cover image Worlds of Cthulhu

Worlds of Cthulhu

Edited by Robert M. Price. Fedogan & Bremer (www.fedoganandbremer.com), $29 (256p) ISBN 978-0-9851522-0-8

Lovecraftians skeptical about the quality of stories derived from his mythos of cosmic horror are in for a pleasant surprise in this anthology from Lovecraft scholar Price (Tales of the Lovecraft Mythos). As Price notes in his introduction, the use of a "check list of unpronounceable names and magical grimoires" isn't enough to make a story an effective continuation of Lovecraft's grim horror. In fact, such slavish pastiches are often the least successful. Of the 11 entries, the two by Will Murray stand head and tentacles above the rest. "The Arcade" opens with an effectively subdued description of "the dead drowned towns" of Massachusetts as well as of a mystic grove consisting of an archway of interlacing American elms before recounting the fate of Remembrance Tyler, a settler taken by an Indian tribe who was seen walking those woods decades after her death. "Evacuation Day" features a na%C3%AFf who ventures into the notorious town of Innsmouth on the worse day of the year. Darrell Schweitzer also especially impresses with "Envy, the Gardens of Ynath, and the Sin of Cain," a tale inspired by "The Whisperer in Darkness." (Oct.)