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| Starkweather Dreams: Landscape With Figures “Author and poet Conlon does an absolutely brilliant job in this book...This is a collection that is so powerful and evocative that once you’ve started it you will be unable to stop until you have finished it all in one sitting—and then you will re-read it again and again. Starkweather Dreams is definitely not your grandma’s poetry..” —Norman Rubenstein, Pod of Horror #53 “The images presented are not for the faint of heart...Readers who have the fortitude to withstand moments of longing, heartbreak, anger and despair will come away from the experience appreciating Conlon’s effort to delve deep and examine the relationship between Starkweather and Fugate.” —Martel Sardina, Dark Scribe Magazine |
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Midnight on Mourn Street “Simply one of the finest novels I’ve ever been privileged to read. Conlon is a powerful force among the new writers of the 21st century.” —William F. Nolan, author of Logan's Run “Midnight on Mourn Street is a superb accomplishment.” —Earl Hamner, creator of The Waltons “With Midnight on Mourn Street, Christopher Conlon makes one of the strongest and most affecting debuts as a novelist I’ve ever read. This story of loneliness, guilt, revenge, and the quest for self-redemption left me nearly in tears. Exquisitely written and profoundly moving, this is a novel that will haunt you for years to come.” —Stoker and International Horror Guild Award-winner “Conlon keeps the suspense taut while slowly peeling back the layers of his protagonists’ troubled psyches. His masterfully moving tale has already garnered praise from authors of every genre and easily distinguishes itself as a top-drawer first novel.” —Carl Hays, Booklist “Poe feels like an apt comparison, especially in terms of the atmosphere which Conlon is adept at establishing. The feeling of gloom and dark brooding that pervades the novel is one of its strongest points. While Poe focuses, perhaps, on the more startling images of the macabre, Conlon expertly exposes and taps into more realistic veins of horror, the terrible things people do to each other and to themselves. Conlon employs dreams, memories, and madness, even, in ways that warp conscious perception in his characters and add a subtle phantasmagoric effect. In doing so, he does something new, redefines the standard conventions of horror or expands the genre into other domains of the novel. It also speaks to Conlon’s craft that he’s created characters…that remain with us after we’ve finished the book, worrying at our sensibilities, poised on a razor’s edge between redemption and condemnation.” —Paul Shovlin, Peace Corps Writers “Midnight on Mourn Street is a haunting, exquisitely written novel of secret guilt, regret, and revenge…a compelling psychological thriller.” —Mayra Calvani, The Dark Phantom Review “Conlon has a way of getting to the grit that makes us actually empathize with his characters, even those who in other writers’ hands might turn out to be south of Deplorable, headed for the Despicable offramp…Midnight on Mourn Street offers readers the kind of novel that lives in memory long after you finish it; scenes will stay and play again and again on the movie screen of your mind.” —Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column |
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Mary Falls “I am in awe of Mary Falls. The opening poem, in which Mary Surratt comes back to life and is in such pain from having been hanged, is so believable that I kept saying, ‘Yes, this is how is must have been. It is happening. She is here.’ I am convinced that Christopher Conlon is an extremely important poet, and that in time to come he will be recognized as a major voice in our literature.” —Earl Hamner, creator of The Waltons “Here she is: Mary Elizabeth Surratt, who was hanged as co-conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, has taken passionate possession of Christopher Conlon and now lives as ghost in his evocative sequence. Victim of ‘the mistakes of men,’ it is no wonder that she still appears among us, broken but flowing, confused but whole, falling but held in mid-air for us by way of Conlon’s considerable art.” —William Heyen, author of Shoah Train |
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Thundershowers
At Dusk Introduction
by Stoker Award Winner “Thundershowers at Dusk by Christopher Conlon (Rock Village Publishing), the author's excellent second collection (the first was mainstream), contains four contemporary gothic stories and the titular novella. The novella and ‘Bathing the Bones,’ the other story published for the first time, are beautifully written and powerful.” —Ellen Datlow, Year’s Best Fantasy “Thundershowers at Dusk: Gothic Stories by Christopher Conlon (Rock Village Publishing) is the kind of collection that immediately establishes its author as Someone To Watch. Every few years we're graced with a collection by a new writer that either redefines the boundaries of this dark genre, or forces us through its undeniable craftsmanship to re-examine our preconceived notions about the genre; in 2003 we saw Glen Hirshberg's The Two Sams immediately (and justifiably) move its author to the forefront of short story writers in the field; in 2005, Joe Hill knocked our socks off with his superb 20th Century Ghosts; in keeping with the tradition set by those two superior achievements, Conlon's new book is going to be the breakout collection of 2006. Like Hirshberg, Conlon approaches horror from a decided literary standpoint (comparisons to Peter Straub would not be misplaced), and like Hill, that standpoint does not exclude the influence of past masters in the field—Serling, Matheson, and Beaumont spring readily to mind—albeit filtered through Conlon's own storytelling sensibilities. Conlon delivers the goods here; each story is a stunner, culminating with the novella “The Unfinished Music” that is, hands-down, one of the 10 finest novellas I have ever read in any genre.” —Gary A. Braunbeck, Page Horrific (Hellbound Books) “Ready for five short tales that radiate long after you're finished with them? ...All of these stories offer mystery, frankness, and an exploration of deep curious thought. Energetic, psychological imagining, and although supernatural, achingly real.“ —Christina
Francine Whitcher, Yet
Another Book Review Site “When someone new to me makes an impression as big as Christopher Conlon does in this book, I feel I owe it to my fellow readers as well as the author to spread the word. My experiences verify Ted Sturgeon's famous '90% is crap' comment, and truthfully, of the 10% that's not 'crap,' only a tiny percentage is really worth shouting about from the rooftops. The five stories in Thundershowers At Dusk are in that last category.” —Mark Lancaster, Hellnotes “This slim collection of longish stories, Thundershowers At Dusk, is a strong one. As the title states, this is a collection of gothic tales. But these are not your standard Goth fare. No teen angst, depressing Victorian repression or vampire lust. These are original, complex tales of loneliness and alienation that are sometimes disturbing and uncomfortable, but also poetic and beautiful...Conlon has a wonderful command of the language and a deft touch on characterization...I would not be surprised at all to see a couple of the stories get picked for the Year's Best anthologies. I know I will be looking for more of Mr. Conlon's work in the future.” —James R. Beach, Dark Discoveries “[Reading Thundershowers at Dusk] was like eating sushi for the first time—you can't believe how good it tastes... The care Conlon displays in word choice is admirable. And I am not talking about one or two sentences here or there to punch things up a bit. No, I am talking about them all. It is an exhaustive way of writing if you are unaccustomed to it as there is a danger of over-attention to individual words at the expense of other necessary elements of plot and character. It is a difficult style to write well in, and Conlon shows in this tiny collection he is a master of it. Highly recommended. Buy it now.” —Wayne Edwards, Cemetery Dance Magazine |
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The
Weeping Time “Christopher Conlon imagines himself into the heart of slavery in The Weeping Time, his examination of the hearts of slave owner Piece Butler, his British actress wife Fanny Kemble and Jack, the slave he assigns to ferry her around the island's waterways. The vignettes of the lives of these three give us insight into the world of the privileged slave owners and those who serve them---the bodies and souls Butler owns through no effort or virtue of his own, but simply by being heir to a large plantation. Conlon's language helps us hear these people with our hearts and see them in our minds, feel the rhythm of their lives...Conlon is a master at recreating a long-past time and place by making the history personal, translating the currents of the time into personal horrors, self-justification and self-hatred, bitterness, rage, and sometimes even insight.” —Potomac Review “To someone like me who grew up experiencing vestiges of slavery as it existed in an ignorant backwoods community in the '20s and '30s, The Weeping Time is a shattering experience. Each page is a gut-churning reality. Everything about Conlon's work astonishes me.” —Earl Hamner, creator of The Waltons “Innovative and superbly crafted storytelling verse.” “The
truly memorable poems in the book give me scenes “The
Weeping Time will leave you with pictures of this sinister period
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Gilbert
& Garbo in Love “Chris Conlon's fine book, Gilbert and Garbo in Love, captures the very essence of that loving, tormented relationship. Conlon shows an intuitive understanding of my father, and I find myself frequently going back to re-read different parts of the volume. It's poetry and biography at their best.” —Leatrice
Gilbert Fountain, daughter of John Gilbert and author of “With
Gilbert and Garbo in Love, Christopher Conlon has conjured
forth a work of striking originality—a soaring, happy/sad saga,
in sinewed verse, delineating the rise and fall of two timeless film
legends. Survivors of parentally-devastating pasts. Triumphant in
Silents. Separated by Sound. — William F. Nolan, author of A Life Beyond Thursday: The Dark World of Dashiell Hammett Review
by The
Montserrat Review |
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What
There Is: Poems An integrated sequence of twenty-seven poems, several originally published in Baltimore Review, Poet Lore, and Wind. A portion of this book has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. “These poems... are about death, mourning, loss and memory... poignant and moving.” —Diana K. Ruben, Northwoods Journal |
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Saying Secrets:
American Stories Five tales, most originally from The Long Story literary journal. Introduction by William F. Nolan; Afterword by George Clayton Johnson. “Chris Conlon's stories have the exceptional quality that, although each individually presents an extreme situation, put together in Saying Secrets they reveal a searching for the universal truths underlying them.” —Donald
Windham, author of The
Dog Star and
“Conlon has a deft touch portraying the travels of the savaged human soul. He succeeds largely because there's not a sentimental bone in this body of writing. His young burn victims, his incest victims, his killers, speak with simple and honest eloquence... The writing is the book's real star.” —Karl
Luntta, PeaceCorpsWnters.org |
| as an Editor... |
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He Is Legend “He Is Legend is a book that will totally immerse the reader into the chilling universe that is the mind of the brilliant Richard Matheson. Each of the included stories is a flawless gem filled with the addictive kind of terror that will leave the reader breathless yet begging for more. It is a most fitting tribute to one of the true giants of Twentieth Century literature.” —Norman Rubenstein, Fear Zone “Very rarely is a great writer honored in such a fashion as Gauntlet Press has done for Richard Matheson…This volume is filled with the works of the best writers in the business…This book was created by fans of Richard Matheson especially for other fans of Richard Matheson.” —Zacherley’s Picks |
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Poe's
Lighthouse “Found among Edgar Allan Poe's papers after he died (at 40, all too young) was an untitled story fragment with an intriguing preamble. Consisting of three short diary entries by a newly indentured lighthouse keeper, the fragment affords few clues about Poe's plot intentions. The assignment for the 23 contributors to this unique collection was to finish the tale by using Poe's language, themes, and predilection for curdling the blood. The results range from stylistically faithful narratives to improbable yarns that use Poe's introduction as a springboard for the author's own vision. In one entry, the diary pieces make up an ancient artifact viewed by an archivist in a future civilization. In another, the journal is inspected by detective Auguste Dupin, a figure familiar from such Poe classics as 'The Purloined Letter.' Perhaps the most outstanding entry is John Shirley's masterly continuation, in perfect faux-Poe fashion, of the diary to disclose the lighthouse keeper discovering a macabre use for his polished lantern. Must reading for Poe enthusiasts, in particular.” —Carl Hays, Booklist “The open-ended quality of the story fragment set the authors often in wildly different directions, resulting in everything from straight-up homages that incorporate Poe's words to postmodern takes on the Master and his influence on horror fiction... they are never boring and just might inspire the reader to trade their own licks with the genre's most accomplished virtuosos.” —Rue Morgue Magazine |
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The
Twilight Zone Scripts of Jerry Sohl “Looking at these Twilight Zone scripts, I am brought to recall how uncanny Jerry's ability was... it was a marvelous talent and one that should have been put to greater use.” —Twilight
Zone writer George Clayton Johnson |
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Filet
of Sohl This collection gathers ten short stories along with television scripts and rarities by Jerry Sohl, whose credits include The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Star Trek, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. “Amazing finds, only to be read here...If Sci-Fi, horror and fantasy are your bag, this collection is a safe bet. Written by a truly classic writer.” —Laura Wagner, Classic Images Magazine “If you’re like me, the name Jerry Sohl conjures up only memory of the scathing review Damon Knight gave to Sohl’s Point Ultimate (1955) in In Search of Wonder (1956). If so, that’s a shame, because Sohl was a talented writer in many ways, including the scripting of some classic Twilight Zone episodes. Now we all have a chance to remedy our ignorance by reading Filet of Sohl (Bear Manor Media, trade paper, $16.95, 261 pages, ISBN 0971457034). This volume includes ten stories, several appreciations (by William Nolan, Richard Matheson, George Clayton Johnson, and Sohl’s children) and two never-before-seen scripts for Twilight Zone that were purchased but never produced. In a story such as 'Death in Transit,'Sohl exhibits some real emotional depth, while 'The Ultroom Error' delivers surreal thrills stemming from the strange, unprovoked attacks on an innocent child. Editor Christopher Conlon deserves a lot of credit for compiling this volume and keeping fresh the memories of one of the many journeyman writers whose work accreted the corpus of SF.” —Paul Di Filippo, Asimov's SF Magazine online |
| Selected Anthology Appearances... |
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Masques
V This massive anthology features Conlon's 'Ghosts in Autumn' along with original, never-before-published tales by Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Poppy Z Brite, Ed Gorman, William F. Nolan, and many more. Cover art by Clive Barker. “Good storytelling has always been the hallmark of the beloved, successful 'Masques' anthologies. Masques V is a bulky volume collecting twenty-nine horror stories by both established genre masters and newcomers. Christopher Conlon's 'Ghosts in Autumn' is a delicate and moving modern ghost story where a woman dead for twenty years comes back to visit her only son.” —Mario Guslandi, The Agony Column “The range and tone of these stories are breathtaking, cutting a wide swath through the dark landscape of terror.” —Tomb of Dark Delight |
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It's
That Time Again: The New Stories of Old-Time Radio Delightful collection of contemporary story-pastiches based on classic old-time radio programs. Conlon's contribution: a new tale for the famous creaking-door horror program Inner Sanctum. “...the enthusiasm of the writers and their respect for the period is infectious. I especially enjoyed Patrick W. Picciarelli's new case for insurance investigator Johnny Dollar and the framing device of Christopher Conlon's Inner Sanctum entry.” —Jon. L. Breen, “The Jury Box,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (May 2003) |
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September
11, 2001: American Writers Respond This enormous collection of essays, poems, and stories about the events of 9/11 features an essay by Conlon, along with contributions from the likes of John Updike, Erica Jong, Ishmael Reed, and some 120 others. “There is poignancy in these pieces, and anger too, and every submission testifies to the attractiveness of good, strong writing, regardless of tone or topic.” —Brad
Hooper, Booklist |
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California
Sorcery A short-story collection celebrating “The Group“—the dynamic talents that reinvented science fiction and horror in the 1950s and ‘60s, including Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, and Harlan Ellison. Conlon’s extensive introduction is the only complete history of The Group. “... a wonderful collection for fans of short stories or just plain great writing.” —Kim Corrandi, Explorations |
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California
Sorcery “There's
no telling what Charles Beaumont might have achieved had he lived
past the age of thirty-eight. This anthology is a fine celebration
of the Group that orbited around him (including Ray Russell, Richard
Matheson, Harlan Ellison, Chad Oliver, Ray Bradbury, and William
F. Nolan—who coedited this anthology with William Schafer).
The fiction here hits and misses but is mostly entertaining; the
historical pieces by Nolan and by Christopher Conlon are delightful.” |
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William
F. Nolan’s Dark Universe A career-retrospective volume of the best horror and suspense stories from Logan's Run creator Nolan. Conlon provides the introduction to this massive compendium. “Overall, readers of genre material... will embrace Nolan's worldview across all his many modes. And a fine introduction by Christopher Conlon makes a strong case for the unity of Nolan's vision.” —Paul
Di Filippo, www.SciFi.com |
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Knowing
Stones: Poems of Exotic Places There are nearly 200 poems in this wide-ranging collection of travel poems, including three by Conlon about southern Africa. “...a very highly recommended anthology of poems ranging from rope bridges over Himalayan gorges to walkways across the Amazonian jungle.” —Midwest
Book Review |
