A review by theesotericcamel
Alectryomancer and Other Weird Tales by Christopher Slatsky, Jordan Krall

4.0

A very impressive debut from Christopher Slatsky in the literary vein of Weird Fiction. There is noticeable influence from the modern masters like Thomas Ligotti, Michael Cisco, and Jeff Vandermeer. This is not to say that Slatsky is derivative. Far from it. The plots and themes evoked in his stories are indeed very original, and the conclusions to the stories were almost always unexpected (at least for me). It was also apparent to me from the details provided in the stories that Slatsky is either very erudite, or did a lot of research for his stories to make them more believable... I'm inclined to think it is actually a combination of both possibilities. Be warned though, do not go into this collection expecting monsters and eldritch horrors. Although these may be present in some of the stories, the horror of the collection is more cerebral and abstract. Even when creatures are present, such as in the stories "An Infestsation of Stars"or "A Plague of Naked Movie Stars" the horror lies beyond the creatures themselves and in what these creatures imply through their existence. My favourite stories were the ones where a mundane concept became something to fear. See for example "No One is Sleeping in this World" where the very architecture of an abandoned warehouse becomes something cosmic and living, or "Film Maudit" where a notorious and forbidden film becomes a source of dread. Both of these ideas have been treated by other writers before, but in Slatsky's hands they are given an existential and cerebral sheen. I would compare them to a David Cronenberg film, in that on the surface they seem like mere entertainment. However, by digging deeper in the story one discovers recondite opinions and observations of our every day life, albeit distorted and warped.