"The Eyrie" began as a way for the editor of Weird Tales to communicate with his readers, for the readers to communicate with him, and for them to communicate with each other. The first installment was in the first issue of March 1923. It continued for decades after that, but at some point, "The Eyrie" became just a place for the editor to speak his mind, with no longer any input, responses, or opinions from the readers. I wish it were different. I have always liked reading letters from readers, whether they be in comic books or magazines. Letters of comment seem to have become things of the past.
Fortunately, there are places on line where readers can and have left their comments on Weird Tales #367. In the interest of making an "Eyrie" for the Cosmic Horror Issue, I would like to quote from comments left on the Internet. I know I'm taking some liberties here. If anyone I have quoted below objects, please just leave me a comment. I am happy to remove your content at your request.
On a Lovecraft Reddit, VelociraptorAHH wrote:
I'd love to order from them [Weird Tales] again but absolutely horrible in terms of communication. I ordered the first 2 issues back when that's all they had. Took them a full month to ship them, no communication, not "expect to ship on this day", nothing. Just took my money then a month later emailed me they're shipping it. I emailed them, even asked on their Facebook page. Customer service is nonexistent. Which is a shame, it's a real nice magazine and good stories, just warning what you're getting into. Seems like whomever bought it almost has no interest in running it.
Believe me, VelociraptorAHH, I can sympathize. I would continue to advise anyone who might want to buy from Weird Tales to look elsewhere for your merchandise. The business behind the magazine is absolutely terrible. It seems to exist as a scam. The people behind the business will very likely take your money and deliver you nothing, or at least not everything you ordered. It's not worth the effort or the headache. Heed what Reesha wrote below.
On Amazon, a Kindle Customer gave this issue five stars and wrote:
It's Weird Tales and a superb collection of top-notch stories as usual. I'm glad to see the magazine continues to be published when so many have fallen by the wayside.
On a GoodReads page, Tony Ciak gave this issue five stars and wrote, very briefly: "nice stories." On the same page, Ben Jahn gave it three stars and wrote: "Read the hellboy story, it was pretty good though I think the ending was kind of lacking."
On another GoodReads page, there are the following comments:
Joshua Begley (four stars): This was a very solid collection of cosmic horror stories. The Hellboy tale was fun, but the real standouts were Caitlin Kiernan's "Night Fishing" and Ramsey Campbell's "Concerto in Five Movements." They were both creepy, disturbing, and I think best captured the feel of things in the unmaking, and the terrible, cruel forces that occupy the universe.
Reesha (three stars): As with every collection of short stories, it's difficult to rate this as a whole, because some of these stories deserve 5 stars while others are just okay. There are also a couple of articles (both worth a read) and some poetry. I don't think anything in here is truly terrible, so I'd put it at maybe 3.5 stars, given the option.
Some of my favourites are the single Hellboy story (he's on the cover, but there's just the one), The City in the Sea; a psychology-based horror called Night Fishing that ended very differently than I'd expected; a story of an isolated and hyperfocused artist, Mozaika - this was my absolute favourite and I'll reread it for sure; and a story of a grieving and directionless photographer, Call of the Void - L'appel du Vide.
I also liked The Traveler a lot at first, as it read like the introduction to a really fascinating novel, but then it turned out to be only three pages long! It was way too short to be a stand-alone, in my opinion, and the lack of anything more to it soured it for me.
This issue is worth a read if you're into cosmic horror, but I wouldn't suggest going out of your way to find it.
Michael Thomas (five stars): The entire edition was excellent, and the cover art is fantastic. I was a particular fan of "The Forest Gate," which surprised me since I don’t usually like poetry. Such an excellent blend of enchanting imagery with cosmic mystery. The language gave me wonder and fear with themes of lust, curiosity, and the unknown. Really left a lasting impression, pondering the mysteries and consequences of too(?) easily following someone into the unknown.
Nick Watts (four stars): Some great Lovecraftian fiction. Loved the bear story ["The Traveler" by Francisco Tignini].
Each of these readers liked the Cosmic Horror Issue a lot more than I did, but you probably knew that already. Again I'll say: writing about this issue hasn't been much fun. That's for a number of reasons, one of which is that cosmic horror comes from a dark, depressing, negative, and even nihilistic worldview. There is almost nothing in these pages that is positive or uplifting. Human triumph is a possibility in the face of horror, but there isn't any triumph in this issue, and no hope or happiness. The main characters are mostly unchanged by their experiences--if they survive their experiences. They remain unchallenged in their beliefs, relationships, and life choices. Like Gloomy Gus in Happy Hooligan, they go on, never steering themselves towards better things.
If I had to give the Cosmic Horror Issue a number between 1 and 5 stars, I would probably just give it 2-1/2, or plumb in the middle. Or maybe just two. I think that, over all, this is a pretty thin issue. Most of the stories are not really fully developed in my opinion. There could have been more in most, and more content over all. I have the impression that this was a rushed effort. I think the editor could have done better than to go around to his friends in search of stories, poems, and essays. The cliquish nature of this issue is off-putting.
The cover art by Mike Mignola is very good. I have a feeling he was invited to contribute so that there would be some good art on the cover. Now I find that his original art is available for sale on line at more than $12,000. I have a feeling that no one will earn more for his or her work on this issue than Mr. Mignola. As an artist I think: that's only right.
"The Forest Gate" by Samantha Underhill is the best of the three poems, I think, while "Cosmic vs. Abrahamic Horror" by F. Paul Wilson is the best of the three essays. The other two aren't really necessary in my opinion. As I wrote the other day, I think that "Concerto in Five Movements" by Ramsey Campbell, "The Last Bonneville" by F. Paul Wilson, and "Night Fishing" by Caitlín R. Kiernan are the best, most interesting, most complex, and most entertaining stories in the Cosmic Horror Issue. Two of these three authors were born in 1946. I think there's something to that, something that points to a larger issue in writing, reading, fiction, books, and the culture of books. But that's a topic for another day.
I invite further comments from you, the readers of this blog. Please leave your comments below for this version of "The Eyrie."
Original text copyright 2024 Terence E. Hanley. All other content is the intellectual property of its respective authors, and they must retain all rights to their work. I have reproduced it here under the doctrine of fair use. I do not gain monetarily from my work on this blog.