Document Type

Book Chapter

Original Publication Date

2022

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Fantastic Cities: American Urban Spaces in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror

First Page

245

Last Page

257

Comments

The text presented here is that submitted by the book editors to the publisher.

Date of Submission

February 2023

Abstract

This book chapter considers the cosmic horror fiction of Laird Barron through a blended ecocritical/postcolonial lens, focusing on its representation of the Pacific Northwest and Olympia, Washington. Wilderness and consumption are both strongly represented concepts in Barron’s Old Leech Cycle of stories, aligning with colonial perceptions of the American West as a largely unpeopled space ripe for exploitation. The eldritch horrors of these tales align with well-established traditions in weird fiction, and they are also perfectly suited to locations historically identified with resource extraction.

Recommended Citation

Glover, John. “Olympia, Wilderness, and Consumption in Laird Barron’s Old Leech Cycle.” Fantastic Cities: American Urban Spaces in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, edited by Stefan Rabitsch et al., University Press of Mississippi, 2022, pp. 245–57.

Is Part Of

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

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