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A review by qalminator
She Walks in Shadows by Paula R. Stiles, Silvia Moreno-Garcia
4.0
Note: The ToC as listed on GoodReads is nearly entirely out of order compared to the actual book. This is quite irritating, as I keep having to doublecheck titles as I get to reviewing them.
Ammutseba Rising by Ann K. Schwader (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - Odd poem celebrating the feminine side of the eldritch. Enjoyable overall, but I question some of the word choices. Celebrating "corruption" seems rather odd to me.
Turn on the Light by Penelope Love (2.75 stars, 2.5 tentacles) - Fictionalized (presumably) account of Lovecraft's interactions with his mother, liberally sprinkled with references from his stories. Possibly his mother is mad. Possibly she's beset by the sorts of things Lovecraft writes about. The idea is interesting, but I felt like the execution fell flat. YMMV
Bring the Moon to Me by Amelia Gorman (2.5 stars, 3 tentacles) - While I like the idea of knitting being used as a common language between mother and daughter, and the idea of coding something into an Apollo mission to bring an eldritch being back from the moon is interesting, the two parts of the story don't cohere well. There's a bunch of rambling about codes and such, and knitting and such, then, "Oh, by the way..." about the actual eldritch moon plot. Could have been awesome, if (sorry) knitted together better.
Violet is the Color of Your Energy by Nadia Bulkin (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - Surprisingly faithful modernization of Color Out of Space, from the mother's perspective, and with a twist at the end. Quite nicely done.
De Deabus Minoribus Exterioris Theomagicae by Jilly Dreadful (4 stars, 5 tentacles) - Beautiful creeping dread, all conveyed via an outline describing a curious volume. Takes a while to get going, but even in the beginning, the details are suggestively creepy. Beware of paper cuts.
Lavinia’s Wood by Angela Slatter (2.5 stars, 4 tentacles) - Pre-Dunwich-Horror tale, from Lavinia Whatley's POV. Well-crafted, but not to my taste.
The Adventurer’s Wife by Premee Mohamed (4 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - I wish I could place the tale that this was based on, as I think it follows pretty closely, but makes the wife much more of a sympathetic person than she was in the original.
Lockbox by E. Catherine Tobler (3.5 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - Another experimental structure one, where most of the creepy part of the story is told in the footnotes, as the narrator can't bear to open the "lockbox" where those memories are sealed. This is a bit frustrating to read on Kindle, as I constantly have to adjust the font size to be able to get the footnotes to open. The result is a rather disjointed, never-quite-complete story, with some interesting aspects, but I would have preferred a different format.
Hairwork by Gemma Files (3.5 stars, 4 tentacles) - Every time I run across this, I like it a little better than the last time. It's a takeoff from one of Lovecraft's more problematic stories, which turns it into a tale of slave vengeance. Still not a favorite, but it makes sooo much more sense after reading the original Lovecraft tale it builds on.
The Thing in The Cheerleading Squad by Molly Tanzer (5 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - Mostly humorous take on Lovecraft's Thing on the Doorstep, with many twists and reversals along the way. Begs for a sequel.
Body to Body to Body by Selena Chambers (3.5 stars, 3 tentacles) - Could have been brilliant, but was too disjointed and never quite came together. Extremely important details were left implied off-screen, which might have worked anyway if there hadn't been the occasional incomprehensible sentence which even multiple readings failed to parse (probably needed another editing swipe). Pity.
Magna Mater by Arinn Dembo (4 stars, 3 tentacles) - Interesting use of the idea of parallel sentient races on Earth, from different lineages. Makes a good antidote to some of Lovecraft's nastier stuff, and even turns some of it on its head. Nicely done.
Bitter Perfume by Laura Blackwell (3 stars, 3 tentacles) - Branches off from Cool Air, with an entire family who preserve themselves using a similar method. Well-crafted, but not to my taste.
Chosen by Lyndsey Holder (2 stars, 4 tentacles) - Interesting (and, ultimately, depressing) use of Keziah from Witch House.
Eight Seconds by Pandora Hope (4 stars, 1.5 tentacles) - Enjoyable, but a bit too pat for the Lovecraftian oeuvre. Rodeo bull rider has to rescue her daughter from a cult.
The Eye of Juno by Eugenie Mora (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - Odd one, set in Roman times, where a general's wife makes a deal with an eldritch forest. Horror ensues. The oddest thing was that the POV character is a slave to someone she mostly refers to as The Doctor, so I kept thinking of it as an episode of Doctor Who (well, until, anyway.)
Cthulhu of the Dead Sea by Inkeri Kontro (5 stars, 5 tentacles) - Easily my favorite in the collection thusfar. A new microorganism with tentacle-like fractal structure gets named in honor of Cthulhu. The name turns out to be a a bit too accurate... I saw immediately where this was heading at the beginning, and that did not lessen my enjoyment at all.
Notes Found in a Decommissioned Asylum, December 1961 by Sharon Mock (4.5 stars, 5 tentacles) - An encounter with something leaves one dead, and two in an asylum. These notes are written by one of those, who sounds sane about 90% of the time, until she gets to what actually happened that night.
Cypress God by Rodopi Sisamis (2.5 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - Interesting, but too YA for my tastes. Even the eventual carnage is told in a prettified, YA manner. Worshiper of one deity gets revenge on someone who disparages said deity (oh, and is putting the move on the worshiper's crush, because, you know, YA). Pity that we only get this teen drama, as the described world would be interesting to learn more about.
When She Quickens by Mary Turzillo (4 stars, 2 tentacles) - On the perils of not believing your reincarnating goddess will actually reincarnate, and on not following Her instructions. Also on the perils of not using careful enough wording in magical incantations. Enjoyable, but not particularly Lovecraftian.
Queen of a New America by Wendy N. Wagner (3.5 stars, 4 tentacles) - Very nice use of Nitocris, and chillingly prescient (or possibly just more aware of racial tensions than I was when this book first came out).
The Opera Singer by Priya Sridhar (4 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - My initial impression at the beginning of this was to wonder why it was in a Lovecraftian anthology. By the end, I saw why. This one has a bit of Colour Out of Space and a bit of Nitocris in it, put together in a rather surprising way.
Shub-Niggurath’s Witnesses by Valerie Valdes (3.5 stars, 2.5 tentacles) - If Shub-Niggurath's followers went door-to-door converting people for her. Her "witnesses" may be a teensy bit less ethical than those of most RL religions. Mostly done for humor, and surprisingly entertaining.
“The Head of T’la-yub” Nelly Geraldine García-Rosas (translated by Silvia Moreno-Garcia)
“Provenance” Benjanun Sriduangkaew
Ammutseba Rising by Ann K. Schwader (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - Odd poem celebrating the feminine side of the eldritch. Enjoyable overall, but I question some of the word choices. Celebrating "corruption" seems rather odd to me.
Turn on the Light by Penelope Love (2.75 stars, 2.5 tentacles) - Fictionalized (presumably) account of Lovecraft's interactions with his mother, liberally sprinkled with references from his stories. Possibly his mother is mad. Possibly she's beset by the sorts of things Lovecraft writes about. The idea is interesting, but I felt like the execution fell flat. YMMV
Bring the Moon to Me by Amelia Gorman (2.5 stars, 3 tentacles) - While I like the idea of knitting being used as a common language between mother and daughter, and the idea of coding something into an Apollo mission to bring an eldritch being back from the moon is interesting, the two parts of the story don't cohere well. There's a bunch of rambling about codes and such, and knitting and such, then, "Oh, by the way..." about the actual eldritch moon plot. Could have been awesome, if (sorry) knitted together better.
Violet is the Color of Your Energy by Nadia Bulkin (4 stars, 4 tentacles) - Surprisingly faithful modernization of Color Out of Space, from the mother's perspective, and with a twist at the end. Quite nicely done.
De Deabus Minoribus Exterioris Theomagicae by Jilly Dreadful (4 stars, 5 tentacles) - Beautiful creeping dread, all conveyed via an outline describing a curious volume. Takes a while to get going, but even in the beginning, the details are suggestively creepy. Beware of paper cuts.
Lavinia’s Wood by Angela Slatter (2.5 stars, 4 tentacles) - Pre-Dunwich-Horror tale, from Lavinia Whatley's POV. Well-crafted, but not to my taste.
The Adventurer’s Wife by Premee Mohamed (4 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - I wish I could place the tale that this was based on, as I think it follows pretty closely, but makes the wife much more of a sympathetic person than she was in the original.
Lockbox by E. Catherine Tobler (3.5 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - Another experimental structure one, where most of the creepy part of the story is told in the footnotes, as the narrator can't bear to open the "lockbox" where those memories are sealed. This is a bit frustrating to read on Kindle, as I constantly have to adjust the font size to be able to get the footnotes to open. The result is a rather disjointed, never-quite-complete story, with some interesting aspects, but I would have preferred a different format.
Hairwork by Gemma Files (3.5 stars, 4 tentacles) - Every time I run across this, I like it a little better than the last time. It's a takeoff from one of Lovecraft's more problematic stories, which turns it into a tale of slave vengeance. Still not a favorite, but it makes sooo much more sense after reading the original Lovecraft tale it builds on.
The Thing in The Cheerleading Squad by Molly Tanzer (5 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - Mostly humorous take on Lovecraft's Thing on the Doorstep, with many twists and reversals along the way. Begs for a sequel.
Body to Body to Body by Selena Chambers (3.5 stars, 3 tentacles) - Could have been brilliant, but was too disjointed and never quite came together. Extremely important details were left implied off-screen, which might have worked anyway if there hadn't been the occasional incomprehensible sentence which even multiple readings failed to parse (probably needed another editing swipe). Pity.
Magna Mater by Arinn Dembo (4 stars, 3 tentacles) - Interesting use of the idea of parallel sentient races on Earth, from different lineages. Makes a good antidote to some of Lovecraft's nastier stuff, and even turns some of it on its head. Nicely done.
Bitter Perfume by Laura Blackwell (3 stars, 3 tentacles) - Branches off from Cool Air, with an entire family who preserve themselves using a similar method
Spoiler
whether the family member wants to be preserved, or notChosen by Lyndsey Holder (2 stars, 4 tentacles) - Interesting (and, ultimately, depressing) use of Keziah from Witch House.
Eight Seconds by Pandora Hope (4 stars, 1.5 tentacles) - Enjoyable, but a bit too pat for the Lovecraftian oeuvre. Rodeo bull rider has to rescue her daughter from a cult.
The Eye of Juno by Eugenie Mora (3 stars, 4 tentacles) - Odd one, set in Roman times, where a general's wife makes a deal with an eldritch forest. Horror ensues. The oddest thing was that the POV character is a slave to someone she mostly refers to as The Doctor, so I kept thinking of it as an episode of Doctor Who (well, until
Spoiler
The Doctor diesCthulhu of the Dead Sea by Inkeri Kontro (5 stars, 5 tentacles) - Easily my favorite in the collection thusfar. A new microorganism with tentacle-like fractal structure gets named in honor of Cthulhu. The name turns out to be a a bit too accurate... I saw immediately where this was heading at the beginning, and that did not lessen my enjoyment at all.
Notes Found in a Decommissioned Asylum, December 1961 by Sharon Mock (4.5 stars, 5 tentacles) - An encounter with something leaves one dead, and two in an asylum. These notes are written by one of those, who sounds sane about 90% of the time, until she gets to what actually happened that night.
Cypress God by Rodopi Sisamis (2.5 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - Interesting, but too YA for my tastes. Even the eventual carnage is told in a prettified, YA manner. Worshiper of one deity gets revenge on someone who disparages said deity (oh, and is putting the move on the worshiper's crush, because, you know, YA). Pity that we only get this teen drama, as the described world would be interesting to learn more about.
When She Quickens by Mary Turzillo (4 stars, 2 tentacles) - On the perils of not believing your reincarnating goddess will actually reincarnate, and on not following Her instructions. Also on the perils of not using careful enough wording in magical incantations. Enjoyable, but not particularly Lovecraftian.
Queen of a New America by Wendy N. Wagner (3.5 stars, 4 tentacles) - Very nice use of Nitocris, and chillingly prescient (or possibly just more aware of racial tensions than I was when this book first came out).
The Opera Singer by Priya Sridhar (4 stars, 3.5 tentacles) - My initial impression at the beginning of this was to wonder why it was in a Lovecraftian anthology. By the end, I saw why. This one has a bit of Colour Out of Space and a bit of Nitocris in it, put together in a rather surprising way.
Shub-Niggurath’s Witnesses by Valerie Valdes (3.5 stars, 2.5 tentacles) - If Shub-Niggurath's followers went door-to-door converting people for her. Her "witnesses" may be a teensy bit less ethical than those of most RL religions. Mostly done for humor, and surprisingly entertaining.
“The Head of T’la-yub” Nelly Geraldine García-Rosas (translated by Silvia Moreno-Garcia)
“Provenance” Benjanun Sriduangkaew