This sixth volume of S.T. Joshi's acclaimed Black Wings series demonstrates as never before howinfinitely malleable are H. P. Lovecraft's weird conceptions. The twenty-two stories and poems in this book run the gamut of modes and genres, but each ofthem is fuelled by elements large and small drawn from Lovecraft's inexhaustibly rich corpus of writing.
Cosmicism is central toLovecraft's imaginative vision, and it oftentimes is manifested in tales of archaeological horror. In this volume, stories by Ann K. Schwader, Lynne Jamneck, Don Webb, and Stephen Woodworth treat this motif in varying and distinctive ways. Lovecraft's work is also infused with a profound sense ofplace, as he himself was attached to the familiar locales of his native New England but also travelled widely in search of new vistas to stimulate hisimagination. Here, stories by Tom Lynch, Aaron Bittner, W. H. Pugmire, and DarrellSchweitzer summon up the landscapes of diverse realms in America to tease outthe horrors embedded in them.
Alien creatures arefeatured in many of Lovecraft's greatest tales. In this volume, William F.Nolan, Nancy Kilpatrick, Steve Rasnic Tem, Jonathan Thomas, and Jason V Brocksummon up multiform monsters inspired by Lovecraft's notions of hybridism and alien incursion. The forbidden book theme is deftly handled by Caitlín R.Kiernan, and the notion of other worlds lying just around the corner from ourown is the subject of stories by Donald Tyson and Mark Howard Jones. Finally,David Hambling cleverly adapts Lovecraftian concepts to the locked-room detective story.
In commemorating the incredible efflorescence of weird poetry in our time, this book presents poemsby four leading contemporary poets-Ashley Dioses, K. A. Opperman, Adam Bolivar,and D. L. Myers. Each of their works fuses skilful use of rhyme and metre withcompact evocations of Lovecraftian themes. H. P. Lovecraft's work is likely tocontinue inspiring writers for many generations, and this volume presents a vivid snapshot of what can be said in this idiom by sensitive and talentedauthors.
***
[WHATEVER WAS IN THE PACKAGE, JUPE AND JUNO DIDN'T like it - POTHUNTERS - ANN K. SCHWADER)***
(Titan Books, 16 October 2018, first published 2017, ebook, 432 pages, copy from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed)
***
Stories & poems included:
- Pothunters by Ann K. Schwader
- The Girl in the Attic by Darrell Schweitzer
- The Once and Future Waite by Jonathan Thomas
- Oude Goden by Lynne Jamneck
- Carnivorous by William F. Nolan
- On a Dreamland's Moon by Ashley Dioses
- Teshtigo Creek by Aaron Bittner
- Ex Libris by Caitlín R. Kiernan
- You Shadows That in Darkness Dwell by Mark HowardJones
- The Ballad of Asenath Waite by Adam Bolivar
- The Visitor by Nancy Kilpatrick
- The Gaunt by Tom Lynch
- Missing at the Morgue Donald Tyson
- The Shard by Don Webb
- The Mystery of the Cursed Cottage by David Hambling
- To Court the Night by K. A. Opperman
- To Move Beneath Autumnal Oaks by W. H. Pugmire
- Mister Ainsley by Steve Rasnic Tem
- Satiety by Jason V Brock
- Provenance Unknown by Stephen Woodworth
- The Well by D. L. Myers
***
I've read a few of these authors before and some are completely new. I'm a huge fan of H.P Lovecraft. I have a copy of hiscollected stories I've read so many times its dog-eared and almost in pieces. Ienjoyed every story in this collection. One of the most enjoyable things is how different the stories are. Some are very close to Lovecraft's style and subject matter and some are very different. No two stories in BlackWings of Cthulhu 6are alike. My favourites were Pothunters by Ann K. Schwader, The Once andFuture Waite by Jonathan Thomas, Ex Libris by Caitlín R. Kiernan and The Mystery of the Cursed Cottage byDavid Hamblin g. This collection also contains a few poems. Unfortunately, thisis what lets the collection down and prevents it from becoming a five-star read. I just didn't enjoy them.
