POE: 19 NEW TALES INSPIRED BY EDGAR ALLAN POE, Edited by Ellen Datlow: A Year-End Review by Nancy O. Greene

 As 2009 closes out, it seems a good time to look back at the celebrations of the Poe Bicentennial. This year, a number of festivities and anthologies and other types of events across the country marked the 200^th anniversary of the birth of one of history’s literary legends. One of the most popular anthologies of the year has been POE: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Ellen Datlow.

 

From New York to PA to Delaware there were readings from the POE anthology. In October of 2009, Baltimore was also host to its editor speaking at the Poe Funeral as well as speaking at the Enoch Pratt Library with Gregory Frost and John Langan. Judy Cooper, the Enoch Pratt Director of Programming, and I worked with Ellen Datlow to bring more celebration of Poe’s body of work to Maryland. Roughly 20 or so people showed up to the Poe Room on the “dark and stormy night” to enjoy readings from the anthology and to ask questions, enjoy refreshments, buy books and get them signed, and mingle. You can read more about the event at http://ellen-datlow.livejournal.com/223998.html and at http://michaelmhughes.com/wordpress/?p=336.

 

The book itself features stories inspired by Poe’s popular and less known works. It starts with an introduction from editor extraordinaire Ellen Datlow, and she lays the foundation for the anthology.

 

The writer’s explanation is also included at the end of each tale to give a better understanding of its inspiration. Some of the stories are less “Poe-ish” than others, but each carries the signature of the writer that created it. It’s interesting to see how different writers view his work and how they responded to the task. The pieces included in the anthology are “Illimitable Domain,” by Kim Newman; “The Pickers,” by Melanie Tem; “Beyond Porch and Portal,” by E. Catherine Tobler; “The Final Act,” by Gregory Frost; “Strappado,” by Laird Barron; “The Mountain House,” by Sharon McCrumb; “The Pikesville Buffalo,” by Glen Hirshberg; “The Brink of Eternity,” by Barbara Roden; “The Red Piano,” by Delia Sherman; “Sleeping with Angels,” by M. Rickert; “Shadow,” by Steve Rasnic Tem; “Truth and Bone,” by Pat Cadigan; “The Reunion,” by Nicholas Royle; “The Tell,” by Kaaron Warren; “The Heaven and Hell of Robert Flud,” by David Prill; “Flitting Away,” by Kristine Katheryn Rusch; “Kirikh’quru Krokundor,” by Lucius Shepard; “Lowland Sea,” by Suzy McKee Charnas; and “Technicolor,” by John Langan.

 

Of these, my personal favorites are “Beyond Porch and Portal,” “The Final Act,” “Truth and Bone,” “The Heaven and Hell of Robert Flud,” and “Technicolor.” While all of the tales in the book are good, these are the ones that stuck with me the most for different reasons.

 

“Beyond Porch and Portal” starts off a bit slow, but once it gets going it has a thrumming, breathless pace and creates beautiful imagery based on some of Poe’s poems. Within the first paragraph it’s clear that this is a take on Poe’s death; his passing is as much debated and speculated on as his life, if not more, and I think the world that E. Catherine Tobler created to explain that passing is fascinating and maybe not so far off from what his dreams may have been like.

 

“The Final Act” is a chilling story and invokes a sense of mystery and terror that I feel Poe would have been proud to call his own.  It has a claustrophobic feel, and in terms of atmosphere reminded me of a number of Poe’s works aside from the tale that inspired it, from “The Cask of Amontillado” to “The Pit and the Pendulum” to “The Raven.” Its focus is sharp and you can feel the tension building as the main character struggles with certain revelations and a decision that he may or may not have to make.

 

“Truth and Bone” is a strong tale that is both hopeful and devastating. It’s difficult to not get carried along in the protagonist’s predicament as she comes to terms with her unusual nature. On one hand she believes she can accomplish much with her ability, but because of her family’s aversion she is forced to discover its extent practically on her own. The minor and major characters as well as the plot are engaging. It doesn’t particularly remind me of Poe, but it is such a solid tale on its own, and again, it’s just fascinating to see what different writers do with the same source of inspiration.

 

“The Heaven and Hell of Robert Flud” is surprisingly funny, and that dark humor only adds to the terror of the narrative. The main character’s desperate need to make a sale drags him into an unexpected situation, and it soon becomes clear that isolation and desperation go hand in hand. Aside from the Poe tales that inspired it, it also brought to mind a well-known “Tales from the Crypt” episode—just as funny and as terrifying, but with different types of characters and overall situation.

 

“Technicolor” was another creepy story, and besides invoking Poe also seemed to call on a bit of Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos. There was such detail about certain items in this story that it was almost a shame that they were fictional. A lyrical story, within a story, within a story, the charming narrator leads the reader through many avenues—slipping between one reality or time and another—and the charm only lends to heightening the unexpected turn of events that unfold as the tale goes on.

 

The other stories in the collection were also interesting and terrifying in different ways. “Illimitable Domain” is an alternate history that explores a man’s life in a world that is all about Poe. Somewhat funny, but also a dark and frightening look at the obsessive nature of cultures caught up in celebrity.

 

“The Pickers” is a something of a dark fantasy about loss, loneliness, strange creatures and responsibility. The main character has trouble dealing with tragedy but also has to face dealing with things that almost defy explanation.

 

“Strappado” is dark and haunting, and the strength of it is in the main character’s journey into a world that is at first inviting but that quickly turns into something else. Kenshi’s relationship with Swayne seems to serve as something of an anchor, but even that is called into question by the end.

 

“The Mountain House” is a wistful story about love and loss, and NASCAR. There is loneliness and a longing for the happiness remembered of the past in this story, as well as deeper connection through similar interests despite differences.

 

“The Pikesville Buffalo” is a charming story that explores what life, death, and the soul’s progress through lifetimes. One of the greatest strengths of this story is in the descriptions of the characters, their mannerisms and quirks and the things on the surface that reflect their inner worlds.

 

“The Red Piano,” written is first person, is also dark and has a panic that builds subtly to the explosiveness of the final confrontation.

 

“Sleeping with Angels” is another wistful story, this one about lies, love, and regret. The adults in this narrative contrast sharply with the main character and her childhood friend/love interest and mostly seem to serve as caricatures to round out Laurel’s experiences. It seems worth noting that both the odd and ordinary things they do don’t entirely make sense and aren’t really explained, unless the actions relate in some way to the main character and her friend. That unusual touch adds in its own way to the surreal nature of the story.

 

“Shadow” is written in second person. Second person narrative is something that seems to be difficult to pull off successfully, but Rasnic manages to do that with this horrifying, and oddly apathetic, story.

 

“The Brink of Eternity” is in the style of a non-fiction piece. It’s written mostly in a matter-of-fact way and does seem somewhat out of place in this anthology, but the explanation for its inspiration makes sense. The ways in which geography and travel are explored is interesting, with the most interesting parts being the personal journeys.

 

“The Reunion” was a bit difficult to follow at first, but that only added to the mystery of the situation that the main character found himself in; the story also seemed to pay a bit of homage to Stephen King’s The Shining in certain ways.

 

“The Tell” is a dark, strange, lyrical rendition of one of Poe’s most famous pieces.

 

“Flitting Away” is terrifying in the fact that it’s something that can happen anywhere in the world. The writing conjures up darkness and justified anger and all of the things that one would think can happen to a person going through such a traumatic experience.

 

“Kirikh’quru Krokundor” is an adventurous tale that brings to mind not only Poe’s works but The Heart of Darkness. It takes a look at blending relationships, people out of place, new surroundings, and it sheds a light on the results.

 

“Lowland Sea” is about a woman finding other than what she excepted in an unfamiliar environment. While somewhat sad, it is also a story of resilience, despite suffering, in the face of harsh reality.

Overall, I think the anthology is a fine companion to Poe’s work; it features well-written, solid stories that reflect the talents of the various writers, and it gives a fascinating glimpse into inspiration and the art and craft of storytelling.

 

There have been a number of articles, reviews, etc., written to celebrate this year of Poe. For a taste, check out Selena Chambers’s in-depth pieces over at the Tor blog (http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=57996) as well as the Poe-induced trips down memory lane, featuring writers like Cherie Priest and Alethea Kontis, in Weird Tales at http://www.weirdtales.net.