What do you think?
Rate this book
Echoes of a Natural World: Tales of the Strange & Estranged
Echoes of a Natural World presents a continuum of discomforting reactions to a world perpetually out of whack. Nature—so oft considered the epitome of “order” and “tranquility” in the human mind—is herein explored at its most aberrant, absurd, and nightmarish. Through eleven weird tales, Echoes of a Natural World raises questions about Nature’s influence on the mind and the mind’s unnatural influence
on Nature.
Contributions include new translations of fin de siècle Decadent masters—sensual accounts of amphibian horrors and secret caverns below country inns. These sparkling 19th century pieces sit against contemporary American fiction that delivers haunting scenarios and darkly comic ontological routines. Behold accounts of whispering mold and Midwestern strip-mall desolation; occult hypnosis and regenerated limbs; void-bound train rides with a hallucinatory hustler king; ghost boars in German battlefields; spiraling anxiety that only peach trees and country cottages could produce. Parse through questionable documents that detail the aftershocks of a once idyllic world no longer salvageable.
This kaleidoscopic collection wades in those nebulous waters where the inner world and outer landscape mesh. For as we barrel into a reality where technology has seemingly penetrated even the most remote corners of the earth, one must ask: Is it even possible to have a genuine interaction with Nature anymore? Has it ever been? Or have these longings always been the romantic delusions of a species obsessed with itself? Echoes of a Natural World defies easy categorization and easy answers.
on Nature.
Contributions include new translations of fin de siècle Decadent masters—sensual accounts of amphibian horrors and secret caverns below country inns. These sparkling 19th century pieces sit against contemporary American fiction that delivers haunting scenarios and darkly comic ontological routines. Behold accounts of whispering mold and Midwestern strip-mall desolation; occult hypnosis and regenerated limbs; void-bound train rides with a hallucinatory hustler king; ghost boars in German battlefields; spiraling anxiety that only peach trees and country cottages could produce. Parse through questionable documents that detail the aftershocks of a once idyllic world no longer salvageable.
This kaleidoscopic collection wades in those nebulous waters where the inner world and outer landscape mesh. For as we barrel into a reality where technology has seemingly penetrated even the most remote corners of the earth, one must ask: Is it even possible to have a genuine interaction with Nature anymore? Has it ever been? Or have these longings always been the romantic delusions of a species obsessed with itself? Echoes of a Natural World defies easy categorization and easy answers.
176 pages, Paperback
Published October 8, 2020
10 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
About the author
Michael P. Daley
10 books11 followersMichael P. Daley is a writer and cultural historian. Daley’s work largely concerns politics, subcultures, crime, and art. He is a former counterculture archivist and political news editor.
Daley also runs First To Knock, an independent publishing company.
Daley also runs First To Knock, an independent publishing company.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Read
April 8, 2023Video review: https://youtu.be/3BYrFiWT2_w
January 12, 2024
This is an interesting anthology, a slim volume but the editorial choice (to mix newly translated Decadent era material with a rare public domain item and modern short fiction) is striking and intriguing. The introduction nicely sets this collection up as featuring stories that examine or reflect on man's relationship to and with "Nature", which is just vague enough to justify everything here. Short Version: check it out, if you'd like a nice sampler of the old and the new.
Specific story review (as always - weakest to strongest):
"Underground" by Lou Perliss is a character sketch of a troubled, orphaned boy's strange fixation on what exists underground and how to envision it, even as we realize his personal, social and police interactions are going rapidly downhill. A strange little piece. Marcel Schwob's "Lucretius, Poet" is one of Schwob's odd, short, fable-like false biographies - here elucidating Lucretius' discovery of how love and death are connected. Always feel like I'm not getting the point of these particular exercises. And "The Legend of Day-Glo Maria" by Jeremy Kitchen is a short piece about time spent in the military, and a prank pulled on a hated CO that involves a wild boar and glowing paint. Not bad - good writing voice - but not particularly memorable either.
Julia Bembenek's "Stolen Peaches" is a strangely low-key story about a woman settling into a new home in the country, and having difficulty in adjusting. Odd. Can't say I loved it but it's odd tone did linger - so I guess it was successful. "Little Brother" by Janice Law takes place in a foreign, post-revolutionary state, where the chief scientist unveils his newest creation to the General who leads the country - a chemical way of suppressing sleep so as to maximize work and efficiency. But the General's and the Scientist's personal application of this discovery leads to unforeseen events and a resurgence of old practices thought banished by the revolution. A good piece, interesting. Meanwhile, a distracted, troubled young man - possibly homeless, possibly tripping - shares a strange train ride with a strange fellow passenger in Mark Iosifescu's - "Journey To The Ills". An odd, evocative piece - weird but effective.
"Hues Of Red" by Joris-Karl Huysmans (an excerpt from A Dish of Spices) is a rich and ripe description of a sudden and vivid vision of a riot of red encountered by the main character, paying particular attention to lush detail and subtle distinctions between hues. Nice. "The Unexpected Enjoyment" by Villiers de L'Isle-Adam has a weary traveller offered, in a remote inn, the opportunity to view "a curiosity", which proves to be both unexpected and resonantly symbolic. Well done!
"The Occult Hand" by Dan A. Stitzer, from 1917, is a forgotten short fiction piece where a man visits a hypnotherapist to see if the man's mesmeric treatments can restore the hand he lost in a railroad accident. He allows himself to be placed under the influence of the occult doctor for an extended period of time and finds himself prone to severe and impulsive mood swings, which he ascribes to the doctor's powers. But even as a strange, somewhat larger and misshapen "replacement hand" begins to grow, we find ourselves wondering if our narrator is perhaps an alcoholic or mentally unbalanced...a neat little story - not a horror tale, really - maybe more "weird" than anything, but cool and interesting. "Considering The Discovery, Taxonomic Implications & Initial Impressions Of A Whispering Mold" by Michael P. Daley has a self-styled crypto-botanist intrigued by reports of a mold, found in an isolated section of Illinois, that supposedly whispers! But this self-involved, narcissistic individual projects onto this possible natural wonder a role that it cannot possibly play in his life. This is a nice bit of weird lit, with the psychology of the main character taking the forefront of the narrative, with an unsettling ending. Well done, again!
Finally, the volume starts with "The Toad" by arch-decadent Jean Lorrain. A man lovingly describes his idyllic youth as a sensitive young boy summering at a relative's country estate with his cousins, his joy at solitude and nature, and an accidental encounter with a repulsive amphibian that forever impressed itself upon him. Nicely done - icky and effective, as young fancies of the ineffable beauty of nature run headlong into the flip side of that concept.
A very interesting book - worth your time and attention!
Specific story review (as always - weakest to strongest):
"Underground" by Lou Perliss is a character sketch of a troubled, orphaned boy's strange fixation on what exists underground and how to envision it, even as we realize his personal, social and police interactions are going rapidly downhill. A strange little piece. Marcel Schwob's "Lucretius, Poet" is one of Schwob's odd, short, fable-like false biographies - here elucidating Lucretius' discovery of how love and death are connected. Always feel like I'm not getting the point of these particular exercises. And "The Legend of Day-Glo Maria" by Jeremy Kitchen is a short piece about time spent in the military, and a prank pulled on a hated CO that involves a wild boar and glowing paint. Not bad - good writing voice - but not particularly memorable either.
Julia Bembenek's "Stolen Peaches" is a strangely low-key story about a woman settling into a new home in the country, and having difficulty in adjusting. Odd. Can't say I loved it but it's odd tone did linger - so I guess it was successful. "Little Brother" by Janice Law takes place in a foreign, post-revolutionary state, where the chief scientist unveils his newest creation to the General who leads the country - a chemical way of suppressing sleep so as to maximize work and efficiency. But the General's and the Scientist's personal application of this discovery leads to unforeseen events and a resurgence of old practices thought banished by the revolution. A good piece, interesting. Meanwhile, a distracted, troubled young man - possibly homeless, possibly tripping - shares a strange train ride with a strange fellow passenger in Mark Iosifescu's - "Journey To The Ills". An odd, evocative piece - weird but effective.
"Hues Of Red" by Joris-Karl Huysmans (an excerpt from A Dish of Spices) is a rich and ripe description of a sudden and vivid vision of a riot of red encountered by the main character, paying particular attention to lush detail and subtle distinctions between hues. Nice. "The Unexpected Enjoyment" by Villiers de L'Isle-Adam has a weary traveller offered, in a remote inn, the opportunity to view "a curiosity", which proves to be both unexpected and resonantly symbolic. Well done!
"The Occult Hand" by Dan A. Stitzer, from 1917, is a forgotten short fiction piece where a man visits a hypnotherapist to see if the man's mesmeric treatments can restore the hand he lost in a railroad accident. He allows himself to be placed under the influence of the occult doctor for an extended period of time and finds himself prone to severe and impulsive mood swings, which he ascribes to the doctor's powers. But even as a strange, somewhat larger and misshapen "replacement hand" begins to grow, we find ourselves wondering if our narrator is perhaps an alcoholic or mentally unbalanced...a neat little story - not a horror tale, really - maybe more "weird" than anything, but cool and interesting. "Considering The Discovery, Taxonomic Implications & Initial Impressions Of A Whispering Mold" by Michael P. Daley has a self-styled crypto-botanist intrigued by reports of a mold, found in an isolated section of Illinois, that supposedly whispers! But this self-involved, narcissistic individual projects onto this possible natural wonder a role that it cannot possibly play in his life. This is a nice bit of weird lit, with the psychology of the main character taking the forefront of the narrative, with an unsettling ending. Well done, again!
Finally, the volume starts with "The Toad" by arch-decadent Jean Lorrain. A man lovingly describes his idyllic youth as a sensitive young boy summering at a relative's country estate with his cousins, his joy at solitude and nature, and an accidental encounter with a repulsive amphibian that forever impressed itself upon him. Nicely done - icky and effective, as young fancies of the ineffable beauty of nature run headlong into the flip side of that concept.
A very interesting book - worth your time and attention!
March 31, 2021
A great little collection of stories ranging from the hallucinatory to the pastoral, from a promising new press. Personal highlights for myself are the stories by Jean Lorrain, Lou Perliss, Michael P. Daley, Mark Iosifescu, and Villiers de L'Isle-Adam. Some of the modern tales fell a little flat, but for the most part this is a good introduction to some of the best symbolist/decadents of 19th c. France and some charming work from new voices (plus a lost curiosity from from the early 20th c. United States). RIYL rich and tactile prose, a sense of mystery, nature and supernature.
December 14, 2020
This is a really odd collection. Four very short stories from French "Decadent" writers of the late 1800s newly translated, one very obscure 1917 story from Stories of the Occult by Dan A. Stitzer, and 6 brand new stories.
The uniting theme is "nature", but I think the connection is pretty weak. That being said, some of the stories are good, but none are great.
I had mistakenly thought the whole book would be collections of 1800s French "decadent" or "symbolist" fiction. I should have paid more attention. Anyway, those turned out to be my least favorite stories in here. The prose is too purple and the plots are too thin.
The uniting theme is "nature", but I think the connection is pretty weak. That being said, some of the stories are good, but none are great.
I had mistakenly thought the whole book would be collections of 1800s French "decadent" or "symbolist" fiction. I should have paid more attention. Anyway, those turned out to be my least favorite stories in here. The prose is too purple and the plots are too thin.
September 24, 2021
Only liked "Hues of Red," the 2 page one...
Largely disappointing. Don't judge a book by the cover!
Largely disappointing. Don't judge a book by the cover!
November 19, 2025
Good collection of niche stories. Some were very funny and some were quite unsettling. Had a good introduction to contextualize the stories and make their cohesion explicit
March 29, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed this compilation of 'tales of the strange...'.
Pulled in by the promise of an unfamiliar story by my old fav. Huysmans, I found myself oscillating between laughter and terror at the heroes and antiheroes of the stories contained therein. Shifting between obscure French _histoires_ and modern day fables of alienation, there is something for everyone - everyone weird, that is.
Particularly effective was '...Impressions of a Whispering Mold,' written by the editor Michael P. Daley himself, a Nabakovian metafiction following an unreliable cuckolded cryptozoologist on his search for a fungal intelligence that will rocket him to academic superstardom and change the world and 'Underground,' a tragedy concerning a foster child's discovery of a mysterious object in the backyard that sends him on a trajectory of madness and ruin.
Looking forward to the next one by this outfit. Scratched an itch I didn't know I had.
Pulled in by the promise of an unfamiliar story by my old fav. Huysmans, I found myself oscillating between laughter and terror at the heroes and antiheroes of the stories contained therein. Shifting between obscure French _histoires_ and modern day fables of alienation, there is something for everyone - everyone weird, that is.
Particularly effective was '...Impressions of a Whispering Mold,' written by the editor Michael P. Daley himself, a Nabakovian metafiction following an unreliable cuckolded cryptozoologist on his search for a fungal intelligence that will rocket him to academic superstardom and change the world and 'Underground,' a tragedy concerning a foster child's discovery of a mysterious object in the backyard that sends him on a trajectory of madness and ruin.
Looking forward to the next one by this outfit. Scratched an itch I didn't know I had.
April 2, 2023
2.5 stars. Most of these stories made no impact on me really in a positive or negative way. The ones I liked the most were the second story about whispering mold. and the last story with the cavern.
September 2, 2024
Enjoyed this one - awesome cover too
September 29, 2020
This collection of meditations on our environs goes beyond simply man's relationship with flora and fauna by tapping into the metaphysical and the occult, with dips into horror and unbridled comedy. Recommended both for those "outdoorsy" types wanting to deepen their relationship with nature, as well as city slickers looking to get a pastoral kick.
February 7, 2023
Hmmmm. This collection is not what I expected, and most of the stories I disliked. I was really intrigued by the supposed unifying theme— the uncanny in nature, “human nature” disordered. But it felt like that theme was very loosely applied, and abandoned altogether in the case of a few stories. I approached each tale with a renewed interest, as each is by a different author. However, I was disappointed again and again. I like weird writing, but most of these stories just didn’t make me feel anything. The story about the toad, which I think I was supposed to find horrible, I found rather funny and ridiculous. I did really like the last story, and there were a few others that were fine, but none that were great.
January 27, 2021
Lovely, lovely little collection. A unique juxtaposition of stories new and old. Some are smooth and pretty, some bizarre and grotesque. All lush and luscious in their prose. Every word here is to be savored.
September 11, 2024
Solid little collection of metaphysical stories.
April 30, 2025
Pretty cool stuff here I like the one about the new invisible limb
June 27, 2025
Interesting and weird and lots of very enjoyable stories
June 24, 2025
I enjoyed this collection of stories a lot, especially the one about the mold!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews