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qalminator's review
4.0
Enjoyable collection, overall. A few duds, but none that I actively loathed. By and large, the more whimsical ones were not to my taste. I included the years for each story because I was surprised to find several older works at the beginning. Note that there are at least two different editions of the collection. My Kindle edition is missing the art portfolios, any art-based stories, as well as some of the text stories, and has, oddly, added one story not in the original. There is some artwork, a panel before most stories, but not much.
The star rating is the rating for the story as a story. The tentacle rating is how Lovecraftian I thought it was.
The House of the Worm by Mearle Prout, 1933 (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - The explanation doesn't quite hold up, but it's still a good creeper. A more modern variant might include an artifact to make the explanation work better.
Far Below by Robert Barbour Johnson, 1939 (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - Do you know what lurks in the New York subway system? I found this one more amusing than creepy, but it was quite nicely done, and hit many themes that Lovecraft used. I especially liked that that trains were called "Things" as well.
Spawn of the Green Abyss by C. Hall Thompson, 1946 (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - Having read sympathetic portrayals of the "deep ones", I find it difficult to read this as anything other than a jealous and possessive husband freaking out. Since he's the narrator, of course he tries to make it sound like he was justified.
The Deep Ones by James Wade, 1969 (2 stars, 4 tentacles) - And I thought Lovecraft was bad at portraying women (to be fair, he mostly didn't try). Female researcher in a love quadrangle with 2 male researchers and a dolphin (and her family is from Innsmouth). Dolphins are apparently servants of Cthulhu. Um. Okay then.
The Franklyn Papers by Ramsey Campbell, 1973 (2 stars, 2 tentacles) - Impressive build-up with no payoff. The ending just doesn't fit with the build-up.
Where Yidhra Walks by Walter C. DeBill, Jr., 1976 (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - Nicely written weirdness-in-a-small-town piece. The main reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that I find it hard to believe that the MC managed to accidentally avoid an entire town looking for him (easy fix: protective amulet/magic of some sort; none was mentioned).
Black Man with a Horn by T. E. D. Klein, 1980 (4 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - Very well written. It focuses on mundane details in a way that makes the weirdness all the more jarring when it occurs. Interestingly, the narrator seems to take issue with every race in some sense (and his own race is never identified). Very deliberate homage to Lovecraft.
The Last Feast of Harlequin by Thomas Ligotti, 1990 (4 stars, 5 tentacles) - Very much an updated, and more complete, version of Lovecraft's "The Festival". Very nicely written and suitably creepy (though ... there is the message that All Clowns Are Evil, which seems a bit much).
Only the End of the World Again by Neil Gaiman, 1998 (3 stars, 3 tentacles) - I'd read this one before in a Gaiman anthology, and was not familiar enough with Lovecraft lore to get much out of it. This time, I enjoyed it quite a bit more (especially the tarot bit), but it's still not a favorite. Atmospheric and well-written, but just kind of meh overall. Werewolf saving the world from deep ones.
Mandelbrot Moldrot by Lois Gresh, 1996 (2 stars, 1.5 tentacles) - Two flesh ball quantum computers escape their lab. Hijinks ensue, with vaguely Lovecraftian overtones. I find it hard to take things seriously when (a) quantum computer flesh blobs talk like teenage humans; (b) quantum and fractal terms are bandied around with little rhyme or reason; (c) there's an easy solution to a Lovecraftian problem.
Black Brat of Dunwich by Stanley C. Sargent, 1997 (4 stars, 3 tentacles) - Enjoyable alternate version of events from the Dunwich Horror. Now I need to track down the original and read it...
The Phantom of Beguilement by W. H. Pugmire, 2001 (3 stars, 3 tentacles) - Short pastiche centered around a haunting (haunted?) painting. I would have liked a bit more exposition about the painting, instead of just an event piece with vague implications, but it was lyrically written and otherwise enjoyable.
...Hungry...Rats by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., 2014 (3 stars, 3 tentacles) - Excellent writing, if you don't mind stream of consciousness, but not really to my taste. Felt more like a hallucinatory PTSD montage than like a Lovecraftian horror story, to me. Possibly if I reread Rats in the Walls I'll find a connection that makes me feel differently.
Virgin's Island by Donald Tyson, 2014 (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - Very nice addition to the mythos. Narrator becomes obsessed with a strangely shaped island and investigates, to his regret.
In the Shadow of Swords by Cody Goodfellow, 2000 (4 stars, 5 tentacles) - What really happened to the WMDs in Iraq, and the likely fate of the human race. I can't decide if there was too much exposition or not; fully the first 3/4 or more was exposition about the general search for WMDs in Iraq (felt entirely believable, too), then the weirdness starts to creep in.
Mobymart After Midnight by Jonathan Thomas, 2013 (2.5 stars, 2.5 tentacles) - Clever idea, poor execution. This one needs another editing pass or three. I found myself rereading entire paragraphs several times to try to make sense of the flow of events. Makes fun of big-box-corporate-culture, and tries to stuff in as many Lovecraftian tropes as possible, without ever going deep enough to be interesting (though if it had been well-written, I wouldn't have minded).
A Gentleman from Mexico by Mark Samuels, 2007 (3 stars, 2 tentacles) - Quite good and engaging, but then it just peters out at the end. With a more coherent ending, this could have been quite, quite good. Publisher runs across surprisingly authentic "new" Lovecraft manuscripts.
The Man with the Horn* by Jason V. Brock, 2014 (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - Effective creeper. Best to let neighbors alone who want to be let alone...
John Four by Caitlin R. Kiernan, 2010 (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - Sort of Dreamlands-ish. Is there a Nightmarelands? World with Nyarlethotep in charge.
Sigma Octantis by Rhys Hughes, 2011 (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - Nice inversion of a common Lovecraftian trope, with a white villain and a Jewish hero. Remaking the zodiac via satellite.
[Anasazi] by Gemma Files, 2014 (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - So, the Yith just want to study and archive things. The [Anasazi] have a similar M.O., but they just want to Fight!
The Wreck of the Aurora by Patrick McGrath, 2014 (4 stars, 2 tentacles) - While very well-written and compelling, any Lovecraftian elements are, at best, implied.
Beneath the Beardmore by Michael Shea, 2014 (2 stars, 4 tentacles) - The first half was quite good, but then the creature just wanted some human witnesses to an event (not really sure why), and its rhyming speech became annoying almost instantaneously, as did the author's peculiar use of italics. Intended as a sort of sequel to At the Mountains of Madness, but I enjoyed that work much more.
*Not on the ToC for the original edition
Included in the ToC for the original edition, but not appearing in my Kindle edition:
[Art Portfolio], by Erlend Mork
[Art Portfolio], by Stanley C. Sargent
"Man with No Name," by Laird Barron, 2014
"Thirteen Hundred Rats," by T. C. Boyle, 2008
"Rupa Worms from Outer Space," by Denis Tiani, 2014
"Pickman's Model" by H. P. Lovecraft, illustrated by John Kenn Mortensen
"The Lurking Fear," by H. P. Lovecraft, illustrated by Thomas Ott
"Excerpts from a Notebook," by Drazen Kozjan, 2014
[cartoons], by Julien Bazinet
The star rating is the rating for the story as a story. The tentacle rating is how Lovecraftian I thought it was.
The House of the Worm by Mearle Prout, 1933 (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - The explanation doesn't quite hold up, but it's still a good creeper. A more modern variant might include an artifact to make the explanation work better.
Far Below by Robert Barbour Johnson, 1939 (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - Do you know what lurks in the New York subway system?
Spoiler
And turns those who guard against it into copies of itself?Spawn of the Green Abyss by C. Hall Thompson, 1946 (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - Having read sympathetic portrayals of the "deep ones", I find it difficult to read this as anything other than a jealous and possessive husband freaking out
Spoiler
that his bride is part fish-creature, and has taken a fish creature loverThe Deep Ones by James Wade, 1969 (2 stars, 4 tentacles) - And I thought Lovecraft was bad at portraying women (to be fair, he mostly didn't try). Female researcher in a love quadrangle with 2 male researchers and a dolphin (and her family is from Innsmouth
Spoiler
so of course she chooses the dolphinThe Franklyn Papers by Ramsey Campbell, 1973 (2 stars, 2 tentacles) - Impressive build-up with no payoff. The ending just doesn't fit with the build-up.
Spoiler
If any of the excerpts had talked about being stalked by shadowselves, with, say, an indication that Franklyn/Undercliff were 'soul-mates', the ending could work. As is, I can think of four explanations, and it's unclear which is accurate, so I'm just going with hoax.Where Yidhra Walks by Walter C. DeBill, Jr., 1976 (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - Nicely written weirdness-in-a-small-town piece. The main reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that I find it hard to believe that the MC managed to accidentally avoid an entire town looking for him (easy fix: protective amulet/magic of some sort; none was mentioned).
Black Man with a Horn by T. E. D. Klein, 1980 (4 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - Very well written. It focuses on mundane details in a way that makes the weirdness all the more jarring when it occurs. Interestingly, the narrator seems to take issue with every race in some sense (and his own race is never identified). Very deliberate homage to Lovecraft.
The Last Feast of Harlequin by Thomas Ligotti, 1990 (4 stars, 5 tentacles) - Very much an updated, and more complete, version of Lovecraft's "The Festival". Very nicely written and suitably creepy (though ... there is the message that All Clowns Are Evil, which seems a bit much).
Only the End of the World Again by Neil Gaiman, 1998 (3 stars, 3 tentacles) - I'd read this one before in a Gaiman anthology, and was not familiar enough with Lovecraft lore to get much out of it. This time, I enjoyed it quite a bit more (especially the tarot bit), but it's still not a favorite. Atmospheric and well-written, but just kind of meh overall. Werewolf saving the world from deep ones.
Mandelbrot Moldrot by Lois Gresh, 1996 (2 stars, 1.5 tentacles) - Two flesh ball quantum computers escape their lab. Hijinks ensue, with vaguely Lovecraftian overtones. I find it hard to take things seriously when (a) quantum computer flesh blobs talk like teenage humans; (b) quantum and fractal terms are bandied around with little rhyme or reason; (c) there's an easy solution to a Lovecraftian problem.
Black Brat of Dunwich by Stanley C. Sargent, 1997 (4 stars, 3 tentacles) - Enjoyable alternate version of events from the Dunwich Horror. Now I need to track down the original and read it...
The Phantom of Beguilement by W. H. Pugmire, 2001 (3 stars, 3 tentacles) - Short pastiche centered around a haunting (haunted?) painting. I would have liked a bit more exposition about the painting, instead of just an event piece with vague implications, but it was lyrically written and otherwise enjoyable.
...Hungry...Rats by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., 2014 (3 stars, 3 tentacles) - Excellent writing, if you don't mind stream of consciousness, but not really to my taste. Felt more like a hallucinatory PTSD montage than like a Lovecraftian horror story, to me. Possibly if I reread Rats in the Walls I'll find a connection that makes me feel differently.
Virgin's Island by Donald Tyson, 2014 (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - Very nice addition to the
Spoiler
mi-goIn the Shadow of Swords by Cody Goodfellow, 2000 (4 stars, 5 tentacles) - What really happened to the WMDs in Iraq, and the likely fate of the human race. I can't decide if there was too much exposition or not; fully the first 3/4 or more was exposition about the general search for WMDs in Iraq (felt entirely believable, too), then the weirdness starts to creep in.
Mobymart After Midnight by Jonathan Thomas, 2013 (2.5 stars, 2.5 tentacles) - Clever idea, poor execution. This one needs another editing pass or three. I found myself rereading entire paragraphs several times to try to make sense of the flow of events. Makes fun of big-box-corporate-culture, and tries to stuff in as many Lovecraftian tropes as possible, without ever going deep enough to be interesting (though if it had been well-written, I wouldn't have minded).
A Gentleman from Mexico by Mark Samuels, 2007 (3 stars, 2 tentacles) - Quite good and engaging, but then it just peters out at the end. With a more coherent ending, this could have been quite, quite good. Publisher runs across surprisingly authentic "new" Lovecraft manuscripts.
Spoiler
And I can't help but be surprised that the possible incarnation of Lovecraft would not have expressed horror at being in a non-Caucasian body.The Man with the Horn* by Jason V. Brock, 2014 (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - Effective creeper. Best to let neighbors alone who want to be let alone...
John Four by Caitlin R. Kiernan, 2010 (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - Sort of Dreamlands-ish. Is there a Nightmarelands? World with Nyarlethotep in charge.
Sigma Octantis by Rhys Hughes, 2011 (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - Nice inversion of a common Lovecraftian trope, with a white villain and a Jewish hero. Remaking the zodiac via satellite.
[Anasazi] by Gemma Files, 2014 (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - So, the Yith just want to study and archive things. The [Anasazi] have a similar M.O., but they just want to Fight!
The Wreck of the Aurora by Patrick McGrath, 2014 (4 stars, 2 tentacles) - While very well-written and compelling, any Lovecraftian elements are, at best, implied.
Beneath the Beardmore by Michael Shea, 2014 (2 stars, 4 tentacles) - The first half was quite good, but then the creature just wanted some human witnesses to an event (not really sure why), and its rhyming speech became annoying almost instantaneously, as did the author's peculiar use of italics. Intended as a sort of sequel to At the Mountains of Madness, but I enjoyed that work much more.
*Not on the ToC for the original edition
Included in the ToC for the original edition, but not appearing in my Kindle edition:
[Art Portfolio], by Erlend Mork
[Art Portfolio], by Stanley C. Sargent
"Man with No Name," by Laird Barron, 2014
"Thirteen Hundred Rats," by T. C. Boyle, 2008
"Rupa Worms from Outer Space," by Denis Tiani, 2014
"Pickman's Model" by H. P. Lovecraft, illustrated by John Kenn Mortensen
"The Lurking Fear," by H. P. Lovecraft, illustrated by Thomas Ott
"Excerpts from a Notebook," by Drazen Kozjan, 2014
[cartoons], by Julien Bazinet
shendriq's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
marplatense's review
4.0
Vamos cuento por cuento:
* The house of the worm (Mearle Prout): escrito en vida de Lovecraft, por un autor misterioso y con dos protagonistas que yo intuyo gays, tiene mucho para ser un buen arranque.
* Far Below (Robert Barbour Johnson): posiblemente mi primer libro de aventuras subterraneas (goodreads.com/book/show/8604524.Bomba_the_jungle_boy_on_the_underground_river) ha puesto la vara tan alta (era joven, no es que el libro fuera de la gran cosa) asi que tiendo a no entusiasmarme con ese tipo de historias. Esta no es la excepción.
* Spawn of the Green Abyss (C. Hall Thompson): fuera del romance, no se pone más lovecraftiano que esto (en la forma un poco ridicula: oceanos, algas, cosas verdes)
* The Deep Ones (James Wade): si viste ese capítulo de Los Simpsons donde Lisa libera al rey de los delfines, ya has leído este cuento.
* The Franklyn Paragraphs (Ramsey Campbell): el primer relato bueno del libro, el recurso borgeano de hacer al autor parte de la trama está muy bien.
* Where Yidhra walks (Walter C. DeBill Jr.): aunque uno sabe donde termina esto desde el primer momento, entretiene.
* Black Man With a Horn (T. E. D. Klein): el mejor relato de todo el libro, unassuming, lleno de detalles, slow burn hasta los últimos parrafos.
* The Last Feat of Harlequin (Thomas Ligotti): muy a pesar yo no sé que le ve todo el mundo a este autor, que rabia me da no poder subirme al carro de sus admiradores
* Only the end of the World Again (Neil Gaiman): otro autor al cual no puedo sumarme con entusiasmo.
* Mandebröt Moldrop (Lois H. Gresh): lo abandoné porque su argumento me pareció ridículo, lo lamento.
* The Black Brat of Dunwich (Stanley C. Sargent): al igual que goodreads.com/book/show/26883558.The_ballad_of_black_Tom, escuchamos uno de los cuentos clásicos de Lovecraft en boca de otro protagonista, el cual nos da una nueva versión de la historia. Humaniza al villano pero no es ni lejanamente tan subversivo como el de Victor LaValle (seguramente el recopilador S.T. Joshi detesta a Black Tom)
* The phantom of Beguilement (W. H. Pugmire): ligeramente poetico y entretenido.
* ...Hungry ...rats (Joseph S. Pulver, Sr): tampoco me decidí a terminarlo
* Virgin's island (Donald Tyson): Cartas sobre expediciones navales desgraciadas, no gracias, ya he leido muchas.
* In the shadow of Swords (Cody Goodfellow): está muy bien, pese a no ser fan de las historias bélicas en el desierto.
* Mobymart after midnight (Jonathan Thomas): generalmente cuando el protagonista en primera persona es una smartpants no me causa tanta gracia
* A gentleman from Mexico (Mark Samuels): un poco ridículo pero muy bien el español.
* The man with the horn (Jason V. Brock): amigo, no es fácil empardar la historia de Klein, no sé si vale la pena intentarlo.
* John Four (Caitlín R. Kiernan): lo intente abandonar y me obligué a terminarlo, buena decision, es genial en una segunda lectura
* Sigma Octantis (Rhys Hughes): está situado en la patagonia argentina, bonus point chovinista.
* [Anasazi] (Gemma Files): ¡aguante el gore!
* The wreck of of the Aurora (Patrick McGrath): bien, tenue, poetico, inhóspito.
* Beneath the Beardmore (Michael Shea): me encantan estas historias antarticas.
* The house of the worm (Mearle Prout): escrito en vida de Lovecraft, por un autor misterioso y con dos protagonistas que yo intuyo gays, tiene mucho para ser un buen arranque.
* Far Below (Robert Barbour Johnson): posiblemente mi primer libro de aventuras subterraneas (goodreads.com/book/show/8604524.Bomba_the_jungle_boy_on_the_underground_river) ha puesto la vara tan alta (era joven, no es que el libro fuera de la gran cosa) asi que tiendo a no entusiasmarme con ese tipo de historias. Esta no es la excepción.
* Spawn of the Green Abyss (C. Hall Thompson): fuera del romance, no se pone más lovecraftiano que esto (en la forma un poco ridicula: oceanos, algas, cosas verdes)
* The Deep Ones (James Wade): si viste ese capítulo de Los Simpsons donde Lisa libera al rey de los delfines, ya has leído este cuento.
* The Franklyn Paragraphs (Ramsey Campbell): el primer relato bueno del libro, el recurso borgeano de hacer al autor parte de la trama está muy bien.
* Where Yidhra walks (Walter C. DeBill Jr.): aunque uno sabe donde termina esto desde el primer momento, entretiene.
* Black Man With a Horn (T. E. D. Klein): el mejor relato de todo el libro, unassuming, lleno de detalles, slow burn hasta los últimos parrafos.
* The Last Feat of Harlequin (Thomas Ligotti): muy a pesar yo no sé que le ve todo el mundo a este autor, que rabia me da no poder subirme al carro de sus admiradores
* Only the end of the World Again (Neil Gaiman): otro autor al cual no puedo sumarme con entusiasmo.
* Mandebröt Moldrop (Lois H. Gresh): lo abandoné porque su argumento me pareció ridículo, lo lamento.
* The Black Brat of Dunwich (Stanley C. Sargent): al igual que goodreads.com/book/show/26883558.The_ballad_of_black_Tom, escuchamos uno de los cuentos clásicos de Lovecraft en boca de otro protagonista, el cual nos da una nueva versión de la historia. Humaniza al villano pero no es ni lejanamente tan subversivo como el de Victor LaValle (seguramente el recopilador S.T. Joshi detesta a Black Tom)
* The phantom of Beguilement (W. H. Pugmire): ligeramente poetico y entretenido.
* ...Hungry ...rats (Joseph S. Pulver, Sr): tampoco me decidí a terminarlo
* Virgin's island (Donald Tyson): Cartas sobre expediciones navales desgraciadas, no gracias, ya he leido muchas.
* In the shadow of Swords (Cody Goodfellow): está muy bien, pese a no ser fan de las historias bélicas en el desierto.
* Mobymart after midnight (Jonathan Thomas): generalmente cuando el protagonista en primera persona es una smartpants no me causa tanta gracia
* A gentleman from Mexico (Mark Samuels): un poco ridículo pero muy bien el español.
* The man with the horn (Jason V. Brock): amigo, no es fácil empardar la historia de Klein, no sé si vale la pena intentarlo.
* John Four (Caitlín R. Kiernan): lo intente abandonar y me obligué a terminarlo, buena decision, es genial en una segunda lectura
* Sigma Octantis (Rhys Hughes): está situado en la patagonia argentina, bonus point chovinista.
* [Anasazi] (Gemma Files): ¡aguante el gore!
* The wreck of of the Aurora (Patrick McGrath): bien, tenue, poetico, inhóspito.
* Beneath the Beardmore (Michael Shea): me encantan estas historias antarticas.
snowbenton's review
3.0
A ramshackle collection of Lovecraftian stories. Mostly forgettable with a few good moments.
arthurbdd's review
4.0
For the most part this is a well-chosen selection of stories - combining fresh new tales with obscurities from yesteryear long since due a reprint. That said, the Michael Shea story Beneath the Beardmore is just kind of silly and sloppily thrown-together.
That may not be Shea's fault - it's a posthumous publication, since Shea died shortly before this was published - but nonetheless, that just makes me suspect that it was included out of a misguided impulse to pay tribute, not because it's actually a good tale, and so it drags down the collection's average.
Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2017/10/14/tales-of-the-cthulhu-mythos-and-its-imitators-part-7/
That may not be Shea's fault - it's a posthumous publication, since Shea died shortly before this was published - but nonetheless, that just makes me suspect that it was included out of a misguided impulse to pay tribute, not because it's actually a good tale, and so it drags down the collection's average.
Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2017/10/14/tales-of-the-cthulhu-mythos-and-its-imitators-part-7/
tbr_the_unconquered's review
3.0
The relationship that I share with the Cthulhu mythos is not a very robust one. There are some stories that hold me in thrall, some that unsettle me, some that draw me in but a lot many of them bore me to tears. There are imaginative retellings which use Lovecraft’s alien entities in the most terrifying ways possible but a lot many of the mediocre retellings have the authors perambulating the same beaten paths with dismal results. The name of S.T. Joshi, one of the foremost scholars of Lovecraftian literature was testimony enough for me to give this collection a shot.
Although it is a cliché to call an anthology a mixed bag, every collection has its share of duds and it goes without saying that this trend continues here too.
There are too many stories here and here are the ones that caught my attention :
The House of the Worm by Mearle Prout
Far Below by Robert Barbour Johnson
The Franklyn Paragraphs by Ramsey Campbell
Black Man with a Horn by T.E.D Klein
The Last Feast of Harlequin by Thomas Ligotti
Only the End of the World Again by Neil Gaiman
A Gentleman from Mexico by Mark Samuels
John Four by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Most of the rest is about people trying their best and worst ways to please the elder gods and end up spilling their marbles all over the place in the process. Loved some but most were just meh !
Although it is a cliché to call an anthology a mixed bag, every collection has its share of duds and it goes without saying that this trend continues here too.
There are too many stories here and here are the ones that caught my attention :
The House of the Worm by Mearle Prout
Far Below by Robert Barbour Johnson
The Franklyn Paragraphs by Ramsey Campbell
Black Man with a Horn by T.E.D Klein
The Last Feast of Harlequin by Thomas Ligotti
Only the End of the World Again by Neil Gaiman
A Gentleman from Mexico by Mark Samuels
John Four by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Most of the rest is about people trying their best and worst ways to please the elder gods and end up spilling their marbles all over the place in the process. Loved some but most were just meh !
pezski's review
5.0
4.5 stars
A generally high-quality collection of Mythos tales edited by master Lovecraft scholar Joshi, giving an overview of Lovecraftian fiction from outside the main circle of authors, from the 1930s to the present day.
Stand out stories: "[Anasazi]" Gemma Files, "John Four" Caitlan R. Kiernan, "A Gentleman form Mexico" Mark Samuels, "...Hungry...Rats..." Jospeph S. Pulver, "Far Below" , "The Deep Ones" James Wade, "In The Shadow of Swords" Cody Goodfellow, "Sigma Octantis" by and, of course, "Only the end of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman
A generally high-quality collection of Mythos tales edited by master Lovecraft scholar Joshi, giving an overview of Lovecraftian fiction from outside the main circle of authors, from the 1930s to the present day.
Stand out stories: "[Anasazi]" Gemma Files, "John Four" Caitlan R. Kiernan, "A Gentleman form Mexico" Mark Samuels, "...Hungry...Rats..." Jospeph S. Pulver, "Far Below" , "The Deep Ones" James Wade, "In The Shadow of Swords" Cody Goodfellow, "Sigma Octantis" by and, of course, "Only the end of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman
joe_mcmahon's review
5.0
Highly recommended
An excellent collection of stories, from gritty to surreal. Some of the best neo-Mythos stories I’ve read; a few I’d read before, but mostly new and highly entertaining.
An excellent collection of stories, from gritty to surreal. Some of the best neo-Mythos stories I’ve read; a few I’d read before, but mostly new and highly entertaining.