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Stories of the Eye
Beauty is a knife.
Between the desire to create and the thing created, the model is a key, a stepping stone, a participant othered through the process of creation. These thirteen visions of modern horror dissect the relationship between artist and model, exposing the spaces the eye is tricked into missing where we witness the beautiful and monstrous intricacies of making and being made.
Featuring stories by Andrew Wilmot, M. Lopes da Silva, Gwendolyn Kiste, Hailey Piper, Roland Blackburn, Ira Rat, Donyae Coles, Matt Neil Hill, Brendan Vidito, LC von Hessen, Gary J. Shipley, and editors Joe Koch and Sam Richard.
Between the desire to create and the thing created, the model is a key, a stepping stone, a participant othered through the process of creation. These thirteen visions of modern horror dissect the relationship between artist and model, exposing the spaces the eye is tricked into missing where we witness the beautiful and monstrous intricacies of making and being made.
Featuring stories by Andrew Wilmot, M. Lopes da Silva, Gwendolyn Kiste, Hailey Piper, Roland Blackburn, Ira Rat, Donyae Coles, Matt Neil Hill, Brendan Vidito, LC von Hessen, Gary J. Shipley, and editors Joe Koch and Sam Richard.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2022
5 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Sam Richard
44 books108 followersSam Richard is the author of several books including The Still Beating Heart of a Dead God and the award-winning To Wallow in Ash & Other Sorrows. He has edited ten anthologies, including the cult hits Profane Altars: Weird Sword & Sorcery and The New Flesh, and his short fiction has appeared in over forty publications. Widowed in 2017, he slowly rots in Minneapolis where he runs Weirdpunk Books. You can stalk him @SammyTotep across most socials or at weirdpunkbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 28, 2022
From the first few pages of “The Aneurytic" by Andrew Wilmot, I knew that I’d opened a book that was a step above. The prose is bold and out on that cutting edge you hear about, but seldom experience. A new savior, tearing down art to save the world. It wasn’t the plot that caught my attention, it was the intensity, and the quality of the prose. It might have been a fluke, and I’ll admit, I was ready for that to be the case. Very seldom do anthologies even manage to hold a theme in more than tentative fingers, let alone maintain a level of style and creativity that makes the entire book feel like a creation, rather than a collection of creations.
There is an elegance to this anthology that speaks to a vision, something more than a showcase for individual talents. There are standouts. There are a few that fall slightly short of the pinnacle set by the whole, but even in those you feel a striving, a sense that the author is reaching beyond the bonds of comfort for something – something that will hurt and touch and scar, so that even while forming slightly weaker links, that inner tension bridges story to story.
I’ll mention a few stories that (in particular) worked on all levels for me. Hailey Piper’s The Deep end of You, “ “I’m the Last Person I’d Want to be,” by Ira Rat, “In Thrall to Your Cathode Star,” by Matt Neil Hill (My favorite of the entire collection ), and “All the Rapes in the Museum,” by Joe Koch. These are stories I will remember, and think about, and remember lines and scenes from, for years to come.
What I am trying to say is that this is a very literary, very exotic book. None of these authors failed to push their limits, to try and create something beyond monsters and serial killers and the standard fare of horror. Their visions of what it might be like to be the model, the inspiration, the catalyst of stories, or art, or film, are remarkable. You will not find a lot of collections like this because reading this book requires almost as much commitment as went into the writing. You have to love words, and images. You have to love style and deeper thought. You have to be willing to be enticed and disgusted in the same sentence.
This is the best anthology that I read in 2022 without even a close second.
Highly Recommended.
There is an elegance to this anthology that speaks to a vision, something more than a showcase for individual talents. There are standouts. There are a few that fall slightly short of the pinnacle set by the whole, but even in those you feel a striving, a sense that the author is reaching beyond the bonds of comfort for something – something that will hurt and touch and scar, so that even while forming slightly weaker links, that inner tension bridges story to story.
I’ll mention a few stories that (in particular) worked on all levels for me. Hailey Piper’s The Deep end of You, “ “I’m the Last Person I’d Want to be,” by Ira Rat, “In Thrall to Your Cathode Star,” by Matt Neil Hill (My favorite of the entire collection ), and “All the Rapes in the Museum,” by Joe Koch. These are stories I will remember, and think about, and remember lines and scenes from, for years to come.
What I am trying to say is that this is a very literary, very exotic book. None of these authors failed to push their limits, to try and create something beyond monsters and serial killers and the standard fare of horror. Their visions of what it might be like to be the model, the inspiration, the catalyst of stories, or art, or film, are remarkable. You will not find a lot of collections like this because reading this book requires almost as much commitment as went into the writing. You have to love words, and images. You have to love style and deeper thought. You have to be willing to be enticed and disgusted in the same sentence.
This is the best anthology that I read in 2022 without even a close second.
Highly Recommended.
January 16, 2023
Video Review Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr-Ob...
Full Review:
https://www.papercutslive.com/post/st...
WeirdPunk Books brings us a new anthology that will have you questioning your own existence. OK, maybe not, but it does give you an inside look at the relationship between artist and model, no matter how fucked up and weird it is.
Edited by Sam Richard and Joe Koch, this anthology hits on different levels. Not your normal straight laced horror, but more so getting to the final resting place through obscurities and using transgressive action. WeirdPunk Books is never afraid to redefine the norm.
With this Anthology, WeirdPunk keeps that style, but takes several huge steps forward and changes the game, touching on the creativity, the passions, the desires and mixing in wants and needs.
The anthology "Stories of the Eye” gives us 13 different writers, 13 different artists, taking their turn to examine the relationships people create, not only with their subjects, but those who are directly connected. And each story shines a spot-light on the connections some of these people are grabbing onto. Both physically and mentally.
The horror lies within the relationships as we read about lost souls, or those with broken souls grasping onto the first hint of any interest in their life. We discover the different ways people cope with their own issues that may have been masked for years, while they try to find themselves, and at times their only one true desire is to be wanted for something, or used for something.
With touches of eroticism mixed with emotional and delusional barriers, we have 13 unique point-of-views touching on those who not only suffer for their art, but those who suffer to be part of art.
Each story is unique, and unapologetic, while elegantly being delivered without remorse.
“Stories of the Eye” creates a new style of art by combining everything we may have ever known about relationships, everything we have ever gotten wrong, and doesn’t place any sort of limitations, allowing every thought and sense and feel to be free, and open, as being on display for the World to pass judgement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr-Ob...
Full Review:
https://www.papercutslive.com/post/st...
WeirdPunk Books brings us a new anthology that will have you questioning your own existence. OK, maybe not, but it does give you an inside look at the relationship between artist and model, no matter how fucked up and weird it is.
Edited by Sam Richard and Joe Koch, this anthology hits on different levels. Not your normal straight laced horror, but more so getting to the final resting place through obscurities and using transgressive action. WeirdPunk Books is never afraid to redefine the norm.
With this Anthology, WeirdPunk keeps that style, but takes several huge steps forward and changes the game, touching on the creativity, the passions, the desires and mixing in wants and needs.
The anthology "Stories of the Eye” gives us 13 different writers, 13 different artists, taking their turn to examine the relationships people create, not only with their subjects, but those who are directly connected. And each story shines a spot-light on the connections some of these people are grabbing onto. Both physically and mentally.
The horror lies within the relationships as we read about lost souls, or those with broken souls grasping onto the first hint of any interest in their life. We discover the different ways people cope with their own issues that may have been masked for years, while they try to find themselves, and at times their only one true desire is to be wanted for something, or used for something.
With touches of eroticism mixed with emotional and delusional barriers, we have 13 unique point-of-views touching on those who not only suffer for their art, but those who suffer to be part of art.
Each story is unique, and unapologetic, while elegantly being delivered without remorse.
“Stories of the Eye” creates a new style of art by combining everything we may have ever known about relationships, everything we have ever gotten wrong, and doesn’t place any sort of limitations, allowing every thought and sense and feel to be free, and open, as being on display for the World to pass judgement.
January 8, 2023
Weirdpunk hitting it out of the park with another amazing anthology. There isn’t a bad story in the bunch and the dizzying variety should please any palate. Body horror to cosmic horror, all beautifully and unapologetically queer. Joe Koch and Hailey Piper and Gwendolyn Kiste have standout stories (no surprise there), but I loved every one of these. Sam Richard closes the anthology with a gut punch that will stick to you and leave blisters.
January 30, 2023
Short story anthology delving into the animalistic connection between art and artist, this brilliantly portrays creative madness and the darkness of the soul. This book is not for the faint hearted but if you like your horror on the more extreme side you will love this.
February 7, 2023
Favorites:
Ira Rat, I'm the Last Person I'd Want To Be
Gary J. Shipley, Art Murmur
Andrew Wilmot, The Aneurytic
Runner-ups:
Roland Blackburn, Lucio
Matt Neil Hill, In Thrall to Your Cathode Star
Ira Rat, I'm the Last Person I'd Want To Be
Gary J. Shipley, Art Murmur
Andrew Wilmot, The Aneurytic
Runner-ups:
Roland Blackburn, Lucio
Matt Neil Hill, In Thrall to Your Cathode Star
June 22, 2023
This anthology focuses on the relationship between artist and model, exploring that theme in a multitude of ways including mediums such as fashion and dance as well as painting and photography. While the writing style and content from story to story is very varied, the standard is always good and there isn’t a bad story in the bunch. I did have a few stand-out favourites though which were the stories by Roland Blackburn, Ira Rat, Brendan Vidito and Sam Richard. Overall, another excellent anthology from WeirdPunk!
Read
February 3, 2023Desire, compulsion, and sacrifice are required in Art, but first must come inspiration. Maker and muse can manifest magic or monstrosities- often, these things are the same. STORIES OF THE EYE examines all these elements and the results, like great art, will entertain and provoke. This fantastic anthology peers deep and dark into the chaos of creation: the drive to conjure, capture, be captured; ultimately, the desire to be SEEN. I won't single out specific tales because EVERY story was powerful. Highly recommended, especially if you're a creative!
March 13, 2023
Another great little collection from always reliable Weirdpunk Books.
A must-buy for those of you who love body horror.
A must-buy for those of you who love body horror.
May 1, 2023
Earlier this year I received Weirdpunk's backlog of books for review, and they never disappoint. I've been having a tough time spacing them out, honestly. Each title that I get to, I think I love a little more.
STORIES OF THE EYE explores the relationship between artists and their work. It's such an ethereal theme that I think was perfectly captured in so many unique ways by the astounding authors that were featured.
For collections I always try to highlight my favorite story, but I had to choose extras this time around.
I think my favorite was Gwendolyn Kiste's entry; "Her Skin a Grim Canvas." That feels almost like cheating because Gwendolyn Kiste is one of my favorite horror writers, and her work almost always resonates with me. I love her hyper-emotional approach to body horror and this story was no exception.
Two other close seconds were Andrew Wilmot's "The Thing That Moves The Meat" and Joe Koch's "All the Rapes in the Museum." I had never read anything like either one of these stories, and they're I know that I'm going to be carrying the imagery with me for awhile.
If you are an artist, a horror fan, or someone open to being a little bit disturbed, this is a top-tier collection of stories that I cannot recommend enough.
STORIES OF THE EYE explores the relationship between artists and their work. It's such an ethereal theme that I think was perfectly captured in so many unique ways by the astounding authors that were featured.
For collections I always try to highlight my favorite story, but I had to choose extras this time around.
I think my favorite was Gwendolyn Kiste's entry; "Her Skin a Grim Canvas." That feels almost like cheating because Gwendolyn Kiste is one of my favorite horror writers, and her work almost always resonates with me. I love her hyper-emotional approach to body horror and this story was no exception.
Two other close seconds were Andrew Wilmot's "The Thing That Moves The Meat" and Joe Koch's "All the Rapes in the Museum." I had never read anything like either one of these stories, and they're I know that I'm going to be carrying the imagery with me for awhile.
If you are an artist, a horror fan, or someone open to being a little bit disturbed, this is a top-tier collection of stories that I cannot recommend enough.
March 25, 2023
Great Horror
This anthology did what one should. The pieces were definitely on theme, but each writer took that theme is a wildly different direction. This left a feeling of a collective whole without each piece being "samey."
Real standouts in this from Donate Coles and LC von Hessen!
This anthology did what one should. The pieces were definitely on theme, but each writer took that theme is a wildly different direction. This left a feeling of a collective whole without each piece being "samey."
Real standouts in this from Donate Coles and LC von Hessen!
May 22, 2023
Weirdpunk does it again-an anthology theme that, as a reader, you sort of expect to be one thing, but then when you read it, you realize just how differently everyone sees the world. But it is still an anthology filled with stories that fit the theme so perfectly, even if they were not the form you were expecting going in. There are stories about art in all of its forms-canvas, fashion, film, beauty, among others- and they will make you look at art differently, as the creator and as the consumer. These stories will make you think outside your box, stretching your comfort zones. Be prepared to view the world differently after reading this anthology.
August 22, 2023
Weirdpunk Books takes a risk naming an anthology after Georges Bataille’s
Story of the Eye
, one of the most enigmatic and disturbing books ever written. Fortunately, the collection delivers, and while not as transgressive as Bataille, it certainly feels at home with his interests such as surrealism, eroticism, and sacrificial rites. The book has an excellent theme, how perception and being perceived transform the relationship between the artist and the model. Stories of the Eye reminded me of the excitement I felt picking up the first Borderlands anthology of bizarre horror fiction decades ago. The collection lives in the same ferment of weird, transgressive fiction reminiscent of Kathe Koja’s
The Cipher
and the
Books of Blood: Volume One
by Clive Barker, while bringing that spirit forward for the adventurous contemporary reader.
You can read Stephen McClurg's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Stephen McClurg's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
February 17, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this anthology. It felt like such an experience, as if I were walking through a gallery sipping wine and enjoying each of the stories and thinking deeply on them. This is the perfect mixture of art, writing, and horror.
My spoiler free review is here: https://robinknabel.squarespace.com/r...
Each of these tales are so unique, it was a pleasure to read this collection.
My spoiler free review is here: https://robinknabel.squarespace.com/r...
Each of these tales are so unique, it was a pleasure to read this collection.
July 10, 2023
3.5
The volume as a whole is a mixed bag of sub-genre, style, and quality, and I found a couple of entries unreadable. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by several of these stories, particularly those that were clearly written by artists and captured the sensation of making art very well.
I suspect anyone who likes both horror and art would find at least one story of interest here.
The volume as a whole is a mixed bag of sub-genre, style, and quality, and I found a couple of entries unreadable. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by several of these stories, particularly those that were clearly written by artists and captured the sensation of making art very well.
I suspect anyone who likes both horror and art would find at least one story of interest here.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews