Review: In the Dust of This Planet

In the Dust of This Planet by Eugene Thacker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I learned of this book from an episode of Radiolab where the cover for this title was featured on a jacket worn by Jay-Z. Weirdly enough, the topic matter (philosophy and horror writing) was something I've been enjoying as of late, and with a nod from Thomas Ligotti, I got my hands on a copy of this.

It's a little dense, and maybe a little out there, but especially in the times we're in currently, it's interesting to read about horror writing in a more existential plane. Much like how we can trace Lovecraft's work to his existential wranglings, the idea posed here is that this horror renaissance of sorts (especially with the more nihilistic looks given by Ligotti and the like) is a reflection of a world we're struggling with ourselves.

As someone who reads horror and the weird more for the different concepts and ideas than the standard tropes that come along with fantasy and science fiction these days, I don't know if I relate 100% with the premise, but I appreciate the take on it nonetheless.

If you're into cultural criticism and horror/weird fiction, this is something you should seek out if you can find a copy. There are two other books in this series that I hope to pick up eventually, as Thacker does present some good ideas to think about here.

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