Penumbrae

The incantation is one of the most ancient and best-known techniques of verbal magic, utilizing vocal modulation and the complex poetics of the word to conjure spirits or occult power. Other literary forms, such as the epic, koan, psalm and cipher may also participate in the arcana and power accessed by the arts of the occult. Yet fiction, largely considered entertainment ―or in its ‘higher’ forms, philosophy― seldom transcends its secular associations. Occult Fiction, as an emerging literary form, is a verbal magic realized in both form and function. Not only does it give voice to discarnate entities, it also vivifies them into presence through the flesh of the reader. Having conjured the entic to form, such work generates an embodied state of alienating power within the reader, a possession of sorts which eclipses consciousness and allows sensorial contact with the otherworldly. As the inaugural Occult Fiction Anthology from Three Hands Press, Penumbrae contains twelve tales exemplifying this rubric, some of which have drawn their art from the experiential alembic of occult operations. Among its authors are Kenneth Grant, Don Webb, Richard Gavin, Patricia Cram, Michael Cisco and Sun Yung Shin.

About the Author

Richard Gavin is a critically-acclaimed author whose work explores the realm where dread and the sublime intersect. His supernatural tales have been published in four collections, including THE DARKLY SPLENDID REALM and AT FEAR'S ALTAR, and have been selected for BEST NEW HORROR, THE YEAR'S BEST WEIRD FICTION, and THE BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR. Richard has also published poetry, criticism, and several works of esotericism for venues such as Starfire Journal and Clavis: Journal of Occult Arts, Letters and Experience. His most recent book is SYLVAN DREAD: TALES OF PASTORAL DARKNESS, released by Three Hands Press in 2016.Patricia Cram’s work explores the crossroads at which the cultural and political collide with the mythic and magical. Possession and vio- lence are integral to her process. A novel and a collection of short pieces are forthcoming.Daniel Schulke is an author and artist exploring themes of embodied spiritual transgression. His work has appeared in the esoteric journals Starfire and The Cauldron, and will soon be published in The God Zero.Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan is the author of science fiction and dark fantasy works, including ten novels; many comic books; and more than two hundred published short stories, novellas, and vignettes. She is also the author of scientific papers in the field of paleontology. Kiernan is a two-time recipient of both the World Fantasy and Bram Stoker awards.Brian Evenson is an American academic and writer of both literary fiction and popular fiction, some of the latter being published under B.K. Evenson. From 2003 to 2015, Evenson was Professor of Literary Arts at Brown University, and currently teaches at CalArts starting in 2016. His fiction, often described as literary minimalism but also drawing inspiration from horror, detective fiction, science fiction and continental philosophy, makes frequent use of dark humor and often features characters struggling with the limits and consequences of knowledge. He has also written non-fiction, and translated several books by French-language writers into English.

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