Name: Songs of a Dead Dreamer
ISBN: 9780881847215

Thomas Ligotti

Ligotti's works feature some of the most grotesque images in modern horror fiction, while proving the reliable dictum that the very worst horrors are often those which remain unseen

Songs of a Dead Dreamer

If I'd read this book when I was younger I would have been absolutely insufferable about it. As it is, I've read it twice so far and recommend it frequently. Ligotti is peak Gothic prose, and the philosophy woven into his work is so perfect for anyone with a morbidly nerdy mind.

Theo

Leafling

This is by far one of the best collections of supernatural horror that I've ever read. At first I was a little off put by Ligotti's flowery often-gothic language, but I got used to him playing with styles and using it to his advantage in exploring old horror tropes with new breaths of imagination. I got a lot of The King in Yellow vibes in that a frequent topic was whether or not madness was actual insanity or knowledge of a different plane of existence. Ligotti's stories are so original, that it was hard to guess where their dark paths were leading. Very creepy, very otherworldly. Definitely the kind of horror that I'm into. I'd highly recommend it to any horror fan who's tired of reading contemporary haunted house kinds of stories.

I read these out of order over a long period of time (shortest first, because I read them aloud over a campfire while camping in the summer). When I started reading them again from the beginning, I learned that the first story (The Frolic) about a criminal psychologist and his patient packs a huge, creepy punch. It's not gory, but it's not for the faint-hearted. Prepare to be all SORTS of startled.

FAVORITE STORIES: Vastarien, The Music of the Moon, Drink to Me Only With Labyrinthine Eyes, The Frolic

Full review: Outlandish Lit - 3 Startling Short Story Collections