THE GODS OF H. P. LOVECRAFT edited by Aaron J. French. (JournalStone, December 2015) Trade paperback, 450 pages. ISBN # 1942712561 / 9781942712565
Summary from the Goodreads website . . . .
The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft: a brand new anthology that collects the twelve principal deities of the Lovecraftian Mythos and sets them loose within its pages. Featuring the biggest names in horror and dark fantasy, including many NY Times bestsellers, full of original fiction and artwork, and individual commentary on each of the deities by Donald Tyson.
About the book: Lovecraft’s bestiary of gods has had a major influence on the horror scene from the time these sacred names were first evoked. Cthulhu, Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth—this pantheon of the horrific calls to mind the very worst of cosmic nightmares and the very darkest signs of human nature. The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft brings together twelve all-new Mythos tales from:
Cthulhu (Adam Nevill) – Yog-Sothoth (Martha Wells) – Azathoth (Laird Barron) – Nyarlathotep (Bentley Little) – Shub-Niggurath (David Liss) – Tsathoggua (Brett Talley) – The Mi-Go (Christopher Golden & James A. Moore) – Night-gaunts (Jonathan Maberry) – Elder Things (Joe Lansdale) – Great Race (Rachel Caine) – Yig (Douglas Wynne) – The Deep Ones (Seanan McGuire)
My review on the Goodreads website . . . .
As Lovecraft-themed story collections go, this is one of the better ones. While there are no stories that I would rate as must-be-read, five-stars, or award-worthy -- the majority of them hit the spot and then go on to exceed expectations. I can't recall any similar anthologies that have this many high quality stories. Here's my story by story appreciation . . . . . . . .
I like reviewing these stories as I read them, while they are still fresh in my mind. Three stories in, and I'm already appreciating the diversity of writing styles and themes here. Each author tackles a specific deity from Lovecraft mythos, and so far they are important but mainly background characters.(That changes later in the anthology).
Another great feature of this collection is the short summary of each of Lovecraft's gods that follows each story. The illustrations by Paul Carrick and Steve Santiago are gorgeous in spite of the horrific subject matter.
Almost every paragraph in Adam Nevill's "Call The Name" includes portends of doom, with increasing intensity. The main character is a fourth-generation marine biologist, choosing to live during 2050 in retirement near the English coastal bay where the female scientists in her family have been making some incredible finds. It's a message tale all about climate change and Nevill cleverly links an angry Cthulhu as the behind-the-scenes director of events. Long on description, but so well done. Four stars.
"The Dark Gates" by Martha Wells is a purplish, nourish adventure tale that would have surely been accepted by Weird Tales magazine back in the day. It deals with bargaining with sorcerers, and portals and the alleged generosity of Yog-Sothoth. Four stars.
The next two stories were good, but not great - - maybe because I expected more from these writers. Laird Barron tackles Azathoth (again, only in the background) with an amusing adventure yarn that recalls a more scientific/tech oriented Hardy Boys in "We Smoke The Northern Lights". Three stars.
Bentley Little's story is a bit better but still not up to his usual creepy standards. Despite the implicit terrors this one just didn't read as that frightening. An ancient cultures archeologist becomes obsessed with the presence of a Dark Man in extinct tribes throughout the ages and gets sucked into a pit that draws him in. "Petohtalrayn" is a mirror spelling of Nyarlathotep. In contrast to the other stories, the deity does have more of a role in this one. Three stars.
This one is more like it. Things get a little ominous by Page Two of "The Doors That Never Close and the Doors That Are Always Open" by David Liss. After an odd interview, a down-on-his-luck applicant at a bank/financial institution gets hired for odd reasons. Once he learns the name of his true employer (Shub-Niggurath), he's in for life, along with all the other workaholics in the finance industry. Nice allegory, and terrifying. Four stars.
I like the set-up and the situation more than the way the story plays out in "The Apotheosis of A Rodeo Clown" by Brett J. Talley. A biker gang called The Sons of Dagon hire a rodeo clown for entertainment at a gathering in the woods that also involves a cult of the frog-like Tsathoggua worshippers. Two and one-half stars.
"Rattled" by Douglas Wynne benefits from the back-story relating how a life-long friendship between schoolmates ended during a camping trip in the desert plains. That made it easier to empathize with the narrator as he returns years later to the scene of the crime for justice. Creepy, and it made me squirm reading about the snake-deity Yig. Four stars.
Christopher Golden and James A Moore also hit the mark with "In Their Presence" when an Arctic Sea diving expedition uncovers something that gets the attention of the dimension-traveling Mi-Go. Very weird, just like the old tales from Lovecraft and others. Four stars.
"Dream A Little Dream Of Me" by Jonathan Maberry and featuring the night-gaunts is the most entertaining story in the collection. Told in first-person detective/noir fashion, a werewolf private detective takes on a cult of Lovecraft worshippers. Four stars.
Joe Lansdale strands a group of sea-goers in the dream landscape of the Mountains of Madness and does a bang-up job of depicting this weird and dangerous land. A lifeboat crosses through the portal between dimensions and the occupants become slowly eliminated until there are only two left, who carry on in classic adventure pulp fashion. "In The Mad Mountains" rates four stars.
The main character in "A Dying Of The Light" by Rachel Caine has seen her share of odd behavior as a caretaker at a nursing home. When she gets paired up with a new patient, she's in for a new, enlightening and frightening experience. Four stars.
It finally happened. Seanan McGuire wrote a character that I could not empathize with. However, "Down, Deep Down, below the Waves" is an admirable addition to the Lovecraft set. While the story has more than its fair share of disturbing images and moments, it was spoiled a bit for me when I figured out where it was going in the early pages. A tight group of graduate science students agree to spend a holiday at a seaside bed and breakfast when invited by a normally quieter member. Remind me never to visit this town, in spite of my love for the New England area.
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