Jed’s Reviews > Black Wings of Cthulhu: Twenty-One Tales of Lovecraftian Horror > Status Update

"Lesser Demons," by Norman Partridge. This was a very accessible story about a world gone mad with supernatural beings and other side effects. Told from the perspective of the extremely pragmatic town sheriff, it follows him as he makes sense of his new place in the food chain. There's some subtlety to the story telling but I don't think I'm missing something important on my first reading.

"Violence, Child of Trust," by Michael Cisco. Nine pages, told from the changing voices of brothers who seem to kidnap and sacrifice girls to some unknown power. I feel like I missed something in the text by not taking carefully enough. It was interesting, but actually horrific

"The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash". So boring. I'm glad that chapter is over.

The Truth About Pickman by Brian Stableford is a short dialog between two intellectuals and there's a mystery readers aren't party to until the end. Decent read, nothing spectacular.

Do you ever read something and, when it's over, say to yourself, what did I just read? That is how I feel after reading Rotterdam. Oh well, on to the next story!

Inhabitants of Wraithwood by W. H. Pugmire. The story is wicked and ephemeral, which makes it fascinating to me. The story is long for this book, but I didn't want to stop reading once.

The Broadsword. This is the most horrific story I have ever read and I truly enjoyed the entire 50 pages. Laird Barron, thank you.

Desert Dreams was a well-paced story that I found horrific and exciting as it displaced sanity. I did not read through Pickman's Other Model - I lost interest about half way through. I may try that again later, but for an opening story to an anthology, it was weak. Copping Squid was rushed early on, but I liked how it progressed afterward. It felt like what I expect of Cthulhu mythology (same with Desert Dreams)