The Deep Gate

Arkham Horror #9.6

by Chris A. Jackson, Shane Pierce (Illustrator)

What secrets have been drowned in devil reef?

Silas Marsh has always felt called to the sea. As a young lad, he left his family in fear-shadowed Innsmouth and made a name for himself sailing the seven seas. But after the death of his parents, the sea’s call has only grown stronger. Silas has dreams—nightmares—of pointed teeth grinning, webbed hands reaching, and eyes glowing in the darkness of the ocean deeps. No one in his family is able to offer an explanation for his dreams, or at least, no one is willing.

So when desperate librarian Abigail Foreman comes to Silas with questions of her own, he cannot turn her away. Her ancient and mysterious tome, the Prophesiae Profana, points to a stellar event foretelling the end of the world, and painted in its margins are the very same creatures that haunt Silas’s nightmares…

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Cthulhu Mythos, Mystery, Speculative Fiction, Gaming, Fiction

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2018

About the author

From the sea to the stars, Chris A. Jackson’s stories take you to the far reaches of the imagination. Raised on the back deck of a fishing boat and trained as a marine biologist, he became sidetracked by a career in biomedical research, but regained his heart and soul in 2009 when he and his wife Anne left the dock aboard the 45-foot sailboat Mr Mac to cruise the Caribbean and write fulltime.
With his nautical background, writing sea stories seemed inevitable for Chris. His acclaimed Scimitar Seas nautical fantasies won three consecutive Gold Medals in the ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards. His Pathfinders Tales from Paizo Publishing combine high-seas combat and romance set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Not to be outdone, Privateer Press released Blood & Iron, a swashbuckling novella set in the Iron Kingdoms.
Chris’ repertoire also includes the award-winning and Kindle best-selling Weapon of Flesh Series, the contemporary urban fantasy Dragon Dreams, as well as additional fantasy novels, the humorous sci fi Cheese Runners trilogy of novellas, and numerous short stories.
To learn more, please visit jaxbooks.com.

Reviews

[Nick Vallina (MisterGhostReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella in the Arkham Horror line follows sailor Silas Marsh (and one of my favorite playable characters in the board games. He and Ashcan Pete are great for maneuverability!) unraveling some familial secrets with the aid of Abigail Foreman, a librarian in Arkham. Abigail, through happenstance, shows Silas a changing prophecy in an ancient tome and the two of them must stop an unknown horror from ending the world.

I can't be trusted to rate these books fairly. I love them all so much because I love the Arkham Horror universe so much. They're fun and very thematic. I will read every single one of these novels and do so happily.

[Dale Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sea had always been in Silas Marsh's blood. It called to him unlike anything else in his life. But now, that unconscious longing had become real. The reality of which can only be part of the horror that librarian Abigail Foreman has thrust into his life. A horror that could be the end of everything holy enacted by that self same reality. And, while family can be part of home, it can also be its death.

The DEEP GATE is part of the ARKHAM HORROR card game that Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) continues to produce. Based on all things Lovecraftian (is that a word?...LOL) FFG has produced a series of novellas and short stories that act in support of the game itself. The books contain background information and touches on the issues that drive those characters that FFG have created as part of the game. Each of these novellas contain several expansion cards that can be used with the basic game.

This story was crafted by Chris A Jackson who has written many RPG gaming tie-in novels for such companies as Paizo Publications' Pathfinder Tales, Catalyst Games Labs' Shadowrun anthologies, and Privateer Press's Iron Kingdom as well as creating worlds of his own in such genres as nautical, high, and contemporary fantasy.

Jackson hits all the Lovecraft tropes on the nose with this journey into the waters of fear shadowed Innsmouth giving readers more scary and hair-raising journeys into the dark.

[Michael Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual, insert the standard disclaimers on this: these books are licensed IP from the Lovecraftian mythos that Fantasy Flight Games has taken some possession of in recent years. This particular short story covers a native of Innsmouth who is forced to return to his hometown to thwart an otherwordly threat in the form of a gate opening to R'lyeh, one of the reputed homes of Cthulu.

As with any of the other texts in this series, you will know if you are in the market for them or not. They flesh out characters that players are allowed to use in the Arkham Horror games series, and allow you to delve a bit more into their backstory.

As this series goes, I think this was a pretty sound entry. The tales carries well enough, and has a decent sense of menace at several points to keep the plot moving along.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've sure enjoyed these Arkham Horror Novellas. They've been a real treat to see a character from the game get the spotlight for a little bit. While i have really enjoyed the previous full-length novels that FFG has published, several of the cast of characters become background types. In fact, Silas Marsh himself played a supporting role in Graham McNeill's trilogy, with an ending that left a lot to the imagination. It was great to see Silas be the focus of the book, and see him deal with his inner turmoil over his family history.

I hope FFG publishes more of these!

Overall, i'd place The Deep Gate, squarely alongside Hour of the Huntress, slightly ahead of To Fight the Black Wind, and a bit behind both Dirge of Reason and Ire of the Void (the last being my personal favorite).

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best of the four tales I've read attached to the collection Dark Origins published by Aconyte.

Here we've got Silas Marsh & Abigail (she is not an investigator but a asset on eldrich horror OR in LCG she is a companion or something like that). So, Abigail which is a librarian discovers something strange on a book that has some numbers that keep changing. To discover what they mean she needs the help of a sailor - thus enter Silas Marsh that begrudgingly(reluctance) help her. He is running away from innsmouth (his family place) and don't want to return to devil reef - unfortunately that's where they are going. Something will happen there in a couple of days and they must thwart it. There a couple of obstacles (humans and not) and we've got some interesting action scenes.

First of all I enjoy both Abigail and Silas and even more their connection... Even if they are two different people they really connect and it was funny to watch their interactions and their respect grow between them....

Overall it's a very fast pace story and easily my favourite so far from this collection of novellas.

[Perax · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Scott Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the best of the Arkham Horror novellas, the best of the characters certainly. hope more are produced as the game progresses!

[Tom Sladek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice but unremarkable background story for Silas Marsh. If you don't play the Arkham Horror LCG or aren't starved for Mythos content, there's no reason to read this.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Deep Gate," by Chris A. Jackson, is one of the better Arkham Horror novellas that I have read of the five that have been published. Most people buy these books for the free Arkham Horror LCG (living card game) cards inside of them. I don't know how many actually read the books.

For those not in the know, "Arkham Horror" is a gaming universe set in the 1920s and based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft--mainly his "Cthulhu Mythos." I'll wait here if you need to look that up. These "Arkham Horror" novellas are a way to introduce us (and for a veteran like me, re-introduce us) to the intrepid Investigators we have been playing with/as (in some cases) for over a decade. These Investigators, who have an understanding of otherworldly monsters trying to claw their way (back) into our reality, are our only line of defense between life as we know it and the howling hordes of chaos.

The Investigator who is the main protagonist of this tale is Silas Marsh. Lovecraft fans will know that last name as belonging to the wicked family which runs the terrible town of Innsmouth. Why is Innsmouth terrible? The locals have been interbreeding with Deep Ones (aquatic fish monsters) for decades. Meaning most of the people of Innsmouth have "the Innsmouth look." They resemble the fish monsters they will eventually become.

Unlike his family, Silas is a sailor who does his best to stay away from Innsmouth. But in classic doomed Lovecraftian hero fashion, Silas feels "the call" from his undersea "family." You see, people don't die too often in Innsmouth, they just "retire" to the deep and embrace their genetic heritage.

Librarian Abigail Foreman--of the Miskatonic University Library (of course)--needs a sailor to help her with some astronomy calculations. Sailors are used to navigating by the stars. And Abigail has found evidence of a coming cataclysm in one of the library's ancient "restricted" volumes. The time and date and location are in that unhallowed text. Prophecies are rampant in the world of Lovecraft. What sets that one apart is that the text of the books keeps...changing.

Once Abigail and Silas become a team, all roads lead to Devil Reef--off the coast of Innsmouth. Silas has to go home again, and he is not received happily. That leads to Silas in his dive suit (the kind with the old-timey "diving bell" helmet--like a Big Daddy in Bioshock) going down into the deep. Some unsavory creatures, including one very large one, have moved into the hull of a sunken freighter. And they're looking to open an undersea gate to somewhere terrifying.

So the fate of the human race and the planet are in the hands of a sailor and a librarian (and Silas's rickety old boat). And the closer he gets to Devil Reef, the more Silas hears "the call" from his undersea family.

"The Deep Gate" is a good adventure tale, in the Lovecraftian style. The author knows his stuff about boats, that's for sure.

My main quibble with the story was that the entity that the Deep Ones are trying to bring through the Deep Gate is one supposed to be fast asleep and/or dead(ish) in the deep ocean far from Innsmouth. And Silas could verify (you know, if he was real) that what he saw was an Ancient One that was all too awake and ready to come and play. So that threw me a little. It wasn't bad writing, it just didn't line up with the lore.

If you're a fan of the "Arkham Horror Universe" of board and card games, these books are a fun way to get to know the intrepid Investigators you may be playing as or with.

[Thomas Needham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good short story for fans of Fantasy Flight's Arkham Gaming Universe (is the AGU a thing?)

This is the fourth of the five books I've read and it's definitely one of the better ones. The story is pretty linear without many twists, turns or surprises, but the pace, progress, characters and story are exactly what I was looking for out of this sort of read. It's a small, fleeting glimpse into the bigger Arkham universe and helps enrich the gaming experience for me since Silas has always been one of the lesser explored characters. It's nice to see a bit of his story play out.

My only complaint about the set of books as a whole is I wish there was more connection between them. Not necessarily a continuing story, but some sort of interaction or crossing timelines and a few pages dedicated to developing a bigger overall story arc that exists outside the books.

Anyway, as with the other books, recommended for those who play the Arkham Horror LCG, particularly the printed version with the promo cards, but even the digital version will keep things ticking over between gaming sessions so you're never too far from Arkham.

[James Mastromarino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing in Lovecraft’s shadow, and under the dictates of a game publisher, seems a Herculean task, and Jackson doesn’t quite rise to the challenge here. He trades Lovecraft’s spellbinding atmosphere for highly technical action, and while the story literally ends with a bang, it feels more like a whimper.

I will give it this, though—I can tell Jackson really did his research on nautical life, and the novella does FEEL like an Arkham game: odd-couple investigators using their wits, fists, and firearms to stave off insanity and save the world. But while that can be exciting to play, it doesn’t necessarily make for good books—especially when the characters are as flat and thin as the cards they’re based on.

[Josh Simons · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Deep Gate reads more like an adventure story than a horror story. With very little atmospheric dread, I had every anticipation that it would conclude with a happy ending. I never had the sense they were in any actual peril, and that it may not turn out for them. Silas and Abigail are both one dimensional, with very little conflict in them to make them interesting or give them much depth. As an adventure, the story is fine, and it does fill out Silas as a character if you’re playing him in the game, but I can’t see keeping this book for a second read through. It’s not selling me on the rest of the series.

[Leandro Couto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cool pulp fiction in this series. It builds up and in the last 1/3 it goes full throttle. If you like nautical stuff, the author is really knowledgeable! It follows the pattern of the series: set in Arkham or its surroundings, it introduces the investigator to the mythos and sets up a hook for future investigations. Not groundbreaking or unforgettable, but enjoyable.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Arkham Horror series of short stories and novels are really enjoyable. The characters are solid and tend to survive for perhaps a second adventure, they sort of read like Call of Cthulhu RPG adventure sessions. Fun and action packed. This story is a cool tale of resisting the call of the Deep. Check it out.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5

Novella set in the world of Arkham Horror card/board games.
This one as indicated by the title is centred in Innsmouth, the Deep Ones and Devils Reef.
It was a better story than I was expecting tbh. It was a quick pulpy read that did exactly what you would expect.

Definitely worth a read I think for fans of the HPL mythos and the games.

[Jake Wilhite · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALMOST too technical with all of the boat scenes. Those were the only times the story slowed for me. Using the buoys to guide the boat to a channel for more than 3 pages kinda dragged. Otherwise, Marsh’s, Deep Ones, portals, Innsmouth, mystery, ancient tome, end of the world prophecy. This story checks all my favorite Lovecraft boxes.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

100% worth it just for the astronomy paper in the appendix which tries to explain a Cthonian astronomical phenomenon in scientific terms. In general the story itself was fine; mostly predictable fluff.

[Charles Lupo · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far this is my favorite of the Arkham Horror novella series. It had a nice little mystery, and a decent ending. Also the action was paced well. It was filled with quite a bit of boat jargon, but it did not detract from the story overall.

[The Smoog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most eventful story I’ve ever read, but keeps along at a decent pace and is pretty gripping. My favourite thing about The Deep Gate is that it definitely has the feel of an Arkham Horror story, something which is harder to do than might be expected.

[Maris Krivtezs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best novella in the Arkham Horror series. It is very atmospheric. Liked the flow of the story. There were not that many descriptions of Lovecraftian horrors as in other books, but it was not needed.

[Dev S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really immersive short story. Not the most game like of the series, it perhaps does the best job of character development and pacing.

[Raz O'Xane · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's better than Hour of the Huntress for sure but not very good either.

[Matt Peterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine/ok.

[Ints · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reizēm galda spēļu izdevējiem nākas pielietot īpašas mārketinga viltības, lai nopārdotu spēļu kārti pa padsmit eiro. Pat vis rūdītākajam galda spēļu cienītājam ir vajadzīgs attaisnojums tādiem tēriņiem, jo šis jau līdzinās Magic the Gathering kāršu cenām. Fantasy Flight Games šo cenu risina ar stāstu, tu jau pērc stāstu, kurai līdzi nāk tā viena kārts. Protams, ka man pašam ir grūti saprast, kādēļ es šo grāmatu nopirku tās kārts vai stāsta dēļ.

Sailasu Māršu (Silas Marsh) vienmēr ir vilinājusi jūra. No savas dzimtās vietas Innsmouth viņš aizlaidās jau mazs būdams. Apceļojis visas pasaules jūras, viņš nolēma nodarboties pats ar savu biznesu, un nu kā maza kuģīša īpašnieks pārvadā kravas starp Arkhamu un Kingsportu. Taču pēc vecāku zaudēšanas jūras vilinājums ir pieņēmies spēkā. Naktīs viņam rādās murgi, kuri piepildīti ar asiem zobiem, pleznainām rokām, spīdošām acīm, kas raugās no okeāna dzelmes. Neviens no atlikušās ģimenes nevēlas viņam izskaidrot šos sapņus. Nu vismaz tā bija līdz brīdim, kamēr viņa dzīvē neparādījās bibliotekāre ar dīvainu manuskriptu Prophesiae Profana, kas paredz pasaules galu un tikai Silas Māršs var viņu novērst.

Nezinu, kādi ir autora citi darbi, bet šo nu es nesauktu par spožu. Tiem, kam jau ir zināma Arkham Horror pasaule, šis darbs neko jaunu nepavēstīs. Galvenais varonis ir diezgan vienkāršs, bez nekādas personības, kura galvenās īpašības ir – jūrnieka prasmes, šaubīga izcelsme, staigāšana bez krekla un spēja izkalkulēt koordinātas. Papildus viņam tiek dota iespēja iesaistīties dialogos ar bibliotekāri un baidīties no saviem murgiem (lasi – iespējamās nākotnes). Dialogi nav diez ko asprātīgi un fināls ir puslīdz paredzams, izlasot pusi no grāmatas.

Lielais noslēpums un kataklizma pēc savas būtības ir globāls notikums, taču pret to gan zemes iedzīvotāji, gan senās rases izturas ar apbrīnojamu vienaldzību. Labi, grāmatu ar mainīgām koordinātēm var uzskatīt par traku murgu, bet zivjcilvēki, kuri gaida savu lielo uznācienu, taču varēja pakustināt savas spuras, lai virzītu uz prieku lielo lietu. Iespējams, ka viņi 100% paļaujas uz pareģojuma piepildīšanos un tādēļ nemaz neiespringst par Mārša jaunskunga rosīšanos, aprobežojoties vien ar sīku kaitniecību.

Tagad nedaudz apoloģijas autoram. Rakstīšana jau izveidotā franšīzē noteikti uzliek papildus slogu, autors nevar izvērsties, jo varoņi jau radīti pirms desmit gadiem, pa teikumam vien ir izveidota viņu biogrāfijas, pasaule ir veidota no tādām pašām drumstalām, kuras jāsavieno spēlētājam lasītājam. Tā neizbēgami, katrs rada pats savu pasauli un jebkas cits šķitīs pamatīga ģeķība. Arī uzrakstītais stāsts nepalika pašam autoram un aizies kompānijai, tādēļ nav jēgas iespringt un izlikt labāko, domāju, ka šis ir gadījums, kad autora atlīdzība (šis gan ir pieņēmums) ir samērojama ar kvalitāti. Grāmatas pozitīvākā lieta ir tās plānums, lieku 4 no 10 ballēm. Ja nesi dziļi iepēries Arkham Horror spēļu franšīzē, tad nav vērts tērēt laiku.