• About
  • Biography
  • Black – From the Book: Colors
  • Children’s Fiction
  • Clean Slate a Very Short Story by Jay Magidson
  • Excerpt from the book – “Threshold of the Mind”
  • Fiction
  • Gauze – Excerpt from “Colors”
  • Nonfiction
  • Poetry
  • Videos

Jay Magidson – Author

~ Books by Jay Magidson

Jay Magidson – Author

Tag Archives: dark fiction

The Light Shines Brightest in the Dark

02 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, discovery, distopia

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

dark fiction, edgar allan poe, heart of darkness, lovecraft, overcoming fear

My friends are sometimes surprised by the darkness of my writing.  I guess I seem reasonably happy and modestly well-adjusted in person (which seems very strange to me).  But I love the darkness, gloom, and sometimes hopelessness, of the best fiction and poetry.  As a child, I loved reading Edgar Allan Poe.  I was often disappointed by the happy Hollywood endings of the movies my parents took me to.  The characters in the Tale Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado didn’t have happy endings.  They died miserably and got what they deserved.  Dark, I know, but oh so satisfying.

Image result for gates of hell by rodin

So I asked myself, why is that.  Certainly, I can’t be alone.  Dante, Poe, Lovecraft, King, etc. have been writing tales that millions of people love and keep loving.  Many, like Poe and Lovecraft don’t give much, if any hope in their stories.  The darkness overwhelms the reader, yet he plods on through the dim corridors, deeper and deeper into the impenetrable mist.  Perhaps it’s like a roller coaster, the controlled fear, knowing we are basically safe, but scared into gratitude that we are alive, heart pounding in our chest, but alive. Maybe it’s schadenfreude, sharing someone else’s misery, but happy that they have it worse.  Or maybe it’s something deeper, something fundamental.

Why we Fear and Love the Dark

It is primal to fear the unknown, the darkness that shrouds the dense forest.  Do you have a pet, a cat or dog?  Why do they put their noses into dark holes in the ground?  They might smell an animal down there, but could just as easily get an eye poked or worse.  They’re curious.  And so are we.  It’s built into our DNA; we have to know what’s under that log (rattle snake, probably), in that cave (rabid wolf, most definitely), or in the abandoned mental institution (vindictive ghosts, of course).

Image result for dore adam and eve snake

We go into the dark to shine our light into it, to expand our lives by testing our fear, pushing our own boundaries a tiny bit.  The worst thing God did for Adam and Eve was to make life too easy.  So he gave them a talking snake, pretty scary, right.

The Gift of Darkness

All decent stories have a problem, a challenge for the protagonist to overcome.  The darkest stories make that challenge insurmountable, tearing the fool’s eyes out for sticking his face into the fox hole.  One of my favorite books of all time is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.  It’s written with such mastery that the reader is drawn inexorably into the deepest gloom imaginable, unable to pull free until its black conclusion and Kurtz’s dying words: “The horror, the horror.”

Image result for heart of darkness kurtz

Is it hopeless?  I don’t think so, at least that’s not the message I get from these stories or the ones I think of in my own writing.  We need the dark so we have a place to put the light.  Shine your flashlight on a summer day – nothing.  Then do it in a subterranean cave.  Fear is a limitation, a doorway into the unknown, and the only way to expand is to cross the threshold.  Otherwise, we stay on this side of the Garden of Eden, naked and stupid.

Image result for thx 1138 final scene

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Another Exciting Review for the Book Colors – “…Couldn’t put it down…”

17 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, colors, ebook, fiction, Gauze, Horror, new release, Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Book Review, books, dark fiction, horror, indie books, new literature, new novels, new release

From Facebook:

Shirley McDonald

What a wonderful read! At one point I found myself wanting to scream, “Don’t go back.” I don’t often want to scream at a character in a book. I did while reading Colors. I was pulled into each chapter and found it hard to put the book down. I was sad when I finished the last page. Not because the story was incomplete; But because it was complete and I would have to find a new book to read which I may or may not enjoy as much. I am looking forward to Jay Magidson’s next book which will be released in fall of this year.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Rave Reviews for Colors: “…I couldn’t stop my pulse from racing…”

11 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, colors, ebook, fiction, Gauze, Horror, kindle, new release, Rabinow, Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Book Reviews, dark fiction, horror, literature, Magidson, New Books, Psychology, Rabinow

Here is a rave review of “Colors” I received today:

Jay….

Oh wow!!! Oh my!!! I couldn’t put the book down; at times I couldn’t stop my pulse from racing; at times I wanted to rush to your house and take away all pills and sharp knives from your cupboards and drawers.

I could hear you intellectually creatively gasping for the breath of air and for the beauty of nature and open space. You wrote about other worlds/this world and you wrote about your past [or your fears during it] and the future that you are creating for yourself.

You are a brave man! And an excellent storyweaver. Bravo

In the Depths of Beaver Creek by Kathryn Rabinow

In the Depths of Beaver Creek by Kathryn Rabinow

After I finished your book—Colors—I felt a great need to create. And to create something colorful and mysterious. Something to cause people to perhaps stop and look and reflect and look deeper into the depths—of a forest, a soul or a stream.

Here is my IN THE DEPTHS OF BEAVER CREEK

cheers,

 Kitty

Kathryn (Kitty) Rabinow is a former psychologist/professor of psychology at the University of Houston, Board Director of the Children’s Museum of Houston, world traveler, poet and artist of photography.  Her work can be seen at www.kathrynrabinowphotography.net/

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Colors Now Available on Kindle and iPad

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, colors, ebook, fiction, Gauze, ipad, kindle, new release

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

book books for kindle, colors by jay magidson, dark fiction, horror on ipad, new literature, short shories

Colors Now Available on Kindle

Colors Now Available on Kindle

Colors by Jay Magidson is now available on Kindle and other eBook formats.  If you are an Amazon Prime member you can even borrow it for free!  Of course you can still get it in print form.

Thank you everyone for the great comments.  There is nothing better than knowing that readers enjoy your work.  I would love it if you would share those comments on Amazon.  It helps others too.

Two ways to get Colors now:

Only $3.99 for eBook (Kindle, iPad, etc.).
Only $9.99 in Print

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • Yellow Raft – a Poem
  • A Dark Poem for Saturday
  • Art is Not Elitist
  • Inspiration’s Muse
  • Sleep Well My Dear Friend

Archives

  • December 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • March 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • November 2014
  • July 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • August 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • August 2012
  • July 2012

Categories

  • art
  • Aspen Art
  • audio books
  • audiobooks
  • book reviews
  • books
  • colors
  • criticism
  • death
  • discovery
  • distopia
  • drowning
  • ebook
  • Explore Booksellers
  • fear
  • fiction
  • Gauze
  • Haleakala
  • Hawaii
  • Horror
  • humor
  • ideas
  • In the Image of God
  • ipad
  • Jeff Clarke
  • kindle
  • Madness of the Muses
  • Maui
  • mensa
  • N. A. Noel Gallery
  • Nancy Noel
  • Nausea
  • new release
  • poetry
  • Rabinow
  • Reviews
  • sandpaper
  • Sartre
  • Science Fiction
  • self-publishing
  • stratumentis
  • Threshold of the Mind
  • Time Machine
  • Virtual Reality
  • writing

Blogroll

  • Get Inspired
  • The Enigmatic Art of Ingrid Dee Magidson

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Jay Magidson - Author
    • Join 56 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Jay Magidson - Author
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: