The Grimscribe's Puppets Paperback – June 1, 2013

I read the bulk of this anthology in the air on various flights, sandwiched between the latest Patterson and Cussler. Now, I confess this isn't the ideal environment in which to read a book strongly inspired by Ligotti and his predecessors. Despite this, I was sucked down into the worlds between the covers of The Grimscribe's Puppets. Maybe it was enhancement by contrast, or maybe it was that these writers did indeed tap into the same deep vein that keeps the nightmare factory running.These are all nightmares worth having, and they are all diabolically unique. Whether dark fantasy in uncertain worlds or a trip to a town that could be on your way home; a claustrophobic prison made of shadows or the subtle menace of the shadows in your shrink's office. You will only recognize these visions in parts drawn from what you can understand, but they lead to things that no one wants to understand.Each story is a sort of lexical rorschach, so the effects will be as individual as the reader. The stories which lingered with me are parts abstract, experimental, "meta" and visceral. "The Xenambulist: A Fable in Four Acts" (Robin Spriggs), a Book of the Dead as imagined by an amoral H. Bosch, "Pieces of Blackness"(Michael Kelly), a tale of parenthood driven through with an obsidian stake, "20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism" (Jon Padgett), a meta-tale that winds a horror trope into a barbed knot puzzle, "After the Final"(Richard Gavin), which gives us the Macabrist, "Eyes Exchange Bank" (Scott Nicholay), a terror where the world you recognize is rend into total collapse, "By Invisible Hands" (Simon Strantzas), a demonic tale of puppetry suspended by embalming thread, and "Oubliette" (Gemma Files), a cinematic tale that takes the light away like a rusted jail door.This is dense and heady stuff, probably not for the casual or shock horror fan. The shadow of Grimscribe falls long and wide across the entire book, but thankfully homage never slides into parody or imitation. Many of these stories could fit as well in a literary anthology, and I mean that as a compliment. I believe this is overall a vision of horror at its most artful. So, it is easy to understand that while my neighbors slept with their noses in their paperbacks, I stared out the window at the endless dark and wished for a comforting dream.

First of all this is an anthology of different writers so some of the questions listed are hard to apply. In saying that, now, I had never heard of Thomas Ligotti whose style, like Lovecraft's, has spawned others to write in his style. I must confess that I got this book based upon the cover art that intrigued me. And glad I did because the stories between these covers are very compelling and draws one in with their dark weirdness, strange creatures and situations and leave you wanting more. I think that I must do now is do a search on some of Ligotti's original writings to read. If one likes good horror mixed with intriguing weirdness and atmosphere, they can't go wrong in purchasing this collection

A well-conceived and skillfully executed anthology in tribute to dark weird master Thomas Ligotti. None of it reads exactly like TL, and that is as it should be - each of the 22 authors herein give their own spin on TL's signature tropes and/or themes. This book is crammed with a diverse array of stories conveying different tones and moods, but there is not one story I wasn't glad to read.I have only read a few of these authors in any depth; as I expected, Richard Gavin, Joel Lane, and Simon Strantzas all turn in spectacular tales filled with nods to the man they name as a large influence. I am only slightly familiar with the works of John Langan, John Padgett, and Cody Goodfellow, (hey, I'm working on it) but all three now hold hold multiple places on my Amazon Don't Forget To Read This Stuff list. It was also nice to get to finally experience something by Eddie M. Angerhuber.Of the authors who are basically new to me, I was most impressed with Michael Griffin (whose "Diamond Dust" is a contender for my favorite story in the book), Livia Llewellyn, Paul Tremblay, Scott Nicolay, Nicole Cushing, and Gemma Files.Michael Cisco gets his own category. I have so far only read a few stories in different anthologies, and had trouble really grasping them. His story here, "The Secrets of The Universe," is deep and weird. I have heard his writing compared to jazz a number of times, and that sounds about right. I was merely intrigued, until I saw him read another story at NecronomoiCon recently. The intensity and surety of his delivery (more of a performance than a reading) hooked me, and "The Divinity Student" has been pushed to the upper echelons of my bedside book stack.Those names comprise barely 60% of the authors represented here, and no slight is inferred to the others - again, these are all effective and worthy stories. This book would stand on its own without the Ligotti thread tying it together, it is that good. Recommended for any lovers of the truly dark, as is anything written by Ligotti himself.