Customer Reviews

Divinations of the Deep

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Having read many of Matt Cardin's essays on the stories of Thomas Ligotti, I was not quite sure what to expect when I purchased this book. Despite the sometimes condescending comparisons made between LIgotti's work and Cardin's, I would say that Cardin is more in the vein of William Peter Blatty or Georg Heym than Ligotti himself. Cardin clearly has more than a working knowledge of theology and all forms of spirituality, and his terror of the void shines through even in the biblical passages which he precedes his tales with. In "Notes of a Mad Coypist: The Monk's Answer" Cardin's art reaches it's height. A devout monk suddenly has what might be called a "vastation" of the most extreme sort which his contemporary monks mistake at first for a spiritual enlightment of sorts, and then recognize for what it is. Cardin carries St. John's "dark night of the soul" to a new level. Any of us who have at one time gone mad with ideas or had deep, intuitive doubts about the reality (or 'goodness') of human existence will immediately recognize Cardin as a fortunate survivor of this indescribably painful and hopeless experience. He has come out the other side to deliver dark juicies in the tradition of Grabinski, Andreyev, etc. It would be interesting to know what Cardin's actual beliefs are, since the tales suggest a titanic struggle between Christian faith and absolute meaninglessness. This is real horror.

Matt Cardin's stories delve deep into the mysteries of the soul and the cosmos. He is a fearless explorer refusing to flinch before the horrors he uncovers. For Cardin is a seeker of truth, his keen intellect focused on probing the uncertainties of existence.

Spirituality and philosophy commingle in Cardin's dark tales. Enlightenment and damnation battle with each other and the reader can only sit, transfixed; fearfully awaiting the final outcome.

The tension builds through tales such as `An Abhorrence to All Flesh' and `Notes of a Mad Copyist' before culminating in the cataclysmic crescendo of `Judas of the Infinite'.

If you enjoy the dark ruminations of Lovecraft, Leiber, or Ligotti then this volume will make a fine addition to your library.