A Brief Word on the Lunar Gothic

Here's the crux of it: Nathan Ballingrud is one of the most impressive living fiction writers, period. The fact that he writes genre fiction is the cherry on top. There are no constraints to the fantastical landscapes of Ballingrud's imagination. He follows his muse to other planets, and beyond the threshold of Hell, and he brings a sense of freshness--of childlike wonder and awe--to what he discovers there.  

His latest book is one such fabulous journey--and it's pure escapism in its finest form.

The “Crypt of the Moon Spider” is a pithy novella that feels like a beautiful fever dream. Ballingrud's creativity is on full display as he etches out a new niche of "the lunar gothic.” Indeed, the singular achievement of this book is its marriage of two unlikely genres: early-20^th century Victorian gothic and sci-fi steampunk. We follow the story of a demure young woman named Veronica, who is abandoned on a lunar "madhouse" by her husband. Soon enough, we learn that this particular asylum has a dark secret festering beneath its floorboards, and Veronica's visit descends into a tangled nightmare. Fabled spider gods, mad doctors, and bloody medical experiments fill the pages of this tender, moving tale.

Like the visage of the moon itself, the book’s mood feels like an otherworldly dream.  Ballingrud’s sharp prose cuts to the bone. The horror itself is muted by the fantastical landscape and world-building. There are dark and terrible things that happen in “Crypt," but our sense of wonder keeps us floating through scenes of ghostly violence.

Time and again, Ballingrud has proven that he won’t be constrained by genre expectations. In his book "Wounds," he peeled back the curtain to Hell and showed us that "love" itself can be a terrible thing. In "The Strange," he led us through a sprawling family drama on Mars (...circa 1930's!). Ballingrud is doing fearless work in breaking down barriers in genre fiction, and I, for one, will follow him down whatever dark road he wanders next.

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For an interesting dive into Ballingrud's take on literary vs genre fiction, check out the link below for his essay:

Ballingrud, Nathan. "Pitting Literary Fiction Against Genre Fiction is Intrinsically Silly." Oct 2024.  https://crimereads.com/pitting...

"Crypt of the Moon Spider" - Amazon book link: https://a.co/d/9qXovYW