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The Seraph Chronicles #2
The Crystal Void
The year is 1810 and as Napoleon's Grand Armee chases Wellington's expeditionary force back through Portugal to the lines of Torres Verdras, the dashing if rather dim French Hussar Gaston d'Bois is astonished to encounter the love of his life.
But the fragrant Odette is soon swept away, abducted, before d'Bois can consummate his passion by the Marquis Da Foz, a ruthless and sadistic Portuguese noblemen. The hot blooded Hussar is soon in deadly pursuit, but can d'Bois save both his true love's virtue and his own life and who, truly, is the mysterious British ally Major Seraph who comes to his aid?
What strange horrors lurk within the shadows of Da Foz's ancient Moorish fortress and can the heroic duo foil Da Foz's dark machinations, defeat Da Foz's unnatural allies, rescue the delightful Odette and ultimately prevent the opening of the feared Crystal Void?
But the fragrant Odette is soon swept away, abducted, before d'Bois can consummate his passion by the Marquis Da Foz, a ruthless and sadistic Portuguese noblemen. The hot blooded Hussar is soon in deadly pursuit, but can d'Bois save both his true love's virtue and his own life and who, truly, is the mysterious British ally Major Seraph who comes to his aid?
What strange horrors lurk within the shadows of Da Foz's ancient Moorish fortress and can the heroic duo foil Da Foz's dark machinations, defeat Da Foz's unnatural allies, rescue the delightful Odette and ultimately prevent the opening of the feared Crystal Void?
- GenresHorror
81 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 26, 2014
12 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
John Houlihan
33 books17 followersJohn Houlihan is a novelist and short story writer publishing many works including The Seraph Chronicles and Mon Dieu Cthulhu! series, The Cricket Dictionary and the BSFA-award nominated The Constellation of Alarion. He has also appeared in numerous sci-fi and fantasy short story collections including Signals, Near Future Fictions, When Shadows Creep, Corridors, Forgotten Sidekicks, Musketeers vs Cthulhu and many more.
He currently works for Modiphius Entertainment as an ENNIE-award winning game designer, creative lead and narrative director and works for many other TTRPG companies including Wizards of the Coast, Need Games and Monolith. He was also editor-in-chief of Dragon+. Before that he was a journalist and broadcaster for over thirty years, working in news, sport and especially videogames. He worked for The Times, Sunday Times and Cricinfo and is the former editor-in-chief of Computer and Video Games.com. He still works as a video game consultant and script writer.
Away from the written word he has an unnatural fondness for cricket, football, snowboarding, cycling, music, playing guitar and all forms of sci-fi, fantasy and horror. He has an unnatural dread about writing about himself in the third person and currently lives in his home town of Watford in the UK, because, well frankly, someone has to.
Find him at www.john-houlihan.net and @johnh259 on X.com
Contact: jollybigpublishing AT gmail DOT COM
He currently works for Modiphius Entertainment as an ENNIE-award winning game designer, creative lead and narrative director and works for many other TTRPG companies including Wizards of the Coast, Need Games and Monolith. He was also editor-in-chief of Dragon+. Before that he was a journalist and broadcaster for over thirty years, working in news, sport and especially videogames. He worked for The Times, Sunday Times and Cricinfo and is the former editor-in-chief of Computer and Video Games.com. He still works as a video game consultant and script writer.
Away from the written word he has an unnatural fondness for cricket, football, snowboarding, cycling, music, playing guitar and all forms of sci-fi, fantasy and horror. He has an unnatural dread about writing about himself in the third person and currently lives in his home town of Watford in the UK, because, well frankly, someone has to.
Find him at www.john-houlihan.net and @johnh259 on X.com
Contact: jollybigpublishing AT gmail DOT COM
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 22, 2020
Historical Fantasy (my weakness) mixing with Napoleonic Wars and Cthulhu mythos - what's not to like?
What to Expect
'The Crystal Void' is a novelette, d'Bois' first encounter with lurking supernatural horrors. The story is told as an old d'Bois reminisces to an unnamed listener over a bottle of brandy. What starts as a normal evening party turns into a kidnap, and gets worse when the nature of the kidnappers is revealed.
What I liked
I absolutely loved the voice of both the author and the character. d'Bois is very charming (he's French, after all), and the smattering French and his eccentric referring to himself in the third person add spice and flavour to the story. The setting feels real, the characters feel taken out of any period novel, and the introduction of Lovecraftian elements is seamless and fitting into an excellent adventure.
I particularly enjoyed the action scenes, but in general Houlihan's style is flowing easily, with a quick pace and engaging characters.
What to be aware of
d'Bois isn't as active in this first novelette as I'd normally prefer, but this is excusable as it's his first encounter. He's much more engaged in the second novel, which is a joy. The smattering of French added flavour and my high-school level (from many moons ago) was quite enough to enjoy it. Houlihan does make most things understood en le contexte - pardon, in context - and even if you don't speak a word of French that shouldn't detract from your enjoyment.
The links to the Cthulhu mythos are in vile creatures that lurk in dark corners, rather than the god-like monstrosities from outer space. The tone is not horror, but rather adventurous.
Lastly, take note if you are overly sensitive about misplaced commas and the occasional formatting oddity. I never let that stand in my way of enjoyment of a good story, but YMMV.
Felix's Review
Felix found d'Bois a bit on the boisterous side, but sympathised deeply with his experiences and reactions. He's sure that despite his vainglorious way of speaking he'd be a formidable ally when facing nasty critters, and that they'd certainly be able to enjoy a cup (or an amphora) of wine afterwards. He's keen to hear more of his stories.
Summary
Highly entertaining, quick reads, mixing history and fantasy for great adventures. Try them out and you'll very quickly discover if you fall in love with d'Bois and his inimitable style.
--
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
What to Expect
'The Crystal Void' is a novelette, d'Bois' first encounter with lurking supernatural horrors. The story is told as an old d'Bois reminisces to an unnamed listener over a bottle of brandy. What starts as a normal evening party turns into a kidnap, and gets worse when the nature of the kidnappers is revealed.
What I liked
I absolutely loved the voice of both the author and the character. d'Bois is very charming (he's French, after all), and the smattering French and his eccentric referring to himself in the third person add spice and flavour to the story. The setting feels real, the characters feel taken out of any period novel, and the introduction of Lovecraftian elements is seamless and fitting into an excellent adventure.
I particularly enjoyed the action scenes, but in general Houlihan's style is flowing easily, with a quick pace and engaging characters.
What to be aware of
d'Bois isn't as active in this first novelette as I'd normally prefer, but this is excusable as it's his first encounter. He's much more engaged in the second novel, which is a joy. The smattering of French added flavour and my high-school level (from many moons ago) was quite enough to enjoy it. Houlihan does make most things understood en le contexte - pardon, in context - and even if you don't speak a word of French that shouldn't detract from your enjoyment.
The links to the Cthulhu mythos are in vile creatures that lurk in dark corners, rather than the god-like monstrosities from outer space. The tone is not horror, but rather adventurous.
Lastly, take note if you are overly sensitive about misplaced commas and the occasional formatting oddity. I never let that stand in my way of enjoyment of a good story, but YMMV.
Felix's Review
Felix found d'Bois a bit on the boisterous side, but sympathised deeply with his experiences and reactions. He's sure that despite his vainglorious way of speaking he'd be a formidable ally when facing nasty critters, and that they'd certainly be able to enjoy a cup (or an amphora) of wine afterwards. He's keen to hear more of his stories.
Summary
Highly entertaining, quick reads, mixing history and fantasy for great adventures. Try them out and you'll very quickly discover if you fall in love with d'Bois and his inimitable style.
--
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
June 22, 2020
Historical Fantasy (my weakness) mixing with Napoleonic Wars and Cthulhu mythos - what's not to like?
What to Expect
'The Crystal Void' is a novelette, d'Bois' first encounter with lurking supernatural horrors. The story is told as an old d'Bois reminisces to an unnamed listener over a bottle of brandy. What starts as a normal evening party turns into a kidnap, and gets worse when the nature of the kidnappers is revealed.
What I liked
I absolutely loved the voice of both the author and the character. d'Bois is very charming (he's French, after all), and the smattering French and his eccentric referring to himself in the third person add spice and flavour to the story. The setting feels real, the characters feel taken out of any period novel, and the introduction of Lovecraftian elements is seamless and fitting into an excellent adventure.
I particularly enjoyed the action scenes, but in general Houlihan's style is flowing easily, with a quick pace and engaging characters.
What to be aware of
d'Bois isn't as active in this first novelette as I'd normally prefer, but this is excusable as it's his first encounter. He's much more engaged in the second part, which is a joy. The smattering of French added flavour and my high-school level (from many moons ago) was quite enough to enjoy it. Houlihan does make most things understood en le contexte - pardon, in context - and even if you don't speak a word of French that shouldn't detract from your enjoyment.
The links to the Cthulhu mythos are in vile creatures that lurk in dark corners, rather than the god-like monstrosities from outer space. The tone is not horror, but rather adventurous.
Lastly, take note if you are overly sensitive about misplaced commas and the occasional formatting oddity. I never let that stand in my way of enjoyment of a good story, but YMMV.
Felix's Review
Felix found d'Bois a bit on the boisterous side, but sympathised deeply with his experiences and reactions. He's sure that despite his vainglorious way of speaking he'd be a formidable ally when facing nasty critters, and that they'd certainly be able to enjoy a cup (or an amphora) of wine afterwards. He's keen to hear more of his stories.
Summary
Highly entertaining, quick reads, mixing history and fantasy for great adventures. Try them out and you'll very quickly discover if you fall in love with d'Bois and his inimitable style.
--
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
What to Expect
'The Crystal Void' is a novelette, d'Bois' first encounter with lurking supernatural horrors. The story is told as an old d'Bois reminisces to an unnamed listener over a bottle of brandy. What starts as a normal evening party turns into a kidnap, and gets worse when the nature of the kidnappers is revealed.
What I liked
I absolutely loved the voice of both the author and the character. d'Bois is very charming (he's French, after all), and the smattering French and his eccentric referring to himself in the third person add spice and flavour to the story. The setting feels real, the characters feel taken out of any period novel, and the introduction of Lovecraftian elements is seamless and fitting into an excellent adventure.
I particularly enjoyed the action scenes, but in general Houlihan's style is flowing easily, with a quick pace and engaging characters.
What to be aware of
d'Bois isn't as active in this first novelette as I'd normally prefer, but this is excusable as it's his first encounter. He's much more engaged in the second part, which is a joy. The smattering of French added flavour and my high-school level (from many moons ago) was quite enough to enjoy it. Houlihan does make most things understood en le contexte - pardon, in context - and even if you don't speak a word of French that shouldn't detract from your enjoyment.
The links to the Cthulhu mythos are in vile creatures that lurk in dark corners, rather than the god-like monstrosities from outer space. The tone is not horror, but rather adventurous.
Lastly, take note if you are overly sensitive about misplaced commas and the occasional formatting oddity. I never let that stand in my way of enjoyment of a good story, but YMMV.
Felix's Review
Felix found d'Bois a bit on the boisterous side, but sympathised deeply with his experiences and reactions. He's sure that despite his vainglorious way of speaking he'd be a formidable ally when facing nasty critters, and that they'd certainly be able to enjoy a cup (or an amphora) of wine afterwards. He's keen to hear more of his stories.
Summary
Highly entertaining, quick reads, mixing history and fantasy for great adventures. Try them out and you'll very quickly discover if you fall in love with d'Bois and his inimitable style.
--
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
September 13, 2017
The first novella in the Seraph Chronicles was set in Nazi-occupied Scandinavia during WWII. This second novella is also set against a military background, this time the Portuguese campaign during the Napoleonic Wars, which reveals to us that Major Seraph is far more than the magically capable adventurer that he had previously been revealed to be - or at least, that he is far more magically capable than was previously demonstrated.
In other respects though, this novella is similar to The Trellborg Monstrosities - Houlihan's writing is strong, the plot is engaging, and the characters are solid, if slightly two-dimensional. This isn't much of a concern, firstly, it's only a novella, so there isn't as much time to develop the characters as there is in a full novel; and secondly, in adventure stories of that era, it wasn't uncommon to have heroes who were all good and villains who were thoroughly evil.
I have certainly enjoyed this series so far, and I would recommend it to any devotee of the Cthulhu Mythos.
In other respects though, this novella is similar to The Trellborg Monstrosities - Houlihan's writing is strong, the plot is engaging, and the characters are solid, if slightly two-dimensional. This isn't much of a concern, firstly, it's only a novella, so there isn't as much time to develop the characters as there is in a full novel; and secondly, in adventure stories of that era, it wasn't uncommon to have heroes who were all good and villains who were thoroughly evil.
I have certainly enjoyed this series so far, and I would recommend it to any devotee of the Cthulhu Mythos.
October 11, 2025
Sit down with a carafe of vin rouge and a wedge of decent Roquefort, and allow yourself to be transported to the Peninsular War in 1810 and the remarkable adventures of that unique cavalryman Gaston Dubois -- bon viveur, fearless warrior, incorrigible ladies' man and just the chap when facing unspeakable eldritch horrors.
This is lighthearted lit-RPG, the tone is far from dark but the research is flawless and the stage setting is immaculate. We all know that there is Something Nasty lurking out there and that Dubois' initial tendency to dismiss superstitious fears will be mistaken, but everything unfolds in satisfactory fashion in the best traditions of both military fiction and Lovecraftian horror.
We have evil villains and horrendous monsters, and plenty of swashbuckling action rather than fleeing or fainting in horror. Dubois will fight to the last breath whatever the odds, if only he can find some way to defeat his seemingly invincible opponents...
Engaging and diverting stuff.
December 14, 2020
This short was a lot of fun. The blue collar d'Bois is an enjoyable narrator and the Cthulhu Mythos is weaved into the Napoleon era well enough. The resolution played out a little too much like a D&D campaign, but not enough to detract from the overall positive experience I had with this story. Looking forward to the next one.
May 24, 2016
And so we return to the adventures of the mysterious Major Seraph in The Crystal Void, the second title in The Seraph Chronicles by John Houlihan. Another tie-in tale, this time to the amusingly-titled Mon Dieu! Cthulhu RPG system, the action is transported back a century in time to the early 1800s, and from the snowy fjords of Norway to the gloomy countryside of a Portugal contested by the armies of Napoleon and Wellington. The Napoleonic era – whether the historical reality or a Fantasy amalgam – is one that doesn’t seem to have been that deeply explored within the Fantasy genre, with the exception of Brian McClellan’s brilliant Powder Mage trilogy, and as a result I’m always eager to read anything set in the period. The short nature of the story unfortunately doesn’t allow a very broad or deep exploration of the setting, but the setting of an occupied Portugal is an interesting one with a lot of potential, particularly in terms of a population split between resisting and collaborating.
I wasn’t particularly taken with the protagonist of The Trellborg Monstrosities, Major Powell; he served as an adequate point of view character for the story, but for me he didn’t get much past the stage of a Boy’s Own Tales stereotype; grizzled, jaded, and with a high certainty that he possessed a magnificent moustache of some kind. However, in the Chasseur Gaston d’Bois, Mr Houlihan has created a far more rounded and engaging (if still somewhat stereotypical) protagonist. D’Bois is an entertaining narrator: brash, brave, quite vainglorious, and enjoyer of a good drink. However, it is of course the mysterious Seraph, the British wizard/magician/thrower of fireballs, who is the star of the story. We see some more of his character emerge in this story, as he aids D’Bois in retrieving his love, the fragrant Odette, as well as more of his powers; although we get no further in the central mystery, of how Seraph can be roughly the same age and appearance more than a hundred years apart.
As with The Trellborg Monstrosities, it is the magic system that emerges as one of the most intriguing parts of the Seraph Chronicles. Seraph uses jewels that can cause silence to fall in an area, causing even a brutal fight with sword and pistol to be conducted noiselessly; magic that allows him to dissaparate from a locked room, filling with lethal gas, and powers that allow him to overcome Lovecraftian entities. The latter encounter is perhaps one of my favourite parts of the story. Coming up against an invisible Guardian (with the requisite gills, tentacles, and all-seeing Eyes That Contain Infinite Blackness), the author inverts the usual trope of a boss-fight; instead of a protracted fight against the creature, Seraph uses magic to banish the creature within a few sentences.
Just as d’Bois is a more engaging protagonist than Major Powell, so the Marquis Da Foz is a better antagonist than the Nazi Black Sun occultist von Obertorff. Da Foz is a member of the Portuguese Nobility that has sided with the French – a starting concept with some potential depth – although of course, this being a Lovecraftian tale, his ambitions are far greater than mere collaboration. A hybrid Deep One, Da Foz intends to use the family jewels of the love interest, Odette, to end humanity’s dominance of the planet by activating a series of portals across the oceans; these would allow the Deep Ones to unite and swarm humanity. Though of course defeated by Seraph, it’s a stimulating plot point and hopefully a ‘hook’ for future stories.
Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed a story set in the Seraph Chronicles and it gets almost full marks from me. Indeed, the only reason that this gets a 4.5/5, instead of the full 5, is ‘ow you say, ze nature of d’Bois accent. Although ‘is way of speaking is, as you English say, amusing at first, by the middle of the story it becomes distrayant, or rather distracting. In conclusion – great story, interesting characters, lots of sword and musket action, and the potential for future stories in an underutilised setting.
I wasn’t particularly taken with the protagonist of The Trellborg Monstrosities, Major Powell; he served as an adequate point of view character for the story, but for me he didn’t get much past the stage of a Boy’s Own Tales stereotype; grizzled, jaded, and with a high certainty that he possessed a magnificent moustache of some kind. However, in the Chasseur Gaston d’Bois, Mr Houlihan has created a far more rounded and engaging (if still somewhat stereotypical) protagonist. D’Bois is an entertaining narrator: brash, brave, quite vainglorious, and enjoyer of a good drink. However, it is of course the mysterious Seraph, the British wizard/magician/thrower of fireballs, who is the star of the story. We see some more of his character emerge in this story, as he aids D’Bois in retrieving his love, the fragrant Odette, as well as more of his powers; although we get no further in the central mystery, of how Seraph can be roughly the same age and appearance more than a hundred years apart.
As with The Trellborg Monstrosities, it is the magic system that emerges as one of the most intriguing parts of the Seraph Chronicles. Seraph uses jewels that can cause silence to fall in an area, causing even a brutal fight with sword and pistol to be conducted noiselessly; magic that allows him to dissaparate from a locked room, filling with lethal gas, and powers that allow him to overcome Lovecraftian entities. The latter encounter is perhaps one of my favourite parts of the story. Coming up against an invisible Guardian (with the requisite gills, tentacles, and all-seeing Eyes That Contain Infinite Blackness), the author inverts the usual trope of a boss-fight; instead of a protracted fight against the creature, Seraph uses magic to banish the creature within a few sentences.
Just as d’Bois is a more engaging protagonist than Major Powell, so the Marquis Da Foz is a better antagonist than the Nazi Black Sun occultist von Obertorff. Da Foz is a member of the Portuguese Nobility that has sided with the French – a starting concept with some potential depth – although of course, this being a Lovecraftian tale, his ambitions are far greater than mere collaboration. A hybrid Deep One, Da Foz intends to use the family jewels of the love interest, Odette, to end humanity’s dominance of the planet by activating a series of portals across the oceans; these would allow the Deep Ones to unite and swarm humanity. Though of course defeated by Seraph, it’s a stimulating plot point and hopefully a ‘hook’ for future stories.
Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed a story set in the Seraph Chronicles and it gets almost full marks from me. Indeed, the only reason that this gets a 4.5/5, instead of the full 5, is ‘ow you say, ze nature of d’Bois accent. Although ‘is way of speaking is, as you English say, amusing at first, by the middle of the story it becomes distrayant, or rather distracting. In conclusion – great story, interesting characters, lots of sword and musket action, and the potential for future stories in an underutilised setting.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews