From the Ministry of Whimsy Press, publishers of the fantastic LEVIATHAN anthology series, comes this first in a new series: ALBUM ZUTIQUE. "A series," the back cover notes, "devoted to the surreal & decadent." Yes, yes, and so it is. But is it good? You bet. The fifteen stories contained herein are all beautifully written, truly a feast for the eyes and the mind. There were a couple stories that I'm not quite sure I got, and a couple more that I'm quite sure I didn't get, but even the few that went right over my head in terms of content were so beautifully written that I almost didn't mind. Standouts are the pair of stories by the always fantastic Rhys Hughes, and the hauntingly beautiful entry by K.J. Bishop. But there wasn't a dud in the bunch; not a one I didn't enjoy reading. So why only four stars? Two reasons. First, as I noted, there were a couple stories that I didn't get. Second, and more importantly, while this is a beautiful, beautifully produced volume, the cover price is a little steep considering the 200-page, 50k word size of the volume. Even so, ALBUM ZUTIQUE #1 is a welcome and more-than-worthy addition to my bookshelf.

Next up: ALBUM ZUTIQUE #2, which will be Rhys Hughes' A NEW HISTORY OF INFAMY. I, for one, can't wait!

Recommended

Steve Rasnic Tem, Decoded Mirrors (Necronomicon Press, 1992)

Steve Rasnic Tem is one of those guys who's never quite gotten the recognition he deserves. That may be because some of his best material ends up being released at places like Necronomicon Press, a small Massachusetts company devoted to releasing Lovecraft-themed stuff on a shoestring budget. Decoded Mirrors has all the hallmarks of shoestring publishing save one; this is professional-quality writing. That won't surprise anyone who's familiar with Tem's work.

This exceptionally small collection gives us three short Lovecraft-themed stories, but rather than doing the usual "if I'm going to write stories about the Old Gods, I'm going to try and write in Lovecraftian style" that permeates the writings of most post-Lovecraft homage-payers, Tem sticks to the same modern-horror storytelling style one is apt to find in writers like Koja, Lucius Shepard, or (post-paying-homage-to-Lovecraft, of course) Ramsey Campbell. Tem gives us the horror-of-absence motif by personalizing Cthulhu and friends; the blind idiot gods are us, and there are no two ways about it. Not to say odd supernatural things don't happen here, but for the most part, it's all in our heads. We look for Azathoth and we find mirrors. It's all the more chilling when you're the eighty-foot monster everyone fears.

Much of Tem's work, including this collection, is pretty hard to find these days; it's worth the search. *** ½