McAllister's Mates Five
A little late this time - been a bit snowed under with life and (more excitingly) getting some pieces together for a local art event.
An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.
Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.
You can meet some of my other friends in the previous installments: 4 3 2 1
If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.
A wonderful mix of gothic horror and folktale perfectly executes the most important rule in telling scary stories. Let the reader make the monster. Exquisite descriptions of the alien atmosphere of a nighttime forest juxtapose deliberately vague references to fiends and monsters, inviting the mind to create or perhaps remember childhood terrors. An oddly shaped bush taking a humanoid form in the half-light. Tree branches that seem to move against the wind. The poetry invites the mind to plumb the depths of its unique dungeons. The reader conjures up monsters more personal and peculiar than any author ever could. Writing like this sparked my love for poetry all those years ago. It is a truly interactive art form where the author’s intention meets the reader’s interpretation to create incredible journeys neither could achieve alone.
Poetry intersects depictions of a gloomy forest, descriptions of the writer’s art, and the power of imagination unleashed. Beautiful lines compel the reader to resist falling to a “death-haunted star” and to beware the “clay and mire” of their own wishes.
A beautifully tendered poem that weaves a dance between ambiguity and vivid, evocative language. It offers a trip into a rich gothic landscape, and perhaps a warning to spend your fears on your own shadows rather than those of the trees.
This is an intriguing story that is perhaps set in a slightly off kilter version of our world, populated by perfectly sane people, or vice versa. The surreal dialogue and actions make for an odd yet intriguing story.
It’s strange, but we are more puzzled and intrigued when things are just a little off. We can accept either the commonplace, or the completely bizarre, but this story unleashes the uncanny valley effect with intention and force!
At its heart, this story is a parable about greed, broken dreams, and lost friendships. However, that description would fail the incredibly inventive and beguiling prose. The main character navigates a strange and complex world with an internal monologue to match. Memories of calmer and warmer times pepper the melancholy, and deepen the questions of where the insanity lies. Our narrator? Their immediate experience? The entire world around them?
The story, though, is not an experimental exercise or avant garde piece created for mere effect, it has something to say about being trapped in “a world gone mad” and longing for simpler times, a condition that is becoming ever more common and constant.
Politics and an ever more intrusive media sphere erode our sense of normality and perhaps jade our imaginations. This story’s blend of noir psychological thriller and offbeat surrealist comedy are antidotes to a cynical time, and a reminder that there are writers who still seek to entertain and move us without pushing a political agenda.
Derek is a talented science fiction author and an astute critic. He runs a regular review column named “Dread”. It’s a little different from mine to say the least, however, I enjoy it immensely. In this article, he shares some lessons he learned from his review column.
There are SOME valuable articles about writing on Substack, but there are plenty of clickbait scams, fool’s gold, and manipulative coddling promising the world for 15 minutes writing per day. Derek has something much more practical and inspirational to say on the matter.
He discusses the importance of storytelling over writing. Too many articles focus on the mechanics of structure, character development, how much/how little exposition. All important - no doubt. However, nobody is asking why this story? Why this setting? “Well, I like sci-fi” or “Sci-Fi is trending”.
Reason two: we shall not waste time on, play that game if you want, but your lack of passion won’t sustain you, and readers will see through the work.
Returning to reason one; “I like robots.” - Ok. “I’m interested in the effect of domestic androids on family life.” - Better. “Will the human spirit soar or collapse when technology meets all our desires without effort or patience?” - Yes. Go. Build. And your story is likely to take you far beyond robots…
Derek’s article goes into much greater depth than this summary and I highly recommend you read it, remember this isn’t just one professional speaking to another, it is also giving you the perspective of potential customers.
Ergot is a variety of fungus capable of causing psychedelic hallucinations and visions. This poem, however, has nothing to do with hippie, utopian slogans. It relays the story of an unfortunate peasant farmer who ingests the mushroom because of his labours for the landed gentry. Sold the image of virtuous humility, the meek, hard working lamb destined to be raised to the highest seat at the heavenly table. As long as he keeps his head down and his arms moving - and offers deference to his master.
However, his trip to the otherworld is no paradise, with a kindly father waiting in greeting. The poem instead presents a nightmarish hell of werewolves and cyclops waiting to break the poor peasant’s heart and mind. The world in his mind becomes an inferno with monsters clawing his sanity while whispering: “they lied”.
The poem uses beautiful classical language with a rich and melodic cadence that carries the desperation and tragedy of the protagonist as he wrestles with both the physical poison and the venom of indoctrination. I have read many tracts and commentaries on personal revolution versus organised doctrine, yet rarely have I come across one so inventively and elegantly rendered.
I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading them and writing about them.
You can meet some of my other friends in the previous installments: 4 3 2 1
Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.
Thanks so much for this write-up, Graeme! A very kind review of my story "The Meaning of Old Tattered Flag Bags". I've discovered a few other awesome writers through this series of articles as well, much love Graeme!
I'm honored that my writing has made it to your eye and was worth a write up! I've really been enjoying your looks into the talented writers on here (especially since I don't spend quite as much time as I'd like to on Substack) so to be featured is so cool!