I recently reviewed T. E. D. Klein’s novel, The Ceremonies (you can read that review here), and decided to reread Klein’s novella collection, Dark Gods (1985). Dark Gods includes four long stories filled with dread.
“Children of the Kingdom” explores the relationship between a man and his grandfather. The assisted living facility where the grandfather resides deals with continuous gnawing of the power cords of the laundry machines. The owner claims it’s done by rats, but the culprit is much more menacing.
“Petey” takes place in a old home where a party is going on. One of the women at the party engages the other guests with a series of Tarot readings. And, the former owner of the house, now in an insane asylum, issues warnings…which are ignored. You can guess where this leads.
“Black Man With a Horn” is a moody story with the haunting presence of creatures from Lovecraft’s stories.
“Nadelman’s God” is my favorite story in Dark Gods. An advertising executive named Nadelman is contacted by a rock & roll group who want to use a poem he published in a college literary magazine as the lyric to one of their songs. Nadelman agrees and this leads to another situation years later when Nadelman receives a letter from a man who claims he’s following the “instructions” in the song to create a God. T.E.D. Klein writes stories that stay with you long after you finish reading them. GRADE: B+
Table of Contents:
| Children of the kingdom — 1 | ||
| Petey — 73 | ||
| Black man with a horn — 129 | ||
| Nadelman’s god — 175 |
I need to reread these. I have the hardcover and read it 25 0r 30 years ago and remember it as being a cut above most horror books. Up there with Peter Straub and Clive Barker.
Steve, T.E.D. Klein didn’t write many stories, but as you say they’re a cut above. I wish he wrote more.
I usually cite, as Lovecraftians who managed to outdo their inspiration, Robert Bloch and Fritz Leiber as actual students of Lovecraft in a sense, as those who corresponded with him and took encouragement from him directly, Ramsey Campbell and Fred Chappell in the second generation, and Thomas Ligotti and T. E. D. Klein in the third. (I suppose Mike Mignola might go into my fourth, even given he’s at least as inspired by Bloch.)
Klein is not so very prolific as a fiction writer, but did interesting things editing TWILIGHT ZONE magazine and his short-lived true crime magazine as well.
Todd, I thought T.E.D. Klein was a creative editor when he was at TWILIGHT ZONE magazine.
As good as this collection is I always thought it should have included Klein’s finest story, “The Events at Poroth Farm”, which works very well on its own in addition to being the basis of “The Ceremonies”. Perhaps it wasn’t included because this collection appeared just a year after the novel. It’s available in the Library of America anthology “American Fantastic Tales” edited by Peter Straub. Klein fans who haven’t read it should seek it out.
Michael, I agree with you on the quality of “The Events at Poroth Farm” which morphed into THE CEREMONIES. I’m a big fan of Peter Straub’s AMERICAN FANTASTIC TALES.
I have that novelet in FIRST WORLD FANTASY AWARDS, the volume edited by Gahan Wilson…one of my early reads…and still a valuable volume to go through.
Todd, same here. I have THE SECOND WORLD FANTASY AWARD volume, too. And then they stopped.
Well, there have been some convention books, as well. I suspect this one fetches a pretty penny these years:
World Fantasy Convention 1983 ed. Robert Weinberg (Oak Forest, IL: Weird Tales Ltd., Oct ’83, $8.95, 95pp, pulp, cover by Rowena Morrill)
2 · Introduction · Robert Weinberg · in
3 · About Manly Wade Wellman · Karl Edward Wagner · bg * [Manly Wade Wellman]
7 · Gene Wolfe · Algis Budrys · bg * [Gene Wolfe]
9 · Rowena Morrill · Robert Weinberg · bg * [Rowena Morrill]
11 · A Profile of Robert Bloch · Stephen King · bg * [Robert Bloch]
15 · The Searcher After Horror · Robert Bloch · ar *
23 · World of Weird, 1931 – 1932 · Jack Williamson · ar *
27 · The Most Popular Stories in Weird Tales 1924 to 1940 · Sam Moskowitz · ar *
39 · The Cat · Gene Wolfe · ss *
43 · Willow He Walk [Lee Cobbett] · Manly Wade Wellman · ss *
51 · Incarnate [deleted chapter from the novel Incarnate] · Ramsey Campbell · ex *
57 · One to Chicago · Hugh B. Cave · ss *
61 · The Monster on Hold [Doc Savage] · Philip José Farmer · ss *
73 · The Black Recalled [Titus Crow] · Brian Lumley · ss *
79 · Neither Brute Nor Human · Karl Edward Wagner · nv *
Todd, I didn’t know about this volume. I’ll have to search the Internet for a copy.
Sounds good, especially the last story. I am not willing to pay the prices they are asking online.
Jeff, you might give the Library a try. And, if I see a copy of DARK GODS in my thrift stores, I’ll send it to you.
I can’t imagine anyone interested in late 20th century horror stories not be in awe of T. E. D. Klein.
Jerry, T.E.D. Klein is the master of building dread in his stories. Page by page Klein ratchets up the suspense.
dread not wanted or needed, thank you.
Rick, a little dread can go a long way to spicing up one’s Life.
Not a fan of the genre! Pass!