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Cthulhu's Daughter and Other Horror Tales
From the depths of the darkest waters of the ocean to the eternal darkness of space, Rhiannon Frater crafts taunt tales of terror to enthrall avid readers of the genre. Each short story explores a different type of monster from the shambling undead to devourers of worlds.
In Cthulhu’s Daughter explore madness and terror as a young woman’s mind slowly unravels as a hurricane bears down on her hometown. Step back in time to witness one man’s flight from the ravages of war only to encounter a pack of werewolves in Fleeing and slink through the shadows of a mansion where an archaeologist obsesses over the mummy queen residing in her sarcophagus in Amunet. Encounter a sentient nanny robot hoping to escape deletion while struggling to keep her ward safe from her abusive employer in Flesh and Circuits, or rush along city streets as a seeing-eye dog tries to save her blind master in Stop Requested. Witness the struggle between a mortal mother and the vampire who wants to take away her ailing child and turn him into a creature of the night in The Two Mothers. And, finally, discover what terrors lurk beyond the reflective surface of a mirror in The Key.
Each tale carries Rhiannon Frater’s distinctive stamp of stunning action coupled with realistic characters that the reader either cheers for or fears.
In Cthulhu’s Daughter explore madness and terror as a young woman’s mind slowly unravels as a hurricane bears down on her hometown. Step back in time to witness one man’s flight from the ravages of war only to encounter a pack of werewolves in Fleeing and slink through the shadows of a mansion where an archaeologist obsesses over the mummy queen residing in her sarcophagus in Amunet. Encounter a sentient nanny robot hoping to escape deletion while struggling to keep her ward safe from her abusive employer in Flesh and Circuits, or rush along city streets as a seeing-eye dog tries to save her blind master in Stop Requested. Witness the struggle between a mortal mother and the vampire who wants to take away her ailing child and turn him into a creature of the night in The Two Mothers. And, finally, discover what terrors lurk beyond the reflective surface of a mirror in The Key.
Each tale carries Rhiannon Frater’s distinctive stamp of stunning action coupled with realistic characters that the reader either cheers for or fears.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Rhiannon Frater
68 books1,659 followersRhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies zombie trilogy (Tor) as well as independent works such as The Last Bastion of the Living (declared the #1 Zombie Release of 2012 by Explorations Fantasy Blog and the #1 Zombie Novel of the Decade by B&N Book Blog).
She was born and raised in Texas where she currently resides with her husband and furry children (a.k.a pets).
She loves scary movies, sci-fi and horror shows, playing video games, cooking, dyeing her hair weird colors, and shopping for Betsey Johnson purses and shoes.
She was born and raised in Texas where she currently resides with her husband and furry children (a.k.a pets).
She loves scary movies, sci-fi and horror shows, playing video games, cooking, dyeing her hair weird colors, and shopping for Betsey Johnson purses and shoes.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 6, 2012
Rhiannon sent me a copy of this to test read before it's upcoming release. Which I believe is very very soon. While some of the stories have been released in other anthologies all were new to me. The opening story is a new one and was just all around CREEPY...Cthulu's Daughter sets the tone for the rest of the collection. The story opens with a young girl on a pier as she contemplates the dark waters and why they call to her. What happens next is haunting and dark.
The closing story (in my copy) is a subtle horror that is epic in darkness and scare factor. It's source of horror is surprising and exciting. I really hope that she is able to expand this story in the future. I can see the scope and epicness of it outdoing some of her more popular works. It might even be my fourth favorite Rhiannon read. Which goes:
Tale of the Vampire Bride
Dead Spots
Last Bastion of the Living
The Key (short story)
Each story in the collection has a monster in it. Sometimes the monsters are easy to spot but mostly they only show parts of their true faces, and a select few are monsters you would not see coming. What I like more than Rhiannon's monsters are her heroes. They always come in unexpected and wonderful packages.
Overall this is a must read for anyone who wants a quick horror fix. There is a little something for everyone. Zombies, werewolves, robots, other worldly beings are all present.
I recommend this for all horror fans and for all Rhiannon fans. I simply loved it.
I have never read Lovercraft's story and I imagine I am not the only one. I still understood Cthulhu's Daughter but here is a quick reference for others just incase you live under a rock like me. :D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu
The closing story (in my copy) is a subtle horror that is epic in darkness and scare factor. It's source of horror is surprising and exciting. I really hope that she is able to expand this story in the future. I can see the scope and epicness of it outdoing some of her more popular works. It might even be my fourth favorite Rhiannon read. Which goes:
Tale of the Vampire Bride
Dead Spots
Last Bastion of the Living
The Key (short story)
Each story in the collection has a monster in it. Sometimes the monsters are easy to spot but mostly they only show parts of their true faces, and a select few are monsters you would not see coming. What I like more than Rhiannon's monsters are her heroes. They always come in unexpected and wonderful packages.
Overall this is a must read for anyone who wants a quick horror fix. There is a little something for everyone. Zombies, werewolves, robots, other worldly beings are all present.
I recommend this for all horror fans and for all Rhiannon fans. I simply loved it.
I have never read Lovercraft's story and I imagine I am not the only one. I still understood Cthulhu's Daughter but here is a quick reference for others just incase you live under a rock like me. :D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu
January 28, 2016
Review to come...
July 10, 2017
If I could give this collection of horror stories 6 stars, I would - it's that good! I've been on a horror kick, and reading a lot of Lovecraft in particular, so when I ran across this collection by Frater, with the title story, "Cthulhu's Daughter," I nearly peed my pants with excitement. And, thank the Old Ones, I was not disappointed in the utter creepiness and mad delight that was the title piece to this gem of horror fiction. There are all sorts of monsters in this book, from the classic vampires, werewolves, zombies and mummies, to the even more horrific monsters that have a human face. My favorite story in the bunch, aside from the incredible title piece, was sentient robot story "Flesh & Circuits". A close second was "Stop Requested", told from the viewpoint of a seeing eye dog trying to protect her mistress during a zombie outbreak. Great stuff all around, and highly recommended to readers of excellent speculative fiction.
July 23, 2021
Suspenseful stories! I loved them all, except the title story. Cthulhu’s Daughter was very confusing and I didn’t understand the ending. But other than that I loved this anthology!
November 18, 2014
Rhiannon does it again! This is a really amazing collection of horror stories told in a way that only Rhiannon can acomplish. I’ll go over each story in this review.
Cthulhu’s Daughter was absolutely amazing and definitely a fantastic opening story. Lulu is a young woman who has been diagnosed as schizophrenic but believes she is the daughter of the Old God, Cthulhu. This one is a fantastic spiral of madness and darkness, and I love that it never gives you a defined “yes” or “no” when it comes to Lulu. I loved the imagery and the descriptions that gives this one a true gothic horror feel. If you are a fan of Lovecraft then definitely check this out.
Flesh and Circuits is a horror story of a different nature. It focuses on a nanny android that is woefully out of date and risks deletion, and is charged with taking care of a little boy while his alcoholic and abusive mother works. This is not a tradition horror story, but is chilling nonetheless.
The Two Mothers does have horror elements but I found it to be the most heartwarming of the stories included in this anthology. Elise is a vampire who has grown bored with her long life and longs to have a child of her own, but faced with her own sterility she decides to seek out someone else’s child to fill this void.
Fleeing, is a werewolf short story and one of the shortest in the collection. I love the amount of emotion that Rhiannon packs into this one.
Amunet, is a story that focuses on a mummy in the possession of an Egyptologist and affect it has on his family. This has a very Twilight Zone feel to it and the ending is definitely creepy.
Stop Requested is a zombie novella that matches up with the story in The Living Dead Boy anthology and is told from the point of view of a guide dog who is desperate to lead her owner away from harm. Loved this.
The Key is a delightfully twisted story about a woman terrified of the things living inside of the mirrors of the world. Definitely a great way to end the collection.
Overall this is a great anthology of horror stories that have a variety of feels to them. The horror of each story is different and does not always manifest in the obvious ways.
Cthulhu’s Daughter was absolutely amazing and definitely a fantastic opening story. Lulu is a young woman who has been diagnosed as schizophrenic but believes she is the daughter of the Old God, Cthulhu. This one is a fantastic spiral of madness and darkness, and I love that it never gives you a defined “yes” or “no” when it comes to Lulu. I loved the imagery and the descriptions that gives this one a true gothic horror feel. If you are a fan of Lovecraft then definitely check this out.
Flesh and Circuits is a horror story of a different nature. It focuses on a nanny android that is woefully out of date and risks deletion, and is charged with taking care of a little boy while his alcoholic and abusive mother works. This is not a tradition horror story, but is chilling nonetheless.
The Two Mothers does have horror elements but I found it to be the most heartwarming of the stories included in this anthology. Elise is a vampire who has grown bored with her long life and longs to have a child of her own, but faced with her own sterility she decides to seek out someone else’s child to fill this void.
Fleeing, is a werewolf short story and one of the shortest in the collection. I love the amount of emotion that Rhiannon packs into this one.
Amunet, is a story that focuses on a mummy in the possession of an Egyptologist and affect it has on his family. This has a very Twilight Zone feel to it and the ending is definitely creepy.
Stop Requested is a zombie novella that matches up with the story in The Living Dead Boy anthology and is told from the point of view of a guide dog who is desperate to lead her owner away from harm. Loved this.
The Key is a delightfully twisted story about a woman terrified of the things living inside of the mirrors of the world. Definitely a great way to end the collection.
Overall this is a great anthology of horror stories that have a variety of feels to them. The horror of each story is different and does not always manifest in the obvious ways.
March 23, 2013
Flesh and Circuits, Stop Requested, Amunet, and the Key were wonderful stories. Flesh and Circuits was not scary but it was a great story that makes you understand the concept of love and sacrifice. I actually cried reading this story. Stop Requested was an exciting look at zombies through a seeing eye dog who aids a blind girl. Amunet was a great story of obsession and fear. It had an ending I did not expect. The Key was great in that it had vivid images and you could feel Susan's fear of mirrors. I truly believe this story could give me nightmares.
Cthulhu’s Daughter, The Fleeing, and Two Mothers were okay for me. There was no surprise for me in these stories. I knew where all 3 stories were heading from the start of each. These stories did not get me as emotional as the other stories.
Cthulhu’s Daughter, The Fleeing, and Two Mothers were okay for me. There was no surprise for me in these stories. I knew where all 3 stories were heading from the start of each. These stories did not get me as emotional as the other stories.
December 2, 2012
This is a great collection of short stories. Most of them I could've kept reading and they stayed in my thoughts for a long while after I had finished. As usual Rhiannon keeps you turning the page and I loved that there is a variety of monsters, not what you'd normally associate with her books (zombies or vampires, not that I am complaining), there is something for everyone!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews