John Langan crafts deeply unsettling narratives that explore the profound human experiences of loss, guilt, and the fragile boundaries of reality. His work masterfully blends atmospheric dread with psychological depth, drawing readers into the unsettling spaces where the supernatural encroaches upon the everyday. Langan excels at building immersive worlds and complex characters that grapple with existential fears. His prose is both visceral and evocative, leaving a lasting impression of disquiet and profound humanity.
What steers our direction in life? What core values drive our decisions? In twenty-two revealing personal essays, a wide range of people describe how each of them arrived at the philosophy of life that guides the steps they take.
Featuring an array of short and impactful stories, this fourth issue of Penumbra showcases contributions from notable authors like Geoffrey Reiter, Michael Aronovitz, Joe Pan, and Scott J. Couturier. It also emphasizes the global reach of weird fiction, featuring writers from various countries, including Harris Coverley and Dmitri Akers from Australia, Norbert Góra from Poland, and Arthur Staaz from Northern Ireland, enriching the journal's diverse literary landscape.
John Langan si v posledních několika letech právem vydobyl pozici jednoho z nejvýraznějších hlasů současné hororové literatury, jehož povídka nemůže chybět v žádné žánrové antologii.Do povědomí českých čtenářů se zapsal především románem Rybář, za nějž získal v roce 2008 Cenu Brama Stokera. Kratší prostor povídek a novel však dává ještě lépe vyniknout různým polohám jeho bizarní představivosti, schopné několika větami navodit mrazivou hrůzu a temnou atmosféru, nebo šokovat nečekaným zvratem a množstvím krve.Langan v nich vzdává poctu klasikům hororu, jako jsou Edgar Alan Poe se svou slavnou Maskou červené smrti (povídka „Technicolor“) nebo H. P. Lovecraft a jeho kult Cthulhu („Mělčiny“). Servíruje i originální zápletku kombinující traumatické zážitky válečných veteránů z amerického angažmá v Iráku s věčným a téměř ve všech kulturách přítomným obrazem upíra. Dělá to s mistrovstvím zkušeného autora, který miluje horor a vyprávění, z něhož bude čtenáře či posluchače ještě dlouho mrazit v zádech.
Exploring themes of connection and support, this book emphasizes the importance of community and shared experiences in overcoming challenges. It offers insights and encouragement for those feeling isolated, highlighting stories that resonate with the struggles of many. Through relatable narratives, readers are reminded of the strength found in unity and the comfort of knowing that others share similar journeys.
From award-winning author John Langan comes this new Word Horde edition of his debut collection featuring tales both elegant and macabre, steeped in the tradition of the literary weird. Includes a brand new story exclusive to this edition!
"A family's Halloween haunted house becomes a conduit to something ancient and uncanny; a young man's effigy of a movie monster becomes intrumental in his defense against a bully; a family diminishes while visiting a seaside town, leaving only one to remember what changed; a father explores a mysterious tower, and the monster imprisoned within; a man mourning the death of his father travels to his father's hometown, seeking closure, but finds himself beset by dreams of mythic bargains and a primeval, corpse-eating titan." -- From publisher's description
In this anthology of weird fiction, twenty-two authors share their harrowing visions of worlds shaped by the Yellow Sign, in stories and poems inspired by Robert W. Chambers's foundational works of weird horror. From the personal to the historic, from the macabre to the fantastic, the stories and poems gathered here illuminate new, unexpected realities shaped by the King in Yellow, under the sway of the Yellow Sign, or in the grip of madnesses inspired by their power. Authors included: Marc Abbott -- Linda D. Addison -- Meghan Arcuri -- Greg Chapman -- JG Faherty -- Trevor Firetog -- Patrick Freivald -- Carol Gyzander -- Todd Keisling -- John Langan -- Curtis Lawson -- Adrian Ludens -- Lisa Morton -- Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. -- Sarah Read -- Kathleen Scheiner -- Ann K. Schwader -- Darrell Schweitzer -- J. Daniel Stone -- Steven Van Patten -- Tim Waggoner -- Kaaron Warren
Now reissued in trade paperback with a new introduction by Adam Nevill and a reading group guide, House of Windows is a masterpiece haunted house story by rising star in Horror John Langan
"In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story. Soon, though, the men find themselves drawn into a tale as deep and old as the Reservoir. It's a tale of dark pacts, of long-buried secrets, and of a mysterious figure known as Der Fisher: the Fisherman. It will bring Abe and Dan face to face with all that they have lost, and with the price they must pay to regain it."--Publisher.
"I want to be like John Langan when I grow up, okay? He blends meticulously crafted traditional narratives with joyous genre-bending and narrative rule-breaking. His stories are fiercely smart, timely, timeless, heartbreaking, and of course, flat-out scary. Langan fearlessly commits to his monsters, his characters, his readers, to his vision of the horror story and the messed-up, broken, frightening world we inhabit. Wide, Carnivorous Sky, indeed."-Paul Tremblay, author of The Little Sleep and Swallowing a Donkey's Eye. John Langan has, in the last few years, established himself as one of the leading voices in contemporary horror literature. Gifted with a supple and mellifluous prose style, an imagination that can conjure up clutching terrors with seeming effortlessness, and a thorough knowledge of the rich heritage of weird fiction, Langan has already garnered his share of accolades. This new collection of nine substantial stories includes such masterworks as "Technicolor," an ingenious riff on Poe's "Masque of the Red Death"; "How the Day Runs Down," a gripping tale of the undead; and "The Shallows," a powerful tale of the Cthulhu Mythos. The capstone to the collection is a previously unpublished novella of supernatural terror, "Mother of Stone." With an introduction by Jeffrey Ford and an afterword by Laird Barron.