A lady of the evening walks into a bar looking for a gent who would "care for some company." Oh, dear lady, if you only knew you're about to enter a tale of horror written by master of the craft Thomas Ligotti.
The Chymist is the first of three short-stories forming the author's Nyctalops Trilogy.
A few words about language: 'chymist' shares a common meaning with 'chemist' going back to the 19th century, only with chymist we're talking chemical manipulation such as mixing the juices of plants for a kind of alchemy. As for nyctalops or nyctalopia, these terms relate to night blindness, an inability to see clearly in dim light.
So there she is, Rose, taking a seat at the bar next to Simon. Words are exchanged (Simon lets Rose know he's a chemist by profession) but here's a key to this tale of terror: the entire story, every single word, is part of a continuous monologue delivered by Simon.
Come on, Rose. Wake up! You might have had second thoughts about leaving the bar with a guy who takes a keen interest in "what goes into the workings of any human vessel" and speaks of "the vampire's neck-drawn nectar" and characterizes the entire city as "a pitiful corpse."
But no, for the likes of your kind, business is business and soon you're standing there with Simon in your swanky apartment. What happens next? Read for yourself or listen to the audio via a simple Google search. I'll make a quick shift to a number of overarching themes -
Existential – Thomas Ligotti wrote his tales the way Albert Camus wrote his existential novels – not to entertain but to express what he finds most real in our human existence. Seen in this way, Ligotti has written existential horror.
Dreams Become Reality – Simon tells Rose: “We are presently coming into perfect tune with each other, my dreams and my dream girl.” Our human condition is one of habitual disconnect – each and every other person ultimately is a mystery to us. What we think the other person is never equates with what they truly are. However, in this story, Simon becomes empowered to project his own dreams into Rose, reducing her to a puppet.
Locked In – In an interview, Thomas Ligotti speaks of his worst fear: “the syndrome of being “locked in” your body and unable to give a sign that you’re aware of what is happening. It’s that sort of disorder that I believe alone makes anyone’s continued existence not worth the risk.” This is exactly the fate of Rose after Simon's diabolical chemicals have entered her system: she's powerless to move her arms and legs – and quickly also becomes incapable of opening her mouth to scream.
Manipulators of Society - “The Great Chemists are working our unfathomable fomulae down there.” Simon looks out the window, down at all the traffic on the city street and reflects on city planners constructing a living deathtrap that likewise reduces humans to puppets.
Cosmic Malevolence – What does Thomas Ligotti think is at the bottom of our universe? In the author's own words: "The fiasco and nightmare of existence, the particular fiasco and nightmare of human existence, the sense that people are puppets of powers they cannot comprehend.” Simon hints at this when he tells Rose, “that which is generated by me, or rather through me.” In other words, Simon is but a vehicle of a higher power wishing to inflict intense suffering on humans. And recall the Biblical meaning of the name Simon: he who hears and obeys.
Thomas Ligotti, born 1953
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