Customer Reviews

Candles for Elizabeth

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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Caitlin R. Kiernan, Candles for Elizabeth (MM Publishing, 1998)

MM Publishing, aka Meisha Merlin Publications, has quietly become one of the driving forces in publishing the cutting edge in fantasy and horror. Fantasy fans will probably recognize the name; the same company put out the painfully expensive (and just as gorgeous) limited editions of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels a few years back, but their origins were not nearly so bold. Candles for Elizabeth, a chapbook-sized short story collection from uberauthor Cait Kiernan, was one of their first offerings. And damn and blast, is it a fine one.

Kiernan is one of the new generation of "horror of absence" authors, a realm populated by such luminaries as Patrick McGrath, Kathe Koja, and Lucius Shepard. While Koja takes her best inspiration from Andre Breton, Shepard worships at the altar of H. Rider Haggard, and McGrath has spent more time ('twould seem) browsing through the works of Agatha Christie, Kiernan's influence is the most logical for a genre like this--Sartre and his contemporaries. The dreck being spewed out by such hallowed authors as Bret Easton Ellis and Jay McInerney is not the new generation of existentialist fiction. Cait Kiernan is.

If Sartre were alive and writing Roads to Freedom today, one could probably find the characters in these three stories in the fringes. They wouldn't be main characters; Sartre was too wrapped up in the petit bourgeois to have given these folks more than a couple of paragraphs of screen time. But he would have been fascinated with them, just as we are today; the homeless, the outcasts, those who live on the fringes of society, taking nothing from it, but willing to give in return if anyone would allow them to. Poppy Z. Brite writes in her introduction to this collection that the characters therein "would still love to believe in magic and happiness, but don't dare let themselves." Indeed.

In "The Last Child of Lir," three homeless twentysomethings, one of them dying of an unspecified disease (Kiernan hints that it might be pneumonia), are referred to an abandoned warehouse by a crack-addicted acquaintance as a place to spend a few days out of the cold. "A Story for Edward Gorey" is also of the homeless-person variety, this one a nineteen-year-old butch lesbian obsessed with a purple curtain in an upstairs window, and the things she finds when she finally is allowed to venture behind it. "Postcards from the King of Tides," the most "traditional" horror story in the bunch (it bears the scars of Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes," by way of Koja?s The Cipher) doesn't tell us if its protagonists are homeless, as they're on a roadtrip. In all three cases, the events of the stories are designed to give us, though not the characters themselves, insight into their own humanity more than they are to scare. That what they find in their dreams and introspections is not that much different than what the characters in such would-be existentialist writers as Ellis find is beside the point (and, in fact, becomes somewhat admirable given the method of delivery); it?s how they come about the knowledge, and whether they know enough to grasp what they see, that counts.

One of the things that makes Kiernan's characters so attractive in the horror milieu is that they're not your typical horror story protagonist; these are the kids horror fans have been waiting for for thirty years, the ones who grew up in a post-Night of the Living Dead world. They're not scared by the usual mean-and-nasties, as (for some odd reason) most horror story protagonists still are. Kiernan's characters, like those of Koja, McGrath, Thomas Ligotti, et al. before her, are scared by what's inside, not what's outside. And that makes all the difference. **** 1/2

Candles for Elizabeth is a thin chapbook containing barely 60 pages of fiction (a few of the pages consist of introductions, the table of contents, etc). It's a bit pricey but it is oversized and has a glossy, creepy cover with gorgeous fonts instead of the standard drek found on most covers. Still, the text within is what I'm paying for and I can't help wishing there had been more of it.

The chapbook contains three short stories. One is an original written for the collection and two are reprints. All of the stories are difficult to synopsize. They're more like quick glimpses into these character lives than a by-the-numbers horror story and are told in a dream-like voice. The author relies on her wounded young characters and well-drawn atmosphere to tell the story and deftly holds back allowing the reader to use their own imagination. Her style takes some getting used to and probably isn't for everyone but I had no problem with it. There are no bloated sentences here and no unnecessary words. Personally, I found it a relief. The less bloat the better if you ask me. These stories aren't horrific in the traditional sense but they'll linger and haunt if you read closely.

Of all of the stories my personal favorite was "A Story for Edward Gorey". It was genuinely chilling. Everything from the oppressive heat, to the almost overwhelming feeling of loneliness and desperation comes vividly alive.

After reading The Last Child of Lir, a story the author says is a companion piece to two of her others, I had the urge to track down the other two stories. Although the characters and the grief-laden tale drew me in, I felt like I was missing something and needed more insight into these people and their lives. As written, this story didn't entirely stand-alone for me.

The final story, Postcards From the King of Tides, takes the reader on a road trip that takes a turn for the weird when the car breaks down and two of its curious occupants discover an odd sideshow. Odd and creepy. What more does one need?

More stories would've rated this book five stars but for five dollars (plus shipping) it was a tad too slight for the money. Still, I enjoyed it while it lasted and am left longing for more.

Although two full-length collections of Caitlin Kiernan's short stories are available (as well as two novels), this chapbook is a good place for the uninitiated to start. It contains three of her short stories, including one that was chosen for Best New Horror. Creepy, creepy good.

Kiernan's odd phrasing and style takes some adjustment. When I read this book the first time, I'll admit I was indifferent to it. The second time, however, I picked up much more...her vibrant imagery, the way her odd diction createsa sense of texture. I liked what I had seen of her comic book work, but after this, I'm a full-fledged fan.

I feel like the other reviews were written for another book. I know that's not the case, but still. Although it IS hard to tell from this admittedly short chapbook, I simply was not "blown away", nor did I think the writing was either "dark" or at all horrific. I enjoyed the stories and was intrigued by the tales, which definitely held my interest, but I would describe none of them as remotely scary or creepy or haunting. I will most probably read something else by her, as her writing was indeed skillful, but I just wanted to add a review here that seemed a bit different, but nonetheless true, than the other reviews.

I had never read a word of Caitlin R. Kiernan until this book found its way into my hands. I knew of Kiernan from several Poppy Z. Brite acknowledgements in her books. I liked Poppy so I decided to give Kiernan a try. This book is great. The writings contained in this chapbook are like little holidays. I say this because after you finish reading them you almost feel guilty for enjoying yourself so much. They are definately dark little tales that explore complex emotional and intellectual features that make up the human mind. It is like Kiernan allows you to simply see inside the life and the mind of her characters for duration of the story. The short stories contained in this little book draw the reader into them. I found myseld wishing there were more, yet as I wished this I realized that one of the best features of Kiernans writing is her restraint. She shows you just enough to allow you to form an image in your mind, or a feeling in your heart. Then the stories end--sometimes abruptly, yet perfectly. A great buy. Worth it weight in gold!

This short book is a very good introduction to Caitlin Kiernan's unique story-telling. It left me amazed and wanting more of her carefully-crafted fiction. This is fantasy for adults, so if Harry Potter isn't for you, maybe Caitlin Kiernan is.

Candles for Elizabeth is the perfect introduction for anyone who loves supernatural, weird or macabre fiction and still hasn't encountered to poetic work of Caitlin Kiernan. This chapbook contains three fine stories, each one brilliant. And it's a great way to "get your feet wet" before moving on to her collection, Tales of Pain and Wonder. Kiernan's voice carries the influence of William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, Kathe Koja, and Ray Bradbury, but the world she writes of is closer to that of H. P. Lovecraft, Ramsey Campbell, or Thomas Ligotti. She is certainly the most powerful new voice in horror since the appearance of Clive Barker's Books of Blood back in the mid-'80s and is not to be missed. Beautiful.

Caitlin Kiernan is a tremendous new voice in the field of gothic dark fiction. In CANDLES FOR ELIZABETH, she takes us through the surreal landscape of her powerful short stories. Her prose is undeniably vivid in detail and characterization, and you are left gasping for breath when it is over, creepy crawlies hiding beneath your eyelids. Her short fiction packs a punch and leaves you reeling from the experience. Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore. You will definitely be seeing more of Kiernan in the near future.

Caitlin has an excellent eye/ear for character details and nuance. Dreamlike horror flipsides oddly transcendant moments. A Story for Edward Gorey is a must read for Ogdred Weary saucepan fans everywhere (you know who you are); Last Child of Lir, a moving portrait of a dying street kid; Postcards from the King of Tides, an elegently surreal and ever so slightly lovecraftian excursion into some spooky woods. Definately an exciting discovery for "horror" fans that like their strangeness in subtle and haunting doses. Check out her novel SILK Great style!! More please!!