Preface to Lacunea by Paul M Sammon Among the most profound biological achievements of this sick and shining century is the medical community's ability to alter our own sex. Women trapped in men's bodies can be surgically/hormonally "adjusted"; to a lesser extent, the inverse is also true. However, this raises a question. After a gross remodeling of the body, what subtle changes may have been wrought upon the mind? KARL EDWARD WAGNER attempts to answer that. Wagner is a former psychiatrist who early on discovered his true vocation was writing. But for a long period, Karl's fine editorial talents (reflected through his ongoing YEARS BEST HORROR STORIES) seemed to reduce production of Wagner's equally fine fiction. Thankfully, that situation has recently changed; Wagner's literary efforts have reappeared with a vengeance. Wagner's latest books include Tell Me, Dark a graphic novel with artist Kent Williams, and the novels At First Just Ghostly and The Fourth Seal Three Wagnerian short-story collections also exist: In a Lonely Place, Why Not You and I? and Exorcisms and Ecstacies. But the Karl-creation I'm most fond of is his immortal, enigmatic Kane. An ambiguous antihero, Kane's exploits virtually span the centuries. Appearing as everything from a prehistoric mercenary (in novels like Bloodstone) to a twentieth-century record producer (in the short story 'Deep Within the Depths of the Acme Warehouse'), Kane can pop up as devil or angel, good guy or bad. On either side of the law. "Lacunae" is another Kane story. Karl tells me it's partially based on the strange death of famed seventies comic book artist Vaughn Bode, who accidentally killed himself while entangled within an autoerotic mechanism quite similar to the one described by Wagner. The inclusion of said sex machine forces me to append this warning. Do not attempt this stunt at home. Unless you're a trained professional, of course.
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