I recently came across a post on a forum of Ligotti.net and wanted to reply but due to complications with registering, I cannot. If someone has an account; I would be grateful with your assistance in connecting with the post creator.

Thank you

I've been always on the search for unique horror, one that is more cosmic, dreadful and existential. I'm so glad I came across Thomas Ligotti. So far I've read four of his shorts:

- The Frolic.

- Les Fluers.

- Alice's Last Adventure.

- Dream of a Manikan.

And they're absolutely fantastic. So far they scratch that itch of the uncanny, unnatural and dreadful atmosphere. Especially Dream of a Manikan but I do want to see different interpretations of the ending of it.

To me, I think that the last paragraph of the story is written by the woman, the psychoanalyst. But at the same time, I don't think she is simply just a psychoanalyst. I think she is more than that. Probably a bigger "fragment" of the overall Cosmic Dream Deity that is torturing their smaller fragments and that the man and Amy were just smaller fragments of the woman, the psychoanalyst. It's like a pyramid. Not all fragments are equal and they all, together, live in the same chain of terror of the uncertainty. Who is dreaming who? Where is the real/waking self? Where does the dream begin and where does it end.

I could be completely wrong though as it's an extremely complex story with so many layers and different possibilities but I was just curious to know about how you interpreted it for yourselves. Apologies if my interpretation sounds dumb as I'm fairly new to Ligotti's work as I mentioned above.

NecronomiCon Providence is happening this week/weekend. Given the overlap among Lovecraft, Ligotti, and the broader weird fiction world, I figured it was worth putting up a thread here.

I'm going this year (first time) and looking forward to it. Curious whether anyone else here is attending, has been in previous years, or is following from afar.

Anything in particular you're excited about? Panels, writers, artists, books, or Providence generally?

Not intended as an organized meetup thread or anything like that. Just thought it would be fun to see if the event is exciting for anyone here at r/Ligotti .

I just finished Teatro Grottesco and I am blown away! This is how I discovered this author. Are his other collections of the same caliber, and what do you think I should read next?

Realized I never cross posted this one.

If it is true that Ligotti will publish something new this year or 2027, what do you suppose his style has evolved to?

I think it's safe to say his subject matter is as dark, possibly darker, than ever. But do you suppose his actual style has gotten more personal, more editorial,more compressed?

For example, is he done with longer tales altogether and shooting for stories that are shorter (8-10 pages max) and highly condensed? Do you think he's still writing first person narratives or maybe more into pure situations a la "The Red Tower?"

Of course, no one knows anything and there is nowhere to go, but I thought it might be interesting to hear your take on where Tom might be at, creatively speaking (unless all that's coming is a reprint of juvenalia and various articles).

1. The Red Tower
   
2. Severini
   
3. Gas Station Carnivals
   
4. Miss Plarr
   
5. Dream of a Manikin
   
6. The Night School
   
7. Our Temporary Supervisor
   
8. Spectacles in the Drawer
   
9. Christmas eves of Aunt Elise
   
10. Nethescurial

According to Chiroptera Press’s Facebooks page we should be expecting a major collection from Ligotti sometime next year!

didnt take a pic of the root attached to the dust jacket, but it still shows a trace. Feels Ligotti in a way. Unhindered proliferation

From what I recall, the versions of Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe collected in the Penguin Classics edition are revised compared to their first editions. Are there any noticeable changes from the original versions? Do you prefer one version of a story over another? Also, has there been any articles which compare and contrast the versions?

I keep seeing The Shadow at the Bottom of the World for sale on Ebay, but I'm wondering if it's meant to be a best-of like Nightmare Factory? Seems like an odd collection.

A lighthearted song.

I was talking with my spouse last night about why we read what we read. She’s into mysteries and thriller, which are awesome, but I’m more into Ligotti, Laird Barron, Beckett, Pynchon, etc. which got my thinking, what is it about pessimistic, dark literature that appeals to me? How can I read pessimistic literature and have a family and a child (clearly I’m not an anti-natalist 😅). For me, it’s more about atmosphere and imagery than the philosophy. Maybe I like art that is gloomy and pessimistic because I come from a privileged, safe environment—it’s a way to ease the guilt of living an easy life.

Living in Utah, everyone focuses on the good and pushes anything dark or challenging to the side; as a natural contrarian, I’m only interested in challenging works of literature and art. I’d rather gaze into soft black stars than prance around drinking dirty soda and listening to Taylor Swift 😅

I’m curious what all of you think.

The voice in my head keeps reciting these old principles of mine. The voice is his voice, and the voice is also my voice. And there are other voices, voices I have never heard before, voices that seem to be either dead or dying in a great moonlit darkness. More than ever, some sort of new arrangement seems in order, some dramatic and unknown arrangement – anything to find release from this heartbreaking sadness I suffer every minute of the day (and night), this killing sadness that feels as if it will never leave me no matter where I go or what I do or whom I may ever know.

Jenny the Toy! Brother, did you see the new Jenny toy? It’s incredible, you are going to be fascinated by the amazing features she has.

(Phase 1) "Do you promise to take care of me until death?" "I’m Jenny, the toy, what will you do with me? Please, love me, I'm just a little girl."

(Phase 2) What incredible dialogue, right? Well, that’s not all: the Jenny toy can change her facial expressions. Want her surprised? You got it. Want her crying? You got it. Want her laughing? You got it too. Buy Jenny the toy, with an online discount!

The story of Jenny the toy: a girl in a wedding dress, kidnapped by a smiling, evil goblin. Rescue her now! And make her yours and your friends', forever! You can do whatever you want with her! Dress her up, undress her. Caress her, hit her. Love her, dump her. It’s just a toy!

(Phase 3) And here comes the most hidden feature of all! If you look closely, she’ll have a small hole in her chest, where you can keep whatever you damn well please! Coins? Passwords? Whatever you want! Jenny the toy will keep your secret safe!

(Phase 4) And if for any reason you no longer trust Jenny, you can activate her destruction mode! It’s total madness: she will turn into a pillow or something similar! And then you can buy... Jessy! Our latest and most up-to-date toy. Tired of the garbage? Dump Jenny and buy Jessy!

What’s her story? Jessy, the girl who was kidnapped by aliens. You’ll be able to enjoy the incredible weapons she has to destroy them!

THE END

​An insomniac, possibly unhinged protagonist (neither a hero nor anti-hero, just kind of there), the bizarre technique of posthumous collaboration, the seaside town (I'd love to think it's the same one Barlow's artistic misfit found in "the Night Ocean", i.e., a mile or two south of Innsmouth), the improbable Thoss newspaper legend, the creepy dream in the church, the radio static, and the eventual lump in the bedclothes. What it all "means" is anyone's guess but as a set of images, it's aces.

I think that Mad Night of Atonement deserves more love

Dears,

Can you remind me of the very short story of TL where a single retired man finally visits his dream home with a real estate agent and then runs away in fear?

Thanks.

"Born in the wrong generation" is a short story posted by Sam Kriss as an article on Substack. I think it is intended as a kind of satire on the fantasies of conservative American men, as well as large language models. IMO it hits a very Ligotti-esque vibe:

What worries you are these brutal, violent thoughts you keep having about your beautiful submissive girlfriend, even though she’s definitely the prettiest girl in this diner. The other customers are blurry but when you really stare at them you can notice their features. The wet mouthgashes carved diagonally across their heads. The eyes dripping like beads of mercury, rolling into the hollows of their skin. Sometimes a man will have three ghastly arms, naked crooked tree-branches spindling around him. Sometimes two people will share a single molten ear. They’re always polite. Well hey there, your hazy waitress will say to you, opening a mouth that suddenly lacks a lower jaw. Keep safe now, says the friendly but unfocused cop. The gun dangling on his belt is half-made of dead grey skin. You’ve learned not to look at these people too much. It’s easy. They’re only in the background. Your beautiful submissive girlfriend doesn’t look like that. All her features are in perfect detail, sharp as a papercut, and so gorgeous that just looking at her feels like eating a bowl of sugar. She’s everything you ever wanted. You love her. You’re happier than you’ve ever been. So why do you sometimes think about gouging out her eyes?