Poe's Lighthouse

Poe's Lighthouse
edited by Christopher Conlon

About the Book:
New stories by Edgar Allan Poe?

Impossible, you say?

Not at all. Admittedly, Mr. Poe is in no condition to be writing much these days—which is why in this anthology he’s getting a little help from his friends. Friends like Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Carole Nelson Douglas, John Shirley, Mike Resnick… Some two dozen in all.

These writers were given a task: to take a little-known, unfinished story fragment which Poe wrote near the end of his life and turn it into a complete story—in any way they wished. The only rule was that they use Poe’s language, his images, his ideas—that they truly work together with the master.

Today’s best authors. Joining forces with Edgar Allan Poe himself.

Posthumous collaborations for the ages—collected here in this extraordinary anthology.

Since the Poe fragment’s original publication some sixty years ago, a few authors have attempted to complete it—but this collection marks the first sustained gathering of talent to work on the piece. Editor Christopher Conlon provides an Introduction which explains the background of Poe’s unfinished tale and includes its original, unaltered text, while the completed stories reflect the amazing variety of the writers themselves—from lighthearted fantasy to gothic horror, from romantic adventure to hard-edged science fiction.

This book, then, is a celebration of the art of storytelling—hosted by two dozen dazzling talents, with Mr. Edgar Allan Poe as Guest of Honor.

Care to join the party?

The lamp is lit. The door is open. Step in…

Welcome to Poe's Lighthouse.

"A few entries are Poe homages, including John Shirley's "Blind Eye," which capably echoes Poe's old-fashioned gothic prose... George Clayton Johnson's "A Literary Forgery" resurrects Poe's detective C. Auguste Dupin in a caper that hints creatively at the origins of several Poe story plots, while Paul Di Filippo's "Days of Other Light" is an interplanetary adventure that commands sympathy for a tortured Poe-like artist underappreciated by his extraterrestrial culture."
— Publishers Weekly

"Perhaps the most outstanding entry is John Shirley's masterly continuation, in perfect faux-Poe fashion, of the diary to disclose the lighthouse keeper discovering a macabre use for his polished lantern. Must reading for Poe enthusiasts, in particular."
— Booklist

"The open-ended quality of the story fragment set the authors often in wildly different directions, resulting in everything from straight-up homages that incorporate Poe's words to postmodern takes on the Master and his influence on horror fiction... they are never boring and just might inspire the reader to trade their own licks with the genre's most accomplished virtuoso."
— Rue Morgue

Introduction by Christopher Conlon
"Blind Eye" by John Shirley and Edgar Allan Poe
"The Riches There That Lie" by Carole Nelson Douglas and Edgar Allan Poe
"The Watcher at the Window" by Mort Castle and Edgar Allan Poe
"A Literary Forgery" by George Clayton Johnson and Edgar Allan Poe
"So This Guy Walks Into a Lighthouse—" by Kage Baker and Edgar Allan Poe
"Deep Into the Darkness Peering" by Elizabeth Engstrom and Edgar Allan Poe
"A Passion for Solitude" by Earl Hamner and Edgar Allan Poe
"A Muse With Burning Eyes" by Mike Resnick and B.D. Faw and Edgar Allan Poe
"The Seventh Day" by Hilary Tham and Edgar Allan Poe
"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" by Nick Mamatas and Edgar Allan Poe
"Last Writes" by Scott Nicholson and Edgar Allan Poe
"The Flames Beneath the Light" by Tim Lebbon and Edgar Allan Poe
"Fourth Avenue Interlude" by Richard A. Lupoff and Edgar Allan Poe
"The Dead Lantern" by Michael A. Arnzen and Edgar Allan Poe
"Fisherman’s Delight" by Gary A. Braunbeck and Edgar Allan Poe
"Darkness, and She Was Alone" by Christopher Conlon and Edgar Allan Poe
"Salamander Scrimshander" by Edward Lodi and Edgar Allan Poe
"I’ve Been Waiting for You" by Barry Hoffman and Edgar Allan Poe
"Inside the Iron Maiden" by Steve Schlich and Edgar Allan Poe
"MS Found in a Minidrive" by Rudy Rucker and Edgar Allan Poe
"The Tragic Narrative of Arthur Bedford Addison" by William F. Nolan and Edgar Allan Poe
"The Days of Other Light" by Paul Di Filippo and Edgar Allan Poe
"A New Interpretation of the Liggerzun Text" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and Edgar Allan Poe

Published in two states:
• Limited Edition of 1000 copies signed by all living authors except Earl Hamner ($40)
• Traycased Lettered Edition of 52 signed and lettered copies bound in leather, with satin ribbon page marker, to be signed by all living authors including Earl Hamner ($200)

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