D F Lewis, editor of the Nemonymous anthology, ‘Cern Zoo’, has now announced that the authors of each respective stories can now identify themself. So (cue drumroll) I can now reveal that my contribution to the book was the tale, ‘The Devourer of Dreams‘.
Here are a few snippets from the reviews, concerning ‘The Devourer of Dreams’ –
Matthew Fryer said, “Also worthy of special mention is Devourer of Dreams, a dark and unsettling story about a boy’s discovery of an exotic monstrosity owned by his father, and the terrible price that can come with the promise of success. It’s a serious theme tackled by a gruesome imagination.”
Tim Nickels said, “The Devourer of Dreams: A canny hand on the tiller here. Respect! A
web woven with skill and precision – and the web is woven around…the reader!”
David Hebblethwaite said, “‘The Devourer of Dreams’ is another story whose voice is the star attraction. A successful writer looks back on his childhood in post-war Suffolk. His father, an innkeeper, suddenly developed a talent for writing, and produced several best-selling books. One day, the boy discovered the macabre secret behind this turn of events — a secret he went on to exploit himself. The plot of this tale is, to be honest, nothing particularly special; but the narrattion certainly is. The author pulls off a difficult balancing-act, creating a voice which convinces as that of someone (albeit elderly) living in the present day, yet has enough of a Lovecraftian touch to give ‘The Devourer of Dreams’ the menacing atmosphere of an old weird-fiction tale.”
Nick Jackson said, “The Devourer of Dreams on the other hand, is more consciously manipulative, addressing the reader directly in an uncomfortable epilogue. The story has a creepily old-fashioned feel to it; almost as if it may have been stuck in a sealed casket for many years until it found its way into this anthology.”
Mario Guslandi said, “Horror fans will appreciate The Devourer of Dreams, an offbeat tale where an alien creature living in a wooden box sucks ideas and dreams from the human mind , producing, in return, a special milk endowed with uncommon properties.”
Peter Tennant of Black Static said, “There’s yet more creepiness in The Devourer of Dreams, a title that reeks of Lovecraft, and a monster to match, a strange, spider-like creature that can feed on the dreams of men, and a writer who milks it of their essence to fuel his own creativity. The story holds the attention all the way, with its truly unnerving creature, and a framing scenario in which the matter of creativity is addressed and the reader’s collusion solicited.”
So there we go. I hope you liked the story. It was a blast to write, as I’m a sucker for pulp monsters. The whole notion of creativity has always fascinated me, and it was enjoyable to ponder on this area of human behaviour.
It has also been announced that Steve Duffy‘s excellent story, The Lion’s Den, has been selected by Ellen Datlow for inclusion in her Best Horror of the Year vol 2. Congratulations to him, and to the other writers who contributed to Cern Zoo. I feel honoured to be sharing bookspace with you all.
The final edition of Nemonymous, Null Immortalis has finally been published. Edited by DF Lewis, it features 26 stories from a great lineup of writers –
stephenbacon.co.uk 