This collection of Thomas Ligotti's work contains many previously unpublished stories and an entire novella (Ligotti's first) written especially for this book. He also wrote "Songs of a Dead Dreamer" and "Grimscribe".
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Thomas Ligotti's third collection of stories, though his weakest publication to date, still contains a number of exquisitely-wrought pieces stamped with his inimitable hallmark. Ligotti it seems strives in his tales not so much to horrify, nor frighten, nor revolt, rather to demand recognition of the ruinous and malign locales he delineates, and concordance with the negative, fatalistic philosophy his creations espouse or epitomise. In his ambitious pursuit of the singularly odd, Ligotti not surprisingly falls short of the mark from time to time, and this volume contains a few lacklustre pieces: the fragmentary 'Notebook of the Night' in particular. Surer-footed are the book's longest tale, 'The Tsalal', strident and apocalyptic in tone; the coolly atmospheric 'The Prodigy of Dreams', and the oblique and allusive 'The Medusa', my favourite of the set. This collection would come more highly recommended were not most of the tales therein also included in 'The Nightmare Factory' compilation, easily the fullest and best introduction to Ligotti's work.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
14 reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
"A man awakens in the darkness..."
7 Oct 2004
By H. Grove
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Thomas Ligotti is a truly unusual author. He has a fascination with "weird fiction," with the unknowable, the macabre. This is paired with a knack for eloquent word-poetry, intelligence and complexity, and a sense of the chillingly unusual. When I finish reading several Ligotti stories, I find that the world looks different. The colors aren't quite right any more, or the angles, or maybe people seem a little darker, a little stranger.
I have several books of Ligotti stories and Noctuary is my favorite. I have often wondered why, and the answer I eventually came to is that most of the stories in here are shorter than those in other books. The longest one is less than 40 pages, and many are only two or three pages long. As much as I love all of Ligotti's writing, he's at his best when he writes in short chunks. Otherwise I find his writing sometimes drags a little.
Ligotti's work is not for everyone. If you don't like the weird or the macabre, you won't enjoy his work. If you prefer your stories to be normal, with a beginning, middle and end, all wrapped up in a neat little ribbon, then this is not for you. If you prefer your world to be its same, comfortable self when you close your books - don't read a word of Ligotti. Ligotti's style is definitely not for everyone. He hands us phrases that no one but he would conceive of, that almost cannot help but elicit a shudder:
"We witness the scene and, with what remains of our mouths, we smile."
But for those of us who enjoy it, it is a dread and harrowing pleasure - one that I would not give up. My only regret is that Ligotti is not a more prolific author.
I have several books of Ligotti stories and Noctuary is my favorite. I have often wondered why, and the answer I eventually came to is that most of the stories in here are shorter than those in other books. The longest one is less than 40 pages, and many are only two or three pages long. As much as I love all of Ligotti's writing, he's at his best when he writes in short chunks. Otherwise I find his writing sometimes drags a little.
Ligotti's work is not for everyone. If you don't like the weird or the macabre, you won't enjoy his work. If you prefer your stories to be normal, with a beginning, middle and end, all wrapped up in a neat little ribbon, then this is not for you. If you prefer your world to be its same, comfortable self when you close your books - don't read a word of Ligotti. Ligotti's style is definitely not for everyone. He hands us phrases that no one but he would conceive of, that almost cannot help but elicit a shudder:
"We witness the scene and, with what remains of our mouths, we smile."
But for those of us who enjoy it, it is a dread and harrowing pleasure - one that I would not give up. My only regret is that Ligotti is not a more prolific author.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A true artist
1 Nov 2001
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Thomas Ligotti is easily one of the least known masters of modern fiction. His work transcends genre and his prose is most often poetic, his imagery haunting and atmospheric. For fans of any type of literature, Thomas Ligotti is a rare gem and a great talent in the field, though sometimes a difficult read, his work is always rewarding.
This book preceeded his most recent work, "In a foreign town, in a foreign land" and his one of his best collections to date. Even the last section, which are simply bits and pieces from his notebooks, nothing coming close to a finished piece, far outshine many popular and exhalted writers working in the field today. Ligotti can create entire worlds, set mood and instill any emotion he desires, with a masters skill in less than a page, something many current bestselling authors fail to accomplish in hundreds of pages, or their entire body of work.
For those new to Thomas Ligotti, this book is a great place to start, for those familiar with some of his other works, look for "Alice's last adventure" in Prime Evil, "In a foreign town, In a foreign land" a very rare novella, and "Songs of a dead dreamer" the mass market paperback is a highly revised version of the original small press release and his first published collection of stories. Any fan of great literature no matter the genre will not be disappointed by this great artist's work.
ENJOY........
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
I bought this book and now I'm gutted ...
25 Sep 2002
By Angela Linton
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
To realise that for only a few dollars more I could have bought 'The Nightmare Factory' instead which contains all the stories in this book + many more! I guess I will end up owning them both. Ligotti is one of the few creditable horror writers working today and I could never get tired of his stories. They just seem to get deeper and deeper with each subsequent reading. However - if you are looking for blood/gore type horror don't bother - this is a deeply subtle writer at work ..
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