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theesotericcamel's review against another edition
5.0
I was first introduced to Richard Gavin through his writings on the occult, in a collection of essays by many authors called "The Luminous Stone." Then his name came up in another Three Hands Press publication called "Penumbrae," a collection of "occult fiction" that was edited and assembled by Richard Gavin and Daniel Schulke. Intrigued, I sought out a copy of "Fear's Altar" and decided that "occult fiction" is an apt description for Richard Gavin's writing style. At it's very core it is horror, and yet there is a psychological element that is present in all the stories. This is most obvious in the stories "Chapel In The Reeds" and "The Eldritch Faith" where the sanity of the protagonist is constantly called into question. This psychological element is always present in his stories, if only subtly. There is this recuring sense in these stories that our ideas, desires and fears shape our sense of reality and become tangible, though not always in the expected way. This is very much in the vein of Occult Philosophy. Richard Gavin also wears a lot of his influences on his sleeve. It's clear that he is a fan of Weird Fiction, and their school of writers. Most notably, H.P. Lovecraft. But I also see hints of Michael Cisco and Thomas Ligotti as well. I even thought that "The Eldrich Faith" was an updated version of Arthur Machen's "The White People." But make no mistake he is very much his own writer. There is an economy and elegance to his writing style that enhances the dream/nightmare quality of them. He also draws inpiration from many diverse cultural myths, such as Japan in the opening story "Gate of Nerves," The Book of Enoch and Gnosticism in "The Abject," or Summerian myths as seen in "Only Enuma Elish." Rather than just passing references, he builds the story around these and gives his own, and often unexpected, interpretations to these myths. It was a very enjoyable and cerebral collection!
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
2.0
Note to self: you don't like Lovecraft. Meaning you probably won't like authors who are being compared to Lovecraft. Except for Laird Barron. But that's it, ok?
ashmind's review
3.0
To me the best story here is "Chapel in the Reeds", in which mental decline and alienation of the old age are more unsettling than any cosmic horror.
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