All of us, at one time or another, have heard the call of the Void. For some, it is a song; for others a shriek; for others still, the faintest of echoes. Most of us live our lives trying to ignore it, pretending it isn't there. But it has always been there, watching, waiting, hungering, and above all else, patient. The Void knows that, sooner or later, we will find our way back to it-and, once we do, our sanity will buckle and break at the chaos and terror within. Erik McHatton, however, is not one to turn from such monstrosity. This, his first collection of work, is not for those who seek comfort-indeed, STRAW WORLD has been meticulously built for those who are, in fact, uncomfortable by that which too easily offers succor and surcease from existential distress. From the baroque stylings of Clark Ashton Smith to the bleak nihilism of Thomas Ligotti, these fifteen stories investigate the darker, more unsettling corners of philosophical argument, calling out to those who hunger and question, yes, but also to those who simply delight in a hideous tale told with relish. Be invited to a disturbingly familial art installation; witness a mother's desperate grief; be party to a doctor's late-night appointment with eternity; journey through a world of Boschian madness; and finally, read the pages of a cursed book containing worlds within worlds (within worlds). Turn your eyes to Erik McHatton's STRAW WORLD…and also, to the Void beyond. After all, it has ever had its eye on you.
