Thursday, September 12, 2024

THINKING-TIME-DREAM-THING


 THINKING-TIME-DREAM-THING 
"Pretty soon, entirely without volition on his part, queer, half-formed dream things would float through his mind . Like dark , polliwogs. Propelling themselves along with their tails, hinting at secrets that nobody knew, not even grown-ups. Some day he would be able to catch one, quickly, before it wriggled off into the inner hidden chamber where They had a nest and, then , he would know."

"He had only had it for a split second but he remembered it had blind, weepy eyes and was smooth."

"'"And make a thinking-time-dream-thing hold still so's I can get it. So's I'll know. I guess that's all. Hahneeweemahneemo, O Idol of the Flies, you are free to GO!'" 

"Another—shooting itself along with its tail—its greasy sides ashine . Another—and another—and another—and then a seething whirlpool of them. There had never been so many . Spiny, pulpy, slick and eellike, some with feelers like catfish, some with white, gaping mouths and foreshortened embryo arms."

"Its nose holes went in and out, in and out, in and out, like something he had known long ago in some past, mysterious other life , and it whimpered as it came and whispered things to him."
Jane Rice, The Idol Of the Flies

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

STORIES FROM THE BORDERLANDS RETURNS! TOMORROW!

 Hey folks! I'm very excited to announce that Stories From the Borderland will be returning tomorrow. If you're unaware (it has been a while) this is a project where author Scott Nicolay chooses a forgotten but influential Weird story and writes and essay about it. I draw the monster. Author Anya Martin coordinates & edits. 


In the past we've covered A.E. Van Vogt's contribution to pop culture (Star Trek, D&D and Alien) and Joseph Payne Brennan's influence on The Blob. It's also just an amazing, fulfilling project. It's how I discovered both James Tiptree & Margaret St. Clair. Scott did a brand new translation of J.-H. Rosny's The Xipéhuz which Dim Shores published with the essay and my illustrations AND our coverage of Margaret St. Clair was featured on Weird Fiction Review. 

We had done around 20 entries and even had another set of stories lined up, then life got in the way. I was working on both Monstrous Mythologies and The Commonplace Book and Scott was working on degrees and translating Jean Ray's work. It didn't help that I stopped using Facebook, the preferred method of communication of weird fiction authors. But I had drawn the monsters from that last set of stories and posted them, not knowing if we'd ever return. BUT we have! So I'll be reposting them and you'll get to read the essays that go along with them. 

Scott's going full speed and already has the next set planned. I'm so excited to dive back into this project and so excited for you all to come along for the ride.