Laird Barron (ology)
Blue Tyson
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2010 Blue Tyson
Second edition May 2010
INTRODUCTION
This book is about the work of horror writer Laird Barron, and is a companion to the Laird Barron (ology) website http://lairdbarron.blogspot.com and collects the content found at the site. The various entries and elements can also be browsed there.
Barron is a writer often working in a Lovecraft type tradition, using his own Pacific Northwest and in particular Washington State mythos. Also of interest to those who enjoy hardboiled tales.
It contains an analysis of the elements of his published stories, plus summaries of the work explaining what they are about, and a classification.
It also contains details of and links to free works online, encyclopedia, bibliography, interview and other such reference works, as well as the author's presence on the internet and other categories of interest.
There is also a concordance for each story included at the end, with the stories in alphabetical order.
The works appear here in reverse chronological order of appearance at Laird Barron (ology).
CATEGORISATION
The tags with a "z " prefix:
The works are tagged by the type of story, and by length (novella, novelette, short story, etc.).
Elements of the story are broken down into types of characters, places, concepts, technology, vehicles, weapons, food, media, races, animals and plants.
The tags with a "zz " prefix:
These are references to the work the elementis from.
The numeric tags:
These are references to the approximate relative importance of the element as follows :
4.0 = Major element
3.5 = Standard element
3.0 = Minor element
A 0.0 indicates that the story, work or reference is one for which I have not seen an actual complete copy.
Characters being the most important elements, the "z " tags are self-explanatory, and the numbers correspond:
5.0 = Series character
4.5 = Recurring character
4.0 = Major character
3.5 = Supporting character
3.0 = Minor character
Explanation of story ratings here :-
If the entry is an actual fictional work such as a Short Story, the number is my opinion of its quality, as per this breakdown:
5.0 = Outstanding
4.5 = Excellent
4.0 = Very Good
3.5 = Good
3.0 = Average
2.5 = Poor
2.0 = Bad
1.5 = Very Bad
1.0 = Terrible
Please note that there is no analysis of "The Lonely Death of Agent Haringa", which is a rare story from a micropress book. It does not exist in digital form, and that is obviously a prerequisite for some of the analysis given here.
You can email corrections to aussievamp2@gmail.com, or comment on the blog at http://lairdbarron.blogspot.com
Blue Tyson, May 20, 2010.
1.
On Poe 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe - Ellen Datlow and Laird Barron : z non-fiction - interview - 3.5
"Laird Barron: As a boy, I first encountered Edgar Allan Poe in an old water-damaged book of classic fiction and poetry. The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, and most especially, The Cask of Amontillado, got under my skin, and crept into my subconscious in a way few stories have since. Poe’s command of the hypnogogic and the macabre is a powerful influence, “a dark seed” as author John Langan has said while lecturing on Poe. Who needs laudanum or absinthe when you’ve the old master whispering from beyond?"
...
"Ellen Datlow: Unusually, this one came from George Mann and Christian Dunn of Solaris. I generally come up with commercial ideas for anthologies by accident and this is one I completely missed: the bicentennial of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe. But once it was suggested, I realized what a great idea it was. "
http://www.omnivoracious.com/2009/03/ellen-datlow-and-laird-barron-on-poe-19-new-tales-inspired-by-edgar-allan-poe.html
2.
Webscriptions - Laird Barron : publisher - z in print - 5.0
Ebook of his collection available here at the most reader friendly commercial ebook publisher on the planet.
http://www.webscription.net/s-173-laird-barron.aspx
3.
Night Shade Books - Laird Barron : publisher - z in print - 5.0
The publisher responsible for his collection, in either format.
http://www.nightshadebooks.com/
4.
The Laird Barron Sequence Defining the Undefinable - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - interview - 4.0
Interview with Jeff Vandermeer for Clarkesworld magazine.
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/barron_interview/
5.
Introduction to the Dark Star Experience - Michael Shea : z non-fiction - introduction - 0.0
Introduction: Dark Star: The Michael Shea Experience (2008)
Unseen.
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?875666
6.
ISFDB Bibliography - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 5.0 - bibliography
A listing of his fictional work.
Legal Name: Barron, Laird Samuel
Birthplace: Palmer, Alaska, USA
Birthdate: 1970
Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laird_Barron
Webpage: http://www.benjamindesign.com/lairdbarron/index.html
Interviews: The Laird Barron Sequence: Defining the Undefinable
Biography: Bio:Laird Barron
Bibliographic Comments: Author:Laird Barron
Collections
The Imago Sequence and Other Stories (2007)
Occultation [forthcoming: May 15 2010]
Shortfiction
Hour of the Cyclops (2000)
Shiva, Open Your Eye (2001)
Old Virginia (2003)
Bulldozer (2004)
Proboscis (2005)
The Imago Sequence (2005)
Parallax (2005)
The Royal Zoo is Closed (2006)
Hallucigenia (2006)
Procession of the Black Sloth (2007)
The Forest (2007)
The Lagerstätte (2008) also appeared as:
Variant Title: The Lagerstatte (2008)
The Lonely Death of Mr. Haringa (2008)
The Occultation (2008) also appeared as:
Variant Title: Occultation (2008)
Mysterium Tremendum (2010)
——30—— (2010)
Six Six Six [forthcoming: May 15 2010]
Catch Hell [forthcoming: May 15 2010]
Strappado [forthcoming: May 15 2010]
The Broadsword [forthcoming: May 15 2010]
Essays
Introduction: Dark Star: The Michael Shea Experience (2008)
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Laird_Barron
7.
The Melic Review : z editor - 3.0 - poetry
One of the staff involved with this poetry journal.
http://www.melicreview.com/
8.
Electica.org Biographical Notes - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 3.0 - biography
"Laird Barron was born in Palmer, Alaska and raised on a remote wilderness parcel. He is a full-time writer with poetry appearing in the Melic Review, Stirring, Vowel Movement, and the fall issues of Undressed and Ixion. He has recently completed a novel. His interests include research of ancient warfare, medieval diplomacy, Greek Mythology, powerlifting, and combat martial arts. Mr. Barron lives in Seattle, Washington."
http://www.eclectica.org/v4n3/contributor_notes.html#barron
9.
Quietly Now - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 0.0 - essay
"Quietly, Now." Essay for Erobos: The New Darkness #1, Summer 2007
Unseen.
10.
Twenty-First Century Ghosts - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 0.0 - essay
"Twenty-First Century Ghosts." Essay for LOCUS Magazine, May 2007
According to Wikipedia. Although given the title it could be a book review, will check as unseen.
11.
Vistas of Evil Splendor - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - introduction - 0.0
"Vistas of Evil Splendor." Introduction to The Darkly Splendid Realm by Richard Gavin Dark Regions Press 2009
Unseen.
12.
Website Biography - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 3.0 - biography
From his own website.
http://www.benjamindesign.com/lairdbarron/bio.html
13.
Stalking Through the Jungles of Night. - Laird Barron : afterword - 0.0 - forthcoming
"Stalking Through the Jungles of Night." Afterword to limited edition of Peter Straub's Koko Centipede Press 2010
Forthcoming, via Wikipedia.
14.
SciFiction Biography - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 3.0 - biography
Thanks to archive.org.
http://web.archive.org/web/20080111223811/http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/barron/barron_bio.html
15.
Film Option - Brendan Dineen : development hell - z movie - 0.0
"The fledgling company's other projects include "Superstar," a comics project by longtime "Avengers" comicbook scribe Kurt Busiek, Laird Barron's short story "The Procession of the Black Sloth," and Jason Shiga's graphic novel "Empire Park."
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006431.html?categoryid=18cs=1
16.
Gula de Saturnus - Laird Barron : z novelette - 0.0 - forthcoming
"These are all 9k plus novelettes, and one novella in the 20k range."
http://imago1.livejournal.com/37329.html
17.
The Men From Porlock - Laird Barron : z novelette - 0.0 - forthcoming
"These are all 9k plus novelettes, and one novella in the 20k range."
In Occultation.
http://imago1.livejournal.com/37329.html
18.
Blackwoods Baby - Laird Barron : z novelette - 0.0 - forthcoming
"These are all 9k plus novelettes, and one novella in the 20k range."
(a major anthology I can't yet reveal) "I've sold a long novelette called "Blackwood's Baby" to Nick Gevers. The story takes place in rural America during the 1930s and is very loosely connected to "Catch Hell," the piece I wrote for Ellen's Lovecraft Unbound anthology. I hope to read from BB at Readercon."
One of the Ransom Hollow cycle stories.
http://imago1.livejournal.com/37329.html
19.
The Croning - Laird Barron : 0.0 - forthcoming - z novel
From Night Shade Books also :-
"The novel is called THE CRONING. It's kind of like ON GOLDEN POND, if Henry and Jane Fonda were preoccupied with black magic, machetes, and cosmic horrors. This one is still underway with an estimated delivery date of July 2010."
http://imago1.livejournal.com/34409.html
20.
The Redfield Girls - Laird Barron : z novelette - 0.0 - forthcoming
Haunted Legends Anthology
"From Ellen Datlow's journal:
"This is an anthology of original stories inspired by regional ghost stories and urban legends. It'll be coming out from Tor (hopefully in 2010). We're just about to hand it in to our editor.""
http://imago1.livejournal.com/31038.html
21.
The Shirley Jackson Awards Blog - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - interview - 3.5
"I wrote The Lagerstätte in reaction to tragedies loved ones of mine have endured. Danni’s fugue and her survivor’s guilt are details that revealed themselves once I began researching grief and its manifold incarnations, the damage it inflicts. The horrific aspects seemed integral from the first draft, but I envisioned them to be more remote, more emotionally restrained. In the immortal words of Nathan Ballingrud, “you go where it takes you,” and this one took me to far darker places than I’d bargained for."
http://shirleyjacksonawards.blogspot.com/2009/07/laird-barron-interview-by-charles-tan.html
22.
Blood Stardust - Laird Barron : z novelette - 0.0 - forthcoming
"Blood Stardust," 2010
A Wikipedia reference, would have to be confirmed by the author.
23.
The Lonely Death of Mr. Haringa - Laird Barron : z short story - 0.0 - horror
From a joke type idea, it appears :-
http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:u6ZSXpN-yGcJ:www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/sja_support.php+kill+jack+haringacd=1hl=enct=clnkgl=auclient=opera
and Google Books reference :-
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=f5bdoQFzCSACpg=PP6lpg=PP6dq=kill+jack+haringasource=blots=QYTYJgQL-Ssig=ywIORCKdSkOWjYG7SY0bPka5CNUhl=enei=WTUwS7zdBJPo7AOgn_mGBgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=10ved=0CCkQ6AEwCQ#v=onepageq=kill%20jack%20haringaf=false
Guessing likely a short story.
24.
Bibliophile Stalker Interview - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - interview - 4.0
http://charles-tan.blogspot.com/2008/09/feature-interview-with-laird-barron.html
On horror, Imago Sequence, and whiteout survival multiverse shifts.
25.
Keeping An Eye On - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 4.5 - interview
"SoY: What’s your favorite horror subgenre?
LB: I’m fascinated with the occult, the pursuit of forbidden lore, the consequences of attaining such knowledge. Cosmic horror, technology run amok. I also have a soft spot for tales that feature strong noir/mystery aspects."
http://yetistomper.blogspot.com/2009/09/keeping-eye-on-laird-barron.html
26.
Author Photograph - Laird Barron : 4.5 - z photograph - fans
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3355/3293887962_e6167fea00.jpg
27.
Fantastic Fiction Bibliography - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - bibliography - 4.0
List of books with cover art.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/laird-barron/
28.
Hour Of The Cyclops - Laird Barron : z online work - 4.0 - horror
Online Story.
http://freesf.blogspot.com/2009/02/hour-of-cyclops-laird-barron.html
29.
Bulldozer - Laird Barron : z online work - 3.5 - horror
Online story.
http://freesf.blogspot.com/2007/08/bulldozer-laird-barron.html
30.
Old Virginia - Laird Barron : z online work - 4.0 - horror
Online story.
http://freesf.blogspot.com/2009/02/old-virginia-laird-barron.html
31.
Parallax - Laird Barron : z online work - 4.0 - horror
Online story.
http://freesf.blogspot.com/2007/11/parallax-laird-barron.html
32.
Procession Of the Black Sloth - Laird Barron : z online work - 4.0 - horror
Online work.
http://freesf.blogspot.com/2009/02/procession-of-black-sloth-laird-barron.html
33.
Shiva Open Your Eye - Laird Barron : z online work - 4.0 - horror
Online story.
http://freesf.blogspot.com/2009/02/shiva-open-your-eye-laird-barron.html
34.
Author Reading - Laird Barron : 4.5 - z photograph - fans
Along with other KGB photos in this photostream.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35025258@N00/3293887858/
35.
Wicker Time - Laird Barron : z online work - 3.0 - poetry
A poem.
http://www.eclectica.org/v4n3/barron.html
36.
Delay On Battery Street - Laird Barron : z online work - 3.0 - poetry
A poem.
http://www.redriverreview.com/A55656/RRR.NSF/AllByPoet/8DB04F90E759389D86256928001062CF?opendocument
37.
The Imago Sequence and Other Stories - Laird Barron : z award - 5.0 - shirley jackson
Shirley Jackson Award winner for Best Collection, 2007.
http://www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/sja_2007_winners.php
38.
The Imago Sequence and Other Stories - Laird Barron : bram stoker - 5.0 - z award nomination
Bram Stoker award nomination for best collection, 2007.
http://www.horror.org/stokerwinnom.htm
39.
Wikipedia - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 4.5 - encyclopedia
Online encyclopedia entry.
Laird Barron
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Laird Barron
Born 1970
Palmer, Alaska
Occupation writer, Sled Dog Racer
Nationality United States
Genres Speculative fiction, Fantasy, Horror fiction, Science fiction, Poetry
Influences[show]
Official website
Laird Samuel Barron (born 1970) is an award winning author and poet, much of whose critically acclaimed work falls within the horror, noir, and dark fantasy genres. He has also been the Managing Editor of the online literary magazine Melic Review. He lives in Washington.
Bestselling author Stewart O'Nan said of his work:“If you think there aren't any new Richard Mathesons or Harlan Ellisons out there, you need to read Laird Barron.” Nick Gevers, reviewing for Locus Magazine, has called Barron, "...a miraculous synthesis of Lovecraft and Lucius Shepard." LOCUS October 2005, Issue 537 vol. 55 no. 4Contents [hide]
1 Biography
2 Bibliography
2.1 Novels
2.2 Collections
2.3 Anthologies
3 Stories
4 Other Writing
5 References
6 External resources
Biography
Mr. Barron spent his early years in Alaska, where he raced the Iditarod three times during the early 1990s. He moved to Washington in 1994 where he became a certified strength trainer and earned a third degree brown belt in Professor Bradley J. Steiner's Jen Do Tao system, a fighting art based on WWII close quarters combat techniques developed by W.E. Fairbairn and Colonel Rex Applegate. His professional writing debut occurred 2001 when Gordon Van Gelder published Shiva, Open Your Eye in the September issue of The Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction.
In addition to The Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction, Barron's work has been featured in SCI FICTION, Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural, Lovecraft Unbound!, Black Wings: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror, and The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy. It has also been reprinted in numerous year's anthologies and nominated for multiple awards including the World Fantasy Award, International Horror Guild Award, Sturgeon Award, Crawford Award, and The Shirley Jackson Award. Mr. Barron's debut collection, The Imago Sequence Other Stories, was published in 2007 by Night Shade Books. He and his wife currently reside in Olympia, Washington.
Bibliography
Novels
The Croning, Night Shade Books 2011
Collections
Occultation, Night Shade Books 2010
The Imago Sequence Other Stories, Night Shade Books 2007; Trade paperback 2009
Anthologies
Wilde Stories 2010 Lethe 2010
Haunted Legends Tor Books 2010
Cthulhu's Reign DAW Books 2010
Nostradamus' Fate Dark Regions 2010
Best Horror of the Year 2 Night Shade Books 2010
Black Wings PS Publishing 2010
Lovecraft Unbound Dark Horse Comics 2009
Best Horror of the Year 1 Night Shade Books 2009
Poe Solaris 2009
The Year's Best Fantasy Horror 21 2008
Clockwork Phoenix Norilana Press 2008
Year's Best Fantasy 8 Tachyon 2008
The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction Fantasy Del Rey 2008
Jack Haringa Must Die! 2008
Inferno Tor 2007
Year's Best Fantasy 7 Tachyon 2007
Trochu divné kusy 2 2006
Fantastyka Number 4 2006
The Year's Best Fantasy Horror 19 St. Martin's 2006
Horror: Best of 2005 Prime 2006
Fantasy: Best of 2005 Prime 2006
Year's Best Fantasy 6 Tachyon 2006
The Year's Best Fantasy Horror 18 St Martin's 2005
The Three-Lobed Burning Eye Annual Volume No. 2 Legion Press 2005
The Year's Best Fantasy Horror 17 St Martin's 2004
Stories
The Broadsword, Black Wings 2010
"Six Six Six," Occultation 2010
Mysterium Tremendum, Occultation 2010
"--30--," Occultation 2010
"Vastation," Cthulhu's Reign 2010
"The Redfield Girls," Haunted Legends 2010
"Gula de Saturnus," Nostradamus' Fate 2010
"Catch Hell," Lovecraft Unbound 2009
"Strappado," Poe 2009
"The Lonely Death of Agent Haringa," Kill Jack Haringa 2008
"Occultation," Clockwork Phoenix 2008
"The Lagerstatte," Del Rey Book of Science Fiction Fantasy 2008
"The Forest," Inferno 2007
Procession of the Black Sloth, The Imago Sequence Other Stories 2007
"The Royal Zoo is Closed," Phantom # Zero 2006
Hallucigenia, The Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction 2006
"Parallax," SCI FICTION 2005
The Imago Sequence, The Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction 2005
"Proboscis," The Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction 2005
"Bulldozer," SCI FICTION 2004
"Old Virginia," The Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction 2003
"Shiva, Open Your Eye," The Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction 2001
"Hour of the Cyclops," Three-Lobed Burning Eye 2000
Other Writing
"Stalking Through the Jungles of Night." Afterword to limited edition of Peter Straub's Koko Centipede Press 2010
"Vistas of Evil Splendor." Introduction to The Darkly Splendid Realm by Richard Gavin Dark Regions Press 2009
"Dark Star: The Michael Shea Experience." An introduction to The Autopsy Other Tales, Centipede Press, 2008
"Twenty-First Century Ghosts." Essay for LOCUS Magazine, May 2007
"Quietly, Now." Essay for Erobos: The New Darkness #1, Summer 2007
References
Biography from the author's website
Biographical notes at Melic Review, Eclectica magazine, and Sci Fiction
External resources
Laird Barron at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
Laird Barron's online fiction at Free Speculative Fiction Online
Melic Review
Official site
Laird Barron (ology) website and Laird Barron (ology) book
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laird_Barron
40.
The Imago Suite - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 4.5 - blog
Author's blog that he actually uses. Look here for news and commentary.
http://imago1.livejournal.com/
41.
Website - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - website - 3.0
Has basic info, but not uptodate as far as work goes.
http://www.lairdbarron.com/
42.
Wordpress - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - blog - 3.5
Occasionally updated with information and news, some links.
http://lairdbarron.wordpress.com/
43.
Facebook - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - blog - 4.0
Live author updates.
http://www.facebook.com/laird.barron
44.
Website - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 4.5 - website
The author's new site, complete with comic portrait.
http://www.lairdbarron.net/
45.
Books Are My Only Friends Interview with - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - interview - 3.5
"My tastes are eclectic -- I enjoy everything from Michener ‘s historical doorstops to New Wave science fiction. There’s a special place in my heart for procedurals and crime novels. Gorky Park, Smilla’s Sense of Snow and Robert Parker’s Spenser series are some of my favorites.
The thing horror offers is the frisson that comes with fear and dread and visceral shock; frightful imagery appeals to our lizard brain in a way that is profound and immediate. Horror is an important and vital art form -- it’s rooted in primitive emotions, the animal self that resists sublimation. We’ve not evolved sufficiently as a species to turn our backs on the lizard, the wolf, the ape. Our ineluctable fascination with the gruesome, the violent, the macabre, is a gentle reminder of that."
http://booksaremyonlyfriends.blogspot.com/2009/12/interview-with-laird-barron.html
46.
Lairdbarron.net - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - blog - 4.0
Author's new wordpress site in progress. Complete with comic version of the authro.
http://www.lairdbarron.net/
47.
From The Terrifying Wastes Of The Cosmos Come Scary Old People - Grey Area : z non-fiction - 3.5 - article
"Many of the stories take place in the present day in the American Northwest particularly around Olympia and Eastern Washington state. There are some notable exceptions. The previously unpublished "Procession of the Black Sloth" is a bleak disorienting descent into Hell set in Hong Kong. A grizzled Pinkerton agent tracks down a vicious killer to a Gold Rush town in "Bulldozer", it could be described as Cthulu in Deadwood. "Hallucigenia"is about a wealthy man trying to come to grips with a bizarre and horrible incident that has left his life shattered. It made me think of the best of Clive Barker, only better. The title story deserves to hang in the same nightmarish gallery as "The Picture of Dorian Grey" and "Pickman's Model". "The Imago Sequence" is a notorious trio of photographs sought after by rich and eccentric collectors. One of these sends his agent, an ex-wrestler turned kneecap-busting debt collector, to hunt down the mysterious third image. His investigation uncovers a labyrinth of conspiracy, crime, and macabre cults, or something even worse."
http://io9.com/5266163/from-the-terrifying-wastes-of-the-cosmos-come-scary-old-people
48.
Books are my only friends More questions with - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - interview - 4.0
"I conducted a significant amount of research regarding the physical and historical geography of Hong Kong and the Eighteen Hells, or Diyu. Getting these aspects right presented the greatest challenge other than formulating the novella itself. Procession of the Black Sloth is an homage to horror in general, but most especially to Asian horror cinema, and as such, I've found the great body of world literature and film has prepared Western audiences to receive the material. Koji Suzuki's Ringu cycle and films such as Uzimaki, A Tale of Two Sisters, and Ju-on are examples of work that has penetrated Western consciousness and reshaped the imaginative calculus. And of course, anime and manga are powerful and prevalent forces here in the U.S.. In any event, Sloth deals with the reciprocal nature of the universe, a concept that transcends East-West artistic traditions and gets to the root of human fascination and dread, the heart of spirituality we all share in one guise or another."
http://booksaremyonlyfriends.blogspot.com/2010/01/more-questions-with-laird-barron.html
49.
The British Fantasy Society Forum - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 3.5 - forum
He has a section along with many others.
http://www.britishfantasysociety.org/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=8500d1c28ced08177614c809b58adef6topic=2422.0
50.
Occultation - Matthew Jaffe : professional - z cover - 3.5
Cover art for the collection :-
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs436.snc3/25083_1333631855813_1081556704_31030137_760037_n.jpg
51.
Colleen Lindsay - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 4.0 - agent
His agent :-
http://colleenlindsay.com/
52.
Laird Barron Wordle : z non-fiction - wordle - 3.0
Here :-
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/556230/Laird_Barron
53.
Group Photo - Laird Barron and John Langan : z photograph - fans - 4.0
And two presumably unscarable associates in Paul Tremblay and Hannah Wolf Bowen.
4 out 5
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2313/1898375924_d67cea3344.jpg
54.
Clownette by Terry Dowling: An Appreciation - Laird Barro : z non-fiction - 4.5 - article
"Terry Dowling knows the heart of fear hasn't strayed far from the caves and he understands the raw, ineluctable fascination of a campfire tale. He is conversant with its rules and rituals-—Did you hear the one about the guy, this salesman, who couldn't get a room at his regular hotel? So the clerk says, "Hey, you could stay in this one room we got in back. We'll give you our special rate . . .""
http://edsfproject.blogspot.com/2006_02_20_archive.html
55.
Occultation Introduction - Michael Shea : z non-fiction - 4.5 - introduction
"Laird Barron's carnivorous cosmos... Or perhaps it's more a conspiracy his cosmos draws you into than a digesting maw.
And rather than being absorbed as a nutrient, you may be absorbed into an older and more potent Form-your limbs and neck may grow rubbery and rather more elongate, and your new tree-toad fingers might enable you to crawl across ceilings, thence to peer down on old, still-mortal friends and acquaintances, studying them from many angles with your new stalked eyes.
Barron's cosmos is an omni-morph that can dragoon you whenever/ wherever it wants into its swarming, pullulating fabric. This, of course, is a simple Axiom of the reality we all share, every second of our lives, with our Universe: in that great Starry Engine, we all end as mulch, and then, as Other Things...."
56.
Mr Rembrandt : z character - major - zz hour of the cyclops - 4.0
The antihero of the mission, agent of Central. In a new enhanced body for this adventure of despicable aims.
57.
The Ancient Apothecary : z character - major - zz hour of the cyclops - 4.0
Magical opponent and sacrificer of virgins whom you should shoot first ahead of his henchmen.
58.
Dr Chimera : zz hour of the cyclops - 3.0 - z character - minor
Doctor and test scientist in Rembrandt's organisation.
59.
Dr Sprague : zz hour of the cyclops - 3.0 - z character - minor
Doctor and test scientist in Rembrandt's organisation.
60.
Mr Spot : zz hour of the cyclops - 3.0 - z character - minor
The Ancient Apothecary's torturer.
61.
Ms Smyth : z character - supporting - zz hour of the cyclops - 3.5
The virgin sacrifice. Just a genius Olympic martial artist with a Nobel prize. Also a cellist.
62.
Yellow Ichor No. Five : z technology - zz hour of the cyclops - 4.0
A blood replacement used on Mr. Rembrandt by Chimera and Sprague.
63.
Central : zz hour of the cyclops - 3.5 - z organisation
Mr. Rembrandt's employer. Also servants of the Slitherer From the Stars.
64.
White Mountain : z place - zz hour of the cyclops - 3.0
Site of the Ancient Apothecary's lair, a tiny town with an abandoned radar site.
65.
Nome : z place - zz hour of the cyclops - 3.5
Town 80 miles northwest of White Mountain, in Alaska, not far from the Bering Sea.
66.
Aldebaran : z place - zz hour of the cyclops - 3.0
A star.
67.
The Slitherer From the Stars : z concept - zz hour of the cyclops - 3.0
An Elder God-like being.
68.
Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron : z short story - fantasy - 4.0
Short Story
Number of words : 4400
Percent of complex words : 11.4
Average syllables per word : 1.6
Average words per sentence : 11.4
READABILITY INDICES
Fog : 9.1
Flesch : 63.6
Flesch-Kincaid : 7.2
: Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
CHARACTERS
Mr Rembrandt : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
The antihero of the mission, agent of Central. In a new enhanced body for this adventure of despicable aims.
The Ancient Apothecary : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
Magical opponent and sacrificer of virgins whom you should shoot first ahead of his henchmen.
Dr Chimera : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
Doctor and test scientist in Rembrandt's organisation.
Dr Sprague : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
Doctor and test scientist in Rembrandt's organisation.
Mr Spot : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
The Ancient Apothecary's torturer.
Ms Smyth : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
The virgin sacrifice. Just a genius Olympic martial artist with a Nobel prize. Also a cellist.
TECHNOLOGY
Yellow Ichor No. Five : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
A blood replacement used on Mr. Rembrandt by Chimera and Sprague.
ORGANISATIONS
Central : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
Mr. Rembrandt's employer. Also servants of the Slitherer From the Stars.
PLACES
White Mountain : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
Site of the Ancient Apothecary's lair, a tiny town with an abandoned radar site.
Nome : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
Town 80 miles northwest of White Mountain, in Alaska, not far from the Bering Sea.
Aldebaran : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
A star.
CONCEPTS
The Slitherer From the Stars : Hour of the Cyclops - Laird Barron
An Elder God-like being.
The Ancient Apothecary has kidnapped Ms Smyth and wants to use her in a ritual, being an extremely accomplished virgin. Mr Rembrandt's employer control wants the same thing, for different reasons. He is sent to retrieve her, in a scientifically and arcanely enhanced and tooled up body-that of her Hammer Throwing ex-boyfriend. He manages to get past the guards, and get the girl. When she realises he isn't the boyfriend George, and has rather nastier motives than just rescue you can add quick draw and good shot to her list of talents.
Yellow Ichor No. Five leaks out just like blood does.
http://www.3lobedmag.com/issue6/3lbe6_story3.html
69.
Jonah Koenig : z character - major - zz bulldozer - 4.0
A Pinkerton man out to catch a thieving murdering cannibal occultist.
70.
Rueben Hicks : z character - supporting - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
Black magic killer and Koenig's quarry. Also known as Tom Mullen or Ezra Slade. Nickname Iron Man. Robbed P. T. Barnum and left with a scary tome. Says he is an Opener. Also has a strange affliction.
71.
Violet : z character - supporting - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
A prostitute who entertains Koenig and he becomes fond of.
72.
Sheriff Murtaugh : z character - supporting - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
Irishman, the law in Purdon.
73.
P. T. Barnum : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Entrepreneur and employer.
74.
Doc Campion : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Purdon's medical man.
75.
Billy Cullins : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Purdon's undertaker.
76.
Trosper : z character - supporting - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
A bartender, not a big fan of Koenig's.
77.
Jake : z character - supporting - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
Bar muscle and gunman.
78.
Octavia Plantagenet : z character - supporting - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
Madam at the Honeybee Ranch.
79.
Taylor Hackett : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Bar-H ranch owner.
80.
Norton Smythe : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Gold mining businessman.
81.
Bob Tunny : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Smythe Ruth Mining Company owner.
82.
Harry Edwards : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Smythe Ruth Mining Company owner.
83.
Philmore Kavanaugh : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
A journalist.
84.
Dalton Beaumont : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Deputy and cousin of Sheriff Murtaugh.
85.
John Brown : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
An alderman.
86.
Michael Piers : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
A French poet.
87.
Professor Langston Butler : 3.5 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
An anthropologist originally from England. Had an affair with Hicks.
88.
Levi : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
A deputy.
89.
Tuttle : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
One of Barnum's lawyers.
90.
Chung Han : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Chinese supply man. Also has a brother.
91.
Copernicus : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Ancient astronomer.
92.
Evelyn : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
A Honeybee girl.
93.
Glynna : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
A Honeybee girl.
94.
Reverend Fuller : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Purdon priest.
95.
Belphegor : z concept - 3.0 - zz bulldozer
A demon. Also Chemosh and Baal-Peeor.
96.
Saint Vitus' dance : z concept - 3.0 - zz bulldozer
Chorea, a movement disorder that makes you jerk around.
97.
Pinkertons : 3.5 - z organisation - zz bulldozer
Employer of questionable ethics who uses private detective type agents.
98.
Molly Maguires : 3.0 - z organisation - zz bulldozer
A Gang Koenig broke.
99.
Workers Benevolent Assocation : 3.0 - z organisation - zz bulldozer
Union Koenig busted.
100.
Ancient Order of Hibernia : 3.0 - z character - minor - zz bulldozer
Irish Catholic fraternal order.
101.
Colt : z weapon - 3.0 - zz bulldozer
A type of revolver.
102.
Winchester Model 1886 : z weapon - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
A type of rifle.
103.
Jim Bowie : z weapon - 3.0 - zz bulldozer
A type of knife.
104.
Purdon : 4.5 - z place - zz bulldozer
A California mining town with wretched outskirts.
105.
Riverfront Hotel : z place - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
Koenig's chosen first lodgings in Purdon.
106.
Gold Digger saloon : z place - 3.0 - zz bulldozer
Koenig gets some info here earlier in the case.
107.
Cedar Grove : z place - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
Where Hicks departs from. The Sanitarium, in particular.
108.
Lubbock : z place - 3.0 - zz bulldozer
Koenig finds a letter of Hicks' here.
109.
Albuquerque : z place - 3.0 - zz bulldozer
Koenig finds a worse letter of Hicks' here.
110.
Bakersfield : z place - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
Koenig finds dismemberment evidence.
111.
Honeybee Ranch : z place - zz bulldozer - 4.0
A whorehouse. Also called the Bumblebee ranch.
112.
Bar-H Ranch : z place - 3.0 - zz bulldozer
Taylor Hackett's spread.
113.
Forty-Mile Camp : z place - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
Where Professor Butler lives.
114.
Anderson Creek Canyon : z place - 3.0 - zz bulldozer
On the way from Purdon to Forty-Mile Camp.
115.
Barnum's House of Curiosities : z place - 3.0 - zz bulldozer
A freak show.
116.
Dictionnaire Infernal : 3.5 - z media - zz bulldozer
A book on demons and devils by Collin de Plancy. Stolen by Hicks.
117.
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum : z place - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
A book, in Latin.
118.
Bulldozer by Laird Barron: An Appreciation - John Langan : z non-fiction - 4.5 - study
"If I say I could go on and on discussing "Bulldozer," this look at its opening lines offers some explanation why. Of course, my first encounter with the story, I didn't engage in any of this analysis, (not consciously, anyway). I was too caught up in the relentless forward drive of its narrative, in the complexities of its narrator, (Jonah Koenig, just for the record), and in the monstrousness of the man he has pursued to a California mining town that might have been imagined by Gustave Dore. I was busy following the story's leaps back and forth in Koenig's personal history, in the connections it was drawing among a multitude of late-nineteenth century figures and events. I was caught in the way the plot unfolded, to quote the story's end, like "a terrible flower." I won't say I had no appreciation of its accomplishments before I re-read it; it was more a case of my re-reading expanding that appreciation in ways I wouldn't have guessed."
http://edsfproject.blogspot.com/2006/01/bulldozer-by-laird-barron-appreciation.html
119.
Bulldozer - Laird Barron : pacific northwest mythos - imago cycle - z novelette - 4.0
Novelette
Number of words : 10500
Percent of complex words : 10.5
Average syllables per word : 1.5
Average words per sentence : 9.2
READABILITY INDICES
Fog : 7.9
Flesch : 66.8
Flesch-Kincaid : 6.2
: Bulldozer - Laird Barron
CHARACTERS
Jonah Koenig : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A Pinkerton man out to catch a thieving murdering cannibal occultist.
Rueben Hicks : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Black magic killer and Koenig's quarry. Also known as Tom Mullen or Ezra Slade. Nickname Iron Man. Robbed P. T. Barnum and left with a scary tome. Says he is an Opener.
Violet : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A prostitute who entertains Koenig and he becomes fond of.
Sheriff Murtaugh : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Irishman, the law in Purdon.
P. T. Barnum : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Entrepreneur and employer.
Doc Campion : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Purdon's medical man.
Billy Cullins : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Purdon's undertaker.
Trosper : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A bartender, not a big fan of Koenig's.
Jake : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Bar muscle and gunman.
Octavia Plantagenet : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Madam at the Honeybee Ranch.
Taylor Hackett : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Bar-H ranch owner.
Norton Smythe : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Gold mining businessman.
Bob Tunny : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Smythe Ruth Mining Company owner.
Harry Edwards : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Smythe Ruth Mining Company owner.
Philmore Kavanaugh : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A journalist.
Dalton Beaumont : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Deputy and cousin of Sheriff Murtaugh.
John Brown : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
An alderman.
Michael Piers : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A French poet.
Professor Langston Butler : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
An anthropologist originally from England. Had an affair with Hicks.
Levi : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A deputy.
Tuttle : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
One of Barnum's lawyers.
Chung Han : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Chinese supply man. Also has a brother.
Copernicus : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Ancient astronomer.
Evelyn : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A Honeybee girl.
Glynna : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A Honeybee girl.
Reverend Fuller : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Purdon priest.
CONCEPTS
Belphegor : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A demon. Also Chemosh and Baal-Peeor.
Saint Vitus' dance : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Chorea, a movement disorder that makes you jerk around.
ORGANISATIONS
Pinkertons : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Employer of questionable ethicsh who uses private detective type agents.
Molly Maguires : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A Gang Koenig broke.
Workers Benevolent Assocation : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Union Koenig busted.
Ancient Order of Hibernia : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Irish Catholic fraternal order.
WEAPONS
Colt : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A type of revolver.
Winchester Model 1886 : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A type of rifle.
Jim Bowie : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A type of knife.
PLACES
Purdon : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A California mining town with wretched outskirts.
Riverfront Hotel : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Koenig's chosen lodgings in Purdon.
Gold Digger saloon : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Koenig gets some info here earlier in the case.
Cedar Grove : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Where Hicks departs from. The Sanitarium, in particular.
Lubbock : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Koenig finds a letter of Hicks' here.
Albuquerque : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Koenig finds a worse letter of Hicks' here.
Bakersfield : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Koenig finds dismemberment evidence.
Honeybee Ranch : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A whorehouse. Also called the Bumblebee ranch.
Bar-H Ranch : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Taylor Hackett's spread.
Forty-Mile Camp : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
Where Professor Butler lives.
Anderson Creek Canyon : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
On the way from Purdon to Forty-Mile Camp.
Barnum's House of Curiosities : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A freak show.
MEDIA
Dictionnaire Infernal : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A book on demons and devils by Collin de Plancy. Stolen by Hicks.
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum : Bulldozer - Laird Barron
A book, in Latin.
PLOT
A Pinkerton man is hired by P. T. Barnum to hunt down a crazed ex-employee who robbed him. One one the things taken was an old demonology text. The trail leads through an ever more disturbing chain of disturbing writing through dismemberment. Koenig is a tough bastard, union buster, gang breaker, etc. and is more than happy to be violent, as long as he gets someone guilty, even if not the right person. He also has a Harvard education, so is not just some dumb guy, which helps to explain his successes.
When he tracks him down to your good old frontier Western type town everything seems normal enough. Bars, gunmen, whores, sheriffs, avaricious businessmen, etc.
That is, things do get a little odd, but more so after meeting Professor Butler, one of Hicks' ex-lovers: ""Rueben suffers from a unique breed of mycosis—you've perhaps seen the tumors on his arms and legs, and especially along his spinal column? It's consuming him as a fungus consumes a tree. Perversely, it's this very parasitic influence that imbues him with numerous dreadful abilities. Evolution via slow digestion."
and
"I established communion with a primordial intelligence, a cyclopean plexus rooted below these hills and valleys. An unclassified mycoflora that might or might not be of terrestrial origin. There are rites to effect this dialogue. A variety of osmosis ancient as the sediment men first crawled from. Older! Most awful, I assure you."
Koenig makes the rather valid assumption that stopping Hicks from living much longer would be a really good idea. Even with his education, dealing with this level of abnormal horror may be beyond him, especially after his own affliction with the condition Hicks is suffering from.
http://web.archive.org/web/20040831023021/http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/barron/barron1.html
120.
Wallace Smith : z character - major - zz hallucigenia - 4.0
Trust fund no-longer baby, son of a senator. A bit of an adventurer. Runs into serious injury and madness.
121.
Delaney : z character - supporting - 3.5 - zz bulldozer
Chauffeur and bodyguard and muscle for Wallace.
122.
Helen Paxton : z character - supporting - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
Smith's young wife, a photographer.
123.
Mr Woo : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Best drycleaner this side of Tacoma.
124.
George Paxton : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Helen's ancestor of WWII vintage.
125.
Dalton Smith : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Wallace's ancestor of WWII vintage. An ex-senator.
126.
Harold Carter : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Bloke Wallace punched.
127.
Gracie : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Wallace's ex-wife.
128.
Beth : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Ex-wife 2.
129.
Doctor Green : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Wallace's medical man for his injury recovery.
130.
Skip Arden : z character - supporting - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
Wallace's friend.
131.
Cecil : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Helen's aide.
132.
Kate : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Her other aide.
133.
Earl Hutchison : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Wallace's dog trainer from Yelm.
134.
Skip Freeman : zz hallucigenia - 3.5 - z character - minor
Friend of Wallace's. An attorney.
135.
Randy Freeman : 4.5 - zz hallucigenia - z character - recurring
Friend of Wallace's. A radical biologist.
136.
Janice Freeman : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Randy's wife.
137.
Barret and Macy Langan : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Friends of Wallace's.
138.
Manfred and Elizabeth Steiner : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Friends of Wallace's.
139.
Jerry Premus : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
An attorney.
140.
Detective Adams : z character - supporting - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
Local law enforcement.
141.
Morgan Choate : z character - supporting - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
Owns the Black Hills property.
142.
Anton LaVey : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Famous Satanist.
143.
Barb and Michael Cotter : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Dinner guests of Wallace's.
144.
Mel Redfield : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Former California poet laureate.
145.
Old man Bloom : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Former city councilman.
146.
Regis : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Tobacco lobbyist. Bloom's nephew.
147.
Jacob Wilson : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Heir to the Wilson fortune
148.
Frank : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Jacob's bodyguard.
149.
Tommy Tune : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Famous theatre guy.
150.
Lonnie Chavez : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
One of Delaney's old gang.
3 out of 3
151.
Ruby Pharaoh : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
One of Delaney's old gang.
152.
Billy Savage : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Security expert of Savage and Sons, puts in a system for Wallace.
153.
Lance Pride : 4.5 - zz hallucigenia - z character - recurring
Private investigator Wallace hires to dig into the Choates.
154.
Hesse : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Wallace's physical therapist.
155.
Kurt Bruenig : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Witness to the unsavory Choates. From Otter Creek.
156.
Josh Choate : z character - supporting - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
Morgan's son. Ex All-America offensive tackle. Degree in physics at Northwestern, advanced degrees in theoretical physics from Caltech and MIT.
157.
Tyler Choate : z character - supporting - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
His other son. Ex-cop in Thurston County and now convict in Walla Walla. Likely devil worshipper, part of a ring. Moved to Station 3, where appears to be quite insane in a Call of Cthulhu manner.
158.
Hank Choate : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Morgan's dead son.
159.
Carlotta Choate : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Morgan's dead daughter.
160.
Kaleb Choate : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Family patriarch. Knew Tesla.
161.
Paul Choate : z character - supporting - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
A physicist at Evergreen State College.
162.
Nikola Tesla : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Famous inventor. The coil guy.
163.
Teagues : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Swears Choate was a black magician. From Waddel Creek.
164.
Bakers : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
From Knob Hill. Thought likewise.
165.
Wooly Clark : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Boy who claimed Josh Choate could levitate.
166.
Carl Sagan : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Famous astronomer and xenobiologist.
167.
Miranda Carson : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Local artist and sculptor.
168.
Lyle Ferguson : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
A developer, going to work on the barn of problems.
169.
Tom : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Wallace's graveyard shift security guard. Ex bus driver.
170.
Elijah Salter : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Ex-army sergeant, bronze star, sold the Choates some supplies. Calaban employee.
171.
Warden Loveless : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Runs Station 3.
172.
Charlie : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z character - minor
Wallace's last security guard.
173.
Belphegor : z concept - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
A demon. Also Chemosh and Baal-Peeor.
174.
Mima Mounds : z concept - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
A term used for low, flattened, circular to oval, domelike, natural mounds found in the northwestern United States
175.
Browning .45 automatic : z weapon - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Handgun.
176.
Model 76 African .416 : z weapon - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Big game rifle.
177.
Holland Holland .500 : z weapon - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Bigger game rifle.
178.
.357 magnum : z weapon - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Handgun.
179.
Bruno : z animal - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
One of Wallace's mastiffs.
180.
Thor : z animal - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
His other mastiff.
181.
VFW : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z organisation
Veterans of Foreign Wars support.
182.
Elks Lodge : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z organisation
A fraternal society.
183.
BLM : zz hallucigenia - 3.0 - z organisation
Bureau of Land Management.
184.
Savage and Sons : zz hallucigenia - z organisation - 4.0
Private security firm.
185.
Calaban Industries : zz hallucigenia - 3.5 - z organisation
"This plant makes all kinds of interesting stuff, mostly for aerospace companies and a certain east coast college that was rigging a twenty-mile-long atom-smasher—more on that later."
186.
Old Choate place : z place - zz hallucigenia - 4.0
In Black Hills, old farm Strange rundown place where Wallace and his wife are kicked by an horse.
187.
Olympia : z place - zz hallucigenia - 4.0
Capital of Washington State.
188.
Snoqualmie : z place - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Town in Washington State.
189.
The Marlin : z place - zz hallucigenia - 4.0
Restaurant near Wallace's. Over the Fourth Avenue Bridge.
190.
Malloy's : z place - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Jewellery shop on State street.
191.
Drover Clinic : z place - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Wallace's physical therapy centre.
192.
Lucky Bucket : z place - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Takeaway joint.
193.
Centralia : z place - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Washington State town.
194.
Oddfellow Cemetery : z place - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Graverobbed by the Choates.
195.
Lucky Badger : z place - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Site of a family brawl between Choates and Bruenigs.
196.
Capitol Forest : z place - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Site of strange lights.
197.
Oyster House : z place - zz hallucigenia - 3.0
Restaurant with lobster night.
198.
Lone Tree Motel : z place - zz hallucigenia - 3.5
PI calls from here with info on Tyler Choates.
199.
Station 3 : z place - zz hallucigenia - 4.0
Maximum security prison between Lind and Marengo on the Rattlesnake Flat. On the outskirts of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
200.
Hennessy Private Reserve : zz hallucigenia - 3.5 - z food
An expensive cognac.
201.
Brillo : zz hallucigenia - z technology - 3.5
Scourer for washing.
202.
Pylons : zz hallucigenia - z technology - 4.0
Used for Choates' strange experiments.
203.
SQUID : zz hallucigenia - z technology - 4.0
Superconducting quantum interference device.
204.
Remembrance : zz hallucigenia - z media - 4.0
Sculpture in wax of a dead woman owned by Wallace. By Carson.
205.
Hallucigenia - Laird Barron : pacific northwest mythos - imago cycle - 5.0 - z novella
Novella
Number of words : 25000
Percent of complex words : 10.0
Average syllables per word : 1.5
Average words per sentence : 10.7
READABILITY INDICES
Fog : 8.3
Flesch : 68.3
Flesch-Kincaid : 6.4
CHARACTERS
Wallace Smith
Trust fund no-longer baby, son of a senator. A bit of an adventurer. Runs into serious injury and madness.
Delaney
Chauffeur and bodyguard and muscle for Wallace.
Helen Paxton
Smith's young wife, a photographer.
Mr Woo
Best drycleaner this side of Tacoma.
George Paxton
Helen's ancestor of WWII vintage.
Dalton Smith
Wallace's ancestor of WWII vintage. An ex-senator.
Harold Carter
Bloke Wallace punched.
Gracie
Wallace's ex-wife.
Beth
Ex-wife 2.
Doctor Green
Wallace's medical man for his injury recovery.
Skip Arden
Wallace's friend.
Cecil
Helen's aide.
Kate
Her other aide.
Earl Hutchison
Wallace's dog trainer from Yelm.
Skip Freeman
Friend of Wallace's. An attorney.
Randy Freeman
Friend of Wallace's. A radical biologist.
Janice Freeman
Randy's wife.
Barret and Macy Langan
Friends of Wallace's.
Manfred and Elizabeth Steiner
Friends of Wallace's.
Jerry Premus
An attorney.
Detective Adams
Local law enforcement.
Morgan Choate
Owns the Black Hills property.
Anton LaVey
Famous Satanist.
Barb and Michael Cotter
Dinner guests of Wallace's.
Mel Redfield
Former California poet laureate.
Old man Bloom
Former city councilman
Regis
Tobacco lobbyist. Bloom's nephew.
Jacob Wilson
Heir to the Wilson fortune
Frank
Jacob's bodyguard.
Tommy Tune
Famous theatre guy.
Lonnie Chavez
One of Delaney's old gang.
Ruby Pharaoh
One of Delaney's old gang.
Billy Savage
Security expert of Savage and Sons, puts in a system for Wallace.
Lance Pride
Private investigator Wallace hires to dig into the Choates.
Hesse
Wallace's physical therapist.
Kurt Bruenig
Witness to the unsavory Choates. From Otter Creek.
Josh Choate
Morgan's son. Ex All-America offensive tackle. Degree in physics at Northwestern, advanced degrees in theoretical physics from Caltech and MIT.
Tyler Choate
His other son. Ex-cop in Thurston County and now convict in Walla Walla. Likely devil worshipper, part of a ring. Moved to Station 3, where appears to be quite insane in a Call of Cthulhu manner.
Hank Choate
Morgan's dead son.
Carlotta Choate
Morgan's dead daughter.
Kaleb Choate
Family patriarch. New Tesla.
Paul Choate
A physicist at Evergreen State College.
Nikola Tesla
Famous inventor. The coil guy.
Teagues
Swears Choate was a black magician. From Waddel Creek.
Bakers
From Knob Hill. Thought likewise.
Wooly Clark
Boy who claimed Josh Choate could levitate.
Carl Sagan
Famous astronomer and xenobiologist.
Miranda Carson
Local artist and sculptor.
Lyle Ferguson
A developer, going to work on the barn of problems.
Tom
Wallace's graveyard shift security guard. Ex bus driver.
Elijah Salter
Ex-army sergeant, bronze star, sold the Choates some supplies. Calaban employee.
Warden Loveless
Runs Station 3.
Charlie
Wallace's last security guard.
CONCEPTS
Belphegor
A demon. Also Chemosh and Baal-Peeor.
Mima Mounds
A term used for low, flattened, circular to oval, domelike, natural mounds found in the northwestern United States
WEAPONS
Browning .45 automatic
Handgun.
Model 76 African .416
Big game rifle.
Holland Holland .500
Bigger game rifle.
.357 magnum
Handgun.
ANIMALS
Bruno
One of Wallace's mastiffs.
Thor
His other mastiff.
ORGANISATIONS
VFW
Veterans of Foreign Wars support.
Elks Lodge
A fraternal society.
BLM
Bureau of Land Management.
Savage and Sons
Private security firm.
Calaban Industries
"This plant makes all kinds of interesting stuff, mostly for aerospace companies and a certain east coast college that was rigging a twenty-mile-long atom-smasher—more on that later."
PLACES
Old Choate place
In Black Hills, old farm Strange rundown place where Wallace and his wife are kicked by an horse.
Olympia
Capital of Washington State.
Snoqualmie
Town in Washington State.
The Marlin
Restaurant near Wallace's. Over the Fourth Avenue Bridge.
Malloy's
Jewellery shop on State street.
Drover Clinic
Wallace's physical therapy centre.
Lucky Bucket
Takeaway joint.
Centralia
Washington State town.
Oddfellow Cemetery
Graverobbed by the Choates.
Lucky Badger
Site of a family brawl between Choates and Bruenigs.
Capitol Forest
Site of strange lights.
Oyster House
Restaurant with lobster night.
Lone Tree Motel
PI calls from here with info on Tyler Choates.
Station 3
Maximum security prison between Lind and Marengo on the Rattlesnake Flat. On the outskirts of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation
FOOD
Hennessy Private Reserve
An expensive cognac.
TECHNOLOGY
Brillo
Scourer for washing.
Pylons
Used for Choates' strange experiments.
SQUID
Superconducting quantum interference device.
MEDIA
Remembrance
Sculpture in wax of a dead woman owned by Wallace. By Carson.
PLOT
Wallace and his wife Helen, a photographer, take an excursion in aid of his work, with Delaney driving. A strange encounter leads his wife to being critically injured, thanks to a kick in the head by a horse, and Wallace lamed and in recovery - while his wife is not recovering. Delaney shot the horse, but it disappears, no-one can find it.
Wallace won't move on and move his wife elsewhere, and she begins to spout strange sayings. The local detective still thinks this is odd, so eventually Wallace begins to dig further, worrying Delaney. Wallace also hires a security firm.
He finds some people who fill him in on the Choates - who could be an evil team of super adventurers if put together in Innsmouth - lots of PhD physicist star athletes there, and a history of black magic and crime and maybe worse.
He then hires a tough PI he has used before to look into it further, and he does talk to the brothers - one in jail - and finds disturbing insanity, demonology, and super science runs in this family. As well as old mystic artifact research, etc.
Wallace is freaked out more - but he is only one injured older man, and there is a whole family of Choates. Delaney, the level-headed ex-hood decides to get the hell out of Dodge when he detects his boss has lost it and finds the house in disarray. A possible sequel hook here.
206.
The Carrion Gods In Their Heaven - Laird Barron : z novelette - 0.0 - forthcoming
"Just finished a 7500 word novelette in a white heat. It's called "The Carrion Gods in their Heaven" and is about a couple of good girls gone bad, a lonely hunting cabin in the mountains of the Pac NW, and a cursed coyote pelt. After all that, I need to get my mitts on a bottle of Old Crow and sit quietly for a little while and think about what I've done."
207.
Gallery Bibliography - Laird Barron : z non-fiction - 4.5 - bibliography
A bibliography with cover art of the author's stories and books.
http://picasaweb.google.com/aussievamp2/LairdBarron
208.
Catch Hell - Laird Barron : shirley jackson - z award nomination - 0.0
Shirley Jackson awards nominee for best novelette.
209.
Strappado - Laird Barron : shirley jackson - z award nomination - 0.0
Shirley Jackson award nomination for best short story.
210.
Captain Roger Garland : zz old virginia - z character - major - 4.0
An old, decrepit Company legend. Veteran of two World Wars.
211.
Hatcher : zz old virginia - z character - supporting - 3.5
One of Garland's black ops team.
212.
Richards : zz old virginia - 3.0 - z character - minor
One of the team of spies. An Ivy Leaguer.
213.
Davis : zz old virginia - 3.0 - z character - minor
One of the team of spies.
214.
Robey : zz old virginia - 3.0 - z character - minor
One of the team of spies.
215.
Neil : zz old virginia - 3.0 - z character - minor
One of the team of spies.
216.
Dox : zz old virginia - 3.0 - z character - minor
One of the team of spies, with flat feet.
217.
Dr. Herman Strauss : zz old virginia - z character - supporting - 3.5
A CIA Director and team leader and picker of Garland.
218.
Dr Porter : zz old virginia - z character - supporting - 3.5
Caltech educated unethical physicist and researcher.
219.
Dr Riley : zz old virginia - z character - supporting - 3.5
Caltech educated unethical physicist and researcher.
220.
Virginia : zz old virginia - z character - supporting - 3.5
An old woman, subject of TALLHAT. A remote viewer, clairvoyant and much worse.
221.
Project TALLHAT : zz old virginia - z concept - 4.0
A black ops project in West Virginia.
222.
MK-ULTRA : zz old virginia - z concept - 3.5
Umbrella team for the CIA's mind control experiments.
223.
Langley : zz old virginia - z place - 3.0
Site of CIA Headquarters.
224.
Badger Hill : zz old virginia - z place - 4.0
Site of Strauss' cabin and Project TALLHAT.
225.
Roanoke Island : zz old virginia - z place - 3.5
Site of an early colony to America. One of the young settlers was named Virginia Dare.
226.
Croatoan Island : zz old virginia - z place - 3.5
A nearby island. Also a scary entity.
227.
Mother : zz old virginia - z character - supporting - 3.5
Virginia's scary lurking parental monster.
228.
Old Virginia - Laird Barron : pacific northwest mythos - imago cycle - z novelette - 4.0
Novelette
Number of words : 8000
Percent of complex words : 9.9
Average syllables per word : 1.5
Average words per sentence : 8.4
READABILITY INDICES
Fog : 7.3
Flesch : 70.6
Flesch-Kincaid : 5.5
CHARACTERS
Captain Roger Garland
An old, decrepit Company legend. Veteran of two World Wars.
Hatcher
One of Garland's black ops team.
Richards
One of the team of spies. An Ivy Leaguer.
Davis
One of the team of spies.
Robey
One of the team of spies.
Neil
One of the team of spies.
Dox
One of the team of spies, with flat feet.
Dr. Herman Strauss
A CIA Director and team leader and picker of Garland.
Dr Porter
Caltech educated unethical physicist and researcher.
Dr Riley
Caltech educated unethical physicist and researcher.
Virginia
An old woman, subject of TALLHAT. A remote viewer, clairvoyant and much worse.
Mother
Virginia's scary lurking parental monster.
CONCEPTS
Project TALLHAT
A black ops project in West Virginia.
MK-ULTRA
Umbrella team for the CIA's mind control experiments.
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