Fill In the Gaps: An Update
I haven't completed another Fill in the Gaps book lately, but there's a reason for that: I've been hijacked by Ray Bradbury.
Can you blame me? I read Neil Gaiman's article about Ray and had to read the story he mentioned, so I got a hold of his short stores. (Ray's, not Neil's.) (Though I have those, too.) I just couldn't put it down. (For the record, the collection I grabbed was The stories of Ray Bradbury, which I checked out from the library.) (Until I got my own copy, that is.) I have re-read a few of my favorites ("There Will Come Soft Rains," "The Sound of Thunder") and hit a few others that made me laugh, think and wonder. (It's been a while, so a few are like new again.)
At about the same time, I read "The Call of Cthulhu" in The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre. (It's on my list.) May I say: Yikes! Good, but yikes nonetheless. I had to re-read the description of the small idol a few times because it was too bizarre. And the rituals, my stars, the rituals. Will Cthulhu rise for good? Will I have to read the entire Cthulhu series to find out? Do I have the courage?
I could not put Ray's short stories on my Fill in the Gap list because I have read and followed him all my life. H.P. Lovecraft, however, is a gap I must fill. Gladly. (Well, I think gladly. David will tell you, especially if Mr. L affects me as Dan Simmons has.)
So Lovecraft and Bradbury it is. Join me, won't you?
Can you blame me? I read Neil Gaiman's article about Ray and had to read the story he mentioned, so I got a hold of his short stores. (Ray's, not Neil's.) (Though I have those, too.) I just couldn't put it down. (For the record, the collection I grabbed was The stories of Ray Bradbury, which I checked out from the library.) (Until I got my own copy, that is.) I have re-read a few of my favorites ("There Will Come Soft Rains," "The Sound of Thunder") and hit a few others that made me laugh, think and wonder. (It's been a while, so a few are like new again.)
At about the same time, I read "The Call of Cthulhu" in The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre. (It's on my list.) May I say: Yikes! Good, but yikes nonetheless. I had to re-read the description of the small idol a few times because it was too bizarre. And the rituals, my stars, the rituals. Will Cthulhu rise for good? Will I have to read the entire Cthulhu series to find out? Do I have the courage?
I could not put Ray's short stories on my Fill in the Gap list because I have read and followed him all my life. H.P. Lovecraft, however, is a gap I must fill. Gladly. (Well, I think gladly. David will tell you, especially if Mr. L affects me as Dan Simmons has.)
So Lovecraft and Bradbury it is. Join me, won't you?
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