Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008
|
|
9:46 pm
|
francis_clay
|
I finally saw Cthulhu. The movie.
First: It's more inspired from than adapted from The Shadow Over Innsmouth. No fish people. Rivermouth Oregon rather than Innsmouth Mass.
But the tone, the alienation, the isolation of the protagonist keeps in tone with the original.
The near future, pre-apocalypse setting is an interesting twist- if you get a chance to see it, pay attention to the news on the radio. Of course it's close enough to now that the clothes and cars and... well, everything is workable.
The scenery is beautiful, the Oregon coastline is a good stand in for New England in bleakness.
It's a slow, quiet film, focusing on dread rather than shocks. Would that there were more horror films like this.
And Tori Spelling? Much like her part in The House of Yes, Spelling is effective as creepy townie girl, rather than Tori! Spelling!
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Saturday, November 22nd, 2008
|
|
6:55 pm
|
|
|
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
|
|
9:02 pm - Silk
|
|
|
Monday, August 25th, 2008
|
|
10:51 am
|
|
|
Thursday, July 17th, 2008
|
|
10:30 am - Newbie
|
gargirl
|
Hello to All. I just recently discovered Caitlin Kiernan through a copy of Silk I found at Barnes & Noble. I went out and picked up; Threshold, Low Red Moon and Murder of Angels and will be reading them soon. Her writing style is so hypnotic, I absolutely love her.
What are people's favorite books by her?
current mood:  curious
|
|
(20 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Thursday, April 24th, 2008
|
|
9:57 am - Mice, Men, and Best-Laid Plans + Kiernan's Biographical Blurbs
|
eldritch00
|
In case anyone is curious, I'm nearly done with Tales of Pain and Wonder--four stories left to read, following the alternative table of contents. It's so damn good that I find trouble writing something about each of the stories, at least for the moment.
I can't decide whether I prefer this to To Charles Fort, with Love. More precisely, I refuse to decide as to which one I prefer: both are equally solid clunker-free collections.
You can tell that both volumes are by the same author, Kiernan having been consistent in the kind of stories she tells so well. At the same time, however, there clearly are differences between one set of stories, indicating her development as a writer along certain lines rather than others.
Strangely, what has been going through my head--aside from these wonderfully weird stories--are the author biographies that appear in her books. Without pulling every title by her from my shelves, here's what I remember:
The one for Tales of Pain and Wonder is relatively straightforward. The Dry Salvages mentions what's under the ice at Europa, To Charles Fort with Love (I think, but it could be another book) mentions her as "an enemy of consensus reality" (who cooks chili), and The Five of Cups has that bit about her past life as an Egyptian royal embalmer.
I got around to wondering whether these biographical blurbs are copyrighted. If not, I'd like to put 'em up on Wikipedia or something, just so other people can read them and be as amused as I am. I'd do it if it's legally allowed, if I have the time, and if I have all the editions of her books. That first one is still open to question though, and the latter two conditions don't apply to me.
current mood: contemplative
current music: "Planet of Sound" by the Pixies
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Monday, April 21st, 2008
|
|
10:40 am - Here Comes the Pain (and Wonder)
|
|
|
Friday, March 28th, 2008
|
|
9:38 am - Beowulf
|
|
|
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008
|
|
8:03 pm - Bookstore Display
|
|
|
Monday, March 10th, 2008
|
|
11:12 pm
|
francis_clay
|
I'm reading bits and pieces of Les Fleurs Empoisonnees to my roommateboyfriend, actually asking him about the sweetbreads des champignons because he's a foodie. I then read to him the menu on p25 and I end up getting a microlecture on terrapin soup and how terrapin was a Edwardian delicacy. I describe the Stephens Ward Tea League and Society of Resurrectionists as... well... kind of Designing Women meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Seriously. I see, hear Dixie Carter as Miss Aramat.
I mention that Miss Aramat considers 1914 the year the world ended, and Perry's reaction was "well, then there you go," how the menu was very 1914.
He was impressed. So am I. I've always appreciated the menu, but the depth of it was unnoticed til tonight.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
|
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008
|
|
11:40 pm - Silk: (I was told I should cross-post this here.)
|
dragontdc
|
Even though I got the job, (having been unemployed since June), the first paycheck is a long way off and we need prescriptions and groceries before then.
So I've put one of my few really valuable books on eBay. A limited edition (lettered R of 26) boxed Silk by Caitlin Kiernan, with art by Clive Barker, and an afterword from Poppy Z. Brite. Signed by all 3, with the inclusion of a CD of Caitlin's band (signed by her as well) performing songs from the book. The cover price was $275.00 back in 1999. The Auction starts at $250.00.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200205447885
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Friday, December 14th, 2007
|
|
12:03 pm - A Few Recent Appearances of Kiernan's Fiction + A Recommendation
|
|
|
Sunday, November 18th, 2007
|
|
2:25 pm - CRK on Lovecraft and King Kong.
|
|
|
Friday, June 15th, 2007
|
|
7:28 am - Into the Dreamlands available on Amazon!
|
|
|
Wednesday, March 7th, 2007
|
|
11:07 am - Review of "Daughter of Hounds" posted on Fantasy Book Critic
|
cervantor
|
Hi everyone. Sorry to bother you but I recently posted a review of Ms. Kiernan's novel "Daughter Of Hounds" on my blog Fantasy Book Critic. Here's an excerpt:
Always on the lookout for a new author to sink my teeth into, I first heard about Caitlin R. Kiernan when I saw that her latest novel "Daughter Of Hounds" was being released in January ’07. Upon further research, I discovered that this was merely the newest entry involving psychic Deacon Silvey. Knowing that, I decided to check out Ms. Kiernan’s previous works first, starting with her sophomore effort novel "Threshold".
To check out the full review go to http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/. Let me know what you think Thanks and much love & respect. Robert
www.fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com http://www.myspace.com/fantasybookcritic
|
|
(4 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007
|
|
10:33 pm - Knee Jerk Abasiophilia Response (on "A Season of Broken Dolls")
|
stsisyphus
|
Here's a link back to my original post on "A Season of Broken Dolls" from Sirenia Digest #15. Otherwise, the full text is behind the cut - just depends on which button you want to click.
( All Clues. No Solutions. )
I think I've gone on way too long about this, and certainly in no seriously scholarly or coherent way. I didn't mean for this to be a formal review or critique - mostly just a response to a work which kindled a very odd sensation. I'm sorry to say that I don't have any conclusion or need little synopsis to tie things up neatly. I'm afraid that you'll simply just have to read the story for yourself & make your own decisions. Anyway.
-StS.
current mood:  sore
current music: Baying Dogs.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Friday, February 16th, 2007
|
|
11:55 pm - Accelerated Reading for Low Red Moon
|
francis_clay
|
I was testing one of the distributor's databases today and I ran a search on CRK, and I was pleasently surprised to see AR info for Low Red Moon. The AR program is where a company provides a list of comprehension questions on computer to the schools- for a fee of course- and students strive to get points. The books are weighted- LRM is a 21.0 pointer with a listed reading level of 6.5. Lalita Tademy's Cane River (an Oprah book) is ranked at 20.0. James Baldwin's Go Tell It On The Mountain is only a 13.0.
Anybody here have access to the AR questions? I'd love to see what the LRM listing is like.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Monday, January 15th, 2007
|
|
9:41 pm - Audio books?
|
mercurygrrl
|
I assume it doesn't exist yet, but are any of Kiernan's books made into audio books? I really want my boyfriend to read them, but right now he don't have time to "read" books except for when he's in the car...
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
|
Sunday, November 5th, 2006
|
|
3:42 pm - alabaster review
|
|
|
Thursday, October 12th, 2006
|
|
10:00 pm - Review of Alabaster
|
sword_of_athena
|
http://newsletter.austgate.co.uk/2006/10/horror-newsletter.html
Review of Caitlin Kiernan's Alabaster
Alabaster is a bind up of the Dancy Flammarion stories. We first met her in Threshold but this collection takes the character on a great journey which really showcases Kiernan's range of styles. Usefully the chapter listing comes in two forms, as published and chronologically.
I've liked her work since her debut novel (though I must have read some short stories to stumble on to it). Her imagery and creation of a sense of wonder one with the grotesque invading the real won me over as did her control of the narrative (try her graphic Dreaming graphic novels). She takes the idea of the god game with Dancy facing and abandoning her guardian angel and devils and works it into something really quite special.
She builds from the Bradbury-esque opening story into the style of the Gothic which is unique to her in the final story, subverting many ideas and archetypes.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
species_of_one![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
excited
hyper
