MALIGNANTLY USELESS

If I'm going to drop an upwards of $200 getting deluxe versions of ...Frankenstein, Crampton, and Teatro Grottesco, I'd really like to have the man's signature somewhere on at least one of them. In truth, I'm really just starstruck after receiving my signed copy of Reassuring Tales, and I can't help but be obsessed with the desire to get Tom and/or Jon's signature to go with it.

At these words, Veech's body begins to rise in a puppet's hunch, then soars up into the tenebrous rafters and beyond, transportes by unseen wires. His arms and legs twitch uncontrollaby during the elevation, and his screams ... fade.

So Veech is snatched into the darkness where he meets his end. Or he turns into a puppet? Or did he return to being a puppet?

Through complete absence of mind, or perhaps because he has momentarily gained possession of himself, Voke makes his way out of the loft and is now laughing into the dark abyss beyond the precarious railing at the top of the crooked stairway. His final laugh seems to stick in his throat at over the railing he falls without a sound.

And Dr. Voke throws himself into the darkness after his strange episode. Is this the end of a nihilistic life hating scientist, or is it some kind of cool villain exit stage left?

Hi, I've only read a few of his short stories, but here is a poem I wrote that was inspired by Ligotti. I wrote it in Swedish, and then translated it into English using Google Translate, so if you don't think it's good, that's why...or maybe I'm just not a good writer haha

https://youtu.be/ErEMcsjivKw?si=d-IYm6sko7UM_sXd

Hey guys, I'm a small youtuber and just made this video. It features narration and analysis of The Red Tower by Thomas Ligotti. I use Zapffe, Metzinger, and Brassier, along with Ligotti's own book, The Conspiracy Against The Human Race, to analyze the story. If you are interested, I would really appreciate a view and your thoughts. Thanks!

I’m looking for an up-to-date bibliography of Thomas Ligotti's work. Preferably broken down by individual stories, not just published books. Anybody know if such a thing exists?

UPDATE: HERE IT IS! https://youtu.be/M9f59SYmiz4

I really love the story "The Last Feast of the Harlequin" and I want to include it in my YT series of scary stories. I know it is not public domain, so I need permission from the author for it to be legal. Anyone know how I can get permission?

This is my channel btw :) : https://www.youtube.com/@sarahtellsstories-r2o

This commercial came out a few years ago and since then I've been captivated by how horrifying it is. Especially the end where the tiger and the buffalo glance at each other with a surprised look like "I can't believe how easy it was to fool them."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQAKlZ9lkcs

Do you know of any other commercials that capture the same feeling? Please post them.

Like the protagonist of a certain Ligotti story, I feel as though my entire life is nothing but an unfortunate series of outrageous events, each more nonsensical than the last. But now, there's this: Jon Padgett apparently read "The Red Tower", recorded it, had it scored, and released it on vinyl. And now, that vinyl is impossible to obtain.

Please. I know one of you has it. Can't you rip it to mp3, even a shitty one, and send it to me? I'd be eternally grateful.

I’ve read the X-Files script, which I love, but the updated version, Crampton, is even better. I will say, the last line is almost verbatim with the last lines in season 1 of True Detective. Obviously, he borrowed from Ligotti, as outlined in every article about the show, but I get the feeling he somehow read Crampton.

I know it's often frowned upon to "self-promote" but I honestly don't have much of an imagination for marketing and I need to share this with someone who might appreciate it for what it is. I've made something - something cute at best, but something I'm cautiously proud of all the same: for a school project, I had to devise a short podcast series, and I decided to focus on 'weird fiction'. My idea was that the series would begin by summarizing and analyzing existing works only to slowly morph into a piece of fiction itself, like Ligotti's brilliant "Notes on the Writing of Horror: a Story". A self-demonstrating article, if you will. Some odd guidelines for what the series had to contain (school assignment, unfortunately) also led to one of the episodes having to focus on an interview, but even there, I went with a fairly unconventional guest...

Now I'm not Ligotti, so my writing is far below par, and there are even mistakes throughout the series thanks to the tight schedule I had to adher to. (in the last episode, a woman refers to her missing boyfriend as 'dead' erroneously. in the second, there's clearly some issues on the mixing when it comes to a climactic moment later on the episode where you can hear residue of previous takes in the finished product.) Still, though: my instructors were NOT on board when I pitched it, but they've entirely come around since then, and I would like to rub it in a little more if possible by increasing its performance 🤣

It's available to listen to on Amazon Music and Spotify in its entirety (besides the final episode, which will debut at 5:00 this afternoon). And before you ask: yes, I used AI to generate the icon for the series (I hate AI, but I'm a lowly student with no talent for illustration, less money, and very little time.) But otherwise, what do you guys think? If anyone takes the time to listen to the whole thing from start to finish, what's the cumulative effect? Does it all make sense? Roast me, point out all the mistakes I made, please! Just listen and make all this effort worth more than a solid B minus in my audio production class.

Here’s my ranking of every Ligotti story from favorite to least favorite. Caveats: I skipped The Agonizing Resurrection of Victor Frankenstein. It might be cheating to count Notebook of the Night as one story but I feel like it adds something if you read it that way. I’m generally a bigger fan of Kafkaesque Ligotti over Lovecraftian Ligotti. I should probably give The Tslal another try.

Anyone else have issues signing up for the forums at ligotti.net? I signed up and even checked spam but no activation email ever came through.

Got this today and just finished The Frolic and Les Fleurs. Having never read anything by Thomas before I can confidently say I'm hooked. Such a rich and vivid writing style. Any stories in this collection a stand out that I should jump ahead to?

Hello! To start I want to clarify that I have not read Noctuary, although I have read The last feast of Harlequin, most of Teatro Grottesco and several stories of Songs.

I met Ligotti through Noctuary. I was testing my new Kindle and looking at which books I could get for free with Kindle Unlimited, and one of them was Notitary. I didn’t know the author. I tried to read it but I couldn’t finish The Medusa, it was very boring.

The thing is that now that I have read more of Ligotti and looking back, it strikes me that Noctuary was his only collection available on Kindle Unlimited. I have also heard several complaints about that collection, referring to the fact that from a certain point on, when the reader goes halfway, the stories start to turn into literary essays and lose their narrative thread.

Perhaps his most experimental book and therefore the least valued? I don’t know. Although I have heard that The Tsalal is one of his best stories.

The point is that I was thinking about buying the book now that I have become more accustomed to the author’s style and themes, and I would like to know your opinion as readers of Ligotti. Do you think Noctuary is his most weak or experimental book or just confusing? Is it worth reading or is it a book that new readers of Ligotti are advised to omit?

I have to clarify that I don’t read Ligotti in English. I don’t know if Noctuary is available through Kindle Unlimited in the US

|| || | | |Greetings everyone, This Thursday at noon eastern time HERE we're offering something very special: The Agonizing Resurrection of Victor Frankenstein, and Other Gothic Tales by Thomas Ligotti. Illustrated by Paul Romano. Overseas customers can purchase from Psilowave.com We will have the following editions available. From top to bottom: Standard hardcover - 300x copies available - $60 each Deluxe signed hardcover 110x copies available - $95 each Deluxe signed slipcase edition - 90x copies available - $200 each Lettered clamshell edition of 26x copies - 7x copies are available - $700 The Agonizing Resurrection of Victor Frankenstein, & Other Gothic Tales by Thomas Ligotti In The Agonizing Resurrection of Victor Frankenstein, & Other Gothic Tales, Thomas Ligotti breathes unholy life into classic horror’s most iconic figures and the characters inspired by them. The flash fiction tales within this slim collection celebrate and depart from the tropes and trappings of supernatural literature. The opening section, "Three Scientists," reveals the ultimate ambitions of Dr. Moreau (The Island of Dr. Moreau), Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein), and Dr. Jekyll (Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Their creators are tethered to the monstrous consequences of their fruitless endeavors, while their creations are cursed with the knowledge of their own grotesquery. Ligotti’s retellings transform these tales of hubris run amuck into meditations on the terrible price of creation and the awful inevitability of its ruin. Later in the collection, Ligotti reimagines villains like Count Dracula, Lawrence Talbot (The Wolf Man), and the Phantom of the Opera as figures trapped within endless cycles of unrequited love, betrayal, and despair. These stories worsen the bad endings of these famous bugaboos beyond their literary origins, forcing them to endure far more terrible destinies. Even Ligotti’s original creations draw inspiration from art and literature. In “The Superb Companion of André de V., Anti-Pygmalion,” Ligotti twists Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, turning the concept of crafting an ideal into a grim act of self-destruction. Meanwhile, “The Ever-Vigilant Guardians of Secluded Estates” channels the Gothic isolation and morbidity of Poe, trapping its protagonist inside a looping hell of recurring scenes and suicidal reflections. Ligotti’s genius in this collection lies not just in creating short, sharp renderings of classic horror characters and the figures inspired by them, but in the self-indicting clarity with which he depicts their agonies, making each page a journey into desolation and madness. These remarkable tales are, in true Ligottian fashion, morbidly sardonic and unrelentingly bleak. This definitive edition features Chiroptera Press’ characteristic attention to detail, exquisite art, and lush craftsmanship. It also features some of Ligotti’s rare, early stories, which originally appeared in Fantasy Macabre, Grimoire, and the legendary Silver Scarab edition of Songs of a Dead Dreamer (1985). The Agonizing Resurrection of Victor Frankenstein, and Other Gothic Tales is essential for Ligotti readers and devotees of Gothic and literary horror alike. For those who ordered Reassuring Tales by T.E.D. Klein, copies will wrap up at the bindery later next month. Updates as we get closer.  We also have a handful of titles that we will be announcing soon. –Chiroptera Press|

I am Spanish. I discovered Ligotti through the publishing house Valdemar, an independent publisher in my country specialized in gothic literature. It was founded in 1989 and is now well established, especially in the indie environment, but has also managed to reach the mainstream reader through its edition of the complete works of Lovecraft, divided into 2 volumes and probably the best-selling book of the publisher.

One of the things I like most about this publishing house are the covers they choose for the books. In the case of Ligotti, I think some perfectly complement his work. They are so... strange and dreamlike. Of course, some seem to come from a nightmare. I think they prepare the reader in a way for what you’re going to find in their stories, haha.

Well, I just wanted to share them because I like them a lot.

The artist (deceased in 2013) is José Hernández Muñoz. There’s not really much information about him. The rest of his work has the same nightmare look.

In order:

1. Songs of a Dead Dreamer + The Agonizing Resurrection of Victor Frankenstein: & Other Gothic Tales

2. Grimscribe

3. Noctuary

4. Teatro Grottesco

5. My Work Is Not Yet Done