Cthulhu: Land of the Long White Cloud

by Steve Proposch (Editor), Christopher Sequiera (Editor), Bryce Stevens (Editor)

New Zealand—Aotearoa—Land of the Long White the island remnants of the sunken continent of Zealandia. With its boiling geysers, active volcanoes, earthquakes, deep water fjords and lush forests of fern, these are realms once home to forgotten creatures like the giant Moa bird Dinornis. But there is something else… In this collection we find an Aotearoa with the proud history, myths, and legends of the Maori, and the impacts of the white settler's later presence, and the blended society that encompasses both, but we see the shadow of other things. Herein lies the cosmic horror of the Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos in an anthology featuring Lovecraftian tales from some of New Zealand’s finest speculative fiction writers. Stay brave. Because here there be monsters.

Genres: Horror

206 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2018

Reviews

[Trudie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3

Well, that was nothing if not interesting.
A big spoiler ahead for at least half these stories - surprise ! the Octopus did it ...

As with all story collections, this was a mixed bag. I liked some of them very much, mainly for the settings than for the story itself ( horror and weird speculative fiction is not really my thing ). It was welcome to read a story set in the Chatham Islands and featuring the Moriori tree carvings ( The Silence at the Edge of the Sea ) and the story set in the Solomons was also all mood ( Kõpura Rising ). Reading this collection over a couple of sittings, it does start to feel very samey - sea monsters, lost diaries, and perplexing endings.
It could be that this homage to H.P Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos is wasted on me, a reader, that has not read any Lovecraft.
Still, I am not averse to reading more of this "light horror" but I think I need it in the form of a novel rather than short stories. Also is it possible to give some motivation to these evil Octopodes?

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Te Ika by J. C. Hart: It didn’t blow me away but I enjoyed this story, thought it was quite scary and quite Other.
Ortensia and Osvaldo by Lucy Sussex: I was less enamoured of this one.
The Silence at the Edge of the Sea: This one started one way and ended in entirely another (in a good way).
The Caverns of the Unnamed One: This one was okay, interesting military slant but it didn't quite capture my imagination.
Kõpura Rising: This one is full of espionage and intrigue and military secrets.
The Ward of Tindalos: Heartbreaking and mournful.
A Brighter Future: Super, super unsettling. Genuinely scared me.
The Shadow Over Tarehu Cove: Another really unsettling one, slightly less but also slightly more.
Memories to Ashes: Carrying on the unsettling series.
Masquerades: This one was a bit too weird for me, and I hadn't quite clicked with it by the time it ended.
Edward's Journal: Reminded me of Annihilation.

[Unto Koskinen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this anthology of Lovecraftian horror shorts very enjoyable, the average quality of the stories being more even than some other collections (looking at you, Future Lovecraft!). If you're interested in weird horror, I would recommend you check it out.

[Pete Aldin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Rabarts And Lee Murray have standout stories in a quality collection here.