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elwinter's review against another edition
1.0
TBH the writing is a bit eye-rolling, but it's basically the Fallout games if instead of a nuclear war it was Cthulhu and company rising from Their slumbers that caused the downfall of humanity. That's... well, "fun" is the wrong word, but that's right up my alley.
alwroteabook's review against another edition
5.0
Review here - https://www.alwroteabook.com/2018/11/11/cthulhu-armageddon-by-ct-phipps/
assaphmehr's review against another edition
4.0
I like genre mash-ups, have loved Lovecraft's work (and have role-played the old Call of Cthulhu RPG), and although I don't read much dystopian works these days I was in the mood for something darker. Cthulhu Armageddon was it.
What to Expect
The author notes in the preface that he set out to mix Mad Max with the Cthulhu mythos, coming from a background of gaming. He has done exactly that. The tone of the novels has that lone-gunman, cobbled-up technology relics feeling of the Mad Max movies and similar dystopia, while the creatures that inspired H.R. Giger and generations of horror lovers pop up to provide a suitable bloodbath and target practice.
The pace is quick, the action is constant, and in between the protagonist travels and adventures reminiscent of The Walking Dead there is that sense of deeper, mystical conspiracies and the doom of mankind.
What I liked
I loved the tone of the book, how Phipps unashamedly appropriates the Cthulhu mythos and asks the logical "what if" question - what will the world looks like, in the days after the horrors have already won? Don't expect a pure continuation of Lovecraft tales, but instead they are used as the basis for a new world.
Phipps writes what almost feels like a gaming scenario, as the hero navigates the ravaged world and uncovers its secrets in between bouts of gruesome violence. That keeps the story advancing at a rapid pace, where the backstories are interspersed just in time for when they become relevant.
What to be aware of
As with most Lovecraftian horror, it's not just about the inconceivable monstrosities but about the bleakness of existence. Don't expect a happy ending (even by the horror genre standard). There is no good vs evil, but a sense of the fatalistic, ultimately futile, struggle of humanity to just survive. As the protagonist says, there is nothing much left but blood and vengeance, like ants spoiling the gods' picnic.
This is makes for a harsh read, and for a harsh protagonist. I didn't find Booth (the main character, from whose view the story is told) particularly appealing or relatable, though naturally that's a matter of taste. Another similar aspect for me is that the writing style and characterisation feel a bit simplistic at times, going for the cheesy hard line rather than a deeper emotional description.
Summary
I'd highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys dystopian horror, whether they're familiar with Lovecraft's stories or not. Especially if you like gaming-style high-action sequences of bloody violence.
--
[a:Assaph Mehr|14422472|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1518065419p2/14422472.jpg], author of [b:Murder In Absentia|29500700|Murder In Absentia (Felix the Fox, #1)|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457914061s/29500700.jpg|46845657]: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
What to Expect
The author notes in the preface that he set out to mix Mad Max with the Cthulhu mythos, coming from a background of gaming. He has done exactly that. The tone of the novels has that lone-gunman, cobbled-up technology relics feeling of the Mad Max movies and similar dystopia, while the creatures that inspired H.R. Giger and generations of horror lovers pop up to provide a suitable bloodbath and target practice.
The pace is quick, the action is constant, and in between the protagonist travels and adventures reminiscent of The Walking Dead there is that sense of deeper, mystical conspiracies and the doom of mankind.
What I liked
I loved the tone of the book, how Phipps unashamedly appropriates the Cthulhu mythos and asks the logical "what if" question - what will the world looks like, in the days after the horrors have already won? Don't expect a pure continuation of Lovecraft tales, but instead they are used as the basis for a new world.
Phipps writes what almost feels like a gaming scenario, as the hero navigates the ravaged world and uncovers its secrets in between bouts of gruesome violence. That keeps the story advancing at a rapid pace, where the backstories are interspersed just in time for when they become relevant.
What to be aware of
As with most Lovecraftian horror, it's not just about the inconceivable monstrosities but about the bleakness of existence. Don't expect a happy ending (even by the horror genre standard). There is no good vs evil, but a sense of the fatalistic, ultimately futile, struggle of humanity to just survive. As the protagonist says, there is nothing much left but blood and vengeance, like ants spoiling the gods' picnic.
This is makes for a harsh read, and for a harsh protagonist. I didn't find Booth (the main character, from whose view the story is told) particularly appealing or relatable, though naturally that's a matter of taste. Another similar aspect for me is that the writing style and characterisation feel a bit simplistic at times, going for the cheesy hard line rather than a deeper emotional description.
Summary
I'd highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys dystopian horror, whether they're familiar with Lovecraft's stories or not. Especially if you like gaming-style high-action sequences of bloody violence.
--
[a:Assaph Mehr|14422472|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1518065419p2/14422472.jpg], author of [b:Murder In Absentia|29500700|Murder In Absentia (Felix the Fox, #1)|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457914061s/29500700.jpg|46845657]: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
spazenport's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted to Shoggoth.net.
I first came across the writings of C.T. Phipps while reading his Rules of Supervillainy series. I thoroughly enjoyed those books, so when I heard that C.T. was coming out with an almost Cthulhu Western that takes place after the world has been overrun by every work of Mr. Lovecraft’s, I had to read it.
Much to my surprise, the book was nothing like the Supervillainy series as far as tone. That’s a good thing. While Supervillainy was humorous, I don’t pick up Mythos books for a good laugh. From the first page, we’re pulled into an assault on a mysterious Black Cathedral. Just as quickly, and expertly done, we’re introduced to a squad of “Rangers” that are with the last “pure” humans on Earth. Pure, in this context, means non-alien, or ghoul, or whatever kind of specter or what not the critters might be.
This first few pages is where you also get your first taste of some great world building that reminds me, in its detail and vastness, of Tolkien. The world was shattered, culturally and economically speaking, and it became divided by the many different factions of humanity. Each group choosing to worship, fight, or become one with a being or group of beings from the pantheon. Even our hero, John Booth, has no allusion to the world being anything other than what it is: Foreign, toxic, and divided. You’ll see a lot of that in Phipp’s well-built characters as well.
In those first pages, we’re thrown into the rest of the story with some major questions popping up right in the beginning. And that Black Cathedral? It’s a very large MacGuffin, driving the plot as our hero tries to return to it for not only answers, but to protect those that he’s come to care about from a fate worse than death.
My highlights of this story are the obvious references to our culture, but also the interesting view that we get of Lovecraft’s monstrosities. Arguably, my favorite description is of the Deep Ones and their Innsmouth folk followers. They get described as an almost mob presence in Kingsport, dealing in the darker trades. I forget how their leader was described, but he came off as very the Godfather meets Gurgling Deep One.
Another thing I tended to enjoy was the dynamic between characters. Each character has a very specific and realistic personality, and they are very enjoyable. Even Jackie, the little girl who travels with Booth, with her very adult mannerisms comes off as realistic when you see her through the lens of… well, no spoilers.
This book was a solid and well done story that incorporates the best of Mythos fiction with some very original elements from a great writer.
5 out of 5 stars!
I first came across the writings of C.T. Phipps while reading his Rules of Supervillainy series. I thoroughly enjoyed those books, so when I heard that C.T. was coming out with an almost Cthulhu Western that takes place after the world has been overrun by every work of Mr. Lovecraft’s, I had to read it.
Much to my surprise, the book was nothing like the Supervillainy series as far as tone. That’s a good thing. While Supervillainy was humorous, I don’t pick up Mythos books for a good laugh. From the first page, we’re pulled into an assault on a mysterious Black Cathedral. Just as quickly, and expertly done, we’re introduced to a squad of “Rangers” that are with the last “pure” humans on Earth. Pure, in this context, means non-alien, or ghoul, or whatever kind of specter or what not the critters might be.
This first few pages is where you also get your first taste of some great world building that reminds me, in its detail and vastness, of Tolkien. The world was shattered, culturally and economically speaking, and it became divided by the many different factions of humanity. Each group choosing to worship, fight, or become one with a being or group of beings from the pantheon. Even our hero, John Booth, has no allusion to the world being anything other than what it is: Foreign, toxic, and divided. You’ll see a lot of that in Phipp’s well-built characters as well.
In those first pages, we’re thrown into the rest of the story with some major questions popping up right in the beginning. And that Black Cathedral? It’s a very large MacGuffin, driving the plot as our hero tries to return to it for not only answers, but to protect those that he’s come to care about from a fate worse than death.
My highlights of this story are the obvious references to our culture, but also the interesting view that we get of Lovecraft’s monstrosities. Arguably, my favorite description is of the Deep Ones and their Innsmouth folk followers. They get described as an almost mob presence in Kingsport, dealing in the darker trades. I forget how their leader was described, but he came off as very the Godfather meets Gurgling Deep One.
Another thing I tended to enjoy was the dynamic between characters. Each character has a very specific and realistic personality, and they are very enjoyable. Even Jackie, the little girl who travels with Booth, with her very adult mannerisms comes off as realistic when you see her through the lens of… well, no spoilers.
This book was a solid and well done story that incorporates the best of Mythos fiction with some very original elements from a great writer.
5 out of 5 stars!
laknight's review against another edition
1.0
This book is choppy, abrupt, and the world-building is flat and lazy. Also the lead character deserves to be stabbed in the eye.
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