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Weirdbook #3
Weirdbook Three
Contains "Usurp the Night" by Robert E. Howard.
32 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1970
3 people want to read
About the author
W. Paul Ganley
38 books3 followersW. Paul Ganley is a publisher and editor of science fiction, poetry and horror fanzines. He has published his own works under the pseudonyms Toby Duane, A. Arthur Griffin, and Walter Quednau.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 4, 2024
The highlight of the issue was definitely "Usurp the Night," a novelette by Robert E. Howard in the Cthulhu Mythos. The story concerns a protagonist, Michael Strang, whose girlfriend is missing her pet cat. Strang agrees to investigate the cat's whereabouts and starts by questioning a neighbor who has recently moved into a dilapidated old home without fixing it up. Mr. Stark denies knowing anything about the cat, but the two become friends. While visiting Stark's home and enjoying hospitality, Strang hears odd noises from upstairs. The situation escalates as more pets and then even people start disappearing in the neighborhood.
It's an exciting story, one appearing in this 1970 magazine more than thirty years after Howard's death, which must have been quite a coupe for Ganley to be able to publish. The first three issues of his "fanzine," actually a magazine, all feature an original Howard story. This was the longest and best of the three.
As an aficionado of the classic weird story, one thing really strikes me about Howard's writing style here, especially how it contrasts with the other weird writers of his era. There is little mystery with Howard. He makes the menace and its abilities very clear. No, we don't get the entire backstory on the menace, where it comes from, what its motivation is precisely, only its actions. But the menace's activities, its location, and features, they are all related in detail. After a certain point, we follow this menace's actions as they are being committed. This feels odd to me having read so much Lovecraft, Wandrei, Smith, and other writers, none of whom would put so much obviousness out there to be seen on a written page. I don't think being so up-front and visible works that well, ultimately, and wonder if it made it hard for Howard to sell this story when he wrote it. Whatever. It's well-written, very clear, and fun to see a story written this way, if for no other reason than the novelty of the style choices.
The other stories, of which there were eight, the eleven poems, and the illustrations sprinkled throughout the 32 magazine pages (not slick or in color, but set on typewriter pages) were not bad, but neither were they particularly memorable. I won't take the time to review them in detail. If you're interested in acquiring an early Weirdbook issue, including this one, they're readily available on eBay and the used book market still for under $20, a pretty reasonable price for what you receive in my opinion.
I was struck to see a David Anthony Kraft story in here. I remember him as a writer for Marvel Comics in the 1970s and '80s, mostly decent stuff too, if a bit on the light side for my taste.
There was one other short story that struck me as above average: Janet Fox's "Say it with Spiders." A short story writer, mostly, who lived from 1940-2009, I think this was her first published work. (She also wrote all but the first book in the interesting-looking Scorpio series under the pseudonym Alex McDonough. The plot concerns a woman with nightmares of being consumed by spiders. At least her husband is sympathetic. Until...." This story is more horror than weird, and at two pages, just too short. But the dialogue was good, better than in any of the other stories (other than Howard's). So, I appreciated it.
Reading these old Weirdbook magazines is a hoot. Highly recommended if you're looking for weird fiction writing that's obscure, historic, and different. You won't be able to predict these stories!
It's an exciting story, one appearing in this 1970 magazine more than thirty years after Howard's death, which must have been quite a coupe for Ganley to be able to publish. The first three issues of his "fanzine," actually a magazine, all feature an original Howard story. This was the longest and best of the three.
As an aficionado of the classic weird story, one thing really strikes me about Howard's writing style here, especially how it contrasts with the other weird writers of his era. There is little mystery with Howard. He makes the menace and its abilities very clear. No, we don't get the entire backstory on the menace, where it comes from, what its motivation is precisely, only its actions. But the menace's activities, its location, and features, they are all related in detail. After a certain point, we follow this menace's actions as they are being committed. This feels odd to me having read so much Lovecraft, Wandrei, Smith, and other writers, none of whom would put so much obviousness out there to be seen on a written page. I don't think being so up-front and visible works that well, ultimately, and wonder if it made it hard for Howard to sell this story when he wrote it. Whatever. It's well-written, very clear, and fun to see a story written this way, if for no other reason than the novelty of the style choices.
The other stories, of which there were eight, the eleven poems, and the illustrations sprinkled throughout the 32 magazine pages (not slick or in color, but set on typewriter pages) were not bad, but neither were they particularly memorable. I won't take the time to review them in detail. If you're interested in acquiring an early Weirdbook issue, including this one, they're readily available on eBay and the used book market still for under $20, a pretty reasonable price for what you receive in my opinion.
I was struck to see a David Anthony Kraft story in here. I remember him as a writer for Marvel Comics in the 1970s and '80s, mostly decent stuff too, if a bit on the light side for my taste.
There was one other short story that struck me as above average: Janet Fox's "Say it with Spiders." A short story writer, mostly, who lived from 1940-2009, I think this was her first published work. (She also wrote all but the first book in the interesting-looking Scorpio series under the pseudonym Alex McDonough. The plot concerns a woman with nightmares of being consumed by spiders. At least her husband is sympathetic. Until...." This story is more horror than weird, and at two pages, just too short. But the dialogue was good, better than in any of the other stories (other than Howard's). So, I appreciated it.
Reading these old Weirdbook magazines is a hoot. Highly recommended if you're looking for weird fiction writing that's obscure, historic, and different. You won't be able to predict these stories!
Displaying 1 of 1 review