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The Mythos Project #2
Shoggoth
An accepted theory exists that millions of years ago a celestial catastrophic occurrence wiped out every living thing on the planet. This theory may be flawed. Fast-forward to the 21st century. A handful of scientists, allied with the military, discover a massive network of tunnels beneath the Mojave Desert. Below, lies an ancient survivor, waiting...and it's hungry! Once again Byron Craft drags us by his tentacles into a masterful mix of Lovecraftian science fiction, mystery, fantasy and horror.
- GenresHorror
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2016
19 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Byron Craft
21 books27 followersIt was decided that the best person to tell you about Byron Craft and “THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK” project would be me…Byron Craft.
“THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK” was originally a movie that was in preproduction several years ago titled, “The Cry of Cthulhu.” Unfortunately the project, like many good intentions, never came to fruition. My concept was an all new Cthulhu Mythos story to be put on film that would have done H.P. Lovecraft proud. At the time, there had been several poor attempts to place Lovecraft and his dreaded Necronomicon on the big screen. I had a notion to make an exciting, plus mind-boggling, Cthulhu movie that had the look and feel as if Lovecraft had stood behind the camera.
“THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK” embodies the same vision in a literary format. I have endeavored to pen this Cthulhu Mythos novel as it may have been done if H.P. Lovecraft were alive in the 21st century. Nevertheless, “THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK” consists of three separate narratives that link together a single story, where when one account leaves off, the other continues leading you, the reader, through a terrifying Lovecraftian web of mystery, horror and apocalyptic doom.
I have been known to refer to this work as “THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK PROJECT,” because it is the first in a five novel mythos series dealing with mankind’s internal, as well as, outward struggle to control his own destiny while encountering malicious beings from another time and space.
I hope you will enjoy, in addition to being scared stiff, the first of my five part series…“THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK.”
Cthulhu Lives!
Byron Craft
Byron@byroncraftbooks.com
“THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK” was originally a movie that was in preproduction several years ago titled, “The Cry of Cthulhu.” Unfortunately the project, like many good intentions, never came to fruition. My concept was an all new Cthulhu Mythos story to be put on film that would have done H.P. Lovecraft proud. At the time, there had been several poor attempts to place Lovecraft and his dreaded Necronomicon on the big screen. I had a notion to make an exciting, plus mind-boggling, Cthulhu movie that had the look and feel as if Lovecraft had stood behind the camera.
“THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK” embodies the same vision in a literary format. I have endeavored to pen this Cthulhu Mythos novel as it may have been done if H.P. Lovecraft were alive in the 21st century. Nevertheless, “THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK” consists of three separate narratives that link together a single story, where when one account leaves off, the other continues leading you, the reader, through a terrifying Lovecraftian web of mystery, horror and apocalyptic doom.
I have been known to refer to this work as “THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK PROJECT,” because it is the first in a five novel mythos series dealing with mankind’s internal, as well as, outward struggle to control his own destiny while encountering malicious beings from another time and space.
I hope you will enjoy, in addition to being scared stiff, the first of my five part series…“THE ALCHEMIST’S NOTEBOOK.”
Cthulhu Lives!
Byron Craft
Byron@byroncraftbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 4, 2018
Review: SHOGGOTH by Byron Craft
For a Lovecraft devotee such as myself, to discover a new Mythos author is sheer delight. SHOGGOTH is my first reading of Byron Craft. I perhaps chose SHOGGOTH to read first, because I spent January invested in rereads (and listening) of Lovecraft' s "At the Mountains of Madness," in which those bizarre creations, the Shoggoth, figure so prominently.
In this novel, the setting is not the frozen wilds of early 20th century Antarctica, but the U.S. Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, California. Deep in the Mojave Desert are petroglyphs tens of thousands of years old, inexplicable hieroglyphs, and impossible monsters. For the history and science we learn in school missed out on a lot, including Elder Gods.
SHOGGOTH strongly resonates with HPL' s "At the Mountains of Madness" and "The Shadow Out of Time," with the latter's explication of a long-term "Walk-In" experience caused by a race of Elder Gods (regardless of the effect on the human recipient). Mr. Croft also strums one of Lovecraft' s most cherished themes: when science and philosophy's driving quest for knowledge meets that which humanity is not meant to discover, something's gonna break (usually sanity).
I had a totally enjoyable time reading SHOGGOTH. In fact, I found myself envying the characters their exploration of hidden prehistory and their Lovecraftian encounters.
For a Lovecraft devotee such as myself, to discover a new Mythos author is sheer delight. SHOGGOTH is my first reading of Byron Craft. I perhaps chose SHOGGOTH to read first, because I spent January invested in rereads (and listening) of Lovecraft' s "At the Mountains of Madness," in which those bizarre creations, the Shoggoth, figure so prominently.
In this novel, the setting is not the frozen wilds of early 20th century Antarctica, but the U.S. Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, California. Deep in the Mojave Desert are petroglyphs tens of thousands of years old, inexplicable hieroglyphs, and impossible monsters. For the history and science we learn in school missed out on a lot, including Elder Gods.
SHOGGOTH strongly resonates with HPL' s "At the Mountains of Madness" and "The Shadow Out of Time," with the latter's explication of a long-term "Walk-In" experience caused by a race of Elder Gods (regardless of the effect on the human recipient). Mr. Croft also strums one of Lovecraft' s most cherished themes: when science and philosophy's driving quest for knowledge meets that which humanity is not meant to discover, something's gonna break (usually sanity).
I had a totally enjoyable time reading SHOGGOTH. In fact, I found myself envying the characters their exploration of hidden prehistory and their Lovecraftian encounters.
January 5, 2017
The Shoggoth is my second favorite of H.P. Lovecraft's creations. It is such a fascinating creature with its disgusting mass of tentacles, eyes, and blobby flesh. They're also a more interesting and sympathetic creature than Lovecraft probably intended as well. This is due to the fact Howard Phillips wrote them to be monstrous creatures which overthrew the natural order of their subservience to the Elder Things race which created them. Nowadays, we're a bit more sympathetic to slaves who rise up and slay their masters.
I've read Byron Craft's other novellas in the past and generally like his work. While The Innsmouth Look is my favorite, I was willing to give him another try despite this not containing his Nameless Detective character. I was informed this one would be an homage to B-movie horror with the US military, secret experiments, and a town in the middle of the American Southwest. So, was it any good? Yeah, I'd say it was.
The premise of the book goes strongly for the whole Tremors and The Mist sort of feel. They're messing with something "man was not meant to know" and the majority of the book is spent setting up the characters who we know will inevitably die horribly at the hands of our titular monster. At least, that's what I thought was going to happen and was pleasantly surprised to see while there's some of that, the book is actually more concerned with the implications of the Shoggoth.
For a book which seems like it would be just another military experiments with something going wrong but it analyzes a lot of the underpinnings of people studying That Which Man Was Not Meant To Know. We have people who are obsessed with discovering the truth, people who see a threat where there might not be, and those who are simply caught up in their own little worlds where the shoggoth is just an unwelcome intrusion on the mundanity of their lives.
The book is mostly characterization and they're all memorable and believable. I loved the description of how the US Navy dealt with an in-land situation which was intruding on yet ANOTHER project of their's. That was such an enjoyable little absurdity, it felt very true to life. I also liked the Professor who was possessed by Yithians but never quite figures that out.
The ending of the book is, particularly, good. I loved the secret revelations about the Shoggoth and how it called into question everything we expected about what its goals were. I recommend this for Lovecraft fans and fans of causal horror as it'll work for both. There's a lot of good HPL references throughout but newcomers will have fun too.
8.5/10
I've read Byron Craft's other novellas in the past and generally like his work. While The Innsmouth Look is my favorite, I was willing to give him another try despite this not containing his Nameless Detective character. I was informed this one would be an homage to B-movie horror with the US military, secret experiments, and a town in the middle of the American Southwest. So, was it any good? Yeah, I'd say it was.
The premise of the book goes strongly for the whole Tremors and The Mist sort of feel. They're messing with something "man was not meant to know" and the majority of the book is spent setting up the characters who we know will inevitably die horribly at the hands of our titular monster. At least, that's what I thought was going to happen and was pleasantly surprised to see while there's some of that, the book is actually more concerned with the implications of the Shoggoth.
For a book which seems like it would be just another military experiments with something going wrong but it analyzes a lot of the underpinnings of people studying That Which Man Was Not Meant To Know. We have people who are obsessed with discovering the truth, people who see a threat where there might not be, and those who are simply caught up in their own little worlds where the shoggoth is just an unwelcome intrusion on the mundanity of their lives.
The book is mostly characterization and they're all memorable and believable. I loved the description of how the US Navy dealt with an in-land situation which was intruding on yet ANOTHER project of their's. That was such an enjoyable little absurdity, it felt very true to life. I also liked the Professor who was possessed by Yithians but never quite figures that out.
The ending of the book is, particularly, good. I loved the secret revelations about the Shoggoth and how it called into question everything we expected about what its goals were. I recommend this for Lovecraft fans and fans of causal horror as it'll work for both. There's a lot of good HPL references throughout but newcomers will have fun too.
8.5/10
December 11, 2017
At heart Shoggoth is a great big Hollywood Creature Feature from the golden age, with guys in uniforms battling it out with an unspeakable giant alien horror. Naturally they escalate quickly from improvised weapons through machine-guns and – yes! – flamethrowers right on up to more extreme measures. Because you’re not gonna be slowing this one down with regular issue. (Sadly, nobody actually says “Bullets won’t stop it!” possibly because they are too busy finding that out).
There is a lot more to Shoggoth than monster battling by the numbers though. It is meticulously researched with a strong grasp of the realities of the real-life military research at China Lake, not to mention everything from geotechnical drilling to pre-Colombian petroglyphs, the technical never overwhelms the humans. We have a selection of characters, often pleasingly quirky, right across the spectrum from the decent and likeable to the thoroughly evil, sadistic and corrupt – but even the evil characters each has their own motivation and style. Be warned though, there will be casualties, so don’t go getting too attached to any of them…
The plot has a few twists and turns, and while sections of it might seem familiar to fans of HP Lovecraft, not everything is quite as it seems.
Good fun, especially if you like giant and seemingly unstoppable tentacled, man-eating monstrosities. And who doesn’t?
There is a lot more to Shoggoth than monster battling by the numbers though. It is meticulously researched with a strong grasp of the realities of the real-life military research at China Lake, not to mention everything from geotechnical drilling to pre-Colombian petroglyphs, the technical never overwhelms the humans. We have a selection of characters, often pleasingly quirky, right across the spectrum from the decent and likeable to the thoroughly evil, sadistic and corrupt – but even the evil characters each has their own motivation and style. Be warned though, there will be casualties, so don’t go getting too attached to any of them…
The plot has a few twists and turns, and while sections of it might seem familiar to fans of HP Lovecraft, not everything is quite as it seems.
Good fun, especially if you like giant and seemingly unstoppable tentacled, man-eating monstrosities. And who doesn’t?
July 2, 2016
A GREAT TALE OF ELDER BEINGS AND A LOVECRAFTIAN MONSTER IT IS...
Hello, this is a really good story about the Mythos surrounding our little area of the cosmos. Very well written. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. Some people never get what is coming to them. Damn good stuff. Thanks.
Hello, this is a really good story about the Mythos surrounding our little area of the cosmos. Very well written. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. Some people never get what is coming to them. Damn good stuff. Thanks.
November 25, 2023
An idea with a lot of potential that could have been realized with time, editing, and less attention to what feels cool. A lot of egregious spelling errors preventing a seamless reading experience, but if you’re a fiend for Lovecraftian fiction, read it.
October 21, 2021
Kind of a comic book Cthulhu Mythos story about a shoggoth (well, at least one) unearthed on a military base out west in the 80s.
The emotional tone here is similar to Monster Hunter International, fun. The unspeakable evil isn't very frightening.
I liked the whole informal Cthulhu Mythos group at Miskatonic back east.
The emotional tone here is similar to Monster Hunter International, fun. The unspeakable evil isn't very frightening.
I liked the whole informal Cthulhu Mythos group at Miskatonic back east.
June 29, 2023
Expertly woven thrilling horror.
I especially like the way the author blended old style H.P. Lovecraftian mythos with the modern world and 'shifting' that ancient mythos to its own 'modernized' version in both history and science. I also like his ability to humanize the characters... just before their horrifying demise.
I liked the detective series, but this series is shaping up to be considerably better. A solid five stars and recommendation for any HPL aficionado. Bk3 in the series is 'definitely' next on my list.
I especially like the way the author blended old style H.P. Lovecraftian mythos with the modern world and 'shifting' that ancient mythos to its own 'modernized' version in both history and science. I also like his ability to humanize the characters... just before their horrifying demise.
I liked the detective series, but this series is shaping up to be considerably better. A solid five stars and recommendation for any HPL aficionado. Bk3 in the series is 'definitely' next on my list.
September 27, 2018
I enjoyed "The Cry of Cthulhu" and was looking forward to Craft's next book. Shoggoth did not disappoint. Byron Craft has good character development... you love some of them and you hate some. I squirmed every time someone went below ground and occasionally my palms sweated while reading sections. I especially like the way this reads like watching a movie. Scene cuts when you didn't want them was frustrating but the suspense kept you reading. Hope this series continues.
September 6, 2018
A lot of fun to read!
The book was hard to put down. I found myself yelling at the characters to get out of there. It was a fun read. Looking forward to the next book.
The book was hard to put down. I found myself yelling at the characters to get out of there. It was a fun read. Looking forward to the next book.
July 27, 2021
Great mythos book
Loved this, great story and world building and Ironwood certainly deserves to be a future hero. Looking forward to reading the next in the series
Loved this, great story and world building and Ironwood certainly deserves to be a future hero. Looking forward to reading the next in the series
October 25, 2022
Take a little Lovecraftian horror. Add a bit of science fiction. Throw in some mystery. Mix with adventure. Now you have SHOGGOTH by Byron Craft. If you like any of those things, or just enjoy a good novel, read it. Although it is the second book in a series, and is fine from that standpoint, SHOGGOTH absolutely stands alone and is well worth reading even if you don’t read the other books in the series. My suspicion is that if you read SHOGGOTH you’ll want to read the entire series, but I leave that decision to you.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews