Review of The Onyx Book of Occult Fiction by Various

The first modern anthology brought to you by Snuggly Book in their definitive series, numbering 6 volumes thus far. The editor is none other than the pre-eminent author of the occult working today.

In his introduction, Damian Murphy invokes a wide-range of authors tangential or central to his understanding of literature of the occult persuasion. Meyrink, J. C. Powys, Lispector, John Howard, Danilo Kiš, George Berguño, among others. I am familiar with most of them, but never regarded them in an occult light before. One would assume that Occult fiction with a capital O must be written by practicing occultists, but in his generous view, DM opines that many works lie adjacent to the genre, and may reach toward dark corners of the human soul.

Readers who approach the collection demanding concrete answers may be frustrated by the open-ended nature of the tales. Some may not resolve to your satisfaction, but most will leave an indelible impression. I encourage you instead to enjoy the mystery, relish the prospect of the unknown. The bulk of all possible knowledge is not only unknown but unknowable, and this collection amply illustrates vast swathes of uncommon spiritual experience.

Reggie Oliver, the author who most resembles Robert Aickman, is represented here, along with rare pieces culled from obscurity by our worthy editor.

These are paramours of atmospheric writing, employing a decidedly and purposefully antiquated style. You will encounter cityscapes haunted by ethereal architecture, drug hazes subsuming plebeian attitudes, quiet violence undermining the sacred silence of out of the way places, sidelong discussions of alternative societies, meetings in secret locales, mischievous people holding undisclosed communications with otherworldly entities, etc.

Without going into too much detail about Gnostic teachings, some stories here discuss the topic in loose terms, but do not resort to preaching, typically weaving it through the narrative.
They are nearly all narration, never relying on the contemporary fad of cinematic scenes unfolding through dialogue and gesticulations, rather operating through storytelling, the way ancestors scared one another around the bonfire.

A sentence or two about each of the fifteen tales is warranted.

Justin Isis – The Underground Room – I stay awake at night wondering when Justin Isis will release more books. He is definitely holding out on us. Every story he releases must be cherished. This story merely describes a room, somewhere in Tokyo, and what it means to certain people. The story is magnificent, like everything the author has penned. You will never find a word out of place, nor will any conventional scenarios play out in one of his tales. Only ineffable nostalgias coalescing before you alongside profound dislocations from the ordinary.

Thomas Phillips – Alyssa – While I appreciated the aesthetics, I felt that this story, while polished on the sentence level, wandered a bit. It possessed the requisite tone but left me wanting more.

Benjamin Tweddell – The Dance of Abraxas – quintessential Occult storytelling.

Thomas Strømsholt – In Search of the Hidden City – a seemingly enchanted backyard not present on ordinary maps serves as the terrifying dénouement, after an examination of ancient charts of Copenhagen reveals remarkable layers to the city infrastructure. The inconsistencies seem to hint at a superpositions of cities. History as palimpsest. Reminiscent of Catie Disabato’s The Ghost Network.

Reggie Oliver – The Children of Monte Rosa – A child exploring the enigmatic grounds of a decadent mansion, fondling luscious antiques which harbor a nightmarish secret. Some lighthearted discussion about cricket no American will understand serves as a red herring in an ultimately chilling tale worthy of the author’s unequaled mystique.

Avalon Brantley – Under Different Stars – I’m sorry but I found this incomprehensible. I will return to reread the story one day.

Farah Rose Smith – The Witch is the Body – a more traditional story of dark tensions and social disturbance.

Colin Insole – Flower of the Sun – Alchemists seek the elixir but uncover cursed objects and a mythological manuscript. The physical relics affect the spiritual stability of the characters. Journal entries make for an engrossing technique.

Adam S. Cantwell – Moonpaths of the Departed – an exploration of primeval caves. Well-constructed and hyperbolically poetic. Will seek out more Cantwell to add to my collection.

Brendan Connell – The Chymical Wedding of Des Esseintes – in line with the author’s book Against the Grain Again, he details a meeting in the famous character’s perspective which, more than anything, serves as a demonstration of the author’s casual powers of description.

Mark Valentine – A Walled Garden of the Bosphorus – a work of scholarship, enlightening as it is entertaining, if inconclusive. I surmise that a dip into the author’s other works would be a worthy endeavor.

Ron Weighell – The Four Strengths of Shadow – describing the contents of a Baroque library’s esoteric collection. Intrigues burbling under luscious prose.

R. Ostermeier – The Bearing – somewhat drab, but definitely relevant to a discussion of Occult tendencies, and aesthetically pleasing.

Damian Murphy – St. Severina’s Fire – The master resurrects one of his lesser known pieces. Rendered in the form of magnificent diary entries, the main character searches through holy and pornographic publications in search of secret signs, symbols and mismatched objects, and seems enthralled by pernicious curiosity. Beset by frequent attacks of a mysterious malady, he suffers strange visions, communing with a saint, invoking her through every action in the hope of dissolving within her radiance and thereby eradicating his affliction. This is the stuff of ungraspable dreams, touching on the sudden awareness of manifold layers of reality, poignantly wrestling with inner uncertainties. I can attest to the author’s prowess in depicting alternate states and the slow-creeping apprehension of forces outside human agency. Utterly wounding.

Martin Locker – The Dreaming Plateau – A very convincing foray into unfamiliar territory. Immaculately written. I will seek out more of the author’s work.

I would welcome further volumes in the series and will likely obtain a few outstanding entries in short order.