I liked Gemma Files better before I read this primer.
Personally, I found most of these stories pretty lackluster. Well, not most of them, really. Make that all of them. There wasn't a single story I would have liked for my purely hypothetical BOAT horror collection. Not even close. Also, I have a fairly short fuse when it comes to an author being precious or "different" or whatever, so Ms Files's artsy posturing when it came to the depiction of direct speech -- as in, quotation marks (absent) vs. italics (everywhere) -- was enough to make me detract at least one star just for that. Sorry.

As for the stories themselves... um.
We start out with a fairy tale retelling of sorts, something I have always hated and will hate for the rest of my days. Over-emotional prose and some pseudo-historical setting (in France, no less, so we get treated to all those phrases fabuleuses in French, oo la la), this gave me unwelcome shades of Brotherhood of the Wolf Reloaded meets Grimm's fairytales. So, that was a big, juicy nope right off the bat.

Next up, we get into some archaelogical hoo-ha, or rather, "you" do, as the whole thing is written in second person singular (yes, always such a great idea). The whole thing just drags on forever, much past the point of me actually caring.

Then, there's the one story that was actually kind of okay (apart from the italics thing again), until it kind of fell apart at the end, once again overstaying its welcome as well as painfully overexplaining what was a fairly simple concept.

Next stop, the Old/Wild West. Interminable yet fairly simplistic tale about gunslingers and stuff. Nah.
Then, something to do with faeries, but just as interminable. Kind of okay... but also kind of stupid? Also, it involves people (Safety-)dancing to famous 80's band "Men With Hats"... I'm glad to see those guys finally managed to acquire some headwear, as back in their heyday those one-hit wonders were known as "Men Without Hats". Oh well.

The last of the bunch appropriates some Old Norse stuff, which, you know, cringe factor and all, so I put myself out of my misery and just skimmed through all those pages filled with cool Scandi vocabulary and folks named Snorri and Uncle Geirrod and Thorolf. Life's too short. Also, involved Jesus. Somehow.

And that's it. On top of this uneasy pile of, er, ideas we get some drawings that look like someone felt like being creative, not exactly in a professional kind of way -- I thought those pictures looked pretty amateurish, not to say juvenile. And why even have them?!? Isn't this a big-kid book?

Same goes for the "commentary" by someone who calls themselves "Michael Arnzen, PhD". That's right, it's what's written under every single measly so-called "discussion" of the piece just read: "Michael Arnzen, PhD". In case we forget Mr Arnzen went to school or something? At any rate, he doesn't really have much of anything to say about those stories (unsurprisingly really), it's all just how unbelievably great that particular tale happened to be; that guy's so relentlessly enthusiastic it feels like he's selling you something, an old car or some fantastic set of cutlery maybe.
Sigh.
I enjoyed that Ramsey Campbell primer A LOT more. I also enjoyed Ms Files's novel Experimental Film a lot more than these undercooked short pieces.
I guess this just was not for me.

What a nice collection! I'm not familiar with Gemma Files before but now I want to learn more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Exploring Dark Short Fiction #7: A Primer to Gemma Files, edited by Eric J. Guignard, offers a compelling introduction to the haunting and innovative work of Canadian horror writer Gemma Files. Featuring six of her darkly atmospheric stories—including one exclusive to this volume—alongside insightful commentary, an in-depth interview, and a comprehensive bibliography, this collection serves as both a chilling read and an academic exploration of Files' unique voice in horror fiction. It's an essential read for fans of literary horror seeking to delve deeper into the genre's modern masters.

Excellent selection of Gemma Files short stories. She's great as always, and this is a wonderful introduction to her work.

I've been seeing a lot of people mention Gemma Files in horror lately, and was intrigued but overwhelmed by her body of work and unsure where to start. Then Exploring Dark Short Fiction #7: A Primer to Gemma Files popped up on NetGalley and I was saved!

First we get Files's abbreviated autobiography, then several of her short stories followed by short, insightful commentary from Michael Arzen. An essay on why Gemma Files matters in the greater scheme of things, an interview with her, and an essay written by Files herself on her trademark twist on epistolary fiction.

If it sounds academic (and it is), it's also incredibly accessible and engaging.

The stories are pulled from throughout Files's career and broad range of horror and dark fantasy, showing the scope of her work. A full bibliography is included at the end, because after this sampling you'll definitely want more. I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this, and I'm going to keep an eye out on the rest of the Exploring Dark Short Fiction series as well.

Exploring Short Dark Fiction #7: Gemma Files by Eric Guignard is a thoughtful and engaging deep dive into Files’ work, offering analysis, insights, and a selection of her chilling stories. It’s a great introduction for those unfamiliar with her writing and a rewarding exploration for existing fans. The combination of fiction and critical discussion makes it both an enjoyable and educational read for horror enthusiasts.

Speaking of experimental film, I also wanted to use this space to very quickly plug the new Gemma Files primer out from the wonderful Dark Moon Books and available to buy now.

http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Primer_7.html

For those unaware, Gemma Files is the author of a great variety of horror and genre fiction, most notably ‘Experimental Film’, an almost biography wrapped in neo-folk horror and with an interest in film theory, history, and criticism. It is a wondrous tome of a text and well worth anyone’s time.


This short, sharp, and yet fairly comprehensive rundown of File’s work focuses on her short fiction, including an excellent new piece written just for this text, with commentary from Dr. Michael Arnzen interjected to illuminate any missed themes or ideas you may not have considered. A bibliography, biography, and interview pad out the text and offer some contextual roots to the darker stories of Files.

Perfect for a beginner.

Read ‘Experimental Film’.

Includes selected short stories by Gemma Files , an author I am not familiar with, followed by short comments after each story as well as some commentary about the writer. There is also short interview as well as a author giving explanation of how she wields her craft.

I was not able to find any joy for Gemma Files writing or her stories. I do not want to give the impression that her writing is bad, it is anything but. Her style reminds me of old "B-movies" where a character sits and tells a spooky yet cautionary tale to a the audience. Not bad, just not to my taste.
I found the style hard to get excited about and kept losing my attention.
Just not for me but I still recommend you give this a try.
It's hard to find a collection from an unfamiliar artist that gives a good sample of their work, but this does.

Thanks to @netgalley and Dark MoonBooks for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

What a great idea! These are selected short stories by Gemma Files (whose novel Experimental Film has been on by TBR for years), followed by short comments after each story as well as some commentary about the writer, a short interview and an essay about her craft by herself. Perfect primer, really.

The stories are amazing, I loved the writing style that was often unexpectedly gentle and pretty without being purple and hit hard when needed. Each story had it's very own style and tone which I thought impressive. Who knew I could be interested in and feeling for undead cowboys?
Extra bonus points for The King in Yellow reference!

I was hoping for a little more academic approach on the commentary for my own sake but I think the included commentaries etc. are a great starting point for discussion in class (or bookclub?) or simply to get the private reader thinking. Again: Fabulous idea!
I will try to read more of this Primer series with authors I haven't read yet and absolutely will read more by Gemma Files.