A surrealist story about a mother and a daughter who undergo transformation
Tag: Weird Fiction
Weird #53: “The Beak Doctor” by Eric Basso (1977)
A Joycean jaunt through a foggy city plagued by sleeping sickness
Weird #52: “The Psychologist Who Wouldn’t Do Awful Things to Rats” by James Triptree, Jr. (1976)
A harrowing tale questions why science can be so cruel to animals
Weird #51: “It Only Comes Out At Night” by Dennis Etchison (1976)
The story of one lonely drive down a blistering desert highway.
Weird #50: “The Hospice” by Robert Aickman (1975)
A ghost story that the reader pieces together only after it is told
Weird #49: “Don’t Look Now” by Daphne du Maurier (1971)
Daphne Du Maurier’s line is almost literally hypnotic
Weird #48: “The Sea Was As Wet As Wet Could Be” by Gahan Wilson (1967)
Gahan Wilson’s “The Sea Was Wet As Wet Could Be” hits quite differently than the other weird tales in this collection—his twisted, singsong references to Lewis Carroll form the background context to a story of the indifference of a barren universe.
Weird #47: “The Ghoulbird” by Claude Seignolle (1967)
Claude Seignolle was a French author of fantastic stories, an archaeologist and folklorist whose story “The Ghoulbird” reflects his interest in peasant legends. He is known for presenting the fantastic in a straightforward manner, making the reader believe it is real.
Weird #46: “The Salamander” by Mercè Rodoreda (1967)
A witch becomes a salamander in this Catalan metamorphosis story
Weird #45: “The Other Side of the Mountain” by Michel Bernanos (1967)
A sea voyage, a desert island story, and a Dantesque, existential allegory all rolled into one surreal masterpiece.
Matthew Rettino 