Caitlin R Kiernan is an author whose work I have skirted around over the years. As much as anything, because I was a little unsure where to start with her work and that it may have been too feminist in its leanings. Following an email exchange with a friend, she suggested I started with Tales of Pain and Wonder
This is a collection of short stories although laid out in the sequence they were written, there is an alternate sequence that places the stories in chronological order, which I followed. I suspect that this is the best way to read the stories. What I found clever about the narratives is the way that they are linked, directly or in directly, either through the reappearance of characters or places. One character in particular is represented from several different perspectives across different stories. The characters and places that populate the stories tend to be outcast from normal society. Lost children, misanthropes, damaged adults, broken and decayed buildings. The stories do contain elements of horror and Lovecraft like glimpses of otherworldliness, but I would class them more as dark fantasy.
The language Caitlin uses is often clipped and short and from time to time I had to re-read passages. In some ways the language is rich and well thought through, but it does take a bit of getting used to.
The edition of the book I have is from Subterranean Press and was difficult to obtain. This is disappointing that such a superior collection of stories is not more readily available. I really enjoyed this book and would heartily recommend it to those who enjoy the darker side of fantastic fiction. ( )