Great review. I totally get your enthusiasm. I’ve been a huge Aickman fan for many years and have read all of his short fiction (about 50 stories). Let me tell you, you’re just scratching the surface with Night Voices. Brace yourself for stories such as “The Hospice,” “The Swords,” and “Bind Your Hair,” among so many others that you’ll never forget once you’ve read them. Something to keep in mind with Aickman: He thought that the strange and the inexplicable was a normal part of life, and that his fiction was a depiction of life as he saw it. He believed these unexplained elements of life were of great importance and should be paid attention to when they occurred. When you eventually read his nightmarishly surreal story “The Cicerones,” keep in mind that he claimed it was a straightforward description (apart from the ending) of something that actually happened to him. One more thing, you mentioned some filmmakers, and I’ve always thought Aickman has some things in common with David Lynch-surreal events intruding on everyday life, and that sense of the absurd.
Thanks so much! Yeah, I'll definitely pick up a collection with the Cicerones in it. I also get a heavy Lynch vibe from Aickman's stories. It's such a particular kind of horror that I haven't really seen anyone else write before. But yeah, that diner scene in Mulholland Drive could easily be something in an Aickman story.
@@echoedwordsreviews Yes, and the first third of Lost Highway also seems very Aickmanesque to me. Have you heard of Thomas Ligotti? He’s a very original writer of bizarre, nightmarish fiction who often draws comparisons to Aickman, although his work is actually distinctly different from Aickman. More like Lovecraft on psychedelics. His work is truly brilliant, IMO. Anyway, I hope you do a review of the next Aickman book you read.
@@lucrativeangstproductions3305I’ve been meaning to read Ligotti for a while now! First I heard of him was someone mentioning his book of essays- ‘Conspiracy Against the Human Race’ but I want to dive in to some of his actual horror writing. Where would you recommend to start?
Aickman is brilliant. Loved your review; you really nailed what I love about him. That comparison to the diner scene in Mulholland Drive was very apt! I really wish someone would make a movie! Or maybe a short film would be more appropriate. There is a TV adaptation of The Hospice on UA-cam which is quite good. There are so many brilliant other stories. I recommend The Unsettled Dust, Bind Your Hair, The Hospice, The Same Dog, Wood, The School Friend, Ringing the Changes, Into the Wood, The Hospice, The Inner Room, The Swords. But even his average stories are brilliant.
Great review. I totally get your enthusiasm. I’ve been a huge Aickman fan for many years and have read all of his short fiction (about 50 stories). Let me tell you, you’re just scratching the surface with Night Voices. Brace yourself for stories such as “The Hospice,” “The Swords,” and “Bind Your Hair,” among so many others that you’ll never forget once you’ve read them. Something to keep in mind with Aickman: He thought that the strange and the inexplicable was a normal part of life, and that his fiction was a depiction of life as he saw it. He believed these unexplained elements of life were of great importance and should be paid attention to when they occurred. When you eventually read his nightmarishly surreal story “The Cicerones,” keep in mind that he claimed it was a straightforward description (apart from the ending) of something that actually happened to him. One more thing, you mentioned some filmmakers, and I’ve always thought Aickman has some things in common with David Lynch-surreal events intruding on everyday life, and that sense of the absurd.
Thanks so much! Yeah, I'll definitely pick up a collection with the Cicerones in it. I also get a heavy Lynch vibe from Aickman's stories. It's such a particular kind of horror that I haven't really seen anyone else write before. But yeah, that diner scene in Mulholland Drive could easily be something in an Aickman story.
@@echoedwordsreviews Yes, and the first third of Lost Highway also seems very Aickmanesque to me. Have you heard of Thomas Ligotti? He’s a very original writer of bizarre, nightmarish fiction who often draws comparisons to Aickman, although his work is actually distinctly different from Aickman. More like Lovecraft on psychedelics. His work is truly brilliant, IMO. Anyway, I hope you do a review of the next Aickman book you read.
@@lucrativeangstproductions3305I’ve been meaning to read Ligotti for a while now! First I heard of him was someone mentioning his book of essays- ‘Conspiracy Against the Human Race’ but I want to dive in to some of his actual horror writing. Where would you recommend to start?
@@echoedwordsreviews I guess I’d suggest starting with his first book, Songs of a Dead Dreamer. But all of his collections are great.
Aickman is brilliant. Loved your review; you really nailed what I love about him. That comparison to the diner scene in Mulholland Drive was very apt! I really wish someone would make a movie! Or maybe a short film would be more appropriate. There is a TV adaptation of The Hospice on UA-cam which is quite good. There are so many brilliant other stories. I recommend The Unsettled Dust, Bind Your Hair, The Hospice, The Same Dog, Wood, The School Friend, Ringing the Changes, Into the Wood, The Hospice, The Inner Room, The Swords. But even his average stories are brilliant.
Excited to find this one and give it a read!