New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird (New Cthulhu #1) by various authors (Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Bear, Marc Laidlaw et al.)

"A fun and interesting idea, to see what other authors do with the Lovecraft Mythos but overall, by the end of it all, it was a disappointment."

2 Stars.
Pros: Entertaining to see many different authors take on Lovecraft and his Mythos/A handful of stories were truly eerie and unsettling.

Cons: After awhile it all turned into the same old thing, throw in a reference to Cthlhu here, dabble in a bit of Shoggoths there, it got boring and old and honestly by the end of it, I was glad to be done.

Full Review:

H.P. Lovecraft is a staple of horror fiction and his mythos, Cthulhu and all the Elder Gods, are a Pantheon well known in Science Fiction/Fantasy. He is more or less the Father of Horror fiction and so I was eager to see how other authors handled "Lovecraftian" fiction. Unfortunately, for the most part, it was a disappointment.

There were a few stand out stories that really had that Lovecraft feel. The atmosphere of a chilly air off a New England pier, sinister fog creeping in, the distinct feeling of someone or "something" watching you and waiting. Bad Sushi, Old Virginia, The Oram County Whoosit and The Disciple, were all big wins in this area. They left me feeling unsettled, unnerved and like I had to look over my shoulder to make sure that nothing was going to crawl out of the darkness.

Other stories like The Vicar of R'yleh, Head Music, Mongoose and A Colder War were either just plain confusing or a struggle to get through. The authors took the Lovecraft Mythos and ran with it but in a disappointing, confusing way.

Then there were a choice few that were more middle of the road, not terrible but not great, that had potential but weren't absolute page turners like, Mr. Gaunt, Bringing Helena Back, The Essayist in the Wilderness and Shoggoths in Bloom were just a few. Overall though, the collection of short stories fell into the middle character. Only a few were really entertaining, the rest were just there to fill up the pages.

I'd recommend this book, or at least a few of the stories to any fan of Lovecraft and anyone who's looking for something a little outside of the box and unsettling.

Comments

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

"Obviously targeted to writers but honestly, anyone could benefit from Bradbury's practical yet poetic advice, this was a collection of esasys by Bradbury about his writing process and reflections on some of his greatest works." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Bradbury, duh, though I'm biased, to me, the man's prose is pure poetry, every word beautiful/Since writing is not my career, it was an interesting way to view Bradbury's life. Writing was his job and he was the only income. If he did not produce material, he would not get paid. It help put things into perspective. Cons: The man can go on for a bit 😂/Bradbury's insane work ethic and endless endurance to just produce story after story seems insane and overwhelming but then again, this was his livelihood, so I'm sure it was insane and overwhelming. If he didn't write and get paid, they'd starve, so, it was a life or death situation. Full Review: This was essentially a collection of essays written by Bra...

The Glutton by A. K. Blakemore

"Though dark, disturbing and at times, truly disgusting, Blakemore has created an unforgettable character in Tarare and his sad, sordid tale. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time for many different reasons and to me, that's a sign of a great read." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ Pros: Tarare wasn't a monster, it just seemed that the world was against him/I liked Lozeau and his strange band of misfits/Dr. Dupuis seemed like a genuinely good person, or at least, he had his moments. Cons: Some of the timeline/people of the French Revolution were just white noise to me/Courville was a despicable man. Full Review: The Bottomless man, the Glutton of Lyon, Tarare the Terrible. The man who has many titles but who's name is simply, Tarare, is dying in a hospital in Versailles. Citizen Doctor Tissier has written to his friend, Dupuis, in hopes that he'll be able to cure this mysterious illness that plagues Tarare. For now though, he lays, chained to his bed and waits for...

All the Books.

Search This Blog