This is my first review for the RIP book challenge which I haven't been doing so well, but I still might finish.
This collection of short stories was my first introduction to Thomas Ligotti, I definitely plan on reading more of his work. The style is not for everyone, in the way that both Lovecraft and Kafka are acquired tastes. Many of the stories are vignettes - brief glimpses into a parallel, but strange world. Most of the stories lack a clear beginning or a definite conclusion, the reader is sort of thrown into the scene without much explanation about where the story takes place, or exactly who the characters are. Part of his overall style involves the use of repetition, of a word, an image, a phrase, or a general idea/theme. In some stories, this works better than in others. "The Red Tower was for me an example where the repetition did not succeed to build a particular mood - it just became annoying.
On to the stories more specifically, while avoiding spoilers, the book is broken up into 3 sections; Derangements, Deformations, and The Damaged and Diseased. The first part was my favorite overall, and reminded me of Lovecraft the most though with a decidedly modern flavor. The strongest piece I felt was the very first story "Purity," which strongly reflects the "vignette" nature of the author's work. The horror invoked by this story and the others definitely stems from what is left unsaid or merely hinted at. The reader is allowed only a glimpse into what is quite likely a thoroughly terrifying "derangement."
The second section "Deformations" invoked Kafka, especially the Castle. The stories in this section are connected by a specific setting "the northern border town", a few recurring characters, and this shadowy yet utterly controlling (and terrifying) bureaucracy known as the Quine Organization. I thought the stories in the section were pretty strong too, especially the first one.
Finally, in the third section, we get to the title story "Teatro Grottesco, which I felt was perhaps the weakest as far as pacing and overall interest. In this story, the repetition of a phrase is supposed to tie the piece together, but really it fails to have any sort of memorable impact. I read through the book quickly up until this story, and then it took me about a week to finish it. The story after it isn't all that great either, which leads me to believe that in general this is the weakest section of the book, but admittedly I haven't quite finished the whole thing yet (I think I have two stories left).
Some of the stories definitely have an obvious element of horror, but others are more subtle, just plain weird, or maybe unsettling in a way that isn't quite definable. Overall, I would recommend Thomas Ligotti if you are into similar types of fiction, and I plan on reading some of his other books.
This collection of short stories was my first introduction to Thomas Ligotti, I definitely plan on reading more of his work. The style is not for everyone, in the way that both Lovecraft and Kafka are acquired tastes. Many of the stories are vignettes - brief glimpses into a parallel, but strange world. Most of the stories lack a clear beginning or a definite conclusion, the reader is sort of thrown into the scene without much explanation about where the story takes place, or exactly who the characters are. Part of his overall style involves the use of repetition, of a word, an image, a phrase, or a general idea/theme. In some stories, this works better than in others. "The Red Tower was for me an example where the repetition did not succeed to build a particular mood - it just became annoying.
On to the stories more specifically, while avoiding spoilers, the book is broken up into 3 sections; Derangements, Deformations, and The Damaged and Diseased. The first part was my favorite overall, and reminded me of Lovecraft the most though with a decidedly modern flavor. The strongest piece I felt was the very first story "Purity," which strongly reflects the "vignette" nature of the author's work. The horror invoked by this story and the others definitely stems from what is left unsaid or merely hinted at. The reader is allowed only a glimpse into what is quite likely a thoroughly terrifying "derangement."
The second section "Deformations" invoked Kafka, especially the Castle. The stories in this section are connected by a specific setting "the northern border town", a few recurring characters, and this shadowy yet utterly controlling (and terrifying) bureaucracy known as the Quine Organization. I thought the stories in the section were pretty strong too, especially the first one.
Finally, in the third section, we get to the title story "Teatro Grottesco, which I felt was perhaps the weakest as far as pacing and overall interest. In this story, the repetition of a phrase is supposed to tie the piece together, but really it fails to have any sort of memorable impact. I read through the book quickly up until this story, and then it took me about a week to finish it. The story after it isn't all that great either, which leads me to believe that in general this is the weakest section of the book, but admittedly I haven't quite finished the whole thing yet (I think I have two stories left).
Some of the stories definitely have an obvious element of horror, but others are more subtle, just plain weird, or maybe unsettling in a way that isn't quite definable. Overall, I would recommend Thomas Ligotti if you are into similar types of fiction, and I plan on reading some of his other books.
