At Fear's Altar

I am embarrassed to say that Richard Gavin’s work only came on my radar a couple of years ago. After reading his most recent short story collection, Sylvan Dread, I realized I had found something very special and thus, decided to read all of his work available, fiction and non-fiction. Sadly, some of his earlier works are currently out of print, but I was able to get a copy of At Fear’s Altar, which was published in 2012. This collection has only confirmed the impression that Sylvan Dread has left on me, that Richard Gavin is one of the most gifted writers working today. Gavin’s ability to create a numinous atmosphere in his stories is striking, not to mention his uncanny writing skills. Even though the 13 stories in At Fear’s Altar are very different from each other in style and tone, I enjoyed all of them immensely and took my time going through them to better appreciate every single detail offered. As I was going over the stories in my mind thinking of highlights to mention here, I realize that they all touch on one or another aspect of my sensibility, giving me a sense that Gavin’s stories are tailor-made for me, and I couldn’t appreciate it more

At Fear's Alter is a top notch collection of weird horror stories. I enjoyed all 13 stories in the book to one degree or another. While I have to admit, the two stories directly related to Lovacraft were my least favorite. This is not because they weren't well written, they were, but my knowledge of Lovecraft's work is very minimal therefore some of it missed me. While I am a huge fan of many "Lovecraftian" authors, I honestly haven't spent much time reading the man himself. Also, since learning more about the man himself my desire to read more by him is weak. Some may see that as blaspheme but I don't really care. Yeah I enjoy weird fiction and I don't read Lovecraft. Whatever.Anyways I want to say the rest of the book was some of the finest weird fiction I've read. Chapel in the Reeds is a sad and disturbing story about a mans descent into dementia that presents to him like a horrible nightmare. I really felt for Colin and not only were his hallucinations disturbing but the way he loses control of reality made me uncomfortable. The Abject is about a group of friends going to watch an eclipse on some cursed mountains that eventually drives them a couple of them over the edge. A Pallid Devil, Bearing Cypress is probably my favorite tale in the whole collection. It's about a man searching for something evil during bomb raids on his town and when he locates it he discovers more evil and deception than he bargained for. The Plain is also a very very good one about a man who wakes up in a haunted desert after a search for gold with two other men. He assumes he has been double crossed and left for dead, which maybe true, but he learns no one really got away with anything. Loved Annexation too. At a dying Husband's request Mary sets out to locate their estranged son who left them many years ago seeking some dark spiritual refuge. She discovers a lot about herself and how disturbed her son truly was. Darksome Leaves is a Ligottish story about a haunted mask that consumes your soul but it's also about more than just a mask that consumes your soul.Anyways as I said before this is quality weird horror fiction. Gavin is subtle but not too subtle. The writing from a literary perspective is on par with any of the other weird greats old and new. This is the first full collection I have read of Gavin's and I am sold. I will definitely be picking up any future releases from him. Another Canadian writing great weird horror.

Richard Gavin is an excellent conjurer of memorable nightmares. There is a nice variety on display here, and I can say that I enjoyed each and every story. The first and last tales were the most memorable for me, personally. If Mr. Gavin releases another collection, I will happily read that too.

I completed Richard Gavin’s “At Fear’s Altar” an excellent collection of weird tales. Enjoyed all the tales but the last three stories were my favorites. In particular, the novella at the end of the book – The Eldritch Faith – was a heterogeneous mix of M.R. James, Steven Spielberg, Algernon Blackwood and W.H. Pugmire but was still a unique voice for Gavin. That story alone is worth the price of the book! Highly recommended!

This book served as a wonderful introduction to Richard Gavin's work for me. I found all the stories enjoyable and some of them had some really nice twists and very dark atmospheres to them. I look forward to hunting down more of his work, though it seems his older books aren't the easiest to find, hopefully this changes as I'd love to read what else he has to offer.

This is a solid collection, straight up. It's the first one I've read of Richard Gavin and as far as I'm concerned, I'd rank it up there with the Imago Sequence by Laird Barron or the horror of Karl Edward Wagner - which is not to say it's a rehash of either. The stories are well written and have a nice bite to them.Definitely something to check out if you're itching for more dark, subtle horror.

Canadian Richard Gavin is a true original. His stories are simply magical and contain a strange psychedelic otherness that is hard to pinpoint. “The Abject” would make a beautiful short film. “The Eldritch Faith” is a monumental work. I immediately bought Gavin’s other collections: “Omens” and “Charnel Wine”.