The Children of Cthulhu: Stories - Softcover

Foster, Alan Dean; Miéville, China; Navarro, Yvonne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345441087 ISBN 13: 9780345441089

Publisher: Del Rey, 2003

Synopsis

Descend to the depths of primal horror with this chilling collection of original stories drawn from H. P. Lovecraft’s shocking, terrifying, and eerily prescient Cthulhu Mythos.

In twenty-one dark visions, a host of outstanding contemporary writers tap into our innermost fears, with tales set in a misbegotten new world that could have been spawned only by the master of the macabre himself, H. P. Lovecraft. Inside you’ll find:

“Details” by China Miéville: A curious boy discovers that within the splinters of cracked wood or the tangle of tree branches, the devil is in the details.

“Visitation” by James Robert Smith: When Edgar Allan Poe arrives, a callow man finally gets what he always wanted—and what he may eternally despise. 

“Meet Me on the Other Side” by Yvonne Navarro: A couple in love with terror travels beyond their wildest dreams—and into their nightmares.

“A Fatal Exception Has Occured At . . .” by Alan Dean Foster: Internet terrorism extends far beyond transmitting threats of evil.

AND SEVENTEEN MORE HARROWING TALES

“The Invisible Empire” by James Van Pelt
“A Victorian Pot Dresser” by L. H. Maynard and M. P. N. Sims
“The Cabin in the Woods” by Richard Laymon
“The Stuff of the Stars, Leaking” by Tim Lebbon
“Sour Places” by Mark Chadbourn
“That’s the Story of My Life” by John Pelan and Benjamin Adams
“Long Meg and Her Daughters” by Paul Finch
“Dark of the Moon” by James S. Dorr
“Red Clay” by Michael Reaves
“Principles and Parameters” by Meredith L. Patterson
“Are You Loathsome Tonight?” by Poppy Z. Brite
“The Serenade of Starlight” by W. H. Pugmire, Esq.
“Outside” by Steve Rasnic Tem
“Nor the Demons Down Under the Sea” by Caitlín R. Kiernan
“A Spectacle of a Man” by Weston Ochse
“The Firebrand Symphony” by Brian Hodge
“Teeth” by Matt Cardin

About this title

Review

While H.P. Lovecraft himself encouraged other authors to expand his horrific universe with stories of their own, the Cthulhu mythos has spawned so many slavish imitators that it tends not to seem so scary these days. Editors John Pelan and Benjamin Adams seek to remedy that with The Children of Cthulhu, an anthology of 21 stories by modern macabre masters. Contributors were asked to avoid trotting out old Lovecraftian clichés and instead to write stories that bring the true horror of Cthulhu right into the modern world. The results are mostly terrific. Offerings from Poppy Z. Brite ("Are You Loathsome Tonight?"), Caitlín R. Kiernan ("Nor the Demons Down Under the Sea"), China Miéville ("Details"), and L.H. Maynard and M.P.N. Sims ("A Victorian Pot Dresser") are the best of the bunch. Many of the stories are reminiscent of the Vertigo line of DC Comics, with dark, urban settings and gross-out violence, so the book is more likely to appeal to readers of contemporary horror than to fans of classic Lovecraft. --Therese Littleton

From the Back Cover

“This volume takes Lovecraft’s ideas and truly pushes them in directions the author never could have conceived.”
—Cinescape

“UNABASHEDLY HORRIFIC . . . A PERFECT TRIBUTE TO H. P. LOVECRAFT . . . [The stories] range from Poppy Z. Brite’s lucid and magnificent ‘Are You Loathsome Tonight?’ to the elaborate, quintessentially Lovecraftian construction of ‘A Victorian Pot Dresser’ by L. H. Maynard and M.P.N. Sims.”
—Booklist


“H. P. Lovecraft’s dark mythology continues to fascinate and inspire writers. A stellar result of this inspiration is collected in The Children of Cthulhu.”
—The Denver Post

Edition details

• Publisher: Del Rey
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0345441087
• ISBN 13: 9780345441089
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 480
• Editor: Pelan John, Adams Benjamin