Occultation by Laird Barron, A Magnificent Anthology of Horror Short Stories

Occultation, an anthology written by award winning Laird Barron, has got everything that makes a horror book a good reading experience: these short fictions are atmospheric, they contain hints of lores and legends, and are also beautifully written. They are modern horror stories that follow Lovecraftian traditions. True that we do not expect any less from Laird Barron.



One of the short fictions Lagerstatte is about a woman who grieves for her son and husband who just died in a plane accident, she, irrationally, blames herself and intends to commit suicide. The Broadsword is about an elderly man who notices that something is not quite all right with the house he lives, and decides to face its horrors. The Forest is a story of two friends who meet again and one of them turn into something hideous. In Catch Hell, a couple arrive in a tranquil, remote area, but the place seems odd and disquieting. Heathen rituals were (or rather are) held here. Soon a tragedy strikes and does not spare the couple’s small daughter… Mysterium Tremendum is a story of four male friends and lovers whose violent past is slowly revealed during a camping trip whilst their present survival is dubious… Strappado is about an eerie guide in Asia. In --30-- two investigators, a female and a male, are at a site which was once a place for occult meetings. In Six Six Six a married couple just moved into an old, awesome house – the problem is that the previous owner, the man’s father, dabbled in occultism…
Three of the stories – Mysterium Tremendum, --30--, and Six Six Six, are written originally for this book. Two fictions, The Forest and The Lagerstatte, were nominated for Shirley Jackson Award.