funny most of the time. Which isn't a bad thing at all but I never realized that his work, or different facsimiles OF his work, could be so DAMN emotional. Most of the time, when his characters breakdown, it feels inevitable. We expect it too happen because that's the expected turn in the story. His characters are wonderful in that regard but they don't read like most real people. And they don't have to. That's not what we fully expect out of his characterization and the abstract nature of the stories lends to that. They are under no obligations to behave like rational, realistic individuals because they are not living in a rational world (realistic, though, that's a different story). But THESE stories. These are real people, sometimes literally, as in the case with Dr. Thoss. These are modern, plain-speaking humans coming to grips with the terrifying and (again) realistic notions of Ligottian futility and dissonance. These are your sisters, your coworkers, your FRIENDS realizing that they've only ever really wanted to die in peace. This is your therapist letting you know you're never really going to be ok, even though professionally she can't tell you that. I've had SEVERAL conversations with friends at 3 am that were a perfect mirror to Notes on a Horror. People who seemingly have it together revealing that there is no together, that they're hopeless and terrified in the face of their own workaday lives. Even the meta-context, that this is a REAL therapist, who does real work somewhere in the world, is contributing to this journal in an anonymous but intimate way. Telling you in this liminal, 3 am space like an old college friends "nah man, it's all a racket, it's always been and there's no point". It really affected me. But that was just a primer for Unmaking which, though more fictional, felt even REALER. Trust me, as someone who has been been down that path, relationships built on a foundation of self-destruction, a pessimist agreement, the tacit, 3 am drunk noddings that you're both fucked up, that the world is fucked up, that everything has always been fucked up so fuck it, fuck this and fuck everything, Unmaking as a piece of narrative fiction is a punch straight to the emotional solar plexus. It made me cry. Oh sweet non-existent gods, it made me cry. Ligotti's work makes me think, I absolutely LOVE it but THESE stories- they made me cry. And I cannot WAIT for the next issue.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad this exists. Ever since reading The Grimscribe Puppets it seemed that something like this certainly _could_ exist. That collection proved that there are more than enough talented authors who understand Ligotti's dark themes and his surreal atmosphere, and can make it their own in many creative ways.

But the work here is far from mere simulation. These works all come from a similar mindset of an uncomfortable angst and a rejection of the collective illusions that make the human condition bearable.

I think the obvious standout fictional works were "The Theatre Of Ovid," "Nervous Wares & Abnormal Stares" and "Singing The Song Of My Unmaking." Although it lies in a nebulous territory between fiction and a non-fiction philosophical essay, I would place Christopher Slatsky's "Affirmation of the Spirit: Consciousness, Transformation, and the Fourth World in Film" right along with them. The poetry and art in the collection helped break things up and add a little variety.

I enjoyed the non-fiction entries here more than I expected to. The line between fiction and non-fiction isn't always entirely clear in some of them, which makes for a unsettling experience in itself. A few of these essays explored film, I particularly liked Colby Smith's essay on Eraserhead in an antinatalist context. The best analysis of Ligottian fiction here in my opinion would be Michael J. Abolafia's essay on "The Last Feast of Harlequin" which was quite illuminating.

There's many stories and essays here I wouldn't re-read, but there wasn't anything I downright disliked. That combined with the uniqueness and boldness of this project -- five stars it is.
--------------

The Gods in Their Seats, Unblinking by Kurt Fawver
This is a unique story, in the form of a one-act play, with a brief introduction about how it is seemingly cursed. It's a great way to start the issue out, it explores Ligottian themes in a fairly original way and is well-written. An inmate in an asylum tells his psychiatrist that he believes unseen entities are watching and studying him -- and much more.

The Nightmare of His Art: The Horrific Power of the Imagination in “The Troubles of Dr. Thoss” and “Gas Station Carnivals” by W. Silverwood
This is a well-written essay on the role of imagination in these two Ligotti stories, with more emphasis on the former. Imagination is explored as a source of one's own undoing -- and perhaps for some explorers of horror, this is precisely what they wished for.

Affirmation of the Spirit: Consciousness, Transformation, and the Fourth World in Film by Christopher Slatsky
This is one of my favorite entries in this issue -- it's part essay, part deeply philosophical story. Slatsky explores the idea of a film being an independent entity, a consciousness in itself. This makes for an interesting analogy to our own lack of a self, and our predetermined nature. "There is no evidence of reality outside the domino effect of chunks bashing into bits and the resulting physical processes being revered as something other than the mechanistic drudgery they are." Hear! Hear!

Try the Veal by Robert Beveridge
A brief, somewhat darkly comic poem of cannibalism.

How to Construct a Gun from Your Own Flesh by Michael Uhall
Probably the shortest prose entry, yet there's a good deal to think about here. Perhaps my favorite idea within this sort of "thought experiment" was the idea of something being constructed from the body, entirely involuntarily -- all of our bodily functions are already such.

“Eccentric to the Healthy Social Order”: Inversions of Family, Community, and Religion in Thomas Ligotti’s The Last Feast of Harlequin by Michael J. Abolafia
This is another non-fiction essay, this time on Ligotti's "The Last Feast of Harlequin," and how the themes of that story undermine the ideals of traditional Americana; of health, independence and productivity, through a sacrilege anti-natalist festival.

“They say I should kill myself and not try to spoil their enjoyment in being alive”: An Interview with Thomas Ligotti by Wojciech Gunia
This interview appeared in 2014, and appears here for the first time in English. Ligotti makes some good points about euthanasia and an appeal for how sensitivity leads to pessimism. He also mentions many authors I love, or have wanted to explore for some time. "They fabricate all kinds of false reasons for why they stand in the way of euthanasia, but they won’t tell you the truth about it. [...] The truth is that once you allow that living can be so terrible it has become a nightmare, then where do you draw the line?"

Wraiths by Wade German
Another poem, seemingly about letting go of life.

Eraserhead as Antinatalist Allegory by Colby Smith
This is quite an illuminating essay, and convincing in its arguments, on a film I really need to watch again.

The Theatre Of Ovid by Aaron Worth
This is one of the best stories in this collection, perhaps the best of all. This one kept me guessing, all the way to the end and it ties together some very strange elements in a clever fashion that makes for a unique tale with a Victorian-era tone. The director of an asylum cures and marries a beautiful young woman who suffered from a strange malady that makes her write false histories. On their honeymoon he learns that she isn't fully cured at all.

The Alienation Of The Self: Marx, Polanyi, And Ligottian Horror by S. L. Edwards
This is an essay on a topic I've actually thought about myself -- politics and the implications of a Ligottian worldview on the possibilities of real human freedom. A Marxist analysis compared with a cosmic one.

Strange Bird by Ian Mullins
A poem, seemingly about the endless recycling of matter for life's purposes.

Solar Flare by Paul L. Bates
This is one of the strangest stories here, not among my top favorites, but it does have a disorientating atmosphere and some eerie moments that stayed with me. A man travels through the night to a town that is seemingly decaying before his eyes.

Night Walks: The Films Of Val Lewton by Michael Penkas
This was a fun read, but mostly it just recounts scenes in Val Lewton's films, without a lot of analysis. As someone who has seen some of these subtle horror/noir films so many times it could almost be considered "studying them," there wasn't much new for me here.

Infinite Light, Infinite Darkness by Martin Rose
This story has a different feel from many others here, it wasn't among my favorites. I liked the "idea" of the plot, but not how it was executed. A poor old Vietnamese farmer who has lost his wife and son in the Vietnam War takes in an American soldier who deserts. The soldier is fascinated by a nonexistent temple which his son also claimed to have visited.

Nervous Wares & Abnormal Stares by Devin Goff
This was a fun story that's quite humorous. It might not feel especially deep, but when it's over I went back and noted that it was quite suspenseful and original. A woman opens a ceramic shop in a small town that starts to slowly die all around her.

My Time At The Drake Clinic by Jordan Krall
Funny, Kafka-esque, absurd and weirdly circular. This is the only story in the bunch that made me laugh out loud. This story explores the theme of a seemingly contagious madness, and is a strike at the idea that everyone secretly "has it together." A "instructor" at a clinic is taunted by a troublesome student with a strange form of "panic."

Notes On A Horror by Dr. Raymond Thoss
The last non-fiction entry, by a psychiatrist using an alias. This is a deeply sympathetic and compassionate look at the denial of trauma from child abuse compared with to the denial of the conspiracy Ligotti writes of in his works. There were some fascinating scientific studies cited that showed interpersonal trauma can cause parts of the brain not associated with the most basic bodily functions to "turn off," causing a losing of the self. This was my favorite non-fiction essay here.

Singing The Song Of My Unmaking by Christopher Ropes
Wow, last but certainly not least. This is part-story, part-poetry and part-personal reflections that express what depression is really like better than almost anything I've read before. I'm hesitant to say this is the best story in the book, but it's certainly the most emotionally impactful. A town is engulfed in a slow apocalypse, but one man yearns for his own doom.

[S.E. Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thomas Ligotti inspired collection VASTARIEN kicks-off with the one act play, "The Gods in Their Seats, Unblinking"  by Kurt Fawver. More accurately, it is an account of play, the playwright and actors vanished and possibly fictional themselves. The traditional roles between actor and audience quickly dissolves. Who are the real performers? Are audience and actors interchangeable? Redundant?

An excellent, thought-provoking story, it not only kept me interested in the narrative, but also in the larger philosophical questions posed. It is said that good art makes the audience an active participant, which is certainly the case here. Perhaps the placement of "Gods in Their Seats, Unblinking" (great title too) as the first story is a subtle hint to which VASTARIEN aspires. In this literary journal, there is a bleeding of fiction, meta-fiction, and nonfiction—the lines between reader and writer blurring much like the participants in Fawver's play or Ligotti's own metaphoric twilights and nebulous skylines.

Described as a source of critical study and creative response to the corpus of Thomas Ligotti, as well as associated authors and ideas, VASTARIEN focuses on the thematic elements and dominant subjects of the horror master. While this may sound a bit antiseptic and scholarly,  each author brings their own creativity and spirit to their chapter. This is not an echo chamber of a Ligottian ethos or a mimic of his style (unlike the many Lovecraft pastiches out there). Simply put, these are works that occupy a similar rebellious space of existential anxiety and escapism.

Some of the fiction highlights for me are "Nervous Wares & Abnormal Stares" by Devin Goff. A bucolic town is dismantled board by board, shop by shop, the rural niceties a cover for the strange and sinister. Jordan Krall delivers an unsettling, disorienting tale of the crumbling reality of madness in "My Time at the Drake Clinic". Also, Christopher Slatsky's mockumentary “Affirmation of the Spirit: Consciousness, Transformation, and the Fourth World in Film” expertly walks the fine line of fiction masquerading as the real and true.

VASTARIEN's half dozen nonfiction essays are highlighted by the simply named, "Notes on a Horror" by a psychologist using the alias Dr. Raymond Thoss. This piece provides a penetrating look into the world of trauma and treatment. Written for the layman in four digestible parts, the author makes the case of how Ligottian themes can be used to both conceptualize pathological dissociation associated with such things as PTSD, and how they can actually reconnect a patient to the world. Given how many dismiss Ligotti's worldview as simply antinatalistic and pessimistic, I found this a compelling demonstration of how Ligotti's work can relieve and even heal. For someone who has taken much comfort and solace in Ligotti's words/worlds, I am glad to see this concept eloquently explored.

Finally, closing the collection, is Christopher Ropes' "Singing the Song of My Unmaking". This hybrid piece sums VASTARIEN as it is part poem, fictional story, and confessional autobiography blended into a coherent whole. It's a fitting closer where dissociation, depression, and the dissolving of reality play out under the threatening clouds of engulfing nihilism. A emotional story that will stay with you long after reading.

VASTARIEN is a must read for the Ligotti fan. I found this dedicated journal gave me insights into his works that I hadn't before. Also, to see what Ligotti inspires in others was something I hadn't anticipated and gave me much to contemplate. For those who may not be familiar with Ligotti, there is a lot to enjoy here, nothing too esoteric or 'inside'. The different pieces, while certainly challenging, are never out of reach, written both for the neophyte and Ligotti-phile. The inclusion of starkly personal works, too, make this an accessible book. An exciting beginning to the VASTARIEN journey. Congratulations to editors Jon Padgett and Matt Cardin of 'Thomas Ligotti Online' to make this project come to fruition. Looking forward to Issue 2!

[Patrick.G.P · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first issue of Vastarien is an excellent read for anyone interested in Thomas Ligotti, horror, bleak philosophy, film and Weird fiction. The issue is nicely edited, and all the pieces fit together to make the issue a very interesting and satisfying read from beginning to end. The topics range from David Lynch, themes in Ligotti’s work, clinical depression, to the very real-life traumas of child abuse. Really enjoyed this, and I can’t wait to read the forthcoming issues.

[Waffles · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This is a solid effort and anyone claiming to be interested in Thomas Ligotti should read this.
I was especially fond of the essay "Notes on a Horror" by appropriately psedonymed Dr. Thoss.

There is treasure in this journal and I look forward to future issues.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely bother to write reviews but this journal is one of the most fabulous things i’ve read in a very long time. In particular I think I related to and felt more “seen” by the masterful “Singing the Song of My Unmaking” by Christopher Ropes than any other piece of literature I can recall having read in decades. The significance of the acknowledgment and celebration of this particular variety of mind and worldview cannot be overstated and it has more than earned its place of honour on my shelf beside “Every Cradle Is a Grave” by Sarah Perry and Ligotti’s own “Death Poems.” I sincerely hope more issues of Vastarien continue to be published and to give voice to the voidseekers long into the future, and if nothing else I sincerely thank everyone involved with this for creating it.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A multi-genre anthology of both fiction and nonfiction that unlike many attempts to coalesce around a single author actually fits together well and with an almost uniformly strong quality.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vastarien is frequently an emotionally challenging read. Contributing to this, the line between fiction and non-fiction is not clear. We construct comfortable barriers to assist coping with an uncaring world, and the experience of reading this journal reminds us that this is just stage dressing. “The Gods in Their Seats, Unblinking” by Kurt Fawver is an unsettling start to this issue. “Notes on a Horror” by Dr. Raymond Thoss is a bleak discussion of nihilism as a therapy technique to address trauma. I never would have considered this, and while appreciate this on an intellectual level, I’m not sure I want to grapple with these concepts.

Miscellaneous notes:

“Infinite Light, Infinite Darkness” by Martin Rose explored some intriguing ideas about the colonialism of religion (and other than Christianity, which is refreshing.) The old god hidden under the new one and how his power was evoked was uncomfortably outside the realm of the expected.

“Night Walks: The Films of Val Lewton” an essay by Michael Penkas digs into some of the thematic elements of excellent films like “I Walked with a Zombie” and “Cat People.”

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. I loved every part of this journal. Exceptional writing. As good as everything was I thought that both Notes On A Horror and Singing the Song Of My Unmasking we’re both worldview changing. I bought the other 3 issues of Vastarien and can’t wIt to dig in!

[?0?0?0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a longtime fan of Thomas Ligotti, liking Padgett's novel and finding him to be a really nice person, and enjoying many of Cardin's Ligotti-like stories, I expected I'd enjoy "Vastarien: A Literary Jouranl", but I had no idea it would be as excellent as it is. The weakest short story is still a good one, the collection of artwork throughout is a lovely mix of Dore and Ernst, and the essays - tackling Ligotti's work, horror fiction, and treatment for trauma influenced by Ligotti's writings, to name a few - are splendid. This is without question the most promising magazine/journal catering to the dark and weird side of fiction, and the contents within this beautifully designed book add up to a remarkable collection that should be on the bookshelves of every lover of horror fiction. I can't say enough good things about the first volume of "Vastarian" or how grateful I am of its existence, for I could, conceivably, be here all day, wasting everyone's time expanding on each piece inside and their merits, but don't bother reading a half-baked commentary from me or anyone else when you could go out and pick up a copy of this yourself, and support everyone involved with the making of this wonderful tome.

[Carmilla Voiez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just wow! This is a collection of short stories and academic essays inspired by the writings of Thomas Ligotti and pessimistic philosophy. While there were a couple of pieces that I found a little pretentious for my taste the gems, and there were many, more than made up for this.

Singing the Songs, Notes on a Horror, The Theatre of Ovid, Solar Flare and The Alienation of Self were by far my favourites. The writings are not only entertaining and thought-provoking they are also political, personal and self-validating. In addition I find myself truly inspired to delve into the darkness and the surreal with renewed vigour.

[J.D. Buffington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am awake to a world I’ve known vile. I know others have been awake. I know others are puppets still dreaming. But to read some thoughtful articles and good horror that rolls in that filth of life and find kinship? I take heart. Superb.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fun romp into the abyss.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasingly high quality content for a first issue, I've picked up the 2nd issue immediately.

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vastarien es una publicación que homenajea a Thomas Ligotti a través de artículos, relatos y poesia.
Jon Padgett, el autor de " El secreto de la ventriloquia" publicado en español por dilatando mentes, es también el editor y quien se encarga de seleccionar a los diferentes autores que aparecen en ella.
La verdad es que este primer número es espectacular y encontramos desde artículos sobre el cine o la psicología nihilista de Ligotti hasta sentidos homenajes en prosa o poesía.
Entre los que más me han gustados se encuentran:

"How to Construct a Gun from Your Own Flesh" de Michael Uhall(****): En donde se narra la psicódelica idea de como construir un arma con tu propia carne o cuerpo.

"Eraserhead as Antinatalist Allegory "por Colby Smith(***): Artículo muy interesante sobre la película Cabeza borradora de David Lynch.

"Night Walks: The Films of Val Lewton"(****): Artículo sobre las pelúclas antiguas de terror de Val Lewton y como algunos de sus trucos se siguen usando en los films actuales.

"Singing the Song of My Unmaking de Christopher Ropes"(****): Este cuento sobre un suicida describe y sintetiza de manera perfecta la temática de algunos cuentos de Ligotti.

"The Theatre Of Ovid de Aaron Worth"(****): Cuento de terror donde un doctor que trabaja en un centro de salud mental se casa con una paciente a quien cree ya curada de su obsesión. Se dará cuenta de que no es así.

Nervous Wares & Abnormal Stares de Devin Goff(****): Una mujer abre una pequeña tienda de arte en un pueblito. Cada semana más gente se va yendo del pueblo y llega la ruina económica. Pero unos cultistas le ofrecerán a la mujer que realice estatuas de cerámica de su dios.

Notes On A Horror de Dr. Raymond Thoss(*****): Un psicólogo real analizando la obra de Ligotti y como le ayudo esta en su vida y su estado mental. Buenísimo artículo.

En general un nivel alto para esta clase de publicaciones. Una gozada, ya he comprado el resto de números. Si os gusta Ligotti no lo dudéis.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong four stars? Yep. I've had this since shortly after its release and just finally got to reading it this weekend. What it is, is a mix of short fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and artwork, all inspired in one way or another by Thomas Ligotti. It's a very compelling collection, one which I picked up when only familiar with one contributor (Slatsky) and name familiar with another (Fawver), and of course with Ligotti and the folks at Grimscribe.

I truly dig almost all of it, though for me the shining stars were the fiction pieces, in particular those with a bit more meat to them. Kurt Fawver is now on my radar in a big way. So are Aaron Worth, Martin Rose, Devin Goff, Jordan Krall, and Christopher Ropes. Most of the work within this first issue is dark. Surprise! Can't wait to read the rest of the issues.

[Timothy Morrison]

☢a place where everything was transfixed in the order of the unreal. . . . Each passage he entered in the book both enchanted and appalled him with images and incidents so freakish and chaotic that his usual sense of these terms disintegrated along with everything else. Rampant oddity seemed to be the rule of the realm; imperfection became the source of the miraculous — wonders of deformity and marvels of miscreation. There was horror, undoubtedly. But it was a horror uncompromised by any feeling of lost joy or thwarted redemption; rather, it was a deliverance by damnation. And if Vastarien was a nightmare, it was a nightmare transformed in spirit by the utter absence of refuge: nightmare made normal.

[Ian Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first volume of the Vastarien literary journal is everything a Thomas Ligotti afficionado could want or hope for, short of new fiction from the master himself. There is some new non-fiction material from him in the form of an introduction from and interview in relation to the Polish translation of Teatro Grottesco.

Otherwise, the book alternates between fiction, essays and poetry. And as with Ligotti's Notes on the Writing of Horror, the line between short story and essay can become blurry at times and one can't be entirely certain which they're getting at the start of a given piece. Sometimes, I'm not even sure at the end!

The most affecting for me, written under the pseudonym of Ligotti's character Dr Raymond Thoss, purports to be from a therapist who works with trauma victims, to be a trauma victim himself, and considers with penetrating insight how Ligotti's worldview resonates with such people and may be helpful to them. I suspected it would take some kind of twist-ending turn, but so far as I can tell it's an honest, face-value non-fiction work.

Another highlight was 'Eraserhead as Antinatalist Allegory' by Colby Smith. As someone inching into both David Lynch and film criticism, this was a pleasant surprise and the first time I'd thought to link Lynch to Ligotti in any substantial thematic way. Similarly, Michael Penkas' 'Night Walks: The Films of Val Lewton' is an exceedingly niche yet valuable piece of film criticism for viewers of my persuasion.

This is not to say that the fiction is lacking. It's not all pastiche but it is all of interest to Ligottians, and much of it seems intent on giving the lie to our notions of self and reality. Kurt Fawver's 'The Gods in their Seats, Unblinking' is a powerful starting point, being a kind of metafictional thought experiment about actors in a play realising their own condition. There's some King in Yellow DNA in there also, if one squints. On reflection, I'm inclined to regard it as my favourite, though Jordan Krall's 'My Time at the Drake Clinic' comes close.

Poetry is so subjective that I'm loathe to make sweeping statements about it, but my impression is that the pieces in this volume suit the tone and are unlikely to disappoint readers of this persuasion. I think perhaps Wade German's 'Wraiths' is my favourite, though I expect I shall revisit them at some point.

I could have forgiven this first issue for being a little shakey, yet it's a resounding success and I look forward to reading the second.

[Dylan Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing insight into the world/movement of like minded individuals inspired by Thomas Ligotti a must read for fans of his work both fiction and non fiction. I hope the second issue appears soon

[James Atkison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every minute of this journal.

[Des Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have often translated the word ‘ligotti’ as ‘knots’ and now ‘ropes’ provide the means, I guess. I hope the Ropes author is pleased with my honest stream of thoughts about this major work, a work that sort of gestalts a whole first issue of a fine Literary Journal. A symphony of poetic movements, laced with truth, upon which we can all rest, sure that we are not alone, also sure that we are alone, while awaiting the end.

The detailed review of this journal posted elsewhere under my name is too long to post here.
Above is its conclusion.

[Perry Ruhland · Rating 4 out of 5]

All phenomenal, but Notes on a Horror and Singing the Song of my Unmaking particularly wrecked me in a way I really wasn't expecting - two pieces that are some of the only works I've ever read that understand the particular pull of this sort of horror to people with trauma. To quote Ligotti's own rationale for writing contained within -

"I want to explain and express to who I am to send out a signal to people who may not be strangers to me, or not entirely strange to me."

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic first issue. I particularly enjoyed “Notes on a Horror” by Dr. Raymond Thoss. Can not wait for the next issue!

[Lewis Housley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just some really, really good stuff in here. Getting them all.

[VII · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than I expected, though of course not all of it since it is a collection. A mix of stories and borderline academic essays.

[Claus Appel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two stories were great: "The Gods in Their Seats, Unblinking" and "How to Construct a Gun from Your Own Flesh".