Dan Clore

I ordered Weird Words ages ago from the publisher but never received my copy until this week. When I saw Wilum Pugmire's review I nearly burst a blood vessel with jealousy! Now I can finally calm down.

Dan Clore is an interesting individual, a thoughtful intellectual who functions as one of the literati of fantastic and weird literature. He has a book of short stories which are quite cutting edge in the genre. This book has been gestating for some time, as individual entries have been posted to internet news groups over the years.

The book itself is another example of the fine craftsmanship from Hippocampus Press. It is 568 (!!) pages of text, and the editing as far as I have seen is exemplary. I really like the cover art by Howard Wandrei. I need to get my two greatest sources of heartburn off my chest now. First, this is a book for the ages; I intend to keep mine forever. Weird Words cries out for a handsome leather bound hardcover, with copious lovely illustrations. I would have paid premium price for such an edition. Second, I wish Mr. Clore had written a detailed introduction that explained his interest in this area and how he accomplished it. We basically get thrown right into the lexicon.

Anyone who has read Lovecraft or Smith ends up keeping a dictionary close at hand, because of the lovely and esoteric vocabulary their stories command. This lexicon will fill such a purpose admirably. A lexicon, however, is much more than a dictionary. It is a compendium of words, how people use words, the history of words and how words were created. What Mr. Clore gives us in each entry is a definition, and then multiple examples of the word's use from the fantastic literature, often a few sentences or an entire paragraph so we see the context. For example, for fans of the Deep Ones, the entry for batrachian gives us samples from three different authors. My favorite Lovecraftian word is cyclopean, and I am gifted with 10 pages of examples! Authors represented range from Robert E. Howard to Thomas Ligotti.

This is not a work to digest entirely, over a few days. I intend to savor it. Besides having it at my side (with The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia by Dan Harms) when I read weird or fantastical fiction, it is perfect to keep at my night stand, to browse an entry or two before bed, ensuring my slumber sends me ichor drenched dreams of Yuggoth. I cannot imagine anyone who loves weird fiction, fantasy and fantastic literature of all types, or who loves words in general not wanting a copy. Bravo Mr. Clore. More please.… (mais)