Coye’s lattices are the primary reason the short story warrants closer examination. Why do I mention the illustrator, when the text of “Sticks” has appeared in so many different anthologies and formats since its original publication? Because the story, while written by Wagner, was based on the experiences of the artist whose signature stick lattices form the basis of the narrative. (It takes place, in fact, not far from Rod Serling’s birthplace, Syracuse, a birthplace which is shared by illustrator Lee Brown Coye.) Coye is known for his flesh-crawling folk art appearing in Weird Tales, Arkham House, and the backwoods horror of Manly Wade Wellman. Originally published in 1974 in Whispers Magazine, and a winner of the British Fantasy Award, this story is considered by archivists and madmen to be canonical Mythos, and to my inner eye could easily have been penned by Lovecraft himself with its vague otherworldly shifts and bleak upstate New York setting.
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