54pp. Ann K. Schwader has constructed a haunting sonnet sequence that twists both horror and science fiction within the phantasmagorical background of the Cthulhu Mythos. Inspired by the famous Fungi From Yuggoth sonnet cycle of H.P. Lovecraft, the narrative tales us from discovery, alienation, futility, to the ultimate fate of our universe. Steve Lines has provided the cover and a series of excellent interior illustrations that add to the atmosphere of verbal imagery. The introduction is by noted author and poet Richard L. Tierney.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Taking inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft's 1930s verse epic Fungi from Yuggoth, Schwader (Strange Stars & Alien Shadows) serves up a 36-sonnet cycle that gives its eldritch horror theme a space-age slant. When members of a manned expedition to Mars stumble upon a cave of mysterious living crystals, they fall under the malignant influence of alien beings who transport them through a "Gate Between the Stars" to a world of horrifying extraterrestrial monsters and life forms that defy human comprehension. Schwader describes this nightmare realm in vivid images that are captured eerily in moody black-and-white illustrations provided by Steve Lines. She also conveys a sense of cosmic awe and terror that speaks to her Lovecraftian influences and shows with poetic precision the dark side of science fiction.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent sonnet cycle,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: In The Yaddith Time (Paperback)
In the Yaddith Time is a book of sonnets by Ann K. Schwader published by Mythos Books in 2007. List price is ony $10.00, but then there are only 54 pages. Each of the 36 sonnets gets its own page (the same number of sonnets in Fungi from Yuggoth). The cover art is by Steve Lines of Rainfall Books (he has one painting appear in the wonderful A Lovecraft Retrospective from Centipede Press). who also provides a fair number of interior drawings, most of them next to the sonnet they are illustrating. I didn't particularly get jazzed by the cover although I liked all of his interior drawings. The introduction was by Richard Tierney and I thought it was a very good introduction. Ms. Schwader is a very accomplished mythos author; her collection Strange Stars and Alien Shadows from Lindisfarne Press is an excellent read (remember the good old days when Lindisfarne Press was going to publish so many anthologies?). I like good poetry but I basically have only read the best the English language has to offer, guided by college literature classes. When I read the tidbits in mythos books they tend to be pretty lame by comparison. Nonetheless, I like Ms. Schwader's fiction so much I had to give In the Yaddith Time a try.
The inclusion of 36 sonnets is a direct nod to Fungi from Yuggoth (BTW some day Hippocampus Press is publishing an annotated Fungi from Yuggoth; can't wait for that!). She uses Shakespeare's model of 14 lines of iambic pentameter. I counted three different rhyme schemes: ababcdcdefefgg abbacddceffegg abbacddcefgfge One thing that is very difficult is to avoid a dog trot kind of feel to iambic pentameter; Ms. Schwader is too skilled to fall into that trap. In fact these poems work better when read aloud (mind you I felt a little goofy reading poetry to myself, but I got over it). The sonnet cycle is really one long telling of the story of mankind's demise as humans are enticed beyond the boundaries of what we know. I didn't really have a favorite although I liked some of the imagery: from [The Will of Yaddith] As Earth's first masters harnessed shoggoth-kind to raise aquatic citadels of stone As I see it, this book's appeal is probably limited to those familiar with Lovecraft, Fungi from Yuggoth and are fans of poetry, a pretty select audience! Read in a single setting (preferably aloud) they tell a compelling story. I enjoyed the experience well enough but I doubt I'll be pulling this book out for another read, at least not until I've read the Hippocampus Yuggoth book when it comes out. The 3 stars are because I much prefer prose fiction to poetry, and because the book is so short. If you want to sample Ms. Schwader's prose buy Strange Stars and Alien Shadows. That will keep you up at night reading!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
