In a Lonely Place by Karl Edward Wagner

I’m a big fan of Karl Edward Wagner’s sword and sorcery stories about Kane the Eternal Wanderer and I’ve been looking forward to reading some of his horror fiction. Unfortunately, except for ebook editions of Kane, his work is out of print and goes for pretty high prices. Thanks to Valancourt Books we have a new edition of his 1983 horror short story collection, In a Lonely Place. 

This 2023 edition includes a new introduction by Ramsey Campbell and an extra story, “More Sinned Against,” which was included in the Scream Press special edition but not in the original paperback. It also includes the afterword from the Scream Press edition in which Wagner briefly talks about writing and then gives details about the origins of each story. While I liked some stories more than others, I thought every story was outstanding in its own way.

After reading each story I listened to episodes of The Dark Crusade Podcast, a podcast dedicated to the works of Wagner. They provide interesting reviews and background information about the stories. Highly recommended. 

“In the Pines”

A couple is staying at a cabin in the mountains of Tennessee when the husband finds an old painting of a woman. When he talks to the locals he learns about some tragic events connected with the cabin. The more he learns, the more he becomes fascinated with the woman in the painting. From the lonely atmosphere of the opening paragraphs to the use of lyrics from “In the Pines,” an old bluegrass song, to the final lines, this is such a haunting story.

“Where the Summer Ends”

It’s summer in Knoxville, Tennessee and Mercer is refurbishing an old house in a rundown neighborhood. He wants to buy a mantle from junk and antique dealer Gradie. The neighborhood they live in is rundown and the area is covered in kudzu vines. During a visit with Gradie, something startles Mercer’s girlfriend Linda and Gradie blasts it with his shotgun. Was it a rat or something else? 

This story features kudzu, an invasive vine native to Japan and southeast China. It was brought to the US as a tool for soil erosion but grows out of control very quickly. It’s something you see a lot of in the south where I grew up. I liked how Wagner makes kudzu seem eerie and ominous. 

“Sticks” 

Illustrator Colin Leverett is hiking in a remote area of upstate New York. After coming across strange lashed together frameworks of sticks and making sketches of them, he has a terrifying encounter but escapes. Years later he is given an assignment to provide art for a collection of horror books and he uses his old sketches as reference. Bad things start happening. A great story and a great addition to Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. 

Wagner based “Sticks” on an experience artist Lee Brown Coye had. When asked why his drawings often featured sticks, Coye talked about having once come across “a stick laden farmhouse.” Coye did the illustrations for Manly Wade Wellman’s Worse Things Waiting and Hugh B. Cave’s Murgunstrum and Others. Both were originally published by Carcosa Books, which was founded by Wagner and his two partners, David Drake and Jim Groce. 

This story may have influenced the film The Blair Witch Project (1999) as that film also features strange stick figures. Season one of the series True Detective (2014) also features similar figures. 

“The Fourth Seal”

After a doctor begins working at a medical research facility he begins to suspect that not is all as it seems. It’s been years since this story about a conspiracy in the medical profession was published but it still holds up today.

“More Sinned Against” 

A young woman dreams of becoming a star in Hollywood but finds success elusive and sinks lower and lower. A dark story that involves sex, drugs, and degradation. I wasn’t sure what to think of this one as I was reading it but the ending saved it for me. 

“.220 Swift”

Folklore researcher Eric Brandon helps archeologist Morris Kenlaw who is looking for evidence of Spanish mines in the mountains of North Carolina. Brandon brings up the fact that the Cherokee have legends about a race of people who mined in the area even before the Cherokee arrived. Brandon guides Kenlaw to a remote cave and they explore. There was one revelation towards the end that pulled me out of the story a little, but it wasn’t enough to ruin it for me. It ties in with the name of the story which is a type of bullet. The other revelations and the ending more than make up for it.

I got a real Manly Wade Wellman vibe from this story. I wasn’t surprised when I read in Wagner’s afterword that he had borrowed Wellman’s research material.

“The River of Night’s Dreaming”

A prisoner survives a bus crash and swims towards distant lights, eventually finding refuge with two mysterious women. A dream-like story that goes from dark to darker. There’s a BDSM scene that took me out of the story but with further reflection it fits with what seems to be one of the themes of the story, constraint. Some of Wagner’s horror stories are much darker than his sword & sorcery stories. 

This story is inspired by The King in Yellow stories by Robert Chambers. Nerd that I am, when I got to this story I pulled my copy of The King in Yellow off the shelf and finally read the four stories (they were great) before proceeding. This story reminded me of “The Repairer of Reputations” by Chambers, and not just because Wagner uses a number of names from that story, but also because of how the story played out at the end. Something Wagner points out in his afterword surprised me, something he says most people miss. Sure enough, I didn’t catch it. Although I have mixed feelings about the story it has me wanting to revisit it.

The King in Yellow is also something that shows up in the first season of True Detective. 

“Beyond Any Measure”

An American woman in London begins suffering from nightmares. She consults a man named Dr. Magnus, a believer in reincarnation. He says he can help her through hypnosis. Every time I think I know where Wagner is going with a story, he surprises me by either going in a different direction or by adding something I wasn't expecting. The ending may be too wild for some, but I absolutely loved it. 

Final Thoughts

I really like Wagner’s prose, the atmosphere of his stories, and his endings. I also like how Wagner slips in references to books, movies, pulp magazines, and bookstores. They’re fun little additions. This is a fantastic collection. Here’s hoping we get more Karl Edward Wagner in print again soon. 

My story ratings:

In the Pines (5/5)

Where the Summer Ends (5/5)

Sticks (5/5)

The Fourth Seal (4/5)

More Sinned Against (4/5)

.220 Swift (5/5)

The River of Night’s Dreaming (4/5)

Beyond Any Measure (5/5)

Cover to the 1983 edition from Warner Books.