A Toast to Banned and Disappeared Posters

[IanEye]

That "Julie" video reminds me of this.

Oh! No longer disappeared is FourthBase.

Great to hear from him here.



.

[Hammer of Los]

...

Yeah, I so love FB.

Hi FB!

Another fellow traveller.

My brethren.

You didn't half give me plenty upon which to meditate, as a matter of fact.

...

[compared2what?]

I loved your poem, HoL.

Here's to 8bit. I hope he comes back.

[Hammer of Los]

...

Thank you thank you thank you.

You'd be amazed how desperate I am for any tiny bit of encouragement.

...

[compared2what?]

...

Thank you thank you thank you.

You'd be amazed how desperate I am for any tiny bit of encouragement.

...

Really? I'll try not to be so shy..

[Hammer of Los]

...

I often think of dear old Joe.

The one hoist upon the hill.

My dear Joe.

And then I remember, he'll be too busy being a father!

Children tell me deep secrets. So I tell you some.

Don't kid yourself they belong to you.

Love 'em!

Never harm 'em!

Let them do what they want!

Give of your best freely with no thought of your own reward, if you are able.

...

[Hammer of Los]

...

And sometimes I even think of the former forum poster who shall not be named.

I hope he's alright.

Last time I saw him he was deep within the chapel.

We sure trolled ourselves something rotten.

I remember that book by the loose cannon, too.

He didn't want to talk about it either.

I can understand why.

...

[FourthBase]

There are a few, but today I wondered...
Where did vigilant go?

And...
I wonder how his cowboy superstar friend is doing?

EDIT:

Actually, more than a few.
More like a dozen or two.

[barracuda]

I'd say the odds are excellent that vigilant is still here under one or two usernames.

[Gashweir]

To IanEye and all: the novel Shadowland, is the novel where the King of the Cats story that IanEye quotes comes from. It is also the "passable fairy tale originally invented for the entertainment of the author's son".

It is the hardback edition of Shadowland that has the glass owl on the cover that IanEye shows in his earlier post. I am not a horror fan in general, but Shadowland and Ghost Story are two of the scariest works of speculative fiction ever written, up there with the best of Lovecraft, Michael Shea, and Robert Chambers (author of The King in Yellow). To quote many other reviewers and fans, Peter Straub transcends the genre.

Have you ever been to his website? He has a section with reviews of his books that were written by a long time friend of his Putny Tyler Ridge, who almost nothing good to say about his books. Below are a few choice bits from Putney's review of Shadowland:

"Those who have attained even the faintest degree of prominence are forever in danger, as they increasingly surrender themselves to illusion, of wandering from those simple principles responsible for their initial success. Self-indulgence takes root, with fatal effect. My old chum Mr. Straub, a once-passable writer of limited but effective powers dwindled into a pathetic but virtuoso case of self-indulgence, has long been an extreme instance of this unhappy process, and the Fifteenth Anniversary edition of Shadowland offers his faithful friend a welcome opportunity to set things straight.

Let us be frank. My misguided former playmate... stuck to the basics in two books only, Julia and If You Could See Me Now. With Ghost Story, so wrongly praised, the rot set in. Shadowland shows him well on the way to the disasters he has since perpetrated... Where we expect a rousing story, we are baffled by the intrusions of a dozen internal narratives, a lamentable archness of style, above all a refusal to get to the point.

The reader of this laborious farrago may take comfort in my determination to return my foolish pal to first principles: begin at the beginning, end at the ending, and no nonsense in between. One night soon, as our wayward author interrupts the guzzling of yet another libation to reach for the peanuts on the bar, I intend to speak these words : tell your story and get out.

To my comments reproduced from the jacket copy of the Gauntlet Publications limited edition of Shadowland I wish only to add these few remarks. This may be the most self-indulgent work of fiction since Tristram Shandy, shamelessly stealing from John Fowles... rocketing backwards and forwards in time and so thoroughly muddling the distinction between what is real and what is not that lengthy passages mean nothing at all. A swamp, a noxious vapor, a will-o-the-wisp...It includes one passable fairy tale originally invented for the entertainment of the author's son. On the whole, the wise reader will avoid this book as if it were a contagious disease."

Very f-ing funny, even if you haven't read the book, and infinitely more amusing if you have

Thankfully Putney Tyson Ridge is not a real person, but he provides a valuable service nonetheless: a very opinionated character from whose perspective Peter Straub can review (read: eviscerate) his own work, and possibly a psychological outlet which helps him exorcise self-doubt about the quality of his work.

End of thread hijack, with apologies to all.

[FourthBase]

I'd say the odds are excellent that vigilant is still here under one or two usernames.

Nice.

I won't ask.

Don't tell me.

[Simulist]

Hi, everyone. I wanted to acknowledge and express my gratitude for the kindness of those who wished me well earlier in this thread.

Last summer, cancer came to visit our home; its arrival was sudden and completely unexpected. I'm sorry to report that it turned out to be one of the more devastating lessons in the human curriculum.

Until something like that happens, it strikes me now how few of us ever realize just how thoroughly such an unforeseen event can rearrange your life. Priorities get questioned and reorganized, and even some of your most deeply-held assumptions (and dearly-held beliefs) get rethought. And, believe me, I've done a whole lot of rethinking over the past several months.

I've not had too awfully much time recently, but I did want to express my sincere best wishes to those of you who still post here, and some warm thoughts too for many who no longer do.

[82_28]

Oh man, my friend. Like I said in that Thatcher thread, I worried about you and it seems rightly. It is true, there are no words that do any justice to your situation. So, I'll just leave that out. I guess I missed upthread your post about what was going on.

With warm friendship and sorrow for you and yours. I don't know where you live, but if you need something, know that I will lend a helping hand.

82_28

Still, very good to see your words again.

[Project Willow]

With warm friendship and sorrow for you and yours. I don't know where you live, but if you need something, know that I will lend a helping hand.

82_28

Still, very good to see your words again.

Can't say it any better than 82.

Sim.

[Simulist]

Thank you so much, 82 & PW.