This week I have an ARC of the first English language translation of the author known as Swedish Lovecraft. I reviewed it in the most recent issue of Booklist. But first here are the details on how to enter:
- You need to be affiliated with an American public library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
- If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
- Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
- If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.
Translated by Ian Lemke and Henning KochSept. 2022. 232p. Valancourt, $29.99 (9781954321564); paper, $16.99 (9781954321571). First published September 1, 2022 (Booklist).
With the success of their World Horror Anthologies, Valancourt continues their march to get the globe’s best Horror writers into more hands with the first English translation of the top Horror writer in Sweden. This story collection, first published in 2009, is best described as “Swedish Lovecraft.” The world he has created, while very much set in and influenced by his Nordic home, expertly draws off the established Lovecraftian universe, setting an atmosphere with each tale that steadily rises to existential terror as cosmic gods so pervasive and powerful, drawfs, even mock at times, the pitiful humans who hope to survive their wrath. A great example is the second story, “Grandma’s Journey,” an original tale of a journey across Europe, despite a tear in the universe that keeps getting wider. The repetition of the phrase “grandma’s going on a journey,” dozens of times, brilliantly adds another layer of unease. Also of note are the four “Fragments,” brief snapshots of atmospheric horror placed between each of the five longer stories. A must read for fans of 21st Century Lovecraftian Horror as written by those like Kiernan or Snyder.
Further Appeal: “Swedish Lovecraft.” – And that is not simply publisher marketing, Fager is the real deal. The Call of Cthulhu role playing game even uses Fager’s work for the Swedish edition of their popular game. So there's your book talk-- Swedish Lovecraft...'nuff said for a lot of readers.
But it is more that that though. It has an atmospheric tone that rises to the existential dread of the very best cosmic horror. It is also extremely grounded in its place-- Sweden.
For those not as well versed in Cosmic Horror, here is a short snippet from my book, a piece of a quote from author and Cosmic Horror scholar, Mary SanGiovanni:
"In Cosmic Horror, there is a sense that the antagonistic force, whether evil or just utterly indifferent, is so pervasive and powerful, and of such a size and scope, that its very existence dwarfs the significance of humanity."
Three Words That Describe This Book: Lovecraftian, translation, strong sense of place
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