Weird Fiction discussion

This collection won runner-up for our two group reads this July and August. It is noted Weird Fiction author Reggie Oliver's first short story collection and was originally published in 2003 in a too small batch of 300 or 350 copies. The book won awards in the horror field, so the demand far exceeded the supply. Tarturus Press has thankfully made the book available electronically and by printing more editions.

You can readily acquire copies in either of two ways I know of, through Amazon, or directly from Tarturus. Going through Tarturus can save a few dollars, I see, but there may be drawbacks. I am not certain. I only wonder because I have in the past found their website to be rather clunky to navigate, and it's often been down. I've only ordered one other Tarturus book ever, electronically through Amazon, and can report a problem free experience doing that.

The fourteen stories this book is comprised of take up some 259 pages making them an average of almost 20 pages each, which I think is quite substantial. It's not a short or quick read in any event. 4.34 is a really high GoodReads rating, especially for a short story collection where people often assign a book rating based upon the average of the stories, and there is invariably some clunkers in most collections. I look forward to finding out what makes Reggie Oliver so exceptional.

Even though we have July and August to read this book, some people will want to get started on this book right away, especially those who may have already read the other book that won for these two months. I'm planning to dig into this one when I finish the other, but may change my mind and read both at the same time. They're quite different, so I may need to read one for a break from the other. We'll see.

I look forward to reading the comments here in this discussion group from the Reggie Oliver enthusiasts of our membership. Can you tell us anything of the author? Despite the fact he's well regarded in our genre and he's British I know little else about him. I do plan to feature his photo, at least, and put a possible masthead together for him for August display. But that does not mean we can't start until August. Fourteen stories will take time to get through. Let's start right now, July 1.

OK; Ordered it on Amazon; will start reading soon. Having looked it up, I have to say, we missed our chance of reading a really weird titled thing of his The Complete Symphonies of Adolf Hitler and Other Strange Stories If I like the one we are reading enough, I might get that one too later.

I finished this book. I rather liked it. The stories are well told, I thought, and have a decently spooky thing going on. (view spoiler)[ The Boy in the Green Velvet story actually confused me some. As best as I can understand what happened, the nasty Shadow Thing (possibly, the same Asmodeus as in the Black Cathedral) influenced Villier to choke his wife to death - an influence that affected the kid protagonist who almost choked his little buddy after they staged the whole play. That effect was possibly designed to have the boy kill his mother whom the dread Uncle Albert hated for no discernible reason.
The story bothers me because it is somehow illogical. Weird uncle gives elaborate gifts to - what? - explain family predicament? Recruit to the dark side? Kill off the rest of the Villier spawn?
(hide spoiler)]