Who Better to Play the Devil? a Book of Horror and Dark Fantasy

作者:Calderin, D. Elaine

页数:228

价格:$ 18.02

isbn号码:9781596637191

具体描述

ABOUT THE BOOK: There are some people I'd like you to meet. Some of them are really bad people. Some of them are just like you. Whoever they are, their lives just got weird. Some of them will live to tell you about it; most of them will not, and one or two of them will tell you their stories from some very strange places indeed. So come inside. Come inside and say hello. -- D. Elaine Calderin is an exciting new voice in the world of science fiction. With unexpected twists and turns in her plots and characters with unusually dark psychological profiles, she most assuredly grabs and holds the reader's attention. -Robert Hart Baker, symphony conductor, YSO, HSO, STL Philharmonic, Asheville Lyric Opera Company. --It has been my pleasure to be acquainted with Elaine Calderin's writing since she was a high school student. Her rare gift for creating clear images in her poetry and prose make her writing stand out from the pack. Where most writers settle for merely telling what they mean, Calderin generates a rich field of images that shows us what is. In the context of storytelling, these abilities allow her to create convincing realities that stimulate the mind and the imagination. Highly recommended -Robert Yutzy, former managing editor of the Akron Buchtelite, teacher About The Author: American writer, essayist and Asperger's Syndrome/High Functioning autistic, D. Elaine Calderin grew up in North Carolina, graduating from McDowell High School in Marion, furthering her education at McDowell Tech, Asheville-Buncombe Tech and Duke University. Of Cuban/Hispanic lineage, she showed an early interest in American history, debating, psychology and astronomy. She has written newspaper articles for the McDowell News. Ms. Calderin is currently active as a contributing magazine writer to The Paradox Anthropomorphs Occasionally and The Existential Anthropomorphs Occasionally, where she serves as writer and chief editor. Her varied genre fiction and other essays can be found at New Media sites online including Deviant Art www.deviantart.com, England-based Literary website, LitMuse www.litmuse.com, Expand-Mind.com www.expand-mind.com and the Aspergers/High Functioning Autistics forum, Wrong Planet.Net www.wrongplanet.net. The author lives in Rutherfordton, NC with musician, Stephen Sarant and her two Siamese cats. This is her first book.

用户评价

坦白讲，刚翻开这本书的前几页时，我有点担心它会过于晦涩难懂，因为题材的复杂性似乎预示着冗长而乏味的铺垫。但出乎意料的是，作者很快就抓住了读者的注意力，而且方式非常巧妙，它不急于抛出怪物或超自然现象，而是从一个极度普通、极度日常的场景切入，然后以一种极其缓慢、近乎冰川移动的速度，将现实的裂缝一点点放大，直到整个世界观崩塌。这种潜移默化的恐怖渗透，比直接的冲击更具持久的杀伤力。它让我开始怀疑自己日常生活中的一些约定俗成的认知。看完之后，你可能会发现自己对镜子里的倒影、对夜晚关灯后的房间，乃至对日常的对话，都多了一层审视和警惕。这是一种非常“后劲十足”的书，它成功地在你的潜意识里种下了一颗小小的、不断生长的怀疑的种子。

我得说，我很少看到有哪本黑暗奇幻作品能将“诡异”与“美丽”融合得如此和谐。在这本书里，即便是最令人不安的场景，作者也会用一种近乎诗意的笔触去勾勒，这种对比产生了奇特的张力。比如，想象一下在腐朽的仪式中，那些燃烧的火焰反射出的光芒，是如何将扭曲的雕像镀上了一层近乎神圣的金色——这种视觉冲击力是极其强烈的。这种艺术性的表达，使得故事的恐怖不再是粗糙的，而是精致的、带有古典悲剧色彩的。它让你在感到毛骨悚然的同时，又忍不住惊叹于作者笔法的精妙。对于那些厌倦了只会用血肉模糊来制造冲击的作品的读者，这本书无疑提供了一种更高阶的感官享受。它证明了，最深刻的恐惧往往不是源于看到了什么，而是源于对某种极致美学中残缺和失序的观察。

从阅读的舒适度上来讲，这本书绝对不是那种可以轻松放在床边快速翻阅的消遣读物。它需要你全神贯注，甚至需要一种近乎朝圣般的心态去对待。我个人觉得，作者似乎故意在叙事结构上设置了一些“陷阱”，让你以为自己掌握了故事的走向，结果却被引导至一个更深、更令人不安的境地。这就像一场高明的魔术表演，你明明知道有蹊跷，却完全无法破解其中的奥秘。我尤其喜欢其中一篇关于“时间扭曲”的短篇，它成功地营造了一种时间感崩塌的恐慌，那种你知道自己正在经历一些不该发生的事情，却无力挣脱的宿命感，被描绘得淋漓尽致。每一次阅读的间隙，我都需要起身走动一下，让现实世界重新占据我的感官，否则那些阴影似乎就要从纸页里爬出来。这是一部需要“消化”的作品，而不是快餐式的消费品。

说实话，我一开始对“恐怖与黑暗奇幻”这个标签有点抱持怀疑态度的，因为很多作品要么偏向纯粹的血腥猎奇，要么流于俗套的哥特式浪漫。但这本选集完全颠覆了我的预期。它的文字功底极其扎实，语言的选择既有古典的韵律感，又不失现代叙事的锐利。特别是几篇侧重于哲学思辨的篇章，它们探讨的主题远超出了简单的善恶二元对立，而是深入挖掘了“选择的困境”和“存在的虚无性”。我发现自己常常停下来，不是因为被吓到，而是被某些精妙的比喻或对某种深刻哲理的精准捕捉所震撼。这种书籍的魅力在于，它不仅满足了读者对刺激的渴求，更在精神层面提供了某种“拓宽认知边界”的体验。读完之后，我花了很长时间来整理思绪，试图理清那些潜藏在文字背后的复杂隐喻。对于那些追求深度和智力挑战的黑暗题材爱好者来说，这绝对是一次不容错过的阅读体验，它将“阅读的愉悦”提升到了一个更高的维度。

这本集子简直就是黑暗想象力的狂欢盛宴，我最近读完，到现在脑海里还时不时闪过一些诡异的画面。首先要说的是，作者在构建世界观上展现了惊人的功力，那些被描绘出来的场景，无论是阴森潮湿的地下城，还是光怪陆离的异次元空间，都拥有令人信服的细节和逻辑，尽管它们本质上是荒诞不经的。更重要的是，故事节奏的把控堪称教科书级别，你知道高潮即将到来，但那种被悬吊着、喘不过气的感觉却始终萦绕不散。它不依赖廉价的“突然惊吓”（jump scare），而是通过气氛、心理暗示和逐渐积累的压抑感，将恐惧深深植入读者的骨髓。我特别欣赏其中几篇对于“人性阴暗面”的探索，那些所谓的“魔鬼”与其说是来自超自然领域，不如说是我们内心深处那些被压抑的、最丑陋的欲望的具象化。翻阅的整个过程，我感觉自己像是在走过一条漫长而漆黑的回廊，每一步都充满了对未知的敬畏与不安，非常过瘾。