Vastarien, Volume Seven, Issue Zero

GRIMSCRIBE PRESS 2024

Jon Padgett, Editor-in-Chief — Paula D. Ashe, Associate Editor — Daniel Braum, Associate Editor — Alex Jennings, Associate Editor

My previous reviews of this literary journal: https://dflewisreviews.wordpress.com/tag/vastarien/

CONTRIBUTORS: Romana Lockwood, Richard Gavin, M.E. Bronstein, Marisca Pichette, Laura Cranehill, Adam Lawrence, Emma E. Murray, SJ Townend, Alyza Taguilaso, Chris Kuriata, Rebecca J. Allred, Michael Bailey, Carson Winter, César Dávila Andrade, Ben Larned, Paul L. Bates, Dyani Sabin, Perry Ruhland, Shawn Phelps, Jonathan Louis Duckworth, Andrew Wilbur, A Mystery Author

Although I have retired from most reviewing after 15 years of doing it, I am keeping up with my regular independent relationships, such as with whole Vastariens, and with new single stories in anthologies and collections by writers whom I have reviewed before. Please keep me informed of the latter.

Who knows, I may one day come out of such retirement and start obsessively gestalt reviewing whole books again!

When I read this issue of Vastarien, my thoughts will appear in the comment stream below…

Azathoth: Ordo ab Chao

Journalstone Publishing 2023

Edited by Aaron J. French

Stories by T. Kingfisher, Ruthanna Emrys, Adam L. G. Nevill, Kaaron Warren, Brian Evenson, Donald Tyson, Richard Thomas, Richard Gavin, Matthew Cheney, Erica Ruppert, Jamieson Ridenhour, Maxwell I. Gold, Lena Ng, Nathan Carson, Samuel Marzioli, Lauri Taneli Lassila, Akis Linardos, and R. B. Payne.

My previous review of an Aaron J. French / Journalstone collection: https://dflewisreviews.wordpress.com/2017/12/25/the-demons-of-king-solomon/

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Pleased to receive this collection especially  because Azathoth is so strangely important to my only novel: NEMONYMOUS NIGHT –  2011 Chômu Press, now out of print but soon to be republished by Eibonvale Press.

When I read this Journalstone book, my real-time thoughts will appear in the comment stream below….

All Living Writers Listed – by Aye Eye

A huge project started in the earlier days of AI Art availability.

Links to AI visual experiments as triggered by my gestalt real-time reviews since 2008.

PLEASE SEE THE LIST OF ALL THE MANY LINKS HERE

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Each image is clickable and available as a separate enlarged one.

All seemingly inspired by WIMSATT’S INTENTIONAL FALLACY / DES LEWIS GESTALT REAL-TIME REVIEWS / NEMONYMOUS / PARTHENOGENETIC LATE-LABELLING / THE SYNCHRONISED SHARDS OF RANDOM TRUTH AND FICTION (WEIRDMONGER)

EDIT (February 2024)— It was exactly a year ago I started experimenting with AI Visual Art, little knowing what I was entering. There was indeed much stimulation in triggering shifting collages from my gestalt real-time reviews of individual authors. But that was then, and now is now. From today, I no longer have this facility.

 

Looming Low, Vol. 2

DIM SHORES 2023

Kurt Fawver – “Radius Unknown”

Alvaro Zinos-Amaro – “Undo”

Brian Evenson – “Vigil in the Inner Room”

Michael Kelly – “Dead but Dreaming Still”

Gwendolyn Kiste – “To the Progeny Forsaken”

Anya Martin – “The Other Cat”

Clint Smith – “Lovenest”

Jeffrey Thomas – “Strangler Fig”

Simon Strantzas – “Still Packed”

Brooke Warra – “We Don’t Live Here Anymore”

Michael Griffin – “We Spend Weekends With Dad”

Matthew M. Bartlett – “The Cryptic Jape”

Craig Laurance Gidney – “Impz”

Cody Goodfellow – “Protect & Serve”

David Peak – “Zones Without Names”

Erica Ruppert – “Ex Astris”

Richard Gavin – “The Intercessor”

Kaaron Warren – “Songs We Sing at Sea”

S.P. Miskowski – “Across the Darkness”

A.C. Wise – “Into the Green”

Gemma Files – “Bb Minor”

Nadia Bulkin – “Your Heart is a House on Fire

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My review of Looming Low, Vol. 1: https://dflewisreviews.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/looming-low/

WHEN I READ THIS BOOK, MY THOUGHTS WILL APPEAR IN THE COMMENT STREAM BELOW…

Best New Horror #31

PS PUBLISHING 2021

Edited by Stephen Jones

My previous reviews of the publisher HERE and the editor HERE

Stories by Scott Bradfield, Maura McHugh, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Jonathan Carroll, Alison Littlewood, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Bacon, Don Webb, Ron Weighell, Angela Slatter, Richard Gavin, Michael Chislett, Mark Samuels, Richard Christian Matheson, Dale Bailey, Simon Strantzas, Kristi DeMeester, Steve Rasnic Tem, Reggie Oliver, Tanith Lee, Glen Hirshberg, D.P. Watt, Michael Marshall Smith.

As I had the honour of my stories being included in this series (1, 2 & 6), I felt I wanted to review this last one, as a heartfelt note of gratitude to all concerned, and to express my congratulations to Stephen Jones in particular…

When I read this mighty book, my thoughts will appear in the comment stream below…

The Best Horror of the Year #13 – Ellen Datlow

Edited by Ellen Datlow (2021)

My previous reviews of Ellen Datlow: https://dflewisreviews.wordpress.com/ellen-datlow/

Stories by A C Wise,  Catriona Ward, Jack Lothian, Stephen Graham Jones, Maria Haskins, Jason Sanford, Richard Gavin, Gemma Files, Michael Marshall Smith, Elana Gomel, Stephen Volk, Christopher Harman, Sam Hicks, David Surface, Tom Johnstone, Nathan Ballingrud, Pete W Sutton, J A W McCarthy, Gary McMahon, Alessandro Manzetti, Steve Duffy, Simon Bestwick, Andrew Humphrey, Sarah Pinsker, Thana Niveau.

When I read this book, my review will appear in the comment stream below….

Grotesquerie – Richard Gavin

UNDERTOW PUBLICATIONS 2020

My previous reviews of this author: 

Omens by Richard Gavin 

Primeval Wood – by Richard Gavin

Sylvan Dread – Richard Gavin

Plus a number of stories in anthologies linked from https://dflewisreviews.wordpress.com/tag/richard-gavin/

And my previous reviews of this publisher: https://dflewisreviews.wordpress.com/tag/undertow-publications/

When I read this book, my thoughts will appear in the comment stream below…

Crooked Houses

EGAEUS PRESS MMXX

My previous reviews of this publisher: https://dflewisreviews.wordpress.com/tag/egaeus-press/

Stories by Rebecca Kuder, Richard Gavin, Colin Insole, Helen Grant, Steve Duffy, Reggie Oliver, David Surface, John Gale, Albert Power, Lynda E. Rucker, Mark Valentine, Carly Holmes, James Doig, Rebecca Lloyd, Katherine Haynes, Jane Jakeman, Timothy Granville
Edited by Mark Beech

When I read this book, my thoughts will appear in the comment stream below…

Best New Horror #29

PS PUBLISHING 2019

Edited by Stephen Jones

My previous reviews of PS Publishing: https://dflewisreviews.wordpress.com/tag/ps-publishing/

Stories by Helen Marshall, Conrad Williams, Gemma Files, Alison Littlewood, John Linwood Grant, Richard Gavin, Simon Strantzas, Alison Moore, William F. Nolan, Angela Slatter, Danny Rhodes, Tim Lebbon, Ramsey Campbell, Michael Bailey, Mark Samuels, Felice Picano, Nicholas Royle, Reggie Oliver, Steve Rasnic Tem, Garth Nix, Thana Niveau.

Having had stories in three of the earlier issues in this series, I seem to have recently resisted purchasing Best New Horror books because the cover styles do not suit my tastes. And when there is a natural maximum capacity for my reading and reviewing, this has weighed in the balance, I guess. But I have now decided to take the plunge again…

When I read this book, my thoughts will appear in the comment stream below…

Their Dark & Secret Alchemy

SAROB PRESS 2019

Novellas by Richard Gavin, Colin Insole and Damian Murphy.

All links above to my previous reviews.

When I read this book, my thoughts will appear in the comment stream below…