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The Drowned City #2
The Nightmare Quest of April May: An Arkham Horror Novel
A sickness haunts the dreams of Arkham’s citizens – something deep in the Dreamlands is rising… return to Arkham Horror’s The Drowned City in this daring adventure.
April May is convinced she has the worst job at the Arkham placing adverts for lost dogs is about as tedious as it gets! The only thing that alleviates her boredom is her fantasies of pulp adventures. But when her best friend succumbs to a mysterious unwakeable sleep, she realizes the city is sleepwalking towards something terrible. It’s been raining for days and the Miskatonic River is rising to dangerous levels. Arkham grinds to a halt as its population falls into a deep sleep. Under cover of these apparently unrelated disasters, shadowy forces move to usher in something truly nightmarish. With the aid of psychologist Carolyn Fern and Professor Harvey Walters, April May must venture into the strange realms of the Dreamlands, where a man in a golden mask holds the key to rousing the city from its collective nightmare. But for Arkham, the waters continue to rise, and it’s closer than ever to the manifestation of something that no one can wake from.
April May is convinced she has the worst job at the Arkham placing adverts for lost dogs is about as tedious as it gets! The only thing that alleviates her boredom is her fantasies of pulp adventures. But when her best friend succumbs to a mysterious unwakeable sleep, she realizes the city is sleepwalking towards something terrible. It’s been raining for days and the Miskatonic River is rising to dangerous levels. Arkham grinds to a halt as its population falls into a deep sleep. Under cover of these apparently unrelated disasters, shadowy forces move to usher in something truly nightmarish. With the aid of psychologist Carolyn Fern and Professor Harvey Walters, April May must venture into the strange realms of the Dreamlands, where a man in a golden mask holds the key to rousing the city from its collective nightmare. But for Arkham, the waters continue to rise, and it’s closer than ever to the manifestation of something that no one can wake from.
- GenresHorror
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 2025
8 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Jones
60 books77 followersPlunged into the Roaring Twenties for the Arkham Horror titles Mask of Silver and its sequels The Deadly Grimoire and The Bootlegger's Dance. A new sequence begins with The Nightmare Quest of April May and The Arcane Gamble of Harvey Waltersin 2025. I've written novels set in the Forgotten Realms, City of the Dead and Crypt of the Moaning Diamond, as well as several short stories and novella Cold Steel and Secrets set in this Dungeons & Dragons world. When not battling cosmic horrors, animated skeletons, and other supernatural foes, I'm authoring tales of Cobalt City, a place of superheroes, super villains, and regular joes just trying to get by. A new expanded edition of Wrecker of Engines and related short stories was issued in 2024.
My other science fiction and fantasy short stories appear in various anthologies. The complete list on my website at rosemaryjones.com.
As the co-author of the Encyclopedia of Collectible Childrens Books, I spent many years collecting and often dip back into these treasures for my own pleasure and entertainment. I currently share my home with 2,000+ volumes, not all cataloged here.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
My other science fiction and fantasy short stories appear in various anthologies. The complete list on my website at rosemaryjones.com.
As the co-author of the Encyclopedia of Collectible Childrens Books, I spent many years collecting and often dip back into these treasures for my own pleasure and entertainment. I currently share my home with 2,000+ volumes, not all cataloged here.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 22, 2025
Oh, this was DELIGHTFUL.
I was a little sad to see that the second Drowned City book didn't include Lucius and Rudi, though I imagine we'll see them again in the third one. This one was written with a lot of building dread, a fantastic set of characters (I genuinely loved April May especially), and a fascinating way to tie together the Dreamlands and Cthulhu's awakening. It felt incredibly grounded in the world with the pulp stories and films and all that. Great writing, a strong narrative throughline with a good sense of when to cut to new characters and new scenes, though everything seemed to be happening all at once toward the end and I think we could have heard about some of the new characters there a bit earlier to help tie them in earlier in the story, even if their use didn't pop off until later. Nevertheless, I wasn't lost when they all went off all at once, and how some of the parts clicked together were simply incredibly satisfying.
I do wish
Thank you to Aconyte and to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was a little sad to see that the second Drowned City book didn't include Lucius and Rudi, though I imagine we'll see them again in the third one. This one was written with a lot of building dread, a fantastic set of characters (I genuinely loved April May especially), and a fascinating way to tie together the Dreamlands and Cthulhu's awakening. It felt incredibly grounded in the world with the pulp stories and films and all that. Great writing, a strong narrative throughline with a good sense of when to cut to new characters and new scenes, though everything seemed to be happening all at once toward the end and I think we could have heard about some of the new characters there a bit earlier to help tie them in earlier in the story, even if their use didn't pop off until later. Nevertheless, I wasn't lost when they all went off all at once, and how some of the parts clicked together were simply incredibly satisfying.
I do wish
Thank you to Aconyte and to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 1, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for an advance copy of this novel, the second in a series about a plague of illness that descends on the town of Arkham, Massachusetts, one that makes people sleep, trapped in nightmares that can be used to deluge the world in horror and destruction.
Sleep and I have never been boon companions. My mother called me a colicky child, one that fussed being laid down, kicked away blankets, climbed out of cribs, and would force my parents to take midnight rides to get me to sleep, usually when my father had found a great parking spot outside our apartment. My father had another name for me when not sleeping, something not used in polite society. In addition to my getting to sleep problems, I am a lucid dreamer who, as much as I remember has always had long convoluted dreams, usually weird, occasionally violent, many times just depressing. Funerals for family, friends declaring their hatred at me, bones coming out of my body, living in a yurt in the woods, chased by robots. The Dreamlands and I have agreed to disagree, for probably all my life. That's probably why I found this tale so disturbing, so uncomfortable. The idea of being trapped in my dreams really does fill me with fear .Add in other elements and one has a very good tale, guaranteed to ruin sleep for many. The Nightmare Quest of April May: An Arkham Horror Novel by Rosemary Jones is a story about a city filling with water, sleepers not awaking and Elder Gods turning their eyes to our mortal plain, and thinking the time might be now to visit.
April May is working at the Arkham Advertiser, the newspaper of record for Arkham, Massachusetts, answering phones at the classified desk. This is not her dream job, but it beats working in her uncle's store, though her dream is to be a painter. May and her best friend from kindergarten Nella, share a dream. To go to Paris, and live the life they want to live, but for now May places ads in the newspaper. And business is good. There seems to be a lot of missing dogs in town, and a call from a psychologist brings even more information. There seems to be a lot of people having nightmares in town. Dark ideas making it hard for people to sleep. May herself has had odd dreams, of a tower with a man in a golden mask, trying to tell her something. Soon the nightmares are replaced with somethings worse, people are falling asleep and not waking up. The hospitals are overwhelmed with sleepers, just as the rain comes. A deluge that might soon flood the town. May can sense something wrong, a feeling felt by others in the town, but somehow important facts are forgotten, like dreams upon awakening. As the waters run, people keep sleeping, dogs keep disappearing, May has to trust in something she fears most to free her friends from a never ending sleep.
Another great entry in a series that has become my favorite. I love the Aconyte line of stories for both the authors and the diversity they bring to the stories. Diversity I know that H. P. Lovecraft would have hated. The story is well done, eerie, spooky unsettling. The added danger to animals, adds something special to the story. There is a good mix of magic, esoteric knowledge and discussions on cake, which I also liked. Rosemary Jones is a very good writer, one I have read a bit before, and Jones can create characters that one cares about. Also Jones has a good ear and feeling for the era, dropping in a lot of stories and authors from the 20's and adding to the story's atmosphere. And I will again mention its a spooky, scary fun story.
This is the second in a series called The Drowned City series, but on does not have to have read the first one to understand it. Though one should, as it was good, as are all the books in this series. I quite enjoyed this one, and look forward to more by Rosemary Jones.
Sleep and I have never been boon companions. My mother called me a colicky child, one that fussed being laid down, kicked away blankets, climbed out of cribs, and would force my parents to take midnight rides to get me to sleep, usually when my father had found a great parking spot outside our apartment. My father had another name for me when not sleeping, something not used in polite society. In addition to my getting to sleep problems, I am a lucid dreamer who, as much as I remember has always had long convoluted dreams, usually weird, occasionally violent, many times just depressing. Funerals for family, friends declaring their hatred at me, bones coming out of my body, living in a yurt in the woods, chased by robots. The Dreamlands and I have agreed to disagree, for probably all my life. That's probably why I found this tale so disturbing, so uncomfortable. The idea of being trapped in my dreams really does fill me with fear .Add in other elements and one has a very good tale, guaranteed to ruin sleep for many. The Nightmare Quest of April May: An Arkham Horror Novel by Rosemary Jones is a story about a city filling with water, sleepers not awaking and Elder Gods turning their eyes to our mortal plain, and thinking the time might be now to visit.
April May is working at the Arkham Advertiser, the newspaper of record for Arkham, Massachusetts, answering phones at the classified desk. This is not her dream job, but it beats working in her uncle's store, though her dream is to be a painter. May and her best friend from kindergarten Nella, share a dream. To go to Paris, and live the life they want to live, but for now May places ads in the newspaper. And business is good. There seems to be a lot of missing dogs in town, and a call from a psychologist brings even more information. There seems to be a lot of people having nightmares in town. Dark ideas making it hard for people to sleep. May herself has had odd dreams, of a tower with a man in a golden mask, trying to tell her something. Soon the nightmares are replaced with somethings worse, people are falling asleep and not waking up. The hospitals are overwhelmed with sleepers, just as the rain comes. A deluge that might soon flood the town. May can sense something wrong, a feeling felt by others in the town, but somehow important facts are forgotten, like dreams upon awakening. As the waters run, people keep sleeping, dogs keep disappearing, May has to trust in something she fears most to free her friends from a never ending sleep.
Another great entry in a series that has become my favorite. I love the Aconyte line of stories for both the authors and the diversity they bring to the stories. Diversity I know that H. P. Lovecraft would have hated. The story is well done, eerie, spooky unsettling. The added danger to animals, adds something special to the story. There is a good mix of magic, esoteric knowledge and discussions on cake, which I also liked. Rosemary Jones is a very good writer, one I have read a bit before, and Jones can create characters that one cares about. Also Jones has a good ear and feeling for the era, dropping in a lot of stories and authors from the 20's and adding to the story's atmosphere. And I will again mention its a spooky, scary fun story.
This is the second in a series called The Drowned City series, but on does not have to have read the first one to understand it. Though one should, as it was good, as are all the books in this series. I quite enjoyed this one, and look forward to more by Rosemary Jones.
Read
June 24, 2025This is the second book in The Drowned City series, the sequel to The Forbidden Visions of Lucius Galloway. There is a strong theme of dreams in Arkham Horror anyway, and it’s particularly well delivered in these novels. I tend to find books about dreams intriguing. The possibilities are almost endless, bound only by an author’s imagination and their ability to take the reader with them into the realm of the bizarre.
In this book, the main character, April May (I just love that name!), isn’t exactly living her dream. She wants to be a painter, but instead, she works at a newspaper, where she notices a definite uptick in dark dreams and darker doings. May ends up traveling into the Dreamlands in an attempt to find a solution before it’s too late.
This bizarre premise is helped along by May’s character. She’s delightful! Add in Professor Harvey Walters and the psychologist Carolyn Fern, and you have a fun character dynamic. The author uses May in particular to navigate the reader through a world that might otherwise be just too strange to follow.
Because Arkham Horror is strange. It’s both off-putting and strangely compelling, and when it’s well-written, as it is in The Nightmare Quest of April May, it’s loads and loads of fun. If you enjoy adventure with an extra level of eerie, this series is for you.
Full review: https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.hom...
In this book, the main character, April May (I just love that name!), isn’t exactly living her dream. She wants to be a painter, but instead, she works at a newspaper, where she notices a definite uptick in dark dreams and darker doings. May ends up traveling into the Dreamlands in an attempt to find a solution before it’s too late.
This bizarre premise is helped along by May’s character. She’s delightful! Add in Professor Harvey Walters and the psychologist Carolyn Fern, and you have a fun character dynamic. The author uses May in particular to navigate the reader through a world that might otherwise be just too strange to follow.
Because Arkham Horror is strange. It’s both off-putting and strangely compelling, and when it’s well-written, as it is in The Nightmare Quest of April May, it’s loads and loads of fun. If you enjoy adventure with an extra level of eerie, this series is for you.
Full review: https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.hom...
March 20, 2025
I have read all of the Arkham Horror novels that Aconyte have put out and I have to say that they all excel at capturing some part of the games and lore. Rosemary Jones has had some wonderful runs in this series and I have to say that I think this may be my favourite to date. Capturing the lore and feel of the games with elements of historical realism.
As always the plot is a perfect mix of horrors, psychological thriller and action. You are pulled into the world of Arkham Horror and not let go until the end. The pace is fantastic and leads us on a wonderful tore of the ‘new’ realm the Dreamlands. If you are a fan of previous works by Aconyte or the games this is a must read. While it is set somewhat between previous works it can be read without prior knowledge from those books too. Another brilliant hit from Aconyte.
As always thank you to Aconyte Books for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.
As always the plot is a perfect mix of horrors, psychological thriller and action. You are pulled into the world of Arkham Horror and not let go until the end. The pace is fantastic and leads us on a wonderful tore of the ‘new’ realm the Dreamlands. If you are a fan of previous works by Aconyte or the games this is a must read. While it is set somewhat between previous works it can be read without prior knowledge from those books too. Another brilliant hit from Aconyte.
As always thank you to Aconyte Books for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.
March 27, 2025
I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review
This was such a fun read! I grew up with Lovecraft, my dad would read me stories as bedtime stories and whatnot. This was such a fun read that included tales of Lovecraft you know, Cthulhu. Innsmouth, as well as Chambers' The King in Yellow. I loved reading the story through April May's POV especially, it was so interesting seeing the world of Lovecraftian horrors through her eyes. Of course, I also loved Lefty as well as Harvey and everyone else. It was so refreshing to be in the world of Arkham and Innsmouth, but written modern day so not as hard to read and written by someone with such... extremely problematic views as Lovecraft. I really enjoyed this book and it's a great way to get into Lovecraft if you're someone who struggles reading Lovecraft's actual works.
This was such a fun read! I grew up with Lovecraft, my dad would read me stories as bedtime stories and whatnot. This was such a fun read that included tales of Lovecraft you know, Cthulhu. Innsmouth, as well as Chambers' The King in Yellow. I loved reading the story through April May's POV especially, it was so interesting seeing the world of Lovecraftian horrors through her eyes. Of course, I also loved Lefty as well as Harvey and everyone else. It was so refreshing to be in the world of Arkham and Innsmouth, but written modern day so not as hard to read and written by someone with such... extremely problematic views as Lovecraft. I really enjoyed this book and it's a great way to get into Lovecraft if you're someone who struggles reading Lovecraft's actual works.
January 29, 2026
I am a fan of HPL's Dreamlands, which drew me to this title. There was some Dreamlands stuff, but it was not a very large part of the plot, which was slightly disappointing. This is part of the Arkham Horror series, but it wasn't very horror-y. There was no sense of dread and terrible things about to happen. If you're after horror, this isn't it.
What it was, was pulp-y. You knew the good guys were going to win, and win they did with no losses. I'm okay with that. The time period was wonderfully portrayed and Arkham took shape as a real place that lived and breathed. The characters were wonderful and real. Loved it. I am much more a pulp fan than a horror fan, myself, so it played into my wheelhouse. I will pick up more of these for sure.
What it was, was pulp-y. You knew the good guys were going to win, and win they did with no losses. I'm okay with that. The time period was wonderfully portrayed and Arkham took shape as a real place that lived and breathed. The characters were wonderful and real. Loved it. I am much more a pulp fan than a horror fan, myself, so it played into my wheelhouse. I will pick up more of these for sure.
April 24, 2025
Aconyte's Arkham Horror series is always fantastic, centering characters that Lovecraft himself likely would have written off as alien horrors rather than compelling heroes. April May is a wonderful addition to the roster, delving deep into Arkham's nightmarish history as she finds her place in American society. While The Nightmare Quest of April May leaves some questions unanswered and several dark sorts active in the wider world, the story never feels rushed or truncated. It comes to a satisfying conclusion while still leaving some threads untucked, hinting at more dark activities to come.
June 18, 2025
Another in the Arkham Horror series. Features Harvey Walters and Carolyn Fern from the game. The main story revolves around April May who works in the news paper. Everyone is falling asleep including her best friend. Now she needs to unravel the mystery.
Arkham Horror doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s an adventure of mystical horror with plucky characters. Nice light read which is great if you want something to read after a hard day at work.
It’s marked as book 2 in The Drowned City series but it is completely stand alone and so you don’t need to read book 1 to enjoy this.
Arkham Horror doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s an adventure of mystical horror with plucky characters. Nice light read which is great if you want something to read after a hard day at work.
It’s marked as book 2 in The Drowned City series but it is completely stand alone and so you don’t need to read book 1 to enjoy this.
August 11, 2025
Received as an ARC from Netgalley:
Rosemary Jones continues to deliver great stories set in the Arkham Horror universe. This one in particular has a super intriguing plot and a bevy of fascinating characters to explore.
The story taking place during an oncoming flood gave the book a very cool feel and really brought the world to life as you deceiver how everyone is going to prepare for this natural disaster.
The Arkham Horror line never fails to deliver a good book and this one fits right alongside the rest of their catalog.
Rosemary Jones continues to deliver great stories set in the Arkham Horror universe. This one in particular has a super intriguing plot and a bevy of fascinating characters to explore.
The story taking place during an oncoming flood gave the book a very cool feel and really brought the world to life as you deceiver how everyone is going to prepare for this natural disaster.
The Arkham Horror line never fails to deliver a good book and this one fits right alongside the rest of their catalog.
February 5, 2025
Arc from Netgalley.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. However, the ending left a bit to be desired, and the epilogue felt a little tacked on. I could have done without it.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. However, the ending left a bit to be desired, and the epilogue felt a little tacked on. I could have done without it.
February 13, 2026
Rosemary Jones continues to excel within the Arkham Horror universe. The story is tight, the pacing is excellent, and the characters have become some of my new favorites.
March 4, 2025
I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author and the publisher. This is a fantastic edition to Arkham Horror, a series I’m absolutely loving. I’m really enjoying these modern takes on Lovecraftian tales which keep the creativity whilst being more inclusive.
I loved the sense of community this story drives. There was such a strong feeling of quite different people supporting one another and connecting through their shared proximity as neighbours within the boarding houses. These are people who focus more on what they have in common than their differences and it added such a lovely feeling of care and connection. These people are made stronger through their relationships with others.
On the other hand we have some rather intense villainy playing out, in a way I didn’t expect! This book took me on quite a winding journey as I (and the characters) learned new information about the antagonist, their history and their nefarious intentions.
Our heroine’s deep desire to not only help her friends and neighbours but also to rescue missing dogs meant I held her in high regard and was totally invested in her success. She works for a newspaper and has noticed a string of missing dog announcements. This leads her into quite some peril as she investigates.
This was a fascinating exploration of sleep and dream land and the connection with the waking world. Overall an exciting, compelling novel that’s fast paced and with characters you can root for!
I loved the sense of community this story drives. There was such a strong feeling of quite different people supporting one another and connecting through their shared proximity as neighbours within the boarding houses. These are people who focus more on what they have in common than their differences and it added such a lovely feeling of care and connection. These people are made stronger through their relationships with others.
On the other hand we have some rather intense villainy playing out, in a way I didn’t expect! This book took me on quite a winding journey as I (and the characters) learned new information about the antagonist, their history and their nefarious intentions.
Our heroine’s deep desire to not only help her friends and neighbours but also to rescue missing dogs meant I held her in high regard and was totally invested in her success. She works for a newspaper and has noticed a string of missing dog announcements. This leads her into quite some peril as she investigates.
This was a fascinating exploration of sleep and dream land and the connection with the waking world. Overall an exciting, compelling novel that’s fast paced and with characters you can root for!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews