Weirder Shadows Over Innsmouth
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 9/22/2015
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 9/22/2015 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I enjoyed the Shadows Over Innsmouth collection of Lovecraft-inspired stories, and when I came across this new softcover collection at a local Barnes and Noble, I had to have it. [The editor's introduction includes a description of some of the trials and tribulations of publishing these days, sometimes almost as frightening as the stories {rueful grin}.]
There's quite a variety of tales here, examining the Lovecraftian themes from many different sides. Among my favorites:
Kim Newman's "Richard Riddle, Boy Detective in 'The Case of the French Spy'" is - as the title suggests - a very funny homage to "boy's own story"-type tales, with the eager young sleuths delving into the mystery of a grumpy neighbor who's been destroying ammonite fossils. This turns poignant when a captive Deep One is discovered, but all in all it's one of the more... light-hearted? - stories here, and I really enjoyed it.
"The Archbishop's Well" by Reggie Oliver merges Lovecraftian themes with the ghost-story style of M. R. James, for a very nifty little chiller.
Conrad Williams' "The Hag Stone" is another tale with a classic feel; here, a bereaved man seeks escape and solace in a remote coastal village, only to stumble upon horrifying knowledge.
"The Same Deep Waters As You" by Brian Hodge has a modern-day setting, and involves a woman who's skilled at communicating with animals as she tries to cope with a secret government assignment to make contact with a group of Deep Ones, survivors of the raid on Innsmouth over half a century before. This one focuses on her viewpoint, but well-intentioned as she is, things get out of control, and the end is quietly chilling.
"The Chain" by Michael Marshall Smith is set in a well-off California town, where things might just be a little *too* good - and when an artist who can't focus on his work moves to the area and starts investigating, he gets in way over his head. This one features Lovecraft's unthinkably vast, pitiless Powers That Be.
Simon Kurt Unsworth's "Into the Water" is one of the more atmospheric tales, with its reporters trying to get a good look at a flooded region - but who find more beneath the surface of the waters than they expected. This one sneaks up on you.
The author-information section includes references to their other work, which might just increase your wishlist. And don't miss the illustrations; they're funny/dark/creepy, and there's one near the end of the book that's a hilarious riff on the "American Gothic" painting.
[There's a TV Tropes page for Lovecraft's "Shadow Over Innsmouth", the story that's the inspiration for this collection.]
There's quite a variety of tales here, examining the Lovecraftian themes from many different sides. Among my favorites:
Kim Newman's "Richard Riddle, Boy Detective in 'The Case of the French Spy'" is - as the title suggests - a very funny homage to "boy's own story"-type tales, with the eager young sleuths delving into the mystery of a grumpy neighbor who's been destroying ammonite fossils. This turns poignant when a captive Deep One is discovered, but all in all it's one of the more... light-hearted? - stories here, and I really enjoyed it.
"The Archbishop's Well" by Reggie Oliver merges Lovecraftian themes with the ghost-story style of M. R. James, for a very nifty little chiller.
Conrad Williams' "The Hag Stone" is another tale with a classic feel; here, a bereaved man seeks escape and solace in a remote coastal village, only to stumble upon horrifying knowledge.
"The Same Deep Waters As You" by Brian Hodge has a modern-day setting, and involves a woman who's skilled at communicating with animals as she tries to cope with a secret government assignment to make contact with a group of Deep Ones, survivors of the raid on Innsmouth over half a century before. This one focuses on her viewpoint, but well-intentioned as she is, things get out of control, and the end is quietly chilling.
"The Chain" by Michael Marshall Smith is set in a well-off California town, where things might just be a little *too* good - and when an artist who can't focus on his work moves to the area and starts investigating, he gets in way over his head. This one features Lovecraft's unthinkably vast, pitiless Powers That Be.
Simon Kurt Unsworth's "Into the Water" is one of the more atmospheric tales, with its reporters trying to get a good look at a flooded region - but who find more beneath the surface of the waters than they expected. This one sneaks up on you.
The author-information section includes references to their other work, which might just increase your wishlist. And don't miss the illustrations; they're funny/dark/creepy, and there's one near the end of the book that's a hilarious riff on the "American Gothic" painting.
[There's a TV Tropes page for Lovecraft's "Shadow Over Innsmouth", the story that's the inspiration for this collection.]
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Haggetts Pond (see notes for details) in Andover, Massachusetts USA on Friday, October 2, 2015
GoryDetails at Haggetts Pond (see notes for details) in Andover, Massachusetts USA on Friday, October 2, 2015
Released 8 yrs ago (10/2/2015 UTC) at Haggetts Pond (see notes for details) in Andover, Massachusetts USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I left this book, bagged against the elements, near the trail head on Haggetts Pond Road at around 1:40 or so; hope the finder enjoys it!*** Released as part of the 2015 You're Such an Animal release challenge, for the embedded "shad" in the title. ***
*** Released as part of the 2015 Spook-tacular release challenge. ***
*** Released as part of the 2015 TICK TOCK release challenge, for the embedded "AD" in the title. ***
