Karl Edward Wagner - Thoughts?

[Sargeant_Fox]

Valancourt Books reissued Karl Edward Wagner's In a Lonely Place. Is this a good collection of horror stories?

 

[BAYLOR]

Valancourt Books reissued Karl Edward Wagner's In a Lonely Place. Is this a good collection of horror stories?

Yes it is.

 

[Randy M.]

Valancourt Books reissued Karl Edward Wagner's In a Lonely Place. Is this a good collection of horror stories?

I second Baylor. Wagner writes in the American style handed down from Hammett and Hemingway via the pulps, so there's that. He knew how to arrange a story for maximum effect, and I consider "Sticks" and "The River of Night's Dreaming" two of the best horror stories coming out of the 1970s-'80s, both are included in the collection.

 

[Sargeant_Fox]

Days ago I read In a Lonely Place, and I heartily concur with your opinions.

As much as I enjoyed "Sticks", I don't think it's the pinnacle of the book. Once I understood what the underlying gag was, I thought, "Ah, here it is, the mandatory Lovecraft-centered story!" I swear, the last three or four horror books I've read all have a story about Howie. Warner loses points because it's not explicitly about Lovecraft, it's a surrogate.

“.220 Swift” physically unsettled me. The description of two cave explorers stuck in a tunnel really reminded me of how terrified I am of narrow places. I also loved the allusion to Manly Wade Wellman's "Shonokin" race.

"More Sinned Against" had one of the most unexpected and well-earned happy endings ever.

I can't think of a bad story in the bunch; and yet Wagner, like Wellman, isn't coming up with lots of new concepts, premises, ideas, situations, etc. In Wagner's case I'd say it's all thanks to good pacing. "Where the Summer Ends" in hindsight relies on a worn-out premise, but the tension grows so efficiently that I was captivated through and through.

The importance of his prose isn't negligible either; his evocative landscape descriptions are a corrective to the too plain prose modern authors favor.

It's a pity there's nothing else in print right now; I'd love to read more of his horror stories.

 

[Randy M.]

Days ago I read In a Lonely Place, and I heartily concur with your opinions.

As much as I enjoyed "Sticks", I don't think it's the pinnacle of the book. Once I understood what the underlying gag was, I thought, "Ah, here it is, the mandatory Lovecraft-centered story!" I swear, the last three or four horror books I've read all have a story about Howie. Warner loses points because it's not explicitly about Lovecraft, it's a surrogate.

I can understand this. Nowadays you can walk to the horror section in a bookstore, close your eyes and point, and chances are you'll find something HPL-ish at the end of your arm. At the time "Sticks" was published there were some short stories with Lovecraft influence, but most I came across were extremely derivative. This one, springing off "Pickman's Model" was so well written and so fully imagined it was refreshing.

“.220 Swift” physically unsettled me. The description of two cave explorers stuck in a tunnel really reminded me of how terrified I am of narrow places. I also loved the allusion to Manly Wade Wellman's "Shonokin" race.

"More Sinned Against" had one of the most unexpected and well-earned happy endings ever.

I can't think of a bad story in the bunch; and yet Wagner, like Wellman, isn't coming up with lots of new concepts, premises, ideas, situations, etc. In Wagner's case I'd say it's all thanks to good pacing. "Where the Summer Ends" in hindsight relies on a worn-out premise, but the tension grows so efficiently that I was captivated through and through.

The importance of his prose isn't negligible either; his evocative landscape descriptions are a corrective to the too plain prose modern authors favor.

It's a pity there's nothing else in print right now; I'd love to read more of his horror stories.

Agreed. Short story collections just don't get back into print as often as maybe they should, and that's a shame. You might be able to find his Kane story, "Undertow" and while it's Sword & Sorcery, it definitely has the kick of horror.

 

[BAYLOR]

I can understand this. Nowadays you can walk to the horror section in a bookstore, close your eyes and point, and chances are you'll find something HPL-ish at the end of your arm. At the time "Sticks" was published there were some short stories with Lovecraft influence, but most I came across were extremely derivative. This one, springing off "Pickman's Model" was so well written and so fully imagined it was refreshing.


Agreed. Short story collections just don't get back into print as often as maybe they should, and that's a shame. You might be able to find his Kane story, "Undertow" and while it's Sword & Sorcery, it definitely has the kick of horror.

I second Undertow, Also Sing A Last Song of Valdese and The Dark Muse.