Gothic Wine [Paperback]

Darren Speegle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2004

In Darren Speegle's collection Gothic Wine, we encounter specters and incubi, unnatural children and maddened artists, succubi and mysterious strangers, all present in the classically resonant yet modern setting of Europe, that same time-haunted and grief-sown continent inhabited by E. T. A. Hoffman's creations. Sometimes muted by fog and night, at other times starkly revealed in daylight, Speegle's protagonists meet their occult fates in manners both elegant and brutal. These stories are like a draught of some fabled German ice wine, possessing an unforgettable sweetness that only arises when cruel frost is applied to the grape." -Paul Di Filippo, critic for Asimov's and author of Strange Trades

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A collection that shows there's plenty of life left in the short story form; highly recommended." -- The Third Alternative, Autumn, 2004

"A style and fiendish ingenuity akin to Poe's. Will haunt you long after you finish each narrative." -- Asimov's Science Fiction, January, 2005

"An exquisite collection of literate and evocative stories, opening up a window into a fascinating, if eerie Europe." -- Charles de Lint, World Fantasy Award winner

"Darren Speegle delivers the reader, quite seamlessly, from places of precisely-evoked geography into landscapes of haunting spiritual menace." -- Graham Joyce, World Fantasy Award winner

"Darren Speegle is, quite simply, one of the consistently best up-and-coming horror writers in the business." -- Brian Keene, Bram Stoker Award winner

"The wine country of Speegle's stories sounds wonderful — except for the dangers awaiting the unsuspecting visitor in its shadows." -- Fantasy and Science Fiction, October, 2004

"This collection is to be treasured as highly as . . . a bottle of fine wine!" -- Gothic Revue

About the Author

Darren Speegle lives in Germany with his wife, Julie, and their two daughters, who are in the German educational system and are called upon more often than they like, to act as translators for their parents. When he is not pounding his head on the keyboard, Darren enjoys biking and hiking and experiencing Europe by its less beaten paths. His fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including 5 Trope, 3AM Magazine, Chiaroscuro, Fangoria, and Would That It Were. Gothic Wine is his first story collection.

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Aardwolf Pr (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970622538
• ISBN-13: 978-0970622532
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,697,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Warped European Tales...unique voice, December 20, 2005

By 

David Niall Wilson - Author of DEEP BLUE "boo... (Hertford, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gothic Wine (Paperback)

Darren Speegle is one of the most intriguing voices active in genre fiction. This collection centers on the unobtrusive theme of wine. The stories are not all about wine, but the wine flows through them and enriches them, and is never too far from the surface. Some of the unique flavor of Speegle's work is in the mix of cultures, Americans in Germany. Americans in France. While the landscapes and conflicts encountered in these tales are no less surreal than those of contemporary authors writing more homespun fiction, they derive a sort of "permission" for their oddness from experience just beyond the ordinary. Cultures collide, generations of history collide. The result is a very satisfactory mix of literary voice and grim, seedy surrealism.

The lead story in this collection, "Chasing Fuseli," takes familiar literary trails in unique directions. It dwells on the disintegration of a man's life and mind while, at the same time, blending in the influence of artist Henry Fuseli and his painting, "The Nightmare." You are left uncertain throughout this piece whether the protagonist is writing from a perspective within this reality, or in some other, with the counter-rhythm of his wife's voice pleading and teasing throughout. Very inventive.

Other standouts are "End of the Line," a story of a village and its madness, and "Red View," about an artist who may or may not have painted red into his painting, and the woman who provided the color. This one shows off a common thread of Speegle's work - the strange relationships between characters that seem to slip in and out of real-world perception. Enigmatic women who lead protagonists astray. Possessed and obsessed lovers and warped landscapes that lead to places just off the maps we are familiar with while staying in sight. Speegle's stories disturb by their ability to associated truth as we know it with slightly warped versions that skew reality.

Darren Speegle's prose is elegant and sophisticated. Each story is disturbing enough to leave a mark and literary enough to appear in a school textbook without raising an eye. This is a wonderful collection by a talented author. Highly Recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible book, October 16, 2005

By 

Jerry Wynne (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gothic Wine (Paperback)

Nowadays most horror writers concentrate on gore at the expense of literary quality. Not so with this collection. These stories haunt you through their atmosphere, their settings, their language. It's the finest single-author horror collection since Poe. My favorites are "Porta Nigra," "Chasing Fuseli," "Der Tod," and "The Wholesome Scent of Cedar." You may have a completely different set of favorites. Each story is so well-done, so intricately plotted and perfectly paced, it's like a tiny novel in itself. My strongest recommendation.