Cthulhu and the Coeds or Kids and Squids

by Tina L. Jens (editor), Martin Mundt (contributor), Lawrence Santoro (contributor)

The Old Ones have to get some new tricks to make it this millennium. A gang of writers puts Cthulhu & his pals thru their paces, with gods as pets, mobsters, tricksters, carnivores & whinny, snivelling nerds:
Martin Mundt/The Scrimshaw Museum
Joseph Reed Hayes/A God in Aspect
Charles Stross/A Boy & His God
Tim Curran/The Crawling Pit
Edward DeGeorge/In Arkham
Jerry Gilio/Educating Gil
J. Chip Howell/Billy-Raybob's Bad Idea
J. Weagly/In the Garden Apt. of Madness
Mark McLaughlin/Squidd, Inc.
Richard J. Chwedyk/The Cthulhu Orthodontist or Smile, Monster, Smile!
Bryce Stevens/The Diary of Howard Clark Long Phillips
Bill Breedlove/Not Your Average Alleyway Magic Squid
Jo Fletcher/Leo
Simon Logan/The Old Ones Have Old Ways
Thomas Veltri/Cthulhu Stirred
Lawrence Santoro/God Screamed & Screamed, Then I Ate Him
Stephen Dedman/Reveille
Esther M. Friesner/Love's Eldritch Ichor

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a mixed bag. While some stories had enough wit and warmth to keep things lively, too many succumbed to Lovecraftian notions combined with small-town Americanism.
My favourites were~
1. Joseph Reed Hayes's "A God in Aspect";
2. Jerry Gilio's "Educating Gil";
3. Richard J. Chwedyk's "The Cthulhu Orthodontist, or 'Smile, Monster, Smile!'"
4. Esther M. Friesner's "Love's Eldritch Ichor"— the BEST story of this collection.
Overall, a light-hearted collection dragged down by some authors who had taken themselves too seriously.
Otherwise, a chuckle-inducing read.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a couple of years Twilight Tales had me proofing their collections of stories by authors who would read at their gatherings at the Red Lion Pub in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. This collection was one of the better ones because the work of H. P. Lovecraft provided a focus and a dark mine rich with elements for humor.

[Carpentermt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Scrimshaw Museum by Martin Mundt is about the only decent story in this obscure anthology.