Last month was really productive, and it was exciting to finally start to drop stories from In Plain Sight, Unseen.
Read some great stories by Daniel W Davison and Robert W Chambers.
True Detective was a great watch as well, a decade on from the last time I watched it (which is hard to believe).
27/05/24
contributed to Macabre Monday by sharing a story about a power cut, and an intention to write a story about the experience.This is quite the macabre coincidence because if last month’s wrap-up wasn’t due to be posted then I would have been posting another story from my collection - one about a power cut!!!
That story is based on a true story, a real power cut that I experienced. I have obviously set it over a century earlier and made it into a fully-fledged Gaslamp Horror story.
Scheduled a post for the first Macabre Monday of June - a post about trains and what they represent in Gaslamp Horror. I could have made it far longer than it is, but it is already pushing the email limit.
I also scheduled another story from In Plain Sight, Unseen. This is the one based on my real-life experience with a power cut.
Don’t worry, it is set in the Victorian era.
Click here to check out the stories I’ve dropped on Substack!
03/06/24
My post about trains and Gaslamp Horror was sent out. At the time of writing this, it had one comment which amused me plenty about an image I used.
The first five stories in The King in Yellow were superb. I read the book recently and thought about how out of place the rest of the stories were. Chambers’ writing is still good but the rest of the stories don’t contribute to the King in Yellow mythos…
I listened to the first John Shannow book by David Gemmell. I really like Gemmell, and this book started well but it became a bit samey. I was warned about this though by a Warrior Wendnesdayer or a Sword and Saturdayer. I’m in no rush to finish the trilogy.
10/06/24
Recently watched the film The Vanishing, and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a moody atmosphere and there's something about the way it portrays isolation and the psychological unravelling of its characters (Gerard Butler’s character collapses like a cheap fishing chair).
This reminded me of another film I watched a few months ago, Cold Skin. Like The Vanishing, Cold Skin is set on a remote island with a lighthouse, and it too has a moody and atmospheric feel.
In Cold Skin, the interplay between the human characters and the mysterious creatures inhabiting the island adds intrigue and suspense. The Vanishing dives deep into the human psyche, exploring themes of madness and desperation in a setting that feels both claustrophobic and vast.
17/06/24
My post about the judicial system in Gaslamp Horror went live today.
I started watching Game of Thrones recently and decided to listen to the audiobooks soon after. I've got a few hours of the first book left to listen to but I can’t help but notice how faithful to the source material the adaptation is.
The first season follows the main plotlines of the book closely, with many scenes and dialogues copied and pasted from the text, and the performances are consistent with their literary counterparts.
I’m going to continue listening to these audiobooks because I don’t have the time to physically sit and read 800-page beasty boys. Plus, the performance of the narrator is good.
24/06/24
Another story from my collection In Plain Sight, Unseen went live today.
I had a look for some horror-fantasy books - Game of Thrones got me right in the mood. Before I carry on listening to those books, I’ll have a go at one of the horror fantasy books I identified - Between Two Fires.
Started to read The Conditions of the Working Class in England by Friedrich Engles. I’m not far enough in to comment. It started off painting a bleak picture, and I imagine the picture will remain bleak.
The story about power cuts is "A True Joule," one of 6 eerie journeys into sci-fi in my book. And thanks so much for the mention!