The Shadow on the Glass

by Jonathan L. Howard

When two spiritist swindlers accidentally summon something horrific from beyond the stars, they must thwart a sinister time-spanning plot, in this first Victorian-era gaslight fantasy set in the world of Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu. London, 1891. Elizabeth Whittle and William Grant enjoy scalping London’s bourgeoise, taking on the persona of grand spiritist Cerulia Trent and her agent to connect the living and the dead. When a detective arrives, sniffing out fraud with a scientifically minded spiritualist society, the duo decides to take one last job before escaping to the continent. However, their final séance ends horrifically… and soon Lizzie isn’t Lizzie anymore. William, desperate to banish whatever monster they summoned, is soon embroiled in an electrifying eldritch mystery where he makes a deal with the devil to save his friend and stop an even greater evil from transforming the known world.

Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook, Lovecraftian, Cthulhu Mythos, Science Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

Published July 2, 2024

About the author

Jonathan L Howard is a game designer, scriptwriter, and a veteran of the computer games industry since the early 1990s, with titles such as the 'Broken Sword' series to his credit.

After publishing two short stories featuring Johannes Cabal (Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day and Exeunt Demon King) in H. P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror, Johannes Cabal the Necromancer was published in 2009 as his first novel.

Since then there have been three sequels, with a fourth due in 2016. He has also written two novels in the YA SF "Russalka Chronicles" series, and the ongoing "Goon Squad" serial of superhero stories. October 2015 will see the publication of "Carter & Lovecraft," the first in a new series of novels.

He lives with his wife and daughter near Bristol.

http://www.jonathanlhoward.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/JonathanLHoward
http://jonathanlhoward.livejournal.com/

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

A new Jonathan L Howard is always a pleasure. I've never played the game this is a tie in to, but you know, Lovecraft. It's a romp through foggy Victorian Britain, with a slightly HG Wells quality along with HP Lovecraft. Fake mediums, Mancunian coppers, dodgy colonials, eldritch horrors from beyond the stars, all sauced with plenty of death and mayhem, and some real pathos. Highly enjoyable.

Ebook has a few formatting glitches in the paragraph separation on Kobo, hopefully the publisher will sort that.

[Siobhain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be completely honest when I say that this book was always going to be a win for me. Or at least I hoped it would and it did not disappoint. We have all the things I love and enjoy, Victorian setting, séances and spiritualism, the Call of Cthulhu Table Top Game, and a bit of Lovecraftian horror and mythos without the bigotry. I am pleased to say that this did not disappoint.


Howard is a fantastic author for this series, breathing life into the mythos and taking it and making it his own. The atmosphere is perfect for the setting and pace. You are dragged into the gaslit version of England and you are not let go.


I will say while a pet peeve can be information dumping, and despite there being a little bit in this one. Howard does use this device in such a way that I can accept and understand why it was there. In fact I would go as far as to say that I think it was needed.
All in all this is perfect for horror fans, fans of Lovecraft who don’t want the racism and bigoty and of course fans of Call Cthulhu.

Thank you as always to Aconyte Books and Netgalley for the ARC. This review is left voluntarily and is completely honest.

[Bronwyn Knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Victorian England, a male/female con artist team get in over their heads when they try and pull off a fake seance with a rich, cosmic-horror-cultist.

This has a tie-in to a table-top RPG, Cthulhu Gaslight.

Knowing this, my expectations were set for a fun, action-oriented story.

I was not disappointed.

[Nick Vallina (MisterGhostReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In London 1891 swindlers William Grant and Lizzie Whittle decide to pull exactly one last job acting as a medium/spiritualist before leaving London and get out of the fraud game. They will sit for Sir Donovan Clay (an incredibly rich man who has come back to London from Australia), collect a massive pay day and hit the road. Unfortunately things don't go quite to plan and, after a dramatic escape into the night, Grant finds Lizzie is not quite the same and the paid soon find themselves wrapped up in a horrifying eldritch mystery that spans time and space.

So this was an easy win for me. Give me a bit of Victorian England and the idea of a séance and I'm already on board. Pepper in some Lovecraftian fun and I'm eager to consume it. Howard has a great grasp on the mythos and that is very evident through out. While there are great gruesome scenes throughout the book Howard managed to eek out a few laughs here and there and keep the flow of the story moving. While portions of this book felt slow they all are proven necessary. Yes, there is a bit of an info dump with Grant acting as the audience stand-in, but that's necessary to set up the convoluted (in the best possible way) mystery that needs to be solved.

Overall I think this is an excellent entry to a new series within the Call of Cthulhu line of books and am eager to revisit Grant down the line!

Thank you to Aconyte and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shadow on the Glass is an atmospheric and ghostly gaslight fantasy.
A tale of séances, cults, and creatures from another time and dimension.
I loved the Johannes Cabal series, and this didn't disappoint.

[Lady Of The Forest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Aconyte Books for an early copy of this book in an exchange for my honest review.

Actual Rating: 3,5 ⭐️

I was so excited to read this book and I was very much enjoying the first half, but the second part just let me down.

A quick disclaimer: I've never played Call of Cthulhu or read the original works by H. P. Lovecraft. So, my opinion is based solely on this story alone. Also, I don't think you need to know very much about the game or the original work. The story makes perfect sense even without prior knowlegde of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Why I wanted to read this in the first place when I am not a fan of Call of Cthulhu? Well, the premise was what sold me on this book. Two fraud spiritists in Victorian London get thrown right into the middle of a war between two enemy races of cosmic creatures. That sounds amazing, right?

But... Where is the atmosphere? The author had all the ingredients I like, to create an amazing atmosphere, but he didn't take them. I've never felt transported into a different place and time and like I am actually there with the characters. Only a few scenes actually felt atmospheric and kind of scary to me. Otherwise, this just didn't feel like a horror to me. Yes, we have a bunch of cosmic creatures, but the main villain is a human. And that I struggled with. Because we weren't actually fighting the cosmic creatures, but a human who allied with them. And I wanted to see how they are going to fight creatures that are thousand's of years old and not trying to outsmart a human and stop their evil plan.

Also, in my opinion the characters aren't fully developed, they feel a bit flat to me and the character development is nonexistent. At some point two characters refer to each other as friends and at that point, I just felt a bit confused, because when exactly did they become friends? What bonding experience did they have to call each other a friend? I liked our main character Grant and detective sergeant Bradley but that's probably it. We also follow the main villain and occasionally some random side characters. But all of them are man. Very briefly we see into the head of Miss Cerulia Trent, but otherwise there is no other female character POV. And I wanted to see more prominent characters that are women. Of course there is Lizzie Whittle, but she's not present for most of the story, so I didn't really become attached to her, and Miss Church, who is just kind of there because the plot needs it. And there is head-hopping as well, which is a big pet-peeve of mine.

This is definitely a plot-driven story, so if you are a more character-driven reader, maybe don't pick this up, because I don't think you would enjoy this. Also, almost nothing happens and the scenes just feel a bit drown out. And the resolution was too quick and a bit convenient too. The final battle is mostly from the villain's POV which I didn't really enjoy. I was hoping to see our good guys fighting and struggling to win, some emotional scenes that would made me tear up, but we don't get that. The final battle just kind of happens and suddenly is done. There is an epilogue as well, that sets up the sequel, and it sounds interesting but I don't know if I'll continue this series. I guess I decide when we get the news about the sequel.

Overall, this was just very middle of the road for me. But it read quickly, the dialogue was good and sometimes the narration was pretty funny.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte Books for an advance copy of this novel set in the time of gaslights and spiritualism where a duo who think they are clever are caught in ancient game of gods, cults and wannabes.

The problem with being alive is that we never know when the end is coming. Even in this age of medical wonders a 6-month warning about end of life can stretch out for years. Or last only hours. So many things are left unsaid. I'll apologize tomorrow, I'll tell them where the gold is hidden soon, I'll confess my love to her...hey that bus isn't stopping. To quote a band who could be the soundtrack in many ways to this book, 'Plans that either come to naught. Or half a page of scribbled lines." There is no wonder that people through the ages have wanted to act as a messenger to the dead, a medium to share thoughts unsaid, and exist only behind the veil. And since humans love to make money by means both foul and fair, there are many that pretend their gift of communing with the dead is real, honest, and worth a good payout. The only problem is as a philosopher once said, "..If you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." The Shadow on the Glass :A Cthulhu by Gaslight Novel by Jonathan L Howard is the story of a two pseudo-mediums who find that instead of rapping on tables, they are wrapped in a game of the Old gods, a game that is heavily rigged against them.

London, England in the year of our Lord, 1891. William Grant was a low level schemer and scammer who after a time on the run has hit lucky streak in the rise of spiritualism. His partner Elizabeth Whittle is better known as the medium Cerulia Trent, and have gained a certain reputation for the communications with the deceased. Elizabeth is very good at conveying messages, though she is finding it harder and harder to remember who she is, as Cerulia Trent seems to be taking up all her time. A chance encounter with a local detective pushes the duo to move their scam to the Continent. Before they go, they plan one last seance, with a recently arrived Sir Donovan Clay, from Australia. Clay has been hiring mediums both good, bad and indifferent and paying out huge sums to get in contact with his recently deceased wife. The night goes wrong, from a storm that suddenly rolls in, Clay's lack of affection for his dead wife, his ancient Uncle, and a ceremony that goes wrong leaving Elizabeth changed. The darkened alleys of London are full of threats for Grant and his companion, leaving him few chances but to go deeper and deeper in the madness that is around them.

A spooky story that is both strong on atmosphere and strong on characters. Howard known for his books about Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, has a good grasp on this subject matter, and it carries over in the writing. Situations are creepy, with lots of potential for cheap scares, but Howard is better than that, dragging the feeling out, and making for some uneasy page flipping. Howard really brings in a lot of elements, early detective stories, penny dreadful story, all mixed with Cthulhu. Quite a lot of fun, and a worthy start to a new series of stories.

Fans of the game Call of Cthulhu will enjoy this, as Howard really nails the atmosphere. Fans of Howard's other books will enjoy this also, as one can feel his signature style, and humor on each page.

[Caleb Likes Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to say it, but given the general idea of this book, I was honestly a little disappointed. It’s not bad by any means though, and there are things I enjoyed.

One thing I loved about this book was the setting and the atmosphere. It’s set in Victorian-era London, quite a unique setting for a Lovecraftian story, and the book does a very good job of immersing you into that setting through the description, prose, and dialogue. Despite Lovecraft’s own works generally being set in 1920s-ish America, this particular setting feels quite appropriate for this kind of story, and the way it serves the Lovecraftian vibe works very well. Speaking of Lovecraft, I did enjoy the way the Cthulhu Mythos stuff was integrated into this story. The general setup for how it comes into the picture is that two spiritists, who knowingly trick people into using their phony “services,” are being investigated and end up taking one last job before they escape London. Unfortunately for them, this last job inadvertently summons eldritch things beyond their imaginations, which is where the Lovecraft comes in. First of all, it’s a cool setup, and one that feels appropriately Lovecraftian—messing with things you shouldn’t, and paying the price for it. But the Mythos stuff itself, primarily concerned with the likes of the Great Race of Yith, is used in an interesting way that made the setup for the story very intriguing. I also really enjoyed the ending of the book; the last handful of chapters feel appropriately large-scale and apocalyptic, almost, really ramping things up as Lovecraftian stories tend to do as they reach their climax.

You may have noticed that I didn’t really talk about the characters or the story outside of the setup and ending, and unfortunately there is a reason for that. While I loved the setting work and the worldbuilding, the plot and characters never quite drew me in. Neither was unenjoyable necessarily, as I did enjoy things like dialogue and some of the scenes throughout the book, but for much of the book I felt like I wasn’t really connected to anything about it story-wise. I also think there were times when discussions of the worldbuilding got a little too heavy handed and infodump-y, but that wasn’t too big of an issue for me.

Overall, this was an alright book. I appreciated the strong atmosphere and the Lovecraftian worldbuilding, and the setup was solid. Sadly, I just didn’t think the story quite lived up to those elements. I’d still recommend this as a solid and interesting Lovecraftian story, and it does seem that others enjoyed it more—it just didn’t quite land for me.

Rating: 6/10

[A Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s London in 1891, and Lizzie and Grant are fleecing the rich by holding seances and pretending to contact deceased loved ones. They’ve even got plans to elevate their game, until a detective begins to show too much interest in them. With the promise of only holding one more séance before fleeing the country, the two find themselves with a job that feels too good to be true. But the séance ends horribly and Grant is left with a multitude of unanswered questions and begins to question his own sanity as he tries to rescue Lizzy from whatever eldritch forces have become involved.

This work started strongly. The atmosphere was quite good, and I enjoyed how well the spiritualism aspect was incorporated throughout. I was excited by the two characters introduced and was hoping to get to spend more time with Lizzie, but unfortunately, we only get POVs from male characters who were not really developed. Many of the characters included are only there to forward the plot, and that came through in a way that negatively impacted the book.

Around halfway through, the atmosphere was gone and there were only a few scenes that truly felt immersive. I was also a bit disappointed by the antagonist and that they felt like a relatively mundane choice when this is set in a Lovecraftian world. The overall lack of tension was quite disappointing and led to a lackluster conclusion.

If you’re interested in a plot-driven read relating to the Call of Cthulhu and Lovecraftian lore, then you may like this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

[ Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC! ]

~ ~ ~

In Victorian-era London, Lizzie Whittle and William Grant run a con on London's elite providing séance services. Under the name Cerulia Trent, Lizzie pretends to contact the dead on behalf of their rich patrons. However, when what promises to be a quick and profitable evening of hustling suddenly turns sour, Lizzie and Grant find themselves drawn into an otherworldly plot.

~ ~ ~

This story seemed to have all of the hallmarks of a fun Lovecraftian romp. Fake psychics? Eldritch mysteries? Horrors from beyond the stars!? All wrapped up in Victorian England? Sign me up!
Unfortunately, the reality was less exciting than I was hoping for. If I were to describe this book in a word, it would be boring. There just wasn't a whole lot of kick to this story. The horror and tension I expected were nowhere to be found. Throw in some bland characters, and you can see why I might've been falling asleep trying to finish this one. While I did enjoy some of the aspects of the writing, for example the little witticisms sprinkled throughout, sadly it just wasn't enough to save it from itself.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: violence, blood, gun violence, death, murder, kidnapping, confinement

Unlike Winter Tide, which I more or less read concurrently to this book, one does not need an understanding of specific Lovecraft stories or even a familiarity to the Call of Cthulhu tabletop game. Although I would call myself well-versed in Lovecraft mythos, I have unfortunately not yet had enough other Lovecraft fans around in one room to actually play a round.
Everything you need to know is explained within the story in Howard's typical fun, engaging way.
Even if I wasn't such a Lovecraft fan, I would have read this book as a staunch, self-appointed Jonathan L. Howard publicist.

(Also, sequel when????)

[William M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shadow On The Glass is easily one of the better Arkham Horror / Call Of Cthulhu books I've read. Author Jonathan L. Howard clearly understands Lovecraft, the mythology, and how to build a sense of impending dread through constant tension and the unknown. Besides having one of the best covers I've seen in quite a while dealing with this subject matter, Howard has some of the best descriptions and dialogue in Lovecraft's atmospheric world. Howard's knowledge of London in 1891 felt very accurate, with beautifully rendered characters and locations. If I had a constructive criticism, it would be the intelligence level of the antagonist, who I had hoped would be a bit more subtle and diabolical than was portrayed. Fans of the wildly popular Arkham Horror novel series should love this book, but understand that this was a bit more adult, increasing the violence and gore during the final third. I hope to see more titles in the Chaosium / Aconyte publishing trend and especially from author Jonathan L. Howard. Solid Recommendation.

[Steven Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an eARC of “The Shadow on the Glass” in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow on the Glass in the glass is the first in a series of Cthulhu by Gaslight novels set in the Victorian era. The events follow two “mediums” who unwittingly unleash an ancient evil during a failed seance for a wealthy client. Nothing good ever happens during a “one last job”.

The characters are well developed and undergo a certain amount of growth through their journey. I also liked that the true nature of cosmic horrors were kept under wraps until the final confrontation and it focused mostly on the human interactions throughout.

I feel the author did a great job of bringing the Cthulhu mythos to the Victorian era. Fans of gothic horror or Sherlock Holmes will enjoy this book.

I will forward to any future books in the series and I will definitely check out Howard’s other titles as well.

[Timothy Grubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pair of con artist spiritualists find themselves exposed to something both beyond this world…and beyond time…

The Shadow on the Glass: A Cthulhu by Gaslight Novel by Jonathan L. Howard is a fun Victorian horror story that could easily work for readers with limited knowledge of the world.

Grant and Whittle are a pair of “spiritualists” performing seances for the rich and gullible. When they get an offer to work for a noble outside of London, they would be crazy to turn down the opportunity, right?

What follows is a gripping story beyond time and space as Mr Grant and Miss Whittle find themselves forced to confront the reality of their fake professions…as creatures beyond their human understanding pose a threat to humanity…

The book draws heavily from the short story The Shadow Out of Time by HP Lovecraft (one of my favorites), but it’s not necessary for you to have read it. Most of it’s fairly open to fresh readers.

[indyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted at SFF Insiders

I honestly don’t know what to say other than – SHEESH! That was an adventure and a half! “A Cthulhu by gaslight novel set in the Victorian-era” was a no-brainer pick for me personally, and it absolutely lived up to and surpassed all the expectations in every possible way! Boasting an excellent prose, a superb plot, well-written and memorable characters, well-executed setting alongside the Lovecraftian lore, and a bag of LOL moments, The Shadow on the Glass by Jonathan L. Howard is just the perfect start imaginable to the first Victorian-era gaslight fantasy set in the world of Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu. I’m certainly very much looking forward to the next installments. To put it plainly – I thoroughly enjoyed it, and also HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you don’t miss out!

[Coca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kind of a wild little read. I don't really know what was going on for most of the book, but that's kind of the point when you're dealing with eldritch horrors, right?

This follows William and Lizzie in 1890's England, where they proclaim to be spiritualists. This is, of course, just an act they put on with the aid of some investigation and Lizzie's natural ability at cold reading.

When they are approached by a wealthy member of the nobility, they jump at the chance to perform a séance with him, to try to try to contact his deceased wife, but it doesn't go as anticipated and when Lizzie faints at the ceremony, she's not the one who wakes up the next day.

This was well written, amusing, and a fun little read. The time period was perfectly chosen, and the author clearly has a talent for writing in it. I hope he continues the series.

[Julissa Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

The Shadow on the Glass follows William Grant and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Whittle as they swindle their way through Victoria era London performing seances and staying one step ahead of the local police.

Grant and Lizzie plan to do one more job and head to France, when they unwittingly summon a new entity and suddenly Lizzie isn't Lizzie anymore. There is a feeling of danger throughout the novel as Grant makes a deal to do anything to save his friend.

Caught in a dangerous game of cosmic beings Grant learns that nothing good can come from greed or ancient alien races.

A gothic horror novel where the setting is so strong that it sometimes feels like you are walking the streets of London along with the characters.

[Maria Lampa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I loved the book, I can't give it 5 stars because of the frustrating cliffhanger at the end.
That being said, I did like it immensely, even in audiobook format (which is not my preferred way of reading books) and the narrator did a wonderful job conveying the dark undertones of the book. The sneaky bits of humor were also very entertaining. The characters were properly fleshed out, with the surprisingly charming supporting cast like detective Bradley winning my affections. I can't say more because spoilers spoilers spoilers

All in all, I can't wait to get a physical copy of the book when it releases worldwide in September! The Johannes Cabal book series remains my favorite but this was a welcome entry to a new series and I am excited for more.

[Cat Treadwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very interested to read this book, given my enjoyment with the majority of the other Arkham books in this unofficial series. It was certainly an intriguing premise!

But sadly it just didn't grab me. Perhaps it's the timing for me personally - I've read a few books lately with similar storylines (con-artist spiritualists), and I couldn't connect with the protagonists. Yes, working-class tricksters can be entertaining, but these are just petty criminals. It was hard to relate, even when the action started to get... weird.

I'm sure others will enjoy this, as it's very well-written and the atmosphere is gorgeous. Just not as good as anticipated for me, sorry!

I was kindly sent an early copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are entirely my own.

[David Diachenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since the first Johannes Cabal story, Jonathan L. Howard has been an author whose books I automatically buy. He has never let me down and The Shadow on the Glass is no exception.
A Lovecraft inspired tale, told in a style reminiscent of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, with Howard’s marvelous penchant for slyly humorous turns of phrase that somehow don’t feel out of place in a story of suspense and nightmarish creatures.
No spoilers here, but this tale of seances, cults, creatures from deep space and ancient time, eldritch plots, heroes who are just barely this side of the law, and one very cranky neighbor, all set in late Victorian London had me hooked from the first page to the startling last.
A fantastical tale, wondrously told by a master storyteller!

[Johnsnowwasright · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Aconyte books for this e-ARC.

I don't have much to say about this book other than it was boring. For such an interesting concept, I felt it was wasted as nothing was really explored in depth.

The characters received little development and were all flat. I don't know why were supposed to care so much about Lizzie since we barely got to know her. The book kept bouncing from POV to POV which meant we never really spent time with any one character enough to flesh them out.

The plot was okay but not groundbreaking. I did enjoy the style of the writing but that was about it.

Overall, a bit of a let down.

[John Sims-jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathan L. Howard is an excellent author, and it’s great to have a new book from him. Someone else made a similar comment, but this kind of reads like if H.G. Wells took a stab at Lovecraft. It has a similar playful darkness to the Invisible Man that’s a lot of fun to read.

Also, to anyone who’s finished this and looking for something else to read, The Fear Institute is another fantastic Lovecraftian novel by Howard, probably my favorite mythos-related work. His Johannes Cabal series is criminally underrated and in most other universes is the most popular series of the 21st century, so hopefully this book encourages more people to check that out and realize what they’ve been missing.

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC from Netgalley.

I liked the plot of the book fine. Some elements didn't work for me. There were points where I thought the point of view shifted, and there were times I questioned the author's decisions, like attempting to inject some humor in at odd points. The cult is Secret Masters of Time...because they had stationary made and it hasn't run out.

But in general I liked it. Trent reminded me a bit of Bella Baxter from Poor Things. I liked the layer added by including the police presence. Overall, a nice read.

[MaggieDay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Lizzie Whittle and William Grant are partners in creating the spirit medium, Cerulia Trent. On what they are planning to be their last "experiment" (never a seance), things go wrong. This draws them into the world of Lovecraft's Eldrich horrors. Howard did a great job in bringing these creatures into Victorian London.

I hope this becomes a series. I truly came to care about these protagonists and want their story to continue.

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan L Howard is so unusual and so amazing. I especially love his books about the necromancer Johannes Cabal and there's a couple of modern books with Cthulu vibes. This is something different but it still has Cthulu vibes.
The two main characters are swindlers, grifters, from when people used spiritualists to try to talk to loved ones. But everything goes off the rails and there are old gods and worldwide consequences. As usual, though, the characters are intriguing and there's so much humor I laughed out loud a few times. Howard has a kind of niche and I love it.

[Maria Haskins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hugely entertaining tale of dark secrets, human greed and cruelty, and cosmic horrors. I loved the characters and the setting, and Howard tells the story in a throwback, old-school way that my Sherlock Holmes-loving heart definitely appreciated. There's a real sense of danger and adventure here, and I really had no idea where the ending was going to take me. Fair warning: I had some really intense nightmares about giant sky-monsters after reading this book so be warned!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with this one, if I'm being honest. It took a long time to get invested in the characters, and the plot was pretty slow going, but it absolutely picked up in the last 20% of the book. The author does a great job of using English slang that was appropriate for the times. Not my favorite Cthulhu book, but certainly not a disaster! I liked the flying polyps the best. Hideous.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically enjoyable! As a longtime fan of both Call of Cthulhu and Jonathan Howard, I was delighted to see this book published, and even. Ore delighted to read it. Howard is a superb writer who captures the language, history and style of Victorian England with ease and weaves the Mythos into this with both grace and wit - with compelling characters to boot!

[Candi Norwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about the spiritualist fakeries from the Victorian age, and it is both hilarious and scary when they accidentally actually invite something from the other side. (Don’t read Latin in front of the books!)

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Jonathan L. Howard's Johannes Cabal series. This didn't have exactly the same tone (more serious, less dark humor), but he knows how to approach this horror niche well. I hope there will be a sequel.