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Ms Fenris Reads 'Lovecraft Mythos, New and Classics' 3
3 years ago
Let's continue with my read of Lovecraftian stories, by many authors, new and classic!
The Fire of Asshurbanipal - by Robert E Howard
Ahhh, good old Robert E Howard, creator of the most famous Gary Stu, Conan the Barbarian. Without him would we have Dungeons and Dragons, and all the fantasy that's spawned from that?
Say what you will about him, but the man knew how to write action. This story is no exception; a fun, brief little adventure story about a pair of chaps that decide it'd be a great lark to go wandering into the desert in search of some jewel that they probably shouldn't look for anyway because it's probably cursed, using good old-fashioned thews and combat luck and smarts to best hoards of- ah... *tugs at shirt collar* 'natives' to get to it.
Well, maybe not everything holds up, but it's still greatly written action.
Worms of the Earth - by Robert E Howard
Well lookie lookie, the editor of this collection loved REH enough to give him two in a row.
This one is a bit more lovecraftian, involving a descent into some eldritch ruins from an epoch long passed, flush with people of an elder time devolved and degenerated into unthinkable monstrosity.
It's interesting to me that the picts, formerly the 'stock savage natives' of many another Howard story, now become sympathetic in this one, with their hero-king Bran Mak Morn going to insane lengths to avenge himself against a bunch of asshole romans. Did Howard do some soul-searching between earlier works and this story, learning the lessons that Lovecraft never did about sympathy for races other than his own?
The Innsmouth of the South - by Rachael K Jones
Here we have the second of the more humorous entries in this book. Our protagonist of this tale works at 'R'lyeh Funland', a lovecraft amusement park, run by a sunnavabitch of a boss. Good thing their merchandise booths sell real, working necronomicons...
Amusing, but I still don't know how sold I am on lovecraftian satire. I mean, sure, the genre CAN be predictable, formulaic and ridiculous, but goldang it I don't need that pointed out.
The Damage - by Scott R Jones
In this story we discover another formula of horror story: the 'Couple has their relationship tested as they get lost somewhere' story, with the nuanced writing that purports to truly understand male and female dynamics by depicting women as just intuitively knowing that they're in a horror story, and men being too controlling to want to realize anything spooky is happening, mansplaining their way through the prose
It's a boring formula, at least to me, which could have been potentially saved by anything happening. It's a shame nothing did.
Black Ships Seen South of Heaven - by Caitlin R Kiernan
The second Cthulhu-pocalypse story, and one I found quite a bit more interesting than Foxfire Future. The cthulhu-pocalypse in this one is weird, with fungal infections that slowly consume people and compel them to wander out into the woods to become trees, and Mr. Nyarlathotep himself (presumably) sewing dissent among the survivors, trying to get them to work for the other team. Pessimistic and unpleasant, but interesting.
Always a Castle - Nancy Kilpatrick
Short, to the point, and not much fluff beyond it. It was alright, not bringing much new to the table, but not annoying me in any way either.
But you know how you can tell sometimes what an author is REALLY into? Some authors linger on trees and countryside, and you say to yourself "Ah, this author, they've worked on a farm, and really love farms." Other authors might talk at length about the tram system in a city, and you'll know they spent a good day or two on wikipedia reading all about that.
THIS author apparently really loves antique furniture.
The Fire of Asshurbanipal - by Robert E Howard
Ahhh, good old Robert E Howard, creator of the most famous Gary Stu, Conan the Barbarian. Without him would we have Dungeons and Dragons, and all the fantasy that's spawned from that?
Say what you will about him, but the man knew how to write action. This story is no exception; a fun, brief little adventure story about a pair of chaps that decide it'd be a great lark to go wandering into the desert in search of some jewel that they probably shouldn't look for anyway because it's probably cursed, using good old-fashioned thews and combat luck and smarts to best hoards of- ah... *tugs at shirt collar* 'natives' to get to it.
Well, maybe not everything holds up, but it's still greatly written action.
Worms of the Earth - by Robert E Howard
Well lookie lookie, the editor of this collection loved REH enough to give him two in a row.
This one is a bit more lovecraftian, involving a descent into some eldritch ruins from an epoch long passed, flush with people of an elder time devolved and degenerated into unthinkable monstrosity.
It's interesting to me that the picts, formerly the 'stock savage natives' of many another Howard story, now become sympathetic in this one, with their hero-king Bran Mak Morn going to insane lengths to avenge himself against a bunch of asshole romans. Did Howard do some soul-searching between earlier works and this story, learning the lessons that Lovecraft never did about sympathy for races other than his own?
The Innsmouth of the South - by Rachael K Jones
Here we have the second of the more humorous entries in this book. Our protagonist of this tale works at 'R'lyeh Funland', a lovecraft amusement park, run by a sunnavabitch of a boss. Good thing their merchandise booths sell real, working necronomicons...
Amusing, but I still don't know how sold I am on lovecraftian satire. I mean, sure, the genre CAN be predictable, formulaic and ridiculous, but goldang it I don't need that pointed out.
The Damage - by Scott R Jones
In this story we discover another formula of horror story: the 'Couple has their relationship tested as they get lost somewhere' story, with the nuanced writing that purports to truly understand male and female dynamics by depicting women as just intuitively knowing that they're in a horror story, and men being too controlling to want to realize anything spooky is happening, mansplaining their way through the prose
It's a boring formula, at least to me, which could have been potentially saved by anything happening. It's a shame nothing did.
Black Ships Seen South of Heaven - by Caitlin R Kiernan
The second Cthulhu-pocalypse story, and one I found quite a bit more interesting than Foxfire Future. The cthulhu-pocalypse in this one is weird, with fungal infections that slowly consume people and compel them to wander out into the woods to become trees, and Mr. Nyarlathotep himself (presumably) sewing dissent among the survivors, trying to get them to work for the other team. Pessimistic and unpleasant, but interesting.
Always a Castle - Nancy Kilpatrick
Short, to the point, and not much fluff beyond it. It was alright, not bringing much new to the table, but not annoying me in any way either.
But you know how you can tell sometimes what an author is REALLY into? Some authors linger on trees and countryside, and you say to yourself "Ah, this author, they've worked on a farm, and really love farms." Other authors might talk at length about the tram system in a city, and you'll know they spent a good day or two on wikipedia reading all about that.
THIS author apparently really loves antique furniture.
MightySquid
~mightysquid
For Lovecraftian satire, I super recommend Livia Llewelyn. Not all satire is humorous, and hers are deadly serious. She writes very queer, feminist, and often uncomfortably erotic horror, and her takes on Lovecraftian tropes are downright nightmarish. She has a Deep Ones story in her anthology Engines of Desire: Tales of Love & Other Horrors, which I shan't spoil other than to say it illuminates horrors that good ol' H P could never have dreamed.
