Noctuary

Thomas Ligotti is a truly unusual author. He has a fascination with "weird fiction," with the unknowable, the macabre. This is paired with a knack for eloquent word-poetry, intelligence and complexity, and a sense of the chillingly unusual. When I finish reading several Ligotti stories, I find that the world looks different. The colors aren't quite right any more, or the angles, or maybe people seem a little darker, a little stranger. I have several books of Ligotti stories and Noctuary is my favorite. I have often wondered why, and the answer I eventually came to is that most of the stories in here are shorter than those in other books. The longest one is less than 40 pages, and many are only two or three pages long. As much as I love all of Ligotti's writing, he's at his best when he writes in short chunks. Otherwise I find his writing sometimes drags a little. Ligotti's work is not for everyone. If you don't like the weird or the macabre, you won't enjoy his work. If you prefer your stories to be normal, with a beginning, middle and end, all wrapped up in a neat little ribbon, then this is not for you. If you prefer your world to be its same, comfortable self when you close your books - don't read a word of Ligotti. Ligotti's style is definitely not for everyone. He hands us phrases that no one but he would conceive of, that almost cannot help but elicit a shudder: "We witness the scene and, with what remains of our mouths, we smile." But for those of us who enjoy it, it is a dread and harrowing pleasure - one that I would not give up. My only regret is that Ligotti is not a more prolific author.

To realise that for only a few dollars more I could have bought 'The Nightmare Factory' instead which contains all the stories in this book + many more! I guess I will end up owning them both. Ligotti is one of the few creditable horror writers working today and I could never get tired of his stories. They just seem to get deeper and deeper with each subsequent reading. However - if you are looking for blood/gore type horror don't bother - this is a deeply subtle writer at work ..

Thomas Ligotti is easily one of the least known masters of modern fiction. His work transcends genre and his prose is most often poetic, his imagery haunting and atmospheric. For fans of any type of literature, Thomas Ligotti is a rare gem and a great talent in the field, though sometimes a difficult read, his work is always rewarding.This book preceeded his most recent work, "In a foreign town, in a foreign land" and his one of his best collections to date. Even the last section, which are simply bits and pieces from his notebooks, nothing coming close to a finished piece, far outshine many popular and exhalted writers working in the field today. Ligotti can create entire worlds, set mood and instill any emotion he desires, with a masters skill in less than a page, something many current bestselling authors fail to accomplish in hundreds of pages, or their entire body of work.For those new to Thomas Ligotti, this book is a great place to start, for those familiar with some of his other works, look for "Alice's last adventure" in Prime Evil, "In a foreign town, In a foreign land" a very rare novella, and "Songs of a dead dreamer" the mass market paperback is a highly revised version of the original small press release and his first published collection of stories. Any fan of great literature no matter the genre will not be disappointed by this great artist's work.Everything I've read from this author outshines almost every writer working in the field today. His work, a literary treasure and a classic in the making that will far outlast many of the more popular authors published in recent years.ENJOY........

Thomas Ligotti is easily one of the least known masters of modern fiction. His work transcends genre and his prose is most often poetic, his imagery haunting and atmospheric. For fans of any type of literature, Thomas Ligotti is a rare gem and a great talent in the field, though sometimes a difficult read, his work is always rewarding.This book preceeded his most recent work, "In a foreign town, in a foreign land" and his one of his best collections to date. Even the last section, which are simply bits and pieces from his notebooks, nothing coming close to a finished piece, far outshine many popular and exhalted writers working in the field today. Ligotti can create entire worlds, set mood and instill any emotion he desires, with a masters skill in less than a page, something many current bestselling authors fail to accomplish in hundreds of pages, or their entire body of work.For those new to Thomas Ligotti, this book is a great place to start, for those familiar with some of his other works, look for "Alice's last adventure" in Prime Evil, "In a foreign town, In a foreign land" a very rare novella, and "Songs of a dead dreamer" the mass market paperback is a highly revised version of the original small press release and his first published collection of stories. Any fan of great literature no matter the genre will not be disappointed by this great artist's work.ENJOY........

In _Noctuary_, Ligotti is at his finest. The short novella, "The Tsalal," in particular, is probably one of the most well written, psychologically twisted, disturbing tales I have ever read. If you buy no other horror short story anthology this year, buy this one. Though few people know Ligotti exists, those who have read him know that he is peerless in the field. For myself, I tremble in euphoric terror at the thought of what Ligotti's genius will turn out next. Fortunately, Ligotti's published stories have the lasting power of true classics, and I know I will continue to read them again and again as my life continues toward the inevitable.