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Exploring Dark Short Fiction #1: A Primer to Steve Rasnic Tem Paperback – Illustrated, July 10, 2017

by Eric J. Guignard (Author), Steve Rasnic Tem (Author), Michael Arnzen (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
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For over four decades, Steve Rasnic Tem has been an acclaimed author of horror, weird, and sentimental fiction. Hailed by Publishers Weekly as “A perfect balance between the bizarre and the straight-forward” and Library Journal as “One of the most distinctive voices in imaginative literature,” Steve Rasnic Tem has been read and cherished the world over for his affecting, genre-crossing tales.Dark Moon Books and editor Eric J. Guignard bring you this introduction to his work, the first in a series of primers exploring modern masters of literary dark short fiction. Herein is a chance to discover—or learn more of—the rich voice of Steve Rasnic Tem, as beautifully illustrated by artist Michelle Prebich.Included within these pages are:• Six short stories, one written exclusively for this book• Author interview• Complete bibliography• Academic commentary by Michael Arnzen, PhD (former humanities chair and professor of the year, Seton Hill University)• … and more!Enter this doorway to the vast and fantastic: Get to know Steve Rasnic Tem.Table of Contents includes:• Introduction by Eric J. Guignard• Steve Rasnic Tem: A Biography• Hungry (fiction)• Hungry: A Commentary• The Last Moments Before Bed (fiction)• The Last Moments Before Bed: A Commentary• In These Final Days of Sales (fiction)• In These Final Days of Sales: A Commentary• The Giveaway (fiction)• The Giveaway: A Commentary• Rat Catcher (fiction)• Rat Catcher: A Commentary• Whatever You Want (fiction)• Whatever You Want: A Commentary• Why Steve Rasnic Tem Matters by Michael Arnzen, PhD• In Conversation with Steve Rasnic Tem• The Subject Matter of Horror: An Essay by Steve Rasnic Tem• A Bibliography of English Language Fiction for Steve Rasnic Tem
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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 4
    Exploring Dark Short Fiction
  2. Print length
    224 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    July 10, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.56 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0998827525
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0998827520
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fascinating study for fans seeking new reads and for librarians developing wide-ranging collections." --Library Journal

"Refreshing and much-needed... Addresses significant themes and figures within the horror field." --Locus Magazine

"An insightful look at the working methods and underlying concerns of some of the foremost exponents of the short story form, appealing to both intellect and the emotions." --Black Static Magazine

About the Author

ERIC J. GUIGNARD is a writer and editor of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles, where he also runs the small press, Dark Moon Books. He's twice won the Bram Stoker Award, won the Shirley Jackson Award, and been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and International Thriller Writers Award. He has over one hundred stories and non-fiction author credits appearing in publications around the world. As editor, Eric's published multiple fiction anthologies, including his most recent, PROFESSOR CHARLATAN BARDOT'S TRAVEL ANTHOLOGY TO THE MOST (FICTIONAL) HAUNTED BUILDINGS IN THE WEIRD, WILD WORLD and A WORLD OF HORROR, each a showcase of international horror short fiction. His latest books are LAST CASE AT A BAGGAGE AUCTION and the short story collection THAT WHICH GROWS WILD: 16 TALES OF DARK FICTION (Cemetery Dance). Outside the glamorous and jet-setting world of indie fiction, Eric's a technical writer and college professor, and he stumbles home each day to a wife, children, dogs, and a terrarium filled with mischievous beetles. Visit Eric at: www.ericjguignard.com, his blog: ericjguignard.blogspot.com, or Twitter: @ericjguignard.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dark Moon Books; Illustrated edition (July 10, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0998827525
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0998827520
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.56 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Michael A. Arnzen

    Michael A. Arnzen

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    Michael Arnzen (http://gorelets.com) is an award-winning author of horror and dark suspense fiction, a poet, and an English professor. His trophy case includes four Bram Stoker Awards and an International Horror Guild Award for his often funny, always disturbing stories. The best of these appear in the Bram Stoker Award-winning career-length retrospective, Proverbs for Monsters, which Dread Central called "a guided tour of insanity and the macabre, with a few moments of touching grace combined with repulsive terror...[which] serves to document the evolution of a great writer."

    Arnzen holds a PhD in English from the University of Oregon (where he researched his non-fiction book, The Popular Uncanny) and he is presently a Professor at Seton Hill University, where he teaches horror and suspense fiction in the country's only graduate program in Writing Popular Fiction (http://fiction.setonhill.edu).

    Arnzen resides near Pittsburgh, PA.

    +++

    "In a little over a decade, Michael A. Arnzen has achieved what few writers manage in a lifetime. He has become the master of a brand of literature that is uniquely his own, and I do not doubt that his approach to horror will soon (if it has not already) be referred to as 'Arnzenian.' When you begin an Arnzen story, you embark on a journey where the old maps do not apply. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory, barreling through landscapes more fascinating and twisted than any previously encountered. Be assured, you will be amazed, startled, amused, and creeped out along the way, but whatever the road has in store, you will not be able to stop reading until the story ends. Horrifying, captivating, ironic -- Arnzenian! -- the works of Michael A. Arnzen are in a class all their own. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!" -- Lawrence C. Connolly, author of Veins

    +++

    See more on the author's page
  2. Eric J. Guignard

    Eric J. Guignard

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Eric J. Guignard has twice won the Bram Stoker Award (the highest literary award of horror fiction), won the Shirley Jackson Award, and been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and International Thriller Writers Award for his works of dark and speculative fiction. He has over 100 stories and non-fiction author credits appearing in publications around the world; has edited multiple anthologies (including the current series, The Horror Writers Association’s HAUNTED LIBRARY OF HORROR CLASSICS, through SourceBooks, with co-editor Leslie S. Klinger); and has created an ongoing series of author primers championing modern masters of the dark and macabre, EXPLORING DARK SHORT FICTION through his press, Dark Moon Books. He is also publisher and acquisitions editor for the renowned +HORROR LIBRARY+ anthology series. His latest books are LAST CASE AT A BAGGAGE AUCTION; DOORWAYS TO THE DEADEYE; and short story collection THAT WHICH GROWS WILD: 16 TALES OF DARK FICTION (Cemetery Dance). Visit Eric at: www.ericjguignard.com, his blog: ericjguignard.blogspot.com, or Twitter: @ericjguignard.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
15 global ratings
The Illustrations Alone Are Worth the Price of Admission
5 Stars
The Illustrations Alone Are Worth the Price of Admission
Steve Rasnic Tem is a modern master of the literary and quiet short horror tale, incorporating a striking range of emotion, surrealism, and character study into his cross-genre work.This is the first in a line of scholarly studies of modern-day authors who write short fiction stories in the horror genre, and one can see they've been carefully curated by editor, Eric J. Guignard, Besides stories by the author, this collection includes commentary, illustrations, author interview, and a complete bibliography. It's worth the purchase for the illustrations (by Michelle Prebich) alone This is a great introduction for writers like myself who are just beginning to dabble in the genre.
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Top reviews from the United States

@StretchYrBrains
5.0 out of 5 stars By all means, buy this book.
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
Yes, I say... and yes, again. A big, loud THANK YOU to Eric J. Guignard and Dark Moon Books for publishing this sublime book. If you're a reader of short horror and dark fantasy fiction, if you love your books with a taste of the weird, the surreal and the bizarre, then you already know the name of the writer Steve Rasnic Tem. The man has spent a lifetime peering into the cracks and fissures that open up in our lives, the unexpected ones that are waiting and always ready to swallow us and our loved ones whole, just when we think we've got everything figured out. Family, lovers, security, children, work, dreams -- Steve Rasnic Tem takes the dearest things, the parts of our lives that so many of us treasure, and turns them upside down, examining the fears and pain that manifest themselves when that unexpected but inevitable darkness creeps in. This first volume in EXPLORING DARK FICTION contains six masterful short stories, including one written for this collection. There are also essays on the stories, insightful commentary from Michael Arnzen, PhD, an interview with Steve Rasnic Tem, and a bibliography. I cannot recommend this book highly enough -- if you're not already a lover of Tem's writing, then I can't imagine a better introduction.
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Mr. & Mrs. V
5.0 out of 5 stars Good intro to Tem
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is a good starting point if you want a sample of Tem's work to see if you like it. He's a great writer, so I suspect if the description / premises of his stories intrigued you enough to give this a read, you will like the included pieces. I bought a Steve Rasnic Tem collection after reading this.
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Char
5.0 out of 5 stars A Primer to the Work of A Master!
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024
Steve Rasnic Tem has been a favorite of mine since the late 70's, early 80's when I started reading his work. I was excited and surprised to discover this "primer" which introduces the reader to several of his stories, and includes a brand new one!

This volume contains an intro from Eric J. Guignard, 6 short stories from Tem, (each with commentary from Michael Arnzen, PhD), an interview with Tem, and an absolutely wonderful essay from Tem: The Subject Matter of Horror. Also included are lovely illustrations from Michelle Prebich.

Each short tale here showcases Tem's abilities and talents. His power to reel in the reader, no matter what the story is about, simply shines. I loved them all, but especially Rat Catcher, The Giveaway and the new story Whatever You Want.

Thanks to Tem's method of finding the "emotional center" of a tale, (as revealed in the included interview), I feel I now have a better understanding of his work and why it affects me the way it does.

Michael Arnzen's commentaries enlightened me on a few things as well. However, I'm a bit torn about the commentaries, to be honest. While they did offer insights into the tales, sometimes I just don't want to know how the sausage is made, so to speak. Sometimes when you see how things actually work, it damages the magic, you know? On the other hand, I'm sure working writers would/could learn a thing or two from these commentaries.

Also included is a (huge) bibliography of Tem's work.

When I discovered this series existed, I wrote to Eric J. Guignard at Dark Moon Books to ask for a review copy and he happily complied. Now that I've read it, I've already purchased the primer for Ramsey Campbell's work and I plan to read the entire series. I feel like I've just discovered a treasure trove!

My highest recommendation, especially to those that are new to Tem's work, but also to his loyal fans!

*Thank you to Eric at Dark Moon Books for creating this series and for sending me an ARC.*
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Nicholas Diak
4.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the work of Rasnic Tem
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
A Primer to Steve Rasnic Tem is the first collection under the Exploring Dark Short Fiction: Modern Masters line from Eric J. Guignard’s Dark Moon Books. As a primer, the collection isn’t a best of collection of Rasnic Tem’s writings, but is instead an introduction to the author and his work. The primer accomplishes this by providing an editor’s introduction to contextualize Guignard's enthusiasm for the project, a biography, six short stories, individual essay commentaries and a short form essay by literary professor Dr. Michael Arnzen, an interview between Guignard and Rasnic Tem, and essay by Rasnic Tem and a bibliography of the writer’s work. Peppered throughout the book is artwork by Michelle Prebich.

The centerpiece of the primer are Rasnic Tem’s short stories: “Hungry,” “The Last Moments Before Bed,” “In These Final Days of Sales,” “The Give Away,” “Rat Catcher” and “Whatever You Want” which was published exclusively for this primer. All the stories are choice cuts from Rasnic Tem’s decades of writing, and all are written well. “In These Final Days of Sales” is the most standout short story, no doubt due to its length, the fact that it won a Stoker Award, and its surrealist quality of a mediocre salesmen, drifting through the motions. This story, along with the dying mall in “Whatever You Want” would be perfect subject matter for a vaporwave musician. The “Rat Catcher” is Rasnic Tem’s most gritty story in the primer, perhaps the closest to “spooky-traditional” horror, in that it has a grotesque rat catcher, that intrudes on a family’s home, perhaps in worse ways than the rats he is to be catching. “The Last Moments Before Bed” has Rasnic Tem in his most sombre, as an old widowed man tries to fall asleep. Character descriptions are loose in Rasnic Tem’s stories, but all the stories are extremely emotive, perhaps tapping into the readers’ sense of pity for his characters: the lonely widowers, the frazzled single mom during Yuletide, the ineffectual salesmen, etc.

The short commentary interlude chapters by Dr. Arnzen are interesting, but most top level observations of themes of the short stories. As this is a primer, and thus an introduction to Rasnic Tem’s work, Arnzen is really underscoring common elements and themes to make obvious for the reader. Dr. Arnzen’s longer form essay accomplishes this a bit better.

The biography of Rasnic Tem is fairly barebones, two paragraphs of bibliographical highlights and one paragraph of actual biography, the sort one finds mostly to advertise an author rather than illuminate them.

The interview between Guignard and Rasnic Tem is much more insightful, providing illumination into Rasnic Tem’s creative process. Rasnic Tem’s essay on his thoughts on his particular brand of what constitute horror versus fear also helps ground his writing philosophy.

About one-third of the book’s page count is devoted to cataloging Rasnic Tem’s bibliography. Bibliographies are a tricky thing now-a-days in that the internet “mostly” does an acceptable job at cataloging a writer’s output. Websites such as the Internet Speculative Fiction Database only catalogs a specific genre of a writer, thus ignoring their other output. Goodreads is only as good to what is submitted to it, but its ad-laden services make it hard to search individual writers’ work. Authors keep their own websites but most of these fall to ruin (Rasnic Tem’s has not been updated since 2015), as many writers switch to Social Media instead. The textual bibliography in the Rasnic Tem primer will not doubt become outdated in the next few years as Rasnic pens more works (which he eludes to in his interview), however Guignard does go the extra mile to make this bibliography as complete and accurate as possible by cataloging all the different versions and reprints of each work. For a completionist, this no doubt is indispensable.
The end result is that A Primer to Steve Rasnic Tem accomplishes its goal to highlight and introduce Rasnic Tem in spades. The chosen stories are excellent, and Guignard gives Rasnic Tem the Criterion Collection treatment with this book. It is hoped that the success of this primer will carry over to the next one to be released, which is on Kaaron Warren.
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