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The Envious Nothing: A Collection of Literary Ruin
Over the past decade Curtis M. Lawson has emerged as one of the most dynamic and vibrant voices in contemporary weird fiction. Gifted with a prose style of admirable fluency and evocativeness, Lawson also reveals a broad range in subject-matter, extending from tales of science fiction to tales of psychological terror.
In this new collection, such stories as “You and I and the Envious Nothing” and “A Grave at the End of the World” explore cosmic horror in its most quintessential sense. Conversely, “Everything Smells Like Smoke Again” and “The Green Man of Freetown” display horror in the most intimate of relationships, while in “Orphan” unthinkable horror comes to a punk rocker performing in a rundown Midwestern town.
Lawson is deft at innovative treatments of age-old motifs. “The Rye-Mother” presents a new take on Halloween; “Elvis and Isolde” evokes the transmigration of souls; and “The Truth about Vampires” melds psychological and supernatural horror. Most impressive of all is an unpublished novella, “Beneath the Emerald Sky,” set in Iceland and summoning up hideous vistas of strangeness from myth and legend.
Throughout his work, Curtis M. Lawson exhibits a sensitivity to his characters’ fluctuating emotional states that lifts his work far above mere shudder-coining. And this volume is also sprinkled with poignant poems that translate weirdness into metrical form. No reader of the contemporary weird tale can afford to be without this book
In this new collection, such stories as “You and I and the Envious Nothing” and “A Grave at the End of the World” explore cosmic horror in its most quintessential sense. Conversely, “Everything Smells Like Smoke Again” and “The Green Man of Freetown” display horror in the most intimate of relationships, while in “Orphan” unthinkable horror comes to a punk rocker performing in a rundown Midwestern town.
Lawson is deft at innovative treatments of age-old motifs. “The Rye-Mother” presents a new take on Halloween; “Elvis and Isolde” evokes the transmigration of souls; and “The Truth about Vampires” melds psychological and supernatural horror. Most impressive of all is an unpublished novella, “Beneath the Emerald Sky,” set in Iceland and summoning up hideous vistas of strangeness from myth and legend.
Throughout his work, Curtis M. Lawson exhibits a sensitivity to his characters’ fluctuating emotional states that lifts his work far above mere shudder-coining. And this volume is also sprinkled with poignant poems that translate weirdness into metrical form. No reader of the contemporary weird tale can afford to be without this book
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 14, 2022
6 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Curtis M. Lawson
44 books234 followersCurtis M. Lawson is a writer of unapologetically weird, dark fiction, poetry, and comics. His work includes Black Heart Boys' Choir, It’s a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World, and The Devoured.
Curtis is a member of the Horror Writer’s Association and hosts the Wyrd Transmissions podcast.
Curtis is a member of the Horror Writer’s Association and hosts the Wyrd Transmissions podcast.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 8, 2022
A wonderful and varied collection. Hopefully conducting an interview with the author soon.
April 17, 2022
Curtis M. Lawson crafts his fiction from the perspective of people on the edge—of life, of death, of love, of horror, and of redemption. Devoid of ideological pretense and horror tropes, these refreshingly original stories and poems seek a “deep time” approach to the human experience—one in which the characters become victims to gods (see: “Beneath the Emerald Sky”); where creeping oblivion can paradoxically hold the most meaning (“The Happiest Place on Earth”); where characters become monstrous personifications of violence and sadness and love (“Secrets of the Forbidden Kata” – my personal favorite here). This collection of “Literary Ruin” is built from a framework of blood and bone and heart and is in every way a superb piece of speculative literature.
May 25, 2022
Huge thanks to Curtis for sending me a digital ARC to check out!
Over the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of reading Curtis’ work and it feels like he’s found a groove. Between his short fiction and longer pieces, his descent into writing stories that are bleak and crusted around the edges has been great to see. Saying that – I’ve not had time to dive into his back catalog. So there’s a solid chance he’s always been bludgeoning readers this way.
But, when I look at the two most recent pieces I’ve read from him; ‘Black Heart Boys’ Choir’ and ‘Devil’s Night,’ I can see him shining, even when a story or a chapter has been painted over in black repeatedly.
Which brings me to his newest collection, ‘The Envious Nothing: A Collection of Literary Ruin.’ This, like many collections, is a mix of new to this release stories as well as previously published stories. Some of the previously published stories though, were only available through his Patreon, so if you are not a supporter, you’d still not have come across these stories in widely released anthologies.
What I liked: There is a lot of variety throughout this one, but one thing is clear – you’ll come away from each story or poem feeling despondent or as though you just survived an unexpected deluge of rain.
The collection opens with the sci-fi/horror mashup of ‘You and I and the Envious Nothing’ and doesn’t let up. The story itself begins with someone on a space station looking out through a window and realizing the earth has mysteriously vanished and things escalate quickly from there.
Bleak, heartbreaking and pulse-pounding.
But that could very well be the blurb that would adorn the front cover of this, signed off by a master author in the genre. The last two things I’ve read that made me feel similar to this collection were T.E. Grau’s collection ‘The Nameless Dark’ and Jo Quenell’s ‘The Mud Ballad.’
Throughout, the collection, Lawson continues to push the dark reaches of his imagination and the reader comes away the better for it.
Other highlights for me were the outstanding novella length ‘Beneath the Emerald Sky, (I won’t even discuss this one at all, instead I’ll let your mind wander based on that title) and the stunningly schizophrenic piece ‘The Green Man of Freetown.’ This one followed Charlie, released on parole who goes to the woods to try and find the truth behind the murder of his wife and son. Relentlessly sorrow-filled.
The absolute gem for me, was ‘Orphan.’ This one was so good, I did something I never do – I messaged Curtis to tell him just how amazing the story was. The main character is Ian, former leader of a punk band that grew huge and then dissolved who has been hired to come perform in a small town church. Of course this goes into super crazy-town territory, but at its core, Lawson infuses it with the sentiment of outsiders looking to find where they belong, where they fit. It is a great showcase for what Lawson does in his writing – making us look inside at how we react to the larger world as a whole.
What I didn’t like: As with any collection, some stories may not connect or work for the reader. I found each one to be phenomenal, but – I did need to step away from the collection a few times and let the stories digest, as this one is a constant source of darkness and despair.
Why you should buy this: Lawson has a vital voice in the dark fiction community. One that consistently pushes the imaginative boundaries and the places the stories visit, while keeping a sense of humanity firmly gripped in the themes throughout. He is never an easy read, often times making you feel repulsed or furious, but that is the point. He’s crafting stories with a visceral reaction, never once phoning in his performance. His books are tough and that’s what sets him apart from the ever-growing landscape of dark fiction collections. Lawson is an author I think we all need to experience, even just once, to help with your internal scale of how far down into the blackness you are willing to go.
Outstanding.
Over the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of reading Curtis’ work and it feels like he’s found a groove. Between his short fiction and longer pieces, his descent into writing stories that are bleak and crusted around the edges has been great to see. Saying that – I’ve not had time to dive into his back catalog. So there’s a solid chance he’s always been bludgeoning readers this way.
But, when I look at the two most recent pieces I’ve read from him; ‘Black Heart Boys’ Choir’ and ‘Devil’s Night,’ I can see him shining, even when a story or a chapter has been painted over in black repeatedly.
Which brings me to his newest collection, ‘The Envious Nothing: A Collection of Literary Ruin.’ This, like many collections, is a mix of new to this release stories as well as previously published stories. Some of the previously published stories though, were only available through his Patreon, so if you are not a supporter, you’d still not have come across these stories in widely released anthologies.
What I liked: There is a lot of variety throughout this one, but one thing is clear – you’ll come away from each story or poem feeling despondent or as though you just survived an unexpected deluge of rain.
The collection opens with the sci-fi/horror mashup of ‘You and I and the Envious Nothing’ and doesn’t let up. The story itself begins with someone on a space station looking out through a window and realizing the earth has mysteriously vanished and things escalate quickly from there.
Bleak, heartbreaking and pulse-pounding.
But that could very well be the blurb that would adorn the front cover of this, signed off by a master author in the genre. The last two things I’ve read that made me feel similar to this collection were T.E. Grau’s collection ‘The Nameless Dark’ and Jo Quenell’s ‘The Mud Ballad.’
Throughout, the collection, Lawson continues to push the dark reaches of his imagination and the reader comes away the better for it.
Other highlights for me were the outstanding novella length ‘Beneath the Emerald Sky, (I won’t even discuss this one at all, instead I’ll let your mind wander based on that title) and the stunningly schizophrenic piece ‘The Green Man of Freetown.’ This one followed Charlie, released on parole who goes to the woods to try and find the truth behind the murder of his wife and son. Relentlessly sorrow-filled.
The absolute gem for me, was ‘Orphan.’ This one was so good, I did something I never do – I messaged Curtis to tell him just how amazing the story was. The main character is Ian, former leader of a punk band that grew huge and then dissolved who has been hired to come perform in a small town church. Of course this goes into super crazy-town territory, but at its core, Lawson infuses it with the sentiment of outsiders looking to find where they belong, where they fit. It is a great showcase for what Lawson does in his writing – making us look inside at how we react to the larger world as a whole.
What I didn’t like: As with any collection, some stories may not connect or work for the reader. I found each one to be phenomenal, but – I did need to step away from the collection a few times and let the stories digest, as this one is a constant source of darkness and despair.
Why you should buy this: Lawson has a vital voice in the dark fiction community. One that consistently pushes the imaginative boundaries and the places the stories visit, while keeping a sense of humanity firmly gripped in the themes throughout. He is never an easy read, often times making you feel repulsed or furious, but that is the point. He’s crafting stories with a visceral reaction, never once phoning in his performance. His books are tough and that’s what sets him apart from the ever-growing landscape of dark fiction collections. Lawson is an author I think we all need to experience, even just once, to help with your internal scale of how far down into the blackness you are willing to go.
Outstanding.
May 13, 2022
I'm not even quite finished reading this Collection and I'm already confidently giving it 5 stars.
Curtis has a gift that I really haven't seen very often. He can make me feel extreme emotions without going completely overboard with breaking taboos or the amount of gore. Which is the sign of a true Author.
Whether it was making me remember my darkest depressions with "You, Me, and the Envious Nothing". Making me laugh at the absurdity of "Secrets of the Forbidden Kata". Making me cry with "The Witch of Rock Hollow." Making me feel doom and gloom through a bizarre Universe's version of Disneyland with "The Happiest Place on Earth".
The only negative that I would give it so far is that it's so damn good at turning my emotions to mush that I need a breather myself. And you would have to be seriously masochistic if you could just pick this one up and read it cover to cover.
Curtis has a gift that I really haven't seen very often. He can make me feel extreme emotions without going completely overboard with breaking taboos or the amount of gore. Which is the sign of a true Author.
Whether it was making me remember my darkest depressions with "You, Me, and the Envious Nothing". Making me laugh at the absurdity of "Secrets of the Forbidden Kata". Making me cry with "The Witch of Rock Hollow." Making me feel doom and gloom through a bizarre Universe's version of Disneyland with "The Happiest Place on Earth".
The only negative that I would give it so far is that it's so damn good at turning my emotions to mush that I need a breather myself. And you would have to be seriously masochistic if you could just pick this one up and read it cover to cover.
September 7, 2022
Curtis M. Lawson takes his readers on quite the journey with his collection, The Envious Nothing.
Featuring twenty-two entries, mostly short stories with a few poems, the pages of this book contain horrors cosmic, existential, psychological, and supernatural. Throughout the tales run two recurring themes: the great void of nothingness, and Nordic folklore.
Here you'll find aliens, gods, witches, ghosts, vampires, monsters and more, all written in absorbing and intelligent prose.
All the stories are excellent, but a few of my favorites were:
The Witch of Rock Hollow -- in which a small town discovers that sometimes the local witch is the only thing standing between them and certain doom.
The Happiest Place on Earth -- a lone boy takes refuge at a certain theme park in a post-apocalyptic world.
Great Uncle Bendix -- that classic set-up: a couple moves into an old inherited house, only to find out that there are more dangers here than just rotting floors and skittering mice.
Beneath the Emerald Sky -- a tale of bloody folk horror set against an Icelandic winter.
Curtis M Lawson has come up with a collection of tales both horrific and heartbreaking and above all, utterly original. This is truly one of the best story collections I've read in a long time.
Featuring twenty-two entries, mostly short stories with a few poems, the pages of this book contain horrors cosmic, existential, psychological, and supernatural. Throughout the tales run two recurring themes: the great void of nothingness, and Nordic folklore.
Here you'll find aliens, gods, witches, ghosts, vampires, monsters and more, all written in absorbing and intelligent prose.
All the stories are excellent, but a few of my favorites were:
The Witch of Rock Hollow -- in which a small town discovers that sometimes the local witch is the only thing standing between them and certain doom.
The Happiest Place on Earth -- a lone boy takes refuge at a certain theme park in a post-apocalyptic world.
Great Uncle Bendix -- that classic set-up: a couple moves into an old inherited house, only to find out that there are more dangers here than just rotting floors and skittering mice.
Beneath the Emerald Sky -- a tale of bloody folk horror set against an Icelandic winter.
Curtis M Lawson has come up with a collection of tales both horrific and heartbreaking and above all, utterly original. This is truly one of the best story collections I've read in a long time.
April 29, 2022
Cosmic horror takes many forms. In some stories, it is an alien, parallel world, a rift in time and space, through which gods or monsters may encroach. In Curtis M. Lawson’s The Envious Nothing, it is “Ginnungagap—the abyss that exists before and outside of time.” Only Lawson’s abyss is sentient and longs for our light, our consciousness, our souls. The horror comes from the irony that the cosmic nothing can only consummate its desire for our plane of existence by devouring it. Lawson’s chilling collection is cosmic horror at its darkest, most unrelenting, nihilistic best.
June 24, 2022
Video Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMw42...
Curtis M Lawson is one of those writers that we can talk about and tell people how great he is, but until they read his body of work, our words will do no justice. I read Black Heart Boys Choir a while back and it was beyond great. I’ve read countless short stories by him, all have been winners. And now we have a brand new collection.
We have 22 selections to dive into. Some of these stories you may have read before. I remember reading "The Rye Mother," I think 2 years ago in an anthology. Some of these are brand new. And he threw in a handful of poems to showcase more of his performance side.
The Envious Nothing gives us such a nice mixture of genre bending stories to get lost in. Lawson mixes his weird sense of story subjects and give us a nice sample of psychological horror, and sci fi, and Cosmic, and music is involved, and he gives us a little relationship horror. We are all over the place. And it works because each piece has its own distinctive voice. And quite honestly each peace runs the gamut of emotions. This dude knows how to play with your mind. And I think he knows he’s doing it. That’s what makes this so great.
“Orphan” feels close to me, not because I’m a Punk Rock performer, I like punk rock, but it has that Midwest town feel to it. And I’ve went to shows in little clubs of performers that seem to be too big for those clubs. Never in a Church though so we know something is out of whack.
Lawson continues to shove the bleak darkness in our faces, doing so with a couple of different genres, showcasing his skill, and really highlighting the talent he has developed over all of these years giving us entertainment.
“The Green Man of Freetown” is heavy. It’s deep. It’s fantastic.
I won’t break down every story. That will be your job, but my overall impression is this is yet another great collection from Curtis M. Lawson. Lawson knows how to write dark fiction, and I think he knows how to control the emotions of the reader. Of you and I. and I get a kick out of that. It’s like mind control manipulation or something.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMw42...
Curtis M Lawson is one of those writers that we can talk about and tell people how great he is, but until they read his body of work, our words will do no justice. I read Black Heart Boys Choir a while back and it was beyond great. I’ve read countless short stories by him, all have been winners. And now we have a brand new collection.
We have 22 selections to dive into. Some of these stories you may have read before. I remember reading "The Rye Mother," I think 2 years ago in an anthology. Some of these are brand new. And he threw in a handful of poems to showcase more of his performance side.
The Envious Nothing gives us such a nice mixture of genre bending stories to get lost in. Lawson mixes his weird sense of story subjects and give us a nice sample of psychological horror, and sci fi, and Cosmic, and music is involved, and he gives us a little relationship horror. We are all over the place. And it works because each piece has its own distinctive voice. And quite honestly each peace runs the gamut of emotions. This dude knows how to play with your mind. And I think he knows he’s doing it. That’s what makes this so great.
“Orphan” feels close to me, not because I’m a Punk Rock performer, I like punk rock, but it has that Midwest town feel to it. And I’ve went to shows in little clubs of performers that seem to be too big for those clubs. Never in a Church though so we know something is out of whack.
Lawson continues to shove the bleak darkness in our faces, doing so with a couple of different genres, showcasing his skill, and really highlighting the talent he has developed over all of these years giving us entertainment.
“The Green Man of Freetown” is heavy. It’s deep. It’s fantastic.
I won’t break down every story. That will be your job, but my overall impression is this is yet another great collection from Curtis M. Lawson. Lawson knows how to write dark fiction, and I think he knows how to control the emotions of the reader. Of you and I. and I get a kick out of that. It’s like mind control manipulation or something.
July 23, 2022
I remember having high expectations for Curtis Lawson's The Envious Nothing. They were surpassed and pulverized. This is a rare treat for horror fans as Lawson expertly integrates elements of body horror, psychological horror, folk, and supernatural horror in a style firmly rooted in Lovecraftian cosmic horror. In his earlier volume, Black Pantheons, Lawson claims that "Cosmicism is a literary philosophy that suggests we live in a vast, indifferent universe, devoid of any cosmic father figure. If you take it a bit further it is the view that the universe and any higher intelligence within it, is actually malevolent in nature." That early volume features many stories of trickster demons and other supernatural entities bent on torturing humans both physically and mentally.
In Devil's Night and The Envious Nothing, Lawson departs gradually from that initial characterization of cosmicism and offers a more complex picture of human nature and its relationship with the supernatural. There's a certain moral ambiguity that permeates some of these stories. In "Orphan" or "The Rye-Mother" the main characters are misfits who want to find a place to belong, a place outside the confines of the ordinary world, and beings from beyond the natural order offer their help. In addition, evil becomes more diffuse, so much so it turns into nothing, but it's a dynamic and dangerous Nothing. Lawson doesn't go as far as B.R, Yeager in Negative Space, to strip these otherworldly forces of any human characteristics. Nothingness is described as envious, hungry, vengeful, although those properties are immense and grotesque in comparison to their human counterparts. Lawson here echoes ancient creation myths from the Sumero-Babylonian to the Norse traditions. The goddess Tiamat is famously described as a primordial abyss, beyond space and time, life and death, both life-giving and vengeful and destructive. By introducing Nothingness as a malevolent force Lawson takes us to the limit of our conceptual scheme, to the realm of paradox, the point where ancient mythology merges with modern physics. If Nothing is envious isn't it Something? Isn't envy a property or a predicate that requires a subject, a substance to have it? How can something be envious while outside space and time? Don't emotions have duration, a certain feel to them? Lawson's power as a horror writer lies in being able to weave imaginative, evocative stories around these perennial cognitive cramps and conceptual dead-ends, and to vividly express that which cannot be told.
I enjoyed all stories in this volume as the author not only spins original tales but uses a variety of literary techniques and forms to deliver them. The reader is never bored and kept on his toes. Stories like "Elvis and Isolde" are so well-crafted that you probably need a strong cup of coffee before delving into them. The stories that will remain tattooed on my brain are "The Happiest Place on Earth" (it reads like a mix of Stephen King's The Mist and The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon, steeped in deep, thick melancholy), "Secretes of the Forbidden Kata," The Rye Mother" (I have a soft spot for amoral elitist characters and the imagery is stunning) and "The Truth about Vampires," (this one's aggressive weirdness and demented depravity reminded me of Nicole Cushing's "Mr. Suicide") As a small lament, I think some of these stories deserved a larger canvass, maybe a novella or even novel treatment. For instance, "Monsters have no Place in the World to Come," a story about the Hitler Youth, could easily grow into a novel in the vein of Lord of the Flies set against the desolate background of a ruined Berlin. All in all, I warmly recommend this darkly beautiful and challenging book!
In Devil's Night and The Envious Nothing, Lawson departs gradually from that initial characterization of cosmicism and offers a more complex picture of human nature and its relationship with the supernatural. There's a certain moral ambiguity that permeates some of these stories. In "Orphan" or "The Rye-Mother" the main characters are misfits who want to find a place to belong, a place outside the confines of the ordinary world, and beings from beyond the natural order offer their help. In addition, evil becomes more diffuse, so much so it turns into nothing, but it's a dynamic and dangerous Nothing. Lawson doesn't go as far as B.R, Yeager in Negative Space, to strip these otherworldly forces of any human characteristics. Nothingness is described as envious, hungry, vengeful, although those properties are immense and grotesque in comparison to their human counterparts. Lawson here echoes ancient creation myths from the Sumero-Babylonian to the Norse traditions. The goddess Tiamat is famously described as a primordial abyss, beyond space and time, life and death, both life-giving and vengeful and destructive. By introducing Nothingness as a malevolent force Lawson takes us to the limit of our conceptual scheme, to the realm of paradox, the point where ancient mythology merges with modern physics. If Nothing is envious isn't it Something? Isn't envy a property or a predicate that requires a subject, a substance to have it? How can something be envious while outside space and time? Don't emotions have duration, a certain feel to them? Lawson's power as a horror writer lies in being able to weave imaginative, evocative stories around these perennial cognitive cramps and conceptual dead-ends, and to vividly express that which cannot be told.
I enjoyed all stories in this volume as the author not only spins original tales but uses a variety of literary techniques and forms to deliver them. The reader is never bored and kept on his toes. Stories like "Elvis and Isolde" are so well-crafted that you probably need a strong cup of coffee before delving into them. The stories that will remain tattooed on my brain are "The Happiest Place on Earth" (it reads like a mix of Stephen King's The Mist and The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon, steeped in deep, thick melancholy), "Secretes of the Forbidden Kata," The Rye Mother" (I have a soft spot for amoral elitist characters and the imagery is stunning) and "The Truth about Vampires," (this one's aggressive weirdness and demented depravity reminded me of Nicole Cushing's "Mr. Suicide") As a small lament, I think some of these stories deserved a larger canvass, maybe a novella or even novel treatment. For instance, "Monsters have no Place in the World to Come," a story about the Hitler Youth, could easily grow into a novel in the vein of Lord of the Flies set against the desolate background of a ruined Berlin. All in all, I warmly recommend this darkly beautiful and challenging book!
May 25, 2022
I love short story collections and I can't praise this book highly enough. Curtis M. Lawson's new collection, The Envious Nothing, eagerly anticipated since his brilliant Black Pantheons, once again surpasses all expectations and offers original, deep, and disturbing horror stories. The masterful storytelling of such tales as “Orphan”, about a punk rocker discovering his quite Lovecraftian origins, or “A Grave at the End of the World”, an off the beaten path exploration of some classic girl-with-powers tropes, not only make for an exciting reading experience, but also provide a strong sense of foreboding, closely attuned to the times. The unpublished novella, “Beneath the Emerald Sky,” starts innocently enough, as a strained family vacation story in Iceland, then turns grisly and ends horrifically, shattering my precious sensibilities about the meaning of family and justice. True horror, however, awaits in “Secrets of the Forbidden Kata”, a tale of body horror told coldly, powerfully, efficiently. It's difficult to pick a favorite story, each sheds light on the world’s innate violence and evil in ways both sensitive (see the poignant and weird love story of “Elvis and Isolde”) and deeply philosophical (see the tragic nihilism of “The Happiest Place on Earth”). All stories have a common theme, though: the Nothing, the Void, giving birth to the Monstrous; personified in the figure of the evil(?) witch, Angrboða. The short poems, dark and brutal, at times simply weird, offer a bleak vision yet remain relatable thanks to the precisely crafted wording. What an emotional and spiritual journey!
May 28, 2022
A fantastic collection of horror stories ranging from Cosmic Horror to ghost stories and even poetic prose.
Although they are all fantastic the whole way through, two of my favorites from here include Great Uncle Bendix, a gothic horror style haunted house story told through journal entries and Beneath the Emerald Sky which features a creature from Icelandic mythology who wreaks havoc on a family isolated in a snow storm.
This is my first experience reading Lawson but I'm definitely a fan and look forward to reading his other works.
Although they are all fantastic the whole way through, two of my favorites from here include Great Uncle Bendix, a gothic horror style haunted house story told through journal entries and Beneath the Emerald Sky which features a creature from Icelandic mythology who wreaks havoc on a family isolated in a snow storm.
This is my first experience reading Lawson but I'm definitely a fan and look forward to reading his other works.
May 24, 2022
The Envious Nothing is positively riddled with eldritch folklore and places where the end of everything waits.
Full review soon!
Full review soon!
October 15, 2022
This was a varied and engaging collection revolving around a loose theme of the void. Heavy on cosmic horror, but Lawson also provides interesting takes on the ghost story and dystopian fiction. I’d strongly recommend it!
June 22, 2022
A Collection of Literary Ruin, huh? OK, I’m in!
I absolutely enjoyed reading these stories and wrote a teeny bit about each one below. But don't take my word for it, find yourself a copy and enjoy.
Angrboða
We are greeted with a poem entitled Angrboða and even if you don’t know Norse mythology you will immediately want to look her up and find out more. This poem reads lustfully to me.
You and I and the Envious Nothing
A short story of a mission in space faced with what appears to be a dread void. Is the psychic on board the cause of all the misery?
I’m not sure what is more horrifying - the dreadful silence of space while being completely and utterly alone or the crystal clear sounds you hear that herald your demise.
The Witch of Rock Hollow
What seems like interviews with various residents unlocks the story here. Some you picture smoking, some laughing and all are wistfully rueful. It reads like a mystery unfolding as each interview gives more and more information about the direction of the story.
I think the defrocked priest blaming the town witch is the most frightening character of them all. People are twisted.
Orphan
PUNK WILL NEVER DIE.
We all have such a deep-seated need to belong, but at what cost?
White Nights and Black Stars
Definite Debbie Harry and Videodrome vibes here
The Happiest Place on Earth
Haunting and sad, what might be horror for a parent might just be foggy and blunted for a child?
Secrets of the Forbidden Kata
(Obake) Sekkai no karate do!
She Born of Naught
From naught to nut to nuts
Everything Smells Like Smoke Again
Is family an addiction?
Waspqueen Sestina
There is something so sinister but alluring about the hive mind, somehow I visualize this poem in the style of Junji Ito.
The Green Man of Freetown
What is real? Definitely pain. But how we got there? How much was real?
Monsters Have No Place in the World That Is to Come
Wolfen Wolfen burning bright… In the forests of the Night…
Thurisaz
I kind of would like to hear this sung by Fever Ray/The Knife
The Rye Mother
This might be one of my favorite stories and I love the idea of a mask being able to “transport” you.
For all those that don’t belong, I salute you.
Elvis and Isolde
Using Isolde in the title had me wondering about Tristan, but this is a different story altogether. How many more dramas have been left untold in this love story _of_ the ages?
Vermis Paranoos
When your mind is so sharp you cut yourself... literally.
Great-Uncle Bendix
Another fantastic story that weaves its creepy little fingers into your head. Makes you wonder if you can make the ground sour from misdeeds.
The Truth about Vampires
Definitely more insidious than energy vampires!
She Hunts Dying Monsters
Females can offer all sorts of rebirth
Beneath the Emerald Sky
Where ancient lore and the modern dysfunctional family meet
A Grave at the End of the World
This collection began with Angrboða and ends with her… and everything else.
I absolutely enjoyed reading these stories and wrote a teeny bit about each one below. But don't take my word for it, find yourself a copy and enjoy.
Angrboða
We are greeted with a poem entitled Angrboða and even if you don’t know Norse mythology you will immediately want to look her up and find out more. This poem reads lustfully to me.
You and I and the Envious Nothing
A short story of a mission in space faced with what appears to be a dread void. Is the psychic on board the cause of all the misery?
I’m not sure what is more horrifying - the dreadful silence of space while being completely and utterly alone or the crystal clear sounds you hear that herald your demise.
The Witch of Rock Hollow
What seems like interviews with various residents unlocks the story here. Some you picture smoking, some laughing and all are wistfully rueful. It reads like a mystery unfolding as each interview gives more and more information about the direction of the story.
I think the defrocked priest blaming the town witch is the most frightening character of them all. People are twisted.
Orphan
PUNK WILL NEVER DIE.
We all have such a deep-seated need to belong, but at what cost?
White Nights and Black Stars
Definite Debbie Harry and Videodrome vibes here
The Happiest Place on Earth
Haunting and sad, what might be horror for a parent might just be foggy and blunted for a child?
Secrets of the Forbidden Kata
(Obake) Sekkai no karate do!
She Born of Naught
From naught to nut to nuts
Everything Smells Like Smoke Again
Is family an addiction?
Waspqueen Sestina
There is something so sinister but alluring about the hive mind, somehow I visualize this poem in the style of Junji Ito.
The Green Man of Freetown
What is real? Definitely pain. But how we got there? How much was real?
Monsters Have No Place in the World That Is to Come
Wolfen Wolfen burning bright… In the forests of the Night…
Thurisaz
I kind of would like to hear this sung by Fever Ray/The Knife
The Rye Mother
This might be one of my favorite stories and I love the idea of a mask being able to “transport” you.
For all those that don’t belong, I salute you.
Elvis and Isolde
Using Isolde in the title had me wondering about Tristan, but this is a different story altogether. How many more dramas have been left untold in this love story _of_ the ages?
Vermis Paranoos
When your mind is so sharp you cut yourself... literally.
Great-Uncle Bendix
Another fantastic story that weaves its creepy little fingers into your head. Makes you wonder if you can make the ground sour from misdeeds.
The Truth about Vampires
Definitely more insidious than energy vampires!
She Hunts Dying Monsters
Females can offer all sorts of rebirth
Beneath the Emerald Sky
Where ancient lore and the modern dysfunctional family meet
A Grave at the End of the World
This collection began with Angrboða and ends with her… and everything else.
February 4, 2023
Curtis M. Lawson possesses the singular ability to draw the reader deep into his tales, clutch them by the heart, and drown them in dark, cosmic significance.
THE ENVIOUS NOTHING, the latest collection from Lawson, has a great deal to offer readers of the cosmic, the fantastic, and the macabre. To mention just a few of my favorite tales herein; "You and I and The Envious Nothing" is a philosophical science-fiction horror tale rendered in thrilling, cinematic prose; "The Forbidden Kata", which deals with an arcane martial arts manual and the foreboding transformation of one man's physique and soul into that of an aggressive monster, is one of the most unique horror tales I've read in years; "ORPHAN" features wildly vivid and horrific scenes, and one can practically hear its punk rock soundtrack. Additionally, "The Truth About Vampires" is an example of how to write a perfect short story, as it manages to be concise, impactful, and wholly unique within the course of just a dozen pages---reminiscent of such legendary talents as Robert Bloch and Ray Bradbury.
The theme of this collection, that of the concept of "nothing", is a perennial philosophical conundrum, serving as the perfect "non-subject" for which to base a series of stories around; the intermixing of Norse mythology (especially in regards to the Angrboda) is also intriguing.
There are a few poems offered between the excellent tales; some of them work better for me than others, though I admire Lawson's accuracy in meter; a structure sadly neglected by modern poets.
Certainly, "The Envious Nothing: A Collection of Literary Ruin" provides the reader uniquely awesome tales, rendered in Lawson's inimitable and scrupulous prose, which they are unlikely to find anywhere else.
Never before have unhappy endings felt so satisfying.
THE ENVIOUS NOTHING, the latest collection from Lawson, has a great deal to offer readers of the cosmic, the fantastic, and the macabre. To mention just a few of my favorite tales herein; "You and I and The Envious Nothing" is a philosophical science-fiction horror tale rendered in thrilling, cinematic prose; "The Forbidden Kata", which deals with an arcane martial arts manual and the foreboding transformation of one man's physique and soul into that of an aggressive monster, is one of the most unique horror tales I've read in years; "ORPHAN" features wildly vivid and horrific scenes, and one can practically hear its punk rock soundtrack. Additionally, "The Truth About Vampires" is an example of how to write a perfect short story, as it manages to be concise, impactful, and wholly unique within the course of just a dozen pages---reminiscent of such legendary talents as Robert Bloch and Ray Bradbury.
The theme of this collection, that of the concept of "nothing", is a perennial philosophical conundrum, serving as the perfect "non-subject" for which to base a series of stories around; the intermixing of Norse mythology (especially in regards to the Angrboda) is also intriguing.
There are a few poems offered between the excellent tales; some of them work better for me than others, though I admire Lawson's accuracy in meter; a structure sadly neglected by modern poets.
Certainly, "The Envious Nothing: A Collection of Literary Ruin" provides the reader uniquely awesome tales, rendered in Lawson's inimitable and scrupulous prose, which they are unlikely to find anywhere else.
Never before have unhappy endings felt so satisfying.
July 16, 2022
Curtis Lawson is clearly a student of cosmic horror & a long disciple of Lovecraftian story telling for the modern age. I recently finished reading H.P.’s original works & didn’t think I’d ever come across anymore good cosmic horror for quite sometime but The Envious Nothing proved me wrong & swallowed my doubts into the void.
A few of my favorite of his collection was “You and I and the Envious Nothing,” “A Wordless Hymn,” & “The Happiest Place on Earth.” I also throughly enjoyed reading his personal poetry sprinkled throughout the book. This was a wonderful & yet unsettling read & I cannot wait to grab the physical copy when it is available to add to my wall. 5 Stars well earned
A few of my favorite of his collection was “You and I and the Envious Nothing,” “A Wordless Hymn,” & “The Happiest Place on Earth.” I also throughly enjoyed reading his personal poetry sprinkled throughout the book. This was a wonderful & yet unsettling read & I cannot wait to grab the physical copy when it is available to add to my wall. 5 Stars well earned
February 2, 2023
This collection of 22 stories and poems demonstrates Lawton’s power and confidence as a writer. Each story is a bit off kilter and surprising. He doesn’t take the easy way out by writing cliches and worn scenarios. Each story is fresh and exciting.
Personal favorites for me: Orphan, The Rye-Mother and Beneath the Emerald Sky.
Personal favorites for me: Orphan, The Rye-Mother and Beneath the Emerald Sky.
December 12, 2023
I was not familiar with Curtis Lawson before getting this collection.
I'm really glad I took a chance and bought it.
There is some incredible cosmic horror within these pages.
My favorites were:
You and I and the Envious Nothing
The Witch of Rock Hollow
Great Uncle Bendix
A Grave at the End of the World
I look forward to reading anything new by this writer.
I'm really glad I took a chance and bought it.
There is some incredible cosmic horror within these pages.
My favorites were:
You and I and the Envious Nothing
The Witch of Rock Hollow
Great Uncle Bendix
A Grave at the End of the World
I look forward to reading anything new by this writer.
August 2, 2022
Review to follow.
November 4, 2022
Absolutely awesome. Unsurprisingly, Lawson kills it yet again. If you’re not reading him by now, what are you waiting for?
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