Best of
Cthulhu-Mythos

2017

The Tales from the Miskatonic University Library


Darrell Schweitzer - 2017
    Lovecraft and his successors. Here in the library, under lock and key, are some of the world’s most dangerous books, most famously the dreaded Necronomicon of the mad Arab, Abdul Alhazred. There was a notably unpleasant incident in the late 1920s, when a certain Wilbur Whateley tried to steal that particular volume, and met a hideous fate. Fortunately, that time at least, the head librarian and his colleagues were able to save the Earth from the dreadful danger of the Dunwich Horror. How safe are Miskatonic’s security precautions and what has perhaps disappeared from, or appeared in the collection since? What other creepy, maddening, extra-dimensional, or even sentient tomes reside on those forbidden shelves? What strange events have taken place among the stacks? Is there an inter-library loan system? Who, or what, comes after miscreants who fail to return books on time? In the modern, digital age, what would happen if some of the content escaped over the Internet? Are some of the books, or all of them, little more than slowly ticking time bombs? And what, dare we ask, can be found in the Cooking Section? If you learn all the secrets of the Miskatonic University Library, will you go mad—or just wish you had? A feast of bibliographical horrors by Don Webb, Adrian Cole, Dirk Flinthart, Harry Turtledove, P.D. Cacek, Will Murray, A.C. Wise, Marilyn Mattie Brahen, Douglas Wynne, Alex Shvartsman, James Van Pelt, Robert M. Price, and Darrell Schweitzer. If you learn all the secrets of the Miskatonic University Library, will you go mad—or just wish you had?

Home From The Sea


William Meikle - 2017
     Home from the Sea contains 14 tales of Lovecraftian Terror Contents: SymbiOS Carnacki: The Island Of Doctor Munroe The Terror that Came to Dounreay Inquisitor The Tenants of Ladywell Manor Carnacki: The Larkhall Barrow The Invisible Menace Sherlock Holmes: The Color that Came to Chiswick Professor Challenger: Ripples in the Ether The Doom that Came to Dunfield Home From the Sea Amoeboid From Between #Dreaming Praise for William Meikle: __________________________ "One of the premier storytellers of our time." - Famous Monsters of Filmland "William Meikle is an entertaining writer with a knack for Lovecraftian fiction." - Lovecraft eZine "Willie Meikle has a gift for writing highly entertaining thrilling novels." - Ginger Nuts of Horror

Demiurge: The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales of Michael Shea


Michael Shea - 2017
    P. Lovecraft—an entire universe of gods and monsters that hundreds of writers have imitated. But Shea has done a lot more than merely mimic Lovecraft’s prose or add a new god or “forbidden book” to the Mythos. In his Mythos tales, Shea has infused his own unique vision and perspective. The much-reprinted “Fat Face” takes us into the seedy underworld of prostitutes and drug dealers in San Francisco, while other tales such as “Dagoniad,” “Copping Squid,” and “Tsathoggua” vividly meld Lovecraftian cosmic horror with the contemporary world of California, with its swimming pools and beachcombers. Shea was also fascinated with Lovecraft’s novel of Antarctic horror, At the Mountains of Madness, and his stories “Under the Shelf” and “Beneath the Beardmore” take us to that frozen land of death and terror. The title story, “Demiurge,” is a previously unpublished novella that draws upon Lovecraft’s tales of psychic possession in its chilling portrayal of a nameless monster who may be the harbinger of the overthrow of the entire human race. Michael Shea (1946–2014) was the award-winning author of The Color out of Time, the Nifft the Lean series of fantasy novels, and the classic tales “Polyphemus” and “The Autopsy.” This volume of his complete Cthulhu Mythos tales has been assembled by S. T. Joshi, a leading authority on Lovecraft and the Mythos. This volume features wraparound cover artwork and five interior illustrations by renowned artist Aeron Alfrey (MADHOUSE).

The Peaslee Papers: A Lovecraftian Chronicle


Pete Rawlik - 2017
     They were there when the Saurians were cast aside, and the ancestors of men were little more than pets for the things that once walked the Earth. They witnessed the wrathful judgment of gods and the terrible punishment inflicted on those who defy them.   They are there when Rome begins to crumble, manipulating the long course of Human thought, Human evolution, and Human history. They have tampered with things that should not have been, creating monsters of men. They play the Long Game, the purpose of which is hidden, perhaps even from themselves.   They shall be as saviors, manipulating forces we do not and cannot understand. We shall succumb to their benevolent rule, and they shall fall to the monsters we become to resist them, sacrificing Humanity itself, embracing our destiny to become so much more. But even this is only part of the Long Game, a game in which the universe itself is the prize. The Yith Have Always Been With Us... and So Have the Peaslees. Twenty-two tales of cosmic horror detailing the further exploits of H.P. Lovecraft’s Peaslee family, their ancestors, and descendants. *** "Rawlik’s THE PEASLEE PAPERS transcends mere Lovecraftian homage into an area all its own, spanning time and space, slipstreaming historical characters into the mix while diving deep into occult conspiracies that linger on the mind long after the last page is turned." -- Bob Pastorella, This Is Horror "Pete Rawlik, more than any other working with the Mythos today, brings a gleeful joy to his work. THE PEASLEE PAPERS sees Rawlik turning his fiendishly clever imagination towards one of the founding blocks of weird fiction as set out by Lovecraft himself. Good googly moogly it is fun. I want to have cocktails with this cat." -- Acep Hale, book reviewer

Some Notes on a Nonentity: The Life of H.P. Lovecraft


Sam Gafford - 2017
    P. Lovecraft and his works have become an overwhelming part of popular culture. His creation, Cthulhu, has appeared in films, cartoons, video games, music and virtually all other parts of popular media. However, although many may know Lovecraft’s creations, few people know the details of his extraordinary life. SOME NOTES ON A NON-ENTITY: THE LIFE OF H. P. LOVECRAFT is a graphic novel biography of this enigmatic and legendary writer.Based on years of research into the primary sources regarding Lovecraft’s life, this graphic novel spans Lovecraft’s youth to his later years. Episodes covered include his odd relationship with an overpowering mother; his brief sojourn in New York City and disastrous marriage; the creation of his most amazing tales; and his physically painful decline to an eventual death while considering himself a complete and utter failure.SOME NOTES ON A NON-ENTITY is a 120+ page graphic novel written by SAM GAFFORD and illustrated by JASON ECKHARDT. Gafford is a weird literature scholar who has written about Lovecraft for several critical magazines and is a founding organizer of the NecronomiCON convention which celebrates Lovecraft’s life and work. Eckhardt is an award winner artist who has received great acclaim for his covers for such publishers as Necronomicon Press, Hippocampus Press and others. Recently, his work has been featured in the highly reviewed ANNOTATED H. P. LOVECRAFT by Leslie Klinger. Together, these two respected creators have developed what will be considered THE graphic novel biography of the man who has been hailed as second only to Poe as America’s most important writer of weird literature.​​​​​​​

The Two-Headed Serpent


Paul Fricker - 2017
    The heroes face the sinister conspiracies of an ancient race of monsters hell-bent on taking back a world that was once theirs. Working for Caduceus, a medical aid organization, the heroes will loot a lost temple in the forests of Bolivia, go head-to-head with the Mafia in New York City, face a deadly epidemic in the jungles of North Borneo, uncover the workings of a strange cult in dust-bowl-era Oklahoma, infiltrate enemy territory inside an awakening volcano in Iceland, face the horrors of hideous medical experiments in the Congo, race to control an ancient and powerful artifact on the streets of Calcutta, and ultimately travel to a lost continent for a desperate battle to save humanity from enslavement or annihilation!Packed with nine adrenalin-fuelled adventures, Keeper advice, gorgeous full-color maps and player handouts

Tuesday's Apocalypse (The Dark Bureau Cases Book 1)


Eric Ugland - 2017
     He didn’t realize that on any given day, the apocalypse looms closer than we think, or that our very existence often depends on the over-worked employees of a little-known government agency with a boring, forgettable name: The Bureau of External Affairs. But when Bo manages to clean up a bloodbath caused by an extra-dimensional entity who's poised to devour the universe as we know it -- and do it without his brain turning to gray goo -- Bo is tapped as the newest BEA recruit. For his first assignment on the job, he and his partner have to stop an underground cult in New York City dangerously close to bringing an eldritch god over to this realm. Their help is limited – two veterans are dead, the most senior field officer is in intensive care, and the head of the Bureau is healing from gunshot wounds while trying to keep the president from unleashing nuclear force. There's nothing quite like depending on two under-supported government employees to save the world. Tuesday’s Apocalypse is the first book in a series of thrilling, page-turning adventures where Lovecraftian horror and fast-paced action collide: The Dark Bureau. Buy Tuesday’s Apocalypse today!

Arkham Detective Agency: A Lovecraftian-Noir Tribute to C. J. Henderson


Brian M. SammonsPaula R. Stiles - 2017
    No fainting librarians here, these are tough, capable heroes. And while they may survive their encounters with cosmic evil to fight another day, a terrible price was always paid. Friends were lost, relationships were destroyed, minds were broken. With scars both mental and physical, these champions would get only the briefest of respites before having to rise again to face the next challenge. Knowing that only death or madness would bring their fighting to an end, they nevertheless continued to wage war against the forces of the Cthulhu Mythos. What other choice did they have? This is the world created by author C.J. Henderson who gave readers such modern day pulp heroes as Jack Hagee, Teddy London, Piers Knight, and his most recent creation: Frank Nardi, former N.Y.C. detective, now head of the Arkham Detective Agency. Before C.J. Henderson’s untimely death, many weird fiction authors were invited to this book to play in his world of stoic P.I.s, beautiful dames, and horrible monsters. We are thrilled to bring you the four Frank Nardi stories C.J. finished before his death, and all new stories set in H.P. Lovecraft’s modern day witch-haunted town of Arkham.

Funny Horror


Alex ShvartsmanAmanda C. Davis - 2017
    * Reject novel pitches from famous zombie novelists. * Provide psychotherapy for Cthulhu. * Domesticate angry gods. * Install Linux on a dead badger. Includes the following stories: “No Children, No Pets” by Esther Friesner “43 Responses to ‘In Memory of Dr. Alexandra Nako'” by Barbara A. Barnett “Kvetchula’s Daughter” by Darrell Schweitzer “The Great VuDu Linux Teen Zombie Massacree” by Lucy A. Snyder “Good Neighbors” by Amanda C. Davis “Happily and Righteously” by Larry Hodges “Stalking the Zombie” by Mike Resnick “Restless in R’yleh” by Oliver Buckram “P.R. Problems” by Eric James Stone “Hot Fudge and Whipped Cream” by Tarl Kudrick “Death: A List” by Tanya Bryan “Soccer Mom Smackdown” by Julia S. Mandala “The God Whisperer” by Daniel J. Davis “Meat and Greet” by Jamie Todd Rubin “Something Virtual This Way Comes” by Laura Resnick “The Story of Emily and Control” by Scott Alexander “Howl!” by Jody Lynn Nye “Final Corrections” by M. Bennardo

The House of Nodens


Sam Gafford - 2017
    Bullied and struggling for acceptance, he meets four other boys who form the ‘the Cemetery League’, a group devoted to the weird, exotic and bizarre in movies, comics and television. Each boy carries their own secrets which combine to come to a violent and fiery conclusion in a lonely Connecticut forest. Now, nearly forty years later, the events of that night come back to haunt Bill Simmons as, one by one, the members of the Cemetery League are targeted by an unknown force that may have unnatural links to their past. Has something, or someone, come to exact a bloody vengeance? And how is it linked to a serial killer’s twenty year spree throughout the Nutmeg State? To answer these questions, Bill Simmons will have to face his greatest fears and the failure that destroyed his life and left him a hopeless alcoholic. But will it be enough?

This Book Ain't Nuttin to Fuck With: A Wu-Tang Tribute Anthology


Christoph PaulLoren Kleinman - 2017
    Carter: ABBOT OF THE WHITE LOTUSLoren Kleinman: SUNSHINERobert Dean: THE WORLD FELL BENEATH THE BROKEN CONCRETEAndy Rausch: THE NIGHT OL' DIRTY BASTARD CAME TO HOBOKENTom Leins: INCARCERATED SCARFACESLaura Lee Bahr: THE ONE WHO SWALLOWS THE SEADavid Osborne: PCP & METH & MOLLY & ALCOHOL, & NO SLEEPS.L. Dixon: THE RIGHTEOUS HUNTAaron Besson: HELLRZASergio Hernandez: LINX

The Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic


Mike Mason - 2017
    Each spell has been revised for the Call of Cthulhu 7th edition game, including optional Deeper Magic for the most powerful of Mythos sorcerers and monsters, with which to beguile and confound investigators.Packed full of advice and guidance on diverse matters including spell names, elements of spell casting, magical components, and astronomical considerations. Plus flawed spells, ley lines, folk magic, and the magic of the Dreamlands. Use this grimoire as a resource, a play aid, and as inspiration when designing scenarios. The Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic is an essential supplement for Keepers of Arcane Lore.