Same here: Barron came heavily recommended, based on what I’ve enjoyed previously. Some even compared him to Ligotti (which turned out to be preposterous).Parthenon_23 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 12:25 pmI've read almost all his stuff up to the collection Swift to Chase (which was garbage imo). He's ok. Definitely just simple entertainment without much in the way deep message (besides the obvious: while the universe itself may not care, the same may not be true of predator inter-dimensional trickster beings, so: *trust no one*). But when he is at his best, Barron's stories are an effortless blend of hardboiled noir sensibility at odds with antagonistic forces that couldn't care less about macho posturing and are, as such, rather entertaining. There are quite a number of good stories in The Imago Sequence. He seems much better in the short form than long and manages to freshen and add to the whole Lovecraft/invasion of the body snatchers type thing--though, thankfully his "mythos" is not formally linked to Lovecraft, which would be tacky. However, I've become somewhat annoyed by the cliches i perceive in the dialogue of his characters in subsequent years however.Lactating Tardigrade wrote: ↑Wed May 24, 2023 8:53 pm Has anyone read The Imago Sequence and Other Stories by Laird Barron? The author comes recommended based on what I'm reading currently.
I found out Swift to Chase was available in the Helsinki library system, so I decided to give it a try (it remains the only thing of his I’ve read so far).
I wouldn’t call it garbage as such, but still definitely a bit of a letdown. The introduction was written by another much-hyped, but ultimately underwhelming author, Paul Tremblay, which ought to have ring some bells for me.
Atm I’m putting this guy in the ”it’s OK, not too bad, 3/5, take it or leave it” category. If an opportunity to read something else of his comes along I’ll gladly take it, but I’m not holding my breath or anything.