Today, in the spirit of Joseph Priestley’s scientific experiments, we offer two books which are dark enough, but not quite the usual type of dark. Black Earth by Andy Paciorek, and The Arte Mephitic by Phil Breach & Russell Olson. Not a hack’n’slash bundle, then, but quite different kinds of horror – terrifying Slavic myths and folklore, then stylish alchemical madness drawing on Lovecraft and Ashton Smith.

The Fertile Black Earth

Below, the wet black earth shows through,

With sudden cries the wind is pitted,

The more haphazard, the more true

The poetry that sobs its heart out.

Boris Pasternak, 1912

Black Earth: A Field Guide to the Slavic Otherworld, written and illustrated by Andy Paciorek (one of the founders of the Folk Horror Revival) is a gem. In two hundred pages, you are introduced to almost everything you would want to know about the strange world of Slavic lore. The pantheon of Gods; spirits of field, forest, water and mountains; sorcerers, witches, vampires and much more, each brought out by some one hundred or more striking and intricate drawings by Andy. Nor does the text disappoint in terms of detail.

If you’re not familiar with the area, these are monstrosities and tales from the lands of the Russians and the Ukrainians, the Czechs and the Poles, the Serbs and the Croats. Where possible, the author has also provided alternate names and versions for myths with similarities across this geography.

So you can wander uneasily through the world of the vampire, dhampir and upior, or feel worried at what you might find in the fields of Slavic grain. We particularly liked Lady Midday, the Slavic noon demon Poludnica, whose attentions can vary from teasing to madness, and the deeply unpleasant Rye Mother. And of course, you will find the more well known Baba Yaga, the rusalka and Koschei the Deathless here as well. Even Rasputin.

For Folklorists, it’s a great one-stop resource. For readers and writers, it’s full of vengeful tales and inspirations, with many little-known kinds of horror within. Monstrosities of which you’ve never heard; concepts out of which you could get a whole novel.

TRIVIA CORNER: The Russian name for black earth is chernozem – this is a very dark, very fertile type of soil, ideal for agriculture.. One of the largest chernozem zones in the world is the Eurasian steppe which extends from Croatia to northeast Ukraine, and then runs across southern Russia into Siberia.

And you can get hold of Black Earth here:

http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/8125531-black-earth

A Breath of Foul Air

For something somewhat different, though also drawing on mythology and the past, our second offering, The Arte Mephitic is a cautionary tale, told in the style of an 18th century chapbook. Inspired by the Mythos created by H. P. Lovecraft and expanded upon by Clark Ashton Smith, The Arte Mephitic tells the story of a dark wizard bent on achieving immortality by any means. Featuring creatures from the world of Lovecraft, as well as traditional European folklore, The Arte Mephitic explores the darkness that dwells in the heart of man.

This is a marvellous little book, which oozes style, short but perfectly formed and very much a collector’s item. The poem itself is illustrated with woodcuts mimicking those found in the pages of the penny press of the 1700s. We’ll happily go with this review comment we noticed elsewhere, which sums it up nicely:

“Excellent long-form poem chronicling the quest of an alchemist in his hunt for immortality. His method is unique, to grow himself an organ of immortality infused with primal matter from the Lovecraftian deity Ubbo-Sathla. To this end he employs all manner of demons and homunculi as his seekers and surgeons, learning that legendary lesson of Icarus, that one should never reach too far in their aims. Highly recommended to Lovecraft fans and metrical, rhyming poetry enthusiasts.”

Michael Adams

All the talk of ‘mephitic’, the foul airs engendered by alchemical work, reminds us of other classic examples. Medical texts of the 1700s were known for their references to mephitic vapours, often a term for belching – and things that blow out of the other end – when illness struck.

a medical text, with Seltzer water which "abounds with mephitic air" — a medical text, with Seltzer water which “abounds with mephitic air”

And some curative waters from mineral springs were also described as mephitic – the stench of sulphur, for example, is noticeable in water from under the Harrogate Pump Room, which was once a popular tonic.

Photo by Storye book — sulphur-stained water source at Harrogate, photo by Storye book

Fortunately, we were all saved when Joseph Priestley (1733 – 1804) made the transition from alchemy to chemistry and discovered a non-mephitic gas, as outlined in his six-volume work Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air (1774–86).

Priestley called the new substance “dephlogisticated air” and described it as “five or six times better than common air for the purpose of respiration, inflammation, and, I believe, every other use of common atmospherical air.” We know it as oxygen gas (O2).

You can have a look at The Arte Mephitic and its associated wares here:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/527713174/the-arte-mephitic

We are lucky little dogs, and already have all those nice bits, including the beautifully produced and illustrated 12 page graphic pamphlet-story, The Blue Pearl.

We also covered the initial campaign for this project last year, with more mention of Clark Ashton Smith’s Ubbo-Sathla and other roots to the theme:

http://greydogtales.com/blog/survive-mephitis-clark-ashton-smith-arte-mephitic/

Hunting Geraniums

Finally, it would be a bit of an own goal if we didn’t mention greydog’s new collection at some point, but we’ll keep it brief. A Persistence of Geraniums and other worrying tales is out in print now, and currently getting five star reviews. Tales of hauntings, possessions, murder and madness in the dark corners of the Edwardian period. Including the dreaded Deptford Assassin, Mr Edwin Dry, a dark folk-myth from Suffolk, and more. It’s also delightfully illustrated by Paul (Mutartis) Boswell.

Amazon UK: http://amzn.eu/dknZvPs