What do you think?
Rate this book
Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu books
The Book of Iod
Cthulhu Cycle series Call of the Cthulhu
228 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
26 people are currently reading
335 people want to read
About the author
Henry Kuttner
741 books208 followersHenry Kuttner was, alone and in collaboration with his wife, the great science fiction and fantasy writer C.L. Moore, one of the four or five most important writers of the 1940s, the writer whose work went furthest in its sociological and psychological insight to making science fiction a human as well as technological literature. He was an important influence upon every contemporary and every science fiction writer who succeeded him. In the early 1940s and under many pseudonyms, Kuttner and Moore published very widely through the range of the science fiction and fantasy pulp markets.
Their fantasy novels, all of them for the lower grade markets like Future, Thrilling Wonder, and Planet Stories, are forgotten now; their science fiction novels, Fury and Mutant, are however well regarded. There is no question but that Kuttner's talent lay primarily in the shorter form; Mutant is an amalgamation of five novelettes and Fury, his only true science fiction novel, is considered as secondary material. There are, however, 40 or 50 shorter works which are among the most significant achievements in the field and they remain consistently in print. The critic James Blish, quoting a passage from Mutant about the telepathic perception of the little blank, silvery minds of goldfish, noted that writing of this quality was not only rare in science fiction but rare throughout literature: "The Kuttners learned a few thing writing for the pulp magazines, however, that one doesn't learn reading Henry James."
In the early 1950s, Kuttner and Moore, both citing weariness with writing, even creative exhaustion, turned away from science fiction; both obtained undergraduate degrees in psychology from the University of Southern California and Henry Kuttner, enrolled in an MA program, planned to be a clinical psychologist. A few science fiction short stories and novelettes appeared (Humpty Dumpty finished the Baldy series in 1953). Those stories -- Home There Is No Returning, Home Is the Hunter, Two-Handed Engine, and Rite of Passage -- were at the highest level of Kuttner's work. He also published three mystery novels with Harper & Row (of which only the first is certainly his; the other two, apparently, were farmed out by Kuttner to other writers when he found himself incapable of finishing them).
Henry Kuttner died suddenly in his sleep, probably from a stroke, in February 1958; Catherine Moore remarried a physician and survived him by almost three decades but she never published again. She remained in touch with the science fiction community, however, and was Guest of Honor at the World Convention in Denver in 198l. She died of complications of Alzheimer's Disease in 1987.
His pseudonyms include:
Edward J. Bellin
Paul Edmonds
Noel Gardner
Will Garth
James Hall
Keith Hammond
Hudson Hastings
Peter Horn
Kelvin Kent
Robert O. Kenyon
C. H. Liddell
Hugh Maepenn
Scott Morgan
Lawrence O'Donnell
Lewis Padgett
Woodrow Wilson Smith
Charles Stoddard
Their fantasy novels, all of them for the lower grade markets like Future, Thrilling Wonder, and Planet Stories, are forgotten now; their science fiction novels, Fury and Mutant, are however well regarded. There is no question but that Kuttner's talent lay primarily in the shorter form; Mutant is an amalgamation of five novelettes and Fury, his only true science fiction novel, is considered as secondary material. There are, however, 40 or 50 shorter works which are among the most significant achievements in the field and they remain consistently in print. The critic James Blish, quoting a passage from Mutant about the telepathic perception of the little blank, silvery minds of goldfish, noted that writing of this quality was not only rare in science fiction but rare throughout literature: "The Kuttners learned a few thing writing for the pulp magazines, however, that one doesn't learn reading Henry James."
In the early 1950s, Kuttner and Moore, both citing weariness with writing, even creative exhaustion, turned away from science fiction; both obtained undergraduate degrees in psychology from the University of Southern California and Henry Kuttner, enrolled in an MA program, planned to be a clinical psychologist. A few science fiction short stories and novelettes appeared (Humpty Dumpty finished the Baldy series in 1953). Those stories -- Home There Is No Returning, Home Is the Hunter, Two-Handed Engine, and Rite of Passage -- were at the highest level of Kuttner's work. He also published three mystery novels with Harper & Row (of which only the first is certainly his; the other two, apparently, were farmed out by Kuttner to other writers when he found himself incapable of finishing them).
Henry Kuttner died suddenly in his sleep, probably from a stroke, in February 1958; Catherine Moore remarried a physician and survived him by almost three decades but she never published again. She remained in touch with the science fiction community, however, and was Guest of Honor at the World Convention in Denver in 198l. She died of complications of Alzheimer's Disease in 1987.
His pseudonyms include:
Edward J. Bellin
Paul Edmonds
Noel Gardner
Will Garth
James Hall
Keith Hammond
Hudson Hastings
Peter Horn
Kelvin Kent
Robert O. Kenyon
C. H. Liddell
Hugh Maepenn
Scott Morgan
Lawrence O'Donnell
Lewis Padgett
Woodrow Wilson Smith
Charles Stoddard
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 7, 2022
Kuttner does Lovecraft better than Lovecraft.
A few weeks ago, I read a book about Lovecraft’s greatest stories. They were not. Lots of duds that are unknown.
These stories are unknown, but most of them are good. Pretty scary. And that’s what counts.
I won’t say that these stories will all compete with Lovecraft’s famous classics. But a few of them will. So give them a try. You’ll be happy.
A few weeks ago, I read a book about Lovecraft’s greatest stories. They were not. Lots of duds that are unknown.
These stories are unknown, but most of them are good. Pretty scary. And that’s what counts.
I won’t say that these stories will all compete with Lovecraft’s famous classics. But a few of them will. So give them a try. You’ll be happy.
March 31, 2017
Przeczytane ponownie. Niechcący stanęłam przy półce z horrorami i wyciągnęłam Kuttnera, żeby sobie przypomnieć, jak paździochowa i łopatologiczna była kiedyś fantastyka. Autentycznie lubię te opowiadania, które są wierne duchowi Lovecrafta, akcja osadzona jest w Salem i okolicach, to takie swojskie, znajome i generalnie dobrze napisane. Kiedy wpada w Howardowskie Atlantydy i Cymerie prycham śmiechem. Chociaż tutaj głównym problemem jest chyba to, że wszystko jest pisane na jedno kopyto i fabuły są już tak dobrze znane, i jedyne, co ratuje opowiadania to klimat. A ten nie zawsze został zbudowany.
Głównie ciekawostka na temat tego, jakim kółkiem wzajemnej masturbacji byli Lovecraft, Bloch, Howard, Kuttner i reszta.
Dużo lepiej czytać opowiadania ze "Stosu kłopotów", na które aż nabrałam ochoty i chyba sobie z sentymentu też przypomnę.
Głównie ciekawostka na temat tego, jakim kółkiem wzajemnej masturbacji byli Lovecraft, Bloch, Howard, Kuttner i reszta.
Dużo lepiej czytać opowiadania ze "Stosu kłopotów", na które aż nabrałam ochoty i chyba sobie z sentymentu też przypomnę.
August 2, 2016
It was a blazing, cosmic horror spawned by an outlaw universe, an abysmal, prehuman entity drawn out of fathomless antiquity by elder magic.
Henry Kuttner was among the earliest Lovecraftian authors, and The Book of Iod compiles these ten stories published mostly in Weird Tales in the late 1930s.
This ebook edition is rather Spartan compared to the Chaosium release, being absent the Robert M. Price introduction and the three 'bonus' stories by Bloch, Carter and Price himself. It does have an awfully cool cover though, which is the best way to judge a book.
There's nothing groundbreaking even by the standards of its time, but it's a solid dose of 'textbook' Cthulhu Mythos fiction done right. One could fill the bingo card easily with all the standard elements on display. Obscure and blasphemous texts, eldritch horrors from outside conventional space-time, antiquarians and occultists... you get the idea (or else you probably wouldn't have found this book by accident).
A couple of the shortest stories are fantasy vignettes more in the Clark Ashton Smith vein, which is unsurprising considering Kuttner was a pen-pal of both CAS and HPL. For that matter, 'Spawn of Dagon' takes the Robert E. Howard route of a sword and sorcery tale with Lovecraftian elements. It's also collected in the 'Elak of Atlantis' volume.
In short, if you're a fan of 1930s Cthulhu Mythos fiction, this is a worthy example and you've no reason not to read it.
December 14, 2011
Not too bad: eleven stories by Kuttner (one a collaboration with Robert Bloch), one by Robert M. Price and one by Lin Carter.
The Kuttner stories were all OK, Lovecraftean horror from the late thirties (1937-1939). The stories are from early in Kuttner’s career (his first stories were published 1936) and are nothing too inspired, but nothing particularly dreadful either. Most of them read like typical Lovecraft pastiches. The stories are in chronological order (by publication date) and they generally get better as the collection progresses.
The Price story (from 1984) was decent; but again nothing to rave about. Another fairly typical Lovecraft pastiche.
I can’t comment on the Carter story (from 1988), because I didn’t read it. “Dead of Night” is one of his three stories about Anton Zarnak, and appears in another collection from Chaosium: Lin Carter's Anton Zarnak Supernatural Sleuth. I thought I’d save it and read all Carter’s Anton Zarnak stories at the same time.
Price does his usual nice job as anthology editor, giving us both an introduction and a short blurb before each story (including his own). One comment I found particularly effective. Before the last Kuttner story in the volume (“The Hunt”, 1939), Price writes: “One can hardly read this story without imagining it illustrated … by Steve Ditko.” I don’t know if it anything more than the power of suggestion, but I pictured the characters as if they were drawn by Ditko, occasionally even flashing on one panel or another from his days at Marvel in the late 50s and early 60s.
The Kuttner stories were all OK, Lovecraftean horror from the late thirties (1937-1939). The stories are from early in Kuttner’s career (his first stories were published 1936) and are nothing too inspired, but nothing particularly dreadful either. Most of them read like typical Lovecraft pastiches. The stories are in chronological order (by publication date) and they generally get better as the collection progresses.
The Price story (from 1984) was decent; but again nothing to rave about. Another fairly typical Lovecraft pastiche.
I can’t comment on the Carter story (from 1988), because I didn’t read it. “Dead of Night” is one of his three stories about Anton Zarnak, and appears in another collection from Chaosium: Lin Carter's Anton Zarnak Supernatural Sleuth. I thought I’d save it and read all Carter’s Anton Zarnak stories at the same time.
Price does his usual nice job as anthology editor, giving us both an introduction and a short blurb before each story (including his own). One comment I found particularly effective. Before the last Kuttner story in the volume (“The Hunt”, 1939), Price writes: “One can hardly read this story without imagining it illustrated … by Steve Ditko.” I don’t know if it anything more than the power of suggestion, but I pictured the characters as if they were drawn by Ditko, occasionally even flashing on one panel or another from his days at Marvel in the late 50s and early 60s.
January 4, 2024
A most satisfying lovecraftian cosmic horror! Well crafted stories, greatly enjoyed it.
December 9, 2021
Premessa di tipo editoriale: Goodreads al momento indica che
The Book of Iod: Ten Cthulhu Stories
è la ristampa Diversion Books dell'antologia The Book of Iod curata da Robert M. Price per Chaosium, in realtà l'edizione Chaosium includeva 10 racconti di Henry Kuttner, 1 collaborazione fra Kuttner e Robert Bloch, 1 racconto di Lin Carter e 1 dello stesso Pierce ispirati dalla produzione di Kuttner, tutti commentati da Price – e l'edizione Diversion Books, per prevedibili problemi di diritti, ripropone solo i 10 testi di Kuttner.
Premessa di tipo estetico: ovviamente il senso di questo volume è raccogliere tutti i testi di Kuttner ambientati nell'universo condiviso dei Miti di Chtulhu, ergo è inevitabile confrontare l'allievo Kuttner con il suo maestro H.P. Lovecraft, e probabilmente gli estimatori d H.P.L. considereranno il corpus kuttneriano una pallida ombra del modello. Avendo letto sia i romanzi brevi di Lovecraft (At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels of Terror) sia il nucleo principale del ciclo di Chtulhu (The Haunter of the Dark: The H.P. Lovecraft Omnibus, #3) sia una parte dei "racconti macabri" (Dagon and Other Macabre Tales), io appartengo alla parrocchia contraria: trovo sinceramente che il buon "Solitario di Providence" fosse uno scrittore con poche eccellenti idee, che le abbia eseguite a ripetizione in infiniti testi mediocri così da ricavarne (per legge dei grandi numeri) una manciata notevole, e che la sua estetica sia alquanto compromessa dalla profonda cattiveria alla base della sua etica. Ergo, dovendo scegliere fra un originale lovecraftiano meno che eccellente e un'emulazione kuttneriana, preferisco nettamente la seconda: sarà meno ispirata, ma almeno c'è un bilanciamento fra sostanza e forma che manca spesso nei testi magniloquenti di HPL, e l'orrore non si basa sul razzismo e sessismo sistemico dei WASP.
Poste tutte le premesse del caso, i testi!
1. The Secret of Kralitz è una piacevole fantasmagoria medievale con un finale d'effetto estremamente forzato, tirato fuori dal cappello giusto per spiazzare. Si sente che è un'opera quasi prima.
2. The Eater of Souls rende bene come fiaba magniloquente e surreale, però mi auguro che Kuttner l'abbia intesa in tono farsesco o quantomeno paradossale – non è concepibile spaventarsi sul serio quando si scopre che il Mangia-Anime .
3. The Salem Horror è chiaramente stato composto in modo "procedurale", prendendo elementi ricorrenti del corpus e rimontandoli assieme secondo una ricetta: abbiamo la casa infestata, l'artista imprudente che scatena l'orrore, l'occultista giunto a esorcizzare il male, ... e l'insieme non risulta solo godibile, ma in qualche modo è "più lovecraftiano di Lovecraft", molto vicino all'idea platonica del Ciclo di Ctulhu che ne ha una persona inesperta, senza per questo scadere di qualità come fanno le imitazioni delle imitazioni.
4. The Jest of Droom-avista prosegue gli eventi di The Eater of Souls e funziona sia nel costruire una continuità temporale sia nell'effetto tragicomico/grottesco finale, qui indiscutibile e molto sagace.
5. Spawn of Dagon è principalmente un episodio del ciclo di Elak di Atlantide e confermo l'opinione positiva maturata a leggerlo già in Elak of Atlantis: un bel racconto di fantasy avventuroso un po' macabro che pur imitando Conan trova una voce sua nelle situazioni farsesche ma non troppo.
6. The Invaders ripropone gli ingredienti fondamentali già visti in The Salem Horror, cioè flisteo impudente rigorosamente artista, infestazione ed esorcismo, ma la costruzione praticamente teatrale dela vicenda (c'è unità di spazio, tempo e azione) intrecciata al tocco di "magia psicagogica" evita l'effetto di già visto – e anzi l'atmosfera passa efficacemente da "storia di fantasmi" a "storia di fantascienza apocalittica".
7. The Frog ripropone una terza volta e in modo relativamente più banale la trama dell'orrore cosmico scatenato, però anche qui l'impianto si conserva fresco grazie alla dimensione corale del villaggio coeso e in armi contro il mostro – un atteggiamento di rispetto verso i contadini assediati che è completamente antitetico al classismo di Lovecraft, e una boccata d'aria fresca.
8. Bells of Horror sintetizza molto bene la dimensione corale di The Frog all'atmosfera apocalittica di The Invaders e risulta in un intero maggiore della somma delle parti, l'unico racconto che mi abbia effettivamente messo i brividi per empatia emotiva con i protagonisti. Davvero eccellente.
9. Hydra è il mio testo preferito: prende il modello lovcraftiano dell'esperimento di occultismo dai risvolti tragici, raccontato come se fosse un'inchiesta ufficiale a posteriori, e lo sgrossa sia dalla prolissità sia dai feticci razzisti, sostituendoli anzi con una piacevolissima dose di sarcasmo malvagio contro i protagonisti antieroici. E il finale è spiazzante in modo efficace!
10. The Hunt mi ha convinto a metà: molto bello il punto di vista di un razionalista scaraventato nel mondo dell'occultismo, molto bello il finale ad effetto, terribilmente telefonata la sezione centrale climatica. In generale si sente che Kuttner stava lentamente abbandonando il paranormale perturbante lovecraftiano in favore di un "orrore urbano" che maturerà negli anni Quaranta.
Non mi sento di dare a questa versione della raccolta più di 3 stelle, siccome manca il racconto in collaborazione con Bloch (The Black Kiss) che è seguito diretto di The Salem Horror, ma se la collezione fosse stata davvero completa avrei concesso certamente 3,5 stelle se non 4: non sono racconti eccezionali, ma nel loro genere sono egregi.
Premessa di tipo estetico: ovviamente il senso di questo volume è raccogliere tutti i testi di Kuttner ambientati nell'universo condiviso dei Miti di Chtulhu, ergo è inevitabile confrontare l'allievo Kuttner con il suo maestro H.P. Lovecraft, e probabilmente gli estimatori d H.P.L. considereranno il corpus kuttneriano una pallida ombra del modello. Avendo letto sia i romanzi brevi di Lovecraft (At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels of Terror) sia il nucleo principale del ciclo di Chtulhu (The Haunter of the Dark: The H.P. Lovecraft Omnibus, #3) sia una parte dei "racconti macabri" (Dagon and Other Macabre Tales), io appartengo alla parrocchia contraria: trovo sinceramente che il buon "Solitario di Providence" fosse uno scrittore con poche eccellenti idee, che le abbia eseguite a ripetizione in infiniti testi mediocri così da ricavarne (per legge dei grandi numeri) una manciata notevole, e che la sua estetica sia alquanto compromessa dalla profonda cattiveria alla base della sua etica. Ergo, dovendo scegliere fra un originale lovecraftiano meno che eccellente e un'emulazione kuttneriana, preferisco nettamente la seconda: sarà meno ispirata, ma almeno c'è un bilanciamento fra sostanza e forma che manca spesso nei testi magniloquenti di HPL, e l'orrore non si basa sul razzismo e sessismo sistemico dei WASP.
Poste tutte le premesse del caso, i testi!
1. The Secret of Kralitz è una piacevole fantasmagoria medievale con un finale d'effetto estremamente forzato, tirato fuori dal cappello giusto per spiazzare. Si sente che è un'opera quasi prima.
2. The Eater of Souls rende bene come fiaba magniloquente e surreale, però mi auguro che Kuttner l'abbia intesa in tono farsesco o quantomeno paradossale – non è concepibile spaventarsi sul serio quando si scopre che il Mangia-Anime .
3. The Salem Horror è chiaramente stato composto in modo "procedurale", prendendo elementi ricorrenti del corpus e rimontandoli assieme secondo una ricetta: abbiamo la casa infestata, l'artista imprudente che scatena l'orrore, l'occultista giunto a esorcizzare il male, ... e l'insieme non risulta solo godibile, ma in qualche modo è "più lovecraftiano di Lovecraft", molto vicino all'idea platonica del Ciclo di Ctulhu che ne ha una persona inesperta, senza per questo scadere di qualità come fanno le imitazioni delle imitazioni.
4. The Jest of Droom-avista prosegue gli eventi di The Eater of Souls e funziona sia nel costruire una continuità temporale sia nell'effetto tragicomico/grottesco finale, qui indiscutibile e molto sagace.
5. Spawn of Dagon è principalmente un episodio del ciclo di Elak di Atlantide e confermo l'opinione positiva maturata a leggerlo già in Elak of Atlantis: un bel racconto di fantasy avventuroso un po' macabro che pur imitando Conan trova una voce sua nelle situazioni farsesche ma non troppo.
6. The Invaders ripropone gli ingredienti fondamentali già visti in The Salem Horror, cioè flisteo impudente rigorosamente artista, infestazione ed esorcismo, ma la costruzione praticamente teatrale dela vicenda (c'è unità di spazio, tempo e azione) intrecciata al tocco di "magia psicagogica" evita l'effetto di già visto – e anzi l'atmosfera passa efficacemente da "storia di fantasmi" a "storia di fantascienza apocalittica".
7. The Frog ripropone una terza volta e in modo relativamente più banale la trama dell'orrore cosmico scatenato, però anche qui l'impianto si conserva fresco grazie alla dimensione corale del villaggio coeso e in armi contro il mostro – un atteggiamento di rispetto verso i contadini assediati che è completamente antitetico al classismo di Lovecraft, e una boccata d'aria fresca.
8. Bells of Horror sintetizza molto bene la dimensione corale di The Frog all'atmosfera apocalittica di The Invaders e risulta in un intero maggiore della somma delle parti, l'unico racconto che mi abbia effettivamente messo i brividi per empatia emotiva con i protagonisti. Davvero eccellente.
9. Hydra è il mio testo preferito: prende il modello lovcraftiano dell'esperimento di occultismo dai risvolti tragici, raccontato come se fosse un'inchiesta ufficiale a posteriori, e lo sgrossa sia dalla prolissità sia dai feticci razzisti, sostituendoli anzi con una piacevolissima dose di sarcasmo malvagio contro i protagonisti antieroici. E il finale è spiazzante in modo efficace!
10. The Hunt mi ha convinto a metà: molto bello il punto di vista di un razionalista scaraventato nel mondo dell'occultismo, molto bello il finale ad effetto, terribilmente telefonata la sezione centrale climatica. In generale si sente che Kuttner stava lentamente abbandonando il paranormale perturbante lovecraftiano in favore di un "orrore urbano" che maturerà negli anni Quaranta.
Non mi sento di dare a questa versione della raccolta più di 3 stelle, siccome manca il racconto in collaborazione con Bloch (The Black Kiss) che è seguito diretto di The Salem Horror, ma se la collezione fosse stata davvero completa avrei concesso certamente 3,5 stelle se non 4: non sono racconti eccezionali, ma nel loro genere sono egregi.
April 26, 2024
I first came upon Henry Kuttner's work under his pseudonym Lewis Padgett in 'Graveyard Rats' (becoming one of my favorite horror tales), and 'Mimsy Were the Borogoves' (also a favorite scifi story). I later learned his real name and learned of his exceptionally talented wife, C. L. Moore (of whom I'm also a huge fan). It's fascinating that he was a friend of both H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, as well as Marion Zimmer Bradley, Richard Matheson and Ray Bradbury, to name just a few. The meaty stories in this collection have echoes of Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and even somewhat Arthur Machen and Bradbury but its Kuttner's distinct styles that stand out and make many of the stories resonate. Quite an entertaining and enjoyable read, especially if you're a Kuttner fan.
April 18, 2014
One of the more even collections in Chaosium's "Mythos" series.
Kuttner's writing isn't the strongest here, but the collection overall is very enjoyable to read, with none of the real clunkers many of the other series books seem to have.
Kuttner manages Lovecraftian homage while inventing his own forbidden books, Great Old Ones, places & characters- something August Derleth massively failed at.
Kuttner's writing isn't the strongest here, but the collection overall is very enjoyable to read, with none of the real clunkers many of the other series books seem to have.
Kuttner manages Lovecraftian homage while inventing his own forbidden books, Great Old Ones, places & characters- something August Derleth massively failed at.
August 22, 2025
Kuttner’s ten stories criss-cross recurring themes of discovery, disaster, dangerous learning, and imbibition. Thematic recurrence comes close to repetition, though Kuttner’s skill at complication ultimately steers us clear of those breakers.
❖ ❖ ❖
“The Secret of Kralitz” (1936) A man learns his family's dark secret: his ancestors are undead beings who feast in a sub-castle cavern with a horrifying, hellish horde of monsters.
#No Escape
#Coexistence
#Unveiling
“The Eater of Souls” (1937) A ruler faces a monstrous being that consumes souls. To save his people, he sacrifices himself in a fusion to defeat the creature by using its own method.
#Sacrifice as Salvation
#Struggle Between Gods
#Unnameable and Unknown
“The Salem Horror” (1937) An author discovers a hidden chamber in an old witch's house. He accidentally awakens a gelatinous monster, which proceeds to threaten the town.
#Unseen Forces and Occult Science
#Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
#Hubris and Disbelief
“The Jest of Droom-avista” (1937) A wizard summons a god to transmute all things into the rarest metal. The god plays a trick, turning the wizard and his city into iron.
#Unveiling
#Sacrifice as Salvation
#Hubris and its Consequences
“Spawn of Dagon” (1938) Two adventurers become entangled in a conflict between a wizard and a race of sea-dwelling beings who seek to sink Atlantis.
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
#Unnameable and Unknown
#Sword and Sorcery
“The Invaders” (1939) A writer's hallucinogenic drug, which unlocks ancestral memories, opens a gateway to another dimension, allowing horrifying alien beings to cross over and cause chaos.
#Dangers of Hubris and Disbelief
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
#Unseen and Incomprehensible
“The Frog” (1939) A man moves a cursed stone in his garden, unleashing a monstrous, amphibious horror from a grave. The creature begins a rampage of terror.
#Dangers of Hubris and Disbelief
#Unnameable and Unknown
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
“Hydra” (1939) A man's astral projection experiment accidentally links him to a parasitic, headless monster. The creature kills his friend and then pursues him for his own head.
#Dangers of Hubris and Disbelief
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
#Unseen and Incomprehensible
“Bells of Horror” (1939) A historical society unearths three lost, accursed mission bells. When rung, they summon a dark entity that brings a terrifying, mind-bending eclipse.
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
#Unveiling of a Horrible Heritage
#Unseen and Incomprehensible
“The Hunt” (1939) An assassin kills his cousin, a wizard, in a magical circle. The death breaks the circle, unleashing a cosmic horror that hunts the killer.
#A Fate from Which There is No Escape
#The Unseen and Incomprehensible
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental
❖ ❖ ❖
“Bells of Horror” is the strongest story in this collection. Its location finally allows Kuttner to free himself from faux New England.
In these stories, Kuttner comes close to Leiber’s level of attainment in pseudo-Livecraft fiction. Kuttner’s stories rise above the aesthetic level of fanfic, though stop short of the sublimity of a story like “Dark Wings.” Principally, this is a product of Kuttner's short life; Leiber certainly made the most of the liberatory energies unleashed by the mass movements of the 1960s and 70s.
❖ ❖ ❖
“The Secret of Kralitz” (1936) A man learns his family's dark secret: his ancestors are undead beings who feast in a sub-castle cavern with a horrifying, hellish horde of monsters.
#No Escape
#Coexistence
#Unveiling
“The Eater of Souls” (1937) A ruler faces a monstrous being that consumes souls. To save his people, he sacrifices himself in a fusion to defeat the creature by using its own method.
#Sacrifice as Salvation
#Struggle Between Gods
#Unnameable and Unknown
“The Salem Horror” (1937) An author discovers a hidden chamber in an old witch's house. He accidentally awakens a gelatinous monster, which proceeds to threaten the town.
#Unseen Forces and Occult Science
#Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
#Hubris and Disbelief
“The Jest of Droom-avista” (1937) A wizard summons a god to transmute all things into the rarest metal. The god plays a trick, turning the wizard and his city into iron.
#Unveiling
#Sacrifice as Salvation
#Hubris and its Consequences
“Spawn of Dagon” (1938) Two adventurers become entangled in a conflict between a wizard and a race of sea-dwelling beings who seek to sink Atlantis.
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
#Unnameable and Unknown
#Sword and Sorcery
“The Invaders” (1939) A writer's hallucinogenic drug, which unlocks ancestral memories, opens a gateway to another dimension, allowing horrifying alien beings to cross over and cause chaos.
#Dangers of Hubris and Disbelief
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
#Unseen and Incomprehensible
“The Frog” (1939) A man moves a cursed stone in his garden, unleashing a monstrous, amphibious horror from a grave. The creature begins a rampage of terror.
#Dangers of Hubris and Disbelief
#Unnameable and Unknown
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
“Hydra” (1939) A man's astral projection experiment accidentally links him to a parasitic, headless monster. The creature kills his friend and then pursues him for his own head.
#Dangers of Hubris and Disbelief
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
#Unseen and Incomprehensible
“Bells of Horror” (1939) A historical society unearths three lost, accursed mission bells. When rung, they summon a dark entity that brings a terrifying, mind-bending eclipse.
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental Intrusion
#Unveiling of a Horrible Heritage
#Unseen and Incomprehensible
“The Hunt” (1939) An assassin kills his cousin, a wizard, in a magical circle. The death breaks the circle, unleashing a cosmic horror that hunts the killer.
#A Fate from Which There is No Escape
#The Unseen and Incomprehensible
#Psychic Manipulation and Mental
❖ ❖ ❖
“Bells of Horror” is the strongest story in this collection. Its location finally allows Kuttner to free himself from faux New England.
In these stories, Kuttner comes close to Leiber’s level of attainment in pseudo-Livecraft fiction. Kuttner’s stories rise above the aesthetic level of fanfic, though stop short of the sublimity of a story like “Dark Wings.” Principally, this is a product of Kuttner's short life; Leiber certainly made the most of the liberatory energies unleashed by the mass movements of the 1960s and 70s.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2025
This collection contains 11 stories by Kuttner, one story by the editor, and one story by Lin Carter. The latter two use some of Kuttner's Mythos creations that justify their inclusion. All are typical Lovecraftian pastiches that don't even come close to creating the same atmosphere as Lovecraft. Nevertheless, I found the stories entertaining and a great opportunity to experience the novice Kuttner (I have read many novels and stories by Kuttner). His prose, while decorated with Lovecraft's flourishes and language, is not nearly as dense, so the stories are an easy read. The stories by Price and Carter are of similar quality, although these authors were far more established when they wrote their stories. I don't mind the inclusion of these stories in this slim volume, but I won't be seeking out more stories by either author. Recommended first for Kuttner fans, then for Mythos fans.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2022
Penned early in Kuttner's career, these Mythos stories find him moving beyond mere Lovecraft pastiche to produce original stories in a variety of styles. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...
May 4, 2023
Kuttner has been called the perfect pulp writer, and I have to agree. None of these stories are knockouts, but they all deliver the twists and the scares. Robert Price has himself delivered thoughtful and informative commentary on the selected pieces.
January 2, 2021
Enjoyable enough. The non Kuttner stories sucked.
November 2, 2010
As far as Golden Age sci-fi and fantasy goes, I admit that I like Kuttner and make no excuses for that. That all said, even as a fan it's impossible to escape the fact that his early work, from which the content of this collection is selected, is far from his best.
Yet to find his own voice, he largely winds up producing pale imitations of other authors — Lovecraft is the most frequent as well as the most obvious, but there are also stories that echo the works of Dunsany and Howard thrown in as well.
Yet to find his own voice, he largely winds up producing pale imitations of other authors — Lovecraft is the most frequent as well as the most obvious, but there are also stories that echo the works of Dunsany and Howard thrown in as well.
May 11, 2017
Mostly mediocre stories by another acolyte of the Lovecraftian technique. The last 2 or 3 Kutner stories are decent, or better at least than the rest, though he makes silly mistakes like referring to a 6 pointed star as a pentagram even in these. The story by Price is so short and ineffectual that it reads more like an outline. The story by Lin Carter is, as S.T. Joshi has noted, much too close to Lovecraft's Haunter of the Dark.
February 2, 2017
This was my first exposure to Henry Kuttner's writing. I must say that his contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos were most welcome. As other reviewers have pointed out, 'The Bells of Horror' bears particular mentioning as a fun story. Recommended if you can find a copy.
August 12, 2015
Extremely fun tales, each different from any other in the collection. Non-pretentious, but intelligent. I'm quite glad I read it.
February 12, 2016
A collection of stories based on the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. These are, to me, only slightly better than the original Lovecraft stories. Just not a fan of his writings. Not recommended
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews