Shoggoth's Old Peculiar

by Neil Gaiman

SHOGGOTH’S OLD PECULIAR 44 pages, 12 illustrations, 1 full-colour wraparound cover Neil Gaiman’s World Fantasy Award nominated short story SHOGGOTH’S OLD PECULIAR will be published as a limited-edition chapbook with a new full color cover and 12 full-page interior illustrations by Jouni Koponen. Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar is a very funny, somewhat scary story about what a young American Tourist encounters when he fetches up for the night in the Lovecraftian town of Innsmouth. The original illustrations combine horror and humour in equal measure. Neil Gaiman is the award-winning writer of the epic comic series SANDMAN, and New York Times Best Sellers AMERICAN GODS, ENDLESS NIGHTS and CORALINE. “Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar” appears in his 1998 short fiction collection SMOKE AND MIRRORS and was nominated for a World Fantasy Award. He is currently working on his new novel, ANANSI BOYS. Jouni Koponen is a graphic designer and illustrator living in Henlinna, Finland, with his wife and child. Koponen has contributed work to several Finnish books, magazines, and newspapers, but SHOGGOTH’S OLD PECULIAR is his first internationally published work. Koponen began work on SHOGGOTH’S OLD PECULIAR as an artistic exercise for his own amusement. Koponen, in Finland, sent Gaiman a web-link to his illustrations, and Gaiman, impressed, passed it on to Greg Ketter at DreamHaven Books Ketter immediately realised that what Jouni had done would make an excellent chapbook. DreamHaven Books has previously published Gaiman’s short stories SNOW GLASS APPLES and ON CATS AND DOGS as limited edition chapbooks. Initially the book will be made available only to members of Fiddler’s Green, the Sandman convention being held in Minneapolis November 12th — 14th, 2004 Remaining copies of SHOGGOTH’S OLD PECULIAR will be available to the public through DreamHaven Books following the convention.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Short Stories, Audiobook, Fiction, Humor, Urban Fantasy

44 pages, Chapbook

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite writers satirizing another of my favorite authors, how could I not enjoy this story?

Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar is Neil Gaiman having some fun with H.P. Lovecraft’s classic story “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”.

An innocent abroad runs across the English Innsmouth and has a few pints with the natives. This is enjoyable for fans of either writer, or both, or just a reader of weird fantasy fiction.

Nice.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

A teetotaling Texas boy named Ben Lassiter decides to take a walking tour of the British Isles using a pretty lackluster guide in this humorous and provocative short story from Neil Gaiman. Despite that, he stumbles onto an unusual village called Innsmouth where two natives prove — how shall I say this? — very interesting. Ben also has his first beer, a pint of the eponymous stout.

I’ve never read any H.P. Lovecraft, and other reviews make clear that this is a loving homage to Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I’m certain that Lovecraft fans would get a lot more out of it than I did and would think it hilarious, but even neophytes like me would love this short story — especially if they’re lucky enough to hear author Neil Gaiman read it himself with his mellifluous voice.

Now I’m thinking I need to read “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” and then re-read “Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar.”

[Mitticus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Relato corto-parodia de Gaiman para tener cuidado con las guias de viajeros
o
Gaiman escribiendo fanfiction de Lovecraft, acerca de un mochilero texano por los caminos de la vieja Inglaterra que llega hasta un pub en Innsmouth en donde conoce a un par de er 'pintorescos' personajes.


(c) Jouni Koponen illustration

Made me chuckle and smile.

"Good," said Seth. "Anyway. H. P. Lovecraft. He'd write one of his bloody sentences. Ahem. 'The gibbous moon hung low over the eldritch and batrachian inhabitants of squamous Dulwich.' What does he mean, eh? What does he mean? I'll tell you what he bloody means. What he bloody means is that the moon was nearly full, and everybody what lived in Dulwich was bloody peculiar frogs. That's what he means."

Here

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded this audiobook for free from audible some time ago and never listed to it before today for some reason. The narration is wonderful. I could listen to Neil Gaiman talk all day long. He is the perfect narrator for this story since he wrote it and knows his vision of how it should be read. Despite the wonderful narration, I found that the story was no more than mediocre. I suspect that one of the reasons that I did not fall in love with this story was partially because I have never read anything by H.P. Lovecraft.

The story is quite short. In fact it was much shorter than I had expected because a large portion of my audible download was a preview for The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A naive young Texan is on a rather disappointing self-guided walking tour of the British coast - when he randomly wanders into the village of Innsmouth. As a couple of friendly, if strange-looking, locals tell him, the one in the US was named after this one, the original.

One of the most entertaining and humorous homages to Lovecraft that I've read. Gaiman gets everything from travel guidebooks to nameless horrors spot-on. (And 'Strange Ian' made me laugh out loud...)

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little tale on Brittish folklore. Gaiman weaves H.P. Lovecraft into the story. I haven't read much of Lovecraft and I assume this is an homage to Lovecraft. It does turn out to be quite creepy. I love that Ben is reading a guide book to the English coast and everything is wrong she is telling him. Interesting.

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own this story in many forms - as an audiobook, included in collections, and as a gorgeous stand-alone illustrated chapbook - and it never fails to put a smile on my face. If, first and foremost, you're very much at home among H.P. Lovecraft's stories, and, secondly, you're at least passingly familiar with the comedy of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, this work is an absolute gem. Gaiman offers clever and loving jokes and references to Lovecraft's works (and the occasional nod to Douglas Adams, as well) and weaves them together to create a delightful tale of a clueless Texan, an ill-considered Walking Tour of the British Coastline, and the cheerful hospitality of the local acolytes of Cthulhu. Fantastic.

[Ilana (illi69) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an homage to H.P. Lovecraft, a sober young Texan travels to the English coast in the off season and meets a couple of strange men in a pub who are drinking a draught beer by the peculiar name of the story title and wouldn't you know it, strange things start happening. I've read a bit of Lovecraft, but not the story Neil Gaiman is directly referencing here, unfortunately. However I think I could listen to anything narrated by Gaiman and instantly fall in love with it.

This is a wonderful little story that came free from Audible at some point that I'd forgotten all about, and it made me nearly purchase the Smoke and Mirrors short story collection it came from IMMEDIATELY after I'd finished listening to it, until I reminded myself I still had several Neil Gaiman books I hadn't read yet and that Audible wasn't likely to run out of MP3 copies of it anytime soon.

[Jason Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, this hit the spot.

[bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story that I listened to courtesy of Audible offering it for free, paired with a sneak peek at Neil Gaiman's next book.

The story is narrated by Neil Gaiman and features American Benjamin Lassiter, who is on a walking tour of the coast of England. During his holiday he comes upon a strange town and meets two very strange men, called Seth and Wilf, who tell him a bizarre story that stays with him.

This was a fun, fun read and even though I've read many Neil Gaiman books I can't believe this was my first audio narrated by him. It won't be the last. The story was great, the narration superb and I definitely will hunt out more stories narrated by Neil Gaiman.

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exploring Audible I was excited to find this story as a free offering. Now I'm looking forward to it even more, thanks to Amy H. Sturgis' review which says, among other things:

A delightful tale of a clueless Texan, an ill-considered Walking Tour of the British Coastline, and the cheerful hospitality of the local acolytes of Cthulhu.

Irresistible, especially if you are Texan. Guilty as charged ... and charging into this story now.

My comment ... a charming story and great fun. Coupled with the beginning of Gaiman's next novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which has one of the saddest beginnings I've ever heard. Oh my heavens.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short chap book I stumbled across while following someone else's reading list (thank you). It intrigued me for two reasons first - its Neil Gaiman an author I have always been interested in and the other is the connection with H P Lovecraft which an interest I picked up from my university days and never really lost. Its a short story and quite a fun one but be warned you really need some familiarity with both Lovecraft and Gaiman to really appreciate this but if you do you cannot help but smile at it. I don't really want to say much more for its far to easy to give it away.

[Franci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great short story by Neil Gaiman!

[Marc-Antoine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should of stuck to the cherry drink...

A great little mind trip...

[Darren Mitton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilariously comic yet still maintaining the vestiges of Lovecraftian horror....

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basic Plot: An innocent man runs across some English Deep Ones in a pub.

This story was included in Gaiman's collection Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions.

I don't know that I ever expected to read a story about a Lovecraftian beer, yet here we sit. This is a loving homage to/satire of Lovecraft's "Shadow Over Innsmouth" in true Gaiman fashion. There is both horror and tongue-firmly-in-cheek humor. It's definitely worth a read for Lovecraft or Mythos fans.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard not to love a Gaiman story. This one was even shorter than I thought because the free audible version (read by Gaiman) also has the beginning of the The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Based on an H.P. Lovecraft tale, Gaiman puts his own twist on the story. I wish I had kept this for October's readathon, because it totally put me in the mood for Halloween and Fall evening reading!

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky little short with great atmosphere. Gaiman's narrative and narration made me feel like I was in a fog the whole time. Like there were mysterious things just out of sight, but in a generally affable way. Not sure if that makes sense, but whatever. The story also made me want to read up on H. P. Lovecraft.

[Susan]

A Chapbook containing the short story of the same name...

the story without illustrations was included in Neil's collection Smoke and Mirrors.

another one that's FUN to read aloud to friends.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a limited edition of this, published by Dreamhaven and signed by the man himself, at the first, last and probably only scifi convention I will go to. Not that I'm bragging or anything.

[Jouni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story... and MY ILLUSTRATIONS ;-)

[FoxClouds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to it on Audible. Read by Neil himself. A lovely short story. It is part of Fragile Things collection that I actually own but never got to.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thus it was that Ben Lassiter came, on the fifth day, somewhere north of Bootle, to the village of Innsmouth, which was rated neither charming, scenic nor delightful in his guidebook. There were no descriptions of the rusting pier, nor the mounds of rotting lobster pots upon the pebbly beach.

What a delight it is to finally have a copy of this lovely book which was limited to 5,000 copies. Jouni Koponen's illustrations bring Neil Gaiman's short story to life.

Previously featured in Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions the story is of a young American, Ben, on a walking tour of the British coastline. When he discovers the sleepy village of Innsmouth and its pub, The Book of Dead Names, he finds himself in a H.P. Lovecraft inspired world.

Funny with a side of horror, this will forever be a treasured possession.

[Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrated short story in Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions. Ben Lassiter is an American tourist walking the British Coastline, bemoaning the inaccuracies in his guide books, when he arrives at the village of Innsmouth.

On the seafront were three bed-and-breakfasts next to each other: Sea View, Mon Repose and Shub Niggurath, each with a neon VACANCIES sign turned off in the window of the front parlor, each with a CLOSED FOR THE SEASON notice thumb tacked to the front door.

This is Gaiman's take on Lovecraft's Into The Mouth of Madness, as Ben ends up drinking Shoggoth's Old Peculiar (Ale) with two overly friendly locals at a pub called The Book Of Dead Names. A fun take on the mythos.

[Murilo Queiroz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story by Neil Gaiman that reads like a Monty Python sketch about H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth. It's quite funny if you are familiar with Cthulhu Mythos, and it has plenty of jokes about travel guides (and tourism in England in general). I strongly recommend the free version narrated by the author himself.

[Ben Firetag · Rating 3 out of 5]

An American student, following a guidebook on a Walking Tour of British Coastlines, discovers that in the "off season" that not much of anything is open along the rainy grey coast. He stops at a village called Innsmouth. He finds a pub with an odd name and checks to see if they serve food. They do, of a sort, but he decides the British serve food as a punishment. Two fellows sit by him and he buys them a round of Shoggoth's Old Peculiar. He's never drank alcohol before and listens as the two men talk to him about H.P. Lovecraft and how they're acolytes. He wakes up in the morning with a terrific headache, but no village.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're like me and on a quest to read everything Neil Gaiman has ever written, save yourself the trouble and listen to this story here! And read by the author himself.

Crying actual tears of laughter right now oh my goddddddd~ 😂😂😂😂😂

H.P. Lovecraft would absolutely loathe this and I don't know what more of an endorsement you need.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this story on my drive back from my student teaching and I found it dark, atmospheric and surprisingly humorous. The narration was on point but I had quite a bit of trouble understanding the words since I am not used to the British accent. As such, the story was very entertaining and makes me eager to seek out Lovecraft's works

[Sarah Eagle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is part of the collection Smoke and Mirrors. I thought it was a good love story to much of HP Lovecraft's work, but I felt like it never settled on one story. It blended Shadow Over Innsmouth with the Cthulu tales with a dash of Shoggoth (only in mention as the name of a beer). If it had, the story would have been stronger.

[Cayton Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels like a sort of Disneyland ride with all the lovecraft references in here. Oh look thats the thing from the thing and ooo thats the name of the guy that wrote it! Still fun though.

I loved the comment about the british treating food as some sort of punishment too, as it is 100% true (in some cases)