Cthulhu Deep Down Under Volume 3

Cthulhu Deep Down Under anthology series

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

In the story that first established the monstrous cosmic terrors of his Mythos writer H. P. Lovecraft said “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity...” Which makes it all the more fitting that the adepts of Lovecraft's vision writing today would choose to unveil ever-evolving and terrible fears besetting those that live on the largest island on the planet, and force the protagonists of some startling new horror fiction tales in this book to face, indeed, not placidity, but their own black seas of infinity...and madness.Again, some of the greatest scribes of the weird and startling from the land down under bring you brand new stories in the Lovecraftian genre, taking you from the realms of contemporary Australian cities, to the blood-soaked, post-colonial past (touching the powerful original cultures of the land), and even hinting at the disturbing future of Terra Australis.You will fear a sunburnt country.Tales of terror by Alan Baxter, David Conyers, Julie Ditrich, Jason Fischer, Steve Kilbey, Steven Paulsen, Steve Proposch, Alf Simpson, Cat Sparks, Maurice Xanthos. Introduction by Cat Rambo and Afterword by Jack Dann.

Genres: Horror

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2021

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, if not spectacular, collection of Cthulhu fiction by Australian authors and/or based around Australia. The first story, "All the Long Way Down" by Alf Simpson is one of the best modern day takes on Lovecraftian fiction I've read. Everything about the story totally gets Lovecraft. "Farewell to Elephant" by Cat Sparks is a PA story that is too short for all the jargon and futurespeak in it, and other than the fact that there's a hint of something inexplicable in it, feels nothing whatsoever like it belongs in a Lovecraftian anthology. Steve Kilbey's "Dead Language" also feels like it was only included because a couple of Lovecraftian entities are mentioned once, while the rest of it is a decent horror story but not the least bit Lovecraftian. Steve Proposch's "The Third Party" felt like the editor believed some Cthulhu porn was required. If it hadn't been so ridiculously perverse it would have been a better tale. Alan Baxter's "Come His Children", Julie Ditrich's "The Depiction" and David Conyers' "Supersymmetry" are much better examples of what a story emulating Lovecraft should be. They embody the essence of his work without overdoing it. Maurice Xanathos' "They are Impatient" is arguably the second best story in the book, also embracing Lovecraftian themes while being its own unique story. "The Key to Eternity" by Steven Paulsen is a decent Cthulhu story, but is too much of a pastiche, essentially jamming "The Call of Cthulhu" into an Australian background. "Asleep Beneath the Dripping" by Jason Fischer is New Weird fiction story including Cthulhu references. For the most part I liked the stories, with only one or two that really didn't resonate with me and with three or four that I really enjoyed more than the others.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first story is an absolute delight