New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird Paperback – November 22, 2011

I spent an entire hour writing an initial review in which I typed out the entire Contents page and remarked on my favorite of the stories; but for some reason (perhaps because I quoted text from one of the stories), Amazon has banned that initial review. Annoy'd, I claimed that I would no longer write reviews for Amazon. But this book is so good, and I am one of its writers, and I feel impelled to support my editor and publisher with some sort of review.There is a rad new trend, it seems, among publishers: the use of "Cthulhu" as a selling tool. More and more books with the Great Old One's name as title are evident: CTHULHU'S REIGN, THE BOOK OF CTHULHU; even S. T. Joshi's BLACK WINGS will undergo a title change when it is reprinted by Titan Books in March of 2012, it will nigh be know as BLACK WINGS OF CTHULHU. S. T. is rather annoy'd at ye alteration. But I see all of this as a good thing, because the writing of Lovecraftian weird fiction is my obsession.NEW CTHULHU: THE RECENT WEIRD is one of ye finest new titles to use R'lyeh's Lord as title portion, and its brilliance comes from the professionalism of its authors and editor. If we are going to write tales that pay homage to H. P. Lovecraft, it behooves us to do our very best with such work. Some of that very best is in this book.Paula's Introduction is quite good. She discusses the growing genre of the Mythos, relates biographical information concerning H. P. Lovecraft, and devotes space to the question of "What is Lovecraftian?" The brilliant thing about modern Lovecraftian fiction, penned by professionals of the genre, is that people have their own very personal and unique ideas about what makes up a Lovecraftian story. Very few of the writers in this book can be called "Lovecraftian writers," and that is a part of the book's stength.The book opens with Caitlin R. Kiernan's "Pickman's Other Model (1929), which I first read in BLACK WINGS. I do consider Caitlin an authentic Lovecraftian artist because Lovecraft has inspired and infiltrated so much of her work. She is absolutely brilliant, evoking mood, atmosphere, and unique characterization. She weaves her spell of words, tells her decadent tale, and we are completely drawn in until the shocking ending.I first read John Langan's "Mr. Gaunt" is his collection, MR. GAUNT AND OTHER UNEASY ENCOUNTERS. "Uneasy" is the perfect word for this amazing tale. It held my attention absolutely, its mysteries come together to form a single thread of horror. It is one of the creepiest tales that I have ever read, and its monster (its inhuman monster, as contrasted to the mortal one) lingers within one's haunted mind. The writing of this story is especially fine.Laird Barron has become, with but two collections from Night Shade Books, one of today's vitally impressive and important genre artists. One hesitates to call him "Lovecraftian," his work is so utterly original and fine. He is subtly Lovecraftian, yet potently so. "Old Virginia," reprinted here, is one of his most gripping tales.I cannot remember having read any fiction by Sarah Monette until reading "Bringing Helena Back" in this book. I was instantly impressed. She has a very literary style, with prose that flows and captivating dialog that brings to life her outre characters. There is also a dead cool Lovecraftian ambiance in this story. One thing that distinguishes the new tales of Lovecraftian horror from professional writers is their originality and intelligent, and both aspects are in plenitude herein. This story is so good that it hath inspired me to order the author's themed short story collection, THE BONE KEY.There are many other fascinating tales by talented writers such as William Browning Spencer, Don Webb, the delightful and talented Cody Goodfellow, and the amazing China Mieville. Michael Shea, who is a genius when it comes to writing tales of the Cthulhu Mythos (of which he has written gobs) is well-represented with his story, "Tsathoggua." This book also introduced me to writers whom I have never encountered before this.One of the really enjoyable aspects of the book is that each tale is prefaced with a quote from a story by H. P. Lovecraft. Caitlin's story is prefaced by lines from "Pickman's Model," Neil Gaiman's "A Study in Emerald" (a Sherlock Holmes tale) is prefaced by lines from HPL's "The Call of Cthulhu" and Doyle's "A Study in Scarlett." I was especially pleased with the portion of "The Thing on the Doorstep" that perfectly preludes my own story in the book.I love this book and can highly recommend it. I see that it is on Kindle for a very reasonable price.

I was looking forward to reading this collection, it proved to be mightier than I initially thought but overall I think it was deserving of 3.5 stars. It's good, but not great. As in every H.P.L. Collection, there are gems and there are duds, here is my quick description of all storiesPickman's other model: So-so. Kind of a boring start for a collection.Fair exchange: So-so. As a few other stories, seems out of place for me (not "Lovecraftian" enough?)Mr. Gaunt: Very good. One of my favoritesThe Vicar of R'Lyeh: Not good. Very silly concept IMHOThe crevasse: So-so. Generic storyBad sushi: Good. Fun story (although it is also kind of silly)Old Virginia: Good. Different paced story that works wellThe dude who collected Lovecraft: Good. Straight to the point, short and silly.The Oram County whoosit: Good. Works very well with the mythosThe fungal stain: Not good. Didn't work for me. Too weird, even for H.P.L. tandardsA study in emerald: Very good. Although it seems out of place, the story is cool and well written. A personal favorite.Buried in the sky: Good. The author did a great work with the Lovecraftian mythos. Cool storyBringing Helena back: So-so. Another story that didn't really work for my tasteTake me to the river: So-so. Hmm... I have mixed feelings for this one. Read it and commentThe essayist in the wilderness: Good. Captured that "horror in realization" moment perfectlyThe disciple: Very good. Short and sweet. Perfect storyShoggoths in bloom: Very good. Again, this tale captures the craziness of H.P.L.'s universe perfectly. Loved the endingCold water survival: Not good. Boring as hellThe great white bed: Good. I liked it a lot. Another "horror in realization" moment of the book. Silly but scaryLesser demons: So-so. Liked the ending, but it was sort of lacking somewhatGrinding rock: Good. Another short and sweet taleDetails: Good. An out of place scenario that works very well within the mythos. Liked it a lotAnother fish story: So-so. Confusing and not very rewardingHead music. Very good. Stomach-churning fun! Another favoriteTsathoggua. Good. The premise and execution were really good. A glimpse of an alien mind typical of the mythosMongoose. Excellent! My absolute favorite of the stories. The only one I really wish to know more of, to be realized on its own series (is it done?). If you like Science Fiction, you will really like this oneA colder war. Very good. Well placed as is a great way to end the book: bleak as hell! And the format of the story is really cool tooAs you can see, the breakdown follows my initial 3.5 star opinion. If you LOVE H.P.L., you will most certainly disagree with my assessment and probably will think it is better. However, I honestly think that even if you don't know anything about the Cthullu mythos, you will certainly find something to enjoy here (Mongoose!)

The worst stories are above average but the best are clever, imaginative twists on the Lovecraft style. Well worth the time

This massive tome was truly representative of the various ways by which present-day authors of speculative fiction have absorbed the mythos in all its glory or infamy. Like every other anthology, it contained hits and misses. The hits, in my opinion, were:1. "Pickman's Other Model" by Caitlin R. Kiernan2. "Bad Sushi" by Cherie Priest3. "Old Virginia" by Laird Barron4. "The Oram County Whoosit" by Steve Duffy5. "A Study in Emarald" by Neil Gaiman6. Sarah Monette's "Bringing Helena Back"7. "Shoggoths in Bloom" by Elizabeth Bear8. "Another Fish Story" by Kim Newman9. "Mongoose" by Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette10. "A Colder War" by Charles StrossThere were several stories that didn't appeal to me at all. But out of a collection of twenty seven stories, finding ten memorable stories ought to be considered as a very good percentage, according to Stephen King's advice.So, a good collection in my opinion, with extra points for Gaiman, Kiernan, Bear, Monette, and Stross's works.

The seller was chosen on the basis of the item"s description - a fine, clean copy - but the item was not as described. To compensate, the seller offered a minimal discount or a return, neither of which were good solutions, although to avoid the hassle of international shipping, the discount was accepted. This was not a good shopping experience.

Some excellent pieces here. If Cthulhu is into you buy it and maybe you'll be eaten first...

Prompt delivery and a gorgeous copy!