The Madness of Cthulhu Anthology

The Madness of Cthulhu #2

by S.T. Joshi (Editor)

​THE MADNESS GROWSRecognized as Lovecraft’s masterpiece of terror, At the Mountains of Madness has​ for decades inspired dread in​ his readers and sparked the imaginations of the most hallowed practitioners of fantastic fiction. Taking the essence of his horrific vision, these modern masters have crafted new tales of the fantastic... Featuring never-before- seen tales byKEVIN J. ANDERSONLAIRD BARRONERIK BEAR AND GREG BEARALAN DEAN FOSTERJASON C. ECKHARDTCODY GOODFELLOWKAREN HABERMARK HOWARD JONESNANCY KILPATRICKJONATHAN MABERRYWILLIAM F. NOLANBRIAN STABLEFORDSTEVE RASNIC TEM DONALD TYSON

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Cthulhu Mythos, Short Stories, Fiction, Lovecraftian, Weird Fiction

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 20, 2015

About the author

Sunand Tryambak Joshi is an Indian American literary scholar, and a leading figure in the study of Howard Phillips Lovecraft and other authors. Besides what some critics consider to be the definitive biography of Lovecraft (H. P. Lovecraft: A Life, 1996), Joshi has written about Ambrose Bierce, H. L. Mencken, Lord Dunsany, and M.R. James, and has edited collections of their works.

His literary criticism is notable for its emphases upon readability and the dominant worldviews of the authors in question; his The Weird Tale looks at six acknowledged masters of horror and fantasy (namely Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, Dunsany, M. R. James, Bierce and Lovecraft), and discusses their respective worldviews in depth and with authority. A follow-up volume, The Modern Weird Tale, examines the work of modern writers, including Shirley Jackson, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King, Robert Aickman, Thomas Ligotti, T. E. D. Klein and others, from a similar philosophically oriented viewpoint. The Evolution of the Weird Tale (2004) includes essays on Dennis Etchison, L. P. Hartley, Les Daniels, E. F. Benson, Rudyard Kipling, David J. Schow, Robert Bloch, L. P. Davies, Edward Lucas White, Rod Serling, Poppy Z. Brite and others.

Joshi is the editor of the small-press literary journals Lovecraft Studies and Studies in Weird Fiction, published by Necronomicon Press. He is also the editor of Lovecraft Annual and co-editor of Dead Reckonings, both small-press journals published by Hippocampus Press.

In addition to literary criticism, Joshi has also edited books on atheism and social relations, including Documents of American Prejudice (1999), an annotated collection of American racist writings; In Her Place (2006), which collects written examples of prejudice against women; and Atheism: A Reader (2000), which collects atheistic writings by such people as Antony Flew, George Eliot, Bertrand Russell, Emma Goldman, Gore Vidal and Carl Sagan, among others. An Agnostic Reader, collecting pieces by such writers as Isaac Asimov, John William Draper, Albert Einstein, Frederic Harrison, Thomas Henry Huxley, Robert Ingersoll, Corliss Lamont, Arthur Schopenhauer and Edward Westermarck, was published in 2007.

Joshi is also the author of God's Defenders: What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong (2003), an anti-religious polemic against various writers including C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, T. S. Eliot, William F. Buckley, Jr., William James, Stephen L. Carter, Annie Dillard, Reynolds Price, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Guenter Lewy, Neale Donald Walsch and Jerry Falwell, which is dedicated to theologian and fellow Lovecraft critic Robert M. Price.

In 2006 he published The Angry Right: Why Conservatives Keep Getting It Wrong, which criticised the political writings of such commentators as William F. Buckley, Jr., Russell Kirk, David and Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Phyllis Schlafly, William Bennett, Gertrude Himmelfarb and Irving and William Kristol, arguing that, despite the efforts of right-wing polemicists, the values of the American people have become steadily more liberal over time.

Joshi, who lives with his wife in Moravia, New York, has stated on his website that his most noteworthy achievements thus far have been his biography of Lovecraft, H. P. Lovecraft: A Life and The Weird Tale.

Reviews

[Frank Errington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy

From the Intro to The Madness of Cthulhu - Volume Two - "If there is a dominant theme in this volume and its predecessor, it is that of alien incursion, the notion that 'we are not alone in the universe.'"

For me it's all about the stories and in this anthology the stories are, for the most part, excellent.

20,000 Years Under the Sea - Kevin J. Anderson - With more than 50 books to his credit, in the world of SF his is as close to a household name you can get. I just loved the mixing of the world of Captain Nemo with the Cthulhu mythos. A truly engaging story combining the works of Jules Verne and H. P. Lovecraft. A perfect start to the anthology.

Tsathoggua's Breath - Brian Stableford - Brian's recent fiction includes a series of novels and novellas featuring Poe's detective Auguste Dupin, some of which confront him with the Cthulhu mythos. Tsathoggua's Breath is the name of a glacial wind that blew from the North in a time when Greenland was no longer green. Tsathoggua is also the name of an ancient god, invisible, known for stealing children.

The Door Beneath - Alan Dean Foster - His first published work appeared in the Arkham Collector in 1971. Over the years his name has become synonymous with the media tie-in novel, including a number of Star Wars and Star Trek books. At a secret lab, well below a secure location in Antartica, the Russians are performing experiments on something unimaginable. "The sight was awe-inspiring, overwhelming, humbling, terrifying."

Dead Man Walking - William F. Nolan - Continuously published since 1952, William is perhaps best known for creating Logan's Run. He is the recipient of the lifetime achievement award from the Horror Writer's Association and a "living legend" award from the International Horror Guild. Philips is a writer with a book due his publisher, exposing the truth about and debunking supernatural beliefs. By the end of this one he may have to reconsider his premise for the new book.

A Crazy Mistake - Nancy Kilpatrick - Nancy is an award winning author with 18 published novels, more than 200 short stories, and the editor of more than a dozen anthologies. A researcher for the B-movie industry, whose job is to add credence to everything from stories of mummies to space creatures, uncovers a book in the Miskatonic University library called The Great Old Ones. What she discovers is enough to drive her mad.

The Anatomy Lesson - Cody Goodfellow - Cody is no stranger to the Cthulhu mythos, having written short stories for The Book of Cthulhu 2, A season in Carcosa, and others. In an earlier time, medical students turn to grave robbing to obtain fresh corpses for their final exam and unearth an empty coffin. What lies beneath the graveyard is horrible beyond words.

The Hollow Sky - Jason C. Eckhardt - Jason is a self-taught illustrator and writer. His non-fiction writing has appeared in Lovecraft Studies and Studies in Weird Fiction. Investigations into an ultra-normal phenomenae on the East Antarctic Shield. Another well-told story of the Old Ones and a plan to take back their world.

The Last Ones - Mark Howard Jones - Mark Howard lives in Carfiiff, the capital of Wales and has had dozens of short stories published on both sides of the Atlantic. A story filled with beautiful prose. A tale about finding your way home. Set on the West coast of Wales, professor Patrick Neede is there to research the legendary Saint Degion, or at least that's what he thinks.

A Footnote In the Black Budget - Jonathan Maberry - I think, by now, most of us know the name Jonathan Maberry, a New York Times bestselling author, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and freelancer for Marvel Comics. There's no mistaking a Joe Ledger story from Maberry. Fast-paced with words that just jump off the page. "We were aboard an LC-130 Hercules, a big military transport plane fitted out with skis. None of us liked the fact that our plane had to have skis." In this story the DMS team goes up against something in the Antarctic that even they have never had to deal with before.

Deep Fracture -Steve Rasnic Tem - Steve's 200 plus published pieces have garnered him a British Fantasy Award, World Fantasy Award, and a nomination for the Bram Stoker Awards. It's all about what's below the abandoned coal mines in the Appalachian mountains.

The Dream Stones - Donald Tyson - Donald is a Canadian writer of fiction and nonfiction dealing with all aspects of the Western esoteric tradition, as well as a biography of Lovecraft titled The Dreamworld of H. P. Lovecraft. This is probably my favorite story of the anthology. It starts with one hell of an opening, too. "Let me make this clear, I had nothing to do with the events I am going to set down in this narrative. I was merely an observer, and I am in no way responsible for what happened this semester, either in a moral or a criminal sense. None of the deaths were my fault."

The Blood In My Mouth - Laird Barron - Laird is the author of several books, an ex-patriate of Alaska, now making his home in upstate New York. This short story is set in Alaska where a bush pilot see monsters in the depths of Lake Iliamna, monsters as big as nuclear submarines.

On the Shores of Destruction - Karen Haber - Karen is a Hugo nominated editor and author of nine novels predominantly in the real of SF and Fantasy. Something changes after the big hurricane hits Galveston. Another fun story which features the Old Ones.

Object 00922UU - Erik Bear and Greg Bear - Erik is building his bibliography and Greg has established himself as one of the leading writers in the field of SF, having won the Hugo, Nebula, and Endeavor Awards. These two have teamed up before as they do here to present a story of The Xenic Disposal Team whose job it is to study alien relics, determine if they are dangerous, and if so, disarm and dismantle them before they can do harm.

Although, I am no authority on Lovecraftian literature, I did enjoy many of the stories in this new anthology, and whether you're a fan of Lovecraft or not, I think you will find something you like here, as well.

Published by Titan Books, The Madness of Cthulhu - Volume Two, is available in both paperback and e-book formats.

If you're new to Lovecraft or already a fan, I feel comfortable recommending this new volume.

S. T. Joshi is a leading authority on H. P. Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce, H. L. Mencken, and other writers, mostly in the realms of supernatural and fantasy fiction. A prominent atheist having also published works in that field, as well as having had published two works of detective fiction and has written a supernatural novel centering around H. P. Lovecraft, The Assaults of Chaos.

[Airaology · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madness of Cthulhu


20,2000 years under the sea by Kevin J. Anderson

We start off with a fun one! Like Jules Verne’s popular work, we have a Captain Nemo. Unlike Verne’s science fiction classic, this one is a little bit more scary. I thought this was my favourite short piece until….



Tsathoggua’s Breath by Brian Stableford

When you mix real life facts into fiction seamlessly, it feels like a plausible tale. ThTs what we have with the Norseman Magnus Eriksson who “had berserker blood in him” and want to end the creature that keeps steals the village’s children from the Eastern Settlement. As he ventures into the cold, he’s met with voices echoing him to leave and then: the creature itself. The ending is one I’m still curious about. And I thought this is my favourite until…



The Door Beneath by Alan Dean Foster

This has everything I want with a neat bow: underground science facility, silly humans experimenting on THINGS THEY DONT KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT AND SHOULDNT HAVE DONE SO IN THE FIRST PLACE, a clearly suspenseful work when THE THING THEY SHOULDNT MESS WITH MESSES WITH THEM and of course: relating it to real life incident. I went out loud “OHHHH” in the line “Meanwhike the greenery and wildlife has returned to Chernobyl.” I love it!



Dead Man Walking by William F. Nolan

Dexter the writer being called to investigate the artist who died. The pace is fast, which I like. The myth behind the monster, however, feels a tad more vampire-esque than Lovecraft.



A Crazy Mistake by Nancy Kilpatrick

It’s the little details to Lovecraft’s connection, such as name dropping Miskatonix University, a fictional university located at Arkham and the slow insanity spill that makes this a fun read.
Kim’s research about Amazons lead her to beehive queens to old goddess and Old Gods was interesting to see how the author connected these dots. The voice, unlike most of the stories here, is very much present with a splash of pop culture references



The Anatomy Lesson by Cody Goodfellow

Where the previous story is set is present day, this one felt like a period piece. It’s about 2 friends, both studying medicine and August Odum has the craziest solution to uncover immortality: by making a deal with the head ghoul as “ghouls do not age. Steeped in filth, yet they are immune to disease.” The description is hella creative.
It’s both disgusting and methodical with a dash of body horror in it. It didn’t feel like a Lovecraft but it’s still an enjoyable read!



The Hollow Sky by Jason C. Eckhardt

This is one of my favourite pieces. The suspense, the meat of the story, the voice. I loved it. Victor Hope Metcalfe is a professor of climatology who was tasked on a secret mission. Professor William Dyer entrusted his notes to Lovecraft, who then made fictional accounts of Dyer’s expedition. Everyone forgets the name Dyer - except for those who knows. There’s conspiracy, science, and it’s probably one of the longer pieces in the collection, which means the characters feel more fleshed out.



The Last Ones by Mark Howard Jones

Patrick is revisiting his mother’s old town, a “tiny and seemed half-dead” little village because he wants to do research on “Saint Deigion.” From the start, you get the feeling that something is not quite right with this village, as “even the pubs - usually the mainstay of such communities - had doors that were resolutely barred to visitors.”

Patrick found more questions than answers as the few people he encountered weren’t chatty. It all rose (pun intended) for that finale where he gets the answers. And more The slow succumb to his ‘true form’ is both creepy and fascinating



A Footnote in the Black Budget by Jonathan Maberry



Immediately, I’m getting House of Ashes , a Dark Pictures Anthology video game and I cream for that so of course, I’m hooked with this one. Echo Team has been tasked to evaluate a new research facility but of course, nothing is ever easy.

”Seems like they’re throwing us into a situation about which we have shit for intel.”
“Pretty much,” I said.
“The day must end with a ‘Y’,” muttered Bunny

The story blends horror and action pretty well and the protagonist’s voice is clear throughout until the end. It’s one of the longer pieces but I honestly could go for more.


Deep Fracture by Steve Rasnic Tem

This is probably on the shorter side, with a sense of something is happening in the background. Tom is searching for a ceramic frog for his partner, Naomi”s ‘’To Do’ list. There’s been quakes, “averaging three a week” and he’s replacing one that’s broken. His friend, Walt (“a geologist for the coal companies”) tags along.

Walt opens up to Tom about why Walt’s dad, a mine worker, quit his job. He “became convinced that down below the mines - ‘somewhar short o’ Hell’ is the way he put it - there was a city down there.”

There’s a lot of telling in this short story, which is something I’m not a fan of but it somehow works here. As I’ve mention: there’s something not quite right but it’s in the background, behind the scenes. It’s strange but the human brain tries to rationalise it.


The Dream Stones by Donald Tyson

Walt, our protagonist and antisocial by nature is roommates with Tommy. They stumbled upon a homeless man with “some colored fragments of sea glass. Braided necklaces made of wooden beads and hemp twine. Small wood carvings whittled that depicted some sort of primitive female figure.” Just all sorts of random items but one in particular caught Tommy’s eyes. A piece of “greenish stone that looked like soapstone about six inches and maybe an inch and a half thick, very crudely carved in the shape of a pentagram.” After purchasing it, Walt notices Tommy is acting strangely, especially since he found a group of likeminded people. This story was exciting, not in a fast paced fashion but in its subtle suspense delivery. There’s a constant feeling of Walt being in an “out group” and he wants to fit in but not really, cause Walt has got brains okay and as the story progress, it got darker. I’m honestly impressed because I didn’t see it going this way.



The Blood in my Mouth by Laird Barron

Laird Barron can write. I have no idea what’s going on. He adds details but it’s almost too much, too random for me to focus on the story. Someone might need to explain this one to me.



On the Shores of Destruction by Karen Haber

First of all, we need more female horror writers. Second of all. This short story slaps! Immediately, I know where and when it’s set, whose voice we’re reading in, and the slow dread of what’s to come.
Kate Rankin lives Galveston, Texas, the “city is a little worn around the edges but alive with day-trippers and sun-browned locals”. Josh, her nephew temporarily stayed with her. Hurricanes swept something close to shore. Something strange is happening to her town but who would believe? Mix in a naturist cult and I feel this could stretch into a full length novel + movie.


Object 00922UU by Erik Bear and Greg Bear

What a way to end the anthology!!!
My cousin was talking to me about how there’s not a lot of horror in space (hear me out) There’s lots of alien sci fi themed outer space stories, alien invasion in space, but not a lot (that we can think of) of lovecraftian horror in space. (I’m talking about Event Horizon as opposed to Alien type of horror). This serves as an entry point for me.

“Officially its name is Object 00922UU, the first U is for “u known civilization,” the second for “unknown function.” The less official name is Tenebrae, and the even less official name is the Big Black Ball.”
The story began by explaining the universe’s history, how “these once-mighty civilisations went extinct thousands or more years before mankind ever dreamed of leaving Earth.”
The description of the extinction themselves can be a novel on its own. I love the creativity of it.
The Xenic Disposal Team - consists of highly trained experts in fields “such as engineering, computing, biorobotics, xenoarcheology” - aboard the GSS Searcher is tasked to “study these relics, determine if they are dangerous, and if so, disarm and dismantle them before they can cause any harm.”
Strange things happen when they start mapping things out. The Tenebrae defies all known laws of physics. There’s a dreadful thing that’s happening in the back, and we know something is wrong and the characters know somethings not right but logic tries to explain. The story unravels and we get just the tiniest bit of explanation: “they are beyond happening. They are eternally beyond. Our world grew around them but they cannot live in it.”

This story is hits all the right notes. I know it’s wishful thinking but novel or movie please

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 3 out of 5]

And now an anthology about the one whose name should not be spoken. We get different settings, different names. But those old ones just do not let go.

Here are my thoughts.

20 000 years under the sea by KEVIN J. ANDERSON
A captain Nemo story. A mystery island. Nice story.

Tsathoggua's breath by Brian Stableford
Ohh a viking story. I liked that. It was about a settlement on Greenland.

The door beneath by Alan Dean Foster
This time the Russians play with things they should not. Interesting.

Dead man walking by William F.Nolan
A detective story. It felt a bit noir.

A crazy mistake by Nancy Kilpatrick
I liked this one, but then I love mythology. It even made me want to study again.

The anatomy lesson by Cody Goodfellow
This one was pretty weird.

The hollow sky by Jason C.Eckhardt
An Antarctica story. Oh those spogghots (sp?). They are creepy evil SOBs.

The last ones by Mark Howard Jones
A story set in Ireland. Nice story and dark ending.

A footnote in the black budger by Jonathan Mayberry
I really should learn not to stop reading in the middle of short stories. Or maybe I was just not into it.

Deep fracture by Steve Rasnic Tem
A mining town. And a rather evil ending that made me curious.

The dream stone by Donald Tyson
2 friends and a weird stone. Creepy factor in this one, I was all what is going on?!

The blood in my mouth by LAIRD BARRON
A couple meeting falling in love. And again what is going on? More please.

On the shores of destruction by karen Haber
He is everywhere is he not.

Object 00922UU by Eric and Greg Bear
A sci-fi story. Nice change, but not for me.

You know the drill. Some were good. Some were meh. Some made me want more. Some had that thrill factor. They were all different even though they were about the old ones all of them. There are many ways you can go with this it seems.

Nice for the spooky month. But yes it was not spooky, just a bit..unnerving at times. Like..do we really know what is hidden..do we?

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first three tales were absolute garbage. Shamefully, awfully bad. Booo! Booooo I say! I didn't stick around for the rest.

[Trace Reddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid anthology, on par with some of Joshi's others, especially the last couple of "Black Wings of Cthulhu" books that I read. Though Kevin J. Anderson's Captain Nemo in R'lyeh mashup ("20,000 Years Under the Sea") kicked things off with a great little story, a few of the stories after that didn't make a huge impression but didn't make me bail out on the collection either. Fortunately, the stories just got better and better as the anthology went on, with the final cosmic horror piece by Erik Bear and Greg Bear one of the best in the collection, and I was sad when it was over. Other really bizarre and disturbing stories here include Steve Rasnic Tem's "Deep Fracture" and Laird Barron's "The Blood in My Mouth." Both were understated weird tales that tapped a feeling of dread and unease. Jason C. Eckhardt's "The Hollow Sky" was another stand-out entry that played with the themes and history of Lovecraft's "Mountains of Madness" in more traditional ways and had some really poetic moments. Donald Tyson's "The Dream Stones" was creepy as could be and fed into my bad dreams. Not sure if that's a bonus or not!

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag, there's some interesting stories, some boring, some that gripped me and some that left me confused as to what the point of it was, and not in a good way. Overall I got this book for £1 so I'm not dissatisfied with the monetary cost but it would be nice if I could get back the time I spent reading the worst of the offerings. At least the book ended on two of the most strongly written pieces to leave a fairer aftertaste.

[The Geeky Viking · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Madness of Cthulhu Volume Two is a great collection of Lovecraft inspired stories from some of the best writers in the genre. Stand outs for me were Jonathan Maberry's A Footnote in the Black Budget and Erik and Greg Bear's Object 0922UU, but not a single one of them disappointed. Looking forward to diving into the first volume now.

[Tomasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a tired regurgitation of retreads from burned out $BIGNAMES and spear carrier $NONAMES. The standouts are too few to elevate the general rating, but Laird Barron's story, for one, is (as per usual) bloody excellent. On the other hand, Tyson Blue can't count to a hundred, so three stars it is.

[Dan Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories to chill your mind. The variety in these stories is wonderful, though each is sure to leave an impression. Joshi again does an excellent job of editor and curator. Prepare to encounter horror to please even jaded fans of the Lovecraftian.

[Rubin Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some Very Good Stories

There are some good stories, a few weak ones and two or three Great Ones.
I did struggle with the first couple of stories, however the last half of them just flew by.

[Theofilos · Rating 3 out of 5]

All collections are mixed bags, the first volume was "ok" second is way better, it has 4 incredibly good stories and the rest are just ok, fortunately the really bad ones were 1 or 2... Overall recommended for the 4 great stories but don't expect the rest to blow you away.

[Arthur B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overly reliant on the same limited pool of authors as many other recent Mythos anthologies. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

As volume one had sort of a relaxed Mountains Of Madness theme, volume two has a relaxed Shadow Over Innsmouth theme.

[Alex Budris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice Mythos fiction rounded up by S.T. Joshi.

[Kurt Dahlke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts out pretty slow but the second half has consistently great stories, with one exception. That said, nobody ever needs to write the term 'cyclopean architecture' ever again.

[Cilibiu Dragos · Rating 3 out of 5]

First volume was more interesting. This one seems to lack diversity and any interesting ideas. Not a bad collection but could have been better

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of stories inspired by Lovecraft's story "At the mountains of Madness".

[Eric Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories in this book are a must-read for Lovecraft fans. ST Joshi has collected some great tales here by several masters of the genre, and a few from outside the genre as well. Although the stories are supposedly connected in some way to Lovecraft's "At The Mountains of Madness", they are not all set in polar regions. There are also Deep Ones, unidentified sea-dwelling Great Old Ones, alternate realities, and a very eerie deep space object. There is not a weak story here, but the standouts for me were by Laird Barron, Jonathan Mayberry, Jason C Eckhardt, and even Greg Bear - not a name I normally associate with Lovecraftian fiction. I would heartily recommend this great collection.

[Bill Borre]

"Deep Fracture" by Steve Rasnic Tem - Black lines from underground begin erupting from a sewer pipe that Tom's wife Naomi has plumbers working on.

"20,000 Years Under the Sea" by Kevin J. Anderson - wc

[Pam Winkler · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story by William F. Nolan was so cliched it was pretty much unbearable. The story by Jonathan Mayberry and the story by Erik Bear and Greg Bear were good though.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cthulhu anthology, uneven in quality. I was pleased to find Joe Ledger and the DMS dispatched to the Mountains of Madness