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Conqueror Womb: Lusty Tales of Shub-Niggurath
“From the wells of night to the gulfs of space, ever praise and abundance to the Black Goat of the Woods. Iä! Shub-Niggurath! The Goat with a Thousand Young!”
With this prayer in the ‘The Whisperer In Darkness’, Lovecraft introduced the world to the mighty and terrible Shub-Niggurath, the fertility deity of his then-fledgling Cthulhu Mythos. A being of primal lusts, overwhelming fecundity, and soul-blasting horror, the Black Goat is regularly invoked, entreated, and mentioned in furtive whispers within the pages of most Mythos fiction. And yet, for all that she is a cornerstone of the Mythos, readers encounter her rarely.
Now, with ‘Conqueror Womb: Lusty Tales of Shub-Niggurath’, Martian Migraine Press and editors Justine Geoffrey and Scott R Jones bring you 18 pulpy tales of fertility and fear, hot sex and chilling sacrifice! Stories that squelch, tales that both titillate and terrify, from some of the best writers working in Lovecraftian horror and mind-bending erotica today: Wilum H. Pugmire, Molly Tanzer, Don Webb, Christine Morgan, Kenton Hall, Brian M. Sammons, Jacqueline Sweet, Copper Sloane Levy, Annabeth Leong, and Christopher Slatsky, along with fresh new voices.
From nighted glades where frenzied orgiasts work unholy magic to slick urban dungeons of unbridled pleasure; from fertility clinics to fevered dance clubs; from the misty depths of the past to the unthinkable future, join us as we offer praise and abundance! Iä! Shub-Niggurath!
Table of Contents...
This Human Form – Lyndsey Holder
That Hideous Thing – Ran Cartwright
Unsatisfied – Brian M. Sammons
Mater Annelida – Victoria Dalpe
The Potboiler Sigil – Luke R. J. Maynard
All This For the Greater Glory of the 7th and 329th Children of the Black Goat of the Woods – Molly Tanzer
Babymama – Kenton Hall
Our Child – Annabeth Leong
Boy – Don Webb
Pieces (2) for String Octet – Copper Sloane Levy
The Whisperer in the Vagina – Shon Richards
Obsidian Capra Aegagrus – Christopher Slatsky
Dirtymag – Jonas Moth
With Honey Dripping – Christine Morgan
In the Down Deep Down – Jacqueline Sweet
The Scarlet Scripture – Ambrosius Grimes
Within Your Unholy Pit of Shoggoths – Wilum H. Pugmire
Blossom – Rose Banks
The Conqueror Womb: Parsing Shub-Niggurath (essay) – Scott R Jones
With this prayer in the ‘The Whisperer In Darkness’, Lovecraft introduced the world to the mighty and terrible Shub-Niggurath, the fertility deity of his then-fledgling Cthulhu Mythos. A being of primal lusts, overwhelming fecundity, and soul-blasting horror, the Black Goat is regularly invoked, entreated, and mentioned in furtive whispers within the pages of most Mythos fiction. And yet, for all that she is a cornerstone of the Mythos, readers encounter her rarely.
Now, with ‘Conqueror Womb: Lusty Tales of Shub-Niggurath’, Martian Migraine Press and editors Justine Geoffrey and Scott R Jones bring you 18 pulpy tales of fertility and fear, hot sex and chilling sacrifice! Stories that squelch, tales that both titillate and terrify, from some of the best writers working in Lovecraftian horror and mind-bending erotica today: Wilum H. Pugmire, Molly Tanzer, Don Webb, Christine Morgan, Kenton Hall, Brian M. Sammons, Jacqueline Sweet, Copper Sloane Levy, Annabeth Leong, and Christopher Slatsky, along with fresh new voices.
From nighted glades where frenzied orgiasts work unholy magic to slick urban dungeons of unbridled pleasure; from fertility clinics to fevered dance clubs; from the misty depths of the past to the unthinkable future, join us as we offer praise and abundance! Iä! Shub-Niggurath!
Table of Contents...
This Human Form – Lyndsey Holder
That Hideous Thing – Ran Cartwright
Unsatisfied – Brian M. Sammons
Mater Annelida – Victoria Dalpe
The Potboiler Sigil – Luke R. J. Maynard
All This For the Greater Glory of the 7th and 329th Children of the Black Goat of the Woods – Molly Tanzer
Babymama – Kenton Hall
Our Child – Annabeth Leong
Boy – Don Webb
Pieces (2) for String Octet – Copper Sloane Levy
The Whisperer in the Vagina – Shon Richards
Obsidian Capra Aegagrus – Christopher Slatsky
Dirtymag – Jonas Moth
With Honey Dripping – Christine Morgan
In the Down Deep Down – Jacqueline Sweet
The Scarlet Scripture – Ambrosius Grimes
Within Your Unholy Pit of Shoggoths – Wilum H. Pugmire
Blossom – Rose Banks
The Conqueror Womb: Parsing Shub-Niggurath (essay) – Scott R Jones
172 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 8, 2014
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223 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 4, 2015
Lively, disgusting, titillating, imaginative and bizarre. No, there isn't much tentacle sex (how blasé) but there is plenty here to turn your guts and warm your nethers. My fav stories were the ones by Molly Tanzer and the final story, "Blossom" by new writer Rose Banks. The first is the whimsical narrative of a sentient antique dildo. The second is outrageously offensive but also eloquent and haunting. My story "Dirtymag" is also featured, but the rules of modesty and good taste say that I should not mention its brilliance here.
March 15, 2018
Seven or eight sub-par stories in and I think it's time to admit this premise just doesn't work for me. The concept of a Lovecraftian fertility monster is fabulous but erotica is precisely the wrong way to approach it. Sex is practically the farthest thing from unfathomable cosmic weirdness there is, so most of these stories end up feeling more like the Bilquis scene in American Gods, over and over again. It's a neurotic fear of sexuality, especially of sexually empowered women, that feels very much of a piece with Lovecraft as a man, but doesn't feel very Lovecraftian. I was hoping for something a lot weirder, ultimately. Something that really blows apart sexuality beyond recognition, in the vein of Really Good Smut (which won't mean anything to any of you), or just a foul treatment of fecundity itself (I'm thinking of the chapter about insect reproduction in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek).
June 1, 2015
It's a Weird, gross (in many spots), and ridiculous (in others) collection of really, really well-written works of horror/erotic Mythos fiction. As the introduction states, they do offer a sort of rating system (1 to 3 goat skulls) to help direct those of us who read for the horror to the more horror-centered stories and those of us who read for the smut to the more erotic tales. I appreciated that, though I read--and enjoyed, to varying degrees--them all. It's difficult to describe specific stories without putting some folks off, I guess, so I will leave it at that. If you have a taste for the really Weird, for erotica, and for the Mythos, I think you'll enjoy this a great deal.
July 28, 2014
I honestly don't know what to say about this collection. I'm glad that it exists, and yet the next time someone says, "Want to read a collection of Lovecraftian erotica?" I'm likely to say "been there done that, no thanks". And yet, if I asked you if you wanted to read a collection of Lovecraftian erotica and you might answer in the affirmative, I'd certainly recommend the book.
Read
October 6, 2021Didn't realize that was half-horror / half-erotica, so uh... wow. Chris Slatsky's short story was a lot of fun.
March 16, 2014
Conqueror Womb is an anthology with a simple premise of showing the lusty side of Shub-Niggurath, one of the otherworldly creations of Lovecraft (well, among others). But, from that simple idea there were a varied collection of stories that explored both the sensual and horrific aspects of Lovecraft.
Because of the horror and sex aspects, the stories were identified as being "mostly horror," "mostly erotica," and a "bit of both." It actually worked out well, though the graphics didn't work well with the dark background that I typically prefer to read stories.
Since this is an anthology, I'll just give a short review of each story.
This Human Form by Lyndsey Holder: This was a very poetic piece to set the tone of the anthology. It had a fair amount of second person, my least favorite point of view, and I felt it was more tell than show. The idea was interesting, it just fell flat for me.
That Hideous Thing by Ran Cartwright: This story has a lot of very short, choppy sentences. It gave me a sense of being disjointed, though it was a rather well-thought out plot. The ending left me a bit cold.
By this point, I was actually worried that I would get into the anthology since the first two pieces didn't really excite me. And then we got to this.
Unsatisfied by Brian M. Sammons: This was a wonderfully descriptive piece with interesting characters, references to the past, and a world setting that really got me excited. The way the characters interact with each other was short but friendly, just as the story intended. When the twist came around, though, it was just a little bland. "Oh, look a monster." With the conclusion of the story, a lot more was explained and it make sense. As a side note, I despise what the writer did the last 10-15 paragraphs.
Mater Annelida by Victoria Dalpe: This was a gritty little piece that I had no clue what the main character was doing. The details were great, but I was so utterly confused that I just had to enjoy the imagery. The images and sensations were fantastic, pure and simple.
The Potboiler Sigil by Luke R. J. Maynard: This was a cool story about haunted souls and the people affected by them. I wasn't sure where the writer was going with the first few scenes, but when it finally came to a head, I loved it. The details, the despair, and everything else worked nicely for me.
All This for the Greater Glory of the 7th and 329th Children of the Black Goat of the Woods by Molly Tanzer: I disliked this story for a number of reasons, mainly because I couldn't get into it but also because I just didn't find the characters emotionally interesting. I think it was the poems.
Babymama by Kenton Hall: This story starts with one of the best lines I've read in a long time. "I shouldn't have called her pussy a slavering maw." That sold me the story before I even got into it. And the story was snarky and fun and wonderful. The main character's voice was a joy to read and I just loved Steve. I'd get this anthology simply for this story alone.
Our Child by Annabeth Leong: This was a fun story about motherhood and I thought it was sweet and terrifying. There were a few phrases that threw me, but overall it was a good solid story about needing children and never giving up.
Boy by Don Webb: This story took me a while to get into it. It was vague and a lot of italics for phrases. I didn't really get into it, but the ideas were cool. It was also a strong telling piece instead of showing.
Pieces (2) for String Octet by Copper Sloane Levy: Words. That's really the impression I got for this story. Lots and lots of words, and big ones at that.
The Whisperer in the Vagina by Shon Richards: This was another snarky and bitter story with a solid voice. I liked the main character's inner thoughts. The sex parts were wonderful as was the interaction between the two characters. The ending was a bit flat, though, I didn't feel the second paragraph justified a scream.
Obsidian Carpa Aegagrus by Christopher Slatsky: The descriptions in this story were vivid but required a second reading to really get into it. Though, I suspect it is one of those stories that you read and then it burrows into your consciousness like a bug, slowly munching its way. Just some of the words take a while to really... grok.
Dirtymag by Jonas Moth: This one kind of reminded me of a Penthouse letter, but grittier. The details are haunting and story building up nicely leading up the apparent doom of the narrator. It many ways, it also feels like a found footage, but in story form.
With Honey Dripping by Christine Morgan: I like the sensual details of this story. They are stark, visceral, and lovely. The word choices are very poetic though. There was a story in the middle though, I felt it didn't add that much to the story besides breaking the mood.
In the Down Deep Down by Jacqueline Sweet: Another story that had a great hook. I liked this one, it was playful and exploratory, both obvious desires and lost opportunities. The voice of the story was just a perfect mix of growing horror and snark. The children's story in the middle, nice and creepy, and a great finish.
The Scarlet Scripture by Ambrosius Grimes: The sex was great for this story and the horror aspects were spot on. I found the details of the story to be very enjoyable also. The layering of the plot plus a good build up made it an enjoyable story for me.
Within Your Unholy Pit of Shoggoths by Wilum H. Pugmire: This was a brief story, but I didn't really get into it. More of a descriptive piece than something I could get my emotional teeth into. The narrative is lovely and the characters are enjoyable, but it just didn't work for me.
Blossom by Rose Banks: This was a very fun horror story. I like the buildup and the finish of it, the whispers in the head. More than anything else, I liked the plants.
Overall, it was a good anthology of horror and sex. The first couple of stories really weren't my thing and there were a few scattered among the others, but for the most part, I enjoyed almost every story in there. It was arrange with more horrific stories in the beginning and more sexy ones at the end, which gave a nice spectrum to follow and led into a satisfying ending.
Because of the horror and sex aspects, the stories were identified as being "mostly horror," "mostly erotica," and a "bit of both." It actually worked out well, though the graphics didn't work well with the dark background that I typically prefer to read stories.
Since this is an anthology, I'll just give a short review of each story.
This Human Form by Lyndsey Holder: This was a very poetic piece to set the tone of the anthology. It had a fair amount of second person, my least favorite point of view, and I felt it was more tell than show. The idea was interesting, it just fell flat for me.
That Hideous Thing by Ran Cartwright: This story has a lot of very short, choppy sentences. It gave me a sense of being disjointed, though it was a rather well-thought out plot. The ending left me a bit cold.
By this point, I was actually worried that I would get into the anthology since the first two pieces didn't really excite me. And then we got to this.
Unsatisfied by Brian M. Sammons: This was a wonderfully descriptive piece with interesting characters, references to the past, and a world setting that really got me excited. The way the characters interact with each other was short but friendly, just as the story intended. When the twist came around, though, it was just a little bland. "Oh, look a monster." With the conclusion of the story, a lot more was explained and it make sense. As a side note, I despise what the writer did the last 10-15 paragraphs.
Mater Annelida by Victoria Dalpe: This was a gritty little piece that I had no clue what the main character was doing. The details were great, but I was so utterly confused that I just had to enjoy the imagery. The images and sensations were fantastic, pure and simple.
The Potboiler Sigil by Luke R. J. Maynard: This was a cool story about haunted souls and the people affected by them. I wasn't sure where the writer was going with the first few scenes, but when it finally came to a head, I loved it. The details, the despair, and everything else worked nicely for me.
All This for the Greater Glory of the 7th and 329th Children of the Black Goat of the Woods by Molly Tanzer: I disliked this story for a number of reasons, mainly because I couldn't get into it but also because I just didn't find the characters emotionally interesting. I think it was the poems.
Babymama by Kenton Hall: This story starts with one of the best lines I've read in a long time. "I shouldn't have called her pussy a slavering maw." That sold me the story before I even got into it. And the story was snarky and fun and wonderful. The main character's voice was a joy to read and I just loved Steve. I'd get this anthology simply for this story alone.
Our Child by Annabeth Leong: This was a fun story about motherhood and I thought it was sweet and terrifying. There were a few phrases that threw me, but overall it was a good solid story about needing children and never giving up.
Boy by Don Webb: This story took me a while to get into it. It was vague and a lot of italics for phrases. I didn't really get into it, but the ideas were cool. It was also a strong telling piece instead of showing.
Pieces (2) for String Octet by Copper Sloane Levy: Words. That's really the impression I got for this story. Lots and lots of words, and big ones at that.
The Whisperer in the Vagina by Shon Richards: This was another snarky and bitter story with a solid voice. I liked the main character's inner thoughts. The sex parts were wonderful as was the interaction between the two characters. The ending was a bit flat, though, I didn't feel the second paragraph justified a scream.
Obsidian Carpa Aegagrus by Christopher Slatsky: The descriptions in this story were vivid but required a second reading to really get into it. Though, I suspect it is one of those stories that you read and then it burrows into your consciousness like a bug, slowly munching its way. Just some of the words take a while to really... grok.
Dirtymag by Jonas Moth: This one kind of reminded me of a Penthouse letter, but grittier. The details are haunting and story building up nicely leading up the apparent doom of the narrator. It many ways, it also feels like a found footage, but in story form.
With Honey Dripping by Christine Morgan: I like the sensual details of this story. They are stark, visceral, and lovely. The word choices are very poetic though. There was a story in the middle though, I felt it didn't add that much to the story besides breaking the mood.
In the Down Deep Down by Jacqueline Sweet: Another story that had a great hook. I liked this one, it was playful and exploratory, both obvious desires and lost opportunities. The voice of the story was just a perfect mix of growing horror and snark. The children's story in the middle, nice and creepy, and a great finish.
The Scarlet Scripture by Ambrosius Grimes: The sex was great for this story and the horror aspects were spot on. I found the details of the story to be very enjoyable also. The layering of the plot plus a good build up made it an enjoyable story for me.
Within Your Unholy Pit of Shoggoths by Wilum H. Pugmire: This was a brief story, but I didn't really get into it. More of a descriptive piece than something I could get my emotional teeth into. The narrative is lovely and the characters are enjoyable, but it just didn't work for me.
Blossom by Rose Banks: This was a very fun horror story. I like the buildup and the finish of it, the whispers in the head. More than anything else, I liked the plants.
Overall, it was a good anthology of horror and sex. The first couple of stories really weren't my thing and there were a few scattered among the others, but for the most part, I enjoyed almost every story in there. It was arrange with more horrific stories in the beginning and more sexy ones at the end, which gave a nice spectrum to follow and led into a satisfying ending.
August 30, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All this for the greater glory of the 7th and 329th children of the black goat of the woods by Molly Tanzer
Our Child by Annabeth Leong
With honey dripping by Christine Morgan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Unsatisfied by Brian M. Sammons
Pieces (2) for String Octet by Copper Sloane Levy
The whisperer in the vagina by Shon Richards
The Scarlet Scripture by Ambrosius Grimes
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This human form by Lyndsey Holder
That hideous thing by Ran Cartwright
Mater Annelida by Victoria Dalpe
Dirtymag by Jonas Moth
The Potboiler Sigil by Lyke J. R. Maynard
⭐️⭐️
Babymama by Kenton Hall
In the deep down by Jacqueline Sweet
Within your unholy pit of Shoggoths by Wilum H. Pugmire
Blossom by Rose Banks
⭐️
Boy by Don Webb
Obsidian Capra Aegagrus by Christopher Slatsky
All this for the greater glory of the 7th and 329th children of the black goat of the woods by Molly Tanzer
Our Child by Annabeth Leong
With honey dripping by Christine Morgan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Unsatisfied by Brian M. Sammons
Pieces (2) for String Octet by Copper Sloane Levy
The whisperer in the vagina by Shon Richards
The Scarlet Scripture by Ambrosius Grimes
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This human form by Lyndsey Holder
That hideous thing by Ran Cartwright
Mater Annelida by Victoria Dalpe
Dirtymag by Jonas Moth
The Potboiler Sigil by Lyke J. R. Maynard
⭐️⭐️
Babymama by Kenton Hall
In the deep down by Jacqueline Sweet
Within your unholy pit of Shoggoths by Wilum H. Pugmire
Blossom by Rose Banks
⭐️
Boy by Don Webb
Obsidian Capra Aegagrus by Christopher Slatsky
July 13, 2022
The only story that I remember for this is the goat girl one
April 6, 2016
An ambitious and interesting anthology that contains a variety of outlandish, sexy, funny, terrifying stories. While there are plenty of gems in here by both well-known (Slatsky, Tanzer, Pugmire) and less familiar writers that make the whole book worthwhile, I felt that some stories fell flat, either under-utilising the subject matter or simply using it as a vehicle for some uninspired pornographic weirdness. Which there's not necessarily anything wrong with, but a story that's simply an extended sex scene without rhyme or reason is inevitably forgettable.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews