Critical Essays by Joel Lane
Edited by Mark Valentine & John Howard
TARTARUS PRESS 2016
When I review this book (possibly not until the new year), my comments will appear in the thought stream below…
This Spectacular Darkness – Joel Lane
The Des Lewis Gestalt Real-Time Reviews of Books
A fearless faith in fiction — Employing a Kantian or Jungian sensibility and an ‘intentional fallacy’ consciousness — Various passions of the reading moment — Walter de la Mare, ELizabeth BOWen, Robert Aickman and many others old and new — Please click my name below for this site’s navigation and my backstory as intermittent photographer, writer, editor, publisher & reviewer.
The Des Lewis Gestalt Real-Time Reviews of Books 
This is a beautiful quality book, with dustjacket and marker ribbon, aesthetic to and in all senses of a modern, stiff, hard and crisp artefact that also retains the malleable tradition of an older world of book.
Around 350 pages….
I have just read the Spectacular eponymous essay at the beginning and indeed I could fully sense Joel Lane telling me this in person with his characteristic scholarly, emotional and political take on life and humanity. It bodes well – because earlier today I read a short Machen passage quoted during my current reading and real-time reviewing of ‘The Ceremonies’ by T.E.D. Klein (just started) and, lo and behold, exactly the same passage is quoted in this first essay! The synchronicity of Dreamcatching is already present here with a vengeance. 🙂
But this fact reminds me that I am a reviewer of FICTION and, so, as I embark further on reading this book ABOUT fiction, I do not think I can give it more added value than the value already intrinsic within it.
I recommend it unconditionally. Sight unseen. The ultimate confidence.