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Copping Squid
With the deceptive ease and streetwise enlightenment of a weird storytelling master, Michael Shea fearlessly sounds the unplumbed depths of the Cthulhu Mythos to witness visions from which traditional cosmic horror has always averted its dark-adapted gaze.
20 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2013
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About the author
Michael Shea
73 books198 followersFor the British author of thrillers and non-fiction see Michael Shea
Michael Shea (1946-2014) was an American fantasy, horror, and science fiction author who lived in California. He was a multiple winner of the World Fantasy Award and his works include Nifft the Lean (1982) (winner of the World Fantasy Award) and The Mines of Behemoth (1997) (later republished together as The Incomplete Nifft, 2000), as well as The ARak (2000) and In Yana, the Touch of Undying (1985).
Michael Shea (1946-2014) was an American fantasy, horror, and science fiction author who lived in California. He was a multiple winner of the World Fantasy Award and his works include Nifft the Lean (1982) (winner of the World Fantasy Award) and The Mines of Behemoth (1997) (later republished together as The Incomplete Nifft, 2000), as well as The ARak (2000) and In Yana, the Touch of Undying (1985).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 25, 2016
Solid
A very straightforward mythos story, well executed, that starts in the ordinary, goes to the fantastic and ends in the ordinary where it finds confirmation.
A very straightforward mythos story, well executed, that starts in the ordinary, goes to the fantastic and ends in the ordinary where it finds confirmation.
September 26, 2023
A Michael Shea short story that has an electric smooth and oily black feel to it as it pulls you along the narrative. Such a cool piece of writing. I wish I had a smidge the talent Shea had. It makes you feel like you’d “see some shit.”
June 12, 2018
Quick, urban, eldritch.
The pacing is fast and the words luxurious. My first Michael Shea read and I’m not dissatisfied. I only wish there were more to this story.
The pacing is fast and the words luxurious. My first Michael Shea read and I’m not dissatisfied. I only wish there were more to this story.
November 16, 2015
This tale borrows from Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos for ambiance, but falls short in using it to any greater means.
Late night San Francisco convenience store worker Ricky Deuce finds himself defending his till and store against a potentially tweaking homeless guy, Andre, who's armed with a large knife. But Ricky's knife is the only one to draw blood. Then he gives the Andre $10 and a ride in his '65 Mustang into unknown rough neighborhoods and beyond.
Then, things get weird. Starting with Andre now giving Ricky $5000 to drive him further yet to be a "witness" . . .
Ricky's motivations do not follow his created persona nor any sort of city common sense ultimately making him not only an unreliable narrator, but an unbelievable one. The tale was not helped by the heavy-handed descriptions using mollusk and oceanic terms for every object and feature.
This story was included in the anthology The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror: 2010 edited by Paula Guran. I'd previously read and reviewed this author's "Momma Durtt".
Late night San Francisco convenience store worker Ricky Deuce finds himself defending his till and store against a potentially tweaking homeless guy, Andre, who's armed with a large knife. But Ricky's knife is the only one to draw blood. Then he gives the Andre $10 and a ride in his '65 Mustang into unknown rough neighborhoods and beyond.
Then, things get weird. Starting with Andre now giving Ricky $5000 to drive him further yet to be a "witness" . . .
Ricky's motivations do not follow his created persona nor any sort of city common sense ultimately making him not only an unreliable narrator, but an unbelievable one. The tale was not helped by the heavy-handed descriptions using mollusk and oceanic terms for every object and feature.
This story was included in the anthology The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror: 2010 edited by Paula Guran. I'd previously read and reviewed this author's "Momma Durtt".
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews