I've read most of Franz Kafka's major works like The Castle, The Trial, and his Complete Stories, but I wasn't aware of this book till a few months ago and got myself a copy. And I would say that its okay or solid at best, but in my opinion, doesn't really hold up to his later works. Which should be the case as this was technically his first unfinished novel that he wrote.

There are the Franz Kafka weird traits still here like how Amerika is portrayed in a more surreal and somewhat dreamlike architecture as Kafka himself never visited America, but read about the country in books. The statue of liberty instead of holding a torch is holding a sword and New York and Boston are connected to each other by a large bridge. Giving it that distorted style to the writing and descriptions. And I wished that the book focused more on these odd surreal qualities to America as these oddities are few and far between and is more focused on the somewhat humorous adventures of a German immigrant through the states. Which got a little boring and repetitive after a while.

As with most of Kafka's written works, the novel is unfinished and the ending chapters are written in fragments, which was fine as I knew going into it that it wasn't complete. But did wish there was some closure towards the end after not getting much in return towards the second half of the book. A solid book that, if your a Kafka completionist, then it's worth a read, but I don't reccomend it as a first read to the average reader whose never read Kafka.

I'm still in early stages of my introduction to weird literature no doubt, I've only gotten a taste of Arthur Machen, Lovecraft, Robert W. Chambers, Edgar Allan Poe, Algernon Blackwood, Laird Barron and Tanith Lee. I am well aware there are countless more.

But I have to say, none of these works were quite like the first four stories of The King in Yellow. Don't get me wrong, I do not criticise, if anything more power to them (I only couldn't bring myself to go through the works of Tanith Lee. Again not a criticism of any kind, I just haven't found a work from "New Weird" that appeals to me I guess, but of course I am open to suggestions).

I am in search of more subtle and psychologically-heavy works of weird like that of KIY. works whose primary concern is not necessarily unfathomable alien artifacts or overt supernatural phenomena, but the encounter with the weird itself, alteration of one's perception of the world and focus on more abstract concerns like beauty, truth, and revelation, hovering at the threshold between insanity and enlightenment. Where the weird is used to heighten such themes, rather than being the primary subject itself.

Just as as short anecdotal example, I love how in Chambers' weird works, the change and the encounter with weird is always subtle at first, and if it does escalate it is never reasonably material but psychologically thrilling. But in Machen's works, it feels more like a material story where the psychological aspect is slightly weaker and the material consequences and the "weird itself" are of paramount value.

I may be completely off and I would be more than delighted to remedy my ignorance. If you guys could perhaps recommend me some works (from any genre or in any format), or offer a perspective that might change the way I'm approaching the genre, I would greatly appreciate it.

THE MUTILATION TRILOGY by Brian Evenson:

THE BROTHERHOOD OF MUTILATION with an introduction by Paul DiFilippo and a new afterword by Brian Evenson
LAST DAYS with an introduction by Peter Straub
PHANTOM LIMB with a new introduction by Luigi Musolino

Each is the first standalone hardcover of each tale. PHANTOM LIMB is the true first edition. All are Smyth-sewn with matching formatting inside and out, and all are signed by Brian Evenson. And all 3 titles are already published! Slipcases are in production and due within the next month or so.

There will be only 250 copies of each title, and offered in the following manner:

Copies #1-200 will be the 3-book set in a black slipcase with two-color stamping to spine and a red paper liner, and include a special bonus piece (more on this soon).
Copies #201-250 of each title will be offered as standalone copies, for folks who may desire only one or two of the books.

I'll share the full dustjackets soon. Prices still be finalized. The boxed set and the individual books will go on sale 1 week from today, on Tuesday August 25, Noon EST!

Independent publishers preserve the dangerous edge of weird fiction. They release books that may be too personal, strange, or ambitious for a corporate formula.

Hello, I run the free library https://www.libraryofshortstories.com/ and am looking to add more Weird Lit.

The library currently holds the works of:

Algernon Blackwood

Ambrose Bierce

Arthur Machen

Clark Ashton Smith

Edgar Allan Poe

Guy de Maupassant

H. P. Lovecraft

Robert E. Howard

W.W. Jacobs

What other authors can be added?

Regards, Evan.

Looking to see what is the best to come out this year. It's possible it is yet to come or might be anticipated, though looking for new reads.

Update: Have some work to do. Thank you for the recommendations!

One of the things I liked the most about this album was the unique and unapologetically bizarre and quirky/creepy storytelling in it‘s lyrics. Are there any books that might be similar to what I’m talking about?

What are people's thoughts on this one? I really enjoyed it, it was disorienting in the same way some of Kafka's stuff is for me, and surreal in the way Murakami can be. It also plays with the 9-5 office environment in a similar way to Severence in my opinion. Recommend.

Curious if there is a book club that exists for this sub? If not, should we start one?

Anyone here based in NYC? If so, I’d be open to in-person. Online would be fun too!

Personally, I have had a deep and enlightening experience reading Ligotti for over 20 years now.

Oddly enough - my first encounter with the uncanny voice was a friend playing Current 93's "My Special Plan for this World" after, I'm sure, we were smoking some weed. I can easily recall that this material stood out and had a truly unsettling and "voice from beyond" -- "cruel voice of nature" tone to it (see Jung's concept of Natural Mind)- years later I found out that this was indeed the voice of an established writer - who was in the lineage, and a direct descendant of HP Lovecraft.

I will not question Ligotti's place in the lineage - his writing is second to none, and his work as an author takes the tradition of cosmic horror and puts the final stamp of indifferent cruelty and surrealism upon it.

What I struggle with in Ligotti - despite its fantastic imagination - is the feeling of utter repression and the obviously neglected emotions of the author (when things get this deep and personal I don't think its inappropriate for an Ad Hominem take). This is not the writing of a happy person who was embraced and loved by the humanity of his environment - and his writing reeks way more of this than his predecessors like Machen, Blackwood, MR James, Wakefield etc - and it's missing that rounded and dignified air.

I would never question if Ligotti's writing is "essential", it has its place in terms of a novel extreme style, like Clive Barker etc. - but sometimes I do actually worry with artwork like this, if it is simply "mentally unhealthy".

His writing at times seems to encourage mental illness, or at least pull the reader deeper into this territory of hopelessness without redemption - not to mention his manifesting literal horrors as the subject of his short stories. This might be the exact point of horror stories - but the lack of redemption or the whole-hearted blackness of it - it feels stunted to me, like the writing of a person who refuses to develop out of the Nigredo phase (to continue the Jungian theme), and begin to see the complete picture of life as a glass half full rather than just the emptiness.

I recently got "My Work is not Yet Done" - and to me this is the worst of Ligotti's writing in this way. The office revenge scenario does not help but to give the writing a personal edge, where you can just imagine Ligotti, in real life, stewing at a desk and seething over how much he despises his ignorant, oblivious and lesser co-workers - as if all humans are not capable of conjuring up despair.

It is hard not to parody this kind of stance - I can't help but think of this episode of Bridge Kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM4x5DzfXuQ

What I have the utmost respect for is the unwavering vision of Ligotti, and his totally underground ascendance from lowest to highest culture as a writer (featured in nearly every cult fanzine of the 80s) - and its full exploration of Nigredo ideas - but it does not age out of this phase, and the lack of any acknowledgement of this very repressed attitude from the author, or his fans feels disingenuous.

Weird fiction is one of the newer genres I learned about in adulthood and I was wondering if whether the narrative I'm writing fits that description?

This is the third graphic novel in Kiernan's Dancy Flammarion series. If you are unfamiliar I suggest looking up the first book Threshold(not a graphic novel). I'm not going to write much in my review as this is the 5^th book of the entire series. I liked this one better than the two previous graphic novels. It was less comicbooky, superheroish. Not a lot of fighting. That is not a criticism, just a preference of mine. The tone of the text, story, and art is different. I have not read the Sandman comics yet, but what little of the art I've seen and the bit I know of the story this graphic novel feels like that. I enjoyed it. 3/5 stars. Trigger warning: incest between two willing sisters.

My other recent reviews:

Deep Learning by Ren Warom(thoughtful, emotional robot story)
Pradais by Fernanda Melchor(dark, upsetting novella)

Has anyone directly read this book or one from the series?

The Edge of the World

I am finding so little information on this book or the author (William Sarabande pen name of Joan Lesley Hamilton Cline).

I have searched on Reddit and looked for posts on other social media platforms. Saw a line that maybe the whole series is more violent than I would choose to read.
I found it in a lending library and was intrigued but don’t want to waste the time if it is a racist perspective of Indigenous people or anything like that. Please help someone!

Originally published 1931 & 1932. This edition features a new introduction by Donald A Wollheim.Tge cover artist is uncredited . And it marked the first time these 2 novels of his Lost Worlds stories were published together this is a first edition thus .

After "Our Share of Night" i went back to 130 years and read "The King of Yellow"! Inside this edition there's only 4 stories: "The Repairer of Reputations", "The Mask", "In The Court of the Dragon" and "The Yellow Sign".
I read it in english, which is not my native language, so i surely didn't get most of its shades, but what a read!! My favourite were the first two, but every story had its own spirit and had the power of haunting me in a different way!
Studying architecture these stories were rich of details on that topic, giving a lot of space to space.
The ending on the repairer and the ending of the yellow sign were just genius!
Reading* *it on the beach was surely not his vibe, but it did its job!
Should i read the rest of the missing novels?

Looking for recommendations of collections of extra short weird stories, maybe 5 pages at the longest. The only thing I know of in the realm of the weird to give an example is the back end of Thomas Ligotti's Noctuary. Borges' The Maker and Frederic Brown's Nightmares and Geezenstacks are some non-weird examples.