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The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft
The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft: a brand new anthology that collects the twelve principal deities of the Lovecraftian Mythos and sets them loose within its pages. Featuring the biggest names in horror and dark fantasy, including many NY Times bestsellers, full of original fiction and artwork, and individual commentary on each of the deities by Donald Tyson.
About the book: Lovecraft's bestiary of gods has had a major influence on the horror scene from the time these sacred names were first evoked. Cthulhu, Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth--this pantheon of the horrific calls to mind the very worst of cosmic nightmares and the very darkest signs of human nature. The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft brings together twelve all-new Mythos tales from:
Cthulhu (Adam Nevill) - Yog-Sothoth (Martha Wells) - Azathoth (Laird Barron) - Nyarlathotep (Bentley Little) - Shub-Niggurath (David Liss) - Tsathoggua (Brett Talley) - The Mi-Go (Christopher Golden & James A. Moore) - Night-gaunts (Jonathan Maberry) - Elder Things (Joe Lansdale) - Great Race (Rachel Caine) - Yig (Douglas Wynne) - The Deep Ones (Seanan McGuire)
About the book: Lovecraft's bestiary of gods has had a major influence on the horror scene from the time these sacred names were first evoked. Cthulhu, Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth--this pantheon of the horrific calls to mind the very worst of cosmic nightmares and the very darkest signs of human nature. The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft brings together twelve all-new Mythos tales from:
Cthulhu (Adam Nevill) - Yog-Sothoth (Martha Wells) - Azathoth (Laird Barron) - Nyarlathotep (Bentley Little) - Shub-Niggurath (David Liss) - Tsathoggua (Brett Talley) - The Mi-Go (Christopher Golden & James A. Moore) - Night-gaunts (Jonathan Maberry) - Elder Things (Joe Lansdale) - Great Race (Rachel Caine) - Yig (Douglas Wynne) - The Deep Ones (Seanan McGuire)
454 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 11, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
May 21, 2016
I won this on a Goodreads Giveaway. This is the second time! So, if you're curious, yes, they actually do give books away - just the luck of the draw, I guess. Of course, I fell compelled to write a review. Stupid conscience!
I remember clearly the day I was first introduced to HP Lovecraft. I was in 8th grade and a friend of mine, John Hayes, was telling me about this cool new book he was reading while we were in the school courtyard on lunch break. He pulled the book out of his jacket and showed me: Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos: Vol. 1. He then offered to let me borrow it, so long as I returned it. Of course, with a cover like that, how could I possibly resist?
In the intervening . . . many . . . years, I've read my share of Lovecraft and his contemporaries. Back in the '90s, I was taken in by the Chaosium Cthulhu fiction series, which varied greatly in quality from book to book, especially in regards to contemporary authors published therein, but overall, it was a welcome series, especially in what was a publishing wasteland of Cthulhu mythos fiction.
Since that time, several short fiction venues featuring mythos fiction have come and gone and sometimes come again. Much of the burgeoning of short mythos fiction is due to the work of two editors, Ellen Datlow, and Paula Guran, two of the sweetest and simultaneously most evil people in the writing industry. They have worked harder than any others to nurture a market for contemporary fiction centered around Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Their effect on the field cannot be overstated.
I don't envy Aaron J. French following in their footsteps. Those are some big shoes to fill.
But regardless of history, the "proof is in the pudding," so to speak, right? The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft features twelve stories written by contemporary writers. Each story is centered around an entity from Lovecraft's repertoire and has an illustration of said monster/god/thing by one of three very talented artists: Paul Carrick, Steve Santiago, or John Coulthart. There is also an afterword to each story, written by Donald Tyson, giving an overview of the monster/god/thing in the story preceding it, ostensibly for those who are unfamiliar with Lovecraft's zoo, though one would think that the target audience for this work is composed of those already familiar with Cthulhu, Azathoth, Shub Niggurath, etc.
As with any anthology, this is a mixed bag. Some stories are very good, some not so good. At least two are spectacular. My notes are sparse, as I want to keep things spoiler-free, but honest, as always.
Call the Name by Adam LG Nevill (Cthulhu)
Don't let this discouraging start make you put the book down. Yes, 112 pages could have been cut from the beginning of the story, and the rest of it could have been given a lot of breathing room so that it didn't feel like one giant info-dump, but it wasn't horrible. Okay, maybe it was. This had the feeling that it was written in a hurry for the anthology and not carefully crafted. I know Nevill is capable of doing better than this, so I am a bit disappointed. Two stars for this one. Still, carry on! I promise, it gets better!
The Dark Gates by Martha Wells (Yog-Sothoth)
Okay, it gets better slowly. When you state that the "usual things" aren't working and your talking about Occult sorcery, that really cheapens the dialogue and guts the story of any mystery. This was written as if it was lifted directly from a Call of Cthulhu adventure. I would be very surprised if it wasn't. Call of Cthulhu roleplaying adventures are great to play (I did so just a couple of months ago), but not so great to read, at least when it's written with no subtlety, no mystery. At first, I gave this three stars, but on further reflection, I'm dropping it to two. I love roleplaying games (in fact, I'm going to be a moderator on a panel about roleplaying games and writing at Wiscon this year), but I roleplay to roleplay, and I read to read.
We Smoke the Northern Lights by Laird Barron (Azathoth)
Now, NOW things start rolling. And I wouldn't have expected anything less from Laird Barron. It's metafictional as anything I've read, and the tongue-in-cheek humor in this piece is really, really well-played. It's as "gonzo" as I've ever read Barron, and it's fantastic tale of a hedonistic pair of boys stripped straight from Archie comics, the secret machinations of a dark corporate entity, and extraterrestrials . . . maybe. Five enthusiastic stars!
Petohtairayn by Bentley Little (Nyarlathotep)
Not bad. Not particularly great. It has an interesting academic veneer to it, particularly about shared mythologies, but I was bored much of the time. This is one in which the lead character simply gives up. Just gives up. And doesn't give much of a struggle in the process. "Meh," said the story, and "Meh," says I. Three stars.
The Doors that never Close and the Doors that Are Always Open by David Liss (Shub-Niggurath)
A pedestrian plot with some klunky usage, but not too bad. Another story in which main characters simply succumb to fate in the end, but at least this guy had some fight in him. Still, not enough to earn more than three stars.
The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown by Brett J. Talley (Tsathoggua)
Finally, another story with VOICE (Barron's was the first). That's partly what's lacking in many of these stories, but not here. The narrator was believable, with believable feelings, actions, and interactions. And the twist ending was very, very well done. Four stars, and I'll be reading more of Talley's work, for sure.
Rattled by Douglas Wynne (Yig)
This was a solid story that will stick with you. Coming of age meets reptilian horror. I really liked the character interactions, especially the portrayal of intra-family relationships. This is a well-written story that deserves attention, even if you don't like snakes. Especially if you don't like snakes. My only problem with it was that the reveal was a bit too soon and could have been saved for better effect later on. Still, a solid four stars.
In Their Presence by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore (The Mi-Go)
I love the Mi-Go. They are probably my favorite entity among all those of the Cthulhu mythos. But I have to be honest: there is just a touch too much treacle in this story (yes, I'm being serious - treacle in a mythos story). So it's 4 stars for "In Their Presence". Still, a great story from Team Golden-Moore.
Dream a Little Dream of Me by Jonathan Maberry (Nightgaunts)
On the other hand, I hate werewolves. Just hate them. With a passion. Especially when they show their faces in a Lovecraft mythos story. Stupid werewolves. I enjoyed the noir pastiche, but . . . werewolves. No. Just no. Three stars.
In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale (Elder Things)
Well, Mr. Lansdale, you had me until the ginormous info-dump about 3/4 of the way through. The story never recovered after that and, in fact, foundered on the rocks of triteness and hyperbole. That's really too bad, because I was really enjoying this read until that point, and the Elder Things are my second favorite mythos baddie. Three stars.
A Dying of the Light by Rachel Caine (Great Race of Yith)
This pushes ALL the right buttons! This is a Lovecraft tale worthy of the name. If all the stories were this good, it would be the greatest Lovecraft anthology of all time. Alas, it is only one story, but one that deserves a resounding five stars! So good! Definitely the best story of the anthology. Possibly one of the best contemporary Lovecraft mythos stories I've ever read - and I've read quite a few. I would love, love, love to see what she could do working with Gemma Files!
Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan McGuire (The Deep Ones)
Not bad, not terrible. I felt like it "telegraphed" a bit too early and was a bit too eager to explain everything. Could have been more understated and it would have improved the story, which seems to be a problem with most mythos storys, nay, most of horror in general, these days. Three stars, almost four, but not quite.
So, overall, three stars for The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft. The art wasn't quite enough to push it to four stars, though it was very good art (especially Steve Santiago's "Azathoth" - wowsers!). A must for the completist, and I'd say that Caine's and Barron's stories make the book worth the price of admission. Someday, someone is going to reprint all the best non-Lovecraft Lovecraft stories in one volume, and it would be a crime if those two stories aren't in it.
I remember clearly the day I was first introduced to HP Lovecraft. I was in 8th grade and a friend of mine, John Hayes, was telling me about this cool new book he was reading while we were in the school courtyard on lunch break. He pulled the book out of his jacket and showed me: Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos: Vol. 1. He then offered to let me borrow it, so long as I returned it. Of course, with a cover like that, how could I possibly resist?
In the intervening . . . many . . . years, I've read my share of Lovecraft and his contemporaries. Back in the '90s, I was taken in by the Chaosium Cthulhu fiction series, which varied greatly in quality from book to book, especially in regards to contemporary authors published therein, but overall, it was a welcome series, especially in what was a publishing wasteland of Cthulhu mythos fiction.
Since that time, several short fiction venues featuring mythos fiction have come and gone and sometimes come again. Much of the burgeoning of short mythos fiction is due to the work of two editors, Ellen Datlow, and Paula Guran, two of the sweetest and simultaneously most evil people in the writing industry. They have worked harder than any others to nurture a market for contemporary fiction centered around Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Their effect on the field cannot be overstated.
I don't envy Aaron J. French following in their footsteps. Those are some big shoes to fill.
But regardless of history, the "proof is in the pudding," so to speak, right? The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft features twelve stories written by contemporary writers. Each story is centered around an entity from Lovecraft's repertoire and has an illustration of said monster/god/thing by one of three very talented artists: Paul Carrick, Steve Santiago, or John Coulthart. There is also an afterword to each story, written by Donald Tyson, giving an overview of the monster/god/thing in the story preceding it, ostensibly for those who are unfamiliar with Lovecraft's zoo, though one would think that the target audience for this work is composed of those already familiar with Cthulhu, Azathoth, Shub Niggurath, etc.
As with any anthology, this is a mixed bag. Some stories are very good, some not so good. At least two are spectacular. My notes are sparse, as I want to keep things spoiler-free, but honest, as always.
Call the Name by Adam LG Nevill (Cthulhu)
Don't let this discouraging start make you put the book down. Yes, 112 pages could have been cut from the beginning of the story, and the rest of it could have been given a lot of breathing room so that it didn't feel like one giant info-dump, but it wasn't horrible. Okay, maybe it was. This had the feeling that it was written in a hurry for the anthology and not carefully crafted. I know Nevill is capable of doing better than this, so I am a bit disappointed. Two stars for this one. Still, carry on! I promise, it gets better!
The Dark Gates by Martha Wells (Yog-Sothoth)
Okay, it gets better slowly. When you state that the "usual things" aren't working and your talking about Occult sorcery, that really cheapens the dialogue and guts the story of any mystery. This was written as if it was lifted directly from a Call of Cthulhu adventure. I would be very surprised if it wasn't. Call of Cthulhu roleplaying adventures are great to play (I did so just a couple of months ago), but not so great to read, at least when it's written with no subtlety, no mystery. At first, I gave this three stars, but on further reflection, I'm dropping it to two. I love roleplaying games (in fact, I'm going to be a moderator on a panel about roleplaying games and writing at Wiscon this year), but I roleplay to roleplay, and I read to read.
We Smoke the Northern Lights by Laird Barron (Azathoth)
Now, NOW things start rolling. And I wouldn't have expected anything less from Laird Barron. It's metafictional as anything I've read, and the tongue-in-cheek humor in this piece is really, really well-played. It's as "gonzo" as I've ever read Barron, and it's fantastic tale of a hedonistic pair of boys stripped straight from Archie comics, the secret machinations of a dark corporate entity, and extraterrestrials . . . maybe. Five enthusiastic stars!
Petohtairayn by Bentley Little (Nyarlathotep)
Not bad. Not particularly great. It has an interesting academic veneer to it, particularly about shared mythologies, but I was bored much of the time. This is one in which the lead character simply gives up. Just gives up. And doesn't give much of a struggle in the process. "Meh," said the story, and "Meh," says I. Three stars.
The Doors that never Close and the Doors that Are Always Open by David Liss (Shub-Niggurath)
A pedestrian plot with some klunky usage, but not too bad. Another story in which main characters simply succumb to fate in the end, but at least this guy had some fight in him. Still, not enough to earn more than three stars.
The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown by Brett J. Talley (Tsathoggua)
Finally, another story with VOICE (Barron's was the first). That's partly what's lacking in many of these stories, but not here. The narrator was believable, with believable feelings, actions, and interactions. And the twist ending was very, very well done. Four stars, and I'll be reading more of Talley's work, for sure.
Rattled by Douglas Wynne (Yig)
This was a solid story that will stick with you. Coming of age meets reptilian horror. I really liked the character interactions, especially the portrayal of intra-family relationships. This is a well-written story that deserves attention, even if you don't like snakes. Especially if you don't like snakes. My only problem with it was that the reveal was a bit too soon and could have been saved for better effect later on. Still, a solid four stars.
In Their Presence by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore (The Mi-Go)
I love the Mi-Go. They are probably my favorite entity among all those of the Cthulhu mythos. But I have to be honest: there is just a touch too much treacle in this story (yes, I'm being serious - treacle in a mythos story). So it's 4 stars for "In Their Presence". Still, a great story from Team Golden-Moore.
Dream a Little Dream of Me by Jonathan Maberry (Nightgaunts)
On the other hand, I hate werewolves. Just hate them. With a passion. Especially when they show their faces in a Lovecraft mythos story. Stupid werewolves. I enjoyed the noir pastiche, but . . . werewolves. No. Just no. Three stars.
In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale (Elder Things)
Well, Mr. Lansdale, you had me until the ginormous info-dump about 3/4 of the way through. The story never recovered after that and, in fact, foundered on the rocks of triteness and hyperbole. That's really too bad, because I was really enjoying this read until that point, and the Elder Things are my second favorite mythos baddie. Three stars.
A Dying of the Light by Rachel Caine (Great Race of Yith)
This pushes ALL the right buttons! This is a Lovecraft tale worthy of the name. If all the stories were this good, it would be the greatest Lovecraft anthology of all time. Alas, it is only one story, but one that deserves a resounding five stars! So good! Definitely the best story of the anthology. Possibly one of the best contemporary Lovecraft mythos stories I've ever read - and I've read quite a few. I would love, love, love to see what she could do working with Gemma Files!
Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan McGuire (The Deep Ones)
Not bad, not terrible. I felt like it "telegraphed" a bit too early and was a bit too eager to explain everything. Could have been more understated and it would have improved the story, which seems to be a problem with most mythos storys, nay, most of horror in general, these days. Three stars, almost four, but not quite.
So, overall, three stars for The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft. The art wasn't quite enough to push it to four stars, though it was very good art (especially Steve Santiago's "Azathoth" - wowsers!). A must for the completist, and I'd say that Caine's and Barron's stories make the book worth the price of admission. Someday, someone is going to reprint all the best non-Lovecraft Lovecraft stories in one volume, and it would be a crime if those two stories aren't in it.
April 19, 2016
The most Lovecraftian thing about this book is how it will make you unreasonably angry at an inanimate object, pigeonholing unwilling passersby to rant about how most of these stories failed to understand both their remit and the tenets of Lovecraft's horror at even the most basic level, until you devolve into mindless gibbering as you roam your workplace looking for reader justice in an uncaring cosmos.
November 24, 2015
A bit of a curate's egg, as anthologies often are, several of these tales feel as if the Lovecraft element was shoehorned in to make them fit the theme, and those stories feel less complete, and a bit out of place here as a result.
That said, there's a few gems to be had - Moore and Golden's pulpy Mi-Go story hit the spot perfectly, as did Maberry's Nightgaunts meet weird PI modern noir. Lansdale and Barron show off their own particular tics and flourishes to great effect too.
But the highlight for me was Adam Nevill's CALL THE NAME, which manages to be both epic in scale in time and space, yet claustrophobic in the horrors growing inside a woman's mind. The way it unfolds will stick with me for a while, and for me, that's what Lovecaft's monsters are all about.
That said, there's a few gems to be had - Moore and Golden's pulpy Mi-Go story hit the spot perfectly, as did Maberry's Nightgaunts meet weird PI modern noir. Lansdale and Barron show off their own particular tics and flourishes to great effect too.
But the highlight for me was Adam Nevill's CALL THE NAME, which manages to be both epic in scale in time and space, yet claustrophobic in the horrors growing inside a woman's mind. The way it unfolds will stick with me for a while, and for me, that's what Lovecaft's monsters are all about.
May 10, 2021
Vai viegli būt kultistam? Tā nu ir sanācis, ka kopš bērna kājas mani ir aizrāvis Lavkrafta mitoss ar visiem viņa Ktulu, Jog-Sototiem un Šub-Nigurattiem. Ieraudzījis šo antoloģiju, es vienkārši nespēju paiet tai garām nenopircis. Ar lasīšanu gan tik raiti nevedās, kā es biju domājis. Tam bija daudzi iemesli – sākot no tā, ka mitosa grāmatas nevar patērēt strauji, lai pats nepaliktu traks un nesāktu rakstīt pats savu Nekromikonu, līdz globāla pandēmija, kas izskatās vēsta par Seno kārtējo mēģinājumu atmosties. Bet nepagāja ne divi gadi un es veiksmīgi izbūros grāmatai cauri.
Grāmatā ir apkopoti veseli divpadsmit stāsti, kurā katrs parāda vienu no mitosa panteona dieviem kā galveno pasaules notikumu ietekmētāju. Katru ir sarakstījis savs autors, un tādēļ skatījums uz Lavkrafta mitosu nav konsistents un vietām pretrunīgs, bet kas gan var tos Senos dievus līdz galam izprast visos viņu aspektos? Viens gan ir skaidrs, Seno dievu motīvus cilvēkam izprast ir tik pat lielas iespējas kā mušai cilvēkus. Un nu pastāstīšu par stāstiem, kuri man patika.
In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale – ļoti laba variācija par Ārprāta kalniem. Šeit stāsta varoņi attopas glābšanas laivā netālu no grimstoša kuģa, nonāk uz dīvainas ledus klātas salas. Neviens no viņiem neatceras, kā ir nonācis uz kuģa, kādēļ tas nogrima, viņi visi ir sāk stāstu kopā ar lasītāju kā baltas lapas. Ja sākumā šausmas aprobežojas vien ar haizivju apsēstu jūru, tad, stāstam ritot savu gaitu, atklājas aizvien šaušalīgākas lietas un vietas. Lasot stāstu nevar nepamanīt, kā autors savus varoņus kopā ar lasītājiem noved pie apjēgas, ka viss notiekošais ir ne vien šausmīgs, bet arī absurds. Manuprāt labākais stāsts šajā krājumā - 10 no 10 ballēm. Šogoti forever!
Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan McGuire – šis stāsts ir Insmūtas stāsts. Laiki ir mainījušies un kapteiņa Obeda pēcteči līdz ar tiem. Insmūtā katastrofāli trūkst jaunu asiņu, dzelme spēj aizsaukt aizvien mazāk un mazāk savus pēcnācējus, stāsta varone ir nolēmusi kaut ko darīt lietas labā. Nav jau tā, ka visi Insmūtas ļaužu pēcnācēji apzinātos, ka viņus atplestām rokām sagaida Y’ha-nthlei pilsētā. Labi sarakstīts stāsts no Insmūtas pamatiedzīvotāja perspektīvas, par saskari ar mūsdienu civilizāciju un tās sekām. 10 no 10 ballēm.
Dream a Little dream of Me by Jonathan Maberry – šis stāsts ir veco labo klasisko detektīvu stilā, tikai šoreiz detektīvs neko neizmeklē, viņš saņem no klienta uzdevumu aizsargāt kādu artefaktu no Tules biedru alkatīgajām ķetnām. Durvis uz sapņu pasauli ir palikušas vaļā un starp tām tagad var staigāt gandrīz katrs, kam vien ir saprašana šajā lietā. Protams, te ir uzmetieni un negaidītas atklāsmes. Beidzot var uzzināt, kas ir ar to krišanu no augstuma sapnī (maiteklis galvenais ir pamosties pirms zemes) - 9 no 10 ballēm.
The Dark Gates by Martha Wells – izrādās, ka autore prot sarakstīt ne tikai Slepkabota dienasgrāmatas. Stāstā darbība notiek pavisam citos realitātes slāņos, privātdetektīvi ir nolīgti lai atrastu kāda rūpniecības magnāta pazudušo meitu. Magnāts pēdējos gados ir sācis uzvesties pavisam dīvaini, un, ko tur slēpt, viņa apkaimē sākuši izgaist cilvēki. Jau no pirmajām lapaspusēm mitosa pārzinātājs sapratīs, ka te ir iejaukts pats Jog-Sotots un atliek vien gaidīt cik ilgi līdz šim secinājumam nonāks stāsta varoņi. Tāds spraigs stāsts - 9 no 10 ballēm.
Domāju, ka lasītājam, kurš ir iepazinies ar Lavkrafta daiļradi, šis stāstu krājums šķitīs daudz interesantāks nekā mitosa nezinātājam. Var jau riskēt un lasīt šo antoloģiju, neko par Lavkraftu nezinot. Šo stāstu krājumu iesaku visiem Lavkrafta mitosa cienītājiem, klasika ir laba lieta, bet jādod sev iespēja paskatīties no cita skatu punkta. 9 no 10 ballēm.
Grāmatā ir apkopoti veseli divpadsmit stāsti, kurā katrs parāda vienu no mitosa panteona dieviem kā galveno pasaules notikumu ietekmētāju. Katru ir sarakstījis savs autors, un tādēļ skatījums uz Lavkrafta mitosu nav konsistents un vietām pretrunīgs, bet kas gan var tos Senos dievus līdz galam izprast visos viņu aspektos? Viens gan ir skaidrs, Seno dievu motīvus cilvēkam izprast ir tik pat lielas iespējas kā mušai cilvēkus. Un nu pastāstīšu par stāstiem, kuri man patika.
In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale – ļoti laba variācija par Ārprāta kalniem. Šeit stāsta varoņi attopas glābšanas laivā netālu no grimstoša kuģa, nonāk uz dīvainas ledus klātas salas. Neviens no viņiem neatceras, kā ir nonācis uz kuģa, kādēļ tas nogrima, viņi visi ir sāk stāstu kopā ar lasītāju kā baltas lapas. Ja sākumā šausmas aprobežojas vien ar haizivju apsēstu jūru, tad, stāstam ritot savu gaitu, atklājas aizvien šaušalīgākas lietas un vietas. Lasot stāstu nevar nepamanīt, kā autors savus varoņus kopā ar lasītājiem noved pie apjēgas, ka viss notiekošais ir ne vien šausmīgs, bet arī absurds. Manuprāt labākais stāsts šajā krājumā - 10 no 10 ballēm. Šogoti forever!
Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan McGuire – šis stāsts ir Insmūtas stāsts. Laiki ir mainījušies un kapteiņa Obeda pēcteči līdz ar tiem. Insmūtā katastrofāli trūkst jaunu asiņu, dzelme spēj aizsaukt aizvien mazāk un mazāk savus pēcnācējus, stāsta varone ir nolēmusi kaut ko darīt lietas labā. Nav jau tā, ka visi Insmūtas ļaužu pēcnācēji apzinātos, ka viņus atplestām rokām sagaida Y’ha-nthlei pilsētā. Labi sarakstīts stāsts no Insmūtas pamatiedzīvotāja perspektīvas, par saskari ar mūsdienu civilizāciju un tās sekām. 10 no 10 ballēm.
Dream a Little dream of Me by Jonathan Maberry – šis stāsts ir veco labo klasisko detektīvu stilā, tikai šoreiz detektīvs neko neizmeklē, viņš saņem no klienta uzdevumu aizsargāt kādu artefaktu no Tules biedru alkatīgajām ķetnām. Durvis uz sapņu pasauli ir palikušas vaļā un starp tām tagad var staigāt gandrīz katrs, kam vien ir saprašana šajā lietā. Protams, te ir uzmetieni un negaidītas atklāsmes. Beidzot var uzzināt, kas ir ar to krišanu no augstuma sapnī (maiteklis galvenais ir pamosties pirms zemes) - 9 no 10 ballēm.
The Dark Gates by Martha Wells – izrādās, ka autore prot sarakstīt ne tikai Slepkabota dienasgrāmatas. Stāstā darbība notiek pavisam citos realitātes slāņos, privātdetektīvi ir nolīgti lai atrastu kāda rūpniecības magnāta pazudušo meitu. Magnāts pēdējos gados ir sācis uzvesties pavisam dīvaini, un, ko tur slēpt, viņa apkaimē sākuši izgaist cilvēki. Jau no pirmajām lapaspusēm mitosa pārzinātājs sapratīs, ka te ir iejaukts pats Jog-Sotots un atliek vien gaidīt cik ilgi līdz šim secinājumam nonāks stāsta varoņi. Tāds spraigs stāsts - 9 no 10 ballēm.
Domāju, ka lasītājam, kurš ir iepazinies ar Lavkrafta daiļradi, šis stāstu krājums šķitīs daudz interesantāks nekā mitosa nezinātājam. Var jau riskēt un lasīt šo antoloģiju, neko par Lavkraftu nezinot. Šo stāstu krājumu iesaku visiem Lavkrafta mitosa cienītājiem, klasika ir laba lieta, bet jādod sev iespēja paskatīties no cita skatu punkta. 9 no 10 ballēm.
April 6, 2016
A mixed bag for me.. some truly gripping and terrifying tales... and some tales that were kinda meh. Full review to come.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
September 7, 2015
The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft: a brand new anthology that collects the twelve principal deities of the Lovecraftian Mythos and sets them loose within its pages. Featuring the biggest names in horror and dark fantasy, including many NY Times bestsellers, full of original fiction and artwork, and individual commentary on each of the deities by Donald Tyson.
About the book: Lovecraft’s bestiary of gods has had a major influence on the horror scene from the time these sacred names were first evoked. Cthulhu, Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth—this pantheon of the horrific calls to mind the very worst of cosmic nightmares and the very darkest signs of human nature. The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft brings together twelve all-new Mythos tales from:
Cthulhu (Adam Nevill) – Yog-Sothoth (Martha Wells) – Azathoth (Laird Barron) – Nyarlathotep (Bentley Little) – Shub-Niggurath (David Liss) – Tsathoggua (Brett Talley) – The Mi-Go (Christopher Golden & James A. Moore) – Night-gaunts (Jonathan Maberry) – Elder Things (Joe Lansdale) – Great Race (Rachel Caine) – Yig (Douglas Wynne) – The Deep Ones (Seanan McGuire)
With commentary on each deity by Donald Tyson
About the book: Lovecraft’s bestiary of gods has had a major influence on the horror scene from the time these sacred names were first evoked. Cthulhu, Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth—this pantheon of the horrific calls to mind the very worst of cosmic nightmares and the very darkest signs of human nature. The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft brings together twelve all-new Mythos tales from:
Cthulhu (Adam Nevill) – Yog-Sothoth (Martha Wells) – Azathoth (Laird Barron) – Nyarlathotep (Bentley Little) – Shub-Niggurath (David Liss) – Tsathoggua (Brett Talley) – The Mi-Go (Christopher Golden & James A. Moore) – Night-gaunts (Jonathan Maberry) – Elder Things (Joe Lansdale) – Great Race (Rachel Caine) – Yig (Douglas Wynne) – The Deep Ones (Seanan McGuire)
With commentary on each deity by Donald Tyson
January 4, 2016
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. Well, I opened this book and I fell in - love with it! Fans of the "dark side" will love it too! There are 12 stories included and some fabulous illustrations throughout.
January 8, 2016
A Solid Collection of Stories Rooted in the Lovecraft Mythos
(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review through Library Thing's Early Reviewers program. Trigger warning for rape and animal abuse.)
Confession time: I'm not a fan of H.P. Lovecraft. I'm not not a fan, I just know very little about his work. Most of my limited knowledge comes from the recent World Fantasy Awards controversy (which, I must admit, doesn't exactly make me want to run out and buy copy of The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft), and that one episode of Supernatural (which, as it just so happened, TNT reran this morning. Serendipity!)
I am, however, I huge Seanan McGuire fangirl, and it's her contribution that sold me on this anthology. (Her short stories in particular are phenomenal, and "Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves" is no exception.) I'm glad, too, because The Gods of HP Lovecraft is a pretty solid collection of science fiction stories. As you can see, I rated everything a 4 or 5, which is pretty impressive; usually anthologies are more of a mixed bag for me. The individual summaries are relatively vague and un-spoilery, but please skip them if you'd rather read this book with fresh eyes.
"Call the Name" by Adam LG Nevill (Cthulhu) - The year is 2045, and humanity has awakened Cthulhu, our alien creator and one temperamental god. Responsible for mass extinction events 443 million, 200 million, and 65 million years ago, our overpopulation, warming, and general degradation of the planet will be our downfall - just not in the way most scientists predict. 4/5 stars. While I loved the environmentally-friendly message of the story (not to mention Cleo and her proud lineage of mad women scientists), the language is a little florid for my taste (though quite possibly in line with the source material).
"The Dark Gates" by Martha Wells (Yog-Sothoth) - When the Baron Mille's stepdaughter and secretary go missing, the Baroness hires "lady detective" Reja and her team to find them. It turns out that the Baron hasn't quite been himself since exploring a mysterious fissure in an old mine... 4/5 stars. This story has a lovely steampunk vibe to it, and I love Reja and her diverse (not always human) crew of detectives.
"We Smoke the Northern Lights" by Laird Barron (Azathoth) - A probe sent to Pluto in 1956 returns earlier than expected - perhaps after slipping through a wormhole in space? Now NCY-93's core contains information the likes of which threatens to corrupt anyone who views it. 5/5 stars. The protagonists of this story are two precocious young geniuses/psychopaths named Mac and Dred whose training in the Himalayan mountains evokes images of Pai Mei - and whose current occupation feels like an alternate 'verse version of the Men of Letters.
"Petohtalrayn" by Bentley Little (Nyarlathotep) - An unassuming archaeologist named Ellison is summoned to the underground prison of Nyarlathotep to lead his army of rat-people into the sun. 4/5 stars. I would love to adopt a rat with opposable thumbs!
"The Doors that Never Close and the Doors that Are Always Open" by David Liss (Shub-Niggurath) - Blessed be the bankers ... by Shub-Niggurath, at least. 4/5 stars. Not quite what I expected!
"The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown" by Brett J. Talley (Tsathoggua) - When a mining company blasted a new shaft deep within the bowels of the Sutter's End mine, they unleashed a terrible god (the drawing of which looks suspiciously like blob-Chet of Weird Science fame). A god embraced by the local biker gang, natch. 4/5 stars. I could do without the heroic bullfighter, okay. (Pro tip: all of the cows you torture for fun are "terrified" - not just the old, broken ones.)
"Rattled" by Douglass Wynne (Yig) - Two thirteen-year-old boys go on a vision quest to mark their passage into manhood - but only one of them comes out the other side. Seventeen years later, Nathan returns to the desert to find out what fate befell his best friend Adam.
The story is based on the Curse of Yig: "If you kill a snake on sacred ground, you become a snake, or a snakelike creature. [...] Anyway, the curse, it's like karma, right? It means that Indians valued the lowest of the low, creatures literally without a leg to stand on. And if you hurt one, you should expect to find yourself stripped of power and crawling on your belly on the ground among them, yeah?" Let's just say that Adam is kind of a shithead who loves to kill defenseless animals and leave it at that.
5/5 stars. While the vegan in me would like to see this principle extended to all animals (and not just snakes), you learn to take the animal-friendly crumbs where you can.
"In Their Presence" by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore (The Mi-Go) - The crew of the Burleson travels the Arctic in search of the remains of the Eleanor Lockley, lost at sea some 80 years before - but her cargo may be more valuable than any of them realize. 4/5 stars.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" by Jonathan Maberry (Nightgaunts) - Set in Maberry's Sam Hunter universe, this is a pulpy story starring a hard-bitten, shape-shifting PI. A weirdo hires Sam to protect a precious artifact from the Thule Society; but the job goes sideways when Sam learns that his idea of being a "champion" differs greatly from his employer's. 4/5 stars. It feels a little more contemporary and stylistically different from the other stories, but in a good way.
"In the Mad Mountains" by Joe R. Lansdale (Elder Things) - The survivors of a shipwreck - who remember nothing of the trip they were on - find themselves stranded on barren sheet of ice, along with the detritus of other wayward travelers. And they aren't alone. 5/5 stars.
"A Dying of the Light" by Rachel Caine (Great Race of Yith) - Based on "The Shadow Out of Time," as well as the author's own experiences caring for a parent with Alzheimer's, "Dying" tells the story of an elderly Alzheimer's patient who makes a miraculous recovery. Only the woman who reclaims Acanthus Porter's body may not be Mrs. Porter after all. 5/5 stars.
"Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves" by Seanan McGuire (The Deep Ones) - Despite the apparent lack of lesbians, Seanan McGuire's story is one of my favorites. I don't want to reveal too much, but suffice it to say that thar be mermaids here...or at least mermaid-like creatures who enjoy experimenting on humans. But said humans torture mice for a living, so karma. 5/5 stars.
Though the stories are inspired by Lovecraft's twelve principal deities, you don't have to be a fan to enjoy them; they all pretty much stand on their own. But. Those who are familiar with Lovecraft will likely get more out of them. For example, I spotted a number of recurring elements (the scientist known as Ellison; Miskatonic University) that I didn't know quite what to do with. I suspect that there were even more Easter eggs that I didn't pick up on.
Finally, a note on the formatting: Usually I prefer ebooks to print books, at least when it comes to books that don't have many graphic elements (comic books; crafty, "found footage" novels like Illuminae and The Dead House). I decided to go with a print copy of The Gods of HP Lovecraft because of the illustrations - which are lovely, by the way. But there are only twelve of them, and the type's a little on the small side, and even harder to read when italicized, as it occasionally is in large chunks (e.g., Cleo's letter to Yolanda in "Call the Name"). Or maybe the adjustable font on my Kindle has just spoiled me. Either way, I wish I'd opted for the ebook instead. The print book is indeed handsome, but at what cost? (Eyestrain, that's what.)
http://www.easyvegan.info/2016/01/15/...
(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review through Library Thing's Early Reviewers program. Trigger warning for rape and animal abuse.)
Confession time: I'm not a fan of H.P. Lovecraft. I'm not not a fan, I just know very little about his work. Most of my limited knowledge comes from the recent World Fantasy Awards controversy (which, I must admit, doesn't exactly make me want to run out and buy copy of The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft), and that one episode of Supernatural (which, as it just so happened, TNT reran this morning. Serendipity!)
I am, however, I huge Seanan McGuire fangirl, and it's her contribution that sold me on this anthology. (Her short stories in particular are phenomenal, and "Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves" is no exception.) I'm glad, too, because The Gods of HP Lovecraft is a pretty solid collection of science fiction stories. As you can see, I rated everything a 4 or 5, which is pretty impressive; usually anthologies are more of a mixed bag for me. The individual summaries are relatively vague and un-spoilery, but please skip them if you'd rather read this book with fresh eyes.
"Call the Name" by Adam LG Nevill (Cthulhu) - The year is 2045, and humanity has awakened Cthulhu, our alien creator and one temperamental god. Responsible for mass extinction events 443 million, 200 million, and 65 million years ago, our overpopulation, warming, and general degradation of the planet will be our downfall - just not in the way most scientists predict. 4/5 stars. While I loved the environmentally-friendly message of the story (not to mention Cleo and her proud lineage of mad women scientists), the language is a little florid for my taste (though quite possibly in line with the source material).
"The Dark Gates" by Martha Wells (Yog-Sothoth) - When the Baron Mille's stepdaughter and secretary go missing, the Baroness hires "lady detective" Reja and her team to find them. It turns out that the Baron hasn't quite been himself since exploring a mysterious fissure in an old mine... 4/5 stars. This story has a lovely steampunk vibe to it, and I love Reja and her diverse (not always human) crew of detectives.
"We Smoke the Northern Lights" by Laird Barron (Azathoth) - A probe sent to Pluto in 1956 returns earlier than expected - perhaps after slipping through a wormhole in space? Now NCY-93's core contains information the likes of which threatens to corrupt anyone who views it. 5/5 stars. The protagonists of this story are two precocious young geniuses/psychopaths named Mac and Dred whose training in the Himalayan mountains evokes images of Pai Mei - and whose current occupation feels like an alternate 'verse version of the Men of Letters.
"Petohtalrayn" by Bentley Little (Nyarlathotep) - An unassuming archaeologist named Ellison is summoned to the underground prison of Nyarlathotep to lead his army of rat-people into the sun. 4/5 stars. I would love to adopt a rat with opposable thumbs!
"The Doors that Never Close and the Doors that Are Always Open" by David Liss (Shub-Niggurath) - Blessed be the bankers ... by Shub-Niggurath, at least. 4/5 stars. Not quite what I expected!
"The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown" by Brett J. Talley (Tsathoggua) - When a mining company blasted a new shaft deep within the bowels of the Sutter's End mine, they unleashed a terrible god (the drawing of which looks suspiciously like blob-Chet of Weird Science fame). A god embraced by the local biker gang, natch. 4/5 stars. I could do without the heroic bullfighter, okay. (Pro tip: all of the cows you torture for fun are "terrified" - not just the old, broken ones.)
"Rattled" by Douglass Wynne (Yig) - Two thirteen-year-old boys go on a vision quest to mark their passage into manhood - but only one of them comes out the other side. Seventeen years later, Nathan returns to the desert to find out what fate befell his best friend Adam.
The story is based on the Curse of Yig: "If you kill a snake on sacred ground, you become a snake, or a snakelike creature. [...] Anyway, the curse, it's like karma, right? It means that Indians valued the lowest of the low, creatures literally without a leg to stand on. And if you hurt one, you should expect to find yourself stripped of power and crawling on your belly on the ground among them, yeah?" Let's just say that Adam is kind of a shithead who loves to kill defenseless animals and leave it at that.
5/5 stars. While the vegan in me would like to see this principle extended to all animals (and not just snakes), you learn to take the animal-friendly crumbs where you can.
"In Their Presence" by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore (The Mi-Go) - The crew of the Burleson travels the Arctic in search of the remains of the Eleanor Lockley, lost at sea some 80 years before - but her cargo may be more valuable than any of them realize. 4/5 stars.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" by Jonathan Maberry (Nightgaunts) - Set in Maberry's Sam Hunter universe, this is a pulpy story starring a hard-bitten, shape-shifting PI. A weirdo hires Sam to protect a precious artifact from the Thule Society; but the job goes sideways when Sam learns that his idea of being a "champion" differs greatly from his employer's. 4/5 stars. It feels a little more contemporary and stylistically different from the other stories, but in a good way.
"In the Mad Mountains" by Joe R. Lansdale (Elder Things) - The survivors of a shipwreck - who remember nothing of the trip they were on - find themselves stranded on barren sheet of ice, along with the detritus of other wayward travelers. And they aren't alone. 5/5 stars.
"A Dying of the Light" by Rachel Caine (Great Race of Yith) - Based on "The Shadow Out of Time," as well as the author's own experiences caring for a parent with Alzheimer's, "Dying" tells the story of an elderly Alzheimer's patient who makes a miraculous recovery. Only the woman who reclaims Acanthus Porter's body may not be Mrs. Porter after all. 5/5 stars.
"Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves" by Seanan McGuire (The Deep Ones) - Despite the apparent lack of lesbians, Seanan McGuire's story is one of my favorites. I don't want to reveal too much, but suffice it to say that thar be mermaids here...or at least mermaid-like creatures who enjoy experimenting on humans. But said humans torture mice for a living, so karma. 5/5 stars.
Though the stories are inspired by Lovecraft's twelve principal deities, you don't have to be a fan to enjoy them; they all pretty much stand on their own. But. Those who are familiar with Lovecraft will likely get more out of them. For example, I spotted a number of recurring elements (the scientist known as Ellison; Miskatonic University) that I didn't know quite what to do with. I suspect that there were even more Easter eggs that I didn't pick up on.
Finally, a note on the formatting: Usually I prefer ebooks to print books, at least when it comes to books that don't have many graphic elements (comic books; crafty, "found footage" novels like Illuminae and The Dead House). I decided to go with a print copy of The Gods of HP Lovecraft because of the illustrations - which are lovely, by the way. But there are only twelve of them, and the type's a little on the small side, and even harder to read when italicized, as it occasionally is in large chunks (e.g., Cleo's letter to Yolanda in "Call the Name"). Or maybe the adjustable font on my Kindle has just spoiled me. Either way, I wish I'd opted for the ebook instead. The print book is indeed handsome, but at what cost? (Eyestrain, that's what.)
http://www.easyvegan.info/2016/01/15/...
January 1, 2023
I'd been in the mood for some eldritch horror, so thought I'd end the year with this anthology that I'd had for a while.
It is a mix of authors I'd read (Martha Wells, Laird Barron, Jonathan Maberry, Seanan Maguire), some I'd heard of but not got around to (Adam Nevill, Joe Lansdale, Rachel Caine, Bentley Little, Christopher Golden), and others new to me (James A. Moore, Douglas Wynne, Brett J. Talley, David Liss).
It's a fine compilation, with no stories that fell flat - which, perhaps especially amongst Lovecraftian anthologies, I find quite rare. Each tale is about one of Lovecraft's gods, with a short passage afterward about that entity.
The individual reviews contain some minor spoilers.
It starts strongly with Adam Nevill's Call the Name. Set on the Devon coast in 2055 as an eclipse approaches, retired marine biologist Chloe is glued to the news as the effects of the climate crisis ravage the world - water wars and refugees on top of the natural disasters. She also notes the cult that seems to be taking over the churches, replacing the Crucifix with a strange eye, and the reports of groups of pensioners walking off clifftops into the sea.
We find that she is a descendant of palaeontologist Mary Anning, and that each of her maternal ancestors has visions of these end times - and gained the knowledge that each of the great mass extinctions was caused by this alien entity that slumbers in the abyssal depths. Of course, this sixth extinction is the same, although Nevill cleverly avoids laying blame for it on the Old One, stating that it is our forced warming of the planet that has awoken it.
The other stand-out stories are:
Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan Maguire is the only tale told from POV of a Lovecraftian entity. Biology grad student Violet invites her colleagues for spring break to her family's guest house in Innsmouth, to meet her folk and to perform her own experiments. Gret stuff.
The Dark Gates by Martha Wells. I imagine this might annoy some Mythos fans, as it is not a traditional Lovecraft-style story, being more like a Call of Cthulhu RPG adventure set in a secondary world with airships, fae and low-level magic - and something of the feel of early 20th Century America. A rollocking little adventure that makes me hope that she's written more in this setting.
A Dying of the Light by Rachel Caine. Rose is a carer at a dementia hospice in Arkham, MA, where she is tasked with looking after an all-but catatonic late-stage patient, a former silver screen actress. When the patient - sorry, resident - begins to show a miraculous recovery, beginning to walk and speak and write - Rose is the only one who seems aware that she is, in fact, inhabited by something inhuman.
Dream a Little Dream of Me by Jonathan Maberry. As it's subtitled "A Sam Hunter Adventure", I look forward to seeking out more of these. Sam, a classic down-at-heel detective in Philadelphia, is approached by a strange client to look after a package. The client seems to know his secret - that he himself isn't exactly human - and the renumeration is far too good to turn down, despite his misgivings.
Of course, it's far less straight-forward than it seems and the whole thing goes south. Witty, fun, and a great slant on the urban fantasy noir detective genre.
In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale. From the title, and the fact that the story opens with a lifeboat full of people escaping from their cruise ship hitting an iceberg, flags where this is going, but Lansdale does it brilliantly. The survivors come to ground on an ice-bound landscape, with many other shipwrecks and sleds frozen into immobility. The bodies they find all seem to have gaping head wounds, and the horrors gradually multiply until only two of the survivors remain. Other than the opener, perhaps the only story that really embraces the nihilism of Lovecraft.
We Smoke the Northern Lights. Laird Barron often writes sparse, evocative, poetic Mythos horror - but this is not that. A weird adventure throwing 30s pulp and Illuminatus! (or even Chestertonian) conspiracy into the mix, this is a great deal of crazy, scary fun.
The remaining tales are all fine, as I said not a dud amongst them.
Petohtalrayn by Bentley Little. A traditional Lovecraftian construction. where a history researcher's leads him, inevitably, to face horrors.
The Doors That Never Close and the Doors That are Always Open by David Liss. Here, a post-grad drop-out applies for a job with a multinational bank which is, of course, not what it appears. This story both foregrounds the inhumanity of big finance and comments on the inherent racism of Lovecraft's work.
The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown by Brett J. Talley. The titular bullfighter is invited to find some colleagues to entertain a private show which, of course, turns out to be part of an eldritch ritual.
Rattled by Douglas Wynne. The narrator, scarred by a teenage event, seeks to face up to it and exact retribution which, though inevitable, is a terrible idea.
In Their Presence by Christopher Golden and James A. Moore. An expedition to find the wreck of a ship toward the North-West Passage learns that the treasure aboard was better left sunken.
It is a mix of authors I'd read (Martha Wells, Laird Barron, Jonathan Maberry, Seanan Maguire), some I'd heard of but not got around to (Adam Nevill, Joe Lansdale, Rachel Caine, Bentley Little, Christopher Golden), and others new to me (James A. Moore, Douglas Wynne, Brett J. Talley, David Liss).
It's a fine compilation, with no stories that fell flat - which, perhaps especially amongst Lovecraftian anthologies, I find quite rare. Each tale is about one of Lovecraft's gods, with a short passage afterward about that entity.
The individual reviews contain some minor spoilers.
It starts strongly with Adam Nevill's Call the Name. Set on the Devon coast in 2055 as an eclipse approaches, retired marine biologist Chloe is glued to the news as the effects of the climate crisis ravage the world - water wars and refugees on top of the natural disasters. She also notes the cult that seems to be taking over the churches, replacing the Crucifix with a strange eye, and the reports of groups of pensioners walking off clifftops into the sea.
We find that she is a descendant of palaeontologist Mary Anning, and that each of her maternal ancestors has visions of these end times - and gained the knowledge that each of the great mass extinctions was caused by this alien entity that slumbers in the abyssal depths. Of course, this sixth extinction is the same, although Nevill cleverly avoids laying blame for it on the Old One, stating that it is our forced warming of the planet that has awoken it.
The other stand-out stories are:
Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan Maguire is the only tale told from POV of a Lovecraftian entity. Biology grad student Violet invites her colleagues for spring break to her family's guest house in Innsmouth, to meet her folk and to perform her own experiments. Gret stuff.
The Dark Gates by Martha Wells. I imagine this might annoy some Mythos fans, as it is not a traditional Lovecraft-style story, being more like a Call of Cthulhu RPG adventure set in a secondary world with airships, fae and low-level magic - and something of the feel of early 20th Century America. A rollocking little adventure that makes me hope that she's written more in this setting.
A Dying of the Light by Rachel Caine. Rose is a carer at a dementia hospice in Arkham, MA, where she is tasked with looking after an all-but catatonic late-stage patient, a former silver screen actress. When the patient - sorry, resident - begins to show a miraculous recovery, beginning to walk and speak and write - Rose is the only one who seems aware that she is, in fact, inhabited by something inhuman.
Dream a Little Dream of Me by Jonathan Maberry. As it's subtitled "A Sam Hunter Adventure", I look forward to seeking out more of these. Sam, a classic down-at-heel detective in Philadelphia, is approached by a strange client to look after a package. The client seems to know his secret - that he himself isn't exactly human - and the renumeration is far too good to turn down, despite his misgivings.
Of course, it's far less straight-forward than it seems and the whole thing goes south. Witty, fun, and a great slant on the urban fantasy noir detective genre.
In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale. From the title, and the fact that the story opens with a lifeboat full of people escaping from their cruise ship hitting an iceberg, flags where this is going, but Lansdale does it brilliantly. The survivors come to ground on an ice-bound landscape, with many other shipwrecks and sleds frozen into immobility. The bodies they find all seem to have gaping head wounds, and the horrors gradually multiply until only two of the survivors remain. Other than the opener, perhaps the only story that really embraces the nihilism of Lovecraft.
We Smoke the Northern Lights. Laird Barron often writes sparse, evocative, poetic Mythos horror - but this is not that. A weird adventure throwing 30s pulp and Illuminatus! (or even Chestertonian) conspiracy into the mix, this is a great deal of crazy, scary fun.
The remaining tales are all fine, as I said not a dud amongst them.
Petohtalrayn by Bentley Little. A traditional Lovecraftian construction. where a history researcher's leads him, inevitably, to face horrors.
The Doors That Never Close and the Doors That are Always Open by David Liss. Here, a post-grad drop-out applies for a job with a multinational bank which is, of course, not what it appears. This story both foregrounds the inhumanity of big finance and comments on the inherent racism of Lovecraft's work.
The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown by Brett J. Talley. The titular bullfighter is invited to find some colleagues to entertain a private show which, of course, turns out to be part of an eldritch ritual.
Rattled by Douglas Wynne. The narrator, scarred by a teenage event, seeks to face up to it and exact retribution which, though inevitable, is a terrible idea.
In Their Presence by Christopher Golden and James A. Moore. An expedition to find the wreck of a ship toward the North-West Passage learns that the treasure aboard was better left sunken.
June 24, 2022
Like the majority of anthologies, The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft is a mixed bag of eldritch horrors. There were a few stories that were excellent, but just didn't seem to have that Lovecraftian sense of dread that I would anticipate in an anthology such as this one. A few of the stories were simply amazing, in both plot and tone and style. In general, I found that the stories improved towards the end of the book and were quite simply cosmic home runs. Each story, which features a major deity of the Mythos, is prefaced with a black and white illustration (enjoyable), and concludes with a commentary of the deity (entirely skimmable). Overall, a nice collection of Mythos shorts.
“Call The Name” — Cthulhu — Adam LG Nevill
“The Dark Gates” — Yog-Sothoth — Martha Wells
“We Smoke the Northern Lights” — Azathoth — Laird Barron
“Petohtalrayn” — Nyarlathotep — Bentley Little
“The Doors that Never Close and The Doors that Are Always Open” – Shub-Niggurath – David Liss
“The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown” — Tsathoggua — Brett J. Talley
“Rattled” — Yig — Douglas Wynne
“In Their Presence” – The Mi-Go — Christopher Golden & James A. Moore
“Dream a Little Dream of Me” — Nightgaunts — Jonathan Maberry
“In the Mad Mountains” — Elder Things — Joe R. Lansdale
“A Dying of the Light” — Great Race of Yith — Rachel Caine
“Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves” — The Deep Ones — Seanan McGuire
Commentary on each deity by Donald Tyson
“Call The Name” — Cthulhu — Adam LG Nevill
“The Dark Gates” — Yog-Sothoth — Martha Wells
“We Smoke the Northern Lights” — Azathoth — Laird Barron
“Petohtalrayn” — Nyarlathotep — Bentley Little
“The Doors that Never Close and The Doors that Are Always Open” – Shub-Niggurath – David Liss
“The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown” — Tsathoggua — Brett J. Talley
“Rattled” — Yig — Douglas Wynne
“In Their Presence” – The Mi-Go — Christopher Golden & James A. Moore
“Dream a Little Dream of Me” — Nightgaunts — Jonathan Maberry
“In the Mad Mountains” — Elder Things — Joe R. Lansdale
“A Dying of the Light” — Great Race of Yith — Rachel Caine
“Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves” — The Deep Ones — Seanan McGuire
Commentary on each deity by Donald Tyson
December 15, 2015
As with most anthologies there are ups and downs in this collection of stories based on the Gods in H P Lovecraft's world. My personal favourites came towards the end, with "In the mad mountains" by Joe R Lansdale and "A dying of the light" by Rachel Caine, but all of the stories are well written and fun to read, although I felt the pacing was off on one or two, making them slow and something of a trial to get through. It really is worth it, though. The good outweigh the not-so-good, and that's a win for any anthology.
Quite extensive notes accompany each story, giving full backgrounds on the particular Gods referenced. At times these notes were so dense as to make them slow reading, but they were full of detail and an excellent addition to the collection. Each story had a piece of artwork with it too, which I enjoyed.
Overall, this is an anthology well worth reading, with an impressive line-up of names (including Bentley Little, Christopher Golden, James A Moore, Jonathan Maberry, Joe R Lansdale, Rachel Caine and others). If you are a devotee of Lovecraft then this is a must for your collection. If you are less familiar with Mr Lovecraft's world, then the stories and notes in this book will help begin your education.
NB - For the sake of openness and honesty, I received a kindle copy of this book for free in return for an unbiased review.
Quite extensive notes accompany each story, giving full backgrounds on the particular Gods referenced. At times these notes were so dense as to make them slow reading, but they were full of detail and an excellent addition to the collection. Each story had a piece of artwork with it too, which I enjoyed.
Overall, this is an anthology well worth reading, with an impressive line-up of names (including Bentley Little, Christopher Golden, James A Moore, Jonathan Maberry, Joe R Lansdale, Rachel Caine and others). If you are a devotee of Lovecraft then this is a must for your collection. If you are less familiar with Mr Lovecraft's world, then the stories and notes in this book will help begin your education.
NB - For the sake of openness and honesty, I received a kindle copy of this book for free in return for an unbiased review.
August 18, 2019
As Lovecraft-themed story collections go, this is one of the better ones. While there are no stories that I would rate as must-be-read, five-stars, or award-worthy -- the majority of them hit the spot and then go on to exceed expectations. I can't recall any similar anthologies that have this many high quality stories. Here's my story by story appreciation . . . . . . . .
I like reviewing these stories as I read them, while they are still fresh in my mind. Three stories in, and I'm already appreciating the diversity of writing styles and themes here. Each author tackles a specific deity from Lovecraft mythos, and so far they are important but mainly background characters.(That changes later in the anthology).
Another great feature of this collection is the short summary of each of Lovecraft's gods that follows each story. The illustrations by Paul Carrick and Steve Santiago are gorgeous in spite of the horrific subject matter.
Almost every paragraph in Adam Nevill's "Call The Name" includes portends of doom, with increasing intensity. The main character is a fourth-generation marine biologist, choosing to live during 2050 in retirement near the English coastal bay where the female scientists in her family have been making some incredible finds. It's a message tale all about climate change and Nevill cleverly links an angry Cthulhu as the behind-the-scenes director of events. Long on description, but so well done. Four stars.
"The Dark Gates" by Martha Wells is a purplish, nourish adventure tale that would have surely been accepted by Weird Tales magazine back in the day. It deals with bargaining with sorcerers, and portals and the alleged generosity of Yog-Sothoth. Four stars.
The next two stories were good, but not great - - maybe because I expected more from these writers. Laird Barron tackles Azathoth (again, only in the background) with an amusing adventure yarn that recalls a more scientific/tech oriented Hardy Boys in "We Smoke The Northern Lights". Three stars.
Bentley Little's story is a bit better but still not up to his usual creepy standards. Despite the implicit terrors this one just didn't read as that frightening. An ancient cultures archeologist becomes obsessed with the presence of a Dark Man in extinct tribes throughout the ages and gets sucked into a pit that draws him in. "Petohtalrayn" is a mirror spelling of Nyarlathotep. In contrast to the other stories, the deity does have more of a role in this one. Three stars.
This one is more like it. Things get a little ominous by Page Two of "The Doors That Never Close and the Doors That Are Always Open" by David Liss. After an odd interview, a down-on-his-luck applicant at a bank/financial institution gets hired for odd reasons. Once he learns the name of his true employer (Shub-Niggurath), he's in for life, along with all the other workaholics in the finance industry. Nice allegory, and terrifying. Four stars.
I like the set-up and the situation more than the way the story plays out in "The Apotheosis of A Rodeo Clown" by Brett J. Talley. A biker gang called The Sons of Dagon hire a rodeo clown for entertainment at a gathering in the woods that also involves a cult of the frog-like Tsathoggua worshippers. Two and one-half stars.
"Rattled" by Douglas Wynne benefits from the back-story relating how a life-long friendship between schoolmates ended during a camping trip in the desert plains. That made it easier to empathize with the narrator as he returns years later to the scene of the crime for justice. Creepy, and it made me squirm reading about the snake-deity Yig. Four stars.
Christopher Golden and James A Moore also hit the mark with "In Their Presence" when an Arctic Sea diving expedition uncovers something that gets the attention of the dimension-traveling Mi-Go. Very weird, just like the old tales from Lovecraft and others. Four stars.
"Dream A Little Dream Of Me" by Jonathan Maberry and featuring the night-gaunts is the most entertaining story in the collection. Told in first-person detective/noir fashion, a werewolf private detective takes on a cult of Lovecraft worshippers. Four stars.
Joe Lansdale strands a group of sea-goers in the dream landscape of the Mountains of Madness and does a bang-up job of depicting this weird and dangerous land. A lifeboat crosses through the portal between dimensions and the occupants become slowly eliminated until there are only two left, who carry on in classic adventure pulp fashion. "In The Mad Mountains" rates four stars.
The main character in "A Dying Of The Light" by Rachel Caine has seen her share of odd behavior as a caretaker at a nursing home. When she gets paired up with a new patient, she's in for a new, enlightening and frightening experience. Four stars.
It finally happened. Seanan McGuire wrote a character that I could not empathize with. However, "Down, Deep Down, below the Waves" is an admirable addition to the Lovecraft set. While the story has more than its fair share of disturbing images and moments, it was spoiled a bit for me when I figured out where it was going in the early pages. A tight group of graduate science students agree to spend a holiday at a seaside bed and breakfast when invited by a normally quieter member. Remind me never to visit this town, in spite of my love for the New England area.
I like reviewing these stories as I read them, while they are still fresh in my mind. Three stories in, and I'm already appreciating the diversity of writing styles and themes here. Each author tackles a specific deity from Lovecraft mythos, and so far they are important but mainly background characters.(That changes later in the anthology).
Another great feature of this collection is the short summary of each of Lovecraft's gods that follows each story. The illustrations by Paul Carrick and Steve Santiago are gorgeous in spite of the horrific subject matter.
Almost every paragraph in Adam Nevill's "Call The Name" includes portends of doom, with increasing intensity. The main character is a fourth-generation marine biologist, choosing to live during 2050 in retirement near the English coastal bay where the female scientists in her family have been making some incredible finds. It's a message tale all about climate change and Nevill cleverly links an angry Cthulhu as the behind-the-scenes director of events. Long on description, but so well done. Four stars.
"The Dark Gates" by Martha Wells is a purplish, nourish adventure tale that would have surely been accepted by Weird Tales magazine back in the day. It deals with bargaining with sorcerers, and portals and the alleged generosity of Yog-Sothoth. Four stars.
The next two stories were good, but not great - - maybe because I expected more from these writers. Laird Barron tackles Azathoth (again, only in the background) with an amusing adventure yarn that recalls a more scientific/tech oriented Hardy Boys in "We Smoke The Northern Lights". Three stars.
Bentley Little's story is a bit better but still not up to his usual creepy standards. Despite the implicit terrors this one just didn't read as that frightening. An ancient cultures archeologist becomes obsessed with the presence of a Dark Man in extinct tribes throughout the ages and gets sucked into a pit that draws him in. "Petohtalrayn" is a mirror spelling of Nyarlathotep. In contrast to the other stories, the deity does have more of a role in this one. Three stars.
This one is more like it. Things get a little ominous by Page Two of "The Doors That Never Close and the Doors That Are Always Open" by David Liss. After an odd interview, a down-on-his-luck applicant at a bank/financial institution gets hired for odd reasons. Once he learns the name of his true employer (Shub-Niggurath), he's in for life, along with all the other workaholics in the finance industry. Nice allegory, and terrifying. Four stars.
I like the set-up and the situation more than the way the story plays out in "The Apotheosis of A Rodeo Clown" by Brett J. Talley. A biker gang called The Sons of Dagon hire a rodeo clown for entertainment at a gathering in the woods that also involves a cult of the frog-like Tsathoggua worshippers. Two and one-half stars.
"Rattled" by Douglas Wynne benefits from the back-story relating how a life-long friendship between schoolmates ended during a camping trip in the desert plains. That made it easier to empathize with the narrator as he returns years later to the scene of the crime for justice. Creepy, and it made me squirm reading about the snake-deity Yig. Four stars.
Christopher Golden and James A Moore also hit the mark with "In Their Presence" when an Arctic Sea diving expedition uncovers something that gets the attention of the dimension-traveling Mi-Go. Very weird, just like the old tales from Lovecraft and others. Four stars.
"Dream A Little Dream Of Me" by Jonathan Maberry and featuring the night-gaunts is the most entertaining story in the collection. Told in first-person detective/noir fashion, a werewolf private detective takes on a cult of Lovecraft worshippers. Four stars.
Joe Lansdale strands a group of sea-goers in the dream landscape of the Mountains of Madness and does a bang-up job of depicting this weird and dangerous land. A lifeboat crosses through the portal between dimensions and the occupants become slowly eliminated until there are only two left, who carry on in classic adventure pulp fashion. "In The Mad Mountains" rates four stars.
The main character in "A Dying Of The Light" by Rachel Caine has seen her share of odd behavior as a caretaker at a nursing home. When she gets paired up with a new patient, she's in for a new, enlightening and frightening experience. Four stars.
It finally happened. Seanan McGuire wrote a character that I could not empathize with. However, "Down, Deep Down, below the Waves" is an admirable addition to the Lovecraft set. While the story has more than its fair share of disturbing images and moments, it was spoiled a bit for me when I figured out where it was going in the early pages. A tight group of graduate science students agree to spend a holiday at a seaside bed and breakfast when invited by a normally quieter member. Remind me never to visit this town, in spite of my love for the New England area.
May 8, 2021
This hefty tome was a nice homage to H.P. Lovecraft. It contains a dozen stories— each one involving one of the creations unleashed upon us by Lovecraft's imagination.
Every author used a distinctive style to depict how those 'God'-s of mythos might be shaping and influencing our world. The stories were compact and competent. Illustrations were superb. Commentaries provided by Donald Tyson were also succinct and informative.
My favourites were~
1. Martha Wells's "The Dark Gates"— fantastic fantasy.
2. Seanan McGuire's "Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves"— brilliant biothriller.
Tonally the collection was rather dark. Therefore, in these times they may not be entirely appealing. Otherwise it’s good stuff.
Every author used a distinctive style to depict how those 'God'-s of mythos might be shaping and influencing our world. The stories were compact and competent. Illustrations were superb. Commentaries provided by Donald Tyson were also succinct and informative.
My favourites were~
1. Martha Wells's "The Dark Gates"— fantastic fantasy.
2. Seanan McGuire's "Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves"— brilliant biothriller.
Tonally the collection was rather dark. Therefore, in these times they may not be entirely appealing. Otherwise it’s good stuff.
August 23, 2018
Great Lovecraftian Stories
Excellent anthology focusing, one tale each, on the “gods” and alien races featured in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Some standout stories include “In Their Presence” by Christopher Golden & James A Moore, “In the Mad Mountains” by Joe R Lansdale, and “A Dying of the Light” by Rachel Caine, though all the tales were well done. Strongly recommended to fans of Lovecraft seeking fresh new approaches to his familiar material.
Excellent anthology focusing, one tale each, on the “gods” and alien races featured in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Some standout stories include “In Their Presence” by Christopher Golden & James A Moore, “In the Mad Mountains” by Joe R Lansdale, and “A Dying of the Light” by Rachel Caine, though all the tales were well done. Strongly recommended to fans of Lovecraft seeking fresh new approaches to his familiar material.
December 4, 2017
While a lot of Lovecraft fans rave about the elder gods and their power, their names have always made me wonder if Lovecraft was having a ball at our expense !
Try to tell a non-reader about Shub-Niggurath or Tsathoggua and it is guaranteed that they will burst out laughing before you even get to their near omnipotent powers.
Lighter side aside, this anthology is a homage to Lovecraft’s monsters that munch on universes. Not having been a regular elder gods reader I found this collection to be interesting but not mind blowing. Two stories from the lot really stood out.
Here is what I thought about the stories :
Call the Name by Adam LG Nevill : A sleepy coastal town, an unreliable narrator and an apocalyptic world that awaits with bated breath for the arrival of Cthulhu. This is perhaps the best story in the collection and was atmospheric enough to make skin crawl. 5 stars.
The Dark Gates by Martha Wells : Government operatives, a filthy rich man and otherworldly sorcerers. Stands out for being rather awkward. 2 stars.
We Smoke the Northern Lights by Laird Barron : Stars one of the second rung heroes or Lovecraft’s pantheon – Azathoth. Barron’s prose is like a pair of sharp scissors which snip and weave through the storyline efficiently and effortlessly. Ironically however, the climax felt like a farrago. 3 stars.
Petohtalrayn by Bentley Little : This was another story with excellent atmosphere which was enough to make me feel slightly claustrophobic. Nyarlathotep’s presence in the story was executed with a precise and brutal effectiveness. 4 stars.
The doors that never close and the doors that are always open by David Liss : Meh ! 2 stars.
The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown by Brett J. Talley : Tsathoggua as a godly figure appeared ridiculous to me initially since he is a giant toad. But then thinking about the entity later I could figure out that Tsathoggua was a god before humankind even began to have organized religion. It was a god before love or brotherhood became the guiding light of devotion. Tsathoggua was a god when fear was the yardstick and it is portrayed quite well in this story. 3 stars.
Rattled by Douglas Wynne : Fascinating in places but pretty stoned overall. Another sore thumb. 2 stars.
In Their Presence by Christopher Golden and James A. Moore : Out in the frigid seas are perfect places to come across otherworldly monsters as this story illustrates. A pair of eccentrics – one a professor and the other a billionaire go hunting for ancient treasure from the sea bed. What they dig up is beyond imagination. A very haunting tale. 4 stars.
Dream a Little Dream of Me by Jonathan Maberry : Maberry’s Joe Ledger is a hero who shoots first and asks questions later and in this story, Sam Hunter in this tale follows the same approach. While it is a fun romp, this does not really fit into the Lovecraftian approach of storytelling. 3 stars for the entertainment value.
In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale : A ragtag group of shipwrecked survivors stranded on a strange ice berg and something unseen that hunts them in the snowy darkness. This is a chilling tale and the climax is a punch to the guts. Lansdale creates a terrifying version of what it means to come against these entirely alien lifeforms. 5 stars.
A Dying of the Light by Rachel Caine : From among all the tales in this collection the alien presence is so strong in this tale that it almost jumps off the page. A cold and calculating intellect which is not exactly what it seems and an unwilling human companion that it drags along with it. 4 stars.
Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan McGuire : There is a twisted sense of karma at play in this story which makes it quite amusing. While what lies beneath the waves is terrifying, the full reveal is not done here. 3 stars.
Try to tell a non-reader about Shub-Niggurath or Tsathoggua and it is guaranteed that they will burst out laughing before you even get to their near omnipotent powers.
Lighter side aside, this anthology is a homage to Lovecraft’s monsters that munch on universes. Not having been a regular elder gods reader I found this collection to be interesting but not mind blowing. Two stories from the lot really stood out.
Here is what I thought about the stories :
Call the Name by Adam LG Nevill : A sleepy coastal town, an unreliable narrator and an apocalyptic world that awaits with bated breath for the arrival of Cthulhu. This is perhaps the best story in the collection and was atmospheric enough to make skin crawl. 5 stars.
The Dark Gates by Martha Wells : Government operatives, a filthy rich man and otherworldly sorcerers. Stands out for being rather awkward. 2 stars.
We Smoke the Northern Lights by Laird Barron : Stars one of the second rung heroes or Lovecraft’s pantheon – Azathoth. Barron’s prose is like a pair of sharp scissors which snip and weave through the storyline efficiently and effortlessly. Ironically however, the climax felt like a farrago. 3 stars.
Petohtalrayn by Bentley Little : This was another story with excellent atmosphere which was enough to make me feel slightly claustrophobic. Nyarlathotep’s presence in the story was executed with a precise and brutal effectiveness. 4 stars.
The doors that never close and the doors that are always open by David Liss : Meh ! 2 stars.
The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown by Brett J. Talley : Tsathoggua as a godly figure appeared ridiculous to me initially since he is a giant toad. But then thinking about the entity later I could figure out that Tsathoggua was a god before humankind even began to have organized religion. It was a god before love or brotherhood became the guiding light of devotion. Tsathoggua was a god when fear was the yardstick and it is portrayed quite well in this story. 3 stars.
Rattled by Douglas Wynne : Fascinating in places but pretty stoned overall. Another sore thumb. 2 stars.
In Their Presence by Christopher Golden and James A. Moore : Out in the frigid seas are perfect places to come across otherworldly monsters as this story illustrates. A pair of eccentrics – one a professor and the other a billionaire go hunting for ancient treasure from the sea bed. What they dig up is beyond imagination. A very haunting tale. 4 stars.
Dream a Little Dream of Me by Jonathan Maberry : Maberry’s Joe Ledger is a hero who shoots first and asks questions later and in this story, Sam Hunter in this tale follows the same approach. While it is a fun romp, this does not really fit into the Lovecraftian approach of storytelling. 3 stars for the entertainment value.
In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale : A ragtag group of shipwrecked survivors stranded on a strange ice berg and something unseen that hunts them in the snowy darkness. This is a chilling tale and the climax is a punch to the guts. Lansdale creates a terrifying version of what it means to come against these entirely alien lifeforms. 5 stars.
A Dying of the Light by Rachel Caine : From among all the tales in this collection the alien presence is so strong in this tale that it almost jumps off the page. A cold and calculating intellect which is not exactly what it seems and an unwilling human companion that it drags along with it. 4 stars.
Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan McGuire : There is a twisted sense of karma at play in this story which makes it quite amusing. While what lies beneath the waves is terrifying, the full reveal is not done here. 3 stars.
July 4, 2023
Overall impressed by this collection. No real duds here and I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of my favorite authors*, like Laird Barron (probably my favorite contemporary writer of cosmic horror) and Martha Wells (not someone I expected to see in a HPL collection). Each story features on one of HPL's creations, mostly (but, despite the title, not exclusively) Elder Gods and Old Ones - Deep Ones, Nightgaunts, the Mi-Go, Elder Things, and the Great Race of Yith. Authors generally stuck to Lovecraftian canon, but there was a lot of variation in story type (cosmic horror, pulp, adventure, noir) and setting (mostly modern US/UK, but also a future dystopia and an alternate history (early 20th Century?) with magic and the fae). I give this 3.5 stars. Warning, the first story in the collection (Neville's "Call the Name") had an interesting concept, but was really long and the author's writing style made it feel longer, so don't get discouraged despite the editor's poor choice of a "lead".
* Checked out from the local library, so I wasn't doing as much advance research as I would if I was shelling out money for it.
* Checked out from the local library, so I wasn't doing as much advance research as I would if I was shelling out money for it.
December 12, 2015
Received this as a free e-book for early reviewers.
An interesting collection of short stories from various authors, all dealing with various gods and races from the Lovecraftian mythos. Interspersed with the short stories are small descriptions of the aspect of the mythos itself. The quality of the stories varied quite a bit -- from engaging to "meh." Overall, not a bad collection.
An interesting collection of short stories from various authors, all dealing with various gods and races from the Lovecraftian mythos. Interspersed with the short stories are small descriptions of the aspect of the mythos itself. The quality of the stories varied quite a bit -- from engaging to "meh." Overall, not a bad collection.
December 29, 2016
As with most anthologies, the quality here runs from exceptional to barely acceptable. One novel feature is a short essay after every story about the focal god or entity or etc. from that story; unfortunately, I found them mostly forgettable, and certainly anticlimactic coming as they do after the story.
December 21, 2017
A solid collection, with only one story that I felt was lacking. I'll update later with my favorites.
October 15, 2020
The draft of my STAR review from the December 2015 issue of Booklist:
H.P. Lovecraft and his Mythos have seen a resurgences in popularity in the last ten years both in popular media and scholarship, but this collection stands out among the crowd. Editor French selected twelve of the key deities from Lovecraft’s universe and handed them to some of today’s best and most popular dark fiction writers, including New York Time’s Bestselling authors, Jonathan Maberry, Bentley Little, David Liss, Joe Lansdale, Christopher Golden, and Seanan McGuire, with the direction that they should craft a story from their own imagination, in their unique voice, it just needed to feature their assigned god and pay homage to that character’s origin. The result is a book that serves as an excellent introduction to the Mythos for novices who have heard of Lovecraft but may be overwhelmed looking for an entry point, while also being a must read for Lovecraft enthusiasts who will love seeing their beloved cosmic horror deities of the past being reinterpreted by some of their favorite writers of today. Even taken out of the Lovecraftian frame, all twelve stories are solid, scary, and well crafted with plenty to offer readers looking for a post-Halloween fix. Take horror up and comer Douglas Wynne’s story, “Rattled” featuring Yig as an example. At its heart, this is a terrifying story featuring the Father of Serpents, but it is also a moving coming of age tale. This volume also contains original artwork and a commentary on each deity by Lovecraft scholar, Donald Tyson. After each story, Tyson interjects important information about the featured God and its place within Lovecraft’s oeuvre. These essays are particularly compelling as readers encounter each immediately after being immersed in that God’s terrifying world. This is must add for all horror collections.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE THIS BOOK: Lovecraft Reimagined, Enlightening, Compelling
H.P. Lovecraft and his Mythos have seen a resurgences in popularity in the last ten years both in popular media and scholarship, but this collection stands out among the crowd. Editor French selected twelve of the key deities from Lovecraft’s universe and handed them to some of today’s best and most popular dark fiction writers, including New York Time’s Bestselling authors, Jonathan Maberry, Bentley Little, David Liss, Joe Lansdale, Christopher Golden, and Seanan McGuire, with the direction that they should craft a story from their own imagination, in their unique voice, it just needed to feature their assigned god and pay homage to that character’s origin. The result is a book that serves as an excellent introduction to the Mythos for novices who have heard of Lovecraft but may be overwhelmed looking for an entry point, while also being a must read for Lovecraft enthusiasts who will love seeing their beloved cosmic horror deities of the past being reinterpreted by some of their favorite writers of today. Even taken out of the Lovecraftian frame, all twelve stories are solid, scary, and well crafted with plenty to offer readers looking for a post-Halloween fix. Take horror up and comer Douglas Wynne’s story, “Rattled” featuring Yig as an example. At its heart, this is a terrifying story featuring the Father of Serpents, but it is also a moving coming of age tale. This volume also contains original artwork and a commentary on each deity by Lovecraft scholar, Donald Tyson. After each story, Tyson interjects important information about the featured God and its place within Lovecraft’s oeuvre. These essays are particularly compelling as readers encounter each immediately after being immersed in that God’s terrifying world. This is must add for all horror collections.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE THIS BOOK: Lovecraft Reimagined, Enlightening, Compelling
November 16, 2021
From the title, I was already anticipating Ultimate Horror, so the stories would have to go the extra mile to impress me. For the most part, they did not.
I rated each of the 12 stories on a scale of 1 to 5, and added the scores. They rated 27 points out of 60, which is a failing grade. Some of the tales mingled mundane horrors with Lovecraft’s eldritch dread. Cthulhu arrived late to the party for the destruction of the environment. The Private Investigator proved that Lovecraft’s monsters would fare badly against modern Urban Fantasy.
Rachel Caine’s “A Dying of the Light” moved me most of all, dealing with the aged, dementia, and an ending worthy of Rod Serling.
The interstitial descriptions of the particular race in each story was almost superfluous, showing no connection to Lovecraft or to the story just presented.
I rated each of the 12 stories on a scale of 1 to 5, and added the scores. They rated 27 points out of 60, which is a failing grade. Some of the tales mingled mundane horrors with Lovecraft’s eldritch dread. Cthulhu arrived late to the party for the destruction of the environment. The Private Investigator proved that Lovecraft’s monsters would fare badly against modern Urban Fantasy.
Rachel Caine’s “A Dying of the Light” moved me most of all, dealing with the aged, dementia, and an ending worthy of Rod Serling.
The interstitial descriptions of the particular race in each story was almost superfluous, showing no connection to Lovecraft or to the story just presented.
August 3, 2019
I genuinely enjoyed more than half of the stories here, and most of the rest were at least interesting. It's a decent collection, though a bit unfocused in tone and intent. There are some ridiculously pulpy stories, and some much more alien-other focused. Recommended overall.
Call the Name by Adam LG Nevill (Cthulhu) [2 stars, 4 tentacles] - While I like the basic idea of this one, it drags on and on and on and on, and the author should really avoid compound sentences because every single one either takes several reads to parse, or misuses a comma, or something. I'm trying to decide if the intent was to induce horror at the ending, or a sort of relief that humanity's time of damaging the Earth was at an end. Probably horror, but I mostly felt relief. It also felt gimmicky to me to keep referring to "the name" rather than just writing "Cthulhu".
The Dark Gates by Martha Wells (Yog-Sothoth) [5 stars, 2 tentacles] - Very nice mystery tale that uses Lovecraftian elements, but doesn't really feel Lovecraftian. Partly, this is because it is not set in our universe, but in an alternate one. The tech feels 1930s-ish, and there are fay and a fay realm. Partly, this is because none of the protagonists comes to a bad end. In the Trail of Cthulhu system, this would be Pulp rather than Purist. Recommended as a story, but not really a good fit for this sort of collection.
We Smoke the Northern Lights by Laird Barron (Azathoth) [2 stars, 4 tentacles] - Well, at least I didn't utterly loathe this, like I did the other Barron story I read. So, about 90% of the story is about these vile sons of industry doing awful things, and winding up with an AI crystal which contains information on Azathoth, then paying the price. So, okay, if you already hate the characters, you're less bothered when they go mad and start killing each other, but did you even want to read the story in the first place in that case? Then there's a twist at the end, which could have made a much shorter story than this one worth while, but mostly just felt like a slap in the face by the time I got there.
Petohtalrayn by Bentley Little (Nyarlathotep) [3 stars, 4 tentacles] - While interestingly creepy, I found the presentation of Nyarlathotep a bit, well, bland. I've seen much more interesting uses of the character. This could have been any of a dozen elder gods apart from the "dark man" theme for all the personality it showed. Okay, yes, there was creepy flute music, but that's just as often associated with Azathoth. As for the ending...
The Doors that Never Close and the Doors that Are Always Open by David Liss (Shub-Niggurath) [4 stars, 5 tentacles] - A corporation works surprisingly well as an Old One surrogate, even without said corporation being devoted to the Goat with a Thousand Young.
The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown by Brett J. Talley (Tsathoggua) [3 stars, 2 tentacles] - Mildly diverting read, but when the most interesting bits are the (likely) factual details about rodeo clowns, and this is supposed to be a Lovecraftian tale, something's gone amiss. I did not see anything worthy of the name "apotheosis", and while I was all in favor of the clown's gallantry in rescuing the damsel, I was much less sympathetic to his attempt to rescue her abductors .
Rattled by Douglas Wynne (Yig) [4 stars, 4 tentacles] - Well-written caper about why you should check references before allowing someone to take children on a "vision quest", to make sure they're not actually recruiting for a snake cult. Mildly creepy in places, but a bit too pat.
In Their Presence by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore (The Mi-Go) [3.5 stars, 4 tentacles] - Very much has the feeling of some of Lovecraft's own work, though the POV character manages to embrace the Other, which Lovecraft's protagonists almost never did. I was sad that , though.
Dream a Little Dream of Me by Jonathan Maberry (Nightgaunts) [3.5 stars, 2 tentacles] - Enjoyable, but rather pulpy. I'm not convinced werewolves and ogres fit any better with Lovecraftiana than elves do, though they felt slightly less out of place. I can think of several ways to make the ending more interesting (and Lovecraftian).
In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale (Elder Things) [2 stars, 4 tentacles] - This one started off with a lot of interesting world-building, then degenerated into slasher horror. If the writing had been better, I might still have been able to enjoy it at that point, but the writing was clumsy, at best. Also, given the odd out-of-time feel, I was totally expecting "Amelia" to turn out to be Amelia Earhart, particularly when they found an intact plane, and was very disappointed that this was not the case.
A Dying of the Light by Rachel Caine (Great Race of Yith) [3.5 stars, 3 tentacles] - Surprisingly deep version of the Yith, as . Also, as creepy body-possessors, but, well, that's the Yith for you.
Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan McGuire (The Deep Ones) [4 stars, 4 tentacles] - Deep one as scientist, trying to bring out the oceanic traits in those with minimal Innsmouth blood. Nicely creepy, more creepy for the logic behind it.
Call the Name by Adam LG Nevill (Cthulhu) [2 stars, 4 tentacles] - While I like the basic idea of this one, it drags on and on and on and on, and the author should really avoid compound sentences because every single one either takes several reads to parse, or misuses a comma, or something. I'm trying to decide if the intent was to induce horror at the ending, or a sort of relief that humanity's time of damaging the Earth was at an end. Probably horror, but I mostly felt relief. It also felt gimmicky to me to keep referring to "the name" rather than just writing "Cthulhu".
The Dark Gates by Martha Wells (Yog-Sothoth) [5 stars, 2 tentacles] - Very nice mystery tale that uses Lovecraftian elements, but doesn't really feel Lovecraftian. Partly, this is because it is not set in our universe, but in an alternate one. The tech feels 1930s-ish, and there are fay and a fay realm. Partly, this is because none of the protagonists comes to a bad end. In the Trail of Cthulhu system, this would be Pulp rather than Purist. Recommended as a story, but not really a good fit for this sort of collection.
We Smoke the Northern Lights by Laird Barron (Azathoth) [2 stars, 4 tentacles] - Well, at least I didn't utterly loathe this, like I did the other Barron story I read. So, about 90% of the story is about these vile sons of industry doing awful things, and winding up with an AI crystal which contains information on Azathoth, then paying the price. So, okay, if you already hate the characters, you're less bothered when they go mad and start killing each other, but did you even want to read the story in the first place in that case? Then there's a twist at the end, which could have made a much shorter story than this one worth while, but mostly just felt like a slap in the face by the time I got there.
Petohtalrayn by Bentley Little (Nyarlathotep) [3 stars, 4 tentacles] - While interestingly creepy, I found the presentation of Nyarlathotep a bit, well, bland. I've seen much more interesting uses of the character. This could have been any of a dozen elder gods apart from the "dark man" theme for all the personality it showed. Okay, yes, there was creepy flute music, but that's just as often associated with Azathoth. As for the ending...
The Doors that Never Close and the Doors that Are Always Open by David Liss (Shub-Niggurath) [4 stars, 5 tentacles] - A corporation works surprisingly well as an Old One surrogate, even without said corporation being devoted to the Goat with a Thousand Young.
The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown by Brett J. Talley (Tsathoggua) [3 stars, 2 tentacles] - Mildly diverting read, but when the most interesting bits are the (likely) factual details about rodeo clowns, and this is supposed to be a Lovecraftian tale, something's gone amiss. I did not see anything worthy of the name "apotheosis", and while I was all in favor of the clown's gallantry in rescuing the damsel, I was much less sympathetic to his attempt to rescue her abductors .
Rattled by Douglas Wynne (Yig) [4 stars, 4 tentacles] - Well-written caper about why you should check references before allowing someone to take children on a "vision quest", to make sure they're not actually recruiting for a snake cult. Mildly creepy in places, but a bit too pat.
In Their Presence by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore (The Mi-Go) [3.5 stars, 4 tentacles] - Very much has the feeling of some of Lovecraft's own work, though the POV character manages to embrace the Other, which Lovecraft's protagonists almost never did. I was sad that , though.
Dream a Little Dream of Me by Jonathan Maberry (Nightgaunts) [3.5 stars, 2 tentacles] - Enjoyable, but rather pulpy. I'm not convinced werewolves and ogres fit any better with Lovecraftiana than elves do, though they felt slightly less out of place. I can think of several ways to make the ending more interesting (and Lovecraftian).
In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale (Elder Things) [2 stars, 4 tentacles] - This one started off with a lot of interesting world-building, then degenerated into slasher horror. If the writing had been better, I might still have been able to enjoy it at that point, but the writing was clumsy, at best. Also, given the odd out-of-time feel, I was totally expecting "Amelia" to turn out to be Amelia Earhart, particularly when they found an intact plane, and was very disappointed that this was not the case.
A Dying of the Light by Rachel Caine (Great Race of Yith) [3.5 stars, 3 tentacles] - Surprisingly deep version of the Yith, as . Also, as creepy body-possessors, but, well, that's the Yith for you.
Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan McGuire (The Deep Ones) [4 stars, 4 tentacles] - Deep one as scientist, trying to bring out the oceanic traits in those with minimal Innsmouth blood. Nicely creepy, more creepy for the logic behind it.
July 16, 2022
Outstanding!!! This collection will go down as one of my all time favorites!! Every single story was TOP NOTCH!!!
Some stand out stories:
• In Their Presence by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore- I love me some sea stories and this one hits its mark!!
• In The Mad Mountains by Joe R Lansdale- a story of survival on a vast frozen land. Hunted down by the unknown. YESSSS!!!
• Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan McGuire- ALL OF THIS STORY IS ACES!! Again, I love me some sea stories!!!
Excellent collection!! Damn! I want to listen to it again, and we’ll, again!!!! It gets All the stars!!!
Some stand out stories:
• In Their Presence by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore- I love me some sea stories and this one hits its mark!!
• In The Mad Mountains by Joe R Lansdale- a story of survival on a vast frozen land. Hunted down by the unknown. YESSSS!!!
• Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves by Seanan McGuire- ALL OF THIS STORY IS ACES!! Again, I love me some sea stories!!!
Excellent collection!! Damn! I want to listen to it again, and we’ll, again!!!! It gets All the stars!!!
January 22, 2019
Listened to this as an audiobook.
Not a huge fan of the short story genre; but there were some good passages and stories in between that captured the 'Lovecraftian' spirit, although next up on my list will probably be more of the original Lovecraft rather than these 'spin-off'-stories, however good they might be.
But lots of esotericism, horror, bibliophilia and even a story with the appearance of the Thule Society.
Not a huge fan of the short story genre; but there were some good passages and stories in between that captured the 'Lovecraftian' spirit, although next up on my list will probably be more of the original Lovecraft rather than these 'spin-off'-stories, however good they might be.
But lots of esotericism, horror, bibliophilia and even a story with the appearance of the Thule Society.
July 11, 2019
Specifically the Martha Wells story. Enormously fun, and good to visit Ile-Rien once more.
August 3, 2019
This is a great anthology of Lovecraftian stories, there were a couple that didn't do much for me but the rest more than made up for that.
January 8, 2016
An Above-Average Cthulhu Mythos Anthology
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
So... what we have here is an anthology of a dozen short stories by various authors, all set (more or less) in the shared universe created by the American writer H.P. Lovecraft and various literary friends of his that has come to be known as the "Cthulhu Mythos". Each story is keyed to a particular entity (the "gods" of the title) in said universe. Additionally, there is a brief description of each entity by writer Donald Tyson, as well as black-and-white illustrations (mostly quite good) by various artists.
How are the stories? For the most part, they're pretty good, too. The only outright clunker, in this reviewer's humble opinion, is Martha Wells' "The Dark Gates", which apparently ties into an ongoing series of her own. If you're already a fan of her work, it's probably perfectly acceptable, but as I knew nothing about the universe it was set it, it mostly left me feeling unpleasantly bemused. On the other hand, the very next tale in the collection, "We Smoke the Northern Lights" by the gifted Laird Barron, is probably the most hugely entertaining story I've come across in recent memory in this or any other genre. A friend informs me that this story comprises half of Barron's new novella X's For Eyes; as soon as I'm done writing this review, I'm gonna purchase myself a copy.
Should you buy this book? If you're completely new to this type of writing, frankly, no. I would say your time is much better spent familiarizing yourself with the work of Lovecraft himself and his friends (Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, Frank Belknap Long, etc.) who created the Mythos universe. If you're already familiar with these writers and want to get to know the work of with contemporary writers working in this tradition, you could do better than this collection (Darrell Schweitzer's profoundly disturbing post-apocalyptic-themed Mythos collection Cthulhu's Reign springs to mind as an example). Having said that, and considering the large amount of dreck that out there in this sub-genre and the unusually consistency of this anthology, you could also do a whole hell of a lot worse.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
So... what we have here is an anthology of a dozen short stories by various authors, all set (more or less) in the shared universe created by the American writer H.P. Lovecraft and various literary friends of his that has come to be known as the "Cthulhu Mythos". Each story is keyed to a particular entity (the "gods" of the title) in said universe. Additionally, there is a brief description of each entity by writer Donald Tyson, as well as black-and-white illustrations (mostly quite good) by various artists.
How are the stories? For the most part, they're pretty good, too. The only outright clunker, in this reviewer's humble opinion, is Martha Wells' "The Dark Gates", which apparently ties into an ongoing series of her own. If you're already a fan of her work, it's probably perfectly acceptable, but as I knew nothing about the universe it was set it, it mostly left me feeling unpleasantly bemused. On the other hand, the very next tale in the collection, "We Smoke the Northern Lights" by the gifted Laird Barron, is probably the most hugely entertaining story I've come across in recent memory in this or any other genre. A friend informs me that this story comprises half of Barron's new novella X's For Eyes; as soon as I'm done writing this review, I'm gonna purchase myself a copy.
Should you buy this book? If you're completely new to this type of writing, frankly, no. I would say your time is much better spent familiarizing yourself with the work of Lovecraft himself and his friends (Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, Frank Belknap Long, etc.) who created the Mythos universe. If you're already familiar with these writers and want to get to know the work of with contemporary writers working in this tradition, you could do better than this collection (Darrell Schweitzer's profoundly disturbing post-apocalyptic-themed Mythos collection Cthulhu's Reign springs to mind as an example). Having said that, and considering the large amount of dreck that out there in this sub-genre and the unusually consistency of this anthology, you could also do a whole hell of a lot worse.
November 23, 2015
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft, edited by Aaron J. French, is an all-original anthology of stories, mostly of novella-length, inspired by the various deities in the canon of H.P. Lovecraft’s world. Some are by well-known authors, such as Laird Barron, Bentley Little, Christopher Golden and James A. Moore, and Joe R. Lansdale; others are by people unknown to me such as Martha Wells, Brett J. Talley and Seanan McGuire. What is interesting about this anthology is the broad range of styles and genres contained within it, ranging from urban fantasy to straight pulp to science fiction to horror to modern crime fantasy tropes. What is uniform about these stories is their very high quality throughout; I enjoyed absolutely every single one of these 12 stories, which is incredibly rare in any type of anthology. My favourite was Martha Wells’ “The Dark Gates” (and I’m going to search out her numerous novels on the basis of this story); my least favourite was Laird Barron’s “We Smoke the Northern Lights” (too pulpy for me), but all of them are really good. The other thing that sets this anthology apart is that each story is followed by a short essay, written by Donald Tyson, describing the Lovecraftian deity which is the subject of the story, an excellent way to introduce this mythos to a new audience. My two quibbles with this volume are that there is no introduction and there are no biographies of the authors, but since this is an Early Review copy, perhaps those will be included in the final publication. In spite of that (small, in this case) disappointment, the volume as a whole is absolutely excellent - though it may give you nightmares as you read it! Highly recommended.
The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft, edited by Aaron J. French, is an all-original anthology of stories, mostly of novella-length, inspired by the various deities in the canon of H.P. Lovecraft’s world. Some are by well-known authors, such as Laird Barron, Bentley Little, Christopher Golden and James A. Moore, and Joe R. Lansdale; others are by people unknown to me such as Martha Wells, Brett J. Talley and Seanan McGuire. What is interesting about this anthology is the broad range of styles and genres contained within it, ranging from urban fantasy to straight pulp to science fiction to horror to modern crime fantasy tropes. What is uniform about these stories is their very high quality throughout; I enjoyed absolutely every single one of these 12 stories, which is incredibly rare in any type of anthology. My favourite was Martha Wells’ “The Dark Gates” (and I’m going to search out her numerous novels on the basis of this story); my least favourite was Laird Barron’s “We Smoke the Northern Lights” (too pulpy for me), but all of them are really good. The other thing that sets this anthology apart is that each story is followed by a short essay, written by Donald Tyson, describing the Lovecraftian deity which is the subject of the story, an excellent way to introduce this mythos to a new audience. My two quibbles with this volume are that there is no introduction and there are no biographies of the authors, but since this is an Early Review copy, perhaps those will be included in the final publication. In spite of that (small, in this case) disappointment, the volume as a whole is absolutely excellent - though it may give you nightmares as you read it! Highly recommended.
January 17, 2016
Editor Aaron J. French gathered twelve Mythos tales based on Lovecraft’s bestiary of gods. His experience as book editor for JournalStone Publishing, Editor-in-Chief for Dark Discoveries magazine, and co-editor of The Lovecraft eZine gives French the credentials to be able to select stories for this Lovecraft style horror collection.
Commentator, Donald Tyson based his extensive deity explanations on his studies as occult scholar. Tyson, an author in his own right, has written several books on occult philosophy, Necronomicon and magic, including “The Dream World of H.P. Lovecraft: His Life, His Demons, His Universe.
One section missing from this volume is a brief biography of the editor, commentator, and contributing artists. Brief research revealed that each contributor is a published author with experiences and interest that supported concepts put forth in their short stories.
The stories, deities, and authors included in this edition are:
“Call the Name” – Cthulhu (Adam Nevill)
“The Dark Gates” – Yog-Sothoth (Martha Wells)
“We Smoke the Northern Lights” – Azathoth (Laird Barron)
“Petohtalrayn” – Nyarlathotep (Bentley Little)
“The Doors that Never Close and the Doors That are Always Open” – Shub-Niggurath (David Liss)
“The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown” – Tsathoggua (Brett J. Talley)
“Rattled” – Yig (Douglas Wynne)
“In their Presence” – The Mi-Go (Christopher Golden & James A. Moore)
“Dream a Little Dream of Me” – Nightgaunts (Jonathan Maberry)
“In the Mad Mountains” – Elder Things (Joe Lansdale)
“A Dying of Light” – Great Race of Yith (Rachel Caine)
“Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves” – The Deep Ones (Seanan McGuire)
Commentator, Donald Tyson based his extensive deity explanations on his studies as occult scholar. Tyson, an author in his own right, has written several books on occult philosophy, Necronomicon and magic, including “The Dream World of H.P. Lovecraft: His Life, His Demons, His Universe.
One section missing from this volume is a brief biography of the editor, commentator, and contributing artists. Brief research revealed that each contributor is a published author with experiences and interest that supported concepts put forth in their short stories.
The stories, deities, and authors included in this edition are:
“Call the Name” – Cthulhu (Adam Nevill)
“The Dark Gates” – Yog-Sothoth (Martha Wells)
“We Smoke the Northern Lights” – Azathoth (Laird Barron)
“Petohtalrayn” – Nyarlathotep (Bentley Little)
“The Doors that Never Close and the Doors That are Always Open” – Shub-Niggurath (David Liss)
“The Apotheosis of a Rodeo Clown” – Tsathoggua (Brett J. Talley)
“Rattled” – Yig (Douglas Wynne)
“In their Presence” – The Mi-Go (Christopher Golden & James A. Moore)
“Dream a Little Dream of Me” – Nightgaunts (Jonathan Maberry)
“In the Mad Mountains” – Elder Things (Joe Lansdale)
“A Dying of Light” – Great Race of Yith (Rachel Caine)
“Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves” – The Deep Ones (Seanan McGuire)
October 8, 2016
I borrowed this one from the library, really just to read the Seanan McGuire story, which I had seen well praised in a review on Tor.com.
I skipped along the others and didn't really settle down to read any of them completely. McGuire's story, however, was enthralling and impressive. I liked the way she played with the ideas of the relationships between scientist and their lab animals, and how it fitted (or didn't fit) between her and her "friends". The writing was lovely and the reader's growing understanding of what is really going on is both obvious and organic and yet totally terrifying.
As I said above, I can't comment on the other stories in the anthology, but I highly recommend Seanan McGuire's story.
I skipped along the others and didn't really settle down to read any of them completely. McGuire's story, however, was enthralling and impressive. I liked the way she played with the ideas of the relationships between scientist and their lab animals, and how it fitted (or didn't fit) between her and her "friends". The writing was lovely and the reader's growing understanding of what is really going on is both obvious and organic and yet totally terrifying.
As I said above, I can't comment on the other stories in the anthology, but I highly recommend Seanan McGuire's story.
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