The Book of Cthulhu 2

This is a stunning collection of Lovecraft inspired tales all centered around the infamous Cthulhu myth. The stories in this collection vary greatly in theme, tone, and atmosphere, but all pay homage to the great master of storytelling and world-building.

Some, like Neil Gaiman's addition "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar," make direct reference to Lovecraft and his mythos. Others, such as "Nor the Demons Down Under the Sea" by Caitlin R. Kiernan allude to the mysteries of the master with just as much skill and craft. William Browning Spencer's "The Ocean and All Its Devices" gives us the possible origins of such creatures in his heartbreaking tale of loss. Kim Newman even gives us Lovecraft noir in her excellent story "The Big Fish." There are two dozen stories here from some of the biggest names in horror. Laird Barron, Neil Gaiman, Jonathon Wood, W. H. Pugmire, and more serve up a fantastic selection of monsters. There are very few weak moments in this one and worth every slithery scale! The only catch-- you must be a Lovecraft fan. Without that, many of the stories will be a little too odd as they rely on an understanding of the original story.

The Spirit of Poe anthology

This collection was designed as a fundraiser for the Poe House in Baltimore. Underfunded and in trouble, all proceeds went to help keep the house up and running. Other than supporting a great cause, there's not much to get excited about here.

I'm not sure what the editors wanted with this one. Did they want stories in the Gothic style of Poe himself? If so, that goal really falls short. Most of the stories here don't even come close to capturing the elements of Gothic literature. Some tried, but the effort felt forced. It seemed as if some of the authors weren't even sure who Poe was let alone having ever cracked one of his books open!

There were a few that worked. My personal favorite was "Peanut Butter and Jelly" by Pam Hawley. "Gum for the Soul" by Jackson Creed was a unique look at those dark places in the human soul. Two of Poe's stories were here, including my favorite "The Fall of the House of Usher."

I was disappointed. After months of waiting on this release, I just got another horror anthology. Nothing Gothic, very little creepy, very flat.

Walter Greatshell Terminal Island

Walter Greatshell

Terminal Island

Greatshell's Terminal Island is a bizarre trip through madness, reality, hallucination, and the uncertain space between those two things. As a young boy, Henry is yanked away from his life on Catalina Island off the coast of California. He and his mother become transients and never put down any roots. All grown up, Henry returns to the island to sort out the confusion of his past. What ensues is far from a comforting family reunion.

This is an intriguing novel that keeps you guessing but not lost in chaos. Read carefully because the narrative jumps back and forth in time. Henry's past and present are carefully woven together and help create a growing sense of of unbalanced distress as the novel progresses. Dark, evil dreams of death and monsters hint at Lovecraft in a few places.Through the first two-thirds of the book, Greatshell skillfully walks the tightrope of reality and unreality quite well.

There are two major weakness of this novel however. First are the occult rituals. They just felt cheap. When in doubt, let's throw in some mumbling rituals. The ending was also weak. It just kept going and going and never hit that intense peak of fear I was expecting. It was an entertaining if not entirely compelling read.