Alan Gullette

Intimations of Unreality: Weird Fiction and Poetry Alan Gullette

This omnibus gathers for the first time all of the author's Cthulhu Mythos tales, together with two previously unpublished weird novellas and a large sampling of his fantasy poetry. The Lovecraftian pieces range from stories written as a teenager in the 1970s, many of which saw serial publication in notable fanzines of the day, to new pieces composed especially for this collection. The early works include the acclaimed "Derrick's Ritual" and "The Summons of Hastur" along with the unpublished "The Door in Lheil." The two novellas represent the author's efforts at extending the dreamlike atmospheres and weird states achieved in his shorter fiction to greater length within modern or postmodern architectonic structures. "The Green Transfer" is a light fantasy-adventure with many dream elements; "The More, The Marigold" is a series of tales-within-tales featuring increasingly strange tableaux. The fifty-eight poems, gleaned from four decades of poetry writing, display a variety of forms and styles while exploring themes both mordant and metaphysical. Free verse and blank verse are found alongside more traditional meters, evidence of an experimental approach unusual for the weird genre. Striking, imaginative artwork by veteran weird artist Denis Tiani embellishes both the cover and the interior. In sum, this omnibus lives up to its title by offering unique glimpses into an imaginary terrain that is the author's own, expressed in an equally unique language and style that playfully blends elements of the Romantic and Gothic, fantasy and supernatural horror, Surrealism and the Absurd.