Cthulhu Lives! (Cthulhu Anthology #1) ★★★✬☆

 

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Title: Cthulhu Lives!
Series: Cthulhu Anthology #1
Editor: Salome Jones
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Cosmic Horror
Pages: 235
Words: 80K

Synopsis:

Table of Contents

• FOREWORD by Leeman Kessler

• UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS by Piers Beckley

• 1884 by Michael Grey

• ELMWOOD by Tim Dedopulos

• HOBSTONE by G. K. Lomax

• ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER JORDAN by John Reppion

• DARK WATERS by Adam Vidler

• INK by Iain Lowson

• DEMON IN GLASS by E. Dane Anderson

• SCALES FROM BALOR’S EYE by Helmer Gorman

• OF THE FACELESS CROWD by Gábor Csigás

• SCRITCH, SCRATCH by Lynne Hardy

• ICKE by Greg Stolze

• CODING TIME by Marc Reichardt

• THE THING IN THE PRINTER by Peter Tupper

• THE OLD ONES by Jeremy Clymer

• VISITING RIGHTS by Joff Brown

• AFTERWORD

My Thoughts:

I rather enjoyed this anthology. Going into Cosmic Horror though, you have to have the proper mindset. There are no heroes overcoming great odds but ordinary people being overcome with hopeless despair and being devoured (whether physically, psychologically or spiritually depends on the story). Madness, mayhem and murder are the key phrases of the day. Finally, the elder gods are dark gods, uncaring, unmoral and barely able to even interact in this reality without destroying it.

If any of those “rules” are broken, it makes for a very unsatisfactory cosmic horror story. Rites of Azathoth was such a book that just didn't work for me. On the other hand, The Private Lives of Elder Things was fantastic and everything you'd want from cosmic horror. I went into this book wondering which course on the path it was going to take. I'm glad to announce it took the better (errr, worse?) path and was truly horrific and terrifying as only good cosmic horror can be!

I did stay up late a couple of nights because I got caught up in the “one more story” syndrome which has come to represent, to me, the pinnacle of the short story collection. If you can't put the book down, it has done its job perfectly.

Salome Jones has done a fantastic job of putting together stories and while some are pushing the edge of graphic, either violently or sexually, none of them go into what I'd classify as gratuitous. After the couple of short story collections at the end of November, I am thankful for an editor who has dash of good taste in what stories are chosen.

The reasons this was 3 ½ stars instead of higher is because in one story the writer specifically states how the puny god of the christians is as nothing before the darkness of the elder gods. It was the specificity that irked me. I probably wouldn't have minded nearly so much if all the religions were lumped together in that statement, but nope, had to specifically talk about Christianity. sigh.

I've got another couple of volumes of cosmic horror anthologies after this one but I might stretch them out a bit. Too much darkness isn't good for the soul after all. Just like eating a whole bag of cheetos isn't good for the body.

★★★✬☆