The Darkly Splendid Realm by Richard Gavin

From one of the most outré and original voices in contemporary horror come thirteen nightmares—plus two bonus tales included in this new edition: "How Could It Be Elsewise?" with H. P. Lovecraft himself as protagonist, and "A Massing of the Shades," set in W. H. Pugmire's Sesqua Valley. Richard Gavin takes his readers on hellrides through magical mysteries and the ostensibly mundane.

Gavin can find terror in ordinary domestic relationships: difficult parents, an abusive grandmother, spouses at odds with each other, but also in trappings of everyday life: an amusement park, a vacation in the countryside, a job from . . .

Increasingly peculiar, terrible accounts dwell here, drawn from human and inhuman myth and history: a small town suffering from . . . attrition; a not-quite-dead poet; dreams of empire that can only be attained by destroying what came before; unwanted gifts . . . and more.

EDITIONS

 

PRAISE FOR RICHARD GAVIN

“Gavin’s prose is always quietly controlled, carefully crafted, but it inexorably leads his men and women into realms of terrifying otherness, where they are changed, changed utterly.”
— Michael Dirda

“Literate horror fans who have yet to encounter Canadian author Richard Gavin are in for a treat. The lyrical prose is often at a higher level than usual presentations of otherworldly demons and malevolent forces. Gavin has a knack for original plotlines. The author easily creates a feeling of cosmic dread.”
— Publishers Weekly

“Richard Gavin pens tales of grimness and melancholy, of ghosts and things much darker than ghosts...He knows how to get under your skin and haunt you.”
— Laird Barron

“Gavin demonstrates that he can pay reverent homage to the pioneers of weird fiction while forging and developing a distinctive voice all his own. Accordingly, his stories sweat and bleed the eldritch, fluidly and often beautifully.”
— Rue Morgue

“Richard Gavin summons ancient gods and vengeful ghosts. He nods knowingly to the horror/weird fiction greats but forges a singularly unique vision.”
— Priya Sharma

“Gavin's writing serves as a testament that great masters once crafted great stories...and as evidence that they shall do so again.”
— Thomas Ligotti

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Gavin’s writing explores the bond between fear and the numinous. His supernatural horror fiction has been published in seven collections, including Nocturnal Mirrors (2026) and grotesquerie (2020), and has been translated into ten languages. His works of esotericism include The Infernal Masque (2022) and The Moribund Portal (2018). Richard lives in Ontario, Canada.