What do you think?
Rate this book
Black Wings #4
Black Wings of Cthulhu (Volume Four): Tales of Lovecraftian Horror
This fourth instalment of S. T. Joshi's acclaimed Black Wings series features seventeen stories that continue to elaborate upon the conceptions, motifs, and imagery of H. P. Lovecraft, the most influential writer of weird fiction of the past hundred years. One of Lovecraft's favourite themes was the tale of archaeological horror, where venturesome explorers unearth hideous secrets of the ancient past that cast a baleful light on the fragility of our own existence. In this volume, a major new novella by the award-winning novelist and poet Fred Chappell, "Artifact," treats this theme with his customary panache and subtlety, while other writers such as Richard Gavin, Lois H. Gresh, Ann K. Schwader, and Donald Tyson broach the same theme in their own distinctive and diverse ways.
The cosmicism that was at the core of Lovecraft's vision finds vivid realisation in stories by Caitlín R. Kiernan, Cody Goodfellow, and Melanie Tem. John Pelan and Stephen Mark Rainey have co-written a vivid novelette fusing horror and science fiction, while Will Murray’s tale of governmental espionage leads to a conclusion that bodes ill for the fate of the human race.
Lovecraft was skilled at evoking the terrors inherent in the history and topography of his native New England, and several writers in this volume—notably W. H. Pugmire and Jonathan Thomas—do the same. Jason V Brock finds Lovecraftian terror in Prague, just as Gary Fry locates it in the British countryside.
Lovecraft’s patented motif of the "forbidden book" that reveals secrets too horrible to contemplate is the focus of Darrell Schweitzer's story of what can be found in an out-of-the-way bookstore, while stories by Simon Strantzas and Stephen Woodworth elaborate on the Lovecraftian themes of immortal "gods" and of dreams that reveal unwelcome truths about ourselves. The book’s final contribution, by Charles Lovecraft, is nothing less than a recasting of Lovecraft’s early tale "The Lurking Fear" in a cycle of twelve sonnets.
Black Wings IV shows that H. P. Lovecraft continues to inspire some of today's leading writers of weird fiction.
The cosmicism that was at the core of Lovecraft's vision finds vivid realisation in stories by Caitlín R. Kiernan, Cody Goodfellow, and Melanie Tem. John Pelan and Stephen Mark Rainey have co-written a vivid novelette fusing horror and science fiction, while Will Murray’s tale of governmental espionage leads to a conclusion that bodes ill for the fate of the human race.
Lovecraft was skilled at evoking the terrors inherent in the history and topography of his native New England, and several writers in this volume—notably W. H. Pugmire and Jonathan Thomas—do the same. Jason V Brock finds Lovecraftian terror in Prague, just as Gary Fry locates it in the British countryside.
Lovecraft’s patented motif of the "forbidden book" that reveals secrets too horrible to contemplate is the focus of Darrell Schweitzer's story of what can be found in an out-of-the-way bookstore, while stories by Simon Strantzas and Stephen Woodworth elaborate on the Lovecraftian themes of immortal "gods" and of dreams that reveal unwelcome truths about ourselves. The book’s final contribution, by Charles Lovecraft, is nothing less than a recasting of Lovecraft’s early tale "The Lurking Fear" in a cycle of twelve sonnets.
Black Wings IV shows that H. P. Lovecraft continues to inspire some of today's leading writers of weird fiction.
400 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2015
About the author
S.T. Joshi
788 books461 followersSunand 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 5, 2020
There were only a handful of stories here that I actually liked. The Wilum Pugmire's one, Caitlín R. Kiernan, of course, but she is always brilliant, and then the Melanie Tem's story was surprisingly good with a fresh idea. I was kinda intrigued by the Prague story, mostly because of the atmosphere, and I think Simon Strantzas writes very well. But most of the texts included in the fourth volume are mediocre at best and the really good ones can hardly cover up the smell of something quite stale. Truth is, it's hard to bring something new to the table in this subgenre, and that's why I appreciate the stylistic side of a story more than the subject matter - which is mostly repetition and recycling of the same motives and plots over and over until it's beaten to death.
July 26, 2018
Solid Anthology. I didn't love most of the collection of stories as I had in previous editions of this, hopefully, Joshi can find some better work in the other volumes.
April 3, 2016
This is the latest entry in an ongoing anthology series of original stories inspired by the work and worlds of weird fiction author H. P. Lovecraft. Renowned Lovecraft scholar and editor S. T. Joshi has thrown together an impressive roster of contributors, including Caitlín R. Kiernan, Simon Strantzas, Fred Chappell, Cody Goodfellow, and the late Melanie Tem. Despite the literary clout of some of these names, however, the overall quality of the stories is quite varied.
Please read the rest of my review at the New York Journal of Books:
http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-...
Please read the rest of my review at the New York Journal of Books:
http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-...
May 3, 2020
Několik vynikajících povídek a peklužel také poměrně signifikantní množství šedě průměrného balastu. Tuto antologii mám rád, ale pravda je, že mnohem lépe by fungovala jako dvousvazková a výrazněji protříděná. Povídky jako např. Artefakt, Obroda, Prizma temnoty či Temné moře v nitru nemohou uspokojit nikoho jiného, než naprosté panice v oboru horrorových povídek. Velmi samoúčelný a až trapně působící "grossout" v podobě povídky Trofej mě taktéž nezaujal, a několik dalších povídek je z kategorie "neurazí, nenadchne". Z pozitivního pohledu stojí za vypíchnutí Černé lodě spatřeny jižně od nebe (lovecraftovské postapo, to jo!), Kontakt (lovecraftovské futuristické sci-fi, to taky jo!), klasického H.P.ho důsledně evokující Aššur-sinova zeď, či naopak moderněji pojaté Skřípavá nepřítomnost a Temný vykupitel. S.T. Joshi by tuhle sérii antologií nejspíš měl vydávat s menší frekvencí a texty podrobit důslednější selekci. Kvalita se totiž i v těchto, čtvrtých Černých křídlech příliš rozmělňuje a ředí.
April 22, 2022
Overall, I think this is a pretty solid anthology with some great stories and a few that weren’t so great, but that’s what you usually get with mixed bags of stories like this. My favorites by far were “Black ships seen south of heaven” by Caitlin R Kiernan and “Contact” by John Pelan and Stephen Mark Rainey. The one thing that really gets me is the amount of typos there were. I’ve never read a perfectly edited story but there were so many in here that I feel some of them weren’t really proofread, just because of how many words were missing, misspelled or even misplaced, making some sentences confusing to read. There’s even a typo in the table of contents on the first few pages. It lists the story “Revival” as being on page 247 when it’s on 347.
April 1, 2021
Another enjoyable edition of Joshi's "Black Wings" series. As usual, hit or miss ultimately but overall a worthwhile read with all the stories worth reading for one reason or another. Nothing in this book quite stands out to me compared to the other volumes so far, where I had some real stand-out favorites or really obvious dislikes. As another reviewer noted, this volume may have the sloppiest editing of any in the series. Quite a bit of word displacements or incorrect replacements that got in the way of the experience at times, so Joshi should hire a better copy-editor! Anyway, off to Volume Five in what appears to be my go-to Covid-era book series.
December 22, 2021
Po dobrej 3.zbierke sklamanie, väčšina poviedok je slabých...
Artefakt 2/5
Co víří v stínu 2.5/5
Skřípavá nepřítomnost 3/5
Černé lodě spatřené jižně od nebe 4/5
Temné moře v nitru 1.5/5
Pod záklopkou Měsíce 2/5
Přerušovaný spánek 4/5
Prizma temnoty 3/5
Pištcova noc 2.5/5
Hvězdy tvoří nás 1/5
Trofej 2/5
Kontakt 2.5/5
Kult mrtvých 2.5/5
** Temný vykupitel 5/5
V případě smrti 2/5
Obroda 4/5
Aššur-sinova zeď 4/5
Strach se plíží Bouřným vrchem -/5
Artefakt 2/5
Co víří v stínu 2.5/5
Skřípavá nepřítomnost 3/5
Černé lodě spatřené jižně od nebe 4/5
Temné moře v nitru 1.5/5
Pod záklopkou Měsíce 2/5
Přerušovaný spánek 4/5
Prizma temnoty 3/5
Pištcova noc 2.5/5
Hvězdy tvoří nás 1/5
Trofej 2/5
Kontakt 2.5/5
Kult mrtvých 2.5/5
** Temný vykupitel 5/5
V případě smrti 2/5
Obroda 4/5
Aššur-sinova zeď 4/5
Strach se plíží Bouřným vrchem -/5
March 30, 2019
I'm not much of a fan of non-Lovecraft Lovecraftian Horror, but I'm a sucker for PS story collections on sale. As I would expect from PS, the stories cover a wide range of topics, style, and quality. There is some Lovecraft pastiche, but also dragging of the mythos into other genres.
October 3, 2022
Marks the point where the hit/miss ratio in the long-running series starts creeping downwards, Joshi's regular stable of authors starting to phone it in. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...
March 20, 2023
Po docela slušné trojce byla pro mě čtvrtá Křídla zklamání. V téhle sbírce nic příliš nevyčnívá a převažuje taková ta zapomenutelná produkce.
Ty tři hvězdy dávám jen proto, že nechci najít v noci pod postelí shoggotha.
Ty tři hvězdy dávám jen proto, že nechci najít v noci pod postelí shoggotha.
December 9, 2023
I was craving some Lovecraftian terrors and this beautiful volume had plenty. Not every story clicked with me—one issue of reading them back to back, they start to blend together—but there was plenty of winners.
May 17, 2017
Overall the book was solid. My biggest gripe, if you will, is that throughout the book there are a number if pesky little typos. That's my biggest gripe.
March 6, 2019
Fortfarande bra, men jag saknar Joseph Pulver.
October 17, 2021
A pretty good Cthulhu Mythos anthology.
I liked The Rasping Absence by Richard Gavin, We Are Made Of Stars by Jonathan Thomas, The Wall Of Asshur-sin by Donald Tyson.
I liked The Rasping Absence by Richard Gavin, We Are Made Of Stars by Jonathan Thomas, The Wall Of Asshur-sin by Donald Tyson.
February 10, 2023
The Black Wings series is reliably good. Not what I would recommend to a newcomer to Mythos fiction, but a great choice for those who have heard the call of Cthulhu.
February 4, 2024
There was only one story that was truly gross. I enjoyed a lot of these.
December 30, 2024
I'm biased, as I am a fan of eldritch horror, and a fan of short stories. There was a lot to love and a little bit to dislike.
February 2, 2026
The 4th installment in this series, I'm enjoying it and tend to pick one up each Halloween.
Introduced by ST Joshi, the grand master of all things HPL. Opens the door and invites us in, whets the appetite for some Weird Fiction. Individual stories reviewed below;
The artifact, Fred Chapell: almost a quintessential HPL weird tale of mad science mixing with ancient powers. Actually does some hard gymnastics to throw a credible scientific tarp over the weird happening. Well paced in the second half but took a bit to get going. 4/5
Half lost in shadow, WH Pugmire:
A cute ghost story about an old drunk who accidentally befriends a ghost and sets another ghost free. Claiming some pirate gold at the end. 3/5
The Rhasping Absence, Richard Gavin.
A guy participated in an experiment as a reporter about dark matter. Is haunted and driven mad by the (accurate) idea that we’re only able to perceive a tiny fraction of the known universe. Kills himself to stop from spreading his dark matter infection. 2/5
Black Ships Seen South Of Heaven- Caitlin R Kiernan.
The big apocalypse is finally here! The sleeper has awakened and those that choose to serve the Black Pharaoh will retain some dignity is death. Human engines of war fighting back, a space probe never intended to return that does in fact return. Tremendously evocative of the slow grind to inevitable apocalypse. 5/5, this is what I want out of Cthulhu tales.
The Dark Sea Within - Jason V Brock.
A fun couple with noir struggles in the art world making a big score walk into the trap on an elder being. Great setup with a visually amazing climax but the ending was too abrupt. 3/5
Sealed By The Moon - Gary Fry
This entry was fairly weak. A therapist and his crazy girlfriend go camping to see a magic moon cave from her troubled childhood. There’s a Chekhov’s Mallet that got telegraphed way too hard and in the end it’s a murder scene. 2/5
Broken Sleep - Cory Goodfellow
The dreamlands. Beautifully, trippy intense. What a great protagonist and vividly imagined story. There was a double twist ending that I won’t spoil, but that was fantastic. 5/5
A Prism Of Darkness - Darrell Schweitzer
A fun and short journey through the metaphysical universe of the Necronomicon. Nothing much for plot, just a sort of vision or dream journey. 3/5.
Night Of The Piper - Ann K Shwader
Ancient messenger of the old gods sets up a cult to spread the word, consumes the cultists in fire and coyotes and crazy flute music. Felt like An episode of Supernatural. 3/5
We Are Made Of Stars - Jonathan Thomas
Cosmic and eternal awareness falling to the chosen one, very cosmic horror and end of days. I enjoyed the "straight" character Ira being led about by his dark twin Ari and gently shown the doorway to the end times. 3/5
Trophy - Melanie Tem
Snuff film horror porn. A mutilated amputee tries hard to jerk off while scrolling horrific dark web content so he can give birth to an alien baby. An alien nurse comes to collect the delivery and croons about how popular this will be back home, where our suffering is porn for those extra dimensional beings. 2/5
Contact- John Pelham and Stephen Mark Rainey
Very science fiction, alien invasion. Sort of proto-molecule from The Expanse meets bug eyed alien invasion. 3/5
Cult Of The Dead - Lois H Gresh
Catacombs beneath a cathedral in Peru, a homeless woman, madly obsessed with death and worship of the old (Incan) gods. Meets a young boy and a demon, kills the priest. 3/5
Dark Redeemer - Will Murray
A weak-ish dreamlands tale, the best part being the Department of Defence apparatus around the supernatural. It’s always annoying to me when a world has real “magic” and nobody studies it or weaponizes it. There’s a bit of a stretch about Nyarlathotep being a Jesus analogue and coming to end the world as the second coming. 2/5
In The Event Of Death - Simon Strantzas
A son trying to piece together his weird origin and absent father after his mother passes away and leaves him her diary. 2/5
Revival - Stephen Woodworth
A homeless man gets drawn into a religious ceremony that starts ominous and gets weirder, only to encounter some eldritch horror and end up recruited/converted as a minion. Great setup for a role playing game. 4/5
The Wall Of Asshur-sin - Donald Tyson
At last! Some cyclopean mega structure of eldritch manufacture. A foolish professor, duped by a femme fatale and her secret lover, two Cthulhu cultists. Brought to the site of his childhood trauma and lifelong study to reveal the gate and usher in the age of Cthulhu. 4/5
Poetry - Charles Lovecraft
Kudos to being such a fan you legally change your name, that's some dedication to the craft. By the same token, someone who goes that far into obsessive fan territory may be a little un-tethered from reality, but that's how I like my weird fiction authors. Sadly the poetry didn't move me.
Skimmed without reading after the first few. This poetry wasn't my cup of tea. 2/5
Introduced by ST Joshi, the grand master of all things HPL. Opens the door and invites us in, whets the appetite for some Weird Fiction. Individual stories reviewed below;
The artifact, Fred Chapell: almost a quintessential HPL weird tale of mad science mixing with ancient powers. Actually does some hard gymnastics to throw a credible scientific tarp over the weird happening. Well paced in the second half but took a bit to get going. 4/5
Half lost in shadow, WH Pugmire:
A cute ghost story about an old drunk who accidentally befriends a ghost and sets another ghost free. Claiming some pirate gold at the end. 3/5
The Rhasping Absence, Richard Gavin.
A guy participated in an experiment as a reporter about dark matter. Is haunted and driven mad by the (accurate) idea that we’re only able to perceive a tiny fraction of the known universe. Kills himself to stop from spreading his dark matter infection. 2/5
Black Ships Seen South Of Heaven- Caitlin R Kiernan.
The big apocalypse is finally here! The sleeper has awakened and those that choose to serve the Black Pharaoh will retain some dignity is death. Human engines of war fighting back, a space probe never intended to return that does in fact return. Tremendously evocative of the slow grind to inevitable apocalypse. 5/5, this is what I want out of Cthulhu tales.
The Dark Sea Within - Jason V Brock.
A fun couple with noir struggles in the art world making a big score walk into the trap on an elder being. Great setup with a visually amazing climax but the ending was too abrupt. 3/5
Sealed By The Moon - Gary Fry
This entry was fairly weak. A therapist and his crazy girlfriend go camping to see a magic moon cave from her troubled childhood. There’s a Chekhov’s Mallet that got telegraphed way too hard and in the end it’s a murder scene. 2/5
Broken Sleep - Cory Goodfellow
The dreamlands. Beautifully, trippy intense. What a great protagonist and vividly imagined story. There was a double twist ending that I won’t spoil, but that was fantastic. 5/5
A Prism Of Darkness - Darrell Schweitzer
A fun and short journey through the metaphysical universe of the Necronomicon. Nothing much for plot, just a sort of vision or dream journey. 3/5.
Night Of The Piper - Ann K Shwader
Ancient messenger of the old gods sets up a cult to spread the word, consumes the cultists in fire and coyotes and crazy flute music. Felt like An episode of Supernatural. 3/5
We Are Made Of Stars - Jonathan Thomas
Cosmic and eternal awareness falling to the chosen one, very cosmic horror and end of days. I enjoyed the "straight" character Ira being led about by his dark twin Ari and gently shown the doorway to the end times. 3/5
Trophy - Melanie Tem
Snuff film horror porn. A mutilated amputee tries hard to jerk off while scrolling horrific dark web content so he can give birth to an alien baby. An alien nurse comes to collect the delivery and croons about how popular this will be back home, where our suffering is porn for those extra dimensional beings. 2/5
Contact- John Pelham and Stephen Mark Rainey
Very science fiction, alien invasion. Sort of proto-molecule from The Expanse meets bug eyed alien invasion. 3/5
Cult Of The Dead - Lois H Gresh
Catacombs beneath a cathedral in Peru, a homeless woman, madly obsessed with death and worship of the old (Incan) gods. Meets a young boy and a demon, kills the priest. 3/5
Dark Redeemer - Will Murray
A weak-ish dreamlands tale, the best part being the Department of Defence apparatus around the supernatural. It’s always annoying to me when a world has real “magic” and nobody studies it or weaponizes it. There’s a bit of a stretch about Nyarlathotep being a Jesus analogue and coming to end the world as the second coming. 2/5
In The Event Of Death - Simon Strantzas
A son trying to piece together his weird origin and absent father after his mother passes away and leaves him her diary. 2/5
Revival - Stephen Woodworth
A homeless man gets drawn into a religious ceremony that starts ominous and gets weirder, only to encounter some eldritch horror and end up recruited/converted as a minion. Great setup for a role playing game. 4/5
The Wall Of Asshur-sin - Donald Tyson
At last! Some cyclopean mega structure of eldritch manufacture. A foolish professor, duped by a femme fatale and her secret lover, two Cthulhu cultists. Brought to the site of his childhood trauma and lifelong study to reveal the gate and usher in the age of Cthulhu. 4/5
Poetry - Charles Lovecraft
Kudos to being such a fan you legally change your name, that's some dedication to the craft. By the same token, someone who goes that far into obsessive fan territory may be a little un-tethered from reality, but that's how I like my weird fiction authors. Sadly the poetry didn't move me.
Skimmed without reading after the first few. This poetry wasn't my cup of tea. 2/5
May 15, 2022
I found this book at a thrift store. I was drawn to it by the cover and the price of $1. While it took me forever to get through this, because it's an anthology I was able to read one short story every so often.
Since it took me forever to read it, I won't be doing individual reviews on each different story. I did enjoy a handful of them, but there are always the few that I didn't enjoy quite as much. However, this is a delightfully creepy lovecraftian book that has drawn me even deeper into the horror genre.
Since it took me forever to read it, I won't be doing individual reviews on each different story. I did enjoy a handful of them, but there are always the few that I didn't enjoy quite as much. However, this is a delightfully creepy lovecraftian book that has drawn me even deeper into the horror genre.
July 29, 2024
2.5 stars - I may tap out of this S. T. Joshi-edited series even though there are two more anthologies left. As usual, the stories he selects are generally well-written, but they just aren’t the kind of thing I like to read when I’m in the mood for cosmic horror. In the volume before this one, hardly any of the stories directly related to Cthulhu and company. This volume did better in that regard but had more sex, gore, and digs at Christianity as opposed to the kind of sanity-bending existential dread that I want from the genre. I’m thoroughly disenchanted with Joshi.
July 19, 2016
Review written for and published by Portland Book Review on July 5th:
Sixteen tales with a Lovecraftian focus explore the otherworldly in bizarre and wonderful ways. One of the tales, “Fear Lurks Atop Tempest Mount,” is in fact a series of poems revealing a mysterious narrative. This reviewer found one of the tales, “Trophy,” somewhat offensive with it descriptions of ‘war porn.’ That’s the point though – to put the reader into an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place.
By far the longest tale in this collection is “The Wall of Asshur-sin.” The tale follows an archaeologist returning to the site of his first dig years later to uncover the site’s remaining secrets and eventually confront the nightmares from his youth.
“Night of the Piper” uses an interesting mix of Kokopelli from Native American mythology and Nyar’ la’ a from Lovecraftian mythos. Nyar’ la’ seems to be a version of Nyarlathotep, or the Creeping Chaos, which adds to the trickster aspect of the Kokopelli character.
Stories that transport the reader to another culture, land, or time are great and this collection of tales does a fine job of just that. This reviewer has not read the other collections in the Black Wings series, but after having read this collection fans of these types of stories would likely find them worth checking out.
“They’ve already made waking life a dream and the dreamers into a mushy mass-mind where everyone shares the same dream of being the only one who matters.”
Sixteen tales with a Lovecraftian focus explore the otherworldly in bizarre and wonderful ways. One of the tales, “Fear Lurks Atop Tempest Mount,” is in fact a series of poems revealing a mysterious narrative. This reviewer found one of the tales, “Trophy,” somewhat offensive with it descriptions of ‘war porn.’ That’s the point though – to put the reader into an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place.
By far the longest tale in this collection is “The Wall of Asshur-sin.” The tale follows an archaeologist returning to the site of his first dig years later to uncover the site’s remaining secrets and eventually confront the nightmares from his youth.
“Night of the Piper” uses an interesting mix of Kokopelli from Native American mythology and Nyar’ la’ a from Lovecraftian mythos. Nyar’ la’ seems to be a version of Nyarlathotep, or the Creeping Chaos, which adds to the trickster aspect of the Kokopelli character.
Stories that transport the reader to another culture, land, or time are great and this collection of tales does a fine job of just that. This reviewer has not read the other collections in the Black Wings series, but after having read this collection fans of these types of stories would likely find them worth checking out.
Currently Reading
July 14, 2024"In the Event of Death" by Simon Strantzas - After Dan's mother passes away his aunt tries to convince him to burn his mother's diary as it contains hints regarding the supernatural origin of Dan's father.
"Cult of the Dead" by Lois H. Gresh - Quilla reluctantly sacrifices Diego in an ancient Incan ritual.
"Broken Sleep" by Cody Goodfellow - wc
"Rivival" by Stephen Woodworth - wc
"Cult of the Dead" by Lois H. Gresh - Quilla reluctantly sacrifices Diego in an ancient Incan ritual.
"Broken Sleep" by Cody Goodfellow - wc
"Rivival" by Stephen Woodworth - wc
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2016
TALES OF THE OLD ONES IT IS...
Hello, some pretty good stories in this one. As usual, some are better than others. Very entertaining to read. Thanks.
Hello, some pretty good stories in this one. As usual, some are better than others. Very entertaining to read. Thanks.
January 9, 2017
Great collection of stories finished months ago now
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews