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A review by starkva
Eldritch Investigations: Lovecraftian Tales of Occult Detection by Simon Bleaken, C. T. Phipps, Tim Mendees
3.0
Thanks BookSirens for this ARC. It was definitely not my favourite anthology, with some incredibly disappointing stories in it - but there were some quality reads too.
Where Dreams Come True: I loved this story and the debut of The Lodge and Aaron Dredson. I'll definitely look out for more following these characters - easy-to-read, exciting, very descriptive, with cultism and secret societies to keep you on your toes. Great start to the anthology. 3.5/5
The Idol of Dagon: Eh. This was okay. It seemed a bit try-hard in places, listing old gods of various cultures as though the author just wanted to make sure the readers knew they had done their research. If I'm honest, I also feel like all plot points resolved too easily - there was no tension or suspense. Perhaps as a novel, this story would have fared better, with more opportunity to develop ideas. 2.5/5
Fruiting Bodies: Ooh, I did not really like this one. It felt unexplained and a bit distasteful. I didn't buy into the characters and I felt like nobody's motivations made sense. 1.5/5
The Professor Snow Affair: I liked the setting, and the train journey was exciting as it built tension. Thereafter, however, I felt like the plot just derailed (excuse the pun). It became rushed and sacrificed all suspense in what felt like a desperate attempt to stay under a word limit. 3/5
Mother of Serpents: This anthology is really on a downward slope for me at the moment. Again, this was just not exciting! None of the characters had any personality or development and every bit that could have been good was either over as soon as it started, or thrown in with so many other things that it was lost amongst the rubbish. 1/5
Grinder Rock: I don't understand how this story even made it into an anthology. Poor grammar and an absolutely nonsensical plot. 0/5
The Maltese Cthulhu: This story was written with a sense of humour and some intriguing characters. A couple of bits baffled me but I enjoyed reading it. 3/5
Deepest Darkest Geometry: I don't want to use the word hate... But I strongly disliked this story. It made no sense. The structure was almost impossible to read. If this were a standalone book it would have been a DNF at about the third paragraph, but I kept thinking it would be over soon so I may as well finish. I shouldn't have bothered. 0/5
Harlan Cormell and the Cult of Byakhee: Oh, this was fun! I really liked the Cormells and I'd absolutely read more about them. I enjoyed the relationships Harlan had with other characters too - he seemed to have a good group of people he could trust, which is a pleasant rarity in a lot of fiction. 4/5
The Fung Mystery: The mystery element was fairly small but this was quite a lovely little story. Some great lines, some cool characters: overall a fun little read. I feel like it would translate really well into television too. 4/5
The Horror of Angove Hall: Fairly sweet little story. Could have done with some proofreading in places, but this isn't the first story in this anthology where I have felt like a little editing would have gone a long way. Good plot though, and I liked the way it was told. 3.5/5
The O'Connor Files: The Cults: Now this is what I came here for. This story was great - really fun character and decent writing. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the way being queer was described - not because it was negative but because it was oddly clunky - but I managed to put that aside as being appropriate for the time period in which the story is set (the nineties). I'd definitely read more of this. 4.5/5
The Yellow Door: Another great story - a bit twisty, with some fantastic characters. I loved this introduction to the author's world and would gladly dive into more of it. This was quirky detective done well - yay! 5/5
The Death of Many Eyes: Oh I am relieved this book maintained its high towards the end. This was another top story - graphic and gruesome in places, very well-paced, and quite exciting. 4/5
Where Dreams Come True: I loved this story and the debut of The Lodge and Aaron Dredson. I'll definitely look out for more following these characters - easy-to-read, exciting, very descriptive, with cultism and secret societies to keep you on your toes. Great start to the anthology. 3.5/5
The Idol of Dagon: Eh. This was okay. It seemed a bit try-hard in places, listing old gods of various cultures as though the author just wanted to make sure the readers knew they had done their research. If I'm honest, I also feel like all plot points resolved too easily - there was no tension or suspense. Perhaps as a novel, this story would have fared better, with more opportunity to develop ideas. 2.5/5
Fruiting Bodies: Ooh, I did not really like this one. It felt unexplained and a bit distasteful. I didn't buy into the characters and I felt like nobody's motivations made sense. 1.5/5
The Professor Snow Affair: I liked the setting, and the train journey was exciting as it built tension. Thereafter, however, I felt like the plot just derailed (excuse the pun). It became rushed and sacrificed all suspense in what felt like a desperate attempt to stay under a word limit. 3/5
Mother of Serpents: This anthology is really on a downward slope for me at the moment. Again, this was just not exciting! None of the characters had any personality or development and every bit that could have been good was either over as soon as it started, or thrown in with so many other things that it was lost amongst the rubbish. 1/5
Grinder Rock: I don't understand how this story even made it into an anthology. Poor grammar and an absolutely nonsensical plot. 0/5
The Maltese Cthulhu: This story was written with a sense of humour and some intriguing characters. A couple of bits baffled me but I enjoyed reading it. 3/5
Deepest Darkest Geometry: I don't want to use the word hate... But I strongly disliked this story. It made no sense. The structure was almost impossible to read. If this were a standalone book it would have been a DNF at about the third paragraph, but I kept thinking it would be over soon so I may as well finish. I shouldn't have bothered. 0/5
Harlan Cormell and the Cult of Byakhee: Oh, this was fun! I really liked the Cormells and I'd absolutely read more about them. I enjoyed the relationships Harlan had with other characters too - he seemed to have a good group of people he could trust, which is a pleasant rarity in a lot of fiction. 4/5
The Fung Mystery: The mystery element was fairly small but this was quite a lovely little story. Some great lines, some cool characters: overall a fun little read. I feel like it would translate really well into television too. 4/5
The Horror of Angove Hall: Fairly sweet little story. Could have done with some proofreading in places, but this isn't the first story in this anthology where I have felt like a little editing would have gone a long way. Good plot though, and I liked the way it was told. 3.5/5
The O'Connor Files: The Cults: Now this is what I came here for. This story was great - really fun character and decent writing. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the way being queer was described - not because it was negative but because it was oddly clunky - but I managed to put that aside as being appropriate for the time period in which the story is set (the nineties). I'd definitely read more of this. 4.5/5
The Yellow Door: Another great story - a bit twisty, with some fantastic characters. I loved this introduction to the author's world and would gladly dive into more of it. This was quirky detective done well - yay! 5/5
The Death of Many Eyes: Oh I am relieved this book maintained its high towards the end. This was another top story - graphic and gruesome in places, very well-paced, and quite exciting. 4/5