One of my regrets in life is not taking time to speak with Karl Edward Wagner.
In the early 1990s, I used to be a member of the HWA (Horror Writers Association). Through their annual conventions I got to meet many of the writers I admire, including heavy-hitters like Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison, and Robert Bloch. I was once in a huckster room, picking up a paperback copy of In A Lonely Place, when someone said, "You ought to have him sign it. He's right over there," and pointed to a intimidating, biker-esque, bearded man standing alone. "Maybe I will," I answered, and did not. He died a few years later.
KEW was known primarily for his character, Kane, a dark fantasy anti-hero of short stories and novels. Though this is not my genre of choice, I have read a collection of Kane short stories and thoroughly enjoyed it. But he also wrote several award-winning horror stories, originally published in now defunct (and sorely missed) magazines, like Twilight Zone and The Horror Show.
I won't rattle on about the plots of these stories, but the imagery, subject matter, and prose, have stayed with me for three decades--not unlike other established masters (Poe, Lovecraft, Blackwood, immediately come to mind). There are two collections containing the stories: In a Lonely Place, and Why Not You and I? I believe both are out of print currently, but used copies are out there. I have a couple of the former in well-worn 1983 paperbacks, and the latter in a beautiful Dark Harvest edition, 1987.
Mr. Wagner and I have East Tennessee in common, and I suspect that this is part of my strong connection with his writing. He was born there; I grew up there. Many of the stories are set in and around Knoxville, and the Great Smokey Mountains. I have fond memories of walking slightly off campus while attending the University of Tennessee, and wondering if I was treading the same sidewalks as in Where the Summer Ends.
Recently, having reacquainted myself with the two collections, I got curious as to Wagner's influences. I started with his website, discovering that he has a cited list of what he considered to be the 39 best horror novels (divided into 3 groups of 13--supernatural, science fiction, and non-supernatural). I found a complete copy of this list on the Miskatonic Books Blog here.
Treasure maps are not that easy to come by. When you do happen upon one such as this, the level of excitement is difficult to define. For me--an avid reader who prides himself on being fairly knowledgeable of the genre of my choice--I was simultaneously mystified, unnerved, and giddy. There were several authors and titles on that list that I had never read or--for that matter--even heard of! I am only familiar with five. FIVE! That means there are at least thirty-four titles out there that I am now curious to read.
Of course, many of these are old, out-of-print, expensive, forbidden, or cursed... but that makes it all the more exciting to track them down. I have already pre-ordered Echo of a Curse by R.R.Ryan, being reissued in a brand new edition next month with a forward by none other than Stephen King himself. Happy Halloween!
So, even 20+ years after his death, Wagner is the author that keeps on giving... to me, at least. Thank you, Karl. I wish had told you in person how much you mean to me.
Before I go, I want to let you know that I now have some free stories up on Wattpad, as well as the first chapter of my novel in progress (see, I don't spend all of my time reading!). Check them out and, if you do, please leave comments. I'm always interested in what you think.
TWS
