Customer Reviews

Poe's Lighthouse

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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The underlying theme of this superb collection is modern authors completing a fragment written by Edgar Allen Poe sort of like Natalie Cole singing Unforgettable with her father Nat King Cole. In the Introduction Christopher Conlon explains that just before his death, Poe, though depressed and an alcoholic, was still writing, but never finished his last work. That fragment (included in the Introduction) and his strong literary résumés serve as the basis for the twenty-three tales that make up POE'S LIGHTHOUSE. The contributions are fascinating just to follow the various interpretations that led to the stories. On top of that obvious allure, the compilation is well written with a who's who contributing their interpretation. Interestingly the stories run the speculative fiction gamut to include fantasy, gothic, horror (of course), romantic suspense, mystery and science fiction; all this from the fragment as the authors stayed true to Poe and to their particular writing style. This is a well written homage as the light shines on Poe evermore.

Harriet Klausner

What do you get when you submit a literary legend's tantalizing, uncompleted story fragment to twenty-four imaginative and disparate writers? You get POE'S LIGHTHOUSE, an engaging collection that lives up the promise of its offbeat concept.

Poe's skeletal tease of a tale serves as chum to whip up a feeding frenzy among a group of modern authors. The results are as eclectic as one might expect. Several of the writers take a stab at channeling the master and finish the short story as might Poe himself. Others add their own unique talents and sensibilities to the mix.

Much of the charm in such an experiment is seeing Poe reflected through the prism of these other writers, who often display the same fertile mind and gift for imagery as their absent host yet offer fresh perspectives on Poe's vision. The wildly diverse offshoots presented here ricochet into nearly ever genre or sub-genre one can imagine: pure horror, hard science fiction, broad comedy, psychological drama, whodunit mystery, explicit romance, and grand adventure. In addition, passionate affairs between these topics treat us to bastardized offspring that defy both convention and categorization.

Naturally, as with any anthology, some tales are better than others, and with such a variety to choose from, personal taste will cause one to gravitate towards (and away from) certain stories. But when the lesser lights in this collection flicker dimly, it is not because they are unfit or unworthy; they are simply outshined by the more audacious and creative tales. If a complaint must be mustered, it is the necessary evil of constantly re-reading Poe's original lines, which become brittle with repetition. But even this nitpick has an upside: Discovering Poe's narrative, and noting the clever ways in which the authors intertwine or bury them within their stories, becomes sort of a subliminal game for the reader.

Kudos to Christopher Conlon for conceiving of such an offbeat anthology and pulling it together with style. POE'S LIGHTHOUSE collects talented authors both well-known and obscure, and highlights their diversity of style. Upon completion, I found myself longing for the discovery of another lost fragment of Poe's work to serve as fodder for a sequel. Perhaps Mr. Conlon can exhume similar outlines or lesser-known short works from other masters (Lovecraft? Bierce?) and call upon his cadre of writers to work their magic again. This is a winning formula.

This collection is based around such an unsusal premise, but it works, thanks to the efforts of both well-known writers and a few people I never heard of--who ever would have thought that The Waltons creator Earl Hamner would come up with such a story about rats? I was struck by the story by Hilary Tham, which I thought was very atmospheric. I have to give credit to Christopher Conlon, the book's editor, who was justified in including his story about an abused child--no vanity piece there. I thought Carole Nelson Douglas' cat story was a little cutsie for me, but that's just me. Perhaps the stories that will haunt me longest were those of Steve Schlich, whose work interpreted the idea very creatively in a story with grim warnings for those inclined to experiment with drugs, and of Gary Braunbeck, whose contibution, a story about bereaved parents who find themselves communicating with their missing son through a toy lighthoue.

I love this idea. I love many, nay most, of the writers involved in this project. And I love Poe. That said, this book is not for everyone. This book is much like sugar; it can sweeten up your day, but too much of it will send you bouncing off the walls and breaking furniture. Those that don't like collections or anthologies just walk away now. Those that have problems with themed anthologies, run, don't walk to the nearest exit. Because while there is nothing wrong with this book per se, everything is wrong with trying to read it in the manner in which I did. And in the end, even someone that has loved and adored and worshipped Edgar Allan Poe since they were nine years old, can have an overwhelming desire to bring him back from the dead, just so I can beat him up.

Why?

Every story in this collection is based on the same fragment, therefore after about three of them in a row you start to look cross eyed at the pages, and even when they're really well done, you just don't care. Now then, if you promise - cross your heart, hope to die, grab the needles, all that good stuff - to only read a few at a time, then you should buy this. Matter of fact, you should pre-order it, right now. [originally reviewed during pre-order]

Why?

From Poe's style to the individual authors' modern style, to some sort of amalgamation of the two, the stories are definitely well written. From attempting to complete Poe's vision to just twisting it for their own sick and demented reasons, each one of these is unique. Better than the telephone game, anything is possible after the fragment has been spoken to the next person in line. However, as with all collections, anthologies, or other assemblies of fiction, there are diamonds and there duds. A few of the great ones [and names that don't necessarily get spoken every other moment in the genre] would be Scott Nicholson's "Last Writes" and Earl Hamner's "A Passion for Solitude". Among those that should be avoided? Nah, I enjoyed the collection too much overall to taint it by calling out those that deserve it.

Why?

The atmosphere varies from horror to romance, across the centuries, and from voice to voice. The pace is ninety percent solid with only a few spots that make it easy to put down - even between stories. And the characters, while a few are supplied and a smattering of others feel forced, are broadly brushed with hints of familiarity that beckon you to them like the solitary beam from a light house arouses curiosity on still black night. In the end, this one gets a 3.5 [Amazon doesn't have 3.5 so we round up to 4]

Why?

It's not for everyone, plain and simple. And those that it is for already have their credit cards out. Here, let me tell those of you that adore Poe, themed anthologies, and again, swear to keep that promise we made earlier... Buy it!

My husband loves Poe to the point he goes to Baltimore every year to celebrate his birthday! I bought this book for him as a gift because he loves Poe and I love lighthouses. :-) He says the book was pretty good. I would imagine this would be something nice to read during stormy nights. It is only $13, so if you are in the mood, go for it. Poe's Lighthouse

Very good book, good graphic and good idea to publish unfinished Poe's works, finished now by modern authors.

This is a limited edition: only 1000 items. And I'm so glad to have one of this precious book, signed by all authors, except Edgar Allan Poe, unfortunately :).

I'll write a review about the tales.

Yes, this is a good purchase.

as I'm a very ssslllooowww reader, since my massive stroke 6 + years ago. Up to this point, I'd rate a 5! Greg!