Literary Horror discussion

Please join Benjamin Uminsky, Marie-Therese, Sean and Bill for our March 2019 Buddy Read of Colin Insole's Valerie and Other Stories!

Let's give everyone a few days to track down copies, and plan on starting (say) middle of next week.

Valerie is Insole's second short story collection. It is available from Snuggly Books (and the usual other places):
https://www.snugglybooks.co.uk/valeri...

Review in Publishers' Weekly:
https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-...

(My co-conspirators are more experienced Insole fans, and will probably add more context.)

My copy should be here on the 10th and I look forward to starting this very soon.

I have my copy. Looking forward to starting this next week with you guys. 😁

Mimi wrote: "I've been finding it surprisingly readable..."
Good to hear that. Buddy Reads are pretty free form. Usually people initiate discussions in stages, though some may blast through the book quickly. I think if we don't expose spoilers while fellow participants are not at that point in the book, it should be a reasonable experience for everyone.

Ok just got started. Finished up Hill of Cinders, which is quite good. I can read Insole’s prose for days. I have more thoughts on this particular piece but will hold my tongue until folks have gotten started.

Mimi wrote: "Thanks Bill, assume spoilers plot related rather than comments on references/allusions etc?"
Yup, that's what I meant!

I read 'The Hill of Cinders' this morning and found it to be a strong start to the collection. Though initially put off by the reading distance created over the course of the extended exposition, I thought it developed into an intriguing character study where Insole is able to obscure Bulverton's true nature even as he reveals bits and pieces of his personality and motivations over the course of the story. I can see the Machen comparisons, too, as Insole has a gift for rich sensory description of the interstitial space between the natural and supernatural worlds.

Mimi wrote: "Love the way you put things Sean, like dripping honey! I'm not sure I totally appreciated the symbolism in 'the Hill of Cinders' so fascinated to hear any theories but I agree so far it works best ..."

That's kind of you to say, Mimi, although I think it's Insole who is spilling the honeyed prose, at least in this first story. ;)

I read this in a bit of a rush before work, so plan to revisit it later. I think there is more going on below the surface. One symbol that sprang to mind on first read, though, was the red dust and the alchemical significance of cinnabar, an ingredient in the elixir of life. But I won't say more about the possible ramifications of that in the story until we've confirmed everyone here has read it.

I found Insole's exploration of subversion to be an interesting one in Hill of Cinders... and how a group's insider can slide into outsider status... and why? This... I found to be particularly intriguing.

But... equally intriguing to me (I think noted by Sean in the symbols used by Insole) is the more arcane/esoteric layer of this story that ran nicely parallel to Bulverton's developments and actions.

Mimi wrote: "What I wasn't clear about was what broader point Insoles was trying to make? Was he making an oblique statement about masculinity and war, about a particular era/class?"

It seems to me that by utilizing such an opaque character as Bulverton as a vehicle to explore his themes he is choosing a course of deliberate ambiguity toward those themes, rather than making any statements at all. I think he's quite deft in avoiding such implied statements, and in general I appreciate this type of approach in fiction, where writers offer thematic fodder for reflection (however vague such fodder may be) but refrain from leading the readers to conclusions, while at the same time challenging their possible preconceptions. It's not easy to accomplish this while telling an engrossing story with a satisfying conclusion.

Sean wrote: "...in general I appreciate this type of approach in fiction, where writers offer thematic fodder for reflection... but refrain from leading the readers to conclusions, while at the same time challenging their possible preconceptions. It's not easy to accomplish this while telling an engrossing story with a satisfying conclusion."
I've agreed with Sean on similar ideas elsewhere, and agree with him again.

I really liked the central concepts in "The Hill of Cinders". I thought the writing was ok, though I would have tightened it up here and there. (Definitely on the opening exposition section.) But I was reading it at the insomniac hour of 1:30am, and was probably even more grumpy (gasp) about these things than usual.

Mimi wrote: "Although I suppose I think that all writing is in some way a comment on the culture in which it's written, so even by choosing to explore particular themes the writer is constructing a statement or an argument that relates to the perception of their world. ..."

I would agree to a point, in that it is virtually impossible to write anything without engaging with or being influenced by the trappings of the milieu in which the writer exists. However, I also think that some writers consciously strive to avoid this, even in full awareness of the inherent futility in such efforts. But I'm not saying Insole is trying to go to that extreme, per se. He does situate his story in a very specific time period, although as you pointed out earlier he also seems to be 'tracking something across time/space' (which I think is more likely). I also agree that there are pretty obvious class issues at play in the story. However, I think his use of Bulverton to engage with those issues seems to be a pointed effort to either obfuscate or directly subvert a definitive interpretation.

I thought that... in terms of big picture ideas from Hill of Cinders... perhaps Insole was pointing out a certain kind of falseness or delusion in the pageantry of patriotism. This story was book ended by two wars that England was deeply involved in. It seemed that the school served as a focal point of harnessing patriotism and a proper English attitude in their students. Bulverton's disillusionment with this became quite evident...

Mimi wrote: "I'm glad to have been introduced to his fiction. I just wish that more of it was available at a reasonable price! .."

Hopefully Snuggly will continue to make that happen, as they have begun to do with Damian Murphy's works previously published as limited editions. Zagava, another specialty publisher in this realm of fiction, is also beginning to publish affordable paperback editions, so those of us without the financial means (and/or the inclination) to be collectors have much to look forward to.

Mimi wrote: "Also although Bulverton was essentially a traitor I found it hard not to be supportive of him."
[Very vague/minor spoiler alert] I didn't think Bulverton's motivations were terribly clear (maybe it's just a consequence of me reading the story at 1:30am).

I recently saw Peter Jackson's WWI doc "They Will Never Grow Old". The British soldiers would refer to Germans as "the enemy" etc etc. Then they would actually capture some German POWs, and quip (roughly) "they're just regular guys, kind of like us". So sad.

Benjamin wrote: "I thought that... in terms of big picture ideas from Hill of Cinders... perhaps Insole was pointing out a certain kind of falseness or delusion in the pageantry of patriotism. This story was book e..."

I definitely agree that the story contains an anti-nationalist thread, but it is conflicted by the treasonous behavior of Bulverton and his predecessors. I think Insole leaves the question up to the reader of what is worse: empire-building or subverting such imperialistic behavior by way of the highest crime one can commit against the state. However, this question is further muddied by Bulverton's motives, which seem ambiguous at best. Interestingly, the third of 'The Men of Ignominy', Colkirk, was convicted of murder, arguably the highest crime one can commit against an individual. Maybe not so interestingly, Colkirk does not seem to align with the so-called 'third murderer' from Macbeth, despite the Macbeth reference associated with his appearance in the story.

(view spoiler)[As for the hill itself, I saw this as a zone of banishment, an area 'between heaven and earth', for the traitors, i.e. Bulverton and his predecessors, some of whom he encounters there both as a student and later as an adult. There are intimations in the text that either their executions have been staged, or they have been executed and reanimated via the meteor showers falling from the Serpens constellation, which in Greek mythology represents the snake-holding Asclepius who was said to raise people from the dead. Perhaps the red powder is cinnabar, and the lives of the traitors have been extended by their contact with the powder/cinnabar ore (which also contains mercury, thus explaining the symptoms experienced by Bulverton and his fellow traitors). I also saw the schoolmasters as a kind of imperialist cult, serving the empire through churning out zombie imperialist graduates. Part of the cost of maintaining the empire was human sacrifice, which they offered by making pariahs of those who visited the hill as students and later executing and condemning their reanimated bodies to eternal existence there. Though the question remains what drew them to the hill in the first place--perhaps they were merely fated from the start to serve the empire in this awful way. (hide spoiler)]

Bill wrote: "Mimi wrote: "Also although Bulverton was essentially a traitor I found it hard not to be supportive of him."
[Very vague/minor spoiler alert] I didn't think Bulverton's motivations were terribly cl..."

While motivations of Bulverton's actions may have been left intentionally vague by Insole... the dynamics of this kind of disillusionment... particularly surrounding the experiences of WW I trench warfare and other horrors of battle remind me of a poem and latin saying ... Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori... the poem by Wilfred Owen is decidedly more ironic. I can imagine that a young man facing the horror of war and watching the complete shattering of his youth to feel as though he were betrayed by the very country that he served.

And i think I agree with Mimi on this... I don't feel that much outrage towards Bulverton and his actions. He found a way to pierce the veil and see the heroics and school rituals for what they really are.

As an aside... what do folks make of that figure that Bulverton saw on the hill when he was a young man, ascending it for the first time?

Sean wrote: "Benjamin wrote: "I thought that... in terms of big picture ideas from Hill of Cinders... perhaps Insole was pointing out a certain kind of falseness or delusion in the pageantry of patriotism. This..."

Really interesting analysis in your spolier comment, Sean. I wonder about the act of Bulverton inscribing his name into the stone. At first glance... at a banal level, it was just a kid trying to leave a memento or scribbling behind... saying "I was here!!". Perhaps though this inscription during his first visit to the Hill was something more akin to putting his name down in the black book?

So I very much enjoyed the second story as well, The Binding. This seemed to be one of Insole's more folk tale oriented pieces... very much infused with old world fae magic... a very different piece from Hill of Cinders.

These kind of fae references reminded me of another wonderful novella by Insole... Last Gold of Decayed Stars... a bit of a tribute to the poet George Trakl.

Benjamin wrote: "I can imagine that a young man facing the horror of war and watching the complete shattering of his youth to feel as though he were betrayed by the very country that he served.

And i think I agree with Mimi on this... I don't feel that much outrage towards Bulverton and his actions. He found a way to pierce the veil and see the heroics and school rituals for what they really are."

I didn't have any specific feelings toward Bulverton. There are indications in the story that he is already dissociated from his peers prior to going to war, almost to a sociopathic level. The war did not appear to have had much of an effect on him, and in fact he profited from its aftermath (he returns to England a wealthy man). He has no allegiances to anyone, and it seemed like more than anything he was simply fulfilling his fate by committing his act of treason, almost like an automaton. He was marked on the hill from an early age and nothing could change that. Though he does implicate the school in the plot, purely out of spite, this comes across in the story more as an afterthought rather than a driving act of revenge.

What I think this story accomplishes so well is to perfectly tread the green waters between this world and 'the other side'. That we are able to read it on multiple levels is a testament to its success in this endeavor. As the readers we are positioned right there in between and so cannot see the entire picture from either side.

I agree the second story is also good, though certainly quite different from 'The Hill of Cinders'. It's an elegant take on a familiar story, (view spoiler)[that of the little folk stealing a mortal human baby for, more or less, entertainment purposes (hide spoiler)]. Insole thrives in his telling, though I find his prose here a bit too restrained. The descriptions are so tightly controlled that I hoped for a bit more breathing room, especially in a story of this nature.

(Happy to see this buddy read chugging along, by the way...)

I enjoyed "The Binding". It's quite familiar, but there are enough colorful and specific details.

I know I have a reputation as a cut-throat editor wannabe, but I do wish Insole would resist the temptation to explain. Did I need to know that they were called vooinjer veggey? (Umm, sounds like a vegan junk food snack.) And I really don't think the last sentence was necessary.

Yeah... I didn't think Insole needed to explain the Ms. Mablis reference... I felt it was pretty clear that he was already referencing a Queen Mab type of figure.

I thought the final line was a sad and melancholic point Insole was making that the fae realms and fae magic is destined to fade away. This is a particularly interesting theme that Insole explores in more depth in Last Gold of Decayed Stars... particularly with the encroachment of the modern world... glamour fades and transitions from autumn into a final winter.

Binding was good... but certainly not his best story I have read. I'm almost done with story 3, Slaves of Paradise, which is another story that he wrote for an anthology... I think most of these stories collected here were written for specifically themed anthologies.

So... from a narrative standpoint... very very different than the previous two stories. The prose feels like a febrile dream... but within a very concrete subtext... that being events involving members of the French resistance at the tail end of WW II.

I had no idea of the movie references for Slaves of Paradise... thank you for sharing that. It definitely adds another dimension to this story for me.

Thats really cool, thanks for sharing that, Mimi!

Ok... wrapping up Winter Moon... this one was really dark...creeping with dread through and through. This one was published in the Gift of the Kosmos, Commeth, anthology (a tribute to night). It really fit into the anthology nicely.

I thought "Winter Moon" was ok, though I can't say I'll remember it in a week.

I love the girl's notebook in "A Blue Dish of Figs". It's another story with faerie references, but constructed mostly of oblique, dark hints. The frame is also nicely done. Not unfamiliar material, but I like this significantly better than "The Binding".

I would agree that Binding and Winter Moon are probably the most conventional stories we have read so far in this collection. It doesn't make them bad stories... but they are missing a bit of that additional thematic layering and thought provoking delivery that can be found in Cinder and Dish.

I think Dish and Winter Moon have many thematic similarities... particularly the conflictof the rational world/thought with the magical/esoteric world. Hopefully I'm not giving everything away, but I like some of the artistic foreshadowing done in Winter Moon. It was pretty clear that a blood sacrifice would be needed at some point.

Dish is gorgeous piece... very Machenalian (naturally it was commissioned for a Machen tribute anthology). I think though where Insole and Machen are similar is the way they envoke the numinous... or more specifically the kind of lore/traditions they are relying upon to demonstrate the esoteric. In Machen's case, his traditions were very occult based (Order of the Golden Dawn, etc.) and much of his writing is infused with these kinds of occult traditions.

In the case of Insole (looking at a number of his other stories including Dish), when he invokes the numinous, he seems to be coming from a more faery magic and folk tale tradition.

All that aside, I share Bill's assessment, Lilith's notebook was gorgeously presented... the language really seemed to pull you into another world that she had access to. And the descriptions of this world behind the veil were so vibrant. It made me really feel for her grandmother... I now fully understand the resentment and jealousy she felt for her grand daughter.

Yeah... this one had a strong decadent influence... also had a nice sting of a conte cruel. I really enjoyed the story.

I noticed also, in this one, similar to Dish... Insole’s descriptions are heavily detailed with color. Along those lines, it would seem that when he describes things with vibrant colors, there is often a hinting at of a kind of magic or some kind of numinous element. And similar to how colors can fade over time... in parallel we see a fading or waning of magic from the worlds he is creating. It is a lovely artistic device he uses to symbolize the waxing and waning of the numinous in his stories.

Mimi wrote: "But in terms of pickiness Bill sounds as if you don't hate the collection so far?"
I'm chugging along. "A Blue Dish of Figs" is my favorite so far, because the notebook is so tantalizingly and deliciously incomplete. I keep wishing that Insole would say less, but I know not everyone shares that sentiment.

I just finished the title story. Again, I really liked the central idea, but (view spoiler)[ I would have just barely hinted at a possible connection between the girls, rather than spell it out so clearly. (hide spoiler)] Also, I get grumpy about details like (roughly) "flakes of rust like drops of blood", used twice in the same story. When I read dark fiction, I'm already jumping at connections with blood, and prefer not to have it pointed out repeatedly.

I'm thinking back to my favorite stories in Carly Holmes' Figurehead (our recent buddy read), which I also complained about, but in very different ways. Holmes' stories spend a lot of time on relatively humdrum details (which can drive me crazy), but the central, powerful points might be made with just one or two sentences that can be easily overlooked.

Finally getting somewhat caught up, though still behind....

'Slaves of Paradise' - Though unfamiliar with the film, I really enjoyed the gauzy, dreamlke atmosphere Insole conjures up here. I was quite taken by the repetition of the Pierrots, who take on an increasingly haunting significance as the story flows on toward its well-conceived ending.

'Dance for a Winter Moon' - I actually liked this one a lot and find its evocative scenes and rich, unsettling imagery still lingering in my mind. It's a heavily atmospheric story driven by persistent unease that I was able to immerse myself in. I thought the pacing was excellent as Insole maintained the inevitability of the coming 'event'. I particularly enjoyed the preparatory rituals the townsfolk engaged in.

'A Blue Dish of Figs' - Although the thematic concerns held strong appeal for me, I was somewhat disappointed in their execution. It felt like the pacing was off, specifically in how the story moves between the notebook and Helen's actions and recollections. Sometimes I find this type of framing device to be problematic as it can create too much distance and disruption in characterization for me to engage deeply with the narrative. In this case, I thought the concept was too complex for the length of the story, leaving me as a reader feeling vaguely unsatisfied by the end. All that said, I was also interrupted while reading it and was not able to fully concentrate. I did read through it again, but by then much of the mystique had been spoiled. Probably I should try it again in a week or so--I did find the scenes with the hare to be particularly striking on the second go-round.

As a side note, I'm finding the diversity of these stories a bit jarring. I was unaware ahead of time that this was a compilation of previously published work, much of which appeared in thematic anthologies or homage volumes. While I find Insole's stylistic range impressive, in the future I'd probably not choose to read a volume such as this all the way through in one go.

Mimi wrote: "Sean a bit perturbed by your reference to the thread as filled with 'landmines' of 'spoilers'. As I'm new to buddy reads concerned that I may have gone against conventions. I've read through my pos..."

Okay, first of all my reference was not explicitly about your comments, Mimi, so don't worry about that. Secondly, it is taken out of context. This reference was in a comment I made in response to another user who is not participating in this group read, but who mentioned that he had just bought the book and had been interested in reading Insole. This user and I had previously discussed group read threads and the potential for spoilers in them, so I was just letting him know that there was information in the thread he might not want to know, given how far along everyone was in reading and discussing the book.

The fact is that everyone has a different take on what a 'spoiler' is. I personally am the type of reader that usually doesn't want to know much at all about a story or a novel prior to reading it. I often don't read reviews of books I plan to read. So I favor a fairly broad definition of what a spoiler is, and it goes beyond just 'what happens in the end'.

In the case of this thread, there are definite plot spoilers with regard to 'The Hill of Cinders' because all of us began discussing its plot points more openly after it became apparent that everyone else who was actively participating had finished reading it.

I don't think any of the comments should be removed. I was merely warning someone (with whom I had already privately discussed the potential pitfalls of group reads) that the thread could contain unwelcome information. Maybe the language I used was too strong, but then again one person's seemingly innocuous comments could be another person's minefield of spoilers. You just never know.

Yeah... I may have erred a bit in my own comments... I tried talking around certain observations that might have let on too much. I apologize if I ruined anything for anyone... that was definitely not my intent.

That aside I have found everyone’s comments to be both interesting and insightful. I’m not quite done with Valerie, the story but pretty far in. This has the feeling of a changeling kind of story... could be wrong though.

Mimi wrote: "It does seem a compromise position for those who don't want to know too much, if anything, that prefigures their reading, might be to agree that a proportion of a book's assumed to be finished by a certain date, then everyone can speak freely - and anyone who hasn't caught up avoids the thread until they have? "

In the past when I've done co-reads with another person this is how it was done. I actually don't have much experience in these larger group reads, and suspect that such a srict schedule would be virtually impossible to maintain, though. It's hard enough to do with just one other person.

I will just reiterate that I don't think anyone in this thread has transgressed in a major way at all, although I do think all of us (including myself) discussed 'The Hill of Cinders' to a level that I would not want to encounter prior to reading it. Does that make sense? I'm not sure what it means other than that given my sensitivities I just shouldn't participate in this kind of thing, which I always suspected anyway.

Sean wrote on "A Blue Dish of Figs": "I thought the concept was too complex for the length of the story, leaving me as a reader feeling vaguely unsatisfied by the end."
I wanted more too, but sometimes I'm ok with being left hanging. After the open-ended magic of the girl's notebook, it would be so easy to botch further elaborations/resolutions.

I actually went back and forth on whether I liked the framing device. I can totally see you not being happy with it! (In fact I'm going back and forth again...)

Sean wrote: "I'm not sure what it means other than that given my sensitivities I just shouldn't participate in this kind of thing, which I always suspected anyway."
Some group read moderators will actively synchronize the discussions, by setting goals for when people start talking about specific stories. Maybe that will help?

Bill wrote: "Sean wrote on "A Blue Dish of Figs": "I thought the concept was too complex for the length of the story, leaving me as a reader feeling vaguely unsatisfied by the end."
I wanted more too, but somet..."

I prefer this type of framing device in a novel, where there is enough 'space' for the writer to develop the narrative both inside and outside of the frame. I'm also totally okay with being left hanging. What I meant by feeling unsatisfied was not by the ending per se, but by the fact that such a complex and alluring set-up had been initiated in what is a relatively short story. It didn't feel as if there was enough time for Insole to do justice to the premise he had established. I could really see this being extended into a longish novella, or perhaps even a novel.

I also really liked the notebook framing... but this framing was done within a larger framing of the story... which I think made a clear beginning and end point that we knew was coming. I think from the start, we understood that this story was going to be about the little girl, Lillith, who was having a tough time in school as her administrators were completely ignorant of how to handle her situation. The notebook, as a device, simply gave us the opportunity for a rare but limited glimpse behind the veil.

I agree that this could have been extended into a longer piece... I'm just not so sure though that the 'magic' would have been sustained with more description, development, etc.

I'm fine with synchronizing as well. I would be up for trying this out in a future buddy read with this group.

Mimi wrote: "I'd noticed the colours because they're used to conjure such vivid images and I found that quite alluring, but I hadn't noticed the pattern you've pointed out which makes perfect sense. I'm thinkin..."

I just recalled an interesting image from Dreams of the Apple Orchards... wasn't there a passage describing a butterfly landing on Katya's face, during one of her dreams? Your reference to a butterfly reminded me of this and makes me wonder about the significance within a Katya's dream like sequence...

Bill wrote: "Mimi wrote: "But in terms of pickiness Bill sounds as if you don't hate the collection so far?"
I'm chugging along. "A Blue Dish of Figs" is my favorite so far, because the notebook is so tantalizi..."

In Valerie I think Insole actually uses the phrase "flakes of rust like drops of blood" on three different occasions... and I have an intuition that it was done very deliberately... not just clumsy writing. I would need to go back and re-read the three different passages, but I believe the significance of that phrase in those spots alludes to a closure of that part of the narrative.

As a whole, I greatly enjoyed the story, Valerie. It would seem to be the longest piece in this collection... it definitely had a feel for one of Insole's nicely developed novellas (like Oblivion's Poppy, Rhododendron Boy, Alcyon, etc.).

As for greek myths (I think, Mimi, you had made a connection here), I found Mrs. Broat's name to be a peculiar one. As her role became a bit more revealed, it became clear that she played a similar, albeit strangely modified role, to that of a different Greek boatsman... ferrying souls from one realm to another.

I'm a bit torn on the ending. I certainly found it satisfying... but I do wonder... along the lines of Bill's regular refrain... if Insole didn't have to provide any additional exposition here in the last few pages. All in all... I found it to be a very effective story, deeply evocative of many themes we have encountered in other stories... but containing a deeper sadness here than anything else we have read so far by Insole. The pathos here reminded me of Insole's contribution in the Pessoa anthology from Ex Occidente... quite a very different story but similarly poignant and melancholy.

Again, I will note the use of color in this piece. There was a particular passage where narrator received a gift from Mrs. Crick, a colorful book, but it in turn saw the colors draining away... indicative that the magic was bleeding away.

I think my understanding of this story can benefit from another reading.

Moving onto the last piece in the collection here... "Abdication of the Serpent". Has a very occult sound to it... =)

Benjamin wrote: "Moving onto the last piece in the collection here... "Abdication of the Serpent"."
Ok, how about we hold off on posts about the last story till say Friday? I believe Sean and Marie-Therese mentioned they're not quite there yet (but correct me if I'm wrong). Is anyone else working on the collection? (Randolph?) What story are you on?

Mimi wrote: "That's fine Bill, will do. Have put my last post in spoiler brackets just in case."
Thanks Mimi!

No problem Bill... makes total sense.

Bill wrote: "Benjamin wrote: "Moving onto the last piece in the collection here... "Abdication of the Serpent"."
Ok, how about we hold off on posts about the last story till say Friday? I believe Sean and Marie..."

I'm in the middle of the title story now and plan to finish it today. Will probably be done with the book by end of day tomorrow.

And, yes, that last title sounds alluring!

Ok, I believe participants in this thread are spread over at least 3 different time zones, but it's Friday in several.

"Abdication of the Serpent" reminds me somewhat of Clark Ashton Smith, with its ornate world-building and detail-spinning. I'm rarely in the mood for this sort of piece these days, unfortunately. It's reasonably well done though.

Mimi wrote: "The images made me think of Klimt and similarly extravagant paintings."
I actually like Klimt. But I like looking at Klimt (especially how he pushes the ornaments almost into abstraction); I would not enjoy reading a painstakingly detailed description of a Klimt painting.

I think that's also my problem with a lot of contemporary weird/dark fiction. All the detail is fine if I'm watching a film, but reading about what might be visible on screen, in gory detail, just bores me. They're very different media, obviously.

Its funny how we all have different frames of reference as we approach this story. I thought the story had a bit of an Umberto Eco's 'Name of the Rose' feel to it.

It was an enjoyable enough story but I would ranks as a minor piece in Insole's overall output. I have the gorgeous anthology that it was originally published in... and it definitely fits in with the overall aesthetic of that anthology... if you are interested... And the Whore is This Temple

Bill wrote: "Mimi wrote: "The images made me think of Klimt and similarly extravagant paintings."
I actually like Klimt. But I like looking at Klimt (especially how he pushes the ornaments almost into abstracti..."

That is an interesting observation, Bill, about weird/dark fiction in general. I think too many contemporary authors write horror/dark fiction with eye to delivering a book that is intended to be watched with popcorn.

I don't really know what genre to place Insole and his works... perhaps neo-decadent (whatever that means)... but I do like all of the detail here... the smells... the words used... I have noticed that Insole really like to use tactile descriptions when describing elements of entropic decay... such as 'leprous', 'mottled', etc. Those kinds of tactile descriptions give me a bit of the heebie jeebies.

Some of the lengthy description reminds me a little of Huysman's 'Against Nature' novel... that novel is zero story and all description... which can be a bit tedious at times... particularly if what is being described is of little interest.

I have to say the blurb for And the Whore is This Temple is waving "Clark Ashton Smith" at me, with the references to Hyperborea, hearts flaming like pyres in the blackened night, dying breaths of patriarchs and prophets, malachite, lapis lazuli, and of course temples and foreign gods!

I remember the pulse rate of Name of the Rose as being somewhat slower. But my memory is not what it used to be (and it was never great, ha)