Robert Dunbar's Blog, page 3
July 22, 2014
YOUR SOUL ...
“Your soul is a dark forest.”
~ Marcel Proust
When it was released as an ebook, my novella WOOD made a considerable critical impact, but a lot of hardcore “physical books only” people complained about its not being available in other formats. Trust me – these are not folks you want to provoke. (Writers have been maimed.) So I began thinking in terms of a suitable anthology to showcase it.
The critics about WOOD:
“A dark literary masterpiece.”
~ FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND
“A downright joy to read.”
~ NIGHTS & WEEKENDS
“Literary horror at its best.”
~ LAYERS OF THOUGHT
“Mesmerizing … unnerving.”
~ LITERARY MAYHEM
“Wonderful … flows with an eerie pace.”
~ MORE-2-READ
“Horror as it should be.”
~ TO-THE-BONE REVIEWS
“Creepy… frightening… thought provoking.”
~ NAMELESS DIGEST
“Honest-to-God terrifying.”
~ HORROR WORLD
DARK FOREST is what I came up with. As is so often the case with a really good project, it quickly started to take on a life of its own.
Something deadly lurks among the shadows… and the trees themselves seethe with menace.
Never believe you are safe. No one is safe.
I chose classic stories of the malignant wilderness by authors like Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Machen, E. Nesbit, and H. G. Wells, among many others, and had great fun orchestrating them. Tales like THE WILLOWS, A VINE ON A HOUSE and THE PAVILION combine to create an atmosphere of inhuman malignity.
Then I had this really inspired thought. I contacted a group of colleagues (all people I admire and respect) and asked each of them to choose one of the stories and share their impressions. In the finished volume, each tale is introduced and annotated by a contemporary author, and the insights and observations of people like Paul G. Bens, Ramsey Campbell, Sandy DeLuca, James Everington, Greg F. Gifune, Kevin Lucia, Ronald Malfi, Lisa Mannetti, Elizabeth Massie, and B. E. Scully only deepen the experience.
DARK FOREST
For instance, sample Ramsey Campbell's thoughts about Algernon Blackwood:
"No writer of supernatural horror conveys awe – the highest pitch of terror – more often or more powerfully than Algernon Blackwood, and even he rarely achieved the uncanny poignancy of..."
I was fascinated, and it worked beautifully. Throughout the book, major talents offer extraordinary (and illuminating) observations. I'm very proud of this volume and of the kind of response it's gotten.
"The monsters may, or may not, be real, but the terror… brings the intangible nightmares into our reality ... Bizarre, disturbing, and darkly fascinating. Dunbar is a skilled editor, and his selections reflect a thoughtful, carefully-planned storyboard around the larger theme... an excellent dark fiction Gothic anthology. These are some of dark fiction’s best voices. Highly recommended."
~ HELL NOTES
From the Introduction:
The dark is where we live. The dark is all there is.
We fear darkness. We fear eyes that watch from the foliage. Sometimes we fear the foliage.
Perhaps we should.
Long before haunted houses existed, haunted forests circled the globe. Homer knew it. The Brothers Grimm knew it. In legend, all the great mythic quests of self-discovery begin with a hero entering a forsaken wood.
Some journeys also end there…
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Forest-Rob...
“You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path.”
~ Joseph Campbell
~ Marcel Proust
When it was released as an ebook, my novella WOOD made a considerable critical impact, but a lot of hardcore “physical books only” people complained about its not being available in other formats. Trust me – these are not folks you want to provoke. (Writers have been maimed.) So I began thinking in terms of a suitable anthology to showcase it.
The critics about WOOD:
“A dark literary masterpiece.”
~ FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND
“A downright joy to read.”
~ NIGHTS & WEEKENDS
“Literary horror at its best.”
~ LAYERS OF THOUGHT
“Mesmerizing … unnerving.”
~ LITERARY MAYHEM
“Wonderful … flows with an eerie pace.”
~ MORE-2-READ
“Horror as it should be.”
~ TO-THE-BONE REVIEWS
“Creepy… frightening… thought provoking.”
~ NAMELESS DIGEST
“Honest-to-God terrifying.”
~ HORROR WORLD
DARK FOREST is what I came up with. As is so often the case with a really good project, it quickly started to take on a life of its own.
Something deadly lurks among the shadows… and the trees themselves seethe with menace.
Never believe you are safe. No one is safe.
I chose classic stories of the malignant wilderness by authors like Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Machen, E. Nesbit, and H. G. Wells, among many others, and had great fun orchestrating them. Tales like THE WILLOWS, A VINE ON A HOUSE and THE PAVILION combine to create an atmosphere of inhuman malignity.
Then I had this really inspired thought. I contacted a group of colleagues (all people I admire and respect) and asked each of them to choose one of the stories and share their impressions. In the finished volume, each tale is introduced and annotated by a contemporary author, and the insights and observations of people like Paul G. Bens, Ramsey Campbell, Sandy DeLuca, James Everington, Greg F. Gifune, Kevin Lucia, Ronald Malfi, Lisa Mannetti, Elizabeth Massie, and B. E. Scully only deepen the experience.
DARK FOREST
For instance, sample Ramsey Campbell's thoughts about Algernon Blackwood:
"No writer of supernatural horror conveys awe – the highest pitch of terror – more often or more powerfully than Algernon Blackwood, and even he rarely achieved the uncanny poignancy of..."
I was fascinated, and it worked beautifully. Throughout the book, major talents offer extraordinary (and illuminating) observations. I'm very proud of this volume and of the kind of response it's gotten.
"The monsters may, or may not, be real, but the terror… brings the intangible nightmares into our reality ... Bizarre, disturbing, and darkly fascinating. Dunbar is a skilled editor, and his selections reflect a thoughtful, carefully-planned storyboard around the larger theme... an excellent dark fiction Gothic anthology. These are some of dark fiction’s best voices. Highly recommended."
~ HELL NOTES
From the Introduction:
The dark is where we live. The dark is all there is.
We fear darkness. We fear eyes that watch from the foliage. Sometimes we fear the foliage.
Perhaps we should.
Long before haunted houses existed, haunted forests circled the globe. Homer knew it. The Brothers Grimm knew it. In legend, all the great mythic quests of self-discovery begin with a hero entering a forsaken wood.
Some journeys also end there…
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Forest-Rob...
“You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path.”
~ Joseph Campbell
February 20, 2014
DARKNESS READABLE - 2014
LITERARY DARKNESS is a book discussion group on Goodreads with well over two thousand members, many of them teachers, librarians, writers – passionate readers all. Now in our fifth year, our knowledgeable and enthusiastic members continue to analyze and appreciate dark literature. This annual list of notable books is in no way intended as an award, nor is it meant to imply exclusivity. Many wonderful books are out there, and we hope to read them all. Our goal is to help others discover them as well.
Some books become lights in the eternal darkness. What follows is a list of recommendations and commendations… combined with heartfelt thanks to the many fine writers who keep readers awake at night.
Fresh Blood:
These are new titles recognized by the group for having made a considerable impact during the past year.
THE BEAUTIFUL THING THAT AWAITS US ALL by Laird Barron
DREAM OF THE SERPENT by Alan Ryker
FALLING OVER by James Everington
HOUSE OF RAIN by Greg F. Gifune
LESSER CREATURES by Peter Giglio
LURKER by Gary Fry
THE NEW FLESH by Keith Deininger
THE SIDE EFFECTS OF THE MEDICATION by Lauren James
WE ARE WORMWOOD by Autumn Christian
WHITSABLE by Stephen Volk
Contemporary Titles:
These may be collections of short fiction or literary essays, anthologies or novels. All are from the recent past and all are extraordinary.
EVERY HOUSE IS HAUNTED by Ian Rogers
FRISK by Dennis Cooper
THE GARGOYLE by Andrew Davidson
THE KNIFE AND THE WOUND IT DEALS by B. E. Scully
THE MILL by Mark West
HEAD INJURIES by Conrad Williams
SONGS OF A DEAD DREAMER by Thomas Ligotti
STAY AWAKE by Dan Chaon
TALES OF THE WEAK & WOUNDED by Gary McMahon
UNDER THE SKIN by Michel Faber
Vintage Works:
Calling a book a Classic can be like entombing it. Many readers would sooner pry open the lid of a coffin than peer between those musty pages. Often this represents a sort of tragedy. Some books seethe with life and emotion… and cry out to be read. These are among our favorites.
ANCIENT IMAGES by Ramsey Campbell
THE BLOODY CHAMBER by Angela Carter
THE DWARF by Par Lagerkvist
LES FLEURS DU MAL by Charles Baudelaire
GREEN THOUGHTS by John Collier
THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND by William Hope Hodgson
LÀ-BAS by Joris-Karl Huysman
MY SECRET HISTORY by Paul Theroux
THE TURN OF THE SCREW by Henry James
WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson
Buried Treasures:
This is a list of titles, some celebrated, some obscure, that in so many ways evoke the finest qualities of dark literature.
DHALGREN by Samuel R. Delany
ISLINGTON CROCODILES by Paul Meloy
LIGHTFALL by Paul Monette
LILITH’S BROOD by Octavia Butler
THE LIVING ONE by Lewis Gannett
MILK by Darcie Steinke
THE NIGHT CLASS by Tom Piccirilli
THE NIGHT LISTENER by Armistead Maupin
THE SCHOOL by T. M. Wright
WIRE MESH MOTHERS by Elizabeth Massie
LITERARY DARKNESS is dedicated to an appreciation of important works of literature, both classic and contemporary, that happen to fall into the category of Dark Fiction. We tend to avoid the big, banal blockbusters (and the more lurid fare) in favor of beautifully written explorations of the unknown, many obscure, all extraordinary.
In addition to maintaining ongoing conversations in hundreds of threads – covering topics as diverse as favorite classics and cutting-edge subgenres and literary styles – LITERARY DARKNESS features a popular group reading series.
We are currently reading TOURS OF THE BLACK CLOCK by Steve Erickson.
Join us at: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
GROUP READING
Over the years, we have discussed hundreds of titles and authors. The following books were recently selected by the membership to be read within the group. The links provided should clarify some of the criteria involved.
THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tarrt
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/04/boo...
REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
http://www.theguardian.com/books/book...
THE GRAVEDIGGER’S DAUGHTER by Joyce Carol Oates
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/boo...
THE WINE-DARK SEA by Robert Aickman
http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/the-wi...
WILLY by Robert Dunbar
http://www.heartofhorror.com/2013/01/...
GHOST STORY by Peter Straub
http://more2read.com/review/ghost-sto...
THE COLLECTED STORIES OF ELIZABETH BOWEN
http://www.gothic.stir.ac.uk/blog/bow...
HOUSE OF LEAVES by Mark Z. Danielewski
http://www.themodernword.com/review_h...
Discussions of these works may be found here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...
Some books become lights in the eternal darkness. What follows is a list of recommendations and commendations… combined with heartfelt thanks to the many fine writers who keep readers awake at night.
Fresh Blood:
These are new titles recognized by the group for having made a considerable impact during the past year.
THE BEAUTIFUL THING THAT AWAITS US ALL by Laird Barron
DREAM OF THE SERPENT by Alan Ryker
FALLING OVER by James Everington
HOUSE OF RAIN by Greg F. Gifune
LESSER CREATURES by Peter Giglio
LURKER by Gary Fry
THE NEW FLESH by Keith Deininger
THE SIDE EFFECTS OF THE MEDICATION by Lauren James
WE ARE WORMWOOD by Autumn Christian
WHITSABLE by Stephen Volk
Contemporary Titles:
These may be collections of short fiction or literary essays, anthologies or novels. All are from the recent past and all are extraordinary.
EVERY HOUSE IS HAUNTED by Ian Rogers
FRISK by Dennis Cooper
THE GARGOYLE by Andrew Davidson
THE KNIFE AND THE WOUND IT DEALS by B. E. Scully
THE MILL by Mark West
HEAD INJURIES by Conrad Williams
SONGS OF A DEAD DREAMER by Thomas Ligotti
STAY AWAKE by Dan Chaon
TALES OF THE WEAK & WOUNDED by Gary McMahon
UNDER THE SKIN by Michel Faber
Vintage Works:
Calling a book a Classic can be like entombing it. Many readers would sooner pry open the lid of a coffin than peer between those musty pages. Often this represents a sort of tragedy. Some books seethe with life and emotion… and cry out to be read. These are among our favorites.
ANCIENT IMAGES by Ramsey Campbell
THE BLOODY CHAMBER by Angela Carter
THE DWARF by Par Lagerkvist
LES FLEURS DU MAL by Charles Baudelaire
GREEN THOUGHTS by John Collier
THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND by William Hope Hodgson
LÀ-BAS by Joris-Karl Huysman
MY SECRET HISTORY by Paul Theroux
THE TURN OF THE SCREW by Henry James
WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson
Buried Treasures:
This is a list of titles, some celebrated, some obscure, that in so many ways evoke the finest qualities of dark literature.
DHALGREN by Samuel R. Delany
ISLINGTON CROCODILES by Paul Meloy
LIGHTFALL by Paul Monette
LILITH’S BROOD by Octavia Butler
THE LIVING ONE by Lewis Gannett
MILK by Darcie Steinke
THE NIGHT CLASS by Tom Piccirilli
THE NIGHT LISTENER by Armistead Maupin
THE SCHOOL by T. M. Wright
WIRE MESH MOTHERS by Elizabeth Massie
LITERARY DARKNESS is dedicated to an appreciation of important works of literature, both classic and contemporary, that happen to fall into the category of Dark Fiction. We tend to avoid the big, banal blockbusters (and the more lurid fare) in favor of beautifully written explorations of the unknown, many obscure, all extraordinary.
In addition to maintaining ongoing conversations in hundreds of threads – covering topics as diverse as favorite classics and cutting-edge subgenres and literary styles – LITERARY DARKNESS features a popular group reading series.
We are currently reading TOURS OF THE BLACK CLOCK by Steve Erickson.
Join us at: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
GROUP READING
Over the years, we have discussed hundreds of titles and authors. The following books were recently selected by the membership to be read within the group. The links provided should clarify some of the criteria involved.
THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tarrt
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/04/boo...
REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
http://www.theguardian.com/books/book...
THE GRAVEDIGGER’S DAUGHTER by Joyce Carol Oates
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/boo...
THE WINE-DARK SEA by Robert Aickman
http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/the-wi...
WILLY by Robert Dunbar
http://www.heartofhorror.com/2013/01/...
GHOST STORY by Peter Straub
http://more2read.com/review/ghost-sto...
THE COLLECTED STORIES OF ELIZABETH BOWEN
http://www.gothic.stir.ac.uk/blog/bow...
HOUSE OF LEAVES by Mark Z. Danielewski
http://www.themodernword.com/review_h...
Discussions of these works may be found here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...
February 14, 2014
THE CURSE OF…
It makes them angry. That’s the thing to remember. Something similar happens with music. An evolved human might listen to Coltrane or Scriabin, Miles Davis or Mozart. They might choose Sondheim or Cole Porter one day, Marianne Faithfull or Vedvik/Tillman the next. Perhaps a Puccini aria? Patsy Cline? A Mahler symphony? But such individuals are rare. Most subsist entirely on a musical diet of whatever pop songs are being aggressively marketed, and a substantial subset are fanatically devoted to particular performers or types of music – from bubblegum to thrash metal – and loathe everything else. Brought into contact with the unfamiliar, these folks are not merely uninterested. They’re furious.
Classical music is pretentious. Jazz is boring. Modern opera? Electronica? Are you kidding? It’s an outrage such things even exist.
This is not encouraging for artists of any sort.
And so we come to books...
So many fans of Horror despise everything else. And how many Romance readers ever deviate from their chosen genre? Science Fiction devotees? Mystery fans? This can grow even more specialized. Aficionados of NA MM Dystopian Paranormal Westerns apparently detest everything outside those parameters – it’s the Curse of Amazon. Millions of titles, countless categories. Literature as product. Books by the pound. Correction: by the ton.
By the megaton.
Sadly, we’ll see more of such attitudes. In the literary world, professional standards have largely ceased to exist. The proliferation of self-published novels, unblemished by grammar or punctuation, the popularity of Write Your Novel in Thirty Minutes events, the various supposed organizations for writers (which exist merely to persuade readers that they too must be published), all contribute to this decline. Even ancillary fields like literary criticism have largely been obliterated. What passes for book reviews these days reminds me of the sort of customer comments that once appeared on the Sears website about headphones or oven mitts. “I hate all that prose and literary stuff,” says a reviewer for one of my own novels on Amazon. Another complains bitterly about “descriptions” and “dialogue.” Still another resents “all those characters.” Yes, yes. Clearly, such elements have no place in fiction. What was I thinking? It’s amazing how these comments proliferate whenever my publisher holds one of their $1 sales. Possibly, people who exclusively buy .99¢ ebooks are simply more discerning than others.
Possibly, I am Ludwig of Bavaria.
But I don’t take it personally. No, really, I don’t. How could I? I’m in good company. Look around. Classics that once were hailed as works of genius are now routinely reviled. The literary landscape is no longer a fertile plain upon which talent flourishes… but a vast trash heap where writers scrabble for scraps. I’m sure the other 100,000+ authors on Goodreads have had similar experiences.
Don’t feel too bad. (Try to see it as a badge of honor.) The nice thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone a voice. The bad thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone a voice. Even the Old Masters have problems with trolls these days. Here’s a sampling of my favorite comments culled from Amazon and Goodreads. Marvel with me at the depth of insight.
THE ODYSSEY by Homer
Avoid this.
[I love the simplicity of that one.]
HAMLET by William Shakespeare
Ridiculously dull.
[Probably due to the absence of zombies.]
DON QUIXOTE by Miguel de Cervantes
Offensively stupid.
[I especially enjoy folks who seem to be striking back at classics they were forced to read in school.]
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME by Victor Hugo
Not at all like the Disney movie.
[In case you were wondering.]
OLIVER TWIST by Charles Dickens
Encourages children to disrespectfulness!
[Fuck you.]
JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte
Way too many words.
[Particularly onerous in a novel.]
MADAME BOVARY by Gustave Flaubert
One of the very few novels that I have been unable to finish.
[I see this one everywhere, word for word.]
WAR AND PEACE by Leo Tolstoy
I do not recommend it to anyone.
ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy
I found it impossible to relate to any of the characters.
[I include two of Tolstoy’s novels because both reviews are so perfect in their combination of arrogance and ignorance. And don’t you love the assumption that a reader’s inability to “relate” is a failure on the author’s part? This one appears with depressing regularity, always regarding books that include characters who are black, queer, from other periods or cultures, or otherwise alien.]
THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain
Whatever you do do not read this book. It is full of the N word.
[If they gave a Nobel Prize for cluelessness…]
SWANN'S WAY by Marcel Proust
This guy really likes the sound of his own voice.
[I'm sort of getting that.]
THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN by Thomas Mann
One of the most boringest books I have ever read.
[Anyone else have trouble believing that a person who uses the word “boringest” has read Thomas Mann?]
AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner
This is definately one of the worse books I have read.
[But I enjoyed the spelling.]
THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by Anne Frank
Very very very very very very very very very boring.
[Can you even imagine this person’s level of consciousness? I spotted another just as boggling: “All the elements for a good story are there, but whiny Frank just can’t pull it together.”]
1984 by George Orwell
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. And please for the love of God don't read that "Brave New World" book. It is twice as worse.
[I adore misspelled, ungrammatical sentence fragments that warn about bad prose, e.g., "TO MANY ABVERBS!!!" And why are they always in caps? It's like being shouted at by morons.]
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J. D. Salinger
Not sure why this is considered a literary masterpiece. Throughout the entire book, curse words were used. DON’T LET YOUR CHILDREN READ THIS!!! The publishers should take this book off the market.
[Note: this book should not exist – a recurrent motif. We should probably burn all the copies.]
LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding
I am obsessed with Survivor, so I thought it would be fun. WRONG!!!
[Awesome.]
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
I found this book so dull and uninspiring that I couldn’t finish it.
[It obviously needs sparkly vampires.]
SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
I have literally no idea what this book is about.
[Do tell.]
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck
Terrible!!!!! I have read lots of books and this is the worst one ever.
[Another that shows up verbatim in a million places. What must those “lots of books” be like?]
BELOVED by Toni Morrison
1) Bad plot, bad writing.
2) DULL! DULL! DULL!!!!!!!
3) The content in this book is definitely R-rated or worse.
4) Highly regarded by the “highbrows.” I guess I am not in that class.
[You think? Sorry, but I couldn’t pick a winner here: they’re all so appalling. There must be fifty other reviews that complain about how “confusing” the book is… because if a person can’t read at an adult level, obviously the writer is at fault.]
ULYSSES by James Joyce
I honestly don't see how this book could ever get more than one star.
[Sigh.]
* * *
Real literary criticism – once an art form in its own right – celebrated erudition and interpretation. Does the current crop of crude remarks truly represent the contemporary reading public? They are to scholarship what Fox News is to journalism, achieving a level of near-mythic stupidity. No, I refuse to believe that these things exemplify the new normal. Perhaps they are the voice of some tiny but unduly verbal component – the sort of people who MUST trumpet their most boorish opinions. And invariably these attitudes are vigorously endorsed by others.
Or are they? Endorsed by others, I mean. The trolls and the sock puppets… couldn’t they all just be approving their own comments while pretending to be other people?
It remains something of a mystery. What is it they always say at the end of old horror movies?
“There are some things man is not meant to know.”
Classical music is pretentious. Jazz is boring. Modern opera? Electronica? Are you kidding? It’s an outrage such things even exist.
This is not encouraging for artists of any sort.
And so we come to books...
So many fans of Horror despise everything else. And how many Romance readers ever deviate from their chosen genre? Science Fiction devotees? Mystery fans? This can grow even more specialized. Aficionados of NA MM Dystopian Paranormal Westerns apparently detest everything outside those parameters – it’s the Curse of Amazon. Millions of titles, countless categories. Literature as product. Books by the pound. Correction: by the ton.
By the megaton.
Sadly, we’ll see more of such attitudes. In the literary world, professional standards have largely ceased to exist. The proliferation of self-published novels, unblemished by grammar or punctuation, the popularity of Write Your Novel in Thirty Minutes events, the various supposed organizations for writers (which exist merely to persuade readers that they too must be published), all contribute to this decline. Even ancillary fields like literary criticism have largely been obliterated. What passes for book reviews these days reminds me of the sort of customer comments that once appeared on the Sears website about headphones or oven mitts. “I hate all that prose and literary stuff,” says a reviewer for one of my own novels on Amazon. Another complains bitterly about “descriptions” and “dialogue.” Still another resents “all those characters.” Yes, yes. Clearly, such elements have no place in fiction. What was I thinking? It’s amazing how these comments proliferate whenever my publisher holds one of their $1 sales. Possibly, people who exclusively buy .99¢ ebooks are simply more discerning than others.
Possibly, I am Ludwig of Bavaria.
But I don’t take it personally. No, really, I don’t. How could I? I’m in good company. Look around. Classics that once were hailed as works of genius are now routinely reviled. The literary landscape is no longer a fertile plain upon which talent flourishes… but a vast trash heap where writers scrabble for scraps. I’m sure the other 100,000+ authors on Goodreads have had similar experiences.
Don’t feel too bad. (Try to see it as a badge of honor.) The nice thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone a voice. The bad thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone a voice. Even the Old Masters have problems with trolls these days. Here’s a sampling of my favorite comments culled from Amazon and Goodreads. Marvel with me at the depth of insight.
THE ODYSSEY by HomerAvoid this.
[I love the simplicity of that one.]
HAMLET by William Shakespeare Ridiculously dull.
[Probably due to the absence of zombies.]
DON QUIXOTE by Miguel de Cervantes Offensively stupid.
[I especially enjoy folks who seem to be striking back at classics they were forced to read in school.]
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME by Victor Hugo
Not at all like the Disney movie.
[In case you were wondering.]
OLIVER TWIST by Charles DickensEncourages children to disrespectfulness!
[Fuck you.]
JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte Way too many words.
[Particularly onerous in a novel.]
MADAME BOVARY by Gustave Flaubert
One of the very few novels that I have been unable to finish.
[I see this one everywhere, word for word.]
WAR AND PEACE by Leo Tolstoy
I do not recommend it to anyone.
ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy
I found it impossible to relate to any of the characters.
[I include two of Tolstoy’s novels because both reviews are so perfect in their combination of arrogance and ignorance. And don’t you love the assumption that a reader’s inability to “relate” is a failure on the author’s part? This one appears with depressing regularity, always regarding books that include characters who are black, queer, from other periods or cultures, or otherwise alien.]
THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain
Whatever you do do not read this book. It is full of the N word.
[If they gave a Nobel Prize for cluelessness…]
SWANN'S WAY by Marcel Proust
This guy really likes the sound of his own voice.
[I'm sort of getting that.]
THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN by Thomas Mann
One of the most boringest books I have ever read.
[Anyone else have trouble believing that a person who uses the word “boringest” has read Thomas Mann?]
AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner
This is definately one of the worse books I have read.
[But I enjoyed the spelling.]
THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by Anne Frank
Very very very very very very very very very boring.
[Can you even imagine this person’s level of consciousness? I spotted another just as boggling: “All the elements for a good story are there, but whiny Frank just can’t pull it together.”]
1984 by George Orwell
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. And please for the love of God don't read that "Brave New World" book. It is twice as worse.
[I adore misspelled, ungrammatical sentence fragments that warn about bad prose, e.g., "TO MANY ABVERBS!!!" And why are they always in caps? It's like being shouted at by morons.]
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J. D. Salinger
Not sure why this is considered a literary masterpiece. Throughout the entire book, curse words were used. DON’T LET YOUR CHILDREN READ THIS!!! The publishers should take this book off the market.
[Note: this book should not exist – a recurrent motif. We should probably burn all the copies.]
LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding
I am obsessed with Survivor, so I thought it would be fun. WRONG!!!
[Awesome.]
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
I found this book so dull and uninspiring that I couldn’t finish it.
[It obviously needs sparkly vampires.]
SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
I have literally no idea what this book is about.
[Do tell.]
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck
Terrible!!!!! I have read lots of books and this is the worst one ever.
[Another that shows up verbatim in a million places. What must those “lots of books” be like?]
BELOVED by Toni Morrison
1) Bad plot, bad writing.
2) DULL! DULL! DULL!!!!!!!
3) The content in this book is definitely R-rated or worse.
4) Highly regarded by the “highbrows.” I guess I am not in that class.
[You think? Sorry, but I couldn’t pick a winner here: they’re all so appalling. There must be fifty other reviews that complain about how “confusing” the book is… because if a person can’t read at an adult level, obviously the writer is at fault.]
ULYSSES by James Joyce
I honestly don't see how this book could ever get more than one star.
[Sigh.]
* * *
Real literary criticism – once an art form in its own right – celebrated erudition and interpretation. Does the current crop of crude remarks truly represent the contemporary reading public? They are to scholarship what Fox News is to journalism, achieving a level of near-mythic stupidity. No, I refuse to believe that these things exemplify the new normal. Perhaps they are the voice of some tiny but unduly verbal component – the sort of people who MUST trumpet their most boorish opinions. And invariably these attitudes are vigorously endorsed by others.
Or are they? Endorsed by others, I mean. The trolls and the sock puppets… couldn’t they all just be approving their own comments while pretending to be other people?
It remains something of a mystery. What is it they always say at the end of old horror movies?
“There are some things man is not meant to know.”
December 16, 2013
He sleeps where?
Some months ago, I was asked to do a guest blog for a horror site: the topic was your biggest “ah-ha!” moment.
No, really, I swear. That was the topic. (You can’t make this stuff up.) The young man running it must have posted a hundred such blogs, from writers both famous and obscure. Most seemed to involve some version of “the day I realized how much I love zombies.”
Apparently, he found my response somewhat off-putting. (I know. We’re all shocked.) At any rate, it’s clear he’s never going to run it, but I thought some of my readers might be amused.
***
Harry Potter is so gay. No, not in the all-purpose pejorative sense. Naturally, I abhor that usage. I mean gay as in queer. In the first book, he sleeps in a closet. Right?
Hello? And when he walks down the street? Oddly dressed people are forever nodding and smiling at him, as though in recognition.
I remember this: I lived it. Now, understand I’m not talking about coming out. That process didn’t even begin until I was fourteen or fifteen and understood (some of) the words I’d been using. By then I’d also begun to suspect that possibly I was hitchhiking more than was strictly necessary for purposes of transportation. (Insight is always so fraught.) No, I mean younger than that even, back before the gestation of specific yearnings (certainly of localized ones), when all I possessed was a pervasive awareness of difference.
But it wasn’t long before I began to deduce that a world existed beyond the obvious one, a world where I might belong. It’s hard to explain how desperately urgent that concept seemed at the time.
Poor Harry. Perhaps it always starts with little glimmers on the faces of strangers. Then one of your school chums puts his hand somewhere you aren’t expecting. Something a lot like this happened with my writing. (Well, not the bit about the hand. I should probably delete that.) Early on, I wrote a couple of supernatural thrillers, all atmosphere and bloody mayhem, and soon began to see complaints about how the plots were difficult to follow. Plus the word “abnormal” came up a few times. I couldn’t understand what these people meant. (Steeped in the supernatural fiction of Henry James and Edith Wharton, I was a long way from comprehending how simplistic and reactionary the genre had become.) What was so complicated? My monsters? Even when critics appeared to be praising the books, they used words like “challenging” and “complex” in an oddly negative way.
Turns out the average horror fan runs when they see those words.
It took a while for it to sink in that I would never be able to please this market… and didn’t especially want to. That was it: the lightning bolt. (Can I get an ah-ha?) Over the next few years, my work evolved in intensely personal directions. Reviewers soon began talking about the pleasure of discovering dark fiction that was “challenging and complex.” But it seemed different now. Something in the tone had changed, and a different breed of reader began to be attracted to my work.
Finally! Here was that other world I’d only intuited, people with preferences like my own, which included a taste for subtlety and sophistication. They found me only after I understood what I wanted and what I had to offer. You know? Just like with sex? Funny how it's always the same energy.
No, really, I swear. That was the topic. (You can’t make this stuff up.) The young man running it must have posted a hundred such blogs, from writers both famous and obscure. Most seemed to involve some version of “the day I realized how much I love zombies.”
Apparently, he found my response somewhat off-putting. (I know. We’re all shocked.) At any rate, it’s clear he’s never going to run it, but I thought some of my readers might be amused.
***
Harry Potter is so gay. No, not in the all-purpose pejorative sense. Naturally, I abhor that usage. I mean gay as in queer. In the first book, he sleeps in a closet. Right?
Hello? And when he walks down the street? Oddly dressed people are forever nodding and smiling at him, as though in recognition.
I remember this: I lived it. Now, understand I’m not talking about coming out. That process didn’t even begin until I was fourteen or fifteen and understood (some of) the words I’d been using. By then I’d also begun to suspect that possibly I was hitchhiking more than was strictly necessary for purposes of transportation. (Insight is always so fraught.) No, I mean younger than that even, back before the gestation of specific yearnings (certainly of localized ones), when all I possessed was a pervasive awareness of difference.
But it wasn’t long before I began to deduce that a world existed beyond the obvious one, a world where I might belong. It’s hard to explain how desperately urgent that concept seemed at the time.
Poor Harry. Perhaps it always starts with little glimmers on the faces of strangers. Then one of your school chums puts his hand somewhere you aren’t expecting. Something a lot like this happened with my writing. (Well, not the bit about the hand. I should probably delete that.) Early on, I wrote a couple of supernatural thrillers, all atmosphere and bloody mayhem, and soon began to see complaints about how the plots were difficult to follow. Plus the word “abnormal” came up a few times. I couldn’t understand what these people meant. (Steeped in the supernatural fiction of Henry James and Edith Wharton, I was a long way from comprehending how simplistic and reactionary the genre had become.) What was so complicated? My monsters? Even when critics appeared to be praising the books, they used words like “challenging” and “complex” in an oddly negative way.
Turns out the average horror fan runs when they see those words.
It took a while for it to sink in that I would never be able to please this market… and didn’t especially want to. That was it: the lightning bolt. (Can I get an ah-ha?) Over the next few years, my work evolved in intensely personal directions. Reviewers soon began talking about the pleasure of discovering dark fiction that was “challenging and complex.” But it seemed different now. Something in the tone had changed, and a different breed of reader began to be attracted to my work.
Finally! Here was that other world I’d only intuited, people with preferences like my own, which included a taste for subtlety and sophistication. They found me only after I understood what I wanted and what I had to offer. You know? Just like with sex? Funny how it's always the same energy.
October 30, 2013
Halloween Sale
“VORTEX, Essays from a Sea of Nightmares” by Robert Dunbar
On sale for Kindle / $1.95 through Halloween
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/VORTEX-ebook/dp...
Vampires and werewolves, sea hags and witches – the monsters teeming in our subconscious minds are with us always. VORTEX explores the origins of some of mankind’s oldest folklore and the influence of that lore on literature, film and popular culture.
From the Introduction:
They say a basis in fact inspires most legends. They say it all the time, all those Wise Elders in all those old horror films, the high priests, the scientists, the gypsy fortune tellers. On this single issue they agree unanimously...
THE PRESS ABOUT VORTEX:
“One of the most enjoyable and entertaining nonfiction books I have ever read.”
~ FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND
“Illuminates the depth and complexity of horror throughout the ages. A real treat … opens the most dangerous door of all – curiosity.”
~ HORROR NOVEL REVIEWS
“Recommended for those who are looking for deeper insight into the genre.”
~ LAYERS OF THOUGHT
“A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable ride through some of the most horrific myths and real-life events imaginable.”
~ SCATTERSHOT WRITING
“Eloquently and intellectually written, seasoned with wry humor … a must-read for writers and fans of the genre.”
~ SOUTHERN ROSE REVIEWS
“Stunning … meticulously researched … keen sense of style … razor sharp wit and entertaining prose.”
~ LITERARY MAYHEM
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpiIDX...
(I had fun with the sound effects on this one.)
Uninvited Books: http://www.uninvitedbooks.com
On sale for Kindle / $1.95 through Halloween
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/VORTEX-ebook/dp...
Vampires and werewolves, sea hags and witches – the monsters teeming in our subconscious minds are with us always. VORTEX explores the origins of some of mankind’s oldest folklore and the influence of that lore on literature, film and popular culture.
From the Introduction:
They say a basis in fact inspires most legends. They say it all the time, all those Wise Elders in all those old horror films, the high priests, the scientists, the gypsy fortune tellers. On this single issue they agree unanimously...
THE PRESS ABOUT VORTEX:
“One of the most enjoyable and entertaining nonfiction books I have ever read.”
~ FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND
“Illuminates the depth and complexity of horror throughout the ages. A real treat … opens the most dangerous door of all – curiosity.”
~ HORROR NOVEL REVIEWS
“Recommended for those who are looking for deeper insight into the genre.”
~ LAYERS OF THOUGHT
“A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable ride through some of the most horrific myths and real-life events imaginable.”
~ SCATTERSHOT WRITING
“Eloquently and intellectually written, seasoned with wry humor … a must-read for writers and fans of the genre.”
~ SOUTHERN ROSE REVIEWS
“Stunning … meticulously researched … keen sense of style … razor sharp wit and entertaining prose.”
~ LITERARY MAYHEM
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpiIDX...
(I had fun with the sound effects on this one.)
Uninvited Books: http://www.uninvitedbooks.com
October 18, 2013
AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON
or “And this year’s coveted Troll Award goes to…”
I know what you’re thinking. These award things are always rigged. But I swear this time we’re going to try to evaluate the contestants fairly. (Then I’m thinking we should maybe drown the winners. Really, it would only improve the gene pool.) Not that this process will be easy, especially when we consider that most of the nominees operate anonymously or use ever-changing aliases. Nevertheless…
First, I suppose we should define our terms. What exactly is a troll anyhow? And where did they come from? Did some pre-technological version of such people exist to plague earlier generations of authors? Did Henry James receive anonymous threats? Did faceless and nameless personages impugn Edith Wharton’s character? Seems unlikely. Plus Willa Cather would have smacked them down in a heartbeat. Of course, Virginia Woolf did hear voices that said terrible things about her, but those were (mostly) in her head, poor woman. These days it’s a little different. Ah, progress! No one ever need bother to make a crank call again. And why fuss with all that messy glue while clipping letters out of a newspaper? Think of the convenience. Simply create a false identity online and – voila! – the world is your message board. Enjoy slander? Or baseless accusations? Threats? How about simple name calling? I tell you, it’s an age of miracles.
Trolls seem to have sprung fully grown from the first, most primitive chat rooms, often lurking to attack individuals they would probably have lacked the courage to speak to in reality. But then reality is scarcely the issue. As a group, these people share many distinct and immediately recognizable characteristics, a desire to do harm being the most conspicuous. “Trolls aspire to violence, to the level of trouble they can cause in an environment,” writes Tom Postmes in Individuality and the Group. “They want to promote antipathetic emotions of disgust and outrage, which morbidly gives them a sense of pleasure,” Postmes adds. “Trolling is a game about identity deception, albeit one that is played without the consent of most of the players. The troll attempts to pass as a legitimate participant, sharing a group’s common interests and concerns.” He might easily have been referring to any number of discussion groups here on Goodreads. Susan Herring in Searching for Safety Online points out that harassment “often arises in spaces known for their freedom, lack of censure, and experimental nature.”
Of course, there are different types of trolls. Among the most pernicious are the sort who don’t even appear to be trolls... at first.
Writers (notoriously starved for praise) are particularly prone to victimization by people who begin by being full of compliments. Trust me, this isn’t about an appreciation of literature. It’s about a need for attention, their need, not yours, plus a pathological desire to establish a false connection. Such people can turn vindictive in a New York second, mental instability being another predominant trait. A writer may have done no more than courteously thanked one of them for their tenth five-star review when they suddenly begin to behave oddly. Don’t engage. By the time they start to get overtly strange, there’s no way to prevent their previous adoration from curdling into hysterical loathing. Make no mistake. Such people are not merely eccentric. They are deranged, and – in this world of social networking – never underestimate the amount of persistent irritation such creatures will attempt to cause. Obsessive malice is pretty much all they bring to the party, any party, and they may lurk around for years in hopes of finding an opportunity to do real damage. Because damage is their goal. It’s what they live for, and special glee is derived from harming an author’s reputation. The Literary Darkness group I moderate here on Goodreads has been blessed by a scarcity of trolls. In four years, and with close to three thousand members, statistically we should have had many more problems than we’ve encountered. But the few have made an impression.
Psychologists are still laboring to identify the many permutations of troll behavior. For instance, check out the definition of Concern Troll at Wikipedia. Roughly rephrased, a Concern Troll is someone who pretends to harbor an opinion they actually oppose. Sound bizarre? We’ve seen this at Literary Darkness, where various people have professed to appreciate the group’s goals in order to attack them in ways calculated to achieve maximum disruption.
Yes, psychologists and sociologists have their work cut out for them. But maybe I can help a tiny bit. Over the years, I’ve made a few notes. Here are some of the more prominent types I’ve observed:
The Betrayed Troll:
This troll feels a deep spiritual connection to your work, and the level of hyperbole in his praise is practically frightening. Initially, he communicates with you like a Druidical priest at Stonehenge. The offerings and tributes become a daily ritual, and he studies your every word, picking sentences apart into syllables in his never-ending search for enlightenment. Or validation. His personal messages to you are unctuous in the extreme and often read like love notes. You’re brilliant, apparently. Also charming and handsome. Plus those pants fit great. You’ll try to be polite but, being a mere mortal, are apt sooner or later to say something which reveals that you are not in fact his personal savior. Then there will be hell to pay. He will stalk you everywhere, denouncing you as the false messiah you doubtless are. Be prepared. Once he’s turned, all those five-star reviews will suddenly become one-star rants, and you are now a no-talent creep who must be punished. (Issues? You think?) Don’t expect Goodreads management to help much, regardless of how inappropriate this gets – they move with a glacial lack of alacrity. Also see Troll on a Mission.
[Footnote: In public, this troll may attempt to create the impression that the two of you have some sort of personal relationship. That’s a warning sign. Watch for indications. From there it's a small step to blaming you for causing the behavior: "You force me to do these things!"]
There’s a female version of this one that I think of as …
The Truly, Madly, Deeply Troll:
She can tell from your prose style that the two of you are soul mates. (Wasn’t Walt Whitman always getting marriage proposals in the mail from strange women? I remember reading that a particularly lurid one had been found among his papers. On the envelope, he'd scribbled "lunatic asylum?") Her reviews and blog posts about your magnificence will come thick and fast. Best not even to acknowledge them. Any minute now she’ll start sending photos. This won’t end well.
The Troll Formerly Known As:
Because all it takes to change a user name is yet another free email account, simply blocking a truly egregious troll once is not sufficient. It needs to be done over and over. Like a zombie, he keeps coming back. Don’t sweat it. New names notwithstanding, he usually reveals himself quite quickly, sometimes even bragging about his cleverness in fooling you … right where you're bound to see it.
The Troll with Many Heads:
Sometimes one stumbles upon an entire nest of trolls. Frequently, they are espousing a point of view so objectionable you can hardly credit that more than one person shares it. That’s a clue. A lot of these people ARE the same person. Online, they appear to hold a conversation so that they – or more accurately “he” – can then bully people while pretending to be a mob. If this is giving you a headache, it should.
The Troll in Denial:
Strange as it might seem, there are trolls who would be shocked to hear themselves described as trolls. Shocked? Insulted. Outraged… despite consistently indulging in the sort of obsessive and (often) libelous harassment that is the very cornerstone of all trollishness. (Think of all those people you've met in your life who constantly use the "n" word but deny being racist.) Such folks frequently fall into the Troll on a Mission or Betrayed Troll categories.
The Troll on a Mission:
If you achieve any sort of renown, you will most likely at some point encounter the person who sees right through you. He knows your success is the result of some sort of conspiracy, and it’s up to him to expose it. He’ll post malignant remarks wherever and whenever your name is mentioned, accusing you of all sort of odd things and denouncing you as the unethical lout he instinctively knows you to be. Of course, he’ll make every attempt to ensure that you see these comments. What would be the point otherwise?
The Troll Thou Shalt Not Ignore:
Every teacher knows – and dreads – the student who can’t tell the difference between positive and negative attention. You MUST look at him. Right now. And he'll do whatever it takes. Behaving appropriately is about the only thing this troll won’t consider. My advice? Ignore him.
The Victim Troll:
These folks complain of abuse as a way of manipulating group moderators. Every time someone disagrees with them, they are being "bullied." Considering what a serious problem actual bullying has become, with youngsters even being harassed into suicide, gratuitously playing the “B” card is despicable.
The ‘I’m No Racist But…’ Troll:
You know you’ve never in your life heard anyone utter those words without immediately appending something hateful. Right? The same applies to “I’m no homophobe but,” and “I have nothing against immigrants (or foreigners or women) but,” and … well, you get the idea. Keep in mind it’s difficult to know whether a troll truly harbors these notions. Certainly, many do, but others may simply be trying to provoke a reaction. See The Troll Thou Shalt Not Ignore.
The Sage Troll:
This particular ogre behaves as though he thinks he’s a correspondent-at-large for the New Yorker. Nothing lies beyond his purview. Quote a line of poetry, and he’s there to explain why that poet is terrible. Admire a classical painting? It’s trash. Enjoy a book or a movie? Utterly without merit. Let’s face it: your tastes are woefully uneducated. Fortunately, he’s here to help. And help. And help. Very generous of him actually. How else are you going to learn? (His motto appears to be “You stink, therefore I am.” ) Yes, he may be tedious, but be warned. Regardless of how insulting these incessant comments grow, deleting even his most deranged remarks can turn The Sage Troll into The Troll on a Mission. Hell hath no fury, you ingrate.
A subset of this group would be…
The Explaining Troll:
This creature desperately needs to be perceived as an expert in some field (possibly in all fields). He may actually have some degree of familiarity with some subject or other, which in no way mitigates his obvious mental issues. Avoid.
The Troll Anthropologist:
He seriously wishes to explain to you why his homophobia or racism or sexism is the only correct point of view. Seriously. He’ll even quote statistics. Once you’ve blocked him, he will instantly transform into The Victim Troll.
The Elephant Troll:
Though you may never in your life have noticed this particular individual, he will remember a supposed slight for years and harass you at every opportunity with the avowed goal of avenging his honor. You may experience some difficulty in imagining how you might have incurred this enmity, but don’t lose any sleep over it. Often the explanation will involve his belief that you once made him look insane and/or stupid on some message board or other. Needless to say, this is something with which he requires scant assistance.
The Joke Troll:
Utter a witticism. Go ahead. The topic scarcely matters. The Joke Troll will explain to everyone why this is funny, a process that involves repeatedly rephrasing your original remark. Repeatedly? Endlessly. This is seldom amusing for anyone in possession of an actual sense of humor, but The Joke Troll always believes he’s a scream. He'll also gleefully pass along all manner of hate speech but, if called on it, will behave as though he’s been unfairly maligned. After all, it wasn’t HIS joke. He merely repeated it. What could be more innocent? Aside from drawing attention to himself, his barrage of creepy drivel serves only to drown out any attempt at actual conversation. Be aware that remarks like “the grownups are trying to talk” will not endear you to him.
The Troll Supporter:
No, not athletic equipment. For some reason often a woman (or at least pretending to be one online), this type forms an alliance with an actively toxic troll and follows him about. There is nothing he can say that’s too racist, xenophobic or (even) misogynistic for her tastes, though she’s far too polite to actually voice such sentiments herself. (In fact, she'll only endorse them with a *snicker,* a *snort,* or a *wink.*) Perhaps “polite” is the wrong word. Perhaps “genteel” is the word. But don’t be too hard on her. She’s not intellectually gifted (and therefore probably writes a book blog). In fact, many of her posts will appear to have been penned by an officious twelve-year-old. Keep in mind she’s the sort of person who thinks The Joke Troll is a riot.
* * *
Are these beginning to seem more like points on a cycle than distinct designations? There are other categories of course. Terms like troll and cyber-bully overlap, and distinctions can be subtle. Generally, cyber-bullying is defined as the use of the Internet to harm other people in a deliberate, repeated manner, employing tactics intended to threaten a victim’s earnings, reputation, or even safety. Charming. And these especially focused trolls frequently encourage others to join in the harassment. (Even more charming.) Apparently, Novice or Intern Trolls abound. There are even little Troll Kings with minions.
But who are these people? They can’t all be angry shut-ins, can they?
Psychologists have suggested that the very anonymity of online communities gives rise to harassment by diminishing normal societal safeguards. (Disinhibition, they call it.) Seems pretty clear. This is – after all – an environment without consequences, where malice can be expressed through false identities. Individuals who give their real name – like authors on Goodreads – are at a marked disadvantage. (Choosing victims who are not in a position to effectively defend themselves remains a primary troll skill set. Ask any schoolyard bully.) As a New York Times article pointed out, “Trolls feed off the reactions of their victims because their agenda is to take delight in causing harm.”
If you're an author, the thing to remember is not to take this personally, regardless of how abusive it gets. Even sites devoted to stamp collecting or bird watching are replete with trolls, and book sites that include authors have built-in targets. Try not to worry. Keep in mind that most troll “reviews” give off a stench of mental illness that only the least perceptive reader could fail to detect.
Don’t let "Troll Kulture" ruin things. Forums like Goodreads provide an invaluable opportunity for writers to interact with readers. Enjoy that aspect. There’s nothing quite so wonderful as getting intelligent feedback from an insightful reader, and there are a lot of them out there. But never forget that insane and hateful creatures lurk under every bridge.
So who gets the Troll Award this year?
May I have the envelope, please?
I know what you’re thinking. These award things are always rigged. But I swear this time we’re going to try to evaluate the contestants fairly. (Then I’m thinking we should maybe drown the winners. Really, it would only improve the gene pool.) Not that this process will be easy, especially when we consider that most of the nominees operate anonymously or use ever-changing aliases. Nevertheless…
First, I suppose we should define our terms. What exactly is a troll anyhow? And where did they come from? Did some pre-technological version of such people exist to plague earlier generations of authors? Did Henry James receive anonymous threats? Did faceless and nameless personages impugn Edith Wharton’s character? Seems unlikely. Plus Willa Cather would have smacked them down in a heartbeat. Of course, Virginia Woolf did hear voices that said terrible things about her, but those were (mostly) in her head, poor woman. These days it’s a little different. Ah, progress! No one ever need bother to make a crank call again. And why fuss with all that messy glue while clipping letters out of a newspaper? Think of the convenience. Simply create a false identity online and – voila! – the world is your message board. Enjoy slander? Or baseless accusations? Threats? How about simple name calling? I tell you, it’s an age of miracles.
Trolls seem to have sprung fully grown from the first, most primitive chat rooms, often lurking to attack individuals they would probably have lacked the courage to speak to in reality. But then reality is scarcely the issue. As a group, these people share many distinct and immediately recognizable characteristics, a desire to do harm being the most conspicuous. “Trolls aspire to violence, to the level of trouble they can cause in an environment,” writes Tom Postmes in Individuality and the Group. “They want to promote antipathetic emotions of disgust and outrage, which morbidly gives them a sense of pleasure,” Postmes adds. “Trolling is a game about identity deception, albeit one that is played without the consent of most of the players. The troll attempts to pass as a legitimate participant, sharing a group’s common interests and concerns.” He might easily have been referring to any number of discussion groups here on Goodreads. Susan Herring in Searching for Safety Online points out that harassment “often arises in spaces known for their freedom, lack of censure, and experimental nature.”
Of course, there are different types of trolls. Among the most pernicious are the sort who don’t even appear to be trolls... at first.
Writers (notoriously starved for praise) are particularly prone to victimization by people who begin by being full of compliments. Trust me, this isn’t about an appreciation of literature. It’s about a need for attention, their need, not yours, plus a pathological desire to establish a false connection. Such people can turn vindictive in a New York second, mental instability being another predominant trait. A writer may have done no more than courteously thanked one of them for their tenth five-star review when they suddenly begin to behave oddly. Don’t engage. By the time they start to get overtly strange, there’s no way to prevent their previous adoration from curdling into hysterical loathing. Make no mistake. Such people are not merely eccentric. They are deranged, and – in this world of social networking – never underestimate the amount of persistent irritation such creatures will attempt to cause. Obsessive malice is pretty much all they bring to the party, any party, and they may lurk around for years in hopes of finding an opportunity to do real damage. Because damage is their goal. It’s what they live for, and special glee is derived from harming an author’s reputation. The Literary Darkness group I moderate here on Goodreads has been blessed by a scarcity of trolls. In four years, and with close to three thousand members, statistically we should have had many more problems than we’ve encountered. But the few have made an impression.
Psychologists are still laboring to identify the many permutations of troll behavior. For instance, check out the definition of Concern Troll at Wikipedia. Roughly rephrased, a Concern Troll is someone who pretends to harbor an opinion they actually oppose. Sound bizarre? We’ve seen this at Literary Darkness, where various people have professed to appreciate the group’s goals in order to attack them in ways calculated to achieve maximum disruption.
Yes, psychologists and sociologists have their work cut out for them. But maybe I can help a tiny bit. Over the years, I’ve made a few notes. Here are some of the more prominent types I’ve observed:
The Betrayed Troll:
This troll feels a deep spiritual connection to your work, and the level of hyperbole in his praise is practically frightening. Initially, he communicates with you like a Druidical priest at Stonehenge. The offerings and tributes become a daily ritual, and he studies your every word, picking sentences apart into syllables in his never-ending search for enlightenment. Or validation. His personal messages to you are unctuous in the extreme and often read like love notes. You’re brilliant, apparently. Also charming and handsome. Plus those pants fit great. You’ll try to be polite but, being a mere mortal, are apt sooner or later to say something which reveals that you are not in fact his personal savior. Then there will be hell to pay. He will stalk you everywhere, denouncing you as the false messiah you doubtless are. Be prepared. Once he’s turned, all those five-star reviews will suddenly become one-star rants, and you are now a no-talent creep who must be punished. (Issues? You think?) Don’t expect Goodreads management to help much, regardless of how inappropriate this gets – they move with a glacial lack of alacrity. Also see Troll on a Mission.
[Footnote: In public, this troll may attempt to create the impression that the two of you have some sort of personal relationship. That’s a warning sign. Watch for indications. From there it's a small step to blaming you for causing the behavior: "You force me to do these things!"]
There’s a female version of this one that I think of as …
The Truly, Madly, Deeply Troll:
She can tell from your prose style that the two of you are soul mates. (Wasn’t Walt Whitman always getting marriage proposals in the mail from strange women? I remember reading that a particularly lurid one had been found among his papers. On the envelope, he'd scribbled "lunatic asylum?") Her reviews and blog posts about your magnificence will come thick and fast. Best not even to acknowledge them. Any minute now she’ll start sending photos. This won’t end well.
The Troll Formerly Known As:
Because all it takes to change a user name is yet another free email account, simply blocking a truly egregious troll once is not sufficient. It needs to be done over and over. Like a zombie, he keeps coming back. Don’t sweat it. New names notwithstanding, he usually reveals himself quite quickly, sometimes even bragging about his cleverness in fooling you … right where you're bound to see it.
The Troll with Many Heads:
Sometimes one stumbles upon an entire nest of trolls. Frequently, they are espousing a point of view so objectionable you can hardly credit that more than one person shares it. That’s a clue. A lot of these people ARE the same person. Online, they appear to hold a conversation so that they – or more accurately “he” – can then bully people while pretending to be a mob. If this is giving you a headache, it should.
The Troll in Denial:
Strange as it might seem, there are trolls who would be shocked to hear themselves described as trolls. Shocked? Insulted. Outraged… despite consistently indulging in the sort of obsessive and (often) libelous harassment that is the very cornerstone of all trollishness. (Think of all those people you've met in your life who constantly use the "n" word but deny being racist.) Such folks frequently fall into the Troll on a Mission or Betrayed Troll categories.
The Troll on a Mission:
If you achieve any sort of renown, you will most likely at some point encounter the person who sees right through you. He knows your success is the result of some sort of conspiracy, and it’s up to him to expose it. He’ll post malignant remarks wherever and whenever your name is mentioned, accusing you of all sort of odd things and denouncing you as the unethical lout he instinctively knows you to be. Of course, he’ll make every attempt to ensure that you see these comments. What would be the point otherwise?
The Troll Thou Shalt Not Ignore:
Every teacher knows – and dreads – the student who can’t tell the difference between positive and negative attention. You MUST look at him. Right now. And he'll do whatever it takes. Behaving appropriately is about the only thing this troll won’t consider. My advice? Ignore him.
The Victim Troll:
These folks complain of abuse as a way of manipulating group moderators. Every time someone disagrees with them, they are being "bullied." Considering what a serious problem actual bullying has become, with youngsters even being harassed into suicide, gratuitously playing the “B” card is despicable.
The ‘I’m No Racist But…’ Troll:
You know you’ve never in your life heard anyone utter those words without immediately appending something hateful. Right? The same applies to “I’m no homophobe but,” and “I have nothing against immigrants (or foreigners or women) but,” and … well, you get the idea. Keep in mind it’s difficult to know whether a troll truly harbors these notions. Certainly, many do, but others may simply be trying to provoke a reaction. See The Troll Thou Shalt Not Ignore.
The Sage Troll:
This particular ogre behaves as though he thinks he’s a correspondent-at-large for the New Yorker. Nothing lies beyond his purview. Quote a line of poetry, and he’s there to explain why that poet is terrible. Admire a classical painting? It’s trash. Enjoy a book or a movie? Utterly without merit. Let’s face it: your tastes are woefully uneducated. Fortunately, he’s here to help. And help. And help. Very generous of him actually. How else are you going to learn? (His motto appears to be “You stink, therefore I am.” ) Yes, he may be tedious, but be warned. Regardless of how insulting these incessant comments grow, deleting even his most deranged remarks can turn The Sage Troll into The Troll on a Mission. Hell hath no fury, you ingrate.
A subset of this group would be…
The Explaining Troll:
This creature desperately needs to be perceived as an expert in some field (possibly in all fields). He may actually have some degree of familiarity with some subject or other, which in no way mitigates his obvious mental issues. Avoid.
The Troll Anthropologist:
He seriously wishes to explain to you why his homophobia or racism or sexism is the only correct point of view. Seriously. He’ll even quote statistics. Once you’ve blocked him, he will instantly transform into The Victim Troll.
The Elephant Troll:
Though you may never in your life have noticed this particular individual, he will remember a supposed slight for years and harass you at every opportunity with the avowed goal of avenging his honor. You may experience some difficulty in imagining how you might have incurred this enmity, but don’t lose any sleep over it. Often the explanation will involve his belief that you once made him look insane and/or stupid on some message board or other. Needless to say, this is something with which he requires scant assistance.
The Joke Troll:
Utter a witticism. Go ahead. The topic scarcely matters. The Joke Troll will explain to everyone why this is funny, a process that involves repeatedly rephrasing your original remark. Repeatedly? Endlessly. This is seldom amusing for anyone in possession of an actual sense of humor, but The Joke Troll always believes he’s a scream. He'll also gleefully pass along all manner of hate speech but, if called on it, will behave as though he’s been unfairly maligned. After all, it wasn’t HIS joke. He merely repeated it. What could be more innocent? Aside from drawing attention to himself, his barrage of creepy drivel serves only to drown out any attempt at actual conversation. Be aware that remarks like “the grownups are trying to talk” will not endear you to him.
The Troll Supporter:
No, not athletic equipment. For some reason often a woman (or at least pretending to be one online), this type forms an alliance with an actively toxic troll and follows him about. There is nothing he can say that’s too racist, xenophobic or (even) misogynistic for her tastes, though she’s far too polite to actually voice such sentiments herself. (In fact, she'll only endorse them with a *snicker,* a *snort,* or a *wink.*) Perhaps “polite” is the wrong word. Perhaps “genteel” is the word. But don’t be too hard on her. She’s not intellectually gifted (and therefore probably writes a book blog). In fact, many of her posts will appear to have been penned by an officious twelve-year-old. Keep in mind she’s the sort of person who thinks The Joke Troll is a riot.
* * *
Are these beginning to seem more like points on a cycle than distinct designations? There are other categories of course. Terms like troll and cyber-bully overlap, and distinctions can be subtle. Generally, cyber-bullying is defined as the use of the Internet to harm other people in a deliberate, repeated manner, employing tactics intended to threaten a victim’s earnings, reputation, or even safety. Charming. And these especially focused trolls frequently encourage others to join in the harassment. (Even more charming.) Apparently, Novice or Intern Trolls abound. There are even little Troll Kings with minions.
But who are these people? They can’t all be angry shut-ins, can they?
Psychologists have suggested that the very anonymity of online communities gives rise to harassment by diminishing normal societal safeguards. (Disinhibition, they call it.) Seems pretty clear. This is – after all – an environment without consequences, where malice can be expressed through false identities. Individuals who give their real name – like authors on Goodreads – are at a marked disadvantage. (Choosing victims who are not in a position to effectively defend themselves remains a primary troll skill set. Ask any schoolyard bully.) As a New York Times article pointed out, “Trolls feed off the reactions of their victims because their agenda is to take delight in causing harm.”
If you're an author, the thing to remember is not to take this personally, regardless of how abusive it gets. Even sites devoted to stamp collecting or bird watching are replete with trolls, and book sites that include authors have built-in targets. Try not to worry. Keep in mind that most troll “reviews” give off a stench of mental illness that only the least perceptive reader could fail to detect.
Don’t let "Troll Kulture" ruin things. Forums like Goodreads provide an invaluable opportunity for writers to interact with readers. Enjoy that aspect. There’s nothing quite so wonderful as getting intelligent feedback from an insightful reader, and there are a lot of them out there. But never forget that insane and hateful creatures lurk under every bridge.
So who gets the Troll Award this year?
May I have the envelope, please?
October 7, 2013
Getting into the Spirit(s)
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it…”
~ George Eliot
“Autumn wins you best by this its mute appeal to sympathy for its decay.”
~ Robert Browning
“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky…”
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
In the weeks ahead, I’ll have interviews and guest blogs appearing in several places. Until then, here’s a few echoes from last Halloween.
“Like some noble monster, groping toward the light.”
http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/20...
“Way back, there was love.”
http://theoctobercountry.wordpress.co...
“Witches rarely burned alone.”
http://wherethedeadfeartotread.blogsp...
Enjoy! And don’t forget to drop by the Literary Darkness group. Our group project through Halloween this year is Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Join us.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
~ George Eliot
“Autumn wins you best by this its mute appeal to sympathy for its decay.”
~ Robert Browning
“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky…”
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
In the weeks ahead, I’ll have interviews and guest blogs appearing in several places. Until then, here’s a few echoes from last Halloween.
“Like some noble monster, groping toward the light.”
http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/20...
“Way back, there was love.”
http://theoctobercountry.wordpress.co...
“Witches rarely burned alone.”
http://wherethedeadfeartotread.blogsp...
Enjoy! And don’t forget to drop by the Literary Darkness group. Our group project through Halloween this year is Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Join us.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
September 11, 2013
The Short Version
Just a few quick notes this time. Came home from the shore (not The Shore, the shore) to find some lovely new reviews for Vortex.
http://www.amazon.com/Vortex-Robert-D...
“One of the most enjoyable and entertaining nonfiction books I have ever read.”
~ FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND
“Illuminates the depth and complexity of horror throughout the ages. A real treat … opens the most dangerous door of all – curiosity.”
~ HORROR NOVEL REVIEWS
“A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable ride through some of the most horrific myths and real-life events imaginable.”
~ SCATTERSHOT WRITING
“Eloquently and intellectually written, seasoned with wry humor … a must-read for writers and fans of the genre.”
SOUTHERN ROSE REVIEWS
“Stunning … meticulously researched … keen sense of style … razor sharp wit and entertaining prose.”
~ LITERARY MAYHEM
Plus there were messages about reviews yet to appear. Also discovered this much-appreciated tribute to Willy (from Firbolg Publishing’s Gothic Library).
http://www.firbolgpublishing.com/supe...
“The Gothic Library is a collection of those dark shadows that represent the highest achievement in the Gothic arts.”
http://www.amazon.com/WILLY-ebook/dp/...
"Superior Achievement in Dark Fiction," eh? Always nice to get a little recognition.
Then I found that 47 North has put The Pines on sale for Kindle for $2 all this month.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002...
And – oh yeah – I knew there was something else. My contributor's copies of Cemetery Dance are here, featuring fiction by me and a few other people, including that Stephen King guy, whoever he is.
Nice stuff to come home to. I should go away more often. (No need to agree quite so emphatically.)
http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Dunbar/e...
http://www.amazon.com/Vortex-Robert-D...
“One of the most enjoyable and entertaining nonfiction books I have ever read.”
~ FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND
“Illuminates the depth and complexity of horror throughout the ages. A real treat … opens the most dangerous door of all – curiosity.”
~ HORROR NOVEL REVIEWS
“A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable ride through some of the most horrific myths and real-life events imaginable.”
~ SCATTERSHOT WRITING
“Eloquently and intellectually written, seasoned with wry humor … a must-read for writers and fans of the genre.”
SOUTHERN ROSE REVIEWS
“Stunning … meticulously researched … keen sense of style … razor sharp wit and entertaining prose.”
~ LITERARY MAYHEM
Plus there were messages about reviews yet to appear. Also discovered this much-appreciated tribute to Willy (from Firbolg Publishing’s Gothic Library).
http://www.firbolgpublishing.com/supe...
“The Gothic Library is a collection of those dark shadows that represent the highest achievement in the Gothic arts.”
http://www.amazon.com/WILLY-ebook/dp/...
"Superior Achievement in Dark Fiction," eh? Always nice to get a little recognition.
Then I found that 47 North has put The Pines on sale for Kindle for $2 all this month.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002...
And – oh yeah – I knew there was something else. My contributor's copies of Cemetery Dance are here, featuring fiction by me and a few other people, including that Stephen King guy, whoever he is.
Nice stuff to come home to. I should go away more often. (No need to agree quite so emphatically.)
http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Dunbar/e...
August 5, 2013
THE SWAMP STOMP / Part Four
or “Mud, Blood & Beyond”
Interviewers are forever asking me what makes a work literary – frequently in the most confrontational tones – as though defying me to quote some rule. I usually say zombies and gore, lots of gore. Plus gouged eyeballs just scream artistic style.
(Cue the illiterati to denounce me as pretentious. Pitchforks and torches ready… and three… two… one…)
But maybe we could take another stab at a definition?
Obviously, talent is an essential (and nebulous) criteria, but intellect is also necessary, as well as passion, even courage. All writers will understand what I’m talking about here, but many authors won’t have a clue … and are already seething.) Other components? Technical proficiency, of course. Integrity. Vision and execution. Discipline and a touch of madness. All of it. And so much else. The term “literary” describes a level of prose that aspires to do more than just appeal to the lowest common denominator, and that single aspect remains the key – what I can only call seriousness of intent. A few years ago, I had the disagreeable experience of witnessing a popular author address a horde of his admirers. “What’s scary to you? Is it vampires? Is it werewolves? Then that’s what you should write,” he told them. “But that’s not the important part. No. SELLING yourself is the important part. Look at me. I don’t have much talent, but I’m really good at self-promotion.” He was completely unabashed by this pronouncement. If anything, he seemed proud of it, as though success without talent somehow enhanced the accomplishment. I looked around: the room was full of aspiring authors, all scribbling notes.
Now, that’s scary.
My own journey was never about marketing. (General rule: Any author who talks about his “brand” should have one on his forehead. Maybe a nice dollar sign.) As a kid, I don’t know what I would have done if not for the public library. Killed myself probably. I’ll never be certain why I didn’t wind up a teen statistic, but I suspect it had something to do with being able to lose myself in a book. And find myself. Learning to write was about becoming. Do composers feel that way? Or painters? Does the craft become a chrysalis? Michelangelo said he didn’t create his statues so much as free them from the stone. I suspect he freed himself as well.
So much rock to chip away. One makes slow progress.
Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Dunbar/e...
No, my journey wasn’t about self-promotion, but even an artist needs to eat. In the years between books, I wrote poetry that appeared in several journals, and a number of my plays were produced in a variety of strange venues (few of which resembled actual theaters). So clearly I didn't eat much. But I also worked for a bewildering array of newspapers and magazines and finally – for my sins – wound up writing for television, mostly PBS and Discovery, that sort of thing.
But these days I concentrate on my fiction.
Not the smoothest of paths to follow.
No, it can be rough, and it’s so easy to get frustrated. Over the years, one critic would rave that The Pines was a “masterpiece of the genre” or another proclaim that The Shore was “surprisingly good for a horror novel,” and I’d be pleased for a split second, then plunge into despair. With Martyrs and Monsters – for the first time – reviewers began to avoid the patronizing restrictions when discussing my work and just talked about quality, and that made all the difference. Without this level of support, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to attempt a novel as complex as Willy. I’m very grateful.
With both of those books, I went back to the pine barrens. Readers are familiar with the setting now, but when I wrote THE PINES, the lore of the Leeds Devil was almost unknown outside of New Jersey. It was a rich vein to mine, because the legend boasts so many classic components: the hut in the swamp; the cursed thirteenth child. By exploring the atmosphere around the myth, rather than the myth itself, I tried to fashion the folklore into something meaningful and contemporary, as well as something intensely personal. There’s a Carl Jung quote about “owning your shadow.” Such a delicious phrase and so reassuring … as though by knowing the darkness we gain some measure of control over it. How could a writer – or any artist – resist this sort of intensity?
YA. NA. MM. The market is so obsessed with labels. You want to know what else interviewers are always asking me? Still in such confrontational tones? They always want to know why I don’t just write literary fiction instead of horror.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: I am writing literary fiction.
Just don’t tell anyone.
Interviewers are forever asking me what makes a work literary – frequently in the most confrontational tones – as though defying me to quote some rule. I usually say zombies and gore, lots of gore. Plus gouged eyeballs just scream artistic style.
(Cue the illiterati to denounce me as pretentious. Pitchforks and torches ready… and three… two… one…)
But maybe we could take another stab at a definition?
Obviously, talent is an essential (and nebulous) criteria, but intellect is also necessary, as well as passion, even courage. All writers will understand what I’m talking about here, but many authors won’t have a clue … and are already seething.) Other components? Technical proficiency, of course. Integrity. Vision and execution. Discipline and a touch of madness. All of it. And so much else. The term “literary” describes a level of prose that aspires to do more than just appeal to the lowest common denominator, and that single aspect remains the key – what I can only call seriousness of intent. A few years ago, I had the disagreeable experience of witnessing a popular author address a horde of his admirers. “What’s scary to you? Is it vampires? Is it werewolves? Then that’s what you should write,” he told them. “But that’s not the important part. No. SELLING yourself is the important part. Look at me. I don’t have much talent, but I’m really good at self-promotion.” He was completely unabashed by this pronouncement. If anything, he seemed proud of it, as though success without talent somehow enhanced the accomplishment. I looked around: the room was full of aspiring authors, all scribbling notes.
Now, that’s scary.
My own journey was never about marketing. (General rule: Any author who talks about his “brand” should have one on his forehead. Maybe a nice dollar sign.) As a kid, I don’t know what I would have done if not for the public library. Killed myself probably. I’ll never be certain why I didn’t wind up a teen statistic, but I suspect it had something to do with being able to lose myself in a book. And find myself. Learning to write was about becoming. Do composers feel that way? Or painters? Does the craft become a chrysalis? Michelangelo said he didn’t create his statues so much as free them from the stone. I suspect he freed himself as well.
So much rock to chip away. One makes slow progress.
Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Dunbar/e...
No, my journey wasn’t about self-promotion, but even an artist needs to eat. In the years between books, I wrote poetry that appeared in several journals, and a number of my plays were produced in a variety of strange venues (few of which resembled actual theaters). So clearly I didn't eat much. But I also worked for a bewildering array of newspapers and magazines and finally – for my sins – wound up writing for television, mostly PBS and Discovery, that sort of thing.
But these days I concentrate on my fiction.
Not the smoothest of paths to follow.
No, it can be rough, and it’s so easy to get frustrated. Over the years, one critic would rave that The Pines was a “masterpiece of the genre” or another proclaim that The Shore was “surprisingly good for a horror novel,” and I’d be pleased for a split second, then plunge into despair. With Martyrs and Monsters – for the first time – reviewers began to avoid the patronizing restrictions when discussing my work and just talked about quality, and that made all the difference. Without this level of support, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to attempt a novel as complex as Willy. I’m very grateful.
With both of those books, I went back to the pine barrens. Readers are familiar with the setting now, but when I wrote THE PINES, the lore of the Leeds Devil was almost unknown outside of New Jersey. It was a rich vein to mine, because the legend boasts so many classic components: the hut in the swamp; the cursed thirteenth child. By exploring the atmosphere around the myth, rather than the myth itself, I tried to fashion the folklore into something meaningful and contemporary, as well as something intensely personal. There’s a Carl Jung quote about “owning your shadow.” Such a delicious phrase and so reassuring … as though by knowing the darkness we gain some measure of control over it. How could a writer – or any artist – resist this sort of intensity?
YA. NA. MM. The market is so obsessed with labels. You want to know what else interviewers are always asking me? Still in such confrontational tones? They always want to know why I don’t just write literary fiction instead of horror.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: I am writing literary fiction.
Just don’t tell anyone.
July 29, 2013
THE SWAMP STOMP / Part Three
or “Taking it to the Streets”
Legends linger in the dark places of this earth...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Pines-Rober...
After more than twenty years, The Pines continues to attract new devotees… and new detractors, many of whom still sputter in outrage.
It also still garners sensational reviews. Go figure.
Weird, isn’t it? There’s been a gold-embossed leather-bound volume, a limited-edition hardbound collectors’ edition, mass-market paperback editions, and now “rebranded” paperbacks and ebooks from 47North. (This publisher is also talking about audio books and translations and, since they’re a subsidiary of Amazon, presumably have the resources to make such things happen.) Early on, I created a trailer. If you're curious, you can check it out at http://youtu.be/qjchi9VScG4.
Happily, the bad old days are over. For so many years, I had to advise readers NOT to purchase these books, since no royalties were being paid to authors. (Have I mentioned how much fun it was to work with Leisure Books?) Finally, I can recommend both The Pines and its sequel, The Shore.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Shore-Rober...
There’s also a trailer for The Shore here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeIJsF...
THE PINES centers on Athena Lee Monroe, a displaced person eking out a marginal existence in the New Jersey pine barrens. It also introduces her son Matthew, a boy with a strange affinity for the forest. There’s a presence in those woods, an influence. This remains a key theme, and those elements (and some of the characters) resurface in The Shore, with the setting moved to a desolate beach town on the edge of the woods.
If I feel connected to a specific tradition, it’s that of all those writers who told tales of the ancient, sentient forest. Something lurks in those shadows, something that destroys … or seduces.
I wanted THE SHORE to continue the storyline while staying as far from the tone of the first book as possible. I mean, THE PINES seethes. It’s all steamy summer nights. The emotions are scalding and miserable, and the (frequent) sexual encounters are tawdry. Everyone drips with sweat, and the air roils with insects. Despite the meanness of their situations, some of the characters possess a sort of innate nobility, which has nothing to do with conventional morality. (It’s not the heat, it’s the lucidity.) They redeem themselves. They make sacrifices for love. They grow. And die (some of them). If THE PINES seems to be occurring in an equatorial jungle, THE SHORE may as well take place on a polar icecap. A winter storm menaces a beach town. The people barely speak. They huddle and harbor secrets. And die (some of them).
No vanilla “heroes” here. My people are always more likely to be minorities or outlaws of one type or another. These are the people closest to my heart, my soul, and I believe this continues to cause a substantial amount of the provocation experienced by so many “fans” of the genre. Some people will resist the very notion of diversity with their last breaths.
And so the battle rages on. The novel I’m working on now, the final section of the trilogy – THE STREETS – finds characters from both earlier books struggling in a very urban environment. They won’t give up without a fight either.
Legends linger in the dark places of this earth...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Pines-Rober...
After more than twenty years, The Pines continues to attract new devotees… and new detractors, many of whom still sputter in outrage.
It also still garners sensational reviews. Go figure.
Weird, isn’t it? There’s been a gold-embossed leather-bound volume, a limited-edition hardbound collectors’ edition, mass-market paperback editions, and now “rebranded” paperbacks and ebooks from 47North. (This publisher is also talking about audio books and translations and, since they’re a subsidiary of Amazon, presumably have the resources to make such things happen.) Early on, I created a trailer. If you're curious, you can check it out at http://youtu.be/qjchi9VScG4.
Happily, the bad old days are over. For so many years, I had to advise readers NOT to purchase these books, since no royalties were being paid to authors. (Have I mentioned how much fun it was to work with Leisure Books?) Finally, I can recommend both The Pines and its sequel, The Shore.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Shore-Rober...
There’s also a trailer for The Shore here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeIJsF...
THE PINES centers on Athena Lee Monroe, a displaced person eking out a marginal existence in the New Jersey pine barrens. It also introduces her son Matthew, a boy with a strange affinity for the forest. There’s a presence in those woods, an influence. This remains a key theme, and those elements (and some of the characters) resurface in The Shore, with the setting moved to a desolate beach town on the edge of the woods.
If I feel connected to a specific tradition, it’s that of all those writers who told tales of the ancient, sentient forest. Something lurks in those shadows, something that destroys … or seduces.
I wanted THE SHORE to continue the storyline while staying as far from the tone of the first book as possible. I mean, THE PINES seethes. It’s all steamy summer nights. The emotions are scalding and miserable, and the (frequent) sexual encounters are tawdry. Everyone drips with sweat, and the air roils with insects. Despite the meanness of their situations, some of the characters possess a sort of innate nobility, which has nothing to do with conventional morality. (It’s not the heat, it’s the lucidity.) They redeem themselves. They make sacrifices for love. They grow. And die (some of them). If THE PINES seems to be occurring in an equatorial jungle, THE SHORE may as well take place on a polar icecap. A winter storm menaces a beach town. The people barely speak. They huddle and harbor secrets. And die (some of them).
No vanilla “heroes” here. My people are always more likely to be minorities or outlaws of one type or another. These are the people closest to my heart, my soul, and I believe this continues to cause a substantial amount of the provocation experienced by so many “fans” of the genre. Some people will resist the very notion of diversity with their last breaths.
And so the battle rages on. The novel I’m working on now, the final section of the trilogy – THE STREETS – finds characters from both earlier books struggling in a very urban environment. They won’t give up without a fight either.
