The Croning Review ~ Part Deux‏

~ by Marie Robinson

So last week I wrote up a review on Laird Barron's new novel, The Croning.  In relation to that review (which I seemed to have posted a bit prematurely), Mr. Barron, himself, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me!!

FWF:  What research did you do for this book?

LB:  I researched the history of the Olympia, WA region, and the Pacific NW in general; something I do for most of my stories that are set in those areas. I also looked into several international intelligence agencies--chiefly the CIA and Nation Security Agency.

FWF:  What is your favorite occult film?

LB:  The Exorcist and Session 9.

FWF:  What sparked your fascination with fear?

LB:  I’m not certain what the root cause might be, I only know that the attraction began in early childhood. My family read voraciously. We also entertained ourselves by telling stories--I discovered I had a talent for spooking my brothers with tales of the macabre and the uncanny. Perhaps I took a bit too much encouragement from their fright.

FWF:  A few of your stories feature a strong bond between protagonist and canine companion. We here at FWF are certainly huge animal lovers, would you say the same for yourself?

LB:  I love animals and have a soft spot for dogs in particular. My loyal companion Athena is a ten year old pit bull mix I rescued as a puppy. She’s been with me through thick and thin this past decade.

*Again, check out his new novel, The Croning, or any work of his if you haven't yet!! In my review I attached a link where you can read his story featured in Nightmare Magazine for FREE!!!

I would like to thank Mr. Barron for doing this for our humble little blog. Stay scary, dude!

Book Review: The Croning

Review by Marie Robinson

Don’t bothering looking up the definition for “croning” in the dictionary, it doesn’t exist. This is a word, or a concept, whatever, made up by horror author Laird Barron. I got turned on to Barron earlier this year after seeing his name continue to pop up in anthologies. I could not forget his works and I definitely could not forget a cool ass name like Laird. I may have seen him featured in a magazine or it may have been I first read him in an anthology I reviewed called Haunted Legends, regardless, I have been seeking him out since then.

His book, The Croning, is brand-spankin’ new and let me tell you I could not wait for it to hit the library self, I bought it on the spot. He has one previously published novel and two short story anthologies, one of which I have read, called Occultation. Honestly, stories from that collection come back into my memory time and time again. His style is that of the weird, the mythological, and often, the ancient.

Fuck, I’m rambling. Let me tell you about this book. To be honest, it starts off with a tale we all know, a certain Grimm tale about a tricky little dwarf with a tongue twister of a name. But we don’t dwell there; we are introduced to Don Miller, a geologist and an all around nice guy. Pretty easy-going, unless you talk shit on his wife, Michelle. The cunning and mysterious half of the marriage. Sure, Don knows he got lucky by scoring her as a wife, but he really starts to doubt the marriage when strangers start making Michelle out to be something strange, dark, powerful, and dangerous. How much does Don really know, and how much does he want to know?

Barron’s book is cosmic horror, but let’s not go comparing him to H.P. Lovecraft right off the bat. Okay, that’s not really what I meant, what I mean is that when I heard the words ‘cthulu’, and ‘mythos’, I kind of cringe. Harsh, I know, but I feel like that shit is so overdone! But what do I know? Either way, I think Barron makes cosmic horror cool again.

His voice is easy-going and casual, as if the narrator is a dear, foul-mouthed friend. But this, according to supernatural horror master M.R. James, is the only way to write a good horror story. If the dialogue isn’t natural, you won’t fall into comfort with the story and in the end you just won’t get scared. But believe me, Laird will getcha scared!
If you haven’t read any Laird Barron, here’s a story to start with. It is also available in audio, which is the way I enjoyed it, and it was awesome. http://nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/frontier-death-song/