7/7/2023 0 Comments Birthpyre by Larry Brand![]() ![]() It's about an American archaeologist and his wife who fly out to Jerusalem once the golden tip of an ancient pyramid is somehow uncovered in the desert near the city, a pyramid that seemingly predates the Egyptian structures. ![]() It reminded me at times of both Clark Ashton Smith and early Karl Edward Wagner, due to the archaic language used throughout, as well as the elaborate imagery. Admittedly, I probably would have bought it anyway based on the cover alone, but Birthpyre was excellent pulpy weird fiction somewhat in the Lovecraftian tradition (though not a pastiche at all), and not the standard 80s midlist horror novel I was expecting. Now this is why I still take the occasional stab in the dark while out book-hunting. ![]() Alric wondered how many times their cold, bilious breath had been felt by men, how many times their purulent spirit had invaded the pores of civilization, like some virulent disease for which the body had inadequate protection. How much human suffering had been brought about in their unspoken name? How many had died? Through the centuries the screams of their victims could be heard, a low wailing against the pulse of history. Here's the not gaudy at all cover (by Terry Oakes) of my 1981 Corgi mass-market, 239 pages (285 for Avon edition).Ĭreatures of the night, of the ruins, their presence was palpable it exuded from the misshapen stone vertebrae like the rancid smell from a corpse. ![]()
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