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Cthulhu Passant
The intricacies of chess meet the matchless Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. Stories of doors, of passages, of patterns. Squares and threats, moves and counter-moves. Forbidden knowledge and cosmic horrors.
... Two young lovers and the hand that plays them
... A man trapped with an unwholesome companion uncovers the secret of a cosmic struggle
... A professor and his protege find themselves pawns on an ancient chessboard
... A young Soviet boy’s chess match holds the fate of his nation in the balance
... A battered woman seeks safety in a shelter, only to find there might be no safety anywhere
Let these five guides to the grotesque lead you into the dank depths of their imagination ... where the monsters lurk.
Featuring interior illustrations by Chaz Kemp.
All proceeds go to benefit programs for battered and abused women.
... Two young lovers and the hand that plays them
... A man trapped with an unwholesome companion uncovers the secret of a cosmic struggle
... A professor and his protege find themselves pawns on an ancient chessboard
... A young Soviet boy’s chess match holds the fate of his nation in the balance
... A battered woman seeks safety in a shelter, only to find there might be no safety anywhere
Let these five guides to the grotesque lead you into the dank depths of their imagination ... where the monsters lurk.
Featuring interior illustrations by Chaz Kemp.
All proceeds go to benefit programs for battered and abused women.
- GenresLovecraftianHorror
82 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2014
1 person is currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Travis Heermann
66 books193 followersTravis Heermann is also known as T. James Logan.
Freelance writer, novelist, award-winning screenwriter, editor, poker player, poet, biker, roustabout, Travis Heermann is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop, a member of the Authors Guild, an Active member of SFWA and the HWA, and the author of The Hammer Falls, The Ronin Trilogy, Rogues of the Black Fury, and co-author of Death Wind. His short fiction appears in anthologies and magazines such as Apex Magazine, Alembical, Blood & Gasoline, BattleTech: Legacy, and many others. As a freelance writer, he has contributed a metric ton of work to such properties as Firefly Roleplaying Game, Legend of Five Rings, EVE Online, and BattleTech.
He enjoys cycling, collecting martial arts styles and belts, torturing young minds with otherworldly ideas, and monsters of every flavor, especially those with a soft, creamy center.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 7, 2014
I received this book through Goodreads first-reads.
This book is a small collection of five stories centered around our favorite Old One, the one and only Cthulhu for some spine-tingling horror.
3.5 stars rounded up.
I have to say I really enjoyed four out of the five stories in this book. The fact that each story incorporates chess into it makes the stories educational as well as thrilling, and it really ties in how much your mind is played with both in the game and with Cthulhu himself.
The first story is a great opener, and has a few pop culture geek references sprinkled in with the story. I felt it really played to a wide spectrum of the geek community, and the chess references were easy to understand as I do not play and only have a very vague concept on how to play (i.e. each peace can only move so many squares and has different ways to move, capture the king to win, call check before checkmate). It was well written and enjoyable overall.
The second story was well done, delving a bit into the madness that Cthulhu brings with him. It was well written with only a few spelling mistakes that didn't really hinder my reading experience.
The third story lost me a bit. The story was a bit too disjointed and was all over the place, the flow was really choppy and I found myself rereading a lot to try and figure out what exactly was happening. It was sort of like two separate stories trying to merge together into one, but lacked cohesiveness. There was far too many grammar/spelling mistakes that halted my reading and just put me off to the story. That being said, however, there was some really brilliant imagery, and I believe that the concept of the story could work if the author found a smoother way to transition between the plots in his story.
The fourth story was brilliantly written with a wonderful twist that left me torn and a bit emotional. There were a few spelling errors here as well, but again it didn't hinder the flow or my reading experience.
The final story was a bit neutral for me, though it was well written with minor spelling errors, it was overall a good story, and a nice end to the collection.
Lastly, I would like to conclude that this book added a chess index in the back of the book for those of us who aren't savvy in the terminology used in the stories. It's well detailed to explain strategies for defense and attack as well as how the pieces move on the board.
I certainly learned a thing or two about chess while reading these stories, and it was rather refreshing to learn something while enjoying a good horror story. I recommend this to any fans of Cthulhu and Lovecraftian lore for a fun read.
Thanks to Travis Heermann for a chance to read and review this book, I certainly enjoyed it!
This book is a small collection of five stories centered around our favorite Old One, the one and only Cthulhu for some spine-tingling horror.
3.5 stars rounded up.
I have to say I really enjoyed four out of the five stories in this book. The fact that each story incorporates chess into it makes the stories educational as well as thrilling, and it really ties in how much your mind is played with both in the game and with Cthulhu himself.
The first story is a great opener, and has a few pop culture geek references sprinkled in with the story. I felt it really played to a wide spectrum of the geek community, and the chess references were easy to understand as I do not play and only have a very vague concept on how to play (i.e. each peace can only move so many squares and has different ways to move, capture the king to win, call check before checkmate). It was well written and enjoyable overall.
The second story was well done, delving a bit into the madness that Cthulhu brings with him. It was well written with only a few spelling mistakes that didn't really hinder my reading experience.
The third story lost me a bit. The story was a bit too disjointed and was all over the place, the flow was really choppy and I found myself rereading a lot to try and figure out what exactly was happening. It was sort of like two separate stories trying to merge together into one, but lacked cohesiveness. There was far too many grammar/spelling mistakes that halted my reading and just put me off to the story. That being said, however, there was some really brilliant imagery, and I believe that the concept of the story could work if the author found a smoother way to transition between the plots in his story.
The fourth story was brilliantly written with a wonderful twist that left me torn and a bit emotional. There were a few spelling errors here as well, but again it didn't hinder the flow or my reading experience.
The final story was a bit neutral for me, though it was well written with minor spelling errors, it was overall a good story, and a nice end to the collection.
Lastly, I would like to conclude that this book added a chess index in the back of the book for those of us who aren't savvy in the terminology used in the stories. It's well detailed to explain strategies for defense and attack as well as how the pieces move on the board.
I certainly learned a thing or two about chess while reading these stories, and it was rather refreshing to learn something while enjoying a good horror story. I recommend this to any fans of Cthulhu and Lovecraftian lore for a fun read.
Thanks to Travis Heermann for a chance to read and review this book, I certainly enjoyed it!
June 11, 2014
I received this book from the giveaway. It completely lived up to its expectation and delivered creepy, interesting, Cthulhu-filled stories. The illustrations are quite lovely as well. I would recommend to any Old Gods fans, regardless of chess knowledge.
October 23, 2014
i got this as a goodreads.com first read giveaway.
Now then, This was a very interesting collection of short stories, each an independant story that varied on the amount that chess was centrally focused in them. It's hard to say much as short stories are more for reading than summarizing, but I found the stories to be very good about drawing me into the settings.
Notably 'The Isolated Pawn' I found to be very interesting while the character was playing himself. I very much like the uplift at the end of 'Patterns of Threat' (I can see how it was chosen as the little contest winner.) Also, there is a nice twist in 'The Final Game of Pripyat'.
'In the Move of Madness' was laid out in an interesting way with the clicking and dripping (that's how I think of the style). "Fried Liver Attack' set an eery setting that I think worked well for the actions in the story.
All together I think the results of five authors deciding to have a go at writing these stories turned out very well, interesting short stories are something I enjoy and I guess if people don't like short stories this might not be for them, but I enjoyed this book and recommend it to others. Plus with the proceeds going to a very good cause it's hard to argue against this being a good read.
Now then, This was a very interesting collection of short stories, each an independant story that varied on the amount that chess was centrally focused in them. It's hard to say much as short stories are more for reading than summarizing, but I found the stories to be very good about drawing me into the settings.
Notably 'The Isolated Pawn' I found to be very interesting while the character was playing himself. I very much like the uplift at the end of 'Patterns of Threat' (I can see how it was chosen as the little contest winner.) Also, there is a nice twist in 'The Final Game of Pripyat'.
'In the Move of Madness' was laid out in an interesting way with the clicking and dripping (that's how I think of the style). "Fried Liver Attack' set an eery setting that I think worked well for the actions in the story.
All together I think the results of five authors deciding to have a go at writing these stories turned out very well, interesting short stories are something I enjoy and I guess if people don't like short stories this might not be for them, but I enjoyed this book and recommend it to others. Plus with the proceeds going to a very good cause it's hard to argue against this being a good read.
October 23, 2014
I received this book for free though GoodReads First Reads.
This is a collection of short stories that further expands the fan-fic universe built around the Lovecraft galaxy of modern ancient gods. Interwoven in each story is the notion that we're all pieces in a giant chessboard.
The stories are pretty good and entertain even without a knowledge of either Lovecraft's oeuvre or chess (though the book helpfully includes an appendix that shows the legal moves for each chess-piece. You'll have to rely on other sources for Cthulhu cliff-notes).
Overall it was a satisfying short read and the illustrations complemented the stories nicely.
This is a collection of short stories that further expands the fan-fic universe built around the Lovecraft galaxy of modern ancient gods. Interwoven in each story is the notion that we're all pieces in a giant chessboard.
The stories are pretty good and entertain even without a knowledge of either Lovecraft's oeuvre or chess (though the book helpfully includes an appendix that shows the legal moves for each chess-piece. You'll have to rely on other sources for Cthulhu cliff-notes).
Overall it was a satisfying short read and the illustrations complemented the stories nicely.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews