سایه‌های کطولحو

by Paula Guran (Editor), سیما تقوی (Translator)

مجموعه داستان‌های کوتاه و هراس‌انگیز، الهام گرفته شده از داستان‌های اچ. پی. لاوکرفت
این کتاب، مجموعه‌ای از داستان‌های کوتاه نویسندگان بسیار شناخته شده و برخی نویسندگان تازه‌کاری است که برخی نیز، جوایز بسیاری در دنیای ادبیات از آن خود کرده‌اند. داستان‌هایی منحصر به فرد و به روز شده از کابوس‌هایی قدیمی، جهانی تازه از ایزدانی باستانی که از اعماق شهر مدفون، رلیه که خوابگاه بزرگ اقیانوس‌ها و دریاها، کطولحوست شروع می‌شود و تا بلندترین قله‌های کوهستان جنون و مکان‌هایی جدید، که به جغرافیای دنیال لاوکرفت افزوده شده‌اند، ادامه دارد.

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

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2016

About the author

Paula Guran is senior editor for Prime Books. She edited the Juno fantasy imprint from its small press inception through its incarnation as an imprint of Pocket Books. She is also senior editor of Prime's soon-to-launch digital imprint Masque Books. Guran edits the annual Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror series as well as a growing number of other anthologies. In an earlier life she produced weekly email newsletter DarkEcho (winning two Stokers, an IHG award, and a World Fantasy Award nomination), edited Horror Garage (earning another IHG and a second World Fantasy nomination), and has contributed reviews, interviews, and articles to numerous professional publications.

Reviews

[Rebecca Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Syllables of Elder Seas by Lisa L Hannett 3⭐

The Peddler's Tale, or, Isobel's Revenge by Caitlín R Kiernan 4.5⭐

It's All the Same Road in the End by Brian Hodge 5⭐

Caro in Cairo by Helen Marshall 4.5⭐

The Cthulhu Navy Wife by Sandra McDonald 2.5⭐

Those Who Watch by Ruthanna Emrys 3⭐

A Clutch by Laird Barron 5⭐"

Just Beyond the Trailer Park by John Shirley 5⭐

The Sea Inside by Amanda Downum 3⭐

Outside the House, Watching for the Crows by John Langan 5⭐

Alexandra Lost by Simon Strantzas 4.5⭐

Falcon-and-Sparrows by Yoon Ha Lee 3⭐

A Shadow of Thine Own Design by W. H. Pugmire 5⭐

Backbite by Norman Partridge 4.5⭐"

In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro by Usman T. Malik 4.5⭐

Legacy of Salt by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 4.5⭐

I Do Not Count the Hours by Michael Wehunt 3⭐

An Open Letter to Mister Edgar Allan Poe by Michael Shea 3⭐

I Dress My Lover in Yellow by A.C. Wise 4⭐

Deep Eden by Richard Gavin 4⭐

The Future Eats Everything by Don Webb 4⭐

I Believe That We Will Win by Nadia Mullin 2.5⭐

In the Sacred Cave by Lois H. Gresh 4⭐

Umbilicus by Damien Angelica Walters 4⭐

Variations on Lovecraftian Themes by Veronica Schanoes 4⭐


Average = 3.96⭐

[B. Barron · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In Syllables of Elder Seas” by Lisa L. Hannett - ***

“The Peddler’s Tale, or, Isobel’s Revenge” by Caitlín R. Kiernan - ****

“It’s All the Same Road in the End” by Brian Hodge - ****1/2

“Caro in Carno” by Helen Marshall - ***

“The Cthulhu Navy Wife” by Sandra McDonald - **1/2 (Meh!)

“Those Who Watch” by Ruthanna Emrys - ****

“A Clutch” by Laird Barron - ****½

“Just Beyond the Trailer Park” by John Shirley - ***

“The Sea Inside” by Amanda Downum - ***

“Outside the House, Watching for the Crows” by John Langan - ***

“Alexandra Lost” by Simon Strantzas - ***

“Falcon-and-Sparrows” by Yoon Ha Lee - **

“A Shadow of Thine Own Design” by W. H. Pugmire - ***

“Backbite” by Norman Partridge - ****

“In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro” by Usman T. Malik - ***

“Legacy of Salt” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - ****

“I Do Not Count the Hours” by Michael Wehunt - ****

“An Open Letter to Mister Edgar Allan Poe, from a Fervent Admirer” by Michael Shea - **

“I Dress My Lover in Yellow” by A. C. Wise - ****

“Deep Eden” by Richard Gavin - ***

“The Future Eats Everything” by Don Webb - ****

“I Believe That We Will Win” by Nadia Bulkin - ****

“In the Sacred Cave” by Lois H. Gresh - ***

“Umbilicus” by Damien Angelica Walters - ***

“Variations on Lovecraftian Themes” by Veronica Schanoes - ****

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short story collection, set from a variety of perspectives and types. There were a few five stars for me in here (especially I Believe That We Will Win--fantastic short story, my favorite out of all of them, should be a book). And as one author (Veronica Schanoes) puts it: " The true threat is never external - it's not the dreadful non-Aryan immigrants flooding into the Unites States; it's not the inhuman alien beings, worshiped as gods, who would barely notice humanity as they crushed it. The true threat always comes from the inside, the self rising up beyond all reason, beyond even survival. In the end, the most monstrous growth is always already one's own.

The above perfectly encapsulates (well minus the awareness of the racism that permeated Lovecraft's world view) what all good horror does or should do. The zombies are never really the frightening part of that genre--it's always the crazy people taking advantage of the situation. Or with vampires--the traitorous person is the one who eases the way, and gets the coffin, sets up the lair, and arranges fresh victims. Monsters are going to monster--it's inherently their nature. But humans in fiction (and well, real life too) make the choice to become monsters. Thus it becomes personal in a way that is perfectly suited to the indifferent nature of Cthulhu and the Elder Gods. Really Cthulhu has nothing to prove.

[Mike Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with any anthology, some entries will be more to taste than others, but I found this volume to be particularly uneven. Standouts, though, include ‘It’s All the Same Road,’ ‘I Do Not Count the Hours,’ ‘Deep Eden,’ and the essential final selection, an essay entitled ‘Variations on Lovecraftian Themes,’ which examines frankly Lovecraft’s abhorrent racism and anti-Semitism. The author does well to remind us (and the editor by including the piece) that while we may enjoy the strange fictions that he wrote and inspired, we should not lionize Lovecraft himself, who was a Nazi sympathizer and all-around rotten bastard.

[James Hold · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a load of rubbish which deserves a 'zero' star rating. To begin with the title 'The Mammoth Book of Cthulhu' is a cheat. The editor, Paula Guran, admits this in her introduction: 'This anthology has little to do specifically with Cthulhu ... but ... one does what one can to sell books!' So basically she's saying, 'Sucker!' The stories are a mixed lot, none of them very good and only a handful of them interesting. The editor calls them 'New Lovecraftian' fiction. Which I take to mean 'having as little to do with Lovecraft style or subject matter as possible'. I imagine that's because she does little to disguise her dislike of HPL, tearing him a new one throughout her introduction. It reminded me of L Sprague DeCamp's bio of HPL. Hey, if you don't like the guy then do something else. And if the stories collected are meant to sound nothing like him then why attach his name to it? Oh, right, because 'one does what one can to sell books'. What I find especially difficult is that Guran introduces each author with glowing praise for all the awards they've won and the countless books and short stories they've published. The deal is however I've only heard of one of the authors collected here. Anyhow I say avoid this book and anything else you may see by Paula Guran as she is obviously dishonest and deceitful, and if you see anyone reading anything by her then walk away because that person clearly has no taste for literature.

[Ints · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tipisks stāstu krājums pāris stāstu ļoti labi, lielākā daļa vidēji un daži iemesti vienkārši tāpat apjomam.

[Milad Ghezellu · Rating 3 out of 5]

مجموعه داستان های کوتاه بر اساس دنیای لاوکرفت. مجموعه دوم سری کطولحو نشر پیدایش. برای خوندن این مجموعه بهتره که اول «احضار کطولحو» رو بخونید که مجموعه داستان های کوتاه نوشته خود لاوکرفته، بعد «سایه‌های کطولحو» و «دختران کطولحو» رو بخونید.
این مجموعه از ۹ داستان کوتاه تشکیل شده، داستان های کوتاهی که هر کدوم از یه دیدگاه متفاوت روایت می شه و هر کدوم یه بعد و جنبه ای دنیای لاوکرفت رو به نمایش می ذاره.
موقعی که شروع کردم داستان اولو بخونم، چند صفحه ای که خوندم چیزی از دنیای لاوکرفت رو توی داستان پیدا نکردم، تا اینکه اسم یکی از هیولاهای لاوکرفت توی داستان اومد. و داستان های بعدی هر کدوم لاوکرفتی تر شد.
ترجمه فارسی کتاب خیلی خوب در اومده و مترجم تونسته لحن هر داستان رو به طور مشخص به فارسی برگردونه و همین طور دیالوگ ها رو.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aside from the cover there's very little Lovecraft in this collection of short stories. Even the editor intro goes to some lengths to inform the reader that the use of the word 'Lovecraft' on the cover is a means to attract unsuspecting readers to purchase a copy of the book, because, hey, 'we all need to earn a living right'? Not a great way to kicks things off.

As for the stories themselves, it's a hodgepodge collection of random stories seemingly inspired by the Cthulhu mythos but not really. There are some good ones so not all is lost. Personally I'd recommend checking out the following:

In Syllables of Elder Seas by Lisa L. Hannett
A Clutch by Laird Barron
Just Beyond The Trailer Park by John Shirley
Backbite by Norman Partridge
In The Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro by Usman T. Malik (by far the best story in the collection)
Umblilicus by Damien Angelica Walters

With only a handful of the 25 stories collected here worth reading, I'd probably give this a miss.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a great selection of stories, several particularly interesting. I'd read a couple of them in other collections or online, so this was a slightly quicker read than it otherwise would have been. Enjoyable for Lovecraftian enthusiasts in particular.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a great fan of Lovecraft or the Cthulhu mythos, I always found his stories reeked of unpleasant fears of miscegenation which is just a more ambiguous way of saying racism. I enjoy, or enjoyed, reading horror anthologies in the past but invariably found those based around 'Lovercraft' themes or homages mediocre. I haven't shelved this as disappointing because I can't remember enough about it, but I know I wasn't impressed.

[Bogdan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why it was such an amazing and fulfilling read!?!

Because almost all of the stories were original to this Anthology.

Because I liked a lot of them and even for those that I didn`t enjoy as much I could see the point of them been here.

Because of Laird Barron. [Usually it has some long and intricate stories and here isn`t so far from his style, but in a few pages it`s imagining a brand new dark fantasy world that let me wanting for more.]

Because of John Lanagan that usually doesn`t impress me, oh well, this time has made his best and I was really on the edge with his peculiar story. Good, good, job!

Because all of the other writers that I enjoyed and have used a lot of inteligent influences, Mexican ones, Peruvian, Inca, etc. Amazing stuff! So diverse, so full of life, creepiness and imagination.

Truly Paula Guran remains my favourite editor by far!

The cream of creams for me were:

A Clutch Laird Barron - like I said he imagines a newly fantasy world grimm and trully dark with a twist ending

Just Beyond the Trailer Park - John Shirley - Strange experiments are conducted by a newly neighbour in Providence

The Sea Inside - Amanda Downum - Short but with a fantastic ending, if I got it wright :)

Outside the House, Watching for the Crows - John Langan - With the help of music some people can glimse images from a dark and mysterios city.

Legacy of Salt - Silvia Moreno-Garcia - This is the story with the action situated in the Yucatan Peninsula, in Mexic. Very well thinked!

The Future Eats Everything - Don Webb - Some future cockroaches have come to haunt (and eat) the sinners of uor days. The ending was quite something!

In the Sacred Cave - The story with the Inca inspiration. Original, mysterious and entertaining!

Umbilicus - Cthulhu isn`t the only old deity anymore.

Like I said before, these peculiar stories are my highlights here and you have to consider that the other ones, too, have good things in them, very good ideeas, that could appeal to a wide range of readers out there.

[Chris Eells · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book free for an unbiased review.

So, I think that I have mentioned before that horror really isn't my thing. Having said that, I have seen numerous recent releases and many authors referencing the Cthulhu mythos and Lovecraft's amazing talent, and was interested in seeing what it was all about. Now that I'm done, I'm pretty much as confused as I was before. I was looking for some sort of over arching theme in these stories... but with these novice eyes... I was not able to discern any.

I found several stories to be quiet good... The Peddler's Tale, It's all the same road in the End, Those who watch, The Clutch, In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro. But found most to be middling stories at best... and the tribute to Poe... barely readable. The best of them created a mood, an atmosphere, that almost enveloped you as you read and connected you to the protagonists. You ached to learn more as they did... but were aware enough to be fearful.

If you are a Cthulhu fan, maybe you will enjoy the book. For myself, I will trade it in at my bookstore and get some credit for a novel I will truly enjoy.

[Elliot Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good collection. I had to skip some stories because they didn't hold my interest or the titles/intros promised things that aren't for me, but that's the great thing about a big anthology like this -- different things for different readers.

Favorite stories:

It's All the Same Road in the End by Brian Hodge

Caro in Carno by Helen Marshall

I Believe That We Will Win by Nadia Bulkin

Outside the House, Watching for the Crows by John Langan

I Dress My Lover in Yellow by A. C. Wise

Backbite by Norman Partridge

Legacy of Salt by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

In the Sacred Cave by Lois H. Gresh

Falcon-and-Sparrows by Yoon Ha Lee

Those Who Watch by Ruthanna Emrys

Deep Eden by Richard Gavin

And also the ending essay by Veronica Schanoes was gut punching and a perfect book-end to the opening introduction by the editor.

My only issue was the line editing was lacking in the stories in the middle of the book (a broad smattering of typos that should have been easy to catch and took away from the polish of the rest of the book).

[Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

A deeply average collection of new Lovecraftian fiction featuring a number of decently-written short stories and a number of terrible ones.

I have less of an issue with the stories themselves and more with the collection as a whole – there was no coherence, no underlying theme, no degree of connectedness between the tales that made me feel like I was reading a carefully-selected, carefully-curated short story collection. It just felt like a hodgepodge of low to medium quality short stories tied together loosely by cosmic horror motifs.

My favorites: A Clutch; Outside the House, Waiting for the Crows; Alexandra Lost; I Dress My Lover in Yellow; Variations on Lovecraft Themes. Everything else in the collection was forgettable or just...not very well written.

I’d advise anyone interested in picking this collection up to read only a select number of stories – don’t waste your time reading every single one. Some of them are really not worth your time.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cthulhu isn’t in this book at all - in fact, most of these stories don’t properly involve any cannon Old Ones! The authors wrote stories which are “lovecraftian” rather than “in the Lovecraft Mythos” and the result are stories which are original and often subversive of “classic” Lovecraft tropes.

Most refreshing is the inclusion of several stories which outright refute the racism inherent in the genre’s origins while still remaining quintessentially cosmic. It’s redemptive of the genre’s legacy and proof that there’s still gas in the tank going forward.

[Sjors · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sub-par Cthulu Detrius

So I bought this as an intended guilty pleasure - but there was little pleasure for me in this lazy knock-off of Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror. Can't say I read them all; can't even say that I read the ones I started fully - it is that kind of book.

[Dimuthu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice read for a rainy day. But the editor has failed to realize that just because its a weird fiction it doesn't mean it belongs in the Lovecraft universe. Half of the short stories here I found are just weird, not Lovecraft weird.

[Todd Toussaint · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were a couple of short pieces I didn't connect with, but it's a very strong collection. The editorial choices demonstrate an impressive breadth, the stories share thematic concerns or build on one of Lovecraft's idiosyncricies. None fall into pastiche.

[Suden Käpälä · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, for me, shall forever be associated with Projekt 641. Read this whole bloody review to find out why! Or, what do I care; just go easy on yourself & just scan the page for 'submarine'.

Why this work?

Given my pre-occupation with reading HPL's whole body of work, a better question is: why not? There's actually a possible answer to that. So, to address that first.

(You're just interested in an actual semblance of a review--in essence, my reading journal? I can accomodate you. Please scroll down to the next heading. There might even be a horrifically fine picture to mark the place.)

My essay on how I managed not to come to hate Lovecraft (even pity the fool), & how that doesn't necessarily make me a bad person (but probably does):

A slight case of TIAGPAA*.
(*: This = As Good A Place As Any, a.k.a. my GR journals.)

Ah... That's awkward. And a bit anti-climactic. Here I was, building up 2 a whole truck-load of opinionated words, & then it didn't fit! Really, I did write a lot. Honestly, I did! It just seems there's a maximum number of characters that GR allows in our its reviews--I reached it(#).

So while I had planned on publishing the above-titled 'essay' in this-here review, I'll have 2 make do otherwise. Since I don't want 2 re-write the whole shebang, I'll just drop the essay at my favourite HPL novella & interlink them. Hooray for hyper-text!

Lovecraft's true nature? Art by Wildcard24.

Reading journal:

Now we have all that out of the way, let's get down to the other business: my actual experiences with this, actually non-HPL-written, but Lovecraftian, tome.

I'll not copy the index/titles here, nor write summaries; other reviewers have done the former fully & the latter partly. (E.g., Barron, Bogdan, & Jaffa.)

A side note, 21.10.01: Initially, while reading the first stories, I didn't even take notes. (Too tired from rummaging around in a museum submarine, happy as a kid...) Later, I started jotting down ratings in the content pages of my copy of the book--so we have that, at least. For the first 7 stories, my verdicts were: story #1 , 2*; #2 (well-written, & certainly atmospheric; but too 'weird' & really not my cuppa), 3*; #3 , 5*; #4 , 3*; #5 , 1* (it's not bad, objectively; but I rate subjectively & it's just too humourous & too whimsy for my taste); #6 , 4*; #7 , 4*.

20.05.14, p175 (37%). This marks my second run on this Lovecraftian anthology. I started it a year ago--19.05.16 (May 16, 2019)--during a trip to visit a decommissioned Soviet submarine on display. Latest story which I finished ( #8 ): "Just beyond the trailer park". Another great one, a fitting sequel to "Beyond". I loved the protagonist's new pet's name--Spot.

20.05.17, p182 (38%). If I awarded 5* to story #8 of the collection, "Just beyond the trailer park" (it's so short that I am not opposed to the idea of reading it again), in an equivalent rating system transposed from that which I use for complete works (if it were a whole novel, I'd be a little less eager; thus it would drop to 4*), then I'd have to award story #9 --"The sea inside"--only 2*. It's little more than a vignette, to me. And I must admit--I'm not sure I understand any ulterior layers of the story, if there are any. And if there aren't any, it's too bare a plot for me. It didn't annoy me or waste my time, hence not 1*, but I didn't feel... like it did something for me.
Onward with #10--"Outside, watching crows". The first pages seem promising.

200520, p206 (43%). Story #10 was indeed as good as I had hoped from the first pages. Not a very satisfactory plot or mystery, but I loved the atmosphere & how the (darkly) magic of new music is described seducing the protagonist. Different from my own experiences at that age, of course, but a very finely crafted metaphor.

200924 - p222 (47%). A semi-random reminiscence of note (from a few months ago): while watching the wonderful German time-travel SF series, Dark (Edit, 21.10.01: first viewing. Currently re-watching), I couldn't help but think back at the previous story I read in this anthology. In Dark, the album "Pleasure to kill" by the early thrash/black metal band Kreator is featured as a temporal anchor of sorts. The few excerpts that were audible in the episodes peaked my curiosity.
And while searching for the record & subsequently listening to this music--kreated approx. as long ago as I was--the memories & atmosphere of the story came floating back to me. The combination with the series' unique atmosphere made for a powerful, & noteworthy, imagined triptych.
And now, on a less positive note: Story #11 was okay in atmosphere & execution, but I found the ending to be rather weak. Yes, it's open for various interpretations & raises more questions than it answers, but is that always a good thing in weird fiction? HPL himself rarely left & doubts as to the protagonists' fates. Yes, of course, this is not meant to be pastiche, but a modern re-imagination of his work. Still, it left me hungry for more. What sadly destroys any benefits of doubt, however, was the great number of typos & syntax errors that remained in the work. Barely edited. After reading a pulp Star Wars novel from the 1990s, which arguably has much less literary aspirations but contained no editing oversights to speak of (or they were so subtle, few, &/or far between as not to have irritated me), this is yet another example of the haste in which some things are pushed-to-market these days, to start making money a few days earlier. I loathe that about today's economic climate--customers deserve better products. And it's sad that it diverts one (if one is sensitive to it) from what's important--the content; the author's work.
Might've been 4*. Now, 2 or 3*--I'll sleep on it. [... Zzz...] Alright, 3*.

201003 - p240 (51%). Story #12 (finished 20.09.24) suffered from same issues I had with the ending of #11 (but no editorial horrors). Atmosphere was nice, as were setting & descriptions. 3*.
Anyone interested in my previous update, but couldn't navigate the various snippets? (Due to size restrictions, had to chop it up.) This link should--might--show them order. (Edit, 21.09.30: no, it doesn't.)

201016 - p269 (57%). The previous story, #13 , had a fitting atmosphere & setting, but again lacked any significant plot. (I really like my stand-alone stories to be more than just a vignette or sketch, please.) Not actually bad; but still--according to my personal 'rating system' which seems to differ for short stries--only 2*.
The most recent tale however, #14 (read 20.10.15), although too short & open-ended, proved great nonetheless: 4*.

21.09.28, p269: started with story #15 : In The Ruins Of Mohenjo-Daro.

21.09.29, p277: looked up the locations in Pakistan & browsed pictures & some info on the archaeological site of Mohenjo-Daro.

21.10.01, p288: This isn't (yet?) what I expected from it. I went in--even after reading the introductory text a few times--thinking this was a do-over of The Mound (i.e., a story about some fictional dig site). But it's about an existing site, & while a bit tough to get into the writing style, it feels better for me, at this moment, than I had believed. Right now (& for now), it feels more like an early-season episode of Homeland. (Which is a good thing in itself. I loved Homeland.) I must say, in this case, the deviation from what I had expected as HPL pastiche (even though the introduction sort of waylaid that... literally) agrees with me.

21.10.03: p295-ish. The language is extremely colourful, as in metaphors & weird descriptions, e.g. by making poetic comparisons to aspects of wholly other situations or objects. Or creatures. You have no idea what actions mist can partake in until you read this! Normally, that's where good atmospheric writing begins. This story, however--for me personally--takes that style too far. As HPL himself (often) did, of course. So I see the 'need' for it; but it's in a non-archaic work which moreover doesn't feel dated; so for me, it misses its mark whereas I can appreciate it more in Lovecraft's work.
Which is not to say that this is a bad story. Overall, it's great, just not my thing description-wise.

Story finished: The ending, while well-written, leaves too many questions unanswered for me to award 5-short-story-*. The style--as mentioned--forces me to subtract another... & we're left with 3*. That doesn't feel right, either; too low. Alright, holding my personalized rating against an objective backdrop, I clearly see 4*.

Words looked up: skewer, phalange, libation, ablution. (These are certainly not the only ones I don't know; but they hampered my understanding & that's why I felt inclined to look them up.)

Meanings verified (known but used in unexpected or weird ways): taut(en), omphalos. As in, literally, the omphalos was tautened. From what I thought I knew, I wasn't sure one could do that with their omphalos. (And I still don't know what it'd look like.)

21.10.06, p330: story #16 finished. Not much to say. Some awkward sentences & missing/repetitive words. Plot & atmosphere were okay, but as a whole, a bit redundant. Nice setting/scenery descriptions. 3*.
Looked up: cenote.

21.10.09, p366: story #18 finished. Original & poetic (as in: high poetry percentage) maybe, but either a vignette or part of a bigger whole. Not my taste, 2*.
Story #17 was good. The descriptions were oftentimes a bit abstract & opaque to me, so I have the gnawing feeling that I missed more things than usual. Which might not even be the case. Perhaps, unrelated, this short had a few too many things going on for its own good. Still, I liked the music theme. An overall, solid 3*.

D.d. 21.11.11: Cthulhu, p380.

22.02.27: The language of story #20 was sometimes a bit muddled, unintuitive. Far worse, I felt the same sentiment here as with too many other shorts: far too nice an atmosphere & set-up, to be cut short by being too... short. Those are not stories--stories have a plot. This should be called a vignette!

Nothing wrong with that, per se... I just don't know what to do with them. I don't like reading 10p of descriptions & fascinating lore... for it to lead nowhere, really. And have the feeling that I missed a clue & just misunderstand. (But I think I didn't & I don't.) It feels like a total waste of time & that'd mean 1*. But that may be overly harsh--& the result of growing disappointment with short stories.

This one is, sort of, a blending of The Borderlands, Ruins & Tommyknockers films. The remembrances are nice--the rather randomly strewn-together elements, though, are lacking. But it was written with love, I guess. It was thoughtful, somehow. Quality-wise, I'd have to award 3*. Let's settle on a very good 2* (almost 3*).

22.02.28: Next up: story #21, almost the exact opposite from #20. Badly, hastily written. (Constant Readers, which I'm sure I don't have any, know I detest sloppy writing / editing.) Missing non-optional commas. Missing words--at least 5, perhaps 10, in some 10p. C'mon!
But there was a plot! And... time was travelled; in a manner of speaking. It certainly didn't all make sense, but it was engaging & made me want to forgive it its editing flaws.
It sometimes felt like it was tongue-in-cheek, but I couldn't be sure.
The concept could've been 4* or 5* but for the lack of polishing; I'm generous & throw 3* at it, for the fun ideas. (But I feel bad about it, when contrasting it to story #20. Still, I've chosen to rate my overall enjoyment, not quality.)

Oh, it seems that thus far, I made notes for story #19 only by scribbling in the collection's index pages. Ad verbatim: "21.10.29, 3*. (4* idea + actual content + atmosphere; -1* for missing content / vignette / skeleton-only.)" Go figure!

220303 - page 427, 90.08%. "Latest story, #22, was the opposite of the few preceding ones: the atmosphere & descriptions were mediocre in comparison (& not as Lovecraftian). Little dialogue & few details. But at least it had well-defined start, satisfying ending (albeit not very definitive) & a plot! That was really refreshing, compared to the many vignettes & vague situation/environmental sketches thus far. A clear 3* episode for me."

220310, p433: The writer of story #23 = known to me, or so I found out when reading short biography (which precedes each author's contribution in this anthology. (She wrote the atospheric, but otherwise not to-my-taste, Cthulhu Holmes mash-up; which I had looked forward to but which didn't interest me enough to read the sequel.) Set in Peru, this appeals to me; as a teen, I was fascinated by archaeology--especially Egypt & the Inca Tumi.
I also came to like alpacas. The main character seems to own or care for one, & then abandons & forgets all about it. Much worse, alpacas are eaten continuously. That may be normal & accepted in the Sacred Valley that the story is set in. But to me (not being used to it) it's... well, yes: horror. But not the kind that I was expecting.

220311, p443: story fin. The ending was also not what I expected. Less Lovecraftian, less atmospheric than some of its brethren entries; but all the more plot & background / world building (as can fit in a, what, 20p story?). Seems many of these tales can't do both. (But Lovecraft could!) Anyway, this one erred fully on the side of dark, doomed & gloomy metahysical adventure (it had some atmosphere; enough), & my first instinct is a relieved 5*. Let's see if that rating stands up to scrutiny after I've slept a dreamless, death-like slumber.

220312, p465: For the time being, I've skipped forward to the last section; thus saving the penultimate story for later. I want to end my run with this anthology on a prose note; & the concluding 'story', #25, is more of an essay or an opinion piece. So... working on that. I don't much care for the tone, although I understand the sentiments. (See my own long essay on HPL's xenophobia, elsewhere.)
I did learn some things--not just about HPL. So there's that. But the text states that Noguchi dies "later that year" in 1913, while Wikipedia gives his passing as occuring in 1928. I can't be certain which is the truth--but I know on which I'd bet my money.

220313: Glad I made the outstanding decision 2 postpone the preceding prose story. Because this one (#25) was actually a peculiar form (or the literary equivalent) of revenge porn. The author hates HPL. And she might have every reason to--as said before, he wasn't a great person, at the very least when seen against the backdrop of today's diverse social landscape.
So, it might be interesting, & fun, & not undeserved, to add a non-prose essay-ish piece to an anthology, that totally wipes the floor with the inspiration for that same anthology. It's fascinating in the least. And I learnt stuff about Lovecraft's life, as well (which merrits at least 3*). But the execution, & the tone (not unlike the tone of Lovecraft's own hateful letters, which I woudn't read for my pleasure either), & the bad idea to put this at the end of the book--or even in it, at all!--are worth 1*. So, I guess, because of the actual underlying content--which needs be said--I guess it's only logical that this ends up with 2* after all. But very meagre ones.
It may have been great to add a critical biographical piece, interwoven with some scrutiny; for a harsh verdict about some of Lovecraft's sentiments is in place... But a harsh verdict is a far cry from the loathing that festers between these lines. This (in a different way than the culinary creativity with alpacas) is a kind of non-fiction horror I can do without.

... slightly more optimistic about this anthology as a whole--& the universe, & everything--than I am.

220316 - Fin. Story #24 was fine. Not terrible, not great [sic]. 3*. Not a full plot--a very open ending--but at least a proper story. A quite okay, & representative, way to end this tome with. I was already considering 3* for the whole collection. Nothing I've read the past weeks has changed my mind. Am done with 'new Lovecraftian' prose(%), though.

(%): See (#), both below & (far) above.

(#): ... twice. Even w/o essay. 220607-08, Spent >2h truncating this 2 fit. Using ugly stuff like abbrevs, YYMMDD, "w/", "&" & "2" did trick. Sorry! So... Am done w/ elaborate GudReadz reviews, 2. I hope.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book overall. As an exploration of Lovecraftian horror it was a fun experience, and one I do not regret taking the time to read. The stories contained the horror and mystery that so defined Lovecraft's work, but for me they just seemed to lack a certain quality.
As much as I enjoyed the process of reading, few of the stories have truly lingered in my mind; they are, despite their individual merits, fairly forgettable. Some also proved entirely confusing in a frustrating rather than satisfying way, so that by the time I finished I could not confidently say what the story had been about.
"It's All The Same Road In The End", "A Clutch", "The Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro" and "Umbilicus" stand out as memorable, enjoyable stories that I would happily read again. The others, sadly, did not elicit the same reaction.
This is not to say others will not enjoy them. As I said before, every story has it's own merits - well-written, thought-provoking, imaginative or inspired, just to name a few - but for myself only the aforementioned handful truly gripped me and linger in my mind.

[Pip · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favourites from the anthology were 'Just Beyond the Trailer Park', 'I Dress My Lover in Yellow', 'Deep Eden' (I really wish this one could have been novel length - it sets up such an interesting world and situation), and 'I Believe That We Will Win' (it's such a fascinating basis for a cult. Ironically I kind of wish the Lovecraftian elements didn't exist in it and it focused solely on the cult).

[Jaffa Kintigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a follow-up to 2015's New Cthulhu 2: More Recent Weird , Prime Books and editor Paula Guran released this latest Lovecraftian anthology of new short stories. This is a very even collection with few outshining the rest and none spoiling the bunch.

The best tales each earned 4 of 5 stars:
--"In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro" by Usman T. Malik weaves an elaborate tale of terrorism, religion, sexism and urban legend in the modern world.
--"Caro in Carno" by Helen Marshall images a fantastical landscape and folktale bringing heart to the process of death.
--"Umbilicus" by Damien Angelica Walters depicts a mother's infinite grief after the inexplicable loss of her 7 y.o. daughter.

Also included are:
Barron, Laird--"A Clutch"--3 stars
Downum, Amanda--"The Sea Inside"--3 stars
Emrys, Ruthanna--"Those Who Watch"--3 stars
Gavin, Richard--"Deep Eden"-- 3 stars
Hodge, Brian--"It's All the Same Road in the End"--3 stars
Langan, John--"Outside the House, Watching for the Crows"--3 stars
McDonald, Sandra--"The Cthulhu Navy Wife"--3 stars
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia--"Legacy of Salt"--3 stars
Partridge, Norman--"Backbite"--3 stars
Schanoes, Veronica--"Variations of Lovecraftian Themes"--3 stars
Shirley, John--"Just Beyond the Trailer Park"--3 stars
Strantzas, Simon--"Alexandra Lost"--3 stars
Wehunt, Michael--"I Do Not Count the Hours"--3 stars
Bulkin, Nadia--"I Believe That We Will Win"--2 stars
Gresh, Lois H.--"In the Sacred Cave"--2 stars
Hannett, Lisa L.--"In Syllables of Elder Seas"--2 stars
Kiernan, Caitlin R.--"The Peddler's Tale, or Isobel's Revenge"--2 stars
Lee, Yoon Ha--"Falcon-and-Sparrows"--2 stars
Pugmire, W. H.--"A Shadow of Thine Own Design"--2 stars
Shea, Michael--"An Open Letter to Mister Edgar Allan Poe, From a Fervent Admirer"--2 stars
Webb, Don--"The Future Eats Everything"--2 stars
Wise, A. C.--"I Dress My Lover in Yellow"--2 stars

I received my copy of the anthology directly from Prime Books.

[Sarah Huntington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really good stories in here, but also some pretty average ones I struggled to keep my attention on. Still, I'm glad I got it

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books this year, I wanted to list out the best stories but I would end up listing 80% of the book

[Alex Budris · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Mammoth Book of Cthulhu” is indeed mammoth, but bigger is not always better, as they say. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by S.T. Joshi’s amazing “Black Wings” series, or maybe I’ve just read too much Lovecraftian fiction. Either way, most of these stories come off as being pretty bland.

There are notable exceptions. “The Peddler’s Tale…” by the always wonderful Caitlin R. Kiernan; “An Open Letter to Mr. Edgar Allan Poe…” by the late Michael Shea, just to give two examples. But overall the stories seem self-indulgent. Using the guise of “Mythos Fiction” to just ramble on.

Most Lovecraftion anthologies seem to rely too much on mentions of the honored author’s specific locales or deities: Cthulhu, Azathoth, Shub-Niggurath, Arkham, Dunwich, Innsmouth – Just to name a few.

But for some reason this specific anthology is lacking in such classic Lovecraft references. It feels as if most authors are using the book as a house for their lesser-ramblings and the editor is somewhere in the Other Room.

All in all the book is entertaining enough, but, compared to similar volumes, a bit tedious. There are enough Lovecraftian collections out there, and this one would be low on my list.

[Kasey Cocoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collections of stories by a variety of authors typically only have one or two that stick out for me. This is a good thing though, as different readers look for different things in their reads. Collections can provide a bit of exposure for a new author. I love the fantasy genre and I've enjoyed a few of Lovecrafts stories so I had a good idea what to expect with this collection. Some stories stood out as better crafted and developed than others and a few I just couldn't finish. It's my personal opinion that the stories would have worked out better without adding Lovecraftian names and places and just kept the feel. Overall, it's an interesting collection with a few promising authors. I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review, which may or may not mirror your own.

[Christopher Vian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t not understand how this incoherent and incompetent anthology was put together. The stated goal was to have stories influenced by or in response to Lovecraft. What we get is authors openly admitting to staying away from Lovecraft style fiction and an editor who most certainly doesn’t seem to understand the point of the anthology. The entire venture is so poor when compared to other New Lovecraftian anthologies such as “Heroes of Red Hook” (Golden Goblin Press 2016). To the authors, if you hate and dislike Lovecraftian fiction perhaps don’t submit to a Lovecraft anthology. To the editor, you really need to reconsider how you select works for anthologies.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly disappointed with this one so far. I'm about 2/3 through and few of the stories have much to do with Cthulhu, The connections to Lovecraftian horror in general feel tenuous at best in many of them. A few stood out so far. I thought "It's All the Same Road in the End" by Brian Hodge was creepy in that rural Lovecraftian way, and that one could have even been longer and more in-depth, enjoyed it. It's not as if the others are poorly written, they're okay writers, but I was hoping for stories with deeper connections to the Cthulhu mythos. I may come back to this later.

[Ben Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in Lovecraft, but put off by his purple prose or toxic worldview this is a really good book to check out. Almost all of the stories are making their first appearance in this anthology, and I'm a little surprised at how many of them were good. Even the ones that weren't that good were at least interesting. I really enjoyed seeing the core themes of Lovecraft's work being explored from so many different perspectives. I especially enjoyed "Those Who Watch", "Backbite", "In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro", and "Variations on Lovecraftian Themes"

[ashley mckenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this book had a lineup of some great horror, cosmic horror, weird tales authors, I think they fell short in this book. Collage of left over stories and garbage thrown into a paperback binding with a great artwork cover. Stories seemed unfinished like they ran out of time midway. Isn’t the point of any horror is to captivate the reader to the point of putting them on edge. Not this time....