Yet these designs were not unfamiliar to us. And there were so many nameless patterns that might spread themselves across the boards of an old fence or the side of a shed, engravings all tangled and wizened like a subterranean craze of roots and tendrils, an underworld riot of branching convolutions, gnarled ornamentations. Other faces, leprous masks, would arise within the grain of panelled walls or wooden floors, spying for a moment before sinking back into the knotty shadows, withdrawing below the surface. Upon a cellar wall there might appear an ill-formed visage among the damp and fractured stones, a hideous impersonation of a face infiltrating the dark corners of our homes. They could show themselves anywhere, if always briefly. And they were not seen only in the chromatic designs of those deathless leaves.

Tags #amreading #amwriting #review Alexander Pyles Anthology Apex Publications ASP Bizzaro Fiction Black Hare Press Book Bloggers Book Release Book Review Book Reviews Contemporary Fiction Cosmic Horror Fantasy Fiction FUTURES Graphic Novel Hard Science Fiction Horror Hugo Hugo Finalists Literary Memoir Micro Fiction N.k.“Yes, we saw them, though somewhat belatedly. The Conspiracy against the Human Race: A Contrivance of Horror (Kindle) The Conspiracy against the Human Race: A Contrivance of Horror Ligotti is not unaware or self-absorbed to not realize the thinking system’s flaws or to ignore nihilism’s limits, so his considerations are serious ones to attempt to address.Įither way, if one is curious about this viewpoint or even wants to understand where the inspiration for Rust Cohle’s character from True Detective was drawn from, this would be the book to read! For most readers, this read may be too crushing to complete, but I would encourage most to continue reading since I found it to be the best exposure to nihilist thought I’ve come into contact with. He traces the emergence of this “literature of pessimism” from not only philosophical sources but literary ones, such as Lovecraft and he tries his best to bring out how humanity truly does not matter in the face of a cold, empty universe. This text is not specifically philosophical as much as Ligotti wishes to cloak it as such. It is truly a book for those, who will not be bothered or overly depressed after slogging through such pessimistic thought.Īs a philosopher myself, I found delving into pessimism via the lens of Schopenhauer and Peter Zapffe to be really interesting, especially since I’ve never really read any of them nor their writings. (Note: I use the term subversive liberally here.) Both a literary criticism and an exploration of nihilism as a perspective, Ligotti is a preeminent figure in this sphere of thought, as both a writer of horror and alternative thought.

The Conspiracy Against the Human Race: A Contrivance of Horror by Thomas Ligotti is by no means an intro text into the wild world of nihilism and subversive thinking.

Conspiracy against the human race book