Les Chroniques de Cthulhu

Black Wings #1

by S.T. Joshi

Des profondeurs de R’lyeh nous viennent vingt et une nouvelles d’horreur inédites, aussi macabres que terrifiantes.

Une sélection d’auteurs de premier plan puisant leur inspiration dans l’œuvre de Lovecraft explorent ici les abîmes cachés de l’esprit humain, en reprenant des concepts créés par le maître de l’horreur et en les développant pour les mener dans de nouvelles directions.

Résultat : des histoires totalement originales, dont certaines vont jusqu’à mettre en scène Lovecraft lui-même. Les nouvelles de ce recueil ont été réunies par S. T. Joshi, spécialiste mondial de Lovecraft. Célèbre pour avoir rétabli les œuvres de l’auteur dans leur état originel, il a reçu de nombreux prix littéraires et rassemble ici un casting quatre étoiles pour un livre indispensable à tout amateur d’horreur.

« Chaque admirateur de Lovecraft trouvera dans cet ouvrage un ajout parfait à sa collection ; les amateurs d’horreur en général, quant à eux, seront soufflés par ce recueil délicieusement angoissant. » - Day of the Woman
« À travers ces nouvelles allant de l’hommage vintage au suspense contemporain, on sent brûler l’essence fantomatique de Lovecraft. » - Ryan Daley, Bloody Disgusting

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

524 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 3 out of 5]

a mixed bag: a lot that interested and a lot that annoyed. not a keeper overall, but certainly a few gems in the collection.



4 stars

"Violence, Child of Trust" by Michael Cisco
"The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash" by Ramsey Campbell
"Lesser Demons" by Norman Partridge
"Tempting Providence" by Jonathan Thomas

In "Violence, Child of Trust,"Cisco ingeniously and horribly reimagines Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury as a squirmy tale of a family of very different brothers, the kidnapped women they've forced into their backwoods cult, and the terrors that they worship. of all the stories, on the level of prose alone, "Violence" stands the tallest. it is brilliantly and challengingly written, full of ambiguity and startling changes in pespective. this would be a 5 star story if it wasn't so completely repugnant.

"The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash" has Campbell at his most relaxed and playful. The deranged title character writes a series of letters to H.P. Lovecraft; the relationship between the two slowly degenerates. Lovecraft aficianados will find a lot of amusement in Nash's excoriations of the author's peers and stories; I found Nash's slow degradation to be eerie and eventually chilling.

Norman Partridge's "Lesser Demons" is a cthulhic take on the post-apocalyptic us versus monsters tale. this was pure rambunctious fun, sardonic and brutal and swiftly paced. Partridge creates a world that I would have happily spent a whole novel living in.

my personal favorite of the collection was Thomas' strange, melancholy and pleasingly ironic "Tempting Providence." an artist revisits his college during an art opening featuring his own work and finds himself haunted again by the ghost of Lovecraft. this set-up was not one that excited me but Thomas makes the experience unique. the story unfolds slowly, revealing layer upon layer: self-reflection and self-recrimination, mystifying changes in appetite and perspective, the present destroying the past, the past coming back to confound the present, battles of will both internal and external, and a fascinatingly oblique yet visceral threat. the story really came out of left field for me because I'm completely unfamiliar with the author. upon finishing it, I count myself a fan and plan on looking into his standalone collections. excellent story!



3 stars

"Tunnels" by Philip Haldeman
"Substitution" by Michael Marshall Smith
"Usurped" by William Browning Spencer
"The Truth about Pickman" by Brian Stableford
"Pickman's Other Model" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
"The Broadsword" by Laird Barron

Haldeman and Smith construct a pair of exciting page-turners featuring unusual methods of catching (human) prey. Spencer only slightly evokes Lovecraft in his thoughtful tale of a relatively happy man intrigued by a mysterious and perhaps perfect-for-him neighbor (spoiler: she's not). Barron's epic story of an apartment building invaded by sadistic horrors starts very strong but devolves into nihilistic confusion; still, quite an intriguing and often genuinely scary piece. Kiernan and Stableford offer different takes on Lovecraft's classic story: the former rooted in cinema's dark past, the latter repositioning the story as one based on genetics (and eugenics).



2 stars

"An Eldritch Matter" by Adam Niswander
"Susie" by Jason Van Hollander
"The Dome" by Mollie L. Burleson
"Desert Dreams" by Donald R. Burleson
"Engravings" by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr.
"Passing Spirits" by Sam Gafford
"Inhabitants of Wraithwood" by W.H. Pugmire
"Denker's Book" by David J. Schow
"Rotterdam" by Nicholas Royle
"Howling in the Dark" by Darrell Schweitzer

these were all rather disappointing and often irritating, but none of them were genuinely bad. still, why go into detail about stories that either annoyed me or that I forgot almost as soon as I finished them. although I will say that I was frequently entertained by the jazzy modernist flourishes of Pulver's prose style; Burleson's metaphysical musings were at times compelling, and the Ligotti-like tension between grim atmosphere and cerebral tone in Royle's story occasionally intrigued me.



1 star/5 stars

"Copping Squid" by Michael Shea

this should have been a perfect story for me. Jim Thompson- esque noir plus cthulhic horror in San Francisco! Shea is an accomplished writer and clever wordsmith who can quickly establish an interesting and relatable protagonist within an instantly recognizable setting - one that can turn weird and threatening in mere moments. the updating of Lovecraft's themes to fit the modern world felt, at first, smart and fun. the vision of the SF Bay Area being a physical manifestation of one of the Old Ones was amazing! Shea has a way with imagery and clearly thinks outside of the box.

but here's the thing: when you have an author like Lovecraft, one whose racism seeps into the occasional story like a dollop of spoiled milk in coffee or a piece of rancid meat in an otherwise delicious meal... don't reenvision that racism by updating it to a modern world of threatening low-income neighborhoods and ghoulish people of color who are ready to embrace the abyss. be aware of the context and don't ignore it - or worse, don't buy into it! because then you come across as being as racist as Lovecraft can be, when he's at his worst. and that's not a good look for a modern author.

[Julio Bernad · Rating 3 out of 5]

En el programa Laird Barron: el motero lovecraftiano, del podcast Gabinete de Curiosidades, hablo en más detalle del relato El Broadsword: go.ivoox.com/rf/123912610

¿Qué es lo lovecraftiano? La aparición de tentáculos viscosos, horrores indescriptibles gelatinosos e informes, la lectura de grimorios de sabiduría ancestral que zarandean las endebles fortificaciones de la cordura, la indiferencia de un universo infinito ante lo ínfimo de la existencia humana ¿Es todo esto, pues, lo lovecraftiano? ¿Una filosofía, un estilo artístico una pose decadente y nihilista? No seré yo quien lo responda, pues conozco a Lovecraft y su obra como lector, como aficionado, no como teórico literario. Además, hay algo llamativo en Lovecraft: tiene un estilo propio y reconocible fácil de abarcar de manera superficial, pero con las suficientes ambigüedades como para exponer al imitador como un vulgar caricaturista. Parece muy fácil comprender a Lovecraft, cuando lo que realmente es fácil es parodiar a Lovecraft. Esto se evidencia al leer las ampliaciones de Los mitos realizadas por los integrantes del Circulo de Lovecraft, en el mejor de los casos obras redundantes y sobreadjetivadas, y en el peor burdos pastiches sin nada propio que decir. Por desgracia, no todos los autores del Circulo eran Clark Asthon Smith o Robert E. Howard.

Si definir lo lovecraftiano es complejo, qué podríamos decir de esta serie de 21 cuentos ¿son voces propias o sonrojantes parodias? Pues de todo hay en la viña del Señor, pero si tuviera que mojarme, diría que ni lo uno ni lo otro; diría que muchas de las obras aquí presentes tienen elementos lovecraftianos solo tangencialmente; diría, incluso, que introducir a Pickman y sus modelos necrófagos en más de cinco relatos no es la mejor estrategia si uno intenta pergeñar un corpus lovecraftiano. La antología es bastante irregular, y contiene un significativo número de cuentos que nada aportan y otro número que apenas tiene nada que pueda considerarse lovecraftiano. No hay ninguna mención a los mitos, y me alegro: uno termina harto de leer cuentos de pretencioso terror salpicado de nombres de primigenios.

¿Qué cuentos hay que merezcan la pena en esta colección? El primero, sin lugar a dudas, de una de las escritoras más interesantes del terror contemporáneo, y además paleontóloga, por si fuera poco. El otro modelo de Pickman (1929), de Caitlin R. Kiernan, lleva la obra del siniestro pintor bostoniano al cine mudo, manteniendo el misterio y la fascinación de la obra original pero con un toque personal que la aleja del pastiche. El Broadsword de Laird Barron tiene más de Ligotti y Barker que de Lovecraft, pero destaca especialmente por la escalada de paranoia y violencia que nos presenta. Los habitantes de Wraithwood de W.H. Pugmire es puro esteticismo decadente a lo Oscar Wilde, prima más cómo se dice que lo que se dice; aunque el único elemento lovecraftiano es el conspicuo Pickman. Túneles, de Philip Halderman, tiene un toque pulp muy atractivo, aunque es sorprendente lo presente que esta lo terrestre, o mejor dicho, lo subterráneo en esta colección pretendidamente lovecraftiana, que busca trasladar el horror de la Tierra al cosmos.

El resto de cuentos oscilan entre lo correcto y el chiste sin gracia. Hay algunos de la colección realmente infames. Sinceramente, no os puedo recomendar esta antología salvo que seas fervientes admiradores del maestro Lovecraft. Bueno, quizá los que más disfrutáis de su universo caótico y tentacular seáis los más decepcionados. Lo que si es cierto es que, para el lector promedio de relatos, esta colección no le va a aportar mucho.

[Doug Bolden · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Rise and Fall of the Cthulhu Mythos , S.T. Joshi accomplishes two primary things. First off, he gives us probably the best summation of H.P. Lovecraft and his "successors" (some more literal than others...I think pun intended) that has ever been put to pages and secondly, he manages to convey his great dissatisfaction with the majority of anything ever referred to as Lovecraftian. For those without much time to read but a desire to take in something a bit "bile-ridden", look up the chapter on Brian Lumley. Blimey.

When a leading scholar on Lovecraft* and great disparager of what he sees as faux-Lovecraftian tendency going as far back as August Derleth puts out an anthology that is a collection of brand-new mythos tales selected by himself, you take notice. While this could be like getting a mixed tape from a music-ranting hipster and finding out that is 70' of slow-beat electronic pap backed by nonsensical lyrics and whining, it could also be like a guru of 1980s era tunes laying some sublime post-punk on you and you realize that there was more to love than even your Rick Astley adoring self had ever dreamed. It could be a celebration or a pie-in-the-face moment. Either way, you — the reader — are a winner.

Rest assured, fair Lovecraftian readers, Black Wings, Joshi's "Tales of the Lovecraftian Mythos", is a celebration. Not so much of Lovecraftian form (very few hyphenated adverbs), but of theme and approach. Somewhat. Because Joshi lays bare the fact that since endless namedropping Elder Gods and their eldritch tomes becomes painful pastiche, the heart of Lovecraftian ideals as translated into modern horror is much more an embracing of a theme. An idea that humanity is not alone, that the Universe does not care, that it might be a bit sinister, and that this sinisterness extrudes right into the edge of every day life. Again, somewhat, because of the slightly more than 20 tales, nearly all of them focus directly on personal horror. Which seems antithetical to all those practically nameless and faceless Lovecraft protagonists. He was a writer of ideas, and occasionally forgot things like plot and characters along the way.

In many ways, this is much closer to "Tales of Horror Which Mostly Only Exist Because Lovecraft Helped Us to Understand New Concepts in Horror, Oh, and Some Have Mythos Elements." This is not a complaint, the stories are generally good to great and you never have to ask, "Now, what is *this* story doing here?". It is just a statement about the question of what makes Lovecraftian Lovecraftian. Great elder things lurking in the shadows of history? Dark tomes? Epistolatory expositions? A sense of creeping dread? Stark Cosmic Horror? Black Wings reaffirms the fact that you cannot really say *what* Lovecraftian horror is, but you will know it when you read it.**

[Note, for those wanting to skip discussions of the individual stories and just to get the review of the book as a whole, skip here to the last paragraph.] What of the stories themselves, that the make the volume worth buying? They are all over the place but there are some interesting themes and patterns that develop. "Desert Dreams" (Donald Burleson) and "The Dome" (Mollie Burleson***) are straightforward Lovecraft small-bites where things are being talked about and oh, the horrors are real(!). The former is superior to the latter, but mostly because the latter barely rises above outright derivation. There's this dome, see, and it opens up and something with tentacles comes through, partially, and we are supposed to gasp. I would probably consider "The Dome" to be the low point of the book, though you have to realize that I am largely saying this due to it being the most like the sort of things plenty of Lovecraftians have already written. It wouldn't be out of place in The Watchers Out of Time. Another straightforward one, "Tunnels" by Phillip Haldeman, comes across as a little less pastiche but is still easily assigned to this first category.

Two play with crimes and those who commit them: Michael Shea's "Copping Squid" and Joseph S. Pulver's "Engravings". "Squid" is the more interesting because it answers the question about why do cultists do it by asking: "Why do drug users do drugs? Don't they know it will only destroy them?" "Engravings" on the other hand is about a man making a desperate delivery and is much better in build up than in payoff.

Then you have the quiet desperation of everyday life when it gets interrupted by darker things. "Substitution" (Michael Marshall Smith) about a man who dreams of a woman not his wife and finds the reality a bit disturbing (interestingly could be read as a shout-out to "Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath" but is probably "Shadow over Innsmouth"). William Browning Spencer's "Usurped" is partially about an underwater city that is now in a place that is a desert—the way that certain areas used to be sea bed basins but are now other things—but mostly about the weird way a marriage can become untrusting after a bad thing occurs. And "The Broadsword" is Laird Barron's immaculate descent into the horrors below as experienced by an older man mostly worried about committing to a relationship before he is ready. Strangers show up at his door while he is not around, voices whisper vile things in the air vents of his room, and eventually very not-right things begin to happen, and in some ways it is always about the expectations of relationships and when the right thing or wrong thing occurs. "Howling in the Dark", by Darrell Schweitzer, fits in this category, though it tends to be long on the trope and low in the tooth. A mood piece.

There are two stories that act as sequels to "Pickman's Model". The first, "Pickman's Other Model (1929)" by Caitlin Kiernan is an evocative story about Pickman in other artforms, including the mostly media non grata in Lovecraft's own works: cinema. Stabs itself in the foot, slightly, by making its best bit take place in a dream and largely by just retelling he kick-in-the-pants of the original. With the added bonus of necrophilia. "The Truth about Pickman", the later story by Brian Stapleford is less evocative, probably stronger as far as justifying its need to exist (offering something of an interesting explanation to the original story), but a little less satisfying in the ending which could have went a dozen great places and mostly went to one so-so one.

Joshi identifies W.H. Pugmire's "The Inhabitants of Wraithwood" as another Pickman-centric one, but it is possibly best grouped with Sam Gafford's "Passing Spirits", Jonathan Thomas's "Tempting Providence", and Jason Van Hollander's "Susie" as an exploration of fiction, especially horrific fiction, and the way it consumes real life, occasionally because real life requires such an escape. "Passing Spirits" is the height of this exploration, dealing with a man's descent into a brain-tumor induced escape into the realms of weird fiction. Excellent last line. "Wraithwood" is a good piece; Pugmire mixes up fatalism with the literal implications of being lost in a piece of art. "Susie" will either elicit groans or applause from readers. And, well, "Tempting Providence" as an excellent idea to start—dude trips around the new Providence and laments the changes that Lovecraft would have had to face had he been around to see them, but only gets there after many pages of building descriptions and a couple of mental excursions that come across not altogether hinged. Very slow read. "Rotterdam" (Nicholas Royle) rounds out this theme, and is a mostly inoffensive work kind of about the creative process, about making a movie, and kind of about statues and dead dudes in hotel rooms.

And the rest play with form a bit. "Lesser Demons" (Norman Partridge) is survival horror with a vaguely Lovecraftian vibe. "An Eldritch Matter" (Adam Niswander) is a bit of a dark comedy, kind of a mythos parody of "Metamorphosis". "Violence, Child of Trust" (Michael Cisco) is a back-'n-forth narration by three backwoods-but-cultist brothers who need to make a sacrifice but only have a short time to prepare and no victims...unless they go for someone close... David Schow's "Denker's Book" is a very quick read about infernal engines and hints of their aftermath. Ramsey Campbell even contributes one involving a series of one-way letters and Lovecraft's harshest critic of all: another dreamer who calls him out for not going deeper, or darker enough. Its ending could be said to leave a lot to be desired, if you were so inclined to notice the negative.

If you had to read just five, I would say "The Broadsword" (possibly my favorite in the anthology), "Violence, Child of Trust" (the other likely candidate), "Passing Spirits", "Substitution", and "Copping Squid". If you had to know what to skip, I would include "The Dome" in that for those who have read their share of Lovecraftian anthologies, but I'm not sure what else. I am a big fan of Campbell and what he does in "The Correspondence" is interesting in form but becomes kind of meh by the end and the potential climactic pow misses a mark. So, a Meh story, a handful of Fair stories. a larger handful of Good stories, and a few Great stories. The whole collection is Good and it is easy to look forward to the potential follow-ups that are being hinted about. Not a whole lot of copies of this, probably want to get it before its gone.

* It would only slightly be delving into hyperbole to say that S.T. Joshi is a leading scholar on Lovecraft in the same way that Albert Einstein was a leading scholar on Relativity.

** Apologies to jazz.

*** Until I typed that sentence, I had not noticed the names.

[Graeme Rodaughan]

Reading this anthology in 2021.

16/Jul/21: #2 Desert Dreams: Up next...

16/Jul/21: #1: Pickman's Other Model (1929) An atmospheric piece where the real horror is kept firmly off stage and merely hinted at. Well told, but kinda unfulfilling. 3 'Where's the horror,' stars.

[Michael]

Caitlin Kiernans PICKMAN´S OTHER MODEL ist ein furioser Auftakt, literarisch anspruchsvoll und mit deutlichem Bezug zu HPL, ohne epigonale Nachahmung zu sein. Klare 5 Sterne und zum Glück auch die erste Erzählung im Band, denn die nachfolgende, Donald Burlesons DESERT DREAMS, hätte mich vom Weiterlesen der Anthologie abgehalten: Ich finde sie platt, sowohl inhaltlich wie auch stilistisch.
Joseph S. Pulvers ENGRAVINGS ist eine Shortstory ohne richtige Story, nur ein Hauch von Idee. Immerhin: Kurz ist die Geschichte (=KurzGeschichte), ansonsten sehr enttäuschend. Es folgt Michael Sheas COPPING SQUID, stimmungsvoll und ein Highlight nach den beiden vorausgegangenen.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Que H.P. Lovecraft está más vivo que nunca, es evidente. No son pocas las antologías del Maestro y sus adeptos, así como sus constantes reediciones. Pero las últimas generaciones de escritores también se interesan por Lovecraft y lo lovecraftiano, ya sea en forma de pastiche o de homenaje. ‘Alas tenebrosas: 21 nuevos cuentos de horror lovecraftiano’, antología cuyos relatos han sido seleccionados por el especialista en el de Providence, S.T. Joshi, es un buen ejemplo de lo anterior. Estos son los cuentos incluidos:

-El otro modelo de Pickman (1929), de Caitlín R. Kiernan (*****)
-Sueños del desierto, de Donald R. Burleson (****)
-Grabados, de Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. (***)
-Trapicheo de calamar, de Michael Shea (***)
-Espíritus pasajeros, de Sam Gafford (***)
-El Broadword, de Laird Barron (****)
-Usurpado, de William Browning Spencer (****)
-El libro de Denker, de David J. Schow (**)
-Los habitantes de Wraithwood, de W.H. Pugmire (*)
-La Cúpula, de Mollie L. Burleson (**)
-Rótterdam, de Nicholas Royle (**)
-Tentadora Providence, de Jonathan Thomas (**)
-Aullando en la oscuridad, de Darrell Schweitzer (**)
-La verdad sobre Pickman, de Brian Stableford (**)
-Túneles, de Philip Haldeman (****)
-La correspondencia de Cameron Thaddeus Nash, de Ramsey Campbell (*)
-Violencia, hija del deber, de Michael Cisco (*)
-Demonios inferiores, de Norman Partridge (****)
-Un suceso extraño, de Adam Niswander (*)
-Sustitución, de Michael Marshall Smith (***)
-Susie, de Jason Van Hollander (**)

Se trata de autores desconocidos para el lector español, excepto Kiernan, Stableford, Campbell y Marshall Smith. Quien busqué la atmósfera de los relatos clásicos lovecraftianos, no la va a encontrar. La mayor parte de los escritores seleccionados optan por la modernidad y los golpes de efecto. Mi relato favorito es el de Kiernan, que recupera el cuento clásico de Lovecraft y le da una vuelta de tuerca. Es sugerente y te deja con ganas de más. Me ha sorprendido gratamente el relato de Laird Barron, que tiene un estilo muy personal. Destacaría también los relatos de Donald R. Burleson, Philip Haldeman, William Spencer, y Norman Partridge. En resumen, irregular antología, interesante para saber cómo está el movimiento lovecraftiano en el siglo XXI.

[Tim Pendry · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart generally sinks when I pick up a genre anthology - I usually end up severely disappointed and not a little resentful at the pot-boilers I have had to wade through - but this is a wonderful exception.

Not that it is perfect. Lovecraftian stories do not easily translate to the American South West and California and it is usually, though not always, a mistake to set such stories in deserts and sunshine.

We can also do without literary experimentation in a genre where the forms are well set, and everything depends on clarity of story line and on an atmosphere that must not need too much hard work to take in.

But there are surprisingly few lapses of this type and I must put this down to superb editing by the estimable S T Joshi who has made Lovecraftian studies his own over several decades.

Of course, Lovecraftian is not Lovecraft. Derleth is not Lovecraft. Anything that follows is going to be derivative so our judgment has to be solely on what gives new insight into cosmic horror.

Perhaps the best way forward is to give praise where praise is due. There are 21 stories and most of them are excellent.

Caitlin Kernan's opening 'Pickman's Other Model (1929)', which is not exclusive to this anthology, is perhaps closest to Lovecraft himself though clearly comes from another type of mind - it is no pastiche.

Pickman also appears in an offering from that stalwart Brian Stapleford who gives us a finely tuned and allusive piece soaked in his knowledge of the literature.

Another genre master Ramsey Campbell also takes his mission seriously in what amounts to a masterfully learned piece, not without humour, brilliantly showing a descent into madness and a horrible fate.

Michael Cisco's 'Violence, Child of Trust' gets away with a bit of narrative experimentation, saying little that is not suggestive, but what is being suggested is the stuff of our deepest nightmares.

The anthology really gets going with Michael Shea's 'Passing Spirits' which is more existential than cosmic horror. We cannot be sure if the Lovecraftian elements are caused by a brain tumour.

Laird Barron's 'The Broadsword' is genuinely horrific with Lovecraftian themes being directed at bloody effects that cause genuine discomfort.

'Tunnels' by Philip Haldeman makes similar effective use of place as unstable. Barron gives us that American meme, the sinister hotel, and Haldeman forces us to worry about instinctual forces beneath us.

The murder of a child and their fear will always tug at us. Barron's tale and 'Howling in the Dark' by Darrell Schweitzer play here with the borderline between madness and psychopathy to great effect.

W H Pugmire's Gothic fantasy is also genuinely disturbing in the way we find in some East European symbolic literature or the works of Ligotti. It is indescribably mournful and sinister. I strongly recommend it.

Nicholas Royle's 'Rotterdam' is deceptively pedestrian compared to the other tales and is perhaps only indirectly Lovecraftian but it still works as a picture of murderous psychosis in a frustrated man.

Jonathan Thomas' 'Tempting Providence' has moments of excessive literariness and description but it builds up to an exciting climax that does what cosmic horror should do - unsettle us about reality.

Norman Partidge's 'Lesser Demons' was probably my favourite because of its creative subversion of the all-conquering zombie meme into an invasion of ghouls and lesser demons. It works. I wanted more.

Perhaps my second favourite was a wry and very British tale of English town life by Michael Marshall Smith that beautifully suggested the monstrous beneath the normal and our preference for simply not knowing.

None of these stories represent pastiche and some manage to do something very difficult - show a wry humour about the horrible without making the horrible any less horrible. Very twenty-first century.

Just because I have not mentioned something does not mean that it is not good. This is a superb collection and Joshi, the authors and Titan Books are to be congratulated.

[Sub_zero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si te gustan las historias oscuras, tenebrosas, macabras y espeluznantes hasta niveles que están más allá de la imaginación, enhorabuena: Alas tenebrosas es tu libro. Esta antología de 21 cuentos -editada por S.T. Joshi (considerado una auténtica autoridad en la materia)- supone una perfecta representación de ese horror lovecraftiano al que rinden homenaje autores contemporáneos como Caitlín R. Kiernan, Laird Barron o Donald R. Burleson (cuyas piezas, por cierto, hacen que merezca la pena adquirir la obra entera). La enorme variedad de temas, estilos y estructuras de la que hace gala esta presente selección de relatos trasciende la mera imitación del folclore y la mitología narrativa de Lovecraft, componiendo en su lugar una interesante visión de conjunto sobre su obra y la determinante influencia que ejercería en generaciones posteriores. Dicho de otro modo, los veintiún cuentos que contiene Alas tenebrosas tienen como objetivo primordial recrear esas atmósferas agobiantes e incognoscibles que despiertan el más primigenio de los terrores, poniéndonos en contacto con extrañas fuerzas superiores que toman posesión de tu cuerpo, entes cósmicos de indescriptible poder o inasibles anomalías que escapan a nuestra comprensión y dejan entrever una fisura en el tejido de la realidad por la que se cuelan todo tipo de pesadillas. Y lo cierto es que logran superar con creces dicho objetivo.

[Will Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unless every selection is absolutely abysmal (not in the dreadful Lovecraftian sense of the word), I'm generally lenient with fiction compilations. The editor knows that I have a penchant for the subject matter, and if I'm not moved by a particular story or feel that it was poorly written, I can at least say "they published this garbage, so why can't I be published?" I found only two or three of the twenty-one offerings in S.T. Joshi's "Black Wings of Cthulhu" that fell into this category, the rest ranging from moderately well-written and entertaining to exceptional and not to be missed.

Not all of these were period pieces as one might expect, but I do have a soft spot for such, and the highlights included "Pickman's Other Model" by Caitlin R. Kiernan, and "The Truth About Pickman" by Brian Stableford. The absolutely brilliant "Inhabitants of Wraithwood" by W.H. Pugmire makes the book worth picking up for this story alone. "The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash" by veteran Ramsey Campbell offers a simultaneously humorous and chilling look into one of Lovecraft's forgotten aficionados, and "Howling in the Dark" by Darrell Schweitzer captures the hollowness and hopelessness of a Lovecraftian universe in chilling and effective prose. I am eagerly anticipating Volume 2 in late 2013, when the stars are right.

[John Goodrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. A Lovecraftian anthology that stands among the best in the field. This belongs with Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos and New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos as one of the greatest collections of stories in tribute to Lovecraft.

[Bogdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not an outstanding Anthology, but a very good start in this series of six volumes and counting!

Usually I`m not into Caitlin R. Kieran work, but this time she nails it big time with "Pickman’s Other Model". This is an interesting & attractive story. Our central character is mesmerized by a old actress now, a movie starlet in her 20`s, and her unexplainable (horror/ cultist) short films. This has some erotic content to it, but it`s more intriguing, strange and scary, than anything else.

"Engravings"by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. This was also a big surprise! Pulver has a name in this field, but I`m also not a big fan of his work, but with this one was quite entertaining. A guy is rushing with his car trough USA counties and a lot of bad weather, only to deliver a package to a know shaman like guy. Little did he know.... 4 stars!!

Laird Barron has also one of it`s best efforts presented here in"The Broadsword", more readable and enjoyable than his usual work. Really strong, strong and also original story.

"Usurped" by William Browning Spencer had a good touch in it.

"The Truth about Pickman" by Brian Stableford has also some deep roots in Lovecraft`s stories and ideas.

In "Tunnels", Philip Haldeman shows that he knows how to add new levels of tension to the story.

Ramsey Campbell with "The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash" uses in a fortunate way a lot of known information about Lovecraft life and work in imagining a virtual correspondence between an obscure and unknown writer and Lovecraft itself. It was a pure delight to read this one.

Michael Cisco`s "Violence, Child of Trust" was definitely written in a creepy and disturbing way with a big twist in the end.

"Lesser Demons" by Norman Partridge was right on my alleyway a post-apocalyptic Lovecraftian future with a lot of strange creatures roaming around. Hell, yeah!!!

"An Eldritch Matter" by Adam Niswander was funny enough to be remembered.

"Substitution" by Michael Marshall Smith has a clever idea and shows that you don`t have to be way too curious about certain things and belongings of your neighbours because isn`t very good to your (mental or family) health.

These stories were overall between three to four stars, the others that I don`t mentioned here were under, but not so bad as usually is.

So, I felt that overall, having in mind that it`s impossible to satisfy all the readers tastes in one shot, this is a four stars effort.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've rounded my rating to 4 on this one from about 3.8; while pretty well written, some of the stories just didn't do it for me. I have a longer review here; feel free to bounce over and take a look.

In Joshi's anthology, Black Wings of Cthulhu, although the stories are not all limited to the dreaming god himself, he does make an appearance or two. For the most part, the cosmic horror Lovecraft was able to convey so well is maintained, as is his focus on the utter helplessness of human beings in the face of forces much larger than themselves. Another common thread throughout this book is that of humankind's inability to fully comprehend the immensity of the forces that lay hidden in unknown dimensions.

There are a couple of issues with reviewing an entire anthology: first, each story is its own entity, and what may hold true for one entry doesn't necessarily equate throughout the entire book; second, reviewing individual stories is a lengthy process and would probably bore many readers out of their respective skulls. There are a few entries that were more gory or graphic rather than cerebral; I prefer the latter and like to feel that creeping and "profound sense of dread" when I read horror rather than have it all spelled out for me by the author. Out of twenty-one tales, three fell into that category for me; others may think differently so do realize that this is a matter of personal taste.

Some of the stories in this book are by authors I've been following a long time: Caitlin Kiernan, Donald Burleson, Joseph S. Pulver, Laird Barron, W.H. Pugmire, Ramsey Campbell, and Michael Cisco. Many of these people have already shared their Lovecraft-inspired fiction in other anthologies or in their own books. Once inside the collection, there are three entries inspired by HPL's own "Pickman's Model," which he wrote in the late 1920s; there are some which feature HPL as a character; a story by Philip Haldeman (whose book Shadow Coast gave me a good case of the willies) that conjures up Bloch's Mysteries of the Worm, and even HPL's mom gets her own space in a story by Jason Van Hollander. Locations change as well -- from New England to the American Southwest to the Isle of Wight and other places. Campbell "annotates" a collection of letters belonging to Lovecraft, where HPL is insultingly called "Pulpcraft," and members of the original Lovecraft circle are similarly blasted by a bizarre "fan."

Out of the entire collection, my least favorite stories were by Michael Cisco, entitled "Violence, Child of Trust," and "Lesser Demons," by Norman Partridge. While both held true to the whole "cosmic horror" ideal and were well written, they were just a bit too graphic for my personal taste -- hearts being ripped out, bodies being noisily eaten at a graveyard , for instance. I also didn't care that much for Nicholas Royle's "Rotterdam," which just didn't do it for me. As noted earlier, I tend toward more cerebral horror where what actually happens and why is really left to the reader's imagination after the author constructs his or her story.

Although the Lovecraftian vision is at the heart of each story throughout this novel, you don't need to be a gung-ho Lovecraft fan to enjoy these stories -- if you're into the cosmically weird and horrifying, you'll get a lot out of these compelling tales as well.

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

30/8 - 200 pages in and I've read about 8 of the stories. So far while none of them have truly horrified me (in fact last night, after reading 4 or 5 of the stories I dreamed about a dessert buffet table where I searched for and found scones with jam and cream), they were differently weird and a bit spooky. The monsters (where applicable) were well described, I could imagine them without difficulty despite the fact that most of them were not humanoid. So far my favourite has been "The Broadsword" by Laird Barron, which was about evil, psychotic aliens hiding in the boiler room of an old apartment building. I found this the most memorable story because of the creepy idea of these psychotic beings whispering to the tenants through the venting system in each apartment. I've never lived in a multiple occupant building, but can imagine being able to hear other tenants through the vents and then one day, suddenly hearing someone talking about eating someones brains versus sweatbreads (thymus or pancreas). I've never been much of a fan of short stories because I've always felt that there's not enough time to fully develop the story, (let alone the characters) or give a rounded out ending, but they are very easy to read. As I'm reading I feel like I'm speeding along because each short story is only 10 or so pages long, so there's no slow parts (in my opinion), and if I find any in the upcoming stories I imagine they won't be very long, as each author doesn't have enough pages to waste on unnecessary writing.

5/9 - Now finished. I originally rated this as 4 stars and now that I'm finished it's still the right rating. I found some of the stories went over my head a bit because they were focused on Lovecraft and some of his characters (I think that's who they were), especially Richard Upton Pickman. So I didn't understand the references to any Lovecrafts characters or his life. Prior to reading this I knew the name but that was it, I didn't even know that he wrote a strange combination of sci-fi/horror/fantasy. In the first part of my review I said that my favourite story was "The Broadsword" by Laird Barron, that's now my second favourite after "Lesser Demons" by Norman Partridge, the 3rd last story in the book. This one was about a dystopian post zombie-esque apocalyptic world where suddenly, out of nowhere a wide range of demons appeared on the planet. The demons would eat people and then spit the person's blood back out at anyone else hanging around. A few hours later anyone who got spat on is infected by the blood and becomes a zombie-esque psycho. They file down their teeth to points and dig up dead bodies for dinner. Another quite good one was An Eldritch Matter by Adam Niswander. It was very short but very interesting, about a guy who morphed into an octopus. Another review that I read asked the question "Is it a good book for people who have never read Lovecraft before?" I would say that some of the stories are easy to follow, while the ones more focused on Lovecraft characters are a bit difficult to understand. It was like watching an episode of a tv show half way through the second season, you have no idea who the characters are or how they relate to eachother, which leaves you feeling unsatisfied with the plot.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

It's true that I don't much care for story collections, although I do have a softer spot in my heart for the related story compilation format; and I just had a chance to read two better-than-average ones, actually, Mark Brand's Thank You, Death Robot and S.T. Joshi's Black Wings: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror. Both are similar in set-up, a couple of respected genre authors being asked to assemble a collection of stories by other respected genre authors, all on a similar theme, with Brand's (a Chicagoan who I recently had the pleasure of meeting) being all about evil robots, and Joshi's (from our pals at PS Publishing) consisting entirely of tales inspired by either the style or mythos of HP Lovecraft; and that's why in general I tend to like compilations like these more than just random story collections by a single author, because at least these stick to one unified idea, and often try to reach an equilibrium of quality as well. Of course, that doesn't stop the trait from being there that I dislike so much in story collections, that the pieces found within tend to veer all over the place in both tone and length -- some are classical homages to their main subject, some ironic modern twists, some not much more than a short bad joke, others little novellas unto themselves. They're both excellent for what they are, and come highly recommended to existing fans of the subjects, but also deftly illustrate why I tend to do only short, non-committal reviews of such collections, in that I find it hard to say much more about them and have it remain true for the entire book.

Out of 10: 8.4

[Félix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calificar una antología es un asunto peliagudo. Creo que no extrañará a nadie que diga que entre los 21 relatos que componen esta se encuentran algunos que son prescindibles...asunto subjetivo donde los haya, claro. Lo que no es tan subjetivo es la intención del editor y su voluntad de servir de canon del actual relato de horror cósmico, cosa que parece que está consiguiendo con un segundo volumen publicado y un tercero que ya ha anunciado su aparición.

Además de esto, creo que una recopilación de autores variados debe valorarse por sus mejores exponentes y cuentos tan redondos como los de Laird Barron, Michael Shea, Caitlín Kiernan o Norman Partridge se merecen todas las estrellas que hay en Goodreads y alguna más,

[Jeannie Sloan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just a quick opinion on this magnificent book.Joshi really outdid himself with this one.It was worth the $60 I payed for it.The stories are wonderful and don't fall into that trap of using too many thoughts and words from the Mythos of Lovecraft.There is a little similarity in the stories in that they are all interesting and well thought out.I will write more later but for now if you can afford this book-it's $43 at Bookfinders.com -then buy it!

[Román Hernández · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quisiera darle los cinco puntos, pero honestamente hay relatos que en realidad no contribuyen con la extensión del universo Lovecraftniano. Algunos corresponden más al terror psicológico, si acaso con alguna referencia al autor, pero la trama dista mucho del horror cósmico.
Por lo que compartiré algunos favoritos:
1. "Aullando en la oscuridad", un excelente relato sombrío que reúne el terror psicológico y el miedo a lo desconocido para proporcionar la trama de un chico que en su vida personal lo sobrenatural y la oscuridad contribuyen, sobre todo la aparición de un misterioso hombre
2. "Túneles" retoma el mito Lovecraftniano de cómo las personas estamos conectadas con temores arcanos y las acciones del pasado repercuten en el presente, sobre todo cuando estos temores surgen en un asfixiante edificio de apartamentos
3. "La correspondencia de Thadeus Nash" corresponde a una inquietante duda: ¿realmente Lovecraft desarrolló sus relatos en base a ideas propias o las plagió? Por medio de correspondencia de cartas descubriremos la terrible verdad del origen de los relatos de Lovecraft en relación a un siniestro admirador.
4. "Violencia, hija del deber" es un interesante relato que la trama se desarrolla por medio de diálogos intercalados entre tres personajes que tienen en común un diabólico ceremonial y la perspectiva que tiene cada uno
5. "Demonios inferiores" nos enfrentamos a un mundo postapocaliptico que en el pasado quedó atrás la vida de un hombre que intenta sobrevivir a un escenario fatidico, lleno de seres Demoníacos que renacen de los muertos.
Algunos relatos contribuyen a generar nuevas ideas en el Horror cósmico, por ejemplo dejar a un niño que sea el protagonista, siendo algo poco común en este subgénero y el estilo creativo de generar, mediante diálogos y soliloqueo, la inquietante atmósfera. El horror cósmico aún tiene mucho de qué hablar

[Toolshed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pickman's Other Model - Caitlín R. Kiernan – 5* – Just awesome, the atmosphere here is so thick you can slice it with a knife, I could literally feel and see the era. Not to mention that the story itself is pretty intriguing, the history of some obscure films and one mysterious actress alone made this a unique experience through and through and the images Kiernan creates are very vivid.

Desert Dreams - Donald R. Burleson – 3,5* – Rather typical lovecraftian tale which was not badly written but brought me only superficial-level enjoyment.

Engravings - Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. – 3,5*

Copping Squid - Michael Shea – 3,5* – The premise and style of writing was quite interesting but I didn’t find it very creepy. I understand it has been written as a form of modern era HPL pastiche or something but I feel like the story is missing some fundamental part that way (when losing its scariness or serious tone).

Passing Spirits - Sam Gafford –4,5* – I really enjoyed the dismal tone of this one. Even if nothing else would happen in the story, the psychological insight into the mind of the protagonist was enough for me to get caught in it.

The Broadsword - Laird Barron – 4,5* – Barron probably couldn’t write a bad story even if he tried but this one missed something in order to be perfect. I would probably like it a tiny bit more if the horrors in this one were much more obscured and abstract like in his other works – even though it’s still unclear to me whether some of the portions of the story actually occurred or not. Still, an awesome read nonetheless.

Usurped - William Browning Spencer – 3*

Denker's Book - Davd J. Schow – 2*

Inhabitants of Wraithwood - W.H Pugmire – 5* – This one took me by surprise when I first read this anthology a year ago (December 2014) and I still think it’s one of its high points. I seem to have a thing for Pickman-related stories which is no wonder really since I consider the original one to be one of HPL’s best works, and this one, even though referring to it only vaguely, managed to contain all the elements I tend to like in fiction: a kind of surreal setting, dreamlike logic, peculiar characters and a rather surprising ending as well. The artistic references were a nice touch, and so were some of the nods to Pickman’s Model. Bravo.

The Dome - Mollie L. Burleson – 4,5* – Sometimes less is really more, just like in this story which is classical Lovecraft actually and it might have actually been written by yours truly. Straight-to-the-point, short and swift with hardly any digressions, and yet it managed to be concluded in a satisfying manner.

Rotterdam - Nicholas Royle – 4* – Apart from some references to Lovecraft and his works, this story is hardly a lovecraftian tale but yet I didn’t mind. It was one of the few stories I remembered quite well from a year back when I was doing my first read of it, and this was thanks to the musical references which stuck with me. Also, the atmosphere of Rotterdam was very memorable and is probably one of the main reasons for the 4* because God knows there isn’t much else to go on as far as the plot is concerned lol.

Tempting Providence - Jonathan Thomas – 2* – At its length, it was quite a tiring, dull experience. Justin was a thoroughly unlikable character (even though the author did what he could to portray Palazzo as such) and I found reading 30 pages about an ever-hungry elderly artist chasing ghost really uninteresting. Some of the passages about old/new Providence were decent though.

Howling in the Dark - Darrell Schweitzer – 4,5* – Wow, really good. This is exactly the kind of story I like: dark undertones, not a speck of humor, a lot of surreal scenes which make you wonder about the whole thing as you are not sure about what exactly happened but have that feeling lodged deep inside you – the feeling that you have just entered a world created by and extremely vivid imagination full of obscurities and broken dreams.

The Truth About Pickman - Brian Stableford – 4,5* – An intriguing story which has really only one scene, one setting and is told solely through conversation between two characters, and this is all that takes Stableford to make the reader eat out of his hand.

Tunnells - Philip Haldeman – 4* Probably the most unsettling story in this collection which might be partly due to the vulnerable point of view of a child which it is told through. I can imagine that if I have read this as a kid, it might leave me with some paranoid ideas for a couple of weeks after.

The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash - Annotated by Ramsey Campbell –4* – Really liked the subtle development of the tale from a respectful fan letter to an angry diatribe, and also the realization that it was a kind of a monster story in itself after all.

Violence, Child of Trust - Michael Cisco – 4* – These kinds of fragmented stories are my favourites, I like being shown more than told and being left to put the pieces of puzzle together, so to speak. Also, the title rocks.

Lesser Demons - Norman Partridge – 5* – An enormously interesting blend of a sort-of-hard-boiled piece with supernatural post-apocalyptic horror. Not much Lovecraft in there – I found it more similar to King’s The Mist or the like – but working really well nevertheless. Even though I like bitter endings more but I kind of didn’t mind the pseudo-happy conclusion here, especially given what has preceded it.

An Eldritch Matter - Adam Niswander – 1,5*

Substitutions - Michael Marshall Smith – 3* – The final image is pretty intriguing but all the monotonous introspective build-up where the author tries to explain every single movement of the protagonist’s psyche is killing it for me.

Susie - Jason Van Hollander – 3,5*

[Ferio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un recopilatorio de historias lovecraftianas en mayor o menor medida. Algunas son de tentaculismo estándar, otras de malrollismo normalizado (que suelen ser las mejores por ser menos evidentes), y otras toman formas curiosas, como comunicaciones epistolares, monólogos alternos y similares. En general he sentido que la mayoría de las autorías pretendían innovar forma (más que fondo) en un subgénero que, precisamente, tiene una forma característica que, al alterarse, pierde fuerza.

Relatos muy dignos en general, aunque tengo miedo de que ninguno sea memorable a largo plazo. Tampoco debieron tener demasiado éxito, en inglés salieron siete volúmenes y en castellano no pasaron de este, que además está reemergiendo en el stock de algunas librerías a pesar de ser una edición de hace media década, ¿estará Valdemar haciendo limpieza de armario?

[Henrik]

October 28:

"Pickman's Other Model (1929)" by Caitlín R. Kiernan:

Excellent story, but with a too vague/unclear ending, for my taste. But, truth be told, that may be because I was quite tired (because of RL business, not because of the story!)...

A strong story opening the collection, that's for sure.

I look forward to reading the rest, as time permits.

October 30:

"Passing Spirits" by Sam Gafford:

A man is dying from cancer. In this tale we follow the process as he experiences it--which means reality and fantasy blending, his body "slowing down" and with HPL as his companion through it all.

It was a fascinating read, in all its silent wonder, and to some extend I empathized with the narrator. I also appreciated the many hints to HPL's stories and the sub-genre as such. The story made an impression, which is very good, but it probably won't stay on my mind forever.

November 1:

"An Eldritch Matter" by Adam Niswander:

A straight-forward tale about a man who turns into a tentacled creature. I rather liked it.


Learning lesson, folks: Do not--I repeat: do not!--pick up shiny objects with strange design that you see on the curb.

NOV. 6: Just finished W. H. Pugmire's story, "Inhabitants of Wraithwood." Excellent! Perhaps his best to date?

Review coming.

DEC. 27:

"Engravings" by Joseph S. Pulver:

I liked it a lot. Review coming.

NOV. 8: Finished reading "Rotterdam"... Review coming...

Good collection so far:-)

[Armand Rosamilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The problem with some Lovecraftian anthologies is either they adhere too close to the formula and try for the old school verbiage, plots and situations, or they try too hard to go modern and a new spin on the mythos. This collection is somewhere in the middle, giving you fresh takes on a Lovecraftian story. It keeps you reading to see what comes next. Several very good stories and only one I couldn't finish. Overall recommended, and I will be reading the next installments in the future.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit I didn't read all those stories (which is typical of my anthology reading habits), but those I did read were pretty good stories in the key of Lovecraft. I was surprised and pleased by how many of them were set in the American Southwest, which, despite the sunshine, can be eldritch places indeed.

[Rajiv Ashrafi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories captured the Lovecraftian feel of cosmic horror and dread. However, most of them felt like homages to Lovecraft rather than his style or genre.

Overall, a decent compilation of short stories by authors who are more in love with Lovecraft than his craft.

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great stories, must of them. Faithful to the lovecraftian storytelling or Mythos. Nice reading if you are a Lovecraft fan but wish for a more modern twist. Avoid if you are a lovecraftian-purist.

[Daniel Wesolowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couple of clunkers, but a few really good stories, some of the best tribute fiction I have read.

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alas tenebrosas es el único recopilado de relatos lovecraftianos de la serie Black wings of cthulu que Valdemar ha publicado.
Y no me extraña, ya que pese a que incluye algunos relatos buenos y autores consagrados, muchos de estos tienen poca substancia o no se le ve la influencia de Lovecraft por ningun sitio. Mucho mejor el recopilatorio de Una celebración de los mitos de la misma editorial.
Los relatos que salvo de la quema:
El otro modelo de Pickman (****) : Caitlin R kiernan utiliza el personaje de Pickman para contarnos una historia entretenida con muy buena ambientación.
Broadsword de Laird Barron(****) : A parte de tener influencias de Lovecraft, se le adivinan gotitas Barker y Ligotti y eso para mí convierte cualquier relato en un si rotundo.
Tuneles de Richard Handelman(*****) : la historia que más me ha gustado. Un niño vive con sus abuelos y sueña frecuentemente con unos gusanos gigantes que quieren apresarlos saliendo de debajo de la tierra(rollo la peli de temblores)
La correspondencia de Cameron Thadeus Nash de Ramsey Campbell(****) : un relato humorístico sobre un hater de Lovecraft que empieza siendo su fan y enviandole sus relatos hasta que termina cabreado por la indiferencia del de Providence. Campbell es probablemente el mejor exponente vivo de lo que es homenajear a Lovecraft y recomiendo fervientemente sus libros de relatos cthulunianos.
Los habitantes de Wraithwrood de Pugmire(****) : un cuento bucólico, interesante y poético. Tengo ganas de Pugmire y pronto atacare el "Bohemios del valle de Sesqua" publicado en España.

[Tarl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been seeing this anthology in bookstores for some time, and finally decided to pick it up. I love a good Lovecraftian anthology and looked forward to reading this. As with any anthology, there are good stories, as well as ones that are less so. I'll talk about a few of the stories below.

Pickman's Other Model (1929) by Caitlin R. Kiernan is easily one of the better stories in this anthology, if not the best. Well written, Kiernan captures a lot of the Lovecraftian theme alongside the very spirit of the story 'Pickman's Model'. There is something hauntingly beautiful in this story that lingers and makes me want to read it over and over again alongside Lovecraft's original works. Absolutely a wonderful story.

Engravings by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. is the story of a man who has to deliver a package. The pacing of the story is well done and keeps the reader engaged. The mystery of the package plays out to a satisfying end and feels very Lovecraftian in its nature. I really enjoyed this story, enough so that I read it twice.

Copping Squid by Michael Shea felt like a very Lovecraftian mystery. Shea handled his characters really well and his urban setting was both familiar and yet alien all at once. There is a nice level of mystery to this story and some scenes that are creepy with how Shea sets them up. This is my second time reading this story and I enjoyed it as much on the second reading as I did on the first.

Passing Spirits by Sam Gafford uses Lovecraft himself as an element within the story which ended up feeling a bit cliche. He is not the first one to do so and at no point has it ever felt like it was the right thing to do for me. The ending of this story was nicely done, yet the only Lovecraftian element to this tale seemed to be Lovecraft himself as a character rather than anything theme-wise. I was disappointed with this story and felt that perhaps it would find more success in another anthology.

Usurped by William Browning Spencer creates a surreal story that surmounts to a very Lovecraftian ending. The setting is handled well, and the mystery of the wasp was creepy in its nature and combined with the almost mythical feeling of the land worked really well.

Inhabitants of Wraithwood by W.H.Pugmire felt like a freakshow version of the Adams Family combined with Dark Shadows. It works extremely well and creates a scary and haunting atmosphere that drags the reader into the story. The protagonist's viewpoint helps to add to the disturbing nature of the inhabitants with his mixture of real world ideals and artistic learning. A very nicely done story.

The Truth About Pickman by Brian Stableford was a good story that got bogged down in exposition. Based around mostly dialogue, not enough happens in this story to keep the interest of the reader. The horror element is never reached within this piece, and even though the story is about fear and its nature, at no point did I ever feel scared for or invested in either character. In fact, the only engaging part of this story was the setting which Stableford handled really well. However, it's not enough to save this story.

The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash by Ramsey Campbell is a series of letters that are creepy in the way they evolve as each one progresses. The reader is kept guessing if the belligerent letter writer is actually supernatural or just plain crazy up until the final note of the story. The letters do get to be a bit much later on and the language almost childish in nature. This does fit the nature of Nash in the story, yet Campbell seems to have crossed the tolerance line for the time spent on these later letters. Still, it's a good story that is creepy if only for the stalker nature of the letters.

Violence, Child of Trust by Michael Cisco is one of the more confusing stories in this collection. Though told through three points of view, it's a good thing Cisco labelled each shift in character pov for the reader as two of the characters get lost in each other as the story continues. The entire tale builds to a twist ending which falls flat, isn't surprising, and is lost in the sheer lack of horror within this tale.

Lesser Demons by Norman Partridge is a wonderful Lovecraftian post-apocalyptic story. This is my second time reading this story and I enjoyed it as much as the first time. The creatures Partridge brings into this story are distinctly his own, yet fits beautifully within Lovecraft's mythos. The action is handled well, the insanity perfect, and overall the tale is beautifully told. One of my favorites in this anthology and one of the best in this collection.

An Eldritch Matter by Adam Niswander is a nice Lovecraftian story that loses a lot in the reactions of its characters. My biggest problem with this story is the protagonist's coworker, after having seen his coworker transform into a weird tentacle creature, remains almost detached when describing it to the ambulance workers. I found myself wondering why this coworker wasn't concerned, freaking out, or reacting in any manner to what had just happened. No one seems surprised at all, even the doctor, that there is a giant monstrous creature amongst them. (instead the doctor thinks it's a joke) The sheer non-reaction of all the characters, the protagonist included, ruined this story for me.

Overall, this is an average collection of Lovecraftian and mythos tales. There are some real gems here, however they can be found in other, better collections. If you are a fan of Lovecraftian works, you're going to (like me) get this book regardless. It was a fun read, but most of the stories left me feeling uninspired and often unfulfilled. I still purchased Black Wings of Cthulhu 2, so I wasn't turned away away from this anthology completely. If you are a Lovecraft fan, pick up this anthology. If you are looking for a collection of post-Lovecraftian works, I would recommend you start with another anthology first.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The dates that show when I read this are misleading. It actually took me months to finish this anthology. As it seems to be with the last few books I've read, this one sat around on my shelf for a long time while I went on to read bigger and better novels and collections.

Yes, this Lovecraft inspired anthology is perhaps one of (if not THE) weakest ones I've had the misfortune of having to read. S.T. Joshi is like the John Joseph Adams of Cthulhu collections; he values style over substance and lets his supposed "expert" status cloud his judgement when selecting short stories. There's 21 short stories here and one would think that that would leave a lot of options for great reading and new takes on the cosmic horror that is Cthulhu, Unfortunately, the anthology's title is one of the most misleading in recent times as most of the tales in Black Wings border on either the ridiculously obscure of Lovecraft's work, or (and more often) plod along at a snails pace, never presenting anything exciting. Very few even remotely mention Cthulhu or any of the other Elder Gods.

That wouldn't necessarily be an issue if the stories that Joshi collected here were good. It's true there were about half a dozen or so that I liked (my favorites being "Lesser Demons" by Norman Partridge and "The Dome" by Mollie Burleson), yet everything else managed to either put me to sleep or piss me off. I was bored to tears through most of these, finding nothing redeeming or worth remembering. "Tempting Providence" was an exercise in impatience while "Engravings" was one in anger. I couldn't even get through 3 pages of "Violence, Child of Trust" and, because I can't stand his slow and clunky writing, completely skipped Ramsey Campbell's "Correspondence". And of course, what anthology wouldn't be complete and almost ruined without a crappy story from Pugmire?

Simply put, there are so many better anthologies in this genre. Both Lockhart's Book of Cthulhu, and World War Cthulhu are much better examples of how authors have kept the Cthulhu mythos alive. Black Wings of Cthulhu, on the other hand, makes the whole Lovecraft inspired sub-genre, seem boring by comparison. Do yourself a favor and skip this 500 page bore. You'll feel better about it later.

[Brian Sammons · Rating 4 out of 5]

My full review of this pretty darn good collection of Cthulhu Mythos stories can be found here: http://theunspeakableoath.com/home/?p...

[Peregrine 12 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Twenty one short stories in this book, and I really like five of them. Several more were okay, and some were so predictable and/or uninteresting that I felt angry for having wasted my time.

I like action-driven plots more than atmospheric stories, and this book has lots of atmospheric stories. So if dark, brooding atmosphere is your thing, you may enjoy this collection more than I did.

The five stories I thought were really good, and will read again:

1. Pickman's Other Model (1929) - Caitlin R Kiernan
2. Passing Spirits - Sam Gafford
3. The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash - Ramsey Campbell
4. Lesser Demons - Norman Partridge
5. Substitution - Michael Marshall Smith

I liked these five because they were well-written and had compelling storylines. Most of all, they held some surprises and/or new twists on Lovecraftian themes that I hadn't seen before. When I read new Lovecraftian-type stories, I like to be surprised. (Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald ranks among the best in this way.)

I'll keep Black Wings of Cthulhu on my shelf, but I'm not sure I'll purchase any other volumes from this collection.

Oh, and I really loved the cover design - it's one thing that drew me to this book in the first place (sucker for a pretty face, I guess...).