Ancient Eyes

Authors tend to have themes that fascinate them, things they return to again and again, such as Jack Finney’s longing to return to a by-gone day, or Philip K. Dick’s obsession with human identity. For author David Niall Wilson, there is a recurrent theme of the nature of religion, or more exactly the role religion serves in his characters lives. Sometimes the religious themes are font and center, as with his classic novel This Is My Blood, and sometimes it serves as subtext. Since this is something of deep interest to me, this is possibly part of the reason I enjoy his work so much. Ancient Eyes is another novel with this as a focal point.

The principal character in the novel is Abraham Carlson, who grew up in an isolated community in the California Mountains (despite the California location, it seemed more rural Southern to me, but that would be a personal prejudice). Abraham’s father was the spiritual leader of the community, and when Abraham was a boy, took action against a dark presence residing in the mountain and vanquished it, although not permanently. In the years since, Abraham’s father has died, and he has moved away, becoming a writer and putting his past behind him. Until he receives a cryptic message from his mother, “He is returned…come home, boy”. It seems that Abraham’s family is part of an ages-old struggle against evil, and Abraham must return to his birthplace to continue the fight.

Ancient Eyes works just fine as a simple classic good vs. evil story, with the “good” stone church opposing the “evil” white church. But Wilson is one of the best authors working today, and for those who want something deeper, there is plenty here. Of particular interest is the fact that Reverend Koz, the nemesis of Abraham’s father, doesn’t see himself as some disciple of evil. He truly believes he is following the proper path of God. The parallel to modern religious fanaticism is clear. No matter how evil we see religious extremists; to themselves they are doing the right thing.

Whether it was deliberate or not, the book shows (I think) influence from Welsh writer Arthur Machen, who used similar motifs in his work. For those looking for a decapitation or an evisceration on every page, it may not be quite what they are looking for, but for anyone who appreciates good writing. The book was published by Bloodletting Press, and is very well put together, with a gorgeous cover (seen at right) and internal illustrations by Don Paresi.

Since I’ve been doing this little blog, I’ve posted on several of David Niall Wilson’s books, including This Is My Blood, Roll Them Bones, and now Ancient Eyes. I think it bears mentioning not only are they three great books, but they are very dissimilar to each other. Many authors basically write the same book over and over again, but Wilson gives you something new and different each time, and does it well.
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Roll Them Bones

Thomas Wolfe famously said, “You can’t go home again.” In David Niall Wilson’s 2003 novella, Roll Them Bones, maybe the lesson is “If you can go home, you probably shouldn’t”.

Four high school friends reunite in their home town, years after they were participants in a horrible incident, one that has haunted their thoughts and dreams for all the time since. They have been summoned by one of their number to revisit the site of the incident, where a house that burned down on that fateful night has mysteriously disappeared. They are forced to confront not only what they did, but who they have become. It is a fascinating look at how humans struggle to overcome their flaws, as well as a horror story. (This is the second great Halloween-themed novella I’ve read in the last couple of years, along with Norman Partridge’s Dark Harvest, and both will be perpetual reads of mine in Octobers to come). You have the childhood bully who seems to be trying to be a better person, the writer who is trying to work out his problems in the books he writes, and the two former lovers who find their feelings have not changed as much as they thought.

I haven’t read everything David Niall Wilson (This Is My Blood, Maelstrom, Ennui & Other States of Madness) has written (I am working on it), but I have never read anything that disappointed me. He consistently rises above what people imagine to be the restrictions of the genre. Roll Them Bones is no exception. Even though Halloween is still a few months away, this is well worth picking up. It was #12 in Cemetery Dance books’ novella series, and is still available through various on-line merchants.
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This Is My Blood

A reprinted and slightly re-written post from elsewhere...

This Is My Blood, by David Niall Wilson (one of my favorite writers), first published in 1999, is a book of extraordinary depth. It takes some of the conventions of horror (vampires, demonic possession, the Lilith legend) and uses them to explore the foundations of Christianity in a way that takes seriously the religious issues raised. In my own life, for purposes of reference, I was raised Southern Baptist, converted to Catholicism, and now don’t believe in the supernatural at all. Despite this, since I first read This Is My Blood seven or eight years ago, it has stuck with me. This is also a perfect book to read in the Christmas season, for obvious reasons.

The book covers the same period of the life of Christ found in the conventional gospels. Jesus has gone into the desert and is tempted by Lucifer. As part of the temptation, Lucifer brings forth a female fallen angel to tempt Christ with the desires of the flesh. To Satan’s surprise, the newly created woman responds to Jesus’ offer of redemption. In anger, Lucifer curses the woman, who will be known as Mary Magdalene, to live off the blood of humans, and to shun the daylight – the first vampire.

The book follows Mary’s attempt’s to gain redemption, and also features an alternate view of Judas, here seen as the most faithful of disciples. Although it is obviously quite different from conventional theology, Wilson’s skill brings these familiar characters to life in a new way, and makes you feel the suspense of what the outcome will be – even though you already know it.

Those who are easily offended by alternate depictions of Christ won’t care for this, but I doubt they read much anyway. This book is an underrated classic, and Wilson is one of the genre’s best-kept secrets. You will find great reward if you read this book. When I checked earlier this week, The Horror Mall had at least one copy in stock, and This Is My Blood has also been reprinted under the inferior (in my opinion) title of Temptation of Blood. Check it out. If you are looking for something past the endless action sequences of a lot of horror novels, this should interest you.
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More Free Fiction on Audio

Acclaimed author David Niall Wilson (Maelstrom, Ennui & Other Tales of Madness) has joined the ranks of authors who are recording their work and offering it as a free download. The stories are from a series of short stories based on emoticons, believe it or not. Wilson has the first two up for download at his podcast page. Check 'em out.
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Who And Why I Follow

So, over on my latest time-waster, twitter, David Niall Wilson came up with an idea for everyone to blog about “who and why they follow” on December 2d. Since today is December 2d, and this will save me from coming up with an idea of my own, here comes a selection of a few of the folks I follow. I am am nothing if not a sheep.

– Jim is my Scot brutha from another mutha. I’ve traded jibes with Jim on about three message boards. Plus, he’s the one who invited me to Twitter, and thus responsible for another alarming decline in productivity. Also, when I thought I was dying last year, he was the only one who didn’t seem happy about it.

Matt Staggs – Matt is a man of very discerning tastes, which you should check out at his Enter the Octopus website. Matt was the proprietor of the old Skullring website, probably the best website for reviews of genre books and films. He also invited me to contribute to said website, and shortly after I began, it shut down. A coincidence? I think not.

– Kent is another message board friend, who I’ve come to reply on for recommendations about books and movies (not counting that disco thing). Kent is also the author of several excellent pieces of short fiction, and we’re all looking forward to a novel from him one day.

– He started this. Also, David is a very fine writer. His novel This Is My Blood and novella Roll Them Bones are on my favorites lists. I’ve also had the opportunity to read some of David’s work in advance of publication, and it is a privilege.

– John Hornor Jacobs hasn’t had much of his work published yet, but when he does, he’ll make a splash. His unpublished novel Southern Gods is a great read, and is going to make a lot of top lists one day. Although John has recently agreed to a collaboration that might wreck his career.

– The previous post contains much of the reasoning for following Bryan Smith, but to briefly recap, Bryan Smith is one of the best writers working in the field today.

Maelstrom

(The following review is based on a pre-publication copy, and the final version may be drastically different.)

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the reasons I like one of my favorite writers, David Niall Wilson, is his ability to dramatically vary his subject matter and tone. This Is My Blood isn’t like Roll Them Bones, which isn’t like Ancient Eyes. Since a lot of authors basically re-write the same book over and over, I find this refreshing. (It is pure speculation on my part, but I wonder if that contributes to Wilson not yet being a household name? The marketing people are the ones who would like cookie-cutter product, because it’s easy to categorize and promote). His next novel to be published, Maelstrom, is another departure in his work.

Maelstrom reminded me a lot of old-school horror. A group of teens attend a concert by their favorite rock band (the titular Maelstrom). On the way home, they stop by a cemetery for a “ghost hunt” and accidentally witness a sinister, murderous rite. Nick, one of the boys, drops his knife (with the Maelstrom logo to identify it) at the site of a ritual murder. This makes him the chief suspect in the murder in the eyes of the cops, and a witness that needs to be eliminated by the cultists.

No matter what he writes, Wilson has a great mastery of language. His books are truly a pleasure to read, and he does a nice job of building suspense. I would recommend this book, and any of Wilson’s work, to anyone who likes to read. Although his work has been found mostly in the small press so far, here's hoping he will break through to much wider recognition.

Maelstrom is scheduled to be published June 15^th, and can be pre-ordered by clicking on the photo. It features a beautiful cover by Alex McVey, and in an unusual promotion, anyone who pre-orders the book is entered in a contest to win a guitar – autographed by the band Maelstrom.

Ennui and Other States of Madness

Earlier this year, I had an opportunity to read some work by one of my favorite authors, David Niall Wilson, before publication. Now that pre-sales are available for two of the three, I can go ahead and talk about them. The first is Ennui and Other States of Madness.

Due to be published in August from Dark Regions Press, Ennui and Other States of Madness is Wilson’s first collection of short stories since his Stoker-nominated Defining Moments. It is a mixture of previously-published work and some pieces that are new to the volume.

One of the things I like most about Wilson’s work is his ability to shift gears and change focus dramatically from story to story, as opposed to some authors who find one vein and doggedly mine it long after they’ve said everything they can about it. The seventeen stories featured here illustrate this very well.

Rather than detail every individual story, I’ll hit the highest spots. The lead story Ennui, is a fascinating story involving the historic Jack the Ripper, which displays copious research on the part of Wilson. The Gentle Brush of Wings is a wonderful horror-fantasy which won the Stoker Award last year for Best Short Fiction. For These Things I Am Truly Thankful will make you think twice about the food you buy at the supermarket (as someone who worked in a grocery store in high school, I will attest caution is warranted). New Leather and Old Cognac is a tale of obsession centered around an old bookstore that reminded me favorably of Robert W. Chambers. The Call of Farther Shores concerns a legacy that returns to haunt a young man returning to his hometown.

I could go on and on, but hopefully, this gives an idea of the type of stories found here. There really isn’t a weak one in the bunch. One thing I found unusual, and very welcome, was the stories seemed to become stronger the further you went into the volume, a departure from a lot of collections which cluster the good stuff up front, and dump the unsaleable at the end. The artwork is by Don Paresi, one of the best working in the field.

The Horror Mall has Ennui and Other States of Madness for pre-order at an incredible $19.95 for 360 pages of great reading. In the era of high priced small press books, this is a true bargain. The print run looks to be low, so it would be advisable to place your order as quickly as possible. Clicking on the photo below should take you right to the ordering page. I’ll be shocked if this doesn’t get a Stoker nomination for 2008.