When I think of cosmic horror, my mind always jumps to an unusual place; Albert Camus and the feeling of the absurd, the knowledge that understanding our universe is something we all naturally desire but fundamentally cannot grasp. To me, that's what cosmic horror is best at exploring because the entire genre of weird fiction is about encountering the unknowable, discovering things that push the boundaries of human comprehension so far the mind breaks. There are no answers, only the madness of infinity.
Unfortunately, much of the history and common tropes of this genre are steeped in racism and reactionary thinking as the man commonly credited as the father of the genre, H.P. Lovecraft, was a bigot who feared immigrants, non-white people, electricity, and radios. Lovecraft's 'unknown' was informed and shaped by his myopic worldview. Because of how foundational his work is to weird fiction, this coward's hate has percolated through the genre like a subliminal message from one of the horrors he created.
In Raw Dog Screaming Press' new anthology Beyond the Bounds of Infinity, editors Vaughn A. Jackson and Stephanie W. Pearre along with a long list of diverse writers seek to reclaim and explore the horrors of the unknowable, inclusively expanding on the genre without defaulting to tired problematic tropes.
Weird is what you sign up for with an anthology like this; many of these stories are plain bizarre. Like many cosmic horror stories, a lot of these heroes don’t make it out alive; others still find themselves cursed, changed, or absorbed completely by the forces that condemn them. Sisyphean boulders of the unimaginable kind crush heroes, others choose to be consumed knowing their choice is rebellion against a system they can’t possibly understand.
Part of the fun in reading a horror anthology is the feeling of surprise you get from opening each new story. In these stories, if the Lovecraftian other exists, the trope is inverted serving as a metaphor for power like in “Live Free or Die” by Danny Brzozowski, a trans school teacher is ostracized and fired by their smalltown and makes a startling discovery. Cosmic evil makes for a great metaphor. To me, living under American capitalism can feel like cosmic horror, dark powerful forces, indifferent to your suffering and using you for their gain. Pedro Iniguez’s “Effigies of Monstrous Things” uses the genre to make this connection with a single father, struggling with community college, and trying to keep his kids safe in an unsafe building the landlord won’t repair. Anything he does to help ends up doing harm as he tries to keep the black mold growing in their apartment at bay.
Other highlights for me were S.A. Cosby’s story “24 Points” about a hunting trip gone woefully awry. Cyrus Amelia Fisher’s “Passage,” about an icy trip to pay homage to a cruel god, a story that explores what happens when we place obligation over our nature. L. Marie Wood’s story “Beggars Can’t be Choosers" sees a Black couple reading through scripts chock full of stereotypes as they look for a story for their next film made to please interdimensional aliens drunk on human culture.
I suspect this will be best enjoyed in small sips rather than a big gulp. I occasionally found myself reeling from whiplash as I jumped from one alien pot into the next, but the experience was overwhelmingly pleasurable. In the introduction Vaughn A. Jackson appropriately tears down H.P. Lovecraft’s infinitely quoted notion that the oldest fear is the fear of the unknown; instead charging that the oldest fear is the fear of being alone. It’s wonderful that cosmic horror is growing as a genre and leaving the past behind. This book helped me grapple with some of my own fears, believe it or not. I can see this book making most people feel a little less alone.
I’m now going to give a brief review of some of my favorite stories, but only the ones I can keep as close to spoiler-free as possible. If you’re like me and prefer reading your anthologies blind, stop here. But do come back after you read it if you want to compare notes.
"The Birth of Sound" by Timaeus Bloom
The central conceit of this story, from a science nerd standpoint who loves cosmic horror, feels like such an obvious notion that it’s surprising someone hadn’t used it sooner. A radio DJ hears something special and as the reader, you're invited to his broadcast.
"Fractures of Her Reflection" by Amanda Headlee
A wicked little story about trauma. Dava has a compulsion, she’s certain the world will end if she doesn’t perform a simple, seemingly meaningless ritual every morning. This story was a wonderful exploration of how trauma can other you, and cast you as an outsider or stranger. It also seems to grapple with the idea that sometimes, the hard part of awareness, is being right when nobody else can see it.
"Effigies Of Monstrous Things" by Pedro Iniguez
This was one of my favorite stories in the anthology. It starts with a dizzying opening that will have you wondering if you missed something before plating you with reagent-grade dread as the ending brings the whole thing full circle. This story feels grounded, you can see this single father's plight and believe these things are happening until they turn. Poverty makes for a cyclical pattern of loss here, and the cosmic horror speculative fic flavor is cleverly used to build a feeling of inevitability that, while firmly rooted in weird fiction, feels real.
"Cracks" by Mary SanGiovanni
This was a dark little story about normalcy bias, denial, and the terror of seeing something nobody else seems to notice. When some grade school children find a glowing rock and begin acting strangely, their school teacher begins to notice suspicious coincidences. This one was the best kind of wicked and has an ending that will drop your jaw.
"A Dampened Embrace" by Christopher Hann
This story has one of the greatest first pages I’ve read in a while. It’s surreal, peaceful and serene. It’s also incredibly weird and gross. We open with a narrator whose mother has died, discovered the grave has been robbed, and has been contacted by their father saying he’s found a mermaid. That should be all the setup you need to get you interested.
Beyond the Bounds of Infinity was released on 7/10/24 and is on shelves now.
I received an advance reading copy free in exchange for honest feedback and am leaving this review voluntarily. Below are links to purchase BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF INIFINITY from two local (St. Louis) bookstores which Nocturne Books and Media is not affiliated with but firmly believes deserve your support. Unrelated: a friendly reminder to St. Louis readers that Left Bank Books is hosting author Chuck Tingle as he tours his book Bury Your Gays at Heavy Anchor tomorrow (7/12/24). It's a ticketed event, the ticket includes a copy of the book.
These sound awesome! Can't wait to pick up a copy and read through them.