The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

Book Description

An unparalleled selection of fiction from H. P. Lovecraft, master of the American horror tale

Long after his death, H. P. Lovecraft continues to enthrall readers with his gripping tales of madness and cosmic terror, and his effect on modern horror fiction continues to be felt-- Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Clive Barker have acknowledged his influence. His unique contribution to American literature was a melding of Poe's traditional supernaturalism with the emerging genre of science fiction. Originally appearing in pulp magazines like Weird Tales in the 1920s and 1930s, Lovecraft's work is now being regarded as the most important supernatural fiction of the twentieth century.

Lovecraft's biographer and preeminent interpreter, S. T. Joshi, has prepared this volume of eighteen stories--from the early classics like "The Outsider" and "Rats in the Wall" to his mature masterworks, "The Call of Cthulhu" and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth." The first paperback to include the definitive corrected texts, The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories reveals the development of Lovecraft's mesmerizing narrative style, and establishes him as a canonical--and visionary--American writer.

"I think it is beyond doubt that H. P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale." --Stephen King

Customer Reviews:

Skillfully anthologized and skillfully written. Haunting tales that encompass the Cthulhu mythos. Highly recommended.......2007-10-01

NOTE: This review is specific to "The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)".

As one of the three Penguin Classic Lovecraft anthologies, The Call of Cthulhu collects the stories that lead up to and include the Cthulhu Mythos, arranged in chronological order with introduction and explanatory notes for each story from the anthologizer, S.T. Joshi. Joshi does an exceptional job selecting stories that create a coherent narrative through Lovecraft's early work, developing themes, and final strong stories; his annotations are interesting and useful both to the casual and studious reader. Lovecraft's writing itself is also exceptional: in this wide selection of short stories, he explores issues of miscegenation, scientific exploration, and the discoveries of the great beyond--from the reaches out outer space to the depths of the sea, wherein ancient inhuman forces lurk, threatening those that come too close to the truth. Skill and quality differs from story to story but is universally high, and Lovecraft's tones are delightfully dark and threatening, occasionally humorous, and always otherworldy. This collection is greatly enjoyable and I highly recommend it.

The Penguin Classics anthologies divide Lovecraft's work into three collections, all edited by S.T. Joshi, all collecting short stories that address central themes in Lovecraft's work. Obviously, this compilation focuses on the Cthulhu Mythos, beginning with Dagon and moving through stories of life beyond death (Herbert West--Reeanimator), miscregation (The Shadow over Innsmouth), life from space (The Whisperer in the Dark), and life from the depths (The Call of Cthulhu). The collection is complete, with a clear focus, and indicates an active development of the theme as Lovecraft's writing matures. Joshi's additions are skillful: each story is given an introduction in the notes, mentioning its place in Lovecraft's career, relevant information, and present themes; the annotations (through numbered footnotes) are removed to the end of the text, maintaining the coherency of the printed stories and giving the reader the option of ignoring them altogether. The annotations run a bit overly-detailed and even off topic at times, but on the whole they are both interesting and useful. In short, Joshi's editing is exceptional, making this an accessible anthology as well as a useful resource.

More important than Joshi's editing is of course Lovecraft's writing. Lovecraft is a true artist of the horror genre; his work is considered classic for a reason. And perhaps none of it is more famous than the Cthulhu mythos, making this a true classic of the genre and a wonderful read. But my recommendation does not rest on how famous Lovecraft or these stories happen to be; rather, it rests on the fact that the writing is exceptional, enjoyable, and haunting. Some of the tropes become repetitive, and not all of the stories match others in quality or lasting impact, but on the whole this is an impressive collection of consistently high quality. The forces present in Lovecraft's writing are dark and insidious, hidden on the edges and in the crevices of human consciousness; those that seek them out find more than they bargain for--some are killed, some driven to madness or suicide. Lovecraft's stories move accordingly, building up auras of suspense, slowly revealing more ominous information, and often climaxing in names, entities, and fates that are all the more frightening for our own inability to comprehend them, pronounce, or describe them. Lovecraft uses words to introduce concepts that are beyond words, concepts that escape description. His writing is atmospheric, haunting, and skillful, and a true delight to read.

I came upon this text as a curious reader that had heard much about Lovecraft but never read his work and did not know where to begin. I was exceptionally pleased with this book, and believe it was an ideal introduction. The combination of Joshi's superb selections and editing and Lovecraft's exceptional writing make this a wonderful starting place, introducing some of Lovecraft's strongest themes, exploring them through his career, and including all number of classic stories. I was impressed with and greatly enjoyed this text, and I highly recommend it.

Great intro to HPL.......2007-08-15

This volume is the perfect introduction to the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The Shadow Over Insmouth which was the inspiration for the movie Dagon is worth buying the entire volume. These stories chill you to the bone without being graphic and going for the cheap scare like modern horror tales. Lovecraft lets you use your imagination to let the tension build, and it leaves you thinking of fantastic possibilities long after you put the book down. I highly recommend this volume and the 2 additional Penguin Classic volumes which take in almost all of Lovecrafts major writings.

experience of reading.......2007-07-18

It took me a great deal of time to actually purchase some of Lovecraft's work. I was hearing a lot about it from numerous sources, mostly connected with science fiction, horror, weird imaginative cults and such things. Comic books often immersed themselves into the world that Lovecraft created. Being what it is it offered great many possibilities to explore, create, destroy or modify and never actually lose connection with Lovecraft's vision.

I find this vision strangely fascinating. There is certain richness in those maddening vision, in out-of-this-world words, in whispers from the darkness that makes the sane mane go insane. One can almost feel growing horror of Lovecraft's characters, one can feel threads of sanity breaking, one can feel paranoia, psychosis, fear, and one can connect with these characters.

Lovecraft is master of creating atmosphere. Deserted places, god forsaken cliffs and roads, lost secrets, all are there for reader to feel the weight of nightmares, heaviness of horror that may creep upon ones mind.

Yes, some of these stories are naive, some of them are really bad writing, most of them are predictable in terms of narrative. Yet, there are some which are strangely poetic and beautiful, like Nyarlathotep, and some which, despite great amount of naivete, portrays that feelings of no escape which are maddening and sad like Whisperer in the Darkness.

This edition is indeed "overly-edited" as someone said before, and many of the explanatory notes could be, without any damage to the edition, thrown out. Nevertheless, editor - S.T. Joshi, did great ammount of work and, for anyone who is looking into Lovecraft for reasons other than joy of readin, should start with this edition. It offers secondary literature, and thorough introduction.

So, if you don't mind sometimes peculiar language (after all this was written at the early 20th century), sometimes banal construction, and other kind of structural inadequacies and if you like strong visions, poetic heights, disturbing scenery, and hint of supernatural in everyday banality, than stories of H.P. Lovecraft are just what are you looking for,

AAAARRRGHHHH!!!!! JUST TELL ME THE ENDING!!!!!!!!.......2007-04-09

Well, this book covers just about every Lovecraft story you could want. I bought this book mainly for the story "The Call Of Cthulhu", after hearing about it in the movie "Dagon", and hearing stuff about it in a song or two. I'm not a big fan of reading, but it kept my attention. The only drawback is the damn cliff hangers! Yes, it makes for a dramatic ending, but also after a while kind of gets annoying (hence 4 stars instead of 5). Lovecraft's style of writing is quite different from other authors. But for me, it worked. The title is very accurate when it says "And Other Weird Stories". So be prepared. It's also a nice deviation from most of the other horror books out there today. About 98% of which seem to be about vampires. Each story is unique, in every aspect of the word.

Classic .......2007-03-24

H.P. Lovecraft is, in my opinion, on the same level as Edgar Allan Poe as far as short horror story writers are concerned. This book was the first material by him that I ever read, and I must proclaim that his writing style is nothing short of superb. The words he uses when constructing his elaborate sentences just seem so perfect that I can't help but be in awe. Another thing I love about Lovecraft is that he often describes the monster, but never too much. That way, the reader can create their own interpretation of what the monster looks like. My favorite stories here are "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," and of course, "The Call Of Cthulhu." Horror fans will love this.

Carpenter's Gothic (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

Average customer rating:

Talk, talk, it's all talk
a pretentious criminal atrocity
Not his best work
Worth a look
Challenging, but well worth it...

Carpenter's Gothic (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
William Gaddis
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A Frolic of His Own
JR (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
Agape Agape (Penguin Classics)
The Recognitions (Penguin Classics)
Omensetter's Luck (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

ASIN: 0141182229

Book Description

This story of raging comedy and despair centers on the tempestuous marriage of an heiress and a Vietnam veteran. From their "carpenter gothic" rented house, Paul sets himself up as a media consultant for Reverend Ude, an evangelist mounting a grand crusade that conveniently suits a mining combine bidding to take over an ore strike on the site of Ude's African mission. At the still center of the breakneck action--revealed in Gaddis's inimitable virtuoso dialoge--is Paul's wife, Liz, and over it all looms the shadowy figure of McCandless, a geologist from whom Paul and Liz rent their house. As Paul mishandles the situation, his wife takes the geologist to her bed and a fire and aborted assassination occur; Ude issues a call to arms as harrowing as any Jeremiad--and Armageddon comes rapidly closer. Displaying Gaddis's inimitable virtuoso dialogue, and his startling treatments of violence and sexuality, Carpenter's Gothic "shows again that Gaddis is among the first rank of contemporary American writers" (Malcolm Bradbury, The Washington Post Book World).

"An unholy landmark of a novel--an extra turret added on to the ample, ingenious, audacious Gothic mansion Gaddis has been building in American letters" --Cynthia Ozick, The New York Times Book Review

"Everything in this compelling and brilliant vision of America--the packaged sleaze, the incipient violence, the fundamentalist furor, the constricted sexuality--is charged with the force of a volcanic eruption. Carpenter's Gothic will reenergize and give shape to contemporary literature." --Walter Abish

Customer Reviews:

Talk, talk, it's all talk.......2006-07-17

Often this is considered the least of Gaddis' novels, the most obvious reason being that it's the shortest, although that isn't the only reason. Still, in his longer novels Gaddis was always able to work his themes to a fever pitch and stretch them out, playing with dialogue and tone over the course of hundreds of pages, giving you in essence a grand symphony. A depressing symphony, also, mind you, dotted with sparks of black humor but it made each book a rather meaty read. Here he attempts to do all that in like a tenth of the space and while that gives the novel a breakneck pace that isn't really matched by anything else he's ever done (Agape, Agape, maybe, but I'll let you know when I get there), things start off quickly and keep moving. Even this is an illusion, while The Recognitions was a tad ponderous at times and was meant to be read slowly, JR comes across as a mad flurry of action, due to all the competing voices charging head-on in cacophony. Here everything just feels compressed, the characters trapped in a bottle, the setting never really leaving the house that gives the novel its name. With its limited setting and fewer characters, it sometimes can feel like JR-lite but the tone is remarkably different. As I mentioned, there are hints of Gaddis' rather dark view of things but most of the time it was leavened by humor or at least some kind of compassion. In this story, you have none of that. The two main characters, Paul and Elizabeth, are taking care of a house owned by a different man, while Paul works with a Reverend and also seems to be suing a bunch of people due to some kind of airplane crash, while Elizabeth goes to different doctors somehow aligned with the case and generally frets about. Which sets up the main problem with the novel, the two characters are mostly unlikable, the novel begins with Paul berating Elizabeth nonstop while asking her to do stuff for him and it really doesn't relent, just about every scene of them together follows that pattern and it does get rather tedious after a while. Elizabeth isn't much better on her own, while Paul's foulmouthed rants have an amusing component to them, Elizabeth just tends to flutter and frit about and not saying anything of real import, although she does gain something resembling a spine toward the end. Paul's schemes are what drive the narrative but it is hard to figure out what the general thrust is underneath all the ranting, in fact the copy on the inner jacket will tell you more about the plot than the story really does and it's not unheard of for a reader to feel simply snowballed under the mountains of dialogue. Fortunately, Gaddis does dialogue well. Really, really well. Real people may not talk like that but he captures the rhythms close enough and the back and forth chatter is like nothing else is literature. The lack of punctuation marks only immerses the dialogue further into the prose, making it all a sort of weird background noise . . . though it can get confusing because he writes more actual prose here than in JR, where the non-dialogue narrative almost seemed like an afterthought. Although the constant talking remains key, the rich language that was in the Recognitions starts to poke through here and there. But it's the chatter that shines, especially toward the latter portion of the book where all the conflicts start to come to a head. When the owner of the house, McCandless shows up and appears to be more connected to matters than he lets on, things start to pick up and the many page conversation between him and Lester where they alternately threaten and manipulate and dance around each other with nothing but words is probably the best thing in the novel and I was sincerely sorry when it ended, so marvelously was it paced. Otherwise, things progress merrily, it will probably take several readings to figure out what is going on but it reads easily enough, even if the plot seems a bit sketchy at times. While Gaddis' technique is as sure as usual, he doesn't seem to have as much of a handle on his themes, ranting about basically everything without much focus. That can be frustrating at times, I'll agree. Still, the book is much more than Gaddis-lite, which is putting things too simply. His command of his technique is as astounding as ever and it's a good a place to introduce yourself to his work as any (Frolic might better, Recognitions is not for the faint of heart due to its length and JR is actually rather atypical), even if you shouldn't stop there. And hey, it even has chapters, of a sort. Sell-out! Just kidding! Difficult, but I think worth the effort involved.

a pretentious criminal atrocity.......2003-09-27

this book was terrible. it is nothing more than a twisted and messed up story that is supposed to have some meaning and substance to it. but it doesn't. it goes nowhere, does nothing. there are merely characters, that do meaningless things, and that's about it. besides the obvious title theme, there really are no useful themes.

it is written in a style that is quite difficult to read, which is fine with me, but afterward you question why you wasted all the effort and concentration in reading when the book wasn't worth it anyway.

the only good plus i can see in this book is if you want to read it, and pretend you like it, just so you can discuss it in a pretentious book group and get with a pretentious girl or boy. other than that it really has no value.

Not his best work.......2002-10-26

It says nothing he didn't say better in JR, which though somewhat less accessible, is a richer, funnier and satisfying novel. The writing is dazzling, though it becomes somewhat monotonous at points in this book. (Get your own ice, Paul.) The problem is the content. At its core, this book is pretty empty. Carpenter's Gothic and, to a lesser extent, JR are like some Wynton Marsalis solos. The artist may be able to hit notes and play riffs no one else can and his tone may be gorgeous, but the music doesn't say anything. Still, worth three stars for the brilliance of the technique.

Worth a look.......2002-09-22

I read it a long time ago, and some of the dialogue has stuck with me, but overall there's an emptiness of vision underlying this work. Whether or not the book satirizes Christianity or fundamentalism is hard to say; if it does, it doesn't try very hard. One character rants against the language of evangelization, but that character turns out to be a venal, self-obsessed murderer. What does that say about his opinions? In fact, one irony is the work may implicate readers who agree with the anti-Christian diatribes ... but I'm not sure. At least the book's short and some of it is memorable.

Challenging, but well worth it..........2002-02-16

Having heard so much praise for Gaddis' work and having read excerpts from all four of his novels, I decided to give "Carpenter's Gothic" a try. I must say that I was not at all surprised to find that everything I've heard about Gaddis' virtuoso prose and dialogue is absolutely true. The man was an absolutely brilliant writer. His dialogue is the best I've ever read. I also can see why he never really became popular: he's not the easiest writer to read. A book like this has to be read at least two times in order for the reader to catch up on a lot of what is going on. Not that this would be much of a chore. In fact, I think that anyone who has read this book would look forward to a second go-round!

Average customer rating:

Touring the Century with Al.
a winner!

Ghosts of the Twentieth Century
Cheryl Harness
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Ghosts of the White House
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ASIN: 0689821182

Book Description

Imagine traveling through the past 100 years to witness some of the most dramatic events of the twentieth century....

It's not your usual field trip. Josh and his class are at a history museum when an Albert Einstein mannequin comes to life and invites him on a trip back in time to see firsthand the "horribly terrific and the terrifically horrible" twentieth century. Einstein takes Josh through the decades to see Orville and Wilbur Wright's triumphant first flight, the tragedy of two world wars, a violent confrontation over civil rights, and the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall. Josh listens in on everyday conversations in the Progressive Era of Teddy and the Titanic, the twenties that roared, the Great Depression, and the dawn of the Cold War. He gets a peek at a fifties high school hop, Vietnam War protestors in the sixties, America's 200th birthday in the seventies, and nineties cyber-talk. Along the way Einstein shows Josh how the ghosts of the past shaped the present, haunting the world we know today, at the brink of a new millennium.

With time lines on every spread, detailed maps, mini-biographies of important figures, and a glossary, Ghosts of The Twentieth Century is an informative and entertaining look at 100 years of social history. This is a tour that Josh -- and the readers who join him -- will never forget!

Customer Reviews:

Touring the Century with Al........2002-09-08

A boy named Josh is on a field trip to a history museum with his class when he runs into a statue of Albert Einstein. Except, the statue isn't a statue and is the real deal. Einstein takes Josh on a spree through the past century beginning in 1903 with the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk and ending on January 1, 2000 at a millenium celebration. The book encompasses all sorts of historical events and empasizes how the "ghosts of the past" haunt the future. The illustrations are breathtaking and there are so many tiny drawings on each page that it is hard to take it all in during one reading. The book includes a glossary of terms that elementary children may not be familiar with and a map of the world at the beginning of the century and part of one at the end of the century.This is an excellent book of history for youth that works well as a reference book, too.

a winner!.......2000-01-05

Cheryl Harness' joyful grasp of the "serendipity" of history permeates all her work, but never moreso than in Ghosts of the 20th Century. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and young readers will not only understand but actually feel just how wondrously dreams and achievements grow from other dreams and achievements. TIME MAGAZINE recently chose Albert Einstein as its "person of the century," but Ms. Harness scooped them and chose him months ago as her readers' perfect guide. Einstein himself is quoted as saying that imagination is more important than knowledge, and surely no one could display the wedding of both better than Harness in this glorious book.

The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories

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The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Anthologies | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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United States | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0192142607

Amazon.com

"In 1944 the critic Edmund Wilson expressed surprise that the ghost story was still alive and well in the age of the electric light. But why should he have been surprised? Ghost stories, as a literary genre ... have always maintained an adaptable relationship with the contemporary world." These 33 stories (17 by female authors) include the delicious ambiguities of Robert Aickman and Walter de la Mare; the family/relationship horrors of Ellen Glasgow, May Sinclair, Fay Weldon, and A. S. Byatt; a wicked tale with a twist ending by Graham Greene; Fritz Leiber's brilliant, postindustrial "Smoke Ghost"; and others that range from the poignant to the humorous to the terrifying. As Peter Cannon writes in Necrofile (the premiere journal of horror criticism), "Readers can expect both quality and good taste.... For those of us who prefer the old-fashioned literary virtues, The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories is the goods."

Book Description

"The ghosts of fiction were not killed off by the advent of the electric light, the invention of the telephone, the coming of the motor car, or even by the once unthinkable horrors of technological warfare. Instead they took over the trappings, landscapes, and cultural assumptions of the
twentieth century for their ancient purposes." Thus Michael Cox introduces The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories, a unique collection of 33 of the best and most chilling ghost stories of our era.
The first anthology to trace the evolution of the ghost story over the last one hundred years, this book demonstrates the variety and versatility of the genre and the different ways in which stories of the supernatural have adapted to twentieth-century venues and concerns. In these tales we
encounter not only the returning dead, but also distinctly modern phantoms: a haunted typewriter, a ghost that travels by train, and an urban specter made of smoke and soot. There are child ghosts and haunted houses, playful spooks and deadly apparitions. The authors of these uncanny tales are as
diverse as the kinds of stories they tell; there are ghost stories by such specialists as M.R. James and Algernon Blackwood and many by authors not commonly associated with the genre: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, Graham Greene, A.S. Byatt, and Angela Carter are only a few of the literary
celebrities included in this collection. At a time when our era seems to grow increasingly rational and predictable,The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century Ghost Stories reminds us of the joys of uncertainty and wonder. Distinctive and gripping, these stories will linger long
in the memory.

The Mammoth Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories

Average customer rating:

haining, what were you thinking?
Great ghostly anthology -- a rare find!

The Mammoth Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories

Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

United States | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0786705833

Customer Reviews:

haining, what were you thinking?.......2003-04-08

not his usual self. famous persons, uninteresting stories. yes, they are well written. but the plots are mostly mediocre, and the collection is an incredibly dull read. i am giving it two stars because of the intellectual level of the writings

Great ghostly anthology -- a rare find!.......2001-07-29

How long I have looked for 20th century ghost stories that are as spooky as they are well-written! This anthology is a rare find because it contains some of the little-known ghost stories by some of the 20th centuries greatest writers, like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells. Most are genuine short stories rather than excerpts, and the time span covered makes for a surprisingly thorough foray into the genre. Horror writing at it's best!

Blood for the Ghosts: Classical Influences in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

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Blood for the Ghosts: Classical Influences in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
Hugh Lloyd-Jones
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Greek | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Curricula | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History of Ideas | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0801830176

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The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories
Michael(editor) COX
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OPMILK

Average customer rating:

"A time of summing up and looking ahead"
Yikes that was bad
Professes to be far more than it actually is
A Fine Anthology
surprisingly, substandard

Revelations

Manufacturer: Harper Prism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0061052469

Amazon.com

Pestilence, floods, war, social upheaval, drug-related crime, wicked leaders, birth defects, conspiracies, corruption, even visions of death-dealing aliens--this superb anthology is a timely reminder that destructive forces and fantasies of destruction are not just a millennial phenomenon; they've been with us all along. Douglas Winter writes in the afterword: "I chose the writers whose words had moved me, surprised me, remained vibrant in a time of repetition and glut. I wanted assurance that the fiction nominally known as 'horror' would survive into the twenty-first century; and I wanted Revelations to offer that reassurance to readers." These 11 long tales--one for each decade, plus a frame story--succeed brilliantly in doing so. The writers are Clive Barker, Joe R. Lansdale, David Morrell, F. Paul Wilson, Poppy Z. Brite, Christa Faust, Charles Grant, Whitley Strieber, Elizabeth Massie, Richard Christian Matheson, David J. Schow, Craig Spector, and Ramsey Campbell.

Book Description

Revelations is a unique publishing event -- a visionary collaborative epic novel by today's bestselling and most respected dark fantasy authors.

Decade by decade as the Millenium approaches, we take an unforgettable imaginative journey of terror and transcendence through a century that some see as Civilization's darkest -- our own. We end up with Barker's shattering 21st century climax: A dramatic revelation that is both a prophetic warning and a visionary answer for all humankind.

Customer Reviews:

"A time of summing up and looking ahead".......2007-05-09

Apocalypse: 1. a. Apocalypse. Bible, The Book of Revelation. b. Any of various anonymous Jewish or Christian texts from around the second century BC containing prophetic or symbolic visions, especially of the imminent destruction of the world. 2. Great or total devastation. 3. A prophetic disclosure; a revelation.

In the United Kingdom, Revelations has an alternate title: Millennium. This 1997 anthology does indeed consider the (then) impending Millennium, in Clive Barker's exquisite fictional discourse on storytelling, "The Chiliad--A Meditation." Composed of two interlocking stories set one thousand years apart, this framing device puts forth the notion that the future influences the past, that the river of time "flows both ways." The true focus of this collection, however, is the twentieth century, perhaps the most turbulent in all of human history. Over the course of ten stories, each dealing with a specific decade, twelve writers focus on the human element involved in cataclysmic events.

The first story, "The Big Blow," by Joe R. Lansdale, is set in 1900. Two hurricanes hit Galveston, Texas, one a natural phenomenon, the other taking the form of big John McBride, a vile, profane man hired by racist members of the Galveston Sporting Club to wrest the club's boxing title from its present owner, a black man named 'Lil' Arthur (Jack) Johnson. Their intense battle is matched only by the ferocity of the hurricane that strikes during the match, leveling the city.

The next story takes place in 1918. "If I Should Die Before I Wake," by David Morrell, tells the story of Dr. Jonas Bingaman, whose heroic efforts do little to assuage the devastating effect of the Spanish Influenza on Elmsdale, the small town where he practices. Morrell reveals a sobering fact at the end of this touching story: while World War I caused the deaths of 8.5 million, the estimated number of those killed by the Spanish Influenza was 40 million.

F. Paul Wilson's entry, "Aryans and Absinthe," takes us to Germany, circa 1923. Here, Karl Stehr, a Jewish bookseller, is befriended by the mysterious Ernst Drexler, who counsels him on avoiding the debilitating effects of Germany's runaway inflation. Drexler also introduces him to absinthe, which causes the bookseller to hallucinate during an impassioned speech by rising political figure Adolph Hitler. During this episode, Stehr has a vision of the Holocaust, and, believing it to be true, decides to kill its architect. This is a "If you could stop Hitler before he came to power story" with a delicious twist.

"Triads," by Poppy Z. Brite and Christa Faust, is the story of two young boys, Ji Fung and Lin Bai, lovers caught up in the corrupt and exotic world of 1937 Hong Kong and Shanghai. Sold to a performing troupe by their families as children, the pair escape their brutal master only to become involved with Chinese gangs. This stylish tale, set against the backdrop of the Sino-Japanese War , ends tragically, but on a note of optimism.

We next visit the forties and fifties, courtesy of Charles Grant and Whitley Streiber. In "Riding the Black," Grant takes a prototypical Western plot and stands it on its head. Here, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse perceives the end of the world not in the creation of the atomic bomb, but in the advent of the television age. Streiber's story "The Open Doors," is a stream of consciousness reflection on the atomic bomb and (surprise!) alien visitation which demands rereading.

The sixties are handled by Elizabeth Massie. I felt sure that "Fixtures of Matchstick Men and Joo," Massie's story on hippie cults and culture, would end up dealing with the Manson family, but I was dead wrong. Her twist ending reminded me of a bumper sticker I saw recently, which read "I know I'm Paranoid, but am I Paranoid ENOUGH?"

The seventies are covered by Richard Christian Matheson's epistolary "Whatever," the eighties by "Dismantling Fortress Architecture," a collaboration between David Schow and Craig Spector. Matheson's knowing story follows the rise and fall of seventies supergroup Whatever through a series of magazine articles, press releases and interviews (I especially liked the name of the band's debut album, Know Means Know). Schow and Spector use the fall of the Iron Curtain as a backdrop in their piece, an eclectic summation of over sixty years of German history. This piece is unique to the anthology in that it refers to events in another story in the collection, Wilson's "Aryans and Absinthe."

Ramsey Campbell brings readers into the nineties with "The Word," which chronicles the career of writer Jess Kray, as seen through the eyes of Jeremy Bates, a curmudgeonly reviewer/critic. Kray, a sub mid-list author, writes a bestseller called The Word, which literally means all things to all people. Bates, skeptical of Kray, hopes to expose him as a fraud, but unwittingly bestows Messianic status on him during a live television broadcast.

Winter should be commended on the uniform quality of these stories--after all, the nature of the anthology did not permit him the luxury of arranging the stories to maximum advantage. The book is indeed a revelation, a thought provoking reflection on the century just ended. Rather than dealing with thousand year cataclysms, the stories focus on individual apocalypses, reminding readers that horror takes many forms--prejudice, natural disasters, disease, runaway inflation, technology, social upheaval and ignorance are just a few of its aspects. This emphasis gives Revelations an intimacy and power it might not otherwise have had.

Winter points out in his afterword that the end of a century is "a global anniversary, and inevitably a time of summing up and looking ahead." Revelations does just that: it tells us where we've been, while raising a number of disturbing questions about where we are going.

Yikes that was bad.......2003-03-06

Words fail me, which is not usual at all. All I can say is if they decide to do another one of these things for God's sake pick an editor that knows what he's doing!

Professes to be far more than it actually is.......2003-02-08

I think this is the most useless, pointless, and very frequently unintelligible book I have read in a long time. Although I admit I was expecting the stories to be more inclined toward Apocalyptic scenarios, my mind was open; but this book asks the reader to go almost as insane as some of its collaborators. It is comprised of 10 stories, and a wrap-around story written by Clive Barker (if you don't get that, it means the first part of it starts the book, the second ends it). Besides Barker's story, the others take place in successive decades of the Twentieth Century. Overall it is an attempt to create a book of short stories attempting to be short novels that contemplate the nature of humanity and send out a "prophetic warning and a visionary answer for all humankind."

Barker's story "The Chiliad" (referring to the passage of 1000 years) is original, if not a little confusing at times, especially because the first half leaves the reader a bit confused, and is overall a worthy read. The second story, called "The Big Blow" takes place in 1900. It involves a prize fight in Galveston, Texas, that is interrupted by one of the worst hurricanes in Unites States History. There's really no story here, no "revelations" except my realization that author (Joe R. Lansdale) likes to use misplaced vulgarity and homosexual scenes to compensate for spans where the lack of talent is apparent.

The story following it, called "If I Should Die Before I Wake" is one of the better stories in this book, possibly be the best. David Morrell did a good job here showing the turmoil of the influenza pandemic, and the personal agony it caused. There is a small amount of personal revelation here, and it complements the story in a way I can't fully explain. The 1920's story that follows it written by F. Paul Wilson is also fairly good. Titled "Aryans and Absinthe" it regards the real story behind the "staged" assassination attempt of Hitler in Munich, which caused a riot and started the political uprising that Hitler rode from prison to the writing of Mein Kampf and eventually all the way into the Reichs Chancellery. Although it has some annoying bouts of economic jargon, the "revelation" part led to a very original, as well as interesting interpretation of history.

Here's where the book takes a turn for the worse, with the atrocious piece of "work" called "Triads," taking place in 1930's Hong Kong as well as mainland China, during the start of the Chinese-Japanese hostilities. It's the story of two young lovers, put into a Hong Kong dance school as young children, who end up defying the Triads...blah, blah, and more blah. It sucked! Oh, and by the way, the two lovers, they're both men, and the story is written by two women. Perhaps they're trying to make the story seem more sincere or they're trying to make some insinuations into male lives. There is a minute revelation here, lasting for about a paragraph, and having no other connection with the plot. Besides that, it seethed ineptness bordering on incompetence, the story being so disjointed it was not worth the read.

Charles Grant's story taking place in the 1940's was pretty good. It was a bit strange, especially because of the ambiguity regarding the strange cowboy living on the edge of a desert town, but was definitely worth the read. The 1950's story written by Whitley Strieber is the worst piece of writing (I could've used other words besides worst to describe it) that I have ever read. It makes no sense at all, and reads like a four-year old with hallucinogens in its formula wrote it. It has something to do with a nuclear scientist, and simply thrown in there as a minimal point, the ever-present Strieber theme: aliens! I don't know how anyone could interpret this as anything other than inane babble.

The 1960's story is pretty good, having to do with a camp devoted to ensuring the peace, love, and well-being of individuals during a time of war and unrest. However, it is not as tranquil as it seems, and society is actually being manipulated by a guarded evil...The 1970's story is more crap, written by Richard Matheson, called "Whatever." It is an incoherent mass of news clips and short narratives about a revolutionary band that aspired to change the world. The 1980's story is mediocre, though I agree with another reviewer here, it is missing a degree of something, and the ideas put forth in it are not fully developed. The premise is the Fourth Reich's rise from the dust still new on the ground from the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the attempts of some to prevent that rise. The 1990's story is called "the Word" and chronicles the release of a new book (called The Word) which puts the whole world in an uproar. Everyone feels that it is Earth-shattering, when it actually says nothing at all, and only one man knows it, because he knew the author before he wrote this book, and what type of person he is. I still haven't figured out what The Word (the imaginary book in this story) heralds: the coming of the new messiah or the apocalypse, but (the story) sure ends strangely.

This book is overall amazingly strange and has very little in the way of revelation in it, and when it does it is mainly clouded by bad writing and vague terminology, which results in a very sub-literary book, which it seems to constantly attempt to be. It ultimately comes off as exactly what it is: nothing much at all, save for perhaps the meager good stories which carry the overpowering dead weight of the many horrible stories in this ineffective anthology.

A Fine Anthology.......2000-05-06

The title piqued my interest. Most of the authors listed in the contents, I had heard of or read before. My favorites in the group are "If I Should Die Before I Wake", which involves a small town dealing with the deadly Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and "Whatever", which deals with a cultist society. Both sent chills. The rest of the stories provoked a good response in me, but those two continue to stand out. Clive Barker's wraparounds were very good. Be sure to add this to your collection.

surprisingly, substandard.......1999-05-19

Well, I finished revelations ed by Douglas E. Winter. I appreciate what he tried to do here, a novel of short stories, and it was a good idea, but it just seemed to fall flat. I could never quite see the connection between the stories. But it fell short. And I was surprised that this wasn't that great, because Winter put together _Prime Evil_, which I truly enjoyed.

Clive Barker's wraparound story wasn't very good. It had some interesting parts to it, but really, not his best work. Landsdale, who wrote the first story (each story took place in a different decade...but I'm not sure when barker's story took place) wasn't too bad. David Morrell's story I'd say the same about. F. Paul Wilson's story about Nazi Germany was excellent. Probably the best in the book. Poppy Z. Brite and Christa Faust's story was a good one. charles grant's story wasn't bad. Whitley Streiber wrote an unintelligable, very bad story for the 50s decade. I never really caught on to what was happening. Elizabeth massie wrote what would be the second best story in the book, it too was excellent. Matheson, who I know is a good writer wrote some garbage for the book...it sucked. David J. Schow and Craig Spector wrote a story for this book that was okay, it was almost good, but something is missing from it (hmm...I wonder if that'd be Skipp). And since at least half of this book was bad, I was worried when I got to the last decade/story which was written by ramsey campbell. Luckily he wrote a pretty good story.

THE VIRAGO BOOK OF GHOST STORIES VOLUME 2 -THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
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THE VIRAGO BOOK OF GHOST STORIES VOLUME 2 -THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Richard (editor) Antonia Fraser, Daphne De Maurier, Jean Rhys, Edith Nesbit, Edith Wharton, Mary Elizabeth Counselman, Joan Aiken, Rosemary Pardoe, Ruth Rendell, A.L. Barker, A.S. Byatt Dalby
Manufacturer: Virago Press
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The concept as ghost: Conceptualization of the uncanny in late-twentieth-century theory.: An article from: Mosaic (Winnipeg)
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The concept as ghost: Conceptualization of the uncanny in late-twentieth-century theory.: An article from: Mosaic (Winnipeg)
Anneleen Masschelein
Manufacturer: University of Manitoba, Mosaic
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ASIN: B0008F16JQ
Release Date: 2005-07-30

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This digital document is an article from Mosaic (Winnipeg), published by University of Manitoba, Mosaic on March 1, 2002. The length of the article is 6948 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The concept as ghost: Conceptualization of the uncanny in late-twentieth-century theory.
Author: Anneleen Masschelein
Publication: Mosaic (Winnipeg) (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2002
Publisher: University of Manitoba, Mosaic
Volume: 35 Issue: 1 Page: 53(16)

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