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Harry Stubbs #4
Master of Chaos
London 1925: Ex-boxer Harry Stubbs goes undercover, working in a mental institution to investigate an epidemic of madness. Bizarre deaths occur at the asylum, seemingly linked to an occult power. As he starts to unravel the mystery, Harry’s grip on his own sanity becomes increasingly precarious.
Who is behind the killings? What are the strange new treatments doing to the patients? Why can Harry not get any reply from his handlers? To get answers, Harry must to venture into the borderland between magic and science, sanity and madness, and face the Master of Chaos...
A thrilling 1920s adventure drawing on HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.
Who is behind the killings? What are the strange new treatments doing to the patients? Why can Harry not get any reply from his handlers? To get answers, Harry must to venture into the borderland between magic and science, sanity and madness, and face the Master of Chaos...
A thrilling 1920s adventure drawing on HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.
- GenresHorrorLovecraftian
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2018
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December 8, 2025
The Harry Stubbs Adventures are one of the best series to come out of the recent independent Cthulhu Mythos scene along with Matthew Davenport's Andrew Doran and my own Cthulhu Armagedon (just kidding--or am I?). They're the adventures of a WW1 veteran pugilist who continually comes into contact with the edges of the Cthulhu Mythos. Harry Stubbs isn't a guy who guns down Dagon or Deep Ones but usually ends up only encountering the barest whiffs of the eldritch and mostly deals with cultists--this keeps things mysterious as well as explains why he's kept most of his sanity intact.
This book opens with Harry having gotten a job in a mental institution after his previous employment dried away. He's undercover for his new employers in an occult agency but Harry is such a dedicated worker that he essentially, becomes an orderly rather than uses the position to keep an eye on things. Master of Chaos acquaints us with turn of the century treatment of the insane as well as the burgeoning understanding of what PTSD (called "Shell Shock" back then) is.
Being a Lovecraftian mystery, some of the patients are actually not insane and some of the staff are so insane they appear to be respectable members of society while engaging in ghastly tortures. I.e. the mental health practices of the day. Hambling, as always, does an excellent job with his research on both real-life occultism, period medicine, and interweaving Cthulhuoid concepts. The treatment of the mentally ill in the era was ghastly enough without the supernatural and is a good choice for any horror novel set in the Edwardian Period.
Indeed, one of the things I've long held about H.P. Lovecraft pastiches is they tend to work better when set in different time periods than the present day. The 1920s seems to be a perfect time for the weird and terrible to be released, not just because it's the time period Lovecraft wrote in, but also because it's a middle-ground between the rise of science with the fall of superstition.
Honestly, I actually think the United Kingdom works better as a setting for Lovecraftian fiction because New England was never quite old enough for the kind of stories Phillips wanted to tell. Anglos only populated the country for a couple of centuries when HPL filled Arkham and Salem with unspeakable ancient monsters. Much of the supernatural was inherited while there's all manner of places thousand-year-old evils could hide in London (which Hambling takes good advantage of like Ramsey Campbell).
As this is the fourth or so book in the series, long-time readers should note things have gotten a bit formulaic--that's not a bad thing, though. I happen to like cheeseburgers and when I order one, I expect a cheeseburger. This is a series about Harry wandering on the edge of the supernatural and I admit to getting impatient for him to fully immerse himself in the occult horrors beyond. The only problem is, once this happens it's going to be a case of no turning back and Harry's character will be changed forever. Yet, honestly, it has to happen for the story to be authentic.
Harry remains likable and his relationship with Sally is progressing nicely despite how scandalous it would be for him to end up with a former prostitute. Also, how dangerous it might be for her to end up with a man who is prone to meeting squid-worshiping nutters. Then again, after WW1 there wasn't nearly as many pickings so Anglo women had learned to be forward as Churchill, himself, said to Americans visiting the country. I do think, if Harry does get involved with her, he's going to get her killed and it would probably be best to end their association now.
This book contains references to ancient Egypt, a certain Black Pharaoh, and a man who thinks he's the King of England--all to my considerable entertainment. I hope the next book will be either about the Mi-Go or Cthulhu but, either way, this is another great entry. Harry is an everyman exposed to the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos and that has an appeal better than nebbish scholars or confident wizards.
9/10
This book opens with Harry having gotten a job in a mental institution after his previous employment dried away. He's undercover for his new employers in an occult agency but Harry is such a dedicated worker that he essentially, becomes an orderly rather than uses the position to keep an eye on things. Master of Chaos acquaints us with turn of the century treatment of the insane as well as the burgeoning understanding of what PTSD (called "Shell Shock" back then) is.
Being a Lovecraftian mystery, some of the patients are actually not insane and some of the staff are so insane they appear to be respectable members of society while engaging in ghastly tortures. I.e. the mental health practices of the day. Hambling, as always, does an excellent job with his research on both real-life occultism, period medicine, and interweaving Cthulhuoid concepts. The treatment of the mentally ill in the era was ghastly enough without the supernatural and is a good choice for any horror novel set in the Edwardian Period.
Indeed, one of the things I've long held about H.P. Lovecraft pastiches is they tend to work better when set in different time periods than the present day. The 1920s seems to be a perfect time for the weird and terrible to be released, not just because it's the time period Lovecraft wrote in, but also because it's a middle-ground between the rise of science with the fall of superstition.
Honestly, I actually think the United Kingdom works better as a setting for Lovecraftian fiction because New England was never quite old enough for the kind of stories Phillips wanted to tell. Anglos only populated the country for a couple of centuries when HPL filled Arkham and Salem with unspeakable ancient monsters. Much of the supernatural was inherited while there's all manner of places thousand-year-old evils could hide in London (which Hambling takes good advantage of like Ramsey Campbell).
As this is the fourth or so book in the series, long-time readers should note things have gotten a bit formulaic--that's not a bad thing, though. I happen to like cheeseburgers and when I order one, I expect a cheeseburger. This is a series about Harry wandering on the edge of the supernatural and I admit to getting impatient for him to fully immerse himself in the occult horrors beyond. The only problem is, once this happens it's going to be a case of no turning back and Harry's character will be changed forever. Yet, honestly, it has to happen for the story to be authentic.
Harry remains likable and his relationship with Sally is progressing nicely despite how scandalous it would be for him to end up with a former prostitute. Also, how dangerous it might be for her to end up with a man who is prone to meeting squid-worshiping nutters. Then again, after WW1 there wasn't nearly as many pickings so Anglo women had learned to be forward as Churchill, himself, said to Americans visiting the country. I do think, if Harry does get involved with her, he's going to get her killed and it would probably be best to end their association now.
This book contains references to ancient Egypt, a certain Black Pharaoh, and a man who thinks he's the King of England--all to my considerable entertainment. I hope the next book will be either about the Mi-Go or Cthulhu but, either way, this is another great entry. Harry is an everyman exposed to the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos and that has an appeal better than nebbish scholars or confident wizards.
9/10
June 21, 2018
Masters of Chaos by David Hambling is the fourth book in the Harry Stubbs series and it goes without saying that I am a huge fan of the series.
David's Mr. Stubbs is a man of simple means, striving to better understand the world. This is more than the world as normal men and women know it, although he is constantly reading and taking correspondence courses to increase that knowledge, but also the darker and more sinister works first described by H. P. Lovecraft. To that point, Harry had found himself in the "employ" of an American named Ms. DeVere. She had recruited Harry to investigate the of happenings of Norwood. Harry is only barely qualified for this role through his past run-ins with Lovecraft's mythos and his history as a former successful boxer.
Master of Chaos did something I didn't expect a Stubbs novel to do, although I should have, and thrust our hero into an undercover role as an orderly at an asylum. While I hadn't expected it, it fit well with the evolution of Harry's investigations and made for some amazing scenes and great literary art as the reader who, four books in and well versed in Stubbs' adventures, questions along with our hero whether or not he's lost his mind.
My favorite thing about this novel and each of the Stubbs' adventures, is how Hambling introduces entirely new elements of the mythos into Harry's life and makes it seem like part of the everyday world we live in. It makes me wonder if some day Harry will lose all sense of reason as anything can be explained away by the police or the doctors...
My favorite part of this delightful tale was easily the part regarding the time Harry received in the first book. When you read it, you will know what I'm referencing. It's difficult to say this was my favorite part, because I had so many and always enjoy a good yarn of my favorite boxer, but I'm a simple man.
5/5 stars for the Norwood Titan!
David's Mr. Stubbs is a man of simple means, striving to better understand the world. This is more than the world as normal men and women know it, although he is constantly reading and taking correspondence courses to increase that knowledge, but also the darker and more sinister works first described by H. P. Lovecraft. To that point, Harry had found himself in the "employ" of an American named Ms. DeVere. She had recruited Harry to investigate the of happenings of Norwood. Harry is only barely qualified for this role through his past run-ins with Lovecraft's mythos and his history as a former successful boxer.
Master of Chaos did something I didn't expect a Stubbs novel to do, although I should have, and thrust our hero into an undercover role as an orderly at an asylum. While I hadn't expected it, it fit well with the evolution of Harry's investigations and made for some amazing scenes and great literary art as the reader who, four books in and well versed in Stubbs' adventures, questions along with our hero whether or not he's lost his mind.
My favorite thing about this novel and each of the Stubbs' adventures, is how Hambling introduces entirely new elements of the mythos into Harry's life and makes it seem like part of the everyday world we live in. It makes me wonder if some day Harry will lose all sense of reason as anything can be explained away by the police or the doctors...
My favorite part of this delightful tale was easily the part regarding the time Harry received in the first book. When you read it, you will know what I'm referencing. It's difficult to say this was my favorite part, because I had so many and always enjoy a good yarn of my favorite boxer, but I'm a simple man.
5/5 stars for the Norwood Titan!
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June 18, 2020"I had gained a swift understanding of how the inmates felt and why they behaved as they did. They could not mark off days and wait for their sentence to be over. They could not hope to escape, because they had nowhere to escape to... The only thing they had to look forward to was the next mealtime. If they clung on to wisps of their former life...it was because the rituals were comforting reminders of a better world, even if they were without substance."
This from a character confined, and losing his marbles, in Norwood. Hell, at one point he even mentions being overdue a haircut. It may not be quite as local as the third book, which climaxed at the bottom of my garden, but it's still altogether too close to home – though of course the series' frequent locations the Conquering Hero and the Electric Cafe, despite having made it from those twenties to these, are at last closed now, and who knows whether they (or much of anything else) will make it to the action's centenary in 2025. For suitably Cthulhu Mythos-adjacent reasons, too, with something only debatably alive bringing human civilisation to its knees not through malignity, but in utter ignorance that we even exist, because we're just as alien to it as it is to us – we're just more squishily vulnerable. Set against which, in a time of protests against historical inequality, one hardly feels in the mood to get Lovecraft himself down from the shelf, what with him being a massive racist. Thankfully, there's none of that here; indeed, some asylum attendants in 1925 Norwood turn out to be more progressive on trans issues than certain SFF authors of the 21st century. And even if Hambling couldn't have anticipated the present's exact flavour of awful, there are plenty of contemporary parallels in the tense mood of the age, with Hindenburg in power in Germany and fears of another war already mounting. The prelude talks about the floor giving way underneath you, destroying what you had thought of as a secure world - now a ubiquitous experience, but already an increasingly common one over the past few years. And even after his previous brushes with Yog-Sothothery, protagonist Harry Stubbs is now very much out of his depth, reluctant agent of a mysterious and ruthless organisation, working undercover at the asylum, and investigating a sinister film which sounds like it at once prefigures and far exceeds Un Chien Andalou. The description of that screening is one of the book's most powerful scenes, as also the strange flight from Croydon, evoked with enough of a thrill to suggest the dark reflection of a Ghibli flight scene. If it's elsewhere marred by spelling errors a decent proofread could have caught, I think it's nonetheless my favourite entry in the Shadows Over Norwood series, worming its way nicely into that most nagging question: what does sanity look like when the world is mad?
This from a character confined, and losing his marbles, in Norwood. Hell, at one point he even mentions being overdue a haircut. It may not be quite as local as the third book, which climaxed at the bottom of my garden, but it's still altogether too close to home – though of course the series' frequent locations the Conquering Hero and the Electric Cafe, despite having made it from those twenties to these, are at last closed now, and who knows whether they (or much of anything else) will make it to the action's centenary in 2025. For suitably Cthulhu Mythos-adjacent reasons, too, with something only debatably alive bringing human civilisation to its knees not through malignity, but in utter ignorance that we even exist, because we're just as alien to it as it is to us – we're just more squishily vulnerable. Set against which, in a time of protests against historical inequality, one hardly feels in the mood to get Lovecraft himself down from the shelf, what with him being a massive racist. Thankfully, there's none of that here; indeed, some asylum attendants in 1925 Norwood turn out to be more progressive on trans issues than certain SFF authors of the 21st century. And even if Hambling couldn't have anticipated the present's exact flavour of awful, there are plenty of contemporary parallels in the tense mood of the age, with Hindenburg in power in Germany and fears of another war already mounting. The prelude talks about the floor giving way underneath you, destroying what you had thought of as a secure world - now a ubiquitous experience, but already an increasingly common one over the past few years. And even after his previous brushes with Yog-Sothothery, protagonist Harry Stubbs is now very much out of his depth, reluctant agent of a mysterious and ruthless organisation, working undercover at the asylum, and investigating a sinister film which sounds like it at once prefigures and far exceeds Un Chien Andalou. The description of that screening is one of the book's most powerful scenes, as also the strange flight from Croydon, evoked with enough of a thrill to suggest the dark reflection of a Ghibli flight scene. If it's elsewhere marred by spelling errors a decent proofread could have caught, I think it's nonetheless my favourite entry in the Shadows Over Norwood series, worming its way nicely into that most nagging question: what does sanity look like when the world is mad?
June 26, 2018
Fascinating Adventure
I was invited to read and review this novel, the fourth in its series, without having read the previous three. As a result, there is much in the way of character development and back story that I may have missed. That said, Mr. Hamblling's writing is enchantingly eloquent, chocked full of wonderful historical details, and full of surprises. He captures post World War One England vividly, giving his tale added authenticity. Finally, the story's climax is truly satisfying. Yes, I started with book four, but I would certainly like to go back and read books 1, 2, and 3.
I was invited to read and review this novel, the fourth in its series, without having read the previous three. As a result, there is much in the way of character development and back story that I may have missed. That said, Mr. Hamblling's writing is enchantingly eloquent, chocked full of wonderful historical details, and full of surprises. He captures post World War One England vividly, giving his tale added authenticity. Finally, the story's climax is truly satisfying. Yes, I started with book four, but I would certainly like to go back and read books 1, 2, and 3.
July 5, 2018
This book was a challenge to me, honestly I only read books to escape my routine and let my mind fly in these exciting adventures on those books, but this one was more than I expected.
Themes very controversial are discussed here, with your own opinions and morals in mind; I have to tell to recommend having an open mind to this story, but having said that, don’t let it ruin your expectations, we have a masterpiece to admire here and it’s an amazing story from start to finish. It gives me vibes from ‘A Cure from Wellness’ to ‘Shutter Island’ with a lot of twists within, this is the most memorable chaos you will ever remember, it will be an insult for the author of this amazing work to give more details in this review, you have to experience this by yourself, the journey is worth the length, enjoy this gem.
Themes very controversial are discussed here, with your own opinions and morals in mind; I have to tell to recommend having an open mind to this story, but having said that, don’t let it ruin your expectations, we have a masterpiece to admire here and it’s an amazing story from start to finish. It gives me vibes from ‘A Cure from Wellness’ to ‘Shutter Island’ with a lot of twists within, this is the most memorable chaos you will ever remember, it will be an insult for the author of this amazing work to give more details in this review, you have to experience this by yourself, the journey is worth the length, enjoy this gem.
July 17, 2023
'Sanity held me back like a mooring rope. I hacked at it until I freed myself...'
Investigating the Cthulhu Mythos erodes your sanity, as anybody who ever played the 'Call of Cthulhu' role-playing game can testify, so it feels right for the latest Harry Stubbs adventure to centre around an asylum.
Harry is working undercover, and as he investigates we sympathize and empathize with the patients, and explore the borderlands between sanity and madness. And then, wonderfully, amid the intrigue and occultism, we begin to lose track of our own grip on what is and what is not real as our narrator struggles to comprehend what is happening.
No spoilers, but there is a moment about three quarters of the way through that jolted me as much as any session of Faradisation therapy, and reminded me just how great an author David Hambling is.
This is a fantastically good series.
Investigating the Cthulhu Mythos erodes your sanity, as anybody who ever played the 'Call of Cthulhu' role-playing game can testify, so it feels right for the latest Harry Stubbs adventure to centre around an asylum.
Harry is working undercover, and as he investigates we sympathize and empathize with the patients, and explore the borderlands between sanity and madness. And then, wonderfully, amid the intrigue and occultism, we begin to lose track of our own grip on what is and what is not real as our narrator struggles to comprehend what is happening.
No spoilers, but there is a moment about three quarters of the way through that jolted me as much as any session of Faradisation therapy, and reminded me just how great an author David Hambling is.
This is a fantastically good series.
June 3, 2018
The best in the series yet!
May 9, 2024
Stubbsy returns in his greatest adventure yet, and every page had me rapt. This adventure has Harry working in an asylum undercover as an attendant and slowly but surely, he uncovers facts that quickly lead to the fact that someone or something in the facility is driving the insanity. I'll not go further into the story proper, as in typical Hambling fashion he's gone to great lengths to link his logical path through this madness and its cause while keeping you guessing as he pays out the clues.
This was the best Stubbs adventure yet. Loved his take on the Lovecraftian insanity trope that's rife in Mythos tales and how the antagonist goes about driving it and reinforcing it. Old favorites like Sally, librarian Hoade, and Arthur his former employer are welcome visitors during the narrative. Given the small stage of the asylum for most of the story, there's less action than a typical Stubbs tale, but despite that, this is a tighter, tenser book for it. The ending as with all of these in this series is an exceptional payoff on the insightful, logical buildup the reader has been taken on.
Best of the series, and I can't wait for the next.
This was the best Stubbs adventure yet. Loved his take on the Lovecraftian insanity trope that's rife in Mythos tales and how the antagonist goes about driving it and reinforcing it. Old favorites like Sally, librarian Hoade, and Arthur his former employer are welcome visitors during the narrative. Given the small stage of the asylum for most of the story, there's less action than a typical Stubbs tale, but despite that, this is a tighter, tenser book for it. The ending as with all of these in this series is an exceptional payoff on the insightful, logical buildup the reader has been taken on.
Best of the series, and I can't wait for the next.
July 16, 2018
This is already the fourth book in this series. I have not read them all, I read one of the previous ones, and I liked it fine. Combination of detective mystery and supernatural and horror elements has its positives, for sure, especially when the author can balance that well. This is certainly the case here, too. Character of Harry Stubbs is excellent, just what a novel of this sorts needs. He is well rounded, interesting and memorable, but the plot is not far behind. Like I said, it has supernatural elements and there is some horror too, not to gory or scary, but unsettling enough. I have seen many of the reviewers mention influence of Lovecraft. I can’t testify to that because I am not familiar with his work outside of popular culture.
Anyway, this is a gripping and exciting novel, hard to put down and easy to get lost into. Very, very good.
Anyway, this is a gripping and exciting novel, hard to put down and easy to get lost into. Very, very good.
March 3, 2026
I see this was written in 2018 ( with the exception of a 2023 sequel ) So I guess this series is finished. I'm actually a bit sad about that . This was my favorite kind of escapism . Maybe no literary masterpiece, but a series of well written and interconnected adventure stories with historical accurate worldbuilding . The writer seems well versed in the fringe occultism, science and pseudo science of that period.
The main characters were easy to sympathize with , and some subtle humor kept it entertaining. In this novel it all came to an chaotic action packed final battle. It was all a bit over the top , but I liked the author's attempt to link the metaphysical to mental illness, with the narrator (and thus the reader) questioning the trustworthiness of the storyline .
The main characters were easy to sympathize with , and some subtle humor kept it entertaining. In this novel it all came to an chaotic action packed final battle. It was all a bit over the top , but I liked the author's attempt to link the metaphysical to mental illness, with the narrator (and thus the reader) questioning the trustworthiness of the storyline .
January 15, 2025
London 1925: Ex-boxer Harry Stubbs goes undercover, working in a mental institution to investigate an epidemic of madness. Bizarre deaths occur at the asylum, seemingly linked to an occult power. As he starts to unravel the mystery, Harry's grip on his own sanity becomes increasingly precarious.
Who is behind the killings? What are the strange new treatments doing to the patients? Why can Harry not get any reply from his handlers? To get answers, Harry must to venture into the borderland between magic and science, sanity and madness, and face the Master of Chaos...
A thrilling 1920s adventure drawing on HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.
May 6, 2018
An adventure into madness and insanity
Harry Stubbs is back for his forth adventure, which this time finds him working undercover in an Asylum, hunting for someone or something that has been driving locals insane.
Along the way he must deal with mysterious inmates, insidious staff and ancient Egyptian mysteries, calling him to question his own sanity.
As with the rest of the series, Hambling’s period detail and language is excellent, the writing atmospheric and engaging, drawing you along until the very end.
In my opinion, the best of the series so far. Highly recommended.
Harry Stubbs is back for his forth adventure, which this time finds him working undercover in an Asylum, hunting for someone or something that has been driving locals insane.
Along the way he must deal with mysterious inmates, insidious staff and ancient Egyptian mysteries, calling him to question his own sanity.
As with the rest of the series, Hambling’s period detail and language is excellent, the writing atmospheric and engaging, drawing you along until the very end.
In my opinion, the best of the series so far. Highly recommended.
July 13, 2018
Adventure and Mystery!
A great storyline with hint of magic, science, adventure and mystery. The main character Harry is on the journey to find the mystery behind the deaths in asylum and without knowing what he may find, he enters into an adventure land and crosses path with his own sanity. The book is easy to follow, voice is great and overall a great book even as standalone read in the series.
A great storyline with hint of magic, science, adventure and mystery. The main character Harry is on the journey to find the mystery behind the deaths in asylum and without knowing what he may find, he enters into an adventure land and crosses path with his own sanity. The book is easy to follow, voice is great and overall a great book even as standalone read in the series.
August 4, 2019
Good adventure in the dark side!
Harry Stubbs has become a staple for my esoteric adventure reading. The story has twists and turns enough to keep the most jaded reader involved!
D. Hambling has become a favorite writer and I look for more adventures with Harry and his crew.
Harry Stubbs has become a staple for my esoteric adventure reading. The story has twists and turns enough to keep the most jaded reader involved!
D. Hambling has become a favorite writer and I look for more adventures with Harry and his crew.
July 5, 2018
Solid fourth book finds the tenacious Harry working for a new group, one he does not like all that much. And the job he has taken at a local asylum could be his last. But Harry has allies, heart, and most importantly, luck. I really look forward to book five, I hope it comes out soon. Check it out.
May 5, 2018
Another fun romp
A great slow build until the horrors. The author has a real understanding of cosmic horror. The vast depths of time and space.
A great slow build until the horrors. The author has a real understanding of cosmic horror. The vast depths of time and space.
January 27, 2024
I enjoyed this - have enjoyed the whole series - but I feel that this time around the verbiage overtook the plot.
May 11, 2018
This book is the best of the series so far. I am a huge fan of the David Hambling's Harry Stubbs Adventure series and I cannot wait to see what Harry gets himself mixed up in next.
If you want to listen to my full review you can find the podcast at: www.writersbeard.com/podcast
If you want to listen to my full review you can find the podcast at: www.writersbeard.com/podcast
December 21, 2021
Another fantastic story of Harry Stubbs as he investigates a strange film along with some mysterious occurances in an asylum. Harry Stubbs has become one of my favorite characters over the last 4 books and some odd short stories, hopefully this isnt the last we see of the Norwood Titan!
June 23, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this literary piece and had the pleasure of working on it with Crossroads Press. A must read!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews