Shipping Estimate
USA
- USA
- CAN
- USA
- CAN
Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 13 - Jul 18
For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15
Description
Dark AwakeningsFrom its earliest origins, the human religious impulse has been fundamentally bound up with an experience of primordial horror. The German theologian Rudolf Otto located the origin of human religiosity in an ancient experience of "daemonic dread." American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft asserted that weird supernatural horror fiction arose from a fundamental human psychological pattern that is "coeval with the religious feeling and closely related to
From its earliest origins, the human religious impulse has been fundamentally bound up with an experience of primordial horror. The German theologian Rudolf Otto located the origin of human religiosity in an ancient experience of "daemonic dread." American horror writer H.P. Lovecraft asserted that weird supernatural horror fiction arose from a fundamental human psychological pattern that is "coeval with the religious feeling and closely related to many aspects of it." The American psychologist William James wrote in his classic study The Varieties of Religious Experience that the "real core of the religious problem" lies in an overwhelming experience of cosmic horror born out of abject despair at life's incontrovertible hideousness. In Dark Awakenings, author and scholar Matt Cardin explores this ancient intersection between religion and horror in seven stories and three academic papers that pose a series of disturbing questions: What if the spiritual awakening coveted by so many religious seekers is in fact the ultimate doom? What if the object of religious longing might prove to be the very heart of horror? Could salvation, liberation, enlightenment then be achieved only by identifying with that apotheosis of metaphysical loathing? This volume collects nearly all of Cardin's uncollected fiction, including his 2004 novella "The God of Foulness." It contains extensive revisions and expansions of his popular stories "Teeth" and "The Devil and One Lump," and features one previously unpublished story and two unpublished papers, the first exploring a possible spiritual use of George Romero's Living Dead films and the second offering a horrific reading of the biblical Book of Isaiah. At over 300 pages and nearly 120,000 words, it offers a substantial exploration of the religious implications of horror and the horrific implications of religion. "In Dark Awakenings, Cardin proves himself to be an adept in the fullest sense of the word. To both the morbid and the cosmically minded, who may be one and the same, he delivers his visions and nightmares in a master's prose. In the tradition of Poe and Lovecraft, Cardin's accomplishments as a writer are paralleled by his expertise as a literary critic and theorist, as readers can witness in this volume. His analyses of supernatural horror and its practitioners are also dark awakenings in the dual manner of his stories, with one eye on the black abyss and the other on an enlightened transcendence without denomination. Again, this quality of Cardin's work can be seen in the writings of Poe and Lovecraft, two other felicitous freaks who merged the antagonistisms of their imagination into a chimera as awful as it is awe-striking." -Thomas Ligotti, author of Teatro Grottesco and The Nightmare Factory. "Matt Cardin channels visions of dark, maniacal intensity. His otherworldly divinations will have you lying awake in the dark, counting stars in that most pitiless gulf that yawns above us all. A master of terror and dread, he ranks among the foremost authors of contemporary American horror." -Laird Barron, author of The Imago Sequence & Other Stories. "Dark Awakenings offers the dream imagery of the best weird fiction but goes even further beyond the ordinary thanks to Matt Cardin's fierce intellect. Haunting stories and insightful essays. This is mandatory reading to prepare for the doom to come." -Nick Mamatas, author of Move Under Ground.Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Mythos Books LLC
Published: 01/04/2010
ISBN: 9780972854566
Pages: 334
Weight: 1.23lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.51w x 0.88d
Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 03/28/2011
Shipping Notes
- Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
- Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
- Delivery to the USA:
- Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
- If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
- We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
- Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
- To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
- Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
4.8 ★★★★★
Based on 1138 reviews
Sort
Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Great for bathrooms
Size: 24 Inch, Color: Rustic Brown
Great little bathroom shelf. I needed something smaller than a cabinet and aesthetically pleasing. It works perfect for smaller bathrooms lacking cabinet space.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Good quality
Size: 24 Inch, Color: Rustic Brown
Well made and it looks great in our kitchen.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2026
★★★★★ 4
Pleased!
Size: 24 Inch, Color: Rustic Brown, Size: 24 Inch, Color: Rustic Brown
I purchased two of these shelves. Both were received but one was a busted up return from another customer that didn’t get taken out of circulation. Parts were missing and damaged. Returned that for a replacement. It came in perfect. These are easy to put together, minus the pesky stickers that took a lot of patience, Goo Gone, and scraping to get off. I love the 2-tone of the black metal and brown wooden shelves and extra nice touch the middle shelf folds down.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2026
★★★★★ 5
A good value for the money and looks really good!
Size: 24 Inch, Color: Rustic Brown, Size: 24 Inch, Color: Rustic Brown
Relatively easy to install and looks great!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Perfect shelf for the office
Size: 24 Inch, Color: Rustic Brown, Size: 24 Inch, Color: Rustic Brown
When we bought our house it came with an office space and this little wall space in between the cabinets lol. We had no idea what to do with it BUT our monitors took up so much room that we couldn't put anything on the desk really. Then we got the idea of a floating shelf and well this was perfect! Matches and really looks like it came with the house haha. It has held up and now I get my office supplies and can look at pics!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2025