
The two stories, written in the 1930s by William Sloane, are more subtle cosmic horror as compared to stories by H. P. Lovecraft. The stories unwind slowly and the reader must be patient as they build toward the reveal at the end. However, both stories leave the reader to ponder outcomes and the mysteries that lie within the realities created by Sloane. In the first story "To Walk the Night" the idea of invasion by outside forces takes a different tack than the usual "aliens from outer space" idea and hits upon questions that many of today's indie researchers are asking about unusual behaviors exhibited by those within "elite communities." Perhaps the better of the two stories, "The Edge of Running Water," is more within the realm of cosmic horror. When a scientist's obsession to regain contact with his dead wife leads to the construction of a device to do just that, the outcome cannot be good. Sloane's prose and character development in both tales are always top-notch, and he even adds romance to the second story. Though several differences, "The Edge of Running Water" reminds me of an Outer Limits episode from the 60s, "The Borderland." But, if you haven't already seen it, don't watch it until you've read Sloane's tale.
The two stories, written in the 1930s by William Sloane, are more subtle cosmic horror as compared to stories by H. P. Lovecraft. The stories unwind slowly and the reader must be patient as they build toward the reveal at the end. However, both stories leave the reader to ponder outcomes and the mysteries that lie within the realities created by Sloane. In the first story "To Walk the Night" the idea of invasion by outside forces takes a different tack than the usual "aliens from outer space" idea and hits upon questions that many of today's indie researchers are asking about unusual behaviors exhibited by those within "elite communities." Perhaps the better of the two stories, "The Edge of Running Water," is more within the realm of cosmic horror. When a scientist's obsession to regain contact with his dead wife leads to the construction of a device to do just that, the outcome cannot be good. Sloane's prose and character development in both tales are always top-notch, and he even adds romance to the second story. Though several differences, "The Edge of Running Water" reminds me of an Outer Limits episode from the 60s, "The Borderland." But, if you haven't already seen it, don't watch it until you've read Sloane's tale.