The Wisdom of Silenus and Other Strange Tales

An estranged professor discovers a way to annihilate all of existence; an eccentric antique dealer hides a dark secret beneath his establishment; a hypochondriac encounters a sinister children's book at the local library; the truth behind one man's past reveals the cruelty of the universe. These are just some of the strange tales contained within this volume. Inspired by the likes of H.P. Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, and Thomas Ligotti, The Wisdom of Silenus is a work of grotesque vision which should please anyone with an interest in dark fiction."Lewis Richmond’s debut collection, The Wisdom of Silenus, is strong medicine. In perhaps the most powerful of these stories, one that could be a companion piece to Ligotti’s “The Troubles of Dr. Thoss,” a painter explores the mystery of art and identity in a world that is “an ever-changing display of insubstantial illusions, a sort of theatrical play containing artificial scenery.” From a humorous meditation on the detrimental consequences of unconsciousness to a twisted fairy tale set in the deep woods to cautionary tales about the evils of organized religion and the perilous wisdom of self-obliteration, Richmond’s superb collection presents a lush, multifaceted world in which “life itself is a great mistake.”- Jon Padgett, author of The Secret of Ventriloquism

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