Lovecraft's Iraq

by David Rose

The year is 2005. Blood from the Second Battle of Fallujah still dries on the farmlands of the Zaidon. But for Stygian 2-3, a young team of Recon Marines, the war is anything but over.

Plaguing their battlespace is an ancient evil. Those who volunteered to ensure "Iraqi Freedom" must fight not only anti-Coalition forces, but powers older than the United States, democracy... the world itself.

181 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2022

About the author

David Rose: author of No Joy and The Scrolls of Sin, among others.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[The Smoog · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually like military horror, but the writing style in this one made it hard to read and occasionally confusing, while the wealth of jargon will make it inaccessible to many readers. The clichéd characters and reduction of Cthulhu Mythos monsters into little more than weapons in a soldier's arsenal do nothing to help the book, with Lovecraft’s cosmic horror being entirely absent from the story. I also wasn’t entirely sure what the ancient sect who serve as the antagonists were actually trying to achieve, they just seemed to meander around like pantomime villains.

Having said all that, it does have its moments and can be quite compelling in parts, but overall these bits are too few and far between to save it.

[Jill T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked from the very start! David Rose's writing never fails to enraptured me, I'm constantly amazed, frightened, shocked, and awed. This new novel is a tribute to Lovecraft, the way Rose uses the Lovecraft Mythos in the equally horrifying setting of war is perfect, the two worlds colliding into a modern realistic hellscape. I love that he named the platoon "Stygian", another nod to the old gods! I can't recommend Davis Rose's work enough, any fan of the horror or horror/fantasy genres will be completely satisfied by his work!

[Cape Rust · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book Rose knows his Lovecraft and the military. There were some amazing aspects of this story that could easily become a Delta Green TTRPG module. This book felt disjointed at times and a few of the characters felt inconsistent and a little too cardboard for my particular tastes. The overall theme was spot on but this is not the Lovecraftian story I would recommend to any but the most hardcore fans, too much of the understanding needed to fully appreciate what happens needs someone who has gone beyond the mountains of madness…

[Matthew Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’ll put this book down, like I did, from the first page to escape the heat. You’ll set it down to turn the lights on. You will set it down as you are struck with answers so well laid out about war. Then you realize that there is no "getting comfortable" as Rose crafts and mixes reality with something even darker than war. You are there and the only way to survive, hopefully, is to turn the page.

[Reinhard Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovecraft's Iraq brilliantly bridges military deployment life with horror-fantasy for a nostalgic, original adventure. I highly recommend it. I'm so glad that David Rose is leading GWOT-era readers through fantasy realms, and I hope this creative bridge of genres has a bigger future.