Vastarien: Vol. 1, Issue 3 by Jon Padgett

Vastarien: Vol. 1, Issue 3 Reviews

• 
  Karl

  You should be aware that the Grimscribe Press is the fruition of editor/author Jon Padgett's longtime dream of creating a publication house dedicated to the work of Thomas Ligotti and the authors who have influenced and been influenced by him.
  
  The journal includes nonfiction, literary horror fiction, poetry, artwork, and non-classifiable hybrid pieces. The reader can sit down and listen to Jon Padgett discuss Vastarien & all things Ligotti! Here -->
  http://www.miskatonicmusings.com/epis... 
  
  
  Contents:
  
  001 - Introduction
  001 - “five dreams of the red tower” by s.j. bagley - ***
  005 - “The Rules and Regulations of White Pines, Vermont” by Kurt Fawver - ***
  019 - “Long Time, No See” by F.J. Bergmann - **
  023 - “Richard Gavin: The Nature of Horror” by S.T. Joshi - ****
  045 - “The Mad German” by Michael Uhall - ****
  053 - “I Feel Better Now” by Brooke Warra - *****
  077 - “The Glow at Home” by Rayna Waxhead - *****
  089 - “The Ghosts of Their Guns: Magical Realism in the Fiction of Nadia Bulkin” by S.L. Edwards - ***
  105 - “Chronology of a Burn” by Tonya Liburd - ***
  107 - “The Blind Opera” by Sean M. Thompson - ****
  135 - “Nightmares” by Desiree Zamarano - ****
  141 - “ “The Clown Puppet” — A Case Study” by Michael Cisco - *****
  155 – “Night Senses” by Emmie Bristow - ***
  159 - “The Nightmare Man” by L’Erin Ogle - ***
  173 - “Ennigaldi” by Sam Schreiber - ****
  187 - “Trauma Narrating” by Dr. Raymond Thoss - ***
  217 - “For She is Falling” by John Linwood Grant - ****
  231 - Contributors
• 
  Suz Jay

  This collection of short stories, essays, poetry, and visual art provides a lens with which to view the philosophy of Thomas Ligotti and others. The pieces are like a glass shard embedded deep within one’s skin. It’s impossible not to pick and poke at it. The feeling is uncomfortable and sometimes painful, yet compelling.
  
  My favorites in this issue are “I Feel Better Now” by Brooke Warra (and the accompanying illustration by Yves Tourigny), “The Glow at Home,” by Rayna Waxhead, “The Nightmare Man” by L’Erin Ogle, “The Blind Opera” by Sean M. Thompson, and “Nightly Senses,” a poem by Emile Bristow, which evoked a feeling of paranoia in me. Warra’s story features Eve and the unhealthy coping mechanisms she uses to deal with the physical and emotional pain associated with her genetic deformities. Waxhead’s work examines the safety of being kept versus the horror of being a “real person.” Ogle’s tale looks at abuse and taking control of a horrific situation. Thompson uses a second person narrative to put the reader in the driver’s seat of story about a recording that allows one to see what should not be seen.
  
  Each entry provides a fascinating look into the shadows. I’m excited to discover the contents of the other issues.
• 
  Patrick.G.P

  A good, if a bit uneven issue for me compared to the previous two. Stand out pieces for me in this issue was The Rules and Regulations of White Pines, Vermont by Kurt Fawver, Richard Gavin: The Nature of Horror by S.T. Joshi and The Clown Puppet – A Case Study by Michael Cisco. But the true standout piece for me was I Feel Better Now by Brooke Warra, a deeply disturbing, sad and creepy short story of body issues, self-worth and the loss of identity.
• 
  Justin

  This has been the most solid and enjoyable issue of Vastarien to date. Among the highlights are an original article on Richard Gavin by the noted critic S.T. Joshi; the short story "The Blind Opera" by Sean M. Thompson (having just read John Gray's "The Soul of the Marionette" I found Thompson's story most enjoyable); an article by S.L. Edwards about the author Nadia Bulkin's work--someone I had never heard of but whose work I am anticipating reading; and the essay "The Clown Puppet"--A Case Study by Michael Cisco, an excellent discussion of what the Weird genre is and means, particularly as expressed by Thomas Ligotti. But to me the standout of this collection is the essay by the pseudonymous Dr. Raymond Thoss, "Trauma Narrating." Approaching the Weird from the vantage point of three psychological approaches (Focal, Thematic, Symbolic), Thoss brings a new understanding to Weird fiction, specifically Ligotti's work, sussed out with examples from Thoss's own practice as a doctor : "Thomas Ligotti 'sensitizes' one to the nightmare of the organism, makes one aware of uncomfortable truths" (202). Thoss's essay is a fantastic work that deserves the attention of any fan of Ligotti or Weird fiction in general.
  
  With each issue of Vastarien I increasingly look forward to the next issue, and this volume has exponentially raised my eagerness for more.
• 
  Dylan Rock

  So here we are the final issue of Vastarien for the year, I find with most issues/series the 3rd tends to be either the grand finally or the limp ending. In this case Vastarien has not only maintained its quality but has surpassed it. This is truly one of the finest if not the finest journal on the weird and darker side of all things. So in short another amazing issue and I can't wait to see what the future holds for this fine magazine.
  Thanks again Jon and I know 2019 will be even better
  On a side note I support Grim Scribe Press on Patreon myself, the exclusive and previews alone warrant the monthly payments but having the issue shipped to my door and before its general release is the provable cherry on top. I would highly recommend anyone interested to look into it
• 
  Waffles

  This is probably my favorite issue so far. I especially enjoyed the scholarly articles by "Dr. Thoss" and Michael Cisco. There is also a terrific survey of the work of Nadia Bulkin. Make one of your 2019 resolutions to subscribe!
• 
  Andy

  A few things struck me about this issue of Vastarien compared with the previous two. First, several of these stories had a more emotional punch than in previous issues. Second, a good number of these stories stray from what I would categorize as strictly "Ligottian," which is fine but I think it's worth mentioning. Thirdly, there's more non-fiction entries than I would prefer, although I will admit that all of the non-fiction was quite good.
  
  I thought the best were "The Nightmare Man," "The Rules and Regulations of White Pines, Vermont" and "'The Clown Puppet' - A Case Study." "I Feel Better Now" and "The Nightmare Man" both delve deep into that emotional side I was speaking of quite well while "The Blind Opera" and "Ennigaldi" are both great mind-twisting, thought-provoking surreal tales.
  
  five dreams of the red tower by s. j. bagley - A very short but effective series of descriptions of evocative dreams about a red tower.
  
  The Rules and Regulations of White Pines, Vermont by Kurt Fawver - This is an increasingly menacing, creepy set of rules for moving to a secretive, selective community. (Really though as nightmarish as it sounds compared with the grim prospects of modern America it doesn't sound half bad!) Really enjoyed how many interesting ideas there were here, could be expanded into something larger.
  
  Long Time No See by F. J. Bergmann - This is a poem, with some Ligotti-influenced imagery and ideas, not bad.
  
  Richard Gavin: The Nature of Horror by S. T. Joshi - This is a brief survey of the short stories of Richard Gavin, written in S. T. Joshi's appreciative, but sometimes overly critical style. Fortunately he doesn't give away the plots too much here as I've seen him do elsewhere.
  
  The Mad German by Michael Uhall - There's a lot going on in this brief story, I enjoyed it although the work of Clark Ashton Smith came to mind more often than that of Ligotti perhaps. Still, this author has a great way with words.
  
  I Feel Better Now by Brooke Warra - A grim, depressing story of addiction, poverty and body deformity. The antinatalist sentiment oozes off this one, and although the end didn't really do it for me, the story as a whole is very compelling.
  
  The Glow at Home by Rayna Waxhead - This was a thought-provoking story that's a bit dystopian/sci-fi. Not usually my type of fiction, but it's quite well-written. A woman is kidnapped by a group who expose her to the real world, she longs for the artificial world she left behind, but only at first.
  
  The Ghosts of their Guns: Magical Realism in the Fiction of Nadia Bulkin - If this essay was meant to get me interested in reading Nadia Bulkin's short stories, it succeeded. Some interesting ideas on magical realism and how it relates to horror and weird fiction generally.
  
  Chronology of a Burn by Tonya Liburd - I didn't get too much out of this one. It's a bit like the earlier story "I Feel Better Now," about a depressed person restarting and trying to make it through daily life.
  
  The Blind Opera by Sean M. Thompson - This story is a lot of fun, it twists back into and onto itself a few too many times, and not all of the elements worked for me but it's got more for it than against.
  
  Nightmares by Désirée Zamorano - This is an odd entry, not bad for a 1,000 word story, nothing too interesting though.
  
  “The Clown Puppet” — A Case Study by Michael Cisco - One of the best essays I've read in Vastarien thus far, a very in-depth analysis of one Ligotti tale.
  
  Nightly Senses by Emmie Bristow - A nice little hallucinatory poem.
  
  The Nightmare Man by L’Erin Ogle - This issue has a lot of depressing stories, but this is the most genuinely touching and sad I thought. Calling this story strictly "Ligottian" is a bit of a stretch, but it was one of my favorites.
  
  Ennigaldi by Sam Schreiber - This was a great story, a lot packed into its short length with an obvious Borges influence I liked.
  
  Trauma Narrating by Dr. Raymond Thoss - I would have preferred another fiction entry, but this was quite good and interesting, a psychologist's view of how telling stories relieves trauma, and works on multiple levels.
  
  For She is Falling by John Linwood Grant - This is a good little hallucinogenic tale, I liked the prose style a lot. It seems to be a story of a sort of nature spirit, trying to escape the bleak urban decay around herself.
  
• 
  David

  Very enjoyable 3rd issue. Favorites include: “Trauma Narrating” by Dr. Raymond Thoss and Michael Cisco’s entry discussing Ligotti’s story “The Clown Puppet.” Absolutely loved “The Blind Opera” as well. The quality of Vasterien continues to make each issue extremely anticipatory.
• 
  Matt

  Another absolutely brilliant issue! Each story is work of weirdness and the non fiction pieces are great studies of Ligotti's work. There is a lot to unpack here, but it is all worth it. If you have any interest in weird fiction then do yourself a favor and subscribe to this.
• 
  Lori

  This third issue of Vastarien contains both an analysis of one of my favorite Ligotti stories, "The Clown Puppet," and another fantastic essay by Dr. Raymond Thoss, the pseudonym for a licensed clinical psychologist who works with abused children and has found a peculiar source of comfort in Ligotti's direct engagement with the fundamental meaninglessness of it all. The rest of the contributions vary in quality, but these two alone are worth the entry price.
• 
  Des Lewis

  Thrown herself onto that earlier binary line? Jump-Nancy, Jennifer or Huldre or someone else, this is both Trauma and Träum therapy, as we follow such an amazing coda perfect for this book’s symphony of fiction and non-fiction, whether intentional (or not) to be so. Metal boxes as suicide machines (see my other review, of a jump, finished yesterday here).
  Vastarien is whence you jump to not from. For good or ill. Ligotti studies et al.
  Testing patterns, as ever.
  
  The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
  Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
  
  
• 
  Tony Ciak

  They keep getting better and better or I'm continuing on my downward spiral.
  Lots of enjoyment in the stories.
• 
  David

  The good doctor’s essay was for me the most insightful piece for the whole collection. Other stories very uneven. Some moments, some teachable.
• 
  Ryan Croke

  As always, devastating & brilliant.