Marked to Die: A Tribute to Mark Samuels (edited by Justin Isis) was published by Snuggly Books in June 2016.
Information about Marked to Die: A Tribute to Mark Samuels:
Mark Samuels - “the contemporary British master of visionary weirdness”, as Ramsey Campbell has called him - stands at the forefront of 21st century Horror, combining an unparalleled understanding of the Weird Fiction tradition with his own modern take on cosmic dread. An acknowledged influence on numerous writers in the field, his stories depict the isolation and despair of urban life giving way to vistas of universal alienation and, on occasion, spiritual transcendence.
Now, in this collection of original works inspired by Samuels’ writing, his characteristic themes are extended into previously undreamt-of settings: the hull of a Russian nuclear submarine headed to the heart of Chaos; the compound of a Japanese death cult with designs on the human race; a hospital run by the Men with Paper Faces; the Crying Rooms of London’s secret Reverse; the far reaches of the collapsed future and even the private thoughts of St. John of the Cross. Fed by the “strange tales” of the 19th and 20th centuries but firmly rooted in the present, Marked to Die is a digest of urban terror shot through with intimations of a monstrous Sublime.
Featuring contributions from: Mark Valentine, Reggie Oliver, Colin Insole, Daniel Mills, Adam Nevill, Justin Isis, DF Lewis, John Mundy, Kristine Ong Muslim, James Champagne, Brendan Connell, Quentin S. Crisp, Thana Niveau, Simon Clark, Stuart Young, John L. Probert, Ralph C. Doege, Yarrow Paisley, Jon Paul Rai and David Rix.
Information about Justin Isis:
Justin Isis has worked as a model, consultant, rapper and visual artist and currently heads the Tokyo Black Lodge occult group. His previous works include I Wonder What Human Flesh Tastes Like (Chomu Press, 2011) and Welcome to the Arms Race (Chomu Press, 2015). He also co-edited Chomu’s Dadaoism anthology (2012).
A REVIEW OF MARKED TO DIE: A TRIBUTE TO MARK SAMUELS (EDITED BY JUSTIN ISIS)
Ah, what a pleasure it was to read Marked to Die: A Tribute to Mark Samuels! This anthology may well be the best weird fiction anthology of the year, because it's an excellent book filled with stories inspired by the writings of Mark Samuels. The editor, Justin Isis, has clearly done his best to gather diverse and intriguing stories that pay tribute to Mark Samuels.
Because this anthology is a tribute to Mark Samuels, who is probably a bit unknown author to several readers, here are a few words about him. Mark Samuels is one of the best and most talented authors of weird fiction ever to emerge in Britain. He has his own way of writing about cosmic horror. He is the author of such notable works as The White Hands and Other Weird Tales, Glyphotech, The Man Who Collected Machen and Other Stories and Written in Darkness.
When I began to read Marked to Die, I had high hopes concerning its quality, because I was aware how good an author the editor is. I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that all of my expectations were fulfilled and even exceeded on certain levels, because each of the stories was excellent and the authors had done their best to write memorable and strange stories.
If you're a fan of modern weird fiction and love literary strange fiction, Marked to Die should be at the top of your reading list. It's an anthology that readers of weird fiction can't afford to miss due to its stunning contents. I consider it to be a rare and unique treasure that should be read (and re-read) by every weird fiction fan.
Marked to Die will please both dedicated fans of weird fiction and newcomers to the genre. If you're a newcomer to weird fiction and are not familiar with weird stories, this anthology serves as an excellent entry point to high quality weird fiction.
This anthology contains the following stories:
- Rapture by Reggie Oliver
- The Golden Dustmen by Colin Insole
- Canticle by Daniel Mills
- White Light, White Heat by Adam Nevill
- The Black Mass by Justin Isis
- The Big-Headed People by DF Lewis
- Attraction by John Mundy
- The Early Signs of Blight by Kristine Ong Muslim
- Chaoskampf by James Champagne
- A Bad Un to Beat vs. The High Gate Waterman: It's All about Benjamins by Brendan Connell and Quentin S. Crisp
- The Language of the City by Thana Niveau
- The Singular Quiddity of Merlin's Ear by Simon Clark
- The Carnivore of Monsters by Stuart Young
- The Men with Paper Faces by John L. Probert
- Empty House by Ralph C. Hodge
- Reinformation Theory by Yarrow Paisley
- Prison Inqueita by John Paul Rai
- Slag Glass Lachrimæ by David Rix
- Coda: A View from Outside
It's possible that there are readers out there who may wonder if these stories are worth reading. I can say that all of them are worth reading, because they're extremely well written stories with an emphasis on atmospheric storytelling. Each of them is something unique and as a whole they give readers a complex and beautiful study of weirdness and cosmic dread.
These stories contain various elements ranging from religion and faith to death, isolation and sex (and some of them contain Lovecraftian horrors). The authors use these elements to emphasise certain aspects of their stories and they do it admirably without underlining anything. They also easily create a creepy and disturbing atmosphere.
There's an uncanny sense of urban isolation and alienation in some of the stories, because the authors have managed to reach the psychologically effective level of eldritch horror that is often missing from many modern stories. These glimpses into isolation and alienation are very effective and will haunt readers for a long time after they've finished reading this anthology.
When you begin to read these stories, you'll notice how much Mark Samuels' fiction means to the authors and what kind of an influence his stories have had on them (if you're familiar with stories written by Mark Samuels, you'll notice a few similarities between his fiction and these stories). If you've never read anything by Mark Samuels, I highly recommend reading his stories, because you'll do yourself a big favour by reading them.
Here's more information about the stories and my thoughts about them:
Rapture by Reggie Oliver:
- A story about Alan whose new neighbours, Tim and Marcia, are strong believers in Jesus and are heavily involved in the local church. Alan is lured into their world almost against his will...
- A well-told story with a fascinatingly strange atmosphere and an intriguing ending.
The Golden Dustmen by Colin Insole:
- A story about Miriam who researches a noted antiquary John Leland and comes across The Society of Golden Dustmen who try to locate a lost book.
- This story is one of the finest and most beautifully written weird fiction stories of the recent years.
- I'm not an expert on Colin Insole's stories, but I definitely have to read more of them, because this story is almost fully comparable to a few stories written by M.R. James, Arthur Machen and Robert Aickman.
Canticle by Daniel Mills:
- This is one of the most memorable stories in this anthology, because it has been inspired by the 'Spiritual Canticle' of the Spanish mystical poet St. John of the Cross and Mark Samuels’ essay 'Beyond the Beautiful Darkness', in which Samuels writes about things related to religion and theology.
- An excellent story with a perfect atmosphere.
White Light, White Heat by Adam Nevill:
- A story about an editor who sits in front of the computer and stares at a screen. Like many others in the company, he lives in fear of the white envelope, the arrival of which means being kicked out of the company.
- The author writes well about the protagonist's life and feelings, because he barely gets by on his salary and has to share a house with another man.
- This is an effective and memorable story with an intriguingly disturbing undertone.
The Black Mass by Justin Isis:
- This is an especially interesting piece of novella-length fiction, because the author uses Mark Samuels as the protagonist. In this story, Mark Samuels is in Tokyo and finds himself in an unexpected and strange situation involving dissolving bodies.
- A well written and interesting weird story with cosmic dread.
The Big-Headed People by DF Lewis:
- A story about a man who has a big head.
- There was something a bit Rhys Hughes-like in this story that I found interesting.
- Many readers probably know DF Lewis better as a reviewer who writes gestalt real-time reviews on his website, so it may come as a surprise to them that he's an excellent author. This story is proof of his writing skills.
Attraction by John Mundy:
- In this story, a dying Old Man tells his terrible secret to his relatives who are gathered around him.
- Because I've always liked stories in which characters reveal terrifying secrets about their pasts to others, I was impressed by this story and its strong atmosphere.
- An excellent and atmospheric story filled with captivating strangeness.
The Early Signs of Blight by Kristine Ong Muslim:
- A strange and memorable story about Ben who lives with his mother and is afraid of the bad man who reaches out of the closet at night with his blackened arm.
- After reading this story I can mention that Kristine Ong Muslim is one of those authors who deserve more publicity, because she writes excellent speculative fiction.
Chaoskampf by James Champagne:
- A brilliant story about a Russian submarine called Crimson November which is on a secret mission to find superweapons developed by the Third Reich. What they find is something altogether different and very disturbing...
- There were a few elements in this story that slightly reminded me of Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October, the classic submarine film Das Boot and the sci-fi horror film Event Horizon (starring Sam Neill), in which a starship's gravity drive has opened a gateway into a foreign dimension.
- I'm not very familiar with the works of James Champagne, but I definitely have to read more of his works, because this story impressed me.
A Bad Un to Beat vs. The High Gate Waterman: It's All about Benjamins by Brendan Connell and Quentin S. Crisp:
- This is another story in which Mark Samuels is a protagonist. In this story, he kills Cathars and meets Quentin S. Crisp.
- Brendan Connell and Quentin S. Crisp have never failed to impress me, because both of them write excellent stories that are something out of the ordinary and defy easy classification. This collaboration intrigued me, because it offers plenty of entertainment to readers.
- There's a charming amount of inventiveness and whimsiness in this story, and the footnotes are entertaining.
The Language of the City by Thana Niveau:
- In this story, the protagonist is plagued by nightmares and visions when she visits a city. She believes that cities are hostile and want to harm her.
- An excellent and atmospheric story.
- I think that this story will impress many readers who prefer countryside to cities.
The Singular Quiddity of Merlin's Ear by Simon Clark:
- A story about Nick, who is married to Constance and has a mute stepson Adam, and a structure called Merlin's Ear, which was built during Second World War.
- I found this story fascinating, because it was a bit different from 'normal' weird fiction.
- The ending is excellent.
The Carnivore of Monsters by Stuart Young:
- A story about a man who suffers from pancreatic cancer. Phones have helped him survive and have eased his pain.
- This is one of the most powerful and memorable stories I've read this year. Once you've read this story, you won't be able to stop thinking about its contents.
- The author writes excellently about the relationship between the protagonist and Tayshia.
- I intend to take a closer look at Stuart Young's fiction, because I enjoyed this story and liked its atmosphere.
The Men with Paper Faces by John L. Probert:
- This is an exceptionally intriguing and satisfyingly disturbing story about humanoid beings who wear paper faces.
- I enjoyed reading about how the protagonist found out about another world that exists beneath ours and how he began to see the humanoid beings.
- This story has an excellent atmosphere that immediately grabs hold of the reader.
Empty House by Ralph C. Hodge:
- In this story, a man visits his childhood district and meets a man who resembles his father.
- I like the way the author lets the story unfold towards the ending, because the events are interesting.
- This is an excellent and well written weird fiction story.
Reinformation Theory by Yarrow Paisley:
- An intriguing story about a being made from cloth who serves at the pleasure of the Institute.
- I like the author's unique vision of the future, because he has plenty of imagination and a bit twisted sense of humour.
- This is one of the most unique science fiction based weird fiction stories I've ever read.
Prison Inqueita by John Paul Rai:
- A story about Jasen who has gotten stranded in the jungle wilderness after an uncontainable fire in his boat.
- The author has created an interesting story about a survivor who tries to find a way back to civilization, but ends up in a scary place and witnesses horrifying acts of violence.
- This is a memorable story that gains momentum towards the end. I can guarantee that readers won't easily forget this story and its ending.
Slag Glass Lachrimæ by David Rix:
- In this excellent novella-length story, a young woman called Feather is bicycling when she notices something strange on the beach. She sees black fragments as sharp as broken glass strewn everywhere and becomes intrigued by them. Soon she makes jewels out of them and finds herself in Camden Town Crying Room...
- What happens to Feather's friend, Leah, is handled well. I won't reveal details about her fate, but I'll mention that the author writes well about her.
- This is one of the most rewarding stories I've read this year, because it's something different and the author writes compellingly about Feather and the happenings.
Coda: A View from Outside:
- The events in this coda take place in the far future.
- This is an excellent and approriately dark ending to this anthology.
Reggie Oliver's 'Rapture' is one of the most intriguing stories about religious rapture that I've ever read, because the author has come up with an interesting vision of the End Times and battle against the Antichrist. I like the author's way of building up the atmosphere by writing about what happens to Alan and how he gets more and more involved in Tim and Marcia's church. What happened to Alan was so mesmerising that it was impossible for me to turn my gaze away from the gradually unfolding story.
Daniel Mills' 'Canticle' is a brilliantly told tale, because it reveals the private thoughts of the Spanish mystical poet St. John of the Cross. The author evokes a strong sense of spellbinding strangeness in this story. For a while now, I've considered Daniel Mills to be one of the most important new authors of weird fiction and this story verifies my beliefs, because it's a brilliant story.
Adam Nevill's 'White Light, White Heat' is a masterpiece of striking storytelling, because the author has created a bleak and sufficiently dark vision of working for a company that exploits their workers and kicks them out when they're not useful anymore. There was a dark religious undertone in this story that I found intriguing, because the author wrote about how the protagonist got some pleasure and consolation out of an artifact that emitted heavenly light.
Justin Isis' 'The Black Mass' deserves a special mention as a well written and wonderfully contructed weird story. By setting the story in Tokyo and using Mark Samuels as the protagonist, the author manages to bring a touch of additional fascination to the story. His depictions of cosmic dread are satisfyingly descriptive and memorable.
I enjoyed reading James Champagne's 'Chaoskampf', because it's a gradually unfolding story with an impressive ending. The author's vision of a Russian submarine and its crew feels vivid and surprisingly realistic, because he writes fluently about Captain Karnov and his relationship with his crew. It was intriguing for me to read what Captain Karnov found at the bottom of the ocean and what happened to him and the crew.
Thana Niveau's 'The Language of the City' is a fascinatingly weird story, because it's a well written account of what happens to a woman who believes that cities are hostile to her. There was something old-fashioned yet modern about it that I found compelling.
I was impressed by John L. Probert's 'The Men with Paper Faces', because the author wrote about another world that is beneath ours and how humanoid beings have been able to hide themselves from being detected by us. It was fascinating to read about how the protagonist gained the ability to see the hidden world after recovering from injuries and how he coped with what he was able to see.
David Rix's 'Slag Glass Lachrimæ' is an excellent and beautifully written story. I found it to be a satisfying addition to the cycle of stories about the mysterious Feather, because it was something different (these stories have intrigued me ever since I read Feather: Tales of Isolation and Descent). I enjoyed reading about what the author wrote about London's Crying Rooms and how Feather found out about them. The author has developed a lot as an author over the years and writes confidently and convincingly about Feather and her life (it's genuinely mesmerising to read about Feather).
Brendan Connell and Quentin S. Crisp's 'A Bad Un to Beat vs. The High Gate Waterman: It's All about Benjamins' deserves a special mention for its atmosphere and storyline. I also want to mention that I was deeply impressed by Stuart Young's 'The Carnivore of Monsters' and Yarrow Paisley's 'Reinformation Theory', because both of them were skillfully written stories.
The authors write beautiful, striking and effective prose that impresses everyone who loves the literary side of weird fiction (they have their own distinct voices that they use to their advantage). To be honest, I was a bit amazed at how well each of the stories was written and constructed, because I found no faults in them.
If you want to read quality stories that have style and substance, please read Marked to Die as soon as possible (trust me, you won't regret it). It's a significant addition to weird fiction and literary strange fiction, because the stories are excellent and have literary values that exceed those of many other stories.
Highly recommended!