The Eye and the Finger (Donald Wandrei) Review

Rating 4 Stars

The Eye and the Finger is a collection of macabre science fiction tales and horror tales (published by Arkham House in 1944) that compares--in terms of its quality and power--to the anthologies I own by H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith (my favorite weird fiction writer).
In this long (344 pages) collection of tales, Donald Wandrei displays his many gifts, which are quite different from those Lovecraft or Smith. Whereas Lovecraft excelled in atmospheric tales told in a baroque manner that often culminated in the partial revelation of an implied horror, and Smith painted unsurpassably gorgeous and eldritch imagery with his prose, Donald Wandrei is a clear master of ingenious plotting, where each tale gets more interesting and creative with each turn.
It is hard to imagine a reader guessing the trajectory of his excellent horror tales The Tree People of M'Bwe or The Nerveless Man, both of which made me physically shudder. And the cautionary tale entitled, It Will Grow On You, actually made me wince. When Wandrei does straight (weird) horror, things get nasty and intense. 
The major part of this collection is devoted to macabre science fiction or melancholic science fiction, but unlike a lot of the stuff I've read from this era, most of the Wandrei tales have some real scientific underpinnings, even if some of these are no longer accurate (read: "ether"). Readers familiar with CAS's ultra weird forays in sci-fi (A Star-Change & The Eternal World) will have a good reference point, though Wandrei's work is more physics oriented and a lot more humanistic.
Included in this book are a quest for fundamental particles (Earth Minus), general cosmology and cosmogeny, as well as a rudimentary musing on quantum states (Finality Unlimited). Many of these science fiction stories have a macabre or horrific tone and very thoughtfully conceived aliens/otherworldly elements-- The Crystal Bullet would be a perfect companion piece for HPL's The Colour Out of Space, and The Monster from Nowhere reads like the best 50s sci-fi movie never made.
Additionally, Wandrei clearly has more interest in writing about human beings and facing mortality in a genuine manner than do most weird fiction writers, and his dialogue is often sharp and dry (esp. It Will Grow on You). As I said, the guy is versatile.
The only reason this book, which contains approximately 220 pages of very good to masterful material, does not get my highest rating is because the first story is not good, the second story (which gives its name to the collection) is silly, the longest story (Finality Unlimited) has a ridiculous set-up (and is at least 30 pages too long), and The Witch-Makers (also a long one) is dull and repetitive. These tales combine to about 120 pages of okay to below par material--- too much to ignore.
Still, this anthology proves that Wandrei is an amazing and versatile talent. His best horror stories will make you shudder like those of Lovecraft or Blackwood, and the grandness of his science fiction stories--some of which do not have people or characters--are often in scale with Greg Bear or Arthur C. Clarke.
On top of this, the collection has some short and lush prose poems, including The Woman at the Window, which is just a gorgeous little jewel. And WOW, Wandrei's uncommonly chilling horror science fiction tale Black Fog is simply one of the best short stories I've ever read.

Revelations in Black (Carl Jacobi) Review

Rating 4 Stars

This collection of horror and science fiction/horror tales reminded me of MR James and Robert Aickman, though I actually preferred Jacobi's tales. Revelations in Black is engaging for its duration, with only one very short exception (A Pair of Swords is a trifle). 
Carl Jacobi is very good at coming up with an engaging premise---I was interested in each tale in a matter of sentences---and often these set ups involve weirdly affected objects, such as a cane, book, kite, piano, etc. The prose is smoother than many of his pulp contemporaries and the atmosphere is always rich.
What keeps Jacobi's tales from greatness tends to be his plotting, which often relies upon characters compelled to do unlikely things, and his resolutions, which are usually blunt and far less creative than the initial weird set ups (this criticism I feel holds true with MR James as well). But every tale (except for the aforementioned trifle) is engaging and atmospheric, and whenever Jacobi dabbles in pseudo-scientific "science fiction" (A Study in Darkness, Moss Island, Cosmic Teletype, etc.) the logic he employs is really entertaining and the plotting is far less predictable.
Additionally, I should point out that there is one real stunner in this collection-- a story called, The Satanic Piano. This one is longer than most of Jacobi's stories and inventive throughout it's duration; it's the zenith achievement in the book---a tale that ranks with the works of weird fiction masters like Clark Ashton Smith, HP Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, Donald Wandrei, and Algernon Blackwood. 
Overall, Revelations in Black is a very enjoyable collection that contains a lot of memorable images.

The Damnation of Adam Blessing (Vin Packer) Review

Rating 5 Stars

Excellent writing and fascinating characterization detail the sad and humorous story of Adam Blessing.

This book is written by Vin Packer (whose real name is Marijane Meaker), and it is an engaging, funny and uncomfortable reading experience that I'd rank alongside the best noir pieces by my other favorite crime novelists---David Goodis, Charles Willeford, and Jim Thompson---though this is certainly less plot oriented and even more character driven than their books. It also brings to mind Fellini at his finest (the touching, The Nights of Cabiria) and some of the edgier character study movies that came out in the 70s.

The Damnation of Adam Blessing is a funny, disorienting and cringe-inducing book, an episodic--yet cumulative--journey wherein the oblivious protagonist proves to be an often unreliable narrator. It is probably not considered essential literature because of the pulpy way in which it was originally marketed, but this is superb stuff that works on every emotional level and is worth more serious study and admiration than most commonly regarded "classics." My favorite book by her, though The Twisted Ones and The Thrill Kids are comparable