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Arkham Horror #25
The Forbidden Visions of Lucius Galloway: An Arkham Horror Novel
An antediluvian tome holds the key to unlocking an otherworldly horror dreaming of Arkham’s fall.
When poet Lucius Galloway is offered a prestigious position translating a mysterious ancient text at Harvard University, he is thrust into an unimagined world of esoteric knowledge, mystical symbols and sanity-shattering nightmares. But Lucius has no idea that his visionary anthology, The Drowned City, has revealed him to be one of the eldritch-touched, and brought him to the attention of the mysterious Abdul Alhazred, whose schemes are even now ensnaring the unwitting scholar. Haunted by dreams of horrors lurking beneath the waves, Lucius must do everything in his power to solve the mystery at the heart of the translation before the hidden figures dogging his footsteps catch up to him and their ominous machinations transform the world forever.
When poet Lucius Galloway is offered a prestigious position translating a mysterious ancient text at Harvard University, he is thrust into an unimagined world of esoteric knowledge, mystical symbols and sanity-shattering nightmares. But Lucius has no idea that his visionary anthology, The Drowned City, has revealed him to be one of the eldritch-touched, and brought him to the attention of the mysterious Abdul Alhazred, whose schemes are even now ensnaring the unwitting scholar. Haunted by dreams of horrors lurking beneath the waves, Lucius must do everything in his power to solve the mystery at the heart of the translation before the hidden figures dogging his footsteps catch up to him and their ominous machinations transform the world forever.
- GenresHorrorLovecraftianEbooks
320 pages, Paperback
Published November 20, 2024
12 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Harris
66 books346 followersCarrie Harris is a geek-of-all-trades and proud of it. Brains are her specialty; she used to work at a lab where they were delivered daily via FedEx. After that, it seemed only natural to write a zombie book. Now she lives in Utah with her ninja-doctor husband and three zombie-obsessed children.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 6, 2025
The atmosphere is really creepy, but Lucius has the same three thoughts constantly and it made for a dull read at times. Really liked the characters too, and hopefully we see the next part of the story from Rudi's view, Lucius is a bore.
October 30, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte Books for an advance copy of this new novel of horror dealing with dreams, possession, the perils of being different in society, those fears we have of things around us, and the dangers that we are better off not knowing about.
Many a writer has drawn on their dreams for their creations. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge dreamed of a stately pleasure dome in Xanadu, though it was stopped by a knock on the door from a weary traveller. Mary Shelley dreamed of a person returned from the dead using the modern fire of electricity, a story that still haunts us today. Robert Louis Stevenson dreamed of a man with two personas good and the debased evil that we keep within us, Hyde away deep inside. Many a songwriter draws on dreams, singing of beautiful worlds, edens from the past, familiar, yet somewhat disquieting. Dreams can tell us much, much about ourselves, our wants desires, and what we should stay away from. Reminding people that things did come before us, Older ones. Older ones who remember the old ways, and long to return this world back into what they knew best. And maybe what they need is a dreamer, a poet to lead the way. The Forbidden Visions of Lucius Galloway, book one of the The Drowned City is part of the Arkham Horror series, written by Carrie Harris, and tells of a poet, his many fears, his dreams, and the odd things that seem to follow him as he attempts to translate an ancient text.
Lucius Galloway has always wanted to be a writer, and has finally late in life found acclaim for his poetry. Lucius plagued with headaches, a fear of water, motion sickness, and the strain of being a black man in 1920's America, who also happens to be gay, has just won the Howard prize for poetry. The book Drowned City seemed to have come to him much in dreams, dreams that still bother him, and seem to have migrated to his boyfriend Rudi, giving Rudi horrible nightmares and sent him sleepwalking out into the streets of New York. An offer comes to Lucius to help a scholar Helen Berringer translate a rare manuscript that has just been offered to Harvard. Being a woman, many of the libraries and colleges services are barred to woman, something Lucius can understand. Lucius agrees and travels to Harvard, meets Helen who he finds quite smart and knowledgeable and begins to work on this translation. The pages are unbound, full of strange words, pictures, of lost buildings and ideas, much of which reminds him of his own work the Drowned City. Things also seem odd in Harvard. Lucius has many strange incidents in water, people seem to be following him, his sleep is disrupted, and work seems to be done without him knowing it. Strange shadows seem around, as well as smells. Lucius is afraid he might be losing his mind, or at least he hopes he is. For what is happening might be far worse.
Another great entry in this series, made better by the fact that it is written by an author I have enjoyed quite a bit. Carrie Harris has a very good understanding of the lore that Lovecraft created, dropping little Easter eggs in places, and getting the feeling right. Moving the story to Boston was a good idea, as it limits the people who are probably familiar with the usual eldritch lore, and giving a better feeling to what the 1920's was like to black men and women in the halls of elite education. Harris understands that creepy is better than jump scares, and Harris does this well, keeping the story moving, reveling secrets slowly, and letting things breath, before the ichor starts to flow. The characters are all interesting and well-developed, the bad guys bad, the good guys confused, and the threats real. Not just a good Arkham novel, but a very good horror novel period.
Fans will enjoy this, and will as forward to more as I am. I can't wait to read what Carrie Harris does next.
Many a writer has drawn on their dreams for their creations. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge dreamed of a stately pleasure dome in Xanadu, though it was stopped by a knock on the door from a weary traveller. Mary Shelley dreamed of a person returned from the dead using the modern fire of electricity, a story that still haunts us today. Robert Louis Stevenson dreamed of a man with two personas good and the debased evil that we keep within us, Hyde away deep inside. Many a songwriter draws on dreams, singing of beautiful worlds, edens from the past, familiar, yet somewhat disquieting. Dreams can tell us much, much about ourselves, our wants desires, and what we should stay away from. Reminding people that things did come before us, Older ones. Older ones who remember the old ways, and long to return this world back into what they knew best. And maybe what they need is a dreamer, a poet to lead the way. The Forbidden Visions of Lucius Galloway, book one of the The Drowned City is part of the Arkham Horror series, written by Carrie Harris, and tells of a poet, his many fears, his dreams, and the odd things that seem to follow him as he attempts to translate an ancient text.
Lucius Galloway has always wanted to be a writer, and has finally late in life found acclaim for his poetry. Lucius plagued with headaches, a fear of water, motion sickness, and the strain of being a black man in 1920's America, who also happens to be gay, has just won the Howard prize for poetry. The book Drowned City seemed to have come to him much in dreams, dreams that still bother him, and seem to have migrated to his boyfriend Rudi, giving Rudi horrible nightmares and sent him sleepwalking out into the streets of New York. An offer comes to Lucius to help a scholar Helen Berringer translate a rare manuscript that has just been offered to Harvard. Being a woman, many of the libraries and colleges services are barred to woman, something Lucius can understand. Lucius agrees and travels to Harvard, meets Helen who he finds quite smart and knowledgeable and begins to work on this translation. The pages are unbound, full of strange words, pictures, of lost buildings and ideas, much of which reminds him of his own work the Drowned City. Things also seem odd in Harvard. Lucius has many strange incidents in water, people seem to be following him, his sleep is disrupted, and work seems to be done without him knowing it. Strange shadows seem around, as well as smells. Lucius is afraid he might be losing his mind, or at least he hopes he is. For what is happening might be far worse.
Another great entry in this series, made better by the fact that it is written by an author I have enjoyed quite a bit. Carrie Harris has a very good understanding of the lore that Lovecraft created, dropping little Easter eggs in places, and getting the feeling right. Moving the story to Boston was a good idea, as it limits the people who are probably familiar with the usual eldritch lore, and giving a better feeling to what the 1920's was like to black men and women in the halls of elite education. Harris understands that creepy is better than jump scares, and Harris does this well, keeping the story moving, reveling secrets slowly, and letting things breath, before the ichor starts to flow. The characters are all interesting and well-developed, the bad guys bad, the good guys confused, and the threats real. Not just a good Arkham novel, but a very good horror novel period.
Fans will enjoy this, and will as forward to more as I am. I can't wait to read what Carrie Harris does next.
November 8, 2024
The Forbidden Visions of Lucius Galloway is a slow-burn horror, less pulp and more the type of horror actually written by Lovecraft and his contemporaries, where half of it is just daily life with nightmares but you as the reader are becoming more and more aware of all of the things horribly wrong and feeling greater and greater dread. It's incredibly well-written and extremely engaging. I do think that perhaps it could have been a touch shorter; there are parts of it that retreat the same ground narratively and emotionally a few times, but none that actually interfered with my enjoyment. There was one part of the mystery I felt a little lied to about by the narrative, but again, not so much I couldn't find my own explanation for it. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
I truly and deeply appreciate the Arkham Horror authors, and Aconyte Books, for making a noted effort to make the majority of their books reflect a diverse experience. There is an appeal especially in Lovecraftian horror to minorities--ironically, maybe, given Lovecraft's overwhelming fear of both visible and invisible minorities, but as a whole while nobody excuses Lovecraft's bigotry (terrible even for his time period), he still wrote books that spoke to an experience of being othered. As a queer person, I understand that pervasive fear of being in danger from the people around you while also a sense of awareness that they are the ones who are likely to hate and fear you for being different; this is integral to reading Lovecraft's work, and a huge reason why it has such an appeal despite its cruelty, and why there is such a huge surge in reclamation works from non-white, female, and queer authors. Arkham Horror as a line seems to get this, and numerous books I've read from them call on this experience. In this case, Lucius is a mid-60s gay Black academic, and every part of this is tied into the story; he has to be secretive about his relationship with his 'roommate' (given the time period) and he has to tangle with not knowing if people around him are being weird in a way that relates to the nightmares he's having, or simply if they're prejudiced against having a Black man visiting Harvard. It's stunningly effective and really speaks toward both that genre trend and makes the story work VERY well.
Great characters, stunning writing, a chilling slow-burn horror. I will definitely pick up the next book when it comes out; I'm very worried about poor Rudi!
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I truly and deeply appreciate the Arkham Horror authors, and Aconyte Books, for making a noted effort to make the majority of their books reflect a diverse experience. There is an appeal especially in Lovecraftian horror to minorities--ironically, maybe, given Lovecraft's overwhelming fear of both visible and invisible minorities, but as a whole while nobody excuses Lovecraft's bigotry (terrible even for his time period), he still wrote books that spoke to an experience of being othered. As a queer person, I understand that pervasive fear of being in danger from the people around you while also a sense of awareness that they are the ones who are likely to hate and fear you for being different; this is integral to reading Lovecraft's work, and a huge reason why it has such an appeal despite its cruelty, and why there is such a huge surge in reclamation works from non-white, female, and queer authors. Arkham Horror as a line seems to get this, and numerous books I've read from them call on this experience. In this case, Lucius is a mid-60s gay Black academic, and every part of this is tied into the story; he has to be secretive about his relationship with his 'roommate' (given the time period) and he has to tangle with not knowing if people around him are being weird in a way that relates to the nightmares he's having, or simply if they're prejudiced against having a Black man visiting Harvard. It's stunningly effective and really speaks toward both that genre trend and makes the story work VERY well.
Great characters, stunning writing, a chilling slow-burn horror. I will definitely pick up the next book when it comes out; I'm very worried about poor Rudi!
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 27, 2024
Another great title from my favourite Arkham publisher right now, plus one of my must-buy authors... Happy days!
This is such a unique book in terms of Lovecraftian mythology and horror fiction as a whole. Our protagonist is a black man in his 60s, a poet and academic who is forced to hide his homosexuality because of the world he lives in, which is the 'rational world', not the monstrous one of his dreams. The baseline sorrow that he's unable to openly love his partner was a beautiful thread throughout, as a touchstone back to 'reality' until he's fully pulled into the otherworldly horrors. I've no doubt this will continue in future tales, as several matters were left unresolved, and I'd certainly be glad to see more of this relationship.
Also, having a heroine who's a feisty academic old lady was just a joy for me! I've known so many historians and archaeologists like this, it was wonderful. I'd love a prequel about her adventures perhaps? Such a brilliant alternative to Indiana Jones!
The story was gripping in itself as events gradually unfold and secrets are revealed (I did NOT see the twist, oh my gods, my heart), and having the Mad Arab himself as an occasional perspective was stunning. The Great Old Ones are usually 'offscreen' in these stories, and he's always seemed to count among them, but to see his thoughts, his psychopathy and a little background to his evil was fascinating. I still hate him though, as he really is a proper baddie!
The subtext of being gay, being black and being female was very telling, as so many heroes in Lovecraft (if not all of them?) are white middle-class men, and all of these class restrictions made for additional difficulties when trying to survive and understand just what's going on. Very natural and excellent to see.
We might not have been in Arkham itself, but this book showed how far the tentacles of Cthulu and his ilk reach. There's so much potential in the tales, and I'm so very appreciative that this series is mining the variety of both humanity and monstrosity in how their eternal battle continues.
I've seen what's coming next and already can't wait!
I was kindly sent an early copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are my own.
This is such a unique book in terms of Lovecraftian mythology and horror fiction as a whole. Our protagonist is a black man in his 60s, a poet and academic who is forced to hide his homosexuality because of the world he lives in, which is the 'rational world', not the monstrous one of his dreams. The baseline sorrow that he's unable to openly love his partner was a beautiful thread throughout, as a touchstone back to 'reality' until he's fully pulled into the otherworldly horrors. I've no doubt this will continue in future tales, as several matters were left unresolved, and I'd certainly be glad to see more of this relationship.
Also, having a heroine who's a feisty academic old lady was just a joy for me! I've known so many historians and archaeologists like this, it was wonderful. I'd love a prequel about her adventures perhaps? Such a brilliant alternative to Indiana Jones!
The story was gripping in itself as events gradually unfold and secrets are revealed (I did NOT see the twist, oh my gods, my heart), and having the Mad Arab himself as an occasional perspective was stunning. The Great Old Ones are usually 'offscreen' in these stories, and he's always seemed to count among them, but to see his thoughts, his psychopathy and a little background to his evil was fascinating. I still hate him though, as he really is a proper baddie!
The subtext of being gay, being black and being female was very telling, as so many heroes in Lovecraft (if not all of them?) are white middle-class men, and all of these class restrictions made for additional difficulties when trying to survive and understand just what's going on. Very natural and excellent to see.
We might not have been in Arkham itself, but this book showed how far the tentacles of Cthulu and his ilk reach. There's so much potential in the tales, and I'm so very appreciative that this series is mining the variety of both humanity and monstrosity in how their eternal battle continues.
I've seen what's coming next and already can't wait!
I was kindly sent an early copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are my own.
November 13, 2024
Oooh this was creepy! The insidious way the main character was watched and manipulated was unnerving!
I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author and the publisher.
This was a great addition to the Arkham Horror world! This is about the translation of an ancient text which has driven earlier translators max, this time a translator is paired with a poet to spread the cognitive load in the hope that they will succeed, though they don’t actually know what they truly hold or who they are working for.
Our main character Lucius is offered a post at Harvard to help with the translation of the text. Lucius is a wonderful main character. He’s so fascinating. He is a sixty year old man who is deeply in love with Rudi, his partner of many years but they have to hide their relationship due to intolerance of the time period. Furthermore he faces intolerance due to his skin colour which leads to people treating him unfairly and with suspicion. We see him being kind and courteous even in the face of other people’s intolerance. He’s truly brave and caring too. When he tries to face his fear of deep water in spite of terrifying experiences, we see his open mind and courage.
A big theme throughout this book is nightmares, Lucius’ partner suffers from them and the further Lucius gets into his work, the worse his become too. We see horror from multiple angles with this work, from human prejudice, to vivid nightmares and a dangerous being. This was entertaining and a great read.
I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author and the publisher.
This was a great addition to the Arkham Horror world! This is about the translation of an ancient text which has driven earlier translators max, this time a translator is paired with a poet to spread the cognitive load in the hope that they will succeed, though they don’t actually know what they truly hold or who they are working for.
Our main character Lucius is offered a post at Harvard to help with the translation of the text. Lucius is a wonderful main character. He’s so fascinating. He is a sixty year old man who is deeply in love with Rudi, his partner of many years but they have to hide their relationship due to intolerance of the time period. Furthermore he faces intolerance due to his skin colour which leads to people treating him unfairly and with suspicion. We see him being kind and courteous even in the face of other people’s intolerance. He’s truly brave and caring too. When he tries to face his fear of deep water in spite of terrifying experiences, we see his open mind and courage.
A big theme throughout this book is nightmares, Lucius’ partner suffers from them and the further Lucius gets into his work, the worse his become too. We see horror from multiple angles with this work, from human prejudice, to vivid nightmares and a dangerous being. This was entertaining and a great read.
June 21, 2025
This is a slow book and for a while I wasn’t sure if I was able to get into it. The first chapter grabbed me, and then not much happened for a while. The scene is set slowly and carefully and is well worth the time, but once Lucius and Helen grabbed me, I was hooked. The dialogue, and the banter especially, is very well written and witty to boot. I couldn’t help but laugh at some of their back and forth comments.
Once the titular visions begin, the true Lovecraftian feel comes in and it all works very nicely. I don’t want to say much because I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but it all fits the mythos perfectly and as a fan of Lovecraft, this scratched an itch that was well in need of scratching.
The whole book moved along at a nice pace and I looked forwards to my evening post-work reading sessions with this one. While the twist wasn’t exactly unforeseen, it was handled well and I enjoyed it. The ending leaves us open to more stories, as well as nodding at the game. I don’t play the game so I’m hoping we get to see the characters in this book in future books because it would be a pity not to be able to read more about them.
Overall, if you like Lovecraft, Arkham Horror, or just like the sound of the blurb, I can definitely recommend this book.
-1 star for the somewhat expected twist and a bit of an abrupt ending.
Once the titular visions begin, the true Lovecraftian feel comes in and it all works very nicely. I don’t want to say much because I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but it all fits the mythos perfectly and as a fan of Lovecraft, this scratched an itch that was well in need of scratching.
The whole book moved along at a nice pace and I looked forwards to my evening post-work reading sessions with this one. While the twist wasn’t exactly unforeseen, it was handled well and I enjoyed it. The ending leaves us open to more stories, as well as nodding at the game. I don’t play the game so I’m hoping we get to see the characters in this book in future books because it would be a pity not to be able to read more about them.
Overall, if you like Lovecraft, Arkham Horror, or just like the sound of the blurb, I can definitely recommend this book.
-1 star for the somewhat expected twist and a bit of an abrupt ending.
November 26, 2024
Received as an ARC from Netgalley:
This was another excellent entry into the Arkham Horror line with a unique perspective and a very tense ending. This book plays around a lot with dream logic and obsession which fits the world extremely well.
Our lead characters are all much older than the normal leads of most fiction. Lucius is in his 60s and as such he isn't the rip roaring hero of most pulp. Making him a queer black man makes this something Ole HP would never tackle. The characters are incredibly well drawn and likeable. The pace is a bit slower, but that works well for the story being told.
Many book spaces have had this erroneous claim lately that reading isn't political and a book like this perfectly highlights why YES IT VERY MUCH IS. In the 1920s women had to fight in order to get access to academic circles, being able to get into certain libraries were restricted, and the same of course for people of colour in the era.
Great cosmic horror tale!
This was another excellent entry into the Arkham Horror line with a unique perspective and a very tense ending. This book plays around a lot with dream logic and obsession which fits the world extremely well.
Our lead characters are all much older than the normal leads of most fiction. Lucius is in his 60s and as such he isn't the rip roaring hero of most pulp. Making him a queer black man makes this something Ole HP would never tackle. The characters are incredibly well drawn and likeable. The pace is a bit slower, but that works well for the story being told.
Many book spaces have had this erroneous claim lately that reading isn't political and a book like this perfectly highlights why YES IT VERY MUCH IS. In the 1920s women had to fight in order to get access to academic circles, being able to get into certain libraries were restricted, and the same of course for people of colour in the era.
Great cosmic horror tale!
November 11, 2024
As a writer for the Arkham Horror line, it's always fun to read what other people do with the setting and characters. Carrie is a marvelous writer (see her Marvel novels for the same publisher and forgive the pun). In this story, she introduces a new AH investigator, the poet Lucius Galloway, and a number of watery horrors. Also she plays a very cunning game of hide the villain. Will you spot the real cause of all the trouble before Lucius?
Please note I received an early ebook version of this novel. Looking forward to acquiring the paperback with the fabulous cover shown here.
Please note I received an early ebook version of this novel. Looking forward to acquiring the paperback with the fabulous cover shown here.
November 13, 2024
slowbrun and ominous horror with a lot of very well done buildup to the more dramatic scenes that appear at different points. 4.5 stars, rounded up. tysm for the arc.
November 18, 2024
ARC from Netgalley.
I really liked the development of Abdul Alhazred as a character. The book did feel a little too passive; I kept waiting for things to amp up.
I really liked the development of Abdul Alhazred as a character. The book did feel a little too passive; I kept waiting for things to amp up.
December 28, 2024
A great set up novel for a new Arkham Horror series from Aconyte Books! This includes tons of great details throughout that ends with a great payoff in Lucious Galloway’s journey.
June 23, 2025
It’s solid Arkham Horror Book. I liked the idea of a gay black man in 1920’s America. At first I thought the idea was odd as wouldn’t he be out of place but on reading up there was a growing culture at the time, albeit underground. It proved a useful plot device to isolate the character in his most vulnerable times making his plight more serious. What is more horrifying than having bad things happen and everyone around you being hostile. Good use of water based horror which made me think as I had not considered how sinister water could be.
I felt that the author could have built up more tension in the book at times but it was overall an enjoyable read. I know it’s mysterious horror and there is a second book but it does end with several major threads left hanging so hopefully that is covered off by book 2.
Definitely worth a read.
I felt that the author could have built up more tension in the book at times but it was overall an enjoyable read. I know it’s mysterious horror and there is a second book but it does end with several major threads left hanging so hopefully that is covered off by book 2.
Definitely worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews