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Hardboiled Cthulhu: Two-fisted Tales of Tentacled Terror
Hard-hitting and hard-edged, these stories take Lovecraftian Mythos to places where only the toughest P.I.s, gangsters, and creatures dwell. Venturing into the urban sprawl and the dark places of the world, this anthology of more than 20 tales blends the hardboiled genre with the Lovecraftian.
325 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 8, 2008
Oy! I had such high hopes for this one after looking at the writers' names in the contents. I realize that when you read an anthology of stories that you're going to get some that are awesome and some that are just, well, plain bad. This book is no exception. There are some gems, some stories that could have been a lot better and some that I just rolled my eyes up while reading, thinking "just move to the next one."
Stories in this one (with a *by the ones I really liked)
The Pisces Club, by James Ambuehl
A Change of Life, by William Jones
Ache, by David Witteveen
A Dangerous High, by EP Berglund
A Little Job in Arkham, by John Sunseri*
Day of Iniquity, by Steven L. Shrewsbury
Eldritch-Fellas, by Tim Curran
Outside, Looking In, by David Conyers*
Pazuzu's Children, by Jeffrey Thomas* (excellent)
The Devil in You, by Eric J. Millar
The Mouth, by William Meikle
The Questioning of the Azathothian Priest, by C.J. Henderson*
Some Problems on the Problem of Order, by Simon Bucher-Jones
The White Mountains, by Johnathan Sharp * (also very good)
Then Terror Came, by Patrick Thomas
The Prying Investigations of Edwin M. Lillibridge, by Robert M. Price*
The Roaches in the Walls, by James Chambers
To Skin A Deadman, by Cody Goodfellow
Unfinished Business, by Ron Shiflet*
The Watcher from the Grave, by JF Gonzalez*
Dreems.biz, by Richard Lupoff
So, if you need another Lovecraftian fix, you'll probably want to read this one. If you're just starting out in this genre, read some of the original Lovecraft first, or you may be a bit lost. Fun collection; happy to have it as a part of my expanding collection.
Stories in this one (with a *by the ones I really liked)
The Pisces Club, by James Ambuehl
A Change of Life, by William Jones
Ache, by David Witteveen
A Dangerous High, by EP Berglund
A Little Job in Arkham, by John Sunseri*
Day of Iniquity, by Steven L. Shrewsbury
Eldritch-Fellas, by Tim Curran
Outside, Looking In, by David Conyers*
Pazuzu's Children, by Jeffrey Thomas* (excellent)
The Devil in You, by Eric J. Millar
The Mouth, by William Meikle
The Questioning of the Azathothian Priest, by C.J. Henderson*
Some Problems on the Problem of Order, by Simon Bucher-Jones
The White Mountains, by Johnathan Sharp * (also very good)
Then Terror Came, by Patrick Thomas
The Prying Investigations of Edwin M. Lillibridge, by Robert M. Price*
The Roaches in the Walls, by James Chambers
To Skin A Deadman, by Cody Goodfellow
Unfinished Business, by Ron Shiflet*
The Watcher from the Grave, by JF Gonzalez*
Dreems.biz, by Richard Lupoff
So, if you need another Lovecraftian fix, you'll probably want to read this one. If you're just starting out in this genre, read some of the original Lovecraft first, or you may be a bit lost. Fun collection; happy to have it as a part of my expanding collection.
September 17, 2014
This anthology is a great idea, but badly executed. While some of the stories within manage to echo the feel of a good Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett story and still maintain an original voice -- not an easy trick -- many just fell flat.
The first line of the first story blatantly rips off a well known Chandler line. And it was written by the editor of the collection, no less. Had I noticed that in a book store, I would have put the damned book back on the shelf and spent my money on another book -- which would have been somewhat unfair to William Jones, John Sunseri and Eric J. Millard, among a few others, who wrote pretty good fiction in keeping with the theme. Fortunately, the book was lent to me, and so I got past the ridiculous opening piece and enjoyed some of the other tales.
But why was a sword-and-sorcery story included? Good or bad, it has nothing to do with the Sam Spade-meets-eldritch horror theme. And why include an otherwise decent story that ends with the first-person narrator stabbing himself in the heart? I mean, okay, it's the Cthulhu Mythos and, yes, weird shit happens, but ... c'mon.
My advice? Save your money. If you can find a library copy or a friend who will lend you one, you will find a few stories worth your time. But if you lay out cash, you are likely to feel you wasted your dough.
The first line of the first story blatantly rips off a well known Chandler line. And it was written by the editor of the collection, no less. Had I noticed that in a book store, I would have put the damned book back on the shelf and spent my money on another book -- which would have been somewhat unfair to William Jones, John Sunseri and Eric J. Millard, among a few others, who wrote pretty good fiction in keeping with the theme. Fortunately, the book was lent to me, and so I got past the ridiculous opening piece and enjoyed some of the other tales.
But why was a sword-and-sorcery story included? Good or bad, it has nothing to do with the Sam Spade-meets-eldritch horror theme. And why include an otherwise decent story that ends with the first-person narrator stabbing himself in the heart? I mean, okay, it's the Cthulhu Mythos and, yes, weird shit happens, but ... c'mon.
My advice? Save your money. If you can find a library copy or a friend who will lend you one, you will find a few stories worth your time. But if you lay out cash, you are likely to feel you wasted your dough.
June 15, 2013
Hardboiled Cthulhu is the latest jewel in Elder Sign Press' splendored crown. I wish there was an editor's introduction explaining the history of this title, who thought of it, how the stories were selected and the publication history, because this book is fabulous. So many mythos collections have workman-like slogs through common mythos tropes that are really burdensome to read. I bought a very expensive copy of Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth and I am still working my way through it months later. Working is the operative word. I devoured Hardboiled Cthulhu in two sleep deprived evenings, chortling to myself the whole time. Dang it, this collection was just plain fun to read! In just about every title I can almost feel the author's sheer enjoyment writing their story, how much they relished the concept and how they probably typed with break neck enthusiasm. Although most of the critters, creatures and books are tried and true for the mythos, these authors are all confident and brimming with talent; the stories are marvelously original.
Some housekeeping: The book is a handsome trade paperback, well up to Elder Sign Press' usual excellent standards. No autographed collector edition signed by the authors, more's the pity! The wonderfully evocative cover art is by David Senecal and is perfectly in tune with the collection's theme: world weary private eyes and HPL's mythos, kind of Raymond Chandler and extradimensional tentacles. Page count is a generous 330, just about all devoted to the stories and counting a few pages of mini-bios of the authors at the end. Production qualities are high; I can't recall any typos. Only five of the stories were published in any forum prior to this book, mostly obscure mythos magazines that only the most assiduous collector would have. The exception is Jeffery Thomas' Pazuzu's Children that was just released in Unholy Dimensions by Mythos Books. Heck, it was a great story in that book and it's still a great story. Many kudos to James Ambuehl, the editor. I think this was his first solo editing effort and it is a smashing triumph. OK, so there are a few things that did not win me over, but they were all minor!
Here are the contents:
Sleeping with the Fishes (Poem) -- James Ambuehl
The Pisces Club -- James Ambuehl
A Change of Life -- William Jones
Ache -- David Witteveen
A Dangerous High -- E. P. Berglund
A Little Job in Arkham -- John Sunseri
Day of Iniquity -- Steven L. Shrewbury
Eldritch Fellas -- Tim Curran
Outside Looking In -- David Conyers
Pazuzu's Children -- Jeffrey Thomas
The Devil In You -- Eric J. Millar
The Mouth -- William Meikle
The Questioning of the Azathonthian Priest -- C. J. Henderson
Some Thought on the Problem of Order -- Simon Bucher-Jones
The White Mountains -- Jonathan Sharp
The Terror Came -- Patrick Thomas
The Prying Investigations of Edwin M. Lillibridge -- Robert M. Price
The Roaches in the Walls -- James Chambers
To Skin a Dead Man -- Cody Goodfellow
Unfinished Business -- Ron Shiflet
The Watcher From the Grave -- J. F. Gonzalez
Dreams.biz -- Richard A. Lupoff
Spoilers may follow so stop reading now if that bothers you*******
Sleeping with the Fishes (Poem) -- James Ambuehl - You know, I just never much enjoy mythos poetry. I think really fine poetry is incredibly difficult to write.
The Pisces Club -- James Ambuehl - Mr. Ambuehl's writing career is a long love letter to HPL, so thoroughly does he delight in the mythos and his own contributions to it. Much of his stories are pastiches in the best sense. But The Pisces Club is his highest achievement and his best prose. It is savory detective story laced equally with horror and humor. The name Professor Phil Craft is probably a tip of the hat to the master. I kept laughing out loud as I read it.
A Change of Life -- William Jones - William Jones is a bigwig at Elder Signs Press, where his editorial skills are very much in evidence. This prose shows a deft touch also. The Great Race? Bah! The Noir Race!
Ache -- David Witteveen - This is my first encounter with Mr. Witteveen, another writer in a wave of Australian talent cresting on our shores. This hardbitten tale features a mob enforcer who brushes up against the wearer of the Pallid Mask.
A Dangerous High -- E. P. Berglund - Mr. Berglund has done many great things for the mythos as an editor, a compiler and an author. Alas, out of all the stories in this book, A Dangerous High was the one that did not really grab me. I don't know why. I like Berglund's style and it was a good concept of illicit narcotics associated with the Hounds of Tindalos tracked down by a PI. Maybe it was just the prose.
A Little Job in Arkham -- John Sunseri - I don't recall reading anything by Mr. Sunseri before. I hope he is writing more mythos stories. If you want to steal and ancient tome from good ole Miskatonic U, hire a pack of thieves.
Day of Iniquity -- Steven L. Shrewbury - Mr. Shrewbury (who should change his middle name to Laban...) is becoming more overtly active on the mythos writing scene, which is our good fortune. The thing is, this story, while a great read, seemed out of place. It was like a good Sword & Sorcery yarn, not really a detective type story. Maybe it was meant for Eldritch Steel? A barbarian follower of Wotan leads his tribe to achieve vengeance on a dark cult.
Eldritch Fellas -- Tim Curran - Tim Curran is a terrific writer, widely published. This story was a hoot! I think diet coke came out of my nose while I was trying to read it. The title says it all. Oh, and I think this title originally saw print in Hastur Pussycat, Kill! Kill! (and if you own that title you know you've got a serious obsession on your hands)
Outside Looking In -- David Conyers - I have sung the praises of Mr. Conyers, another gifted Aussie, before. This story was great! Like in Dark City, the world is not what it seems. Do you really want to know the truth?
Pazuzu's Children -- Jeffrey Thomas - Not really a noir story, but a terrific read. A pilot in Desert Storm is captured after a bombing run by followers of an unspeakable cult.
The Devil In You -- Eric J. Millar - A no good drunk in a bar tries to do a good deed by helping a pretty girl in a gin joint. Complications ensue. Mr. Millar is a young author, new to me and he can write a mean mythos tale. I hope to see more of his stories in the future.
The Mouth -- William Meikle - Willie Meikle established his noir credentials in The Midnight Eye Files. Alas this is not a new Derek Adams story. No matter, this is a tightly written page turner about a cop who employs a medium to track a vicious murderer.
The Questioning of the Azathonthian Priest -- C. J. Henderson - You can't have a noir mythos collection about hardened PIs without having a CJ Henderson story! This one is an all new great Anton Zarnack yarn.
Some Thought on the Problem of Order -- Simon Bucher-Jones - Mr. Bucher-Jones is famous for his Dr. Who work. Can we have some more mythos please? Gosh, this was nifty story, turning things around sort of like Gaimen in A Study In Emerald.
The White Mountains -- Jonathan Sharp - This is Mr. Sharp's first published story. Great! Keep `em coming. If you can help it, never help someone go buy bootleg moonshine. If you go to buy bootleg moonshine, do not make eyes at the misshapen entrepreneur's wife.
The Terror Came -- Patrick Thomas - Eldritch detectives detect better when they are eldritch themselves.
The Prying Investigations of Edwin M. Lillibridge -- Robert M. Price - I confess it. I am not a Price fan. Usually his prose is leaden and derivative. But this was a nice conventional mythos story about a nosy reporter trying to solve some kidnappings.
The Roaches in the Walls -- James Chambers - I previously read The Tale of the Spanish Prisoner by Mr. Chambers in Warfear. It was OK. This one blew me away! It was brilliant. What a concept! What an ending! Man those Elder Gods are crafty.
To Skin a Dead Man -- Cody Goodfellow - Whatever else Mr. Goodfellow does I will be forever in his debt for his novel Radiant Dawn, an absolute bravura performance. This ghoulish story of love and betrayal and zombies and stuff defies ready description. I loved it!
Unfinished Business -- Ron Shiflet - Mr. Shiflet moves from strength to strength as a mythos writer. Pickman's ghouls are, um, alive and, um, well. You can hire a big mook to guard your highly collectible art but art groupies live in a dog eat dog world. Nicely done, Mr. Shiflet!
The Watcher From the Grave -- J. F. Gonzalez - I never read anything by Mr. Gonzalez before. I will have to remedy that soon! Literary estate executor is not a healthy profession in a Lovecraftian collection.
Dreams.biz -- Richard A. Lupoff - And finally, hats off to the accomplished Mr. Lupoff. I wish he would write more mythos. This is a cross between Total Recall and Netflix. Gosh it was good!
So in summary, a masterful collection. Bargain priced, bristling with vitality, most of the big names in mythos fiction. What else do you need? Urgently recommend!
Some housekeeping: The book is a handsome trade paperback, well up to Elder Sign Press' usual excellent standards. No autographed collector edition signed by the authors, more's the pity! The wonderfully evocative cover art is by David Senecal and is perfectly in tune with the collection's theme: world weary private eyes and HPL's mythos, kind of Raymond Chandler and extradimensional tentacles. Page count is a generous 330, just about all devoted to the stories and counting a few pages of mini-bios of the authors at the end. Production qualities are high; I can't recall any typos. Only five of the stories were published in any forum prior to this book, mostly obscure mythos magazines that only the most assiduous collector would have. The exception is Jeffery Thomas' Pazuzu's Children that was just released in Unholy Dimensions by Mythos Books. Heck, it was a great story in that book and it's still a great story. Many kudos to James Ambuehl, the editor. I think this was his first solo editing effort and it is a smashing triumph. OK, so there are a few things that did not win me over, but they were all minor!
Here are the contents:
Sleeping with the Fishes (Poem) -- James Ambuehl
The Pisces Club -- James Ambuehl
A Change of Life -- William Jones
Ache -- David Witteveen
A Dangerous High -- E. P. Berglund
A Little Job in Arkham -- John Sunseri
Day of Iniquity -- Steven L. Shrewbury
Eldritch Fellas -- Tim Curran
Outside Looking In -- David Conyers
Pazuzu's Children -- Jeffrey Thomas
The Devil In You -- Eric J. Millar
The Mouth -- William Meikle
The Questioning of the Azathonthian Priest -- C. J. Henderson
Some Thought on the Problem of Order -- Simon Bucher-Jones
The White Mountains -- Jonathan Sharp
The Terror Came -- Patrick Thomas
The Prying Investigations of Edwin M. Lillibridge -- Robert M. Price
The Roaches in the Walls -- James Chambers
To Skin a Dead Man -- Cody Goodfellow
Unfinished Business -- Ron Shiflet
The Watcher From the Grave -- J. F. Gonzalez
Dreams.biz -- Richard A. Lupoff
Spoilers may follow so stop reading now if that bothers you*******
Sleeping with the Fishes (Poem) -- James Ambuehl - You know, I just never much enjoy mythos poetry. I think really fine poetry is incredibly difficult to write.
The Pisces Club -- James Ambuehl - Mr. Ambuehl's writing career is a long love letter to HPL, so thoroughly does he delight in the mythos and his own contributions to it. Much of his stories are pastiches in the best sense. But The Pisces Club is his highest achievement and his best prose. It is savory detective story laced equally with horror and humor. The name Professor Phil Craft is probably a tip of the hat to the master. I kept laughing out loud as I read it.
A Change of Life -- William Jones - William Jones is a bigwig at Elder Signs Press, where his editorial skills are very much in evidence. This prose shows a deft touch also. The Great Race? Bah! The Noir Race!
Ache -- David Witteveen - This is my first encounter with Mr. Witteveen, another writer in a wave of Australian talent cresting on our shores. This hardbitten tale features a mob enforcer who brushes up against the wearer of the Pallid Mask.
A Dangerous High -- E. P. Berglund - Mr. Berglund has done many great things for the mythos as an editor, a compiler and an author. Alas, out of all the stories in this book, A Dangerous High was the one that did not really grab me. I don't know why. I like Berglund's style and it was a good concept of illicit narcotics associated with the Hounds of Tindalos tracked down by a PI. Maybe it was just the prose.
A Little Job in Arkham -- John Sunseri - I don't recall reading anything by Mr. Sunseri before. I hope he is writing more mythos stories. If you want to steal and ancient tome from good ole Miskatonic U, hire a pack of thieves.
Day of Iniquity -- Steven L. Shrewbury - Mr. Shrewbury (who should change his middle name to Laban...) is becoming more overtly active on the mythos writing scene, which is our good fortune. The thing is, this story, while a great read, seemed out of place. It was like a good Sword & Sorcery yarn, not really a detective type story. Maybe it was meant for Eldritch Steel? A barbarian follower of Wotan leads his tribe to achieve vengeance on a dark cult.
Eldritch Fellas -- Tim Curran - Tim Curran is a terrific writer, widely published. This story was a hoot! I think diet coke came out of my nose while I was trying to read it. The title says it all. Oh, and I think this title originally saw print in Hastur Pussycat, Kill! Kill! (and if you own that title you know you've got a serious obsession on your hands)
Outside Looking In -- David Conyers - I have sung the praises of Mr. Conyers, another gifted Aussie, before. This story was great! Like in Dark City, the world is not what it seems. Do you really want to know the truth?
Pazuzu's Children -- Jeffrey Thomas - Not really a noir story, but a terrific read. A pilot in Desert Storm is captured after a bombing run by followers of an unspeakable cult.
The Devil In You -- Eric J. Millar - A no good drunk in a bar tries to do a good deed by helping a pretty girl in a gin joint. Complications ensue. Mr. Millar is a young author, new to me and he can write a mean mythos tale. I hope to see more of his stories in the future.
The Mouth -- William Meikle - Willie Meikle established his noir credentials in The Midnight Eye Files. Alas this is not a new Derek Adams story. No matter, this is a tightly written page turner about a cop who employs a medium to track a vicious murderer.
The Questioning of the Azathonthian Priest -- C. J. Henderson - You can't have a noir mythos collection about hardened PIs without having a CJ Henderson story! This one is an all new great Anton Zarnack yarn.
Some Thought on the Problem of Order -- Simon Bucher-Jones - Mr. Bucher-Jones is famous for his Dr. Who work. Can we have some more mythos please? Gosh, this was nifty story, turning things around sort of like Gaimen in A Study In Emerald.
The White Mountains -- Jonathan Sharp - This is Mr. Sharp's first published story. Great! Keep `em coming. If you can help it, never help someone go buy bootleg moonshine. If you go to buy bootleg moonshine, do not make eyes at the misshapen entrepreneur's wife.
The Terror Came -- Patrick Thomas - Eldritch detectives detect better when they are eldritch themselves.
The Prying Investigations of Edwin M. Lillibridge -- Robert M. Price - I confess it. I am not a Price fan. Usually his prose is leaden and derivative. But this was a nice conventional mythos story about a nosy reporter trying to solve some kidnappings.
The Roaches in the Walls -- James Chambers - I previously read The Tale of the Spanish Prisoner by Mr. Chambers in Warfear. It was OK. This one blew me away! It was brilliant. What a concept! What an ending! Man those Elder Gods are crafty.
To Skin a Dead Man -- Cody Goodfellow - Whatever else Mr. Goodfellow does I will be forever in his debt for his novel Radiant Dawn, an absolute bravura performance. This ghoulish story of love and betrayal and zombies and stuff defies ready description. I loved it!
Unfinished Business -- Ron Shiflet - Mr. Shiflet moves from strength to strength as a mythos writer. Pickman's ghouls are, um, alive and, um, well. You can hire a big mook to guard your highly collectible art but art groupies live in a dog eat dog world. Nicely done, Mr. Shiflet!
The Watcher From the Grave -- J. F. Gonzalez - I never read anything by Mr. Gonzalez before. I will have to remedy that soon! Literary estate executor is not a healthy profession in a Lovecraftian collection.
Dreams.biz -- Richard A. Lupoff - And finally, hats off to the accomplished Mr. Lupoff. I wish he would write more mythos. This is a cross between Total Recall and Netflix. Gosh it was good!
So in summary, a masterful collection. Bargain priced, bristling with vitality, most of the big names in mythos fiction. What else do you need? Urgently recommend!
April 1, 2019
Reasonably fun read, with the added advantage of being able to skip to the next one if you're not enjoying a story.
November 18, 2008
Hardboiled Cthulhu is billed as an anthology of "Two-Fisted Tales of Tentacled Terror", and mostly it delivers. However, the quality is quite uneven, though in some cases pretty creative. For example, "Eldritch Fellas" by Tim Curran, a "Goodfellas" pastiche with the Great Old Ones as mobsters, while initially amusing, was far too long. It wasn't really clever enough to justify its genre-bending inclusion here.
Likewise "Day of Iniquity" by Steven Shrewsbury is neither particularly hard-boiled nor terrifying; it more appropriately belongs in an anthology of homage to the genre typified by Conan the Barbarian; it was extremely disappointing to find it here, masquerading as something it clearly is not.
I suppose I should've been concerned by the fact that the editor has not only one of his own stories within, but also an original poem, both right up front as Thing One and Thing Two in the collection. If a poem about a hard boiled-type thug offends your sensibilities as much as it does mine, skip to the next page. Actually, if you're busy or in a hurry, skip the next story too; sad to say, I wasn’t very impressed with that, either.
Still the collection is not without considerable merit. Jonathan Sharp's "The White Mountains" gave me the same sense of wonder (in a horrifying way, of course) that I had when I first read Lovecraft, lo these many moons ago. Bravo. "Then Terror Came" by Patrick Thomas takes a Lovecraft original ("The Hound")and gives it a bit of highly successful updating; it left me wanting more stories about the same "Men in Black"-type Agency that deals with the dangerously supernatural.
"A Dangerous High" by E.P. Berglund is a clever premise, though the loose ends are tied up a little too well for it to seem gritty or have a touch of real life to it; still, a well-written and engaging story. "Ache” by David Witteveen does an admirable job of combining hard-boiled and the Cthulhu Mythos, as does "A Little Job in Arkham" by John Sunseri and “A Change of Life” by William Jones. The story “Unfinished Business by Ron Shiflet picks up pretty much where the Lovecraft tale “Pickman’s Model” leaves off, and does it reasonably well, too. "Pazuzu's Children" sets the Mythos in modern-day Iraq to good effect, though does so in potentially questionable taste.
All in all, an engaging read, if an annoying one at times. Overall, I found Hardboiled Cthulhu a decent if flawed collection. I would recommend this book to anyone in a Lovecraftian mood.
Likewise "Day of Iniquity" by Steven Shrewsbury is neither particularly hard-boiled nor terrifying; it more appropriately belongs in an anthology of homage to the genre typified by Conan the Barbarian; it was extremely disappointing to find it here, masquerading as something it clearly is not.
I suppose I should've been concerned by the fact that the editor has not only one of his own stories within, but also an original poem, both right up front as Thing One and Thing Two in the collection. If a poem about a hard boiled-type thug offends your sensibilities as much as it does mine, skip to the next page. Actually, if you're busy or in a hurry, skip the next story too; sad to say, I wasn’t very impressed with that, either.
Still the collection is not without considerable merit. Jonathan Sharp's "The White Mountains" gave me the same sense of wonder (in a horrifying way, of course) that I had when I first read Lovecraft, lo these many moons ago. Bravo. "Then Terror Came" by Patrick Thomas takes a Lovecraft original ("The Hound")and gives it a bit of highly successful updating; it left me wanting more stories about the same "Men in Black"-type Agency that deals with the dangerously supernatural.
"A Dangerous High" by E.P. Berglund is a clever premise, though the loose ends are tied up a little too well for it to seem gritty or have a touch of real life to it; still, a well-written and engaging story. "Ache” by David Witteveen does an admirable job of combining hard-boiled and the Cthulhu Mythos, as does "A Little Job in Arkham" by John Sunseri and “A Change of Life” by William Jones. The story “Unfinished Business by Ron Shiflet picks up pretty much where the Lovecraft tale “Pickman’s Model” leaves off, and does it reasonably well, too. "Pazuzu's Children" sets the Mythos in modern-day Iraq to good effect, though does so in potentially questionable taste.
All in all, an engaging read, if an annoying one at times. Overall, I found Hardboiled Cthulhu a decent if flawed collection. I would recommend this book to anyone in a Lovecraftian mood.
March 30, 2009
This anthology promises "hardboiled Cthulhu Mythos" tales, so that's the premise I am rating it on. Nothing serious, but pure fun.
MARCH 27:
"A Change of Life" by William Jones:
An okay story, but nothing above average, in my opinion. The premise of seeing the events through the eyes of a Great Race who has possessed the body of a hitman is funny enough, but somehow it never really got beyond the "nice idea" level. Maybe it's because I have a more general problem with tales where such entities display human emotions (even if only in the narrative, and not the actions)...
Still too early to rate this anthology with stars, though. Need to read a story or two more before I do that.
MARCH 28:
"Ache" by David Witteveen:
I liked this one better than "A Change of Life." A man working for a mob boss is directed to Arkham to find a teen who has gone disappearing with a huge amount of money. At the end of the story we find out what the money was used for; and the protagonist himself is tempted, standing on the brink of the Miskatonic River with a portal opening...
Nothing but entertainment, of course, but it was entertaining, and a fast, light read that I enjoyed. Nice:-)
MARCH 30:
"The Mouth" by William Meikle:
Interrogating a suspect can go terrible wrong and in ways quite unimagined by even the smartest of cops. Even if said cop earlier in the story utilized help from a psychic who got more scared than ever and refused to tell about it. She does later on--but too late, it turns out. Something from the deepest of the oceans is on the prowl, and it wants to kill... Now!
That's more or less the idea behind this tale. It was entertaining enough, and of acceptable quality.
Stay tuned for more reviews;-)
MARCH 27:
"A Change of Life" by William Jones:
An okay story, but nothing above average, in my opinion. The premise of seeing the events through the eyes of a Great Race who has possessed the body of a hitman is funny enough, but somehow it never really got beyond the "nice idea" level. Maybe it's because I have a more general problem with tales where such entities display human emotions (even if only in the narrative, and not the actions)...
Still too early to rate this anthology with stars, though. Need to read a story or two more before I do that.
MARCH 28:
"Ache" by David Witteveen:
I liked this one better than "A Change of Life." A man working for a mob boss is directed to Arkham to find a teen who has gone disappearing with a huge amount of money. At the end of the story we find out what the money was used for; and the protagonist himself is tempted, standing on the brink of the Miskatonic River with a portal opening...
Nothing but entertainment, of course, but it was entertaining, and a fast, light read that I enjoyed. Nice:-)
MARCH 30:
"The Mouth" by William Meikle:
Interrogating a suspect can go terrible wrong and in ways quite unimagined by even the smartest of cops. Even if said cop earlier in the story utilized help from a psychic who got more scared than ever and refused to tell about it. She does later on--but too late, it turns out. Something from the deepest of the oceans is on the prowl, and it wants to kill... Now!
That's more or less the idea behind this tale. It was entertaining enough, and of acceptable quality.
Stay tuned for more reviews;-)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2010
I really enjoyed this book both as a fan of noir and a fan of Lovecraft. I thought many of the stories were hilarious--especially EldritchFellas by Tim Curran--anyone who loves gangster flicks and Lovecraft--come on...this was a hoot! I enjoyed the fact that each story really had a slightly different take on the Lovecraft vibe---some were more heavy on that and others were more heavy on the noir but I felt all were excellent. I was amazed to find that White Mountains by Jonathan Sharp was his first published story--truly amazing. As for any cliche--well, that is sort of the essence of noir--there is always cliche--that is part of what I love about noir--I like to think of it as familiarity as opposed to cliche. For straight up scary I thought The Questioning of the Azathothian Priest by C.J. Henderson was really filled with menace and had me on the edge of my seat, and The Prying Investigations of Edwin Lillibridge was just really fascinating and creepy. For straight up grue, the award goes to To Skin a Dead Man by Cody Goodfellow--just gross, but also tinged with a great sick humor. I also thought Pazuzu's Children by Jeffrey Thomas was a great take on Lovecraft in an extremely different setting and style than typical Lovcraftian tales. Overall, I loved this book--and would highly recommend it to any Lovecraft or Noir fan. I am about to begin the short story collection Arkham Tales which has several of the same authors. I am really looking forward to it!
January 31, 2009
I like anthologies, in part because my attention span is that of a gnat. However, anthologies to me are always diminished because of my visceral dislike of some of the stories included. This book lived up to my expectations.
This book stayed within the realm of noir and was generally solid. However, frequently it descended into cliched conventions. I understand that's the point of anthologies tied by a theme, but regardless. The stories blended into one another to the point of repetition. Protagonist drinks in bar/office/elsewhere, may be conversing with friend/self/bartender, a dame/man walks into the bar/office/elsewhere, and the story begins.
Some notable stories include:Ache by David Witteveen (the most mythos-esque of the lot) and White Mountains by Jonathan or Johnathan (depending on which spelling in the book you trust) Sharp.
The rest of the stories were ok for the most part, but lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. The book is worth checking out of the library, but I'd hesitate to buy it again.
This book stayed within the realm of noir and was generally solid. However, frequently it descended into cliched conventions. I understand that's the point of anthologies tied by a theme, but regardless. The stories blended into one another to the point of repetition. Protagonist drinks in bar/office/elsewhere, may be conversing with friend/self/bartender, a dame/man walks into the bar/office/elsewhere, and the story begins.
Some notable stories include:Ache by David Witteveen (the most mythos-esque of the lot) and White Mountains by Jonathan or Johnathan (depending on which spelling in the book you trust) Sharp.
The rest of the stories were ok for the most part, but lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. The book is worth checking out of the library, but I'd hesitate to buy it again.
December 2, 2010
Free advice to the editor: place the good, non-amateur (fan fiction) stories FIRST. There is some awful crap in this anthology, but once you get beyond that there's some quite good stories as well. My favorites, as always, are the ones that play with the genre and the Mythos in equal proportions, like "Eldritch Fellas," Cthulhu and the other Old Ones in _Goodfellas_. What I also found interesting (and somewhat disappointing) were the several stories that didn't fit the "hardboiled" genre. I guess anything would do for James Ambuehl. But enough of interest here for me to keep reading.
March 18, 2010
This compendium of short fiction tales ties into H.P. Lovecraft's fictional realm Call of Cthulhu. Most of the tales are hard hitting P.I. or Gumshoe type tales that are action/mystery related to that specific genre. This is a rough edged diamond of short stories that is perfect blend of horror and action/mystery. This book will get you to turn on the light at night or read it during the daytime to keep yourself from getting the chills.
October 19, 2007
Some good stories, but the anthology could have been tighter. Four of the stories didn't have a hardboiled (PIs, Gangsters, Molls) setting at all.
March 11, 2016
So many good stories! Lots of different feels even with the overlying theme.
Read, "enjoy", and worry abt what else is out there with us...
Read, "enjoy", and worry abt what else is out there with us...
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