“Mingling metaphysical, spiritual, and physical horror, Opperman patently derives from, and meritoriously continues, the macabre heritage of the modern poetic masters in the genre . . . , H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and Robert E. Howard.”—From Donald Sidney-Fryer’s Introduction
In this scintillating volume, K. A. Opperman immediately places himself in the forefront of contemporary weird verse. Deeply influenced by Clark Ashton Smith, George Sterling, and other masters of the form, Opperman nonetheless reveals a vibrancy and originality of outlook that stamps his poetry as very much his own. A master of several of the most rigorous forms of metrical poetry—the sonnet, the quatrain, the rhyming couplet—Opperman's poetic brilliance conveys, seemingly without effort, images of terror, gruesomeness, and bleak melancholy. The book concludes with tributes to Opperman by D. L. Myers and Ashley Dioses.
K. A. Opperman is a young poet living in California. His verse has appeared in Weird Fiction Review, Spectral Realms, and other venues.
Advance praise for The Crimson Tome:
“The poetry of K. A. Opperman is a wonder and a revelation. His verse spans the full spectrum of the weird, from fantasy and the supernatural to brooding pessimism and melancholy. The Crimson Tome is his first book, but all lovers of true poetry will fervently hope it will not be his last.” —S. T. Joshi
“The California Romantic tradition lives on in this ambitious and varied collection. Whether questing for the Crimson Tome through an extended sonnet sequence, celebrating the heights – and hideous depths -- of romantic attraction, lingering in October shadows, or traversing lost Atlantis, these poems are surefooted and unabashedly exotic.” —Ann K. Schwader, author of Twisted in Dream & Bram Stoker Finalist “Opperman is a latter day lapidary who works in words much as did his spiritual mentors George Sterling and Clark Ashton Smith. Here you will find poetic gems of a rare provenance, indeed, perhaps mined long ago in Xiccarph or Averoigne and cut with the aid of a most powerful sorcery.” —Michael Fantina
“This generous collection marks the appearance of a distinctive new voice in weird and fantastic verse. The exemplary degree of craft in Opperman’s darkling poems is exceeded only by the author’s delectably delirious imagination, and his command of language of elegant simplicity interspersed with archaisms to savour, like exotic black berries glistening on platters of ebony. Songs of sorcery and sensuality mingle herein with incantations on the ineluctable effects of decay and the death which awaits us all. A rare feast for all devotees of the macabre.” —Leigh Blackmore, author of Spores from Sharnoth & Other Madnesses "K. A. Opperman’s The Crimson Tome reveals a flare for intense weird poetry. Elevated, beautiful imagery vies with startling and fearful visions of dread for supremacy of tone. The titles themselves convey some of the wide range of subjects touched on: “To an Unknown Enchantress,” “The Corpse of Beauty,” “Siren of the Dead,” “Vampiric Roses,” and “Decapitated Kiss,” amongst so many others, exhibit an unearthly decadence and splendour not to be missed. In such bardic horrors as these, the Muse of Monstrousness unveils her face and smiles wickedly." —Charles Lovecraft
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface: Opperman’s Opus, by Dr. W. C. Farmer
Introduction: Crimson Pages from the Future Perfect Past, by Donald Sidney-Fryer
The Nightmare Muse
The Land of Darkest Dreams
I. The Nightmare Muse
II. Yorehaven
III. Tavern Rumors
IV. A Daemon Impulse
V. The Witch-Light
VI. The Trail Between Two Trees
VII. The Pumpkin King
VIII. The Wood of Hissing Shadows
IX. The Cemetery of Dead Dreamers
X. The Muttering Mushroom
XI. The Windows
XII. The Shadow of Yorehaven
XIII. The Bookshop
XIV. Transformation
XV. A Mirror Image
XVI. The Beckoning Hand
XVII. Necromancy
XVIII. Initiation
XIX. The Black Kiss
XX. Dream Decay
Unpleasant Dreams
Nocturnal Poet
The Crimson Tome
The Chimeras of Midnight
Halloween
Mandrake
The Fatal Flower
Soul Rot
The Darkness Within
What the Moon Saw
The Treachery of the Stars
Sirius
And They Took Her Away
Corpse Moon
The Crimson Unicorn
The Thirst of Count Aster
A Vampire Fear
The Scarlet Font
Vampiric Roses
Blood
Bathory
Siren of the Dead
My Darling Bride
Nocturnal Lovers Part I
Succubus
Nocturnal Lover
Dark Poetry
Witch’s Charms
A Heart Defiled
O Pale Temptress
Ashiel
Ashiel’s Gem
Ashiel’s Mirror
Ashiel’s Prisoner
Ashiel’s Diary
Ashiel’s Ritual
Three Poems After Venus in Furs
Severin’s Venus
Wanda von Dunajew
Venus in Furs
Mistress of Torture
Priestess of Pleasure
The Demon and the Vampiress
Nocturnal Lovers Part II
Dark Star of My Desire
Dark Poetess of My Heart
Sorcerer’s Lament
A Secret Sorcery
Sorcerous Bond
The Scarlet Seal
Lunar Love
Dark Valentine
Love Atlantean
To an Unknown Enchantress
Beneath the Cold, Cold Stars
The Perishing Rose
Decapitated Kiss
Love Beyond the Grave
Graveyard Promise
The Palace of Phantasies
Cemetery of Broken Hearts
The Corpse of Beauty
Moonrise
The Moonward Trail
Possibilities
Faerie Song
The Faerie Moon
Duel with the Dark Double
Nocturnal Flowers
The Well of Purple Wine
Zeriatis
The Dreamer
Writing Shrine
Oracle of the Black Pool
The Wrath of Xyre
The Wizard
Khayyam’s Wine
Lord of Illusion
Twilight Sorrows
The Tree
Autumn Hearts
Toadstools
October
All Hallow’s Eve
Jack-o’-Lanterns
The Wraith
Thin Grows the Veil
November
Funereal Sun
Winter Crow
The Angels All Are Corpses in the Sky
The Mascaron
The Gargoyle
Shattered Hopes
Ancientness
In Mortal Dream
The Doom of Words
Tributes
Twisted Trails of Thought
A Sorcerous Tome
The Crimson Kist
The Sorcerous Scribe
Acknowledgments
This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 21 July, 2015.
