The Gothic Imagination: Conversations on Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction in the Media

Tibbetts (Schumann: A Chorus of Voices) brings a fan's enthusiasm and a scholar's acumen to the dozens of interviews of professionals in horror, fantasy, science film, art, and comics that make up this engrossing study of the Gothic and its commingling of "terror and wonder." Corralling the contents into nine loosely organized chapters ("The Heroic Age of Fantasy and Science Fiction," "The Music of Terror," etc.), he presents his Q&As like private conversations recorded in rooms full of experts. Some chapters are fairly straightforward, among them "The Lovecraft Circle," which presents the words of Robert Bloch, Ramsey Campbell, Ted Klein, and other writers influenced by the horror tales of H.P. Lovecraft. His chapter "Postmodern Gothic," on the other hand, juxtaposes the insights of horror masters Stephen King and Peter Straub, to those of science fiction master Brian Aldiss and true-crime specialist Harold Schechter for a fascinating reflection on the modern evolution of the Gothic tradition. Entertaining and informative, this book proves that smart questions invariably elicit smart responses from masters of the fantastic in the arts. (Oct.)