Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Shotguns v. Cthulhu

by Robin D. Laws (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Natania Barron (Goodreads Author), Steve Dempsey, Dennis Detwiller, Larry DiTillio, Chad Fifer, Adam Scott Glancy, Dave Gross (Goodreads Author) , more…

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 12 ratings · 2 reviews

Pulse-pounding action meets cosmic horror in this exciting collection from the rising stars of the New Cthulhuiana. Steel your nerves, reach into your weapons locker, and tie tight your running shoes as humanity takes up arms against the monsters and gods of H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Grab your pistols, your knives, your gearpunk grenades. Confront deep ones, mi-go,...more

Paperback, 290 pages

Published November 1st 2012 by Stone Skin Press

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 45)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 02, 2013 Jonathon Dyer rated it 5 of 5 stars

H.P. Lovecraft died in 1937, five months shy of his forty-seventh birthday. In his lifetime he published over sixty pieces of what he referred to as Cosmic Horror, a blend of science fiction and horror; nearly all of his stories revolved around a complex pantheon of ancient gods and otherworldly beings that has come to be known as the Cthulhu mythos. These works were nearly all short stories, with the exception of a handful of sustained narratives, including The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, At t...more H.P. Lovecraft died in 1937, five months shy of his forty-seventh birthday. In his lifetime he published over sixty pieces of what he referred to as Cosmic Horror, a blend of science fiction and horror; nearly all of his stories revolved around a complex pantheon of ancient gods and otherworldly beings that has come to be known as the Cthulhu mythos. These works were nearly all short stories, with the exception of a handful of sustained narratives, including The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, At the Mountains of Madness and Shadow Out of Time, and were published in the pulp fiction magazines of the day.

Lovecraft was also a prolific letter-writer who developed epistolary relationships with some of the most significant pulp writers of his age, including Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and Robert Bloch. Before his death, other writers had begun to contribute to the literary legacy of Lovecraft's most famous creation. The author's guiding reach has not been restricted to his correspondents; Contemporary writers from Stephen King to Poppy Z. Brite cite Lovecraft as an influence on their own work.

A portion of Lovecraft's abiding popularity should rightly be attributed to the sustained and sustaining popularity of Call of Cthulhu Role Playing Game. First published in 1981, and currently in its sixth edition, this is for some (and I include myself here) their first exposure to the weird and macabre world of Lovecraft's fevered imaginings. "CoC" has remained one of the most popular role-playing games on the market (and has remained in print for over thirty years) at least in part because of the terrible richness of the world it offers.

Shotguns v, Cthulhu is a recent contribution to the Cthulhu mythos. (Interestingly, Wikipedia notes that the the term "Cthulhu mythos" was first coined by August Derleth, another prolific mythos-contributor, in the 1940s, several years after Lovecraft's death; Lovecraft had once jokingly referred to the mythos as "Yog-Shoggothery", a reference to the gatekeeper who holds open the way between the other realm and our own.) Edited by Robin D. Laws, a prolific writer and game designer in his own right (Stone Skin Press, the publisher of Shotguns v, Cthulhu is an imprint of the game publishing company Pelgrane Press), the collection brings together a broad church of unholy visions, each individual in approach, voice and content, but unerringly true to the spirit of Lovecraft's vision.

What surprised me was the unvarying quality of the contributions. In a collection of fifteen stories by different authors of varying backgrounds and experience, one or two tales that didn't quite meet the standard of the others would be expected, but each contribution to this volume stands on its own merits as, both as a compelling tale and a fine piece of writing (each story was, to my mind, so beautifully wrought, I refuse to play favourites by singling any out; they are all that good). The breadth of approaches to the mythos are a testament to both the talents of the writers and to the durability of Lovecraft's vision, which - since the passing of its creator - has inarguably taken on a life of its own.

Shotguns v, Cthulhu will be a treat for anyone already acquainted with the world of the Old Ones. For the uninitiated, the stories - to a one - can be read for their sad and terrible beauty alone.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 19, 2013 Chris Jackson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've never been much of an H.P. Lovecraft fan, but this montage of short stories really was a pleasure to read. Many different and vivid takes on the mithos, with some really hair raising and stomach churning tales... Made me want to write one myself.

1 like · like · see review

May 18, 2013 Alan marked it as future-reading

Shelves: bookcase, not-quite-lovecraft

May 08, 2013 Kendoyle marked it as to-read

May 08, 2013 Marathon County Public Library added it

Shelves: mcpl-review

May 18, 2013 William Man rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 24, 2013 Jean-francois Boivin marked it as to-read

Shelves: cthulhu-mythos

Apr 23, 2013 Charles Wilkins marked it as to-read

Apr 06, 2013 Christopher Glew marked it as to-read

Apr 04, 2013 Javi Bóinez marked it as to-read

Apr 04, 2013 Srdaine marked it as to-read

Apr 01, 2013 Cesar Viteri marked it as to-read

Apr 01, 2013 Ramón Pérez marked it as to-read

Mar 31, 2013 Rob Lightner is currently reading it

Mar 31, 2013 Jason K rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mar 30, 2013 Jer marked it as to-read

Mar 20, 2013 Steven marked it as to-read

Mar 08, 2013 Emma marked it as to-read

Shelves: horror

Mar 01, 2013 Sreevidhya marked it as to-read

Feb 26, 2013 Magic Key rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feb 25, 2013 Luke marked it as to-read

Feb 25, 2013 Bill Sebastian marked it as to-read

Feb 17, 2013 Martijn Waegemakers marked it as to-read

Shelves: horror

Feb 11, 2013 Scaramaus is currently reading it

Feb 06, 2013 Zed marked it as wish

Jan 31, 2013 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jan 29, 2013 S. Ben rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, alternate-history, fantasy, fiction, historical-fiction, horror, short-stories, owned

Jan 23, 2013 Jason Valletta marked it as to-read

Jan 20, 2013 Patrick Andersen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dec 11, 2012 Grahm Eberhardt marked it as to-read

Shelves: wishlist, short-stories, hpl, hpllp, horror, anthologies

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

Genres

Horror

4 users

Short Stories

2 users

See top shelves...

About Robin D. Laws

Writer and game designer Robin D. Laws brought you such roleplaying games as Ashen Stars, The Esoterrorists, The Dying Earth, Heroquest and Feng Shui. He is the author of seven novels, most recently The Worldwound Gambit from Paizo. For Robin's much-praised works of gaming history and analysis, see Hamlet's Hit Points, Robin's Laws of Game Mastering and 40 Years of Gen Con.

More about Robin D. Laws...

Books by Robin D. Laws

The Worldwound Gambit (Pathfinder Tales)

Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (Dungeons & Dragons Supplement)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Shotguns v. Cthulhu

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Shotguns v. Cthulhu
avg rating	preview: Shotguns v. Cthulhu Goodreads rating: 4.17 (12 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15788399-shotguns-v-cthulhu?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344195449l/15788399.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15788399-shotguns-v-cthulhu?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Shotguns v. Cthulhu by Robin D. Laws[/url]