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Ancient Exhumations +2
Containing nine imaginative tales from a darkly innovative mind, this collection features stories that range from the Lovecraftian-inspired and original Mythos creations to those that venture deeper into the realm of dark fiction. New and experienced readers of Lovecraft will be captivated by the horror and subtle humor of these carefully crafted stories.
- GenresHorror
200 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2004
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37 people want to read
About the author
Stanley C. Sargent
17 booksStanley C. Sargent was born in 1950. He is a writer and artist known for his work in the Cthulhu Mythos universe. He currently lives in San Francisco.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 12, 2008
There are 9 stories in this book, and, as I always say, whenever you pick up an anthology you're likely to find a few that you really like, a few you really dislike, and some that are just okay. Here's the contents list:
The Rattle of Her Smile - This one was quite freaky re an Aztec goddess and someone who didn't know well enough to leave dark forces alone. This one was quite good.
Dark Demonize -- I found this one to be rather silly; in it, a man bargains with a demon and gets much more than he bargained for.
The Hoppwood Tenant -- One of the iffies; a couple of guys disturb the Hoppwood Tenant and cause a lot of mayhem.
The Black Massif -- A la Clark Ashton Smith (whose writings I greatly admire) and his tales of Zothique. This one was most excellent; probably the one I liked the best in the entire book.
The Tale of Toad Loop -- More along the Innsmouth line
When the Stars are Ripe -- this finds the narrator and a companion down in a cenote in a "scientific" investigation; they also get more than they've bargained for.
The Paladin of Worms: Another one which I enjoyed...very creepy story. A sheriff shows up to check on the whereabouts of a man's missing hired hand, and hears a story that literally kills him. Quite well done.
Self-Correcting Mechanism: Out in space; not one of my favorites at all.
Famine Wood: Two missionaries come to the door of an elderly man and end up hearing a story that couldn't possibly be true...or could it? This one was well done, too.
Overall, I thought this little book was nicely done, and I'd recommend it to those who enjoy Mythos lore as well as Clark Ashton-Smith's work.
The Rattle of Her Smile - This one was quite freaky re an Aztec goddess and someone who didn't know well enough to leave dark forces alone. This one was quite good.
Dark Demonize -- I found this one to be rather silly; in it, a man bargains with a demon and gets much more than he bargained for.
The Hoppwood Tenant -- One of the iffies; a couple of guys disturb the Hoppwood Tenant and cause a lot of mayhem.
The Black Massif -- A la Clark Ashton Smith (whose writings I greatly admire) and his tales of Zothique. This one was most excellent; probably the one I liked the best in the entire book.
The Tale of Toad Loop -- More along the Innsmouth line
When the Stars are Ripe -- this finds the narrator and a companion down in a cenote in a "scientific" investigation; they also get more than they've bargained for.
The Paladin of Worms: Another one which I enjoyed...very creepy story. A sheriff shows up to check on the whereabouts of a man's missing hired hand, and hears a story that literally kills him. Quite well done.
Self-Correcting Mechanism: Out in space; not one of my favorites at all.
Famine Wood: Two missionaries come to the door of an elderly man and end up hearing a story that couldn't possibly be true...or could it? This one was well done, too.
Overall, I thought this little book was nicely done, and I'd recommend it to those who enjoy Mythos lore as well as Clark Ashton-Smith's work.
Want to read
September 27, 2009I started this collection on my Mexico vacation. Basically they're well written Lovecraft pastiche. The one I'm reading now is actually set in CA Smith's Zothique.
The Rattle of Her Smile (7.0) - A good Lovecraft pastiche.
Dark Demonize (6.5) - Main character a little too one dimensional but dark and kinda cool. Some great phrases (Hell Herd - was especially cool).
The Hoppwood Tenant (5.0) - This one was rather silly. Especially the end where the monster becomes a kind of lovable urban legend.
The Black Massif (7.0) - This one was kind of long but pretty good. I liked the references to Zothique but I don’t think he really captured the mood of that ancient country (as created by Clarke Ashton Smith). The plot was interesting and it never did what I expected it to do. The end was great and philosophically heavy.
The Tale of Toad Loop (6.0) - Not bad but pretty standard. The ending kind of sucked. What was the thing he found? Because the 1st person narrative it wouldn't have made sense to describe it but it really needed to be described.
The Rattle of Her Smile (7.0) - A good Lovecraft pastiche.
Dark Demonize (6.5) - Main character a little too one dimensional but dark and kinda cool. Some great phrases (Hell Herd - was especially cool).
The Hoppwood Tenant (5.0) - This one was rather silly. Especially the end where the monster becomes a kind of lovable urban legend.
The Black Massif (7.0) - This one was kind of long but pretty good. I liked the references to Zothique but I don’t think he really captured the mood of that ancient country (as created by Clarke Ashton Smith). The plot was interesting and it never did what I expected it to do. The end was great and philosophically heavy.
The Tale of Toad Loop (6.0) - Not bad but pretty standard. The ending kind of sucked. What was the thing he found? Because the 1st person narrative it wouldn't have made sense to describe it but it really needed to be described.
August 10, 2013
Not bad. Most of the stories in this anthology are very well-written. In some, though, the use of dialogue, concepts, and terminology inconsistent with some characters' implied or stated regional or educational status detracts from the suspension of disbelief.
April 23, 2013
I expected more given the reviews by Price and others, but this is cliched pastiche Mythos fiction much of which is poorly written. Generally, not worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews