a fun romp into the abyss.

The first volume of the Vastarien literary journal is everything a Thomas Ligotti afficionado could want or hope for, short of new fiction from the master himself. There is some new non-fiction material from him in the form of an introduction from and interview in relation to the Polish translation of Teatro Grottesco.Otherwise, the book alternates between fiction, essays and poetry. And as with Ligotti's Notes on the Writing of Horror, the line between short story and essay can become blurry at...

First of all “Vastarien: A Literary Journal” (Vol. 1, Issue 1) is, I believe the first publication of TLO (Thomas Ligutti Online) under their imprint of Grimscribe Press, and HIGH marks are to be doled out to editor-in-Chief Matt Cardin and Senior Editors Jon Padgett, Brian Poe, and Kevin Moquin. They have achieved a great feat in the annals of publishing.The journals name is drawn from the Thomas Ligotti’s story of the same title. If not familiar with that story you need to fix that, and purcha...

4.5 stars This is a solid effort and anyone claiming to be interested in Thomas Ligotti should read this.I was especially fond of the essay "Notes on a Horror" by appropriately psedonymed Dr. Thoss.There is treasure in this journal and I look forward to future issues.

Vastarien is frequently an emotionally challenging read. Contributing to this, the line between fiction and non-fiction is not clear. We construct comfortable barriers to assist coping with an uncaring world, and the experience of reading this journal reminds us that this is just stage dressing. “The Gods in Their Seats, Unblinking” by Kurt Fawver is an unsettling start to this issue. “Notes on a Horror” by Dr. Raymond Thoss is a bleak discussion of nihilism as a therapy technique to address tra...

I'm glad this exists. Ever since reading The Grimscribe Puppets it seemed that something like this certainly _could_ exist. That collection proved that there are more than enough talented authors who understand Ligotti's dark themes and his surreal atmosphere, and can make it their own in many creative ways.But the work here is far from mere simulation. These works all come from a similar mindset of an uncomfortable angst and a rejection of the collective illusions that make the human condition

Being a longtime fan of Thomas Ligotti, liking Padgett's novel and finding him to be a really nice person, and enjoying many of Cardin's Ligotti-like stories, I expected I'd enjoy "Vastarien: A Literary Jouranl", but I had no idea it would be as excellent as it is. The weakest short story is still a good one, the collection of artwork throughout is a lovely mix of Dore and Ernst, and the essays - tackling Ligotti's work, horror fiction, and treatment for trauma influenced by Ligotti's writings,

This high quality journal has been the highlight of my days lately. Some great fiction pieces and poetry are balanced with thorough and stimulating analyses. I felt very much like the skeleton in the cover illustration as I tried to fit reading time into any part of my day I could. Grimscribe press has really done a great job with this issue, and I cannot wait to get to the others. I am awake.

Vastarien is an astounding and difficult read for me. In the best way. Especially Notes on a Horror and Singing the Song of my Unmaking. I love Ligotti (like we all do) but he tends towards the ghoulish and the ghoulishly funny most of the time. Which isn't a bad thing at all but I never realized that his work, or different facsimiles OF his work, could be so DAMN emotional. Most of the time, when his characters breakdown, it feels inevitable. We expect it too happen because that's the expected

The Thomas Ligotti inspired collection VASTARIEN kicks-off with the one act play, "The Gods in Their Seats, Unblinking"  by Kurt Fawver. More accurately, it is an account of play, the playwright and actors vanished and possibly fictional themselves. The traditional roles between actor and audience quickly dissolves. Who are the real performers? Are audience and actors interchangeable? Redundant?An excellent, thought-provoking story, it not only kept me interested in the narrative, but also in th...

The first issue of Vastarien is an excellent read for anyone interested in Thomas Ligotti, horror, bleak philosophy, film and Weird fiction. The issue is nicely edited, and all the pieces fit together to make the issue a very interesting and satisfying read from beginning to end. The topics range from David Lynch, themes in Ligotti’s work, clinical depression, to the very real-life traumas of child abuse. Really enjoyed this, and I can’t wait to read the forthcoming issues.

I rarely bother to write reviews but this journal is one of the most fabulous things i’ve read in a very long time. In particular I think I related to and felt more “seen” by the masterful “Singing the Song of My Unmaking” by Christopher Ropes than any other piece of literature I can recall having read in decades. The significance of the acknowledgment and celebration of this particular variety of mind and worldview cannot be overstated and it has more than earned its place of honour on my shelf...

A multi-genre anthology of both fiction and nonfiction that unlike many attempts to coalesce around a single author actually fits together well and with an almost uniformly strong quality.

A great read. I loved every part of this journal. Exceptional writing. As good as everything was I thought that both Notes On A Horror and Singing the Song Of My Unmasking we’re both worldview changing. I bought the other 3 issues of Vastarien and can’t wIt to dig in!

Wow! Just wow! This is a collection of short stories and academic essays inspired by the writings of Thomas Ligotti and pessimistic philosophy. While there were a couple of pieces that I found a little pretentious for my taste the gems, and there were many, more than made up for this.Singing the Songs, Notes on a Horror, The Theatre of Ovid, Solar Flare and The Alienation of Self were by far my favourites. The writings are not only entertaining and thought-provoking they are also political, pers...

I am awake to a world I’ve known vile. I know others have been awake. I know others are puppets still dreaming. But to read some thoughtful articles and good horror that rolls in that filth of life and find kinship? I take heart. Superb.

Pleasingly high quality content for a first issue, I've picked up the 2nd issue immediately.

Vastarien es una publicación que homenajea a Thomas Ligotti a través de artículos, relatos y poesia.Jon Padgett, el autor de " El secreto de la ventriloquia" publicado en español por dilatando mentes, es también el editor y quien se encarga de seleccionar a los diferentes autores que aparecen en ella.La verdad es que este primer número es espectacular y encontramos desde artículos sobre el cine o la psicología nihilista de Ligotti hasta sentidos homenajes en prosa o poesía.Entre los que más me h...

Strong four stars? Yep. I've had this since shortly after its release and just finally got to reading it this weekend. What it is, is a mix of short fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and artwork, all inspired in one way or another by Thomas Ligotti. It's a very compelling collection, one which I picked up when only familiar with one contributor (Slatsky) and name familiar with another (Fawver), and of course with Ligotti and the folks at Grimscribe. I truly dig almost all of it, though for me the shi...

Loved every minute of this journal.