Alyssa Macpherson’s Reviews > The Shub-Niggurath Cycle: Tales of the Black Goat with a Thousand Young > Status Update

To Clear the Earth by Will Murray. Something has appeared in the depths of Antarctica, something forseen by Alhazred’s al-Azif. A little story of action-horror to end the anthology.

Grossie by David Kaufman. An old lady reminisces about a strange happening when she was young. A subtle story, full of implications of inhuman and very human evils.

The Curate of Temphill by Robert M. Price and Peter H. Cannon. A young priest is sent to take over the parish of Temphill after some difficulties with his predecessor. A creepy a d unsettling little story that only hints at the Mythos and is all the stronger for it. Proof that a good story does not need to be peppered with the names of Old Ones and references to dreadful tomes created by HPL.

Sabbath of the Black Goat by Stephen M Rainey. The sabbath comes and Buck Withers is all for letting folks have their religions, but he’s sure something unholy is going on. An enjoyable modernisation of Lovecraft’s dread witch cults with a nuanced nod to Wicca rather than painting everything as monstrous.

Prey of the Goat by Lin Carter. An unexpected gift leads to contact with the Black Goat. This one fell flat aside from the string in the tail, the Mythos names peppering a fairly generic possession story. It’s like a cheap knockoff of the Exorcist whose writer used Shub-Niggurath rather than Pazuzu be a he was a fan of Lovecraft.

Visions from Yaddith by Lin Carter. An excerpt of the weird poetry referenced in the previous story.

Dreams of Yaddith by Lin Carter. A scholar seeks a quiet residence to carry out his work and finds himself dreaming of another world.

Harold’s Blues by Glen Singer. An young musician makes a deal with strange power for the skill and music he desires. A classic sort of deal with the devil story with a little Mythos added in.

Seed of the Star-God by Richard L. Tierney. Simon of Gitta attempts to stop an unholy union that will spell doom to the world. My first experience of Tierney’s Simon of Gitta stories, enjoyable Lovecraft lite with a side of sword and sandal adventure.

A Thousand Young by Robert M. Price. An indolent young student is drawn down the path of the Libertine into depths even his jaded mind could not imagine. A disturbing story of sex and perversity with a sharp Mythos ending.