Scan barcode
dantastic's review
4.0
Whispers from the Abyss is a collection of 33 tales inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
When Kat Rocha hit me up on twitter about Whispers of the Abyss 2, I checked out the lineup and plunked down my money, receiving this one as well in the bargain.
It seems everyone and their Deep One cousin puts out a Lovecraftian anthology these days. The thing that separates Whispers from the Abyss from the squamous pack is that the tales are pretty short, 2-10 pages, designed to be swallowed whole in a single sitting.
The subject matter and tone of the works are all over the spectrum, from dryly hilarious to chilling. Some of the stories were a little too short and needed a little more room to breath but I knew that going in. The presentation was top notch.
Like all anthologies, the stories vary in quality. A couple didn't do much for me but the collection as a whole was above average. Standouts include Fear and Loathing in Innsmouth, My Friend Fishfinger by Daisy, Age 7, The Substance in the Sound, and The Decorative Water Feature of Nameless Dread. Fear and Loathing in Innsmouth was by far my favorite tale of the collection. Much in the same vein as [b:The Damned Highway|10796760|The Damned Highway|Brian Keene|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331048302s/10796760.jpg|15709414], Dr. Gonzo heads to Innsmouth, looking for hints of Richard Nixon's corruption.
For today's reader on the go, Whispers from the Abyss is a great collection of scaly, tentacled horror. Four out of five stars.
When Kat Rocha hit me up on twitter about Whispers of the Abyss 2, I checked out the lineup and plunked down my money, receiving this one as well in the bargain.
It seems everyone and their Deep One cousin puts out a Lovecraftian anthology these days. The thing that separates Whispers from the Abyss from the squamous pack is that the tales are pretty short, 2-10 pages, designed to be swallowed whole in a single sitting.
The subject matter and tone of the works are all over the spectrum, from dryly hilarious to chilling. Some of the stories were a little too short and needed a little more room to breath but I knew that going in. The presentation was top notch.
Like all anthologies, the stories vary in quality. A couple didn't do much for me but the collection as a whole was above average. Standouts include Fear and Loathing in Innsmouth, My Friend Fishfinger by Daisy, Age 7, The Substance in the Sound, and The Decorative Water Feature of Nameless Dread. Fear and Loathing in Innsmouth was by far my favorite tale of the collection. Much in the same vein as [b:The Damned Highway|10796760|The Damned Highway|Brian Keene|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331048302s/10796760.jpg|15709414], Dr. Gonzo heads to Innsmouth, looking for hints of Richard Nixon's corruption.
For today's reader on the go, Whispers from the Abyss is a great collection of scaly, tentacled horror. Four out of five stars.
daveversace's review
3.0
A very uneven collection of modern Cthulhu Mythos short stories. It contains some outstanding stories - Nick Mamatas' 'Hideous Interview with BriefMan' is one of the best pieces of short fiction I've read in the last couple of years; the opening piece of diarised horror by Greg Stolze 'Iden-Inshi' is excellent; and I had a special fondness for the H.P. Lovecraft/Hunter S. Thompson mashup 'Fear and Loathing in Innsmouth: Richard Nixon's Revenge'. A few others are almost as good, and as you would expect there were a good number that were okay but either unmemorable or just not to my taste.
But there are also at least five stories in this collection which - naming no names - read like half-arsed first drafts, with undeveloped ideas that go nowhere. And I'm not even beating up on the Tweet-length story, which at least has the virtue of brevity. One or possibly two clunkers I could accept, but they just kept popping up, presenting an interesting premise or character before ending abruptly having done nothing to justify their existence. Ugh.
But bonus points for the Mamatas story, which is just delightfully horrifying.
But there are also at least five stories in this collection which - naming no names - read like half-arsed first drafts, with undeveloped ideas that go nowhere. And I'm not even beating up on the Tweet-length story, which at least has the virtue of brevity. One or possibly two clunkers I could accept, but they just kept popping up, presenting an interesting premise or character before ending abruptly having done nothing to justify their existence. Ugh.
But bonus points for the Mamatas story, which is just delightfully horrifying.
More...